Shergold
Encyclopedia
Burns London
Burns London is a guitar-making company originally formed in 1960 as Ormston Burns Ltd. It was founded by James Ormston Burns , who has been described as the British Leo Fender...
employees Jack Golder and Norman Houlder. Based in east London, the company moved from Forest Gate
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...
to Harold Wood
Harold Wood
Harold Wood is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England.It is a suburban development situated east-northeeast of Charing Cross...
in 1973.
Initially they concentrated on producing woodwork for other companies, principally for Dallas Arbiter
Dallas Arbiter
Dallas Arbiter is a company formed by the merger of John E. Dallas and Sons musical instrument company and Arbiter Electronics. Dallas Arbiter Ltd. produced a number of guitar effects which changed the ordinary sound of the electric guitar into something more noticeable...
under the Hayman brand (until 1975); for Jim Burns himself under the Burns London banner; "Ned Callan" and Rosetti. When the contract for the Hayman guitars came to an end, the Shergold company found themselves with significant stocks of part finished instruments and raw materials. With this stock they launched their first guitars under their own brand name from late 1975.
Shergold concentrated on guitar production until 1982, when a downturn in the guitar market (especially for home grown instruments) meant that they returned to general custom joinery producing furniture, and only undertaking guitar work on a custom order basis. In 1983, Norman left the company to emigrate to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but would return to the country (but not to Shergold) within a few years. In 1991, Jack began making new Shergold guitars - the Limited Edition Masquerader - due to a rising interest at that time in British guitars from the 1970s. This revival was short lived, as Jack died in 1992. The Shergold company closed shortly afterwards.
Shergold had an eye for innovation - pioneering features that would be used by other manufacturers (bi-directional truss rod
Truss rod
The truss rod is part of a guitar or banjo used to stabilize and adjust the lengthwise forward curvature , of the neck. Usually it is a steel rod that runs inside the neck and has a bolt that can be used to adjust its tension...
, semi through body neck joint on the Cavalier), and others that have surprisingly been forgotten (interchangeable control electronics on the Modulator series). These features were always tempered by a tendency towards clumsy styling - bodies were slab sided, the juxtaposition of arcane Blackletter
Blackletter
Blackletter, also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 to well into the 17th century. It continued to be used for the German language until the 20th century. Fraktur is a notable script of this type, and sometimes...
script on modern instruments, and the quirky logo of a man carving a guitar body all contribute to a style that was often criticised by contemporary reviews, but now has an authentically 1970s retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
feel.
Notable players of Shergold instruments include:
- Mike RutherfordMike RutherfordMichael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
of GenesisGenesis (band)Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, who had a set of double neck Modulators custom made in 1977 which could be split in half and interchanged - Tim Smith of CardiacsCardiacsCardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
- Bernard SumnerBernard SumnerBernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
of Joy DivisionJoy DivisionJoy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and New OrderNew OrderNew Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris... - Gillian GilbertGillian GilbertGillian Lesley Gilbert is an English musician, keyboardist, guitarist and singer, best known as a member of New Order and a founding member of The Other Two.-Biography:...
of New OrderNew OrderNew Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris... - Peter HookPeter HookPeter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
of Joy DivisionJoy DivisionJoy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and New OrderNew OrderNew Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, plays six string Marathon basses - Julian CopeJulian CopeJulian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
, plays various Custom Doubles - P. Paul Fenech of psychobillyPsychobillyPsychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
band The MeteorsThe MeteorsThe Meteors are an English psychobilly band formed in 1980. Originally from London, England, they are often credited with giving the psychobilly subgenre—which fuses punk rock with rockabilly—its distinctive sound and style... - Marty Willson-Piper of The ChurchThe Church (band)The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
- solo experimental guitarist GP HallGP HallGP Hall is an English guitarist, composer and improviser fusing and mixing both traditional and avant-garde styles...
(who plays a modified Shergold six-string bass with a half-fretted, half-fretless neck) - Gary MarxGary MarxGary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
of The Sisters of MercyThe Sisters of MercyThe Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
played a Masquerader
Shergold Products:
- The Shergold MarathonShergold MarathonThe Shergold Marathon was a range of guitars and basses produced by the Shergold Woodcrafts Ltd. company. These models were produced in 4,6 and 8 string models.-The Marathon bass:The Marathon bass had three main scale lengths...
Bass GuitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....