NUGD - 2013 Bernie Marsden - Vintage Sunburst

shimmilou

Established in 1963
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
2,632
I got this a couple months ago, it came with "custom alnico" pups, they sound OK. I was going to get a set of SE 245 pups, maybe some covers too, but then I saw a set of covered 58/15 S and thought they might work. Man! The pups made a huge difference, and sound like they really belong in this guitar. The BM was supposed to emulate a '59 LP, and with these pups, it sounds a lot like a vintage LP. Moderate/low output, but a fairly beefy/authoritative sound, retaining great definition with distortion. These same pups sound quite different in each guitar, S2 594, S2 594 Thinline, SE Hollowbody, and the BM. Really excited about this guitar since I put in the pups, and it looks killer with the covered pups, like the limited model with the 53/10s. :)

Before
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After
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Bernie’s are amazing guitars! Looks even better with pickup covers!
 
just a question but other than the knob configuration, what is different from this guitar to a 245?

The Bernie's feature Vintage style keystone machine heads whereas the 245 feature Modern m6 style machine heads.
The biggest difference is the neck, 2011 -2015 versions of the bernie feature a neck that was scanned directly from the neck on Bernie's 1959 Les Paul (the beast) it has a slightly different carve from the wide fat of the 245. I'm not sure if the later bernies 2016-2019 feature the same neck carve (I've not played one from those years)
 
And heavy, mine has to be close to 9 lbs, only having bathroom scales to guesstimate. :eek:
 
She's a beauty, congrats. I really like the double creams but agree that bernie's need cover pickups.

here's my 2 beauties (both from the european 2011 limited 1000 run)
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Those look terrific! Now I don’t feel so bad about wanting a second. :)
 
Those look terrific! Now I don’t feel so bad about wanting a second. :)

Yeah you can never too many Bernie's. (already on the hunt for my next one - trying to find one of the limited gold tops they did for the UK)

I know what you mean about heavy,

The upper one in the picture is 8 lb 11oz or 3.678 kilo - the same as my 2014 Les Paul Traditional

The lower one is 9 lb 4 oz or 3.81 kilo

Just about finished the final mods on both of these - hopefully will get the pictures online later today
 
I want one with PRS signature on the headstock, but the only one I can find is in France for way too much money.
 
I want one with PRS signature on the headstock, but the only one I can find is in France for way too much money.

Where do you live and what's your price range? There is a mint condition 2017-18 one on reverb from MDC Guitars in Chester here in the UK for £650. It's one the last run with the satin necks
 
US, midwest, does it have the PRS signature on headstock, covered pups?
 
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