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Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
Here is a very short clip of a super cool Super Ace by Vox. Made in England in the JMI factory circa 1963 - and paired with a gorgeous 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb. Check out the other clips of this guitar/amp combination, or watch the long version (25+ different, from rich and warm, through superbly crunchy, to interplanetary exploration) in the vintageguitarandbass 'supporting members' area here. Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox Symphonic, 1963 WEM ER-15
This clip shows this 1966 Vox Symphonic bass played through a 1963 WEM ER15 with 1x12" Pick-A-Bass cab. This is a really nice playing bass, not dissimilar from the early 1960s Precision on which it was based. It's got a good tone, and is a far more substantial bass than many made by Vox. Strung here with Fender 9050L flatwound strings. This video shows a small sample of sounds using different bass and amp settings. See the longer version for a more in depth view of what this guitar/amp combination can do.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox New Escort, 1976 WEM Dominator mkIII
This is a fabulous guitar - Vox's take on the Fender Telecaster (which was in pretty short supply in mid-1960s Britain), and actually a pretty awesome player. It has some gorgeous snarl through this WEM Dominator, but check it out through the 1963 WEM ER15 and 1965 Vox AC4 in our other videos.
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Bassmaster, 1963 WEM ER-15
A UK-built (JMI) 1963 Vox Bassmaster dual pickup bass guitar, played through an (also 1963) British WEM ER-15 head with Pick-A-Bass cab. I usually prefer flatwounds on basses like this, but the ancient rattley roundwounds that were on it just sounded so great cranked up, I had to record it. Check it out - listen to the end!
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
Here is a very short clip of a super cool Super Ace by Vox. Made in England in the JMI factory circa 1963 - and paired with a gorgeous 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb. The Vibrato and Reverb on this amp are just MAGNIFICENT. Check out the other clips of this guitar/amp combination, or watch the long version (25+ different, from rich and warm, through superbly crunchy, to interplanetary exploration) in the vintageguitarandbass 'supporting members' area here. Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox Symphonic, 1963 WEM ER-15
This clip shows this 1966 Vox Symphonic bass played through a 1963 WEM ER15 with 1X12" Pick-A-Bass cab. This is a really nice playing bass, not dissimilar from the early 1960s Precision on which it was based. It's got a good tone, and is a far more substantial bass than many made by Vox. Strung here with Fender 9050L flatwound strings.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Bassmaster, 1973 WEM Dominator Bass Mk 1
The WEM Dominator bass amp is a British 15w tube amp with a 15" Celestion G15M speaker. And it gets plenty dirty! Always my first choice for some snarly overdriven bass. The Vox Bassmaster is a cool little guitar, and as can be heard here quite capable of laying down some tones! It's very, very, playable, the Vox V1 pickups are pretty sweet, and the combination of short scale and thin neck make this one of the easiest playing basses ever made!
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox New Escort, 1976 WEM Dominator mkIII
This is a fabulous guitar - Vox's take on the Fender Telecaster (which was in pretty short supply in mid-1960s Britain), and actually a pretty awesome player. It has some gorgeous snarl through this WEM Dominator, but check it out through the 1963 WEM ER15 and 1965 Vox AC4 in our other videos
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
1963 Vox Super Ace vs 1973 Fender Vibrolux (Shure left, Heil right) Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46) - The Vibrolux is an AWESOME amp! Like it's big brother, the Fender Twin, it has a great clean tone, cavernous reverb, and the most amazing vibrato - but in a smaller 40 Watt 2x10 package. A superb recording amp indeed. And just perfect for blues. But it does rattle a bit when turned to high. I use other amps for distorted tones, but the Vibrolux is the GOD of clean! The Vox Super Ace, with it's V2 single coil pickups has a really great sound too - three three pickups operate one at a time, with tone controls for the middle and neck only - this guitar has some superbly beautiful warm tones, with these tones rolled down a little (or a lot!). It doesn't do bright and piercing as well as it does warm and rich, but it's a real pleasure to play. This video demonstrates 25+ sounds, from rich and warm, through superbly crunchy, to interplanetary exploration.
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Bassmaster, 1964 Ampeg B-15N
For snarly distortion, I love my WEM amplifiers, but for cleaner tones, nothing beats an Ampeg B15. Unlike the previous videos (above), the bass is now strung with flatwound strings (shortscale, Rotosound Jazz Bass RS77S, 40-90, so still fairly light). These are not actually ideal, as the ball-end silk windings actually extend over the saddle - not great for accurate intonation, but it's the set I bought! (Labella Deep Talkin' strings don't have winding at this end, but I didn't have any spare on the day I was making the video). It's a nice sounding bass, although with somewhat limited controls: despite the dual pickups, it only has a master volume and master tone - no option to select the pickups individually. The neck is narrow, but not too shallow, and topped with a nice radiused rosewood fretboard. Some other early Vox instruments had a flat sycamore board - notably the Clubman bass. Actually rather good for playing some of those faster runs not so easy on some necks. The Vox V1 pickups are (as always) pretty nice - plenty of midrange and a lot of character. This bass is very light (just a shade over 3kg), and a lot of fun to play, but probably too primative to be anyone's main bass.
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox New Escort, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a fabulous guitar - Vox's take on the Fender Telecaster (which was in pretty short supply in mid-1960s Britain), and actually a pretty awesome player. It sounds pretty good through this contemporaneous Vox AC4, but check it out through the 1960s WEM ER15 and early 70s WEM Dominator
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox Symphonic, 1964 Ampeg B-15N
This clip shows this 1966 Vox Symphonic bass played through a 1964 Ampeg B15. This is a really nice playing bass, not dissimilar from the early 1960s Precision on which it was based. It's got a good tone, and is a far more substantial bass than many made by Vox. Strung here with Fender 9050L flatwound strings
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 197X WEM Clubman MK 8
The WEM Clubman is one of the brands smaller amplifiers - just 5 watts through a single 12 inch speaker. But it's an awesome sounding amp, especially if you want a bit of grit! And the three-pickup Vox Super Ace has a lot of different tones. This video shows just one sound: the middle pickup of the Vox with the tone rolled down a little, through a fairly tame amp. Crank up those controls for some MUCH hotter sounds. Check out the other long version of this video in the vintageguitarandbass 'supporting members' area to see what this combination can do. Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about this instrument here: 1966 Vox Symphonic
This clip shows this 1966 Vox Symphonic bass played through a Marshall 2061X reissue head / Marshall 1550 1x15 cab. This is a pretty gainy amp, and certainly not one to chose if you want hi-fi clean sounds. I've just used the bass channel here, but it can get a whole lot grittier if you daisy chain the lead and bass channels together, Strung here with Fender 9050L flatwound strings.
I'm not entirely happy with this video. The low E string sounds like it is a little to low and clanks against the frets a bit too often, and the Electrovoice microphone was starting to fail, adding extraneous vibrations to the signal. I'll replace this video when I get to record a better version.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox New Escort, 1963 WEM ER-15
This is a fabulous guitar - Vox's take on the Fender Telecaster (which was in pretty short supply in mid-1960s Britain), and actually a pretty awesome player. It sounds pretty good through this 1963 WEM ER15 with some lovely rich tones, but check it out through the 1965 Vox AC4 and early 70s WEM Dominator
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1967 Vox Clubman, 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
This clip shows a rather atypical Vox Clubman (with rosewood fretboard and adjustable neck), played through a 40w 2x10" silverface Fender Vibrolux. Nice guitar, superb amp! Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46). Check out the link above for the specs of this unusual variant of the Vox Clubman, and watch the long version of this video in the vintageguitarandbass supporting members area, to hear a bit more of this guitar / amp under different settings.
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1961 Hohner Zambesi, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a really interesting early British guitar, and nicely built, with electronics by Fenton Weill, and woodwork by furniture manufacturer Stuart Darkins. It sounds pretty dark, with a fat woody tone - in part the result of it's solid mahogany body and set mahogany neck - far more like an early Gibson than an early Fender. The neck is deep and solid - and doesn't feel like it could move much - there is no adjustable truss rod. In fact there isn't much adjustability at all - the pickup height is set, and the floating bridge requires manual placement. But despite all this, it is a very playable guitar! And it works well with this mid-sixties Vox AC4. Great guitar (despite some hardware peculiarities), great amp!
There is a much longer video of this guitar exploring more settings from this guitar / amp in the vintageguitarandbass supporting members area here.
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1961 Hohner Zambesi, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a really interesting early British guitar, and nicely built, with electronics by Fenton Weill, and woodwork by furniture manufacturer Stuart Darkins. It sounds pretty dark, with a fat woody tone - in part the result of it's solid mahogany body and set mahogany neck - far more like an early Gibson than an early Fender. The neck is deep and solid - and doesn't feel like it could move much - there is no adjustable truss rod. In fact there isn't much adjustability at all - the pickup height is set, and the floating bridge requires manual placement. But despite all this, it is a very playable guitar! And it works well with this mid-sixties Vox AC4. Great guitar (despite some hardware peculiarities), great amp!
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 197X WEM Clubman MK 8
The WEM Clubman is one of the brands smaller amplifiers - at just 5 watts through a single 12 inch speaker, you're probably going to have the volume turned up somewhat. And this is where the magic is. Yes the clean tones are nice, but when you crank this amp, you get some seriously rich, and superbly creamy overdrive. As always, we start clean, turning gain up as we go. The three V2 single-coil pickup Vox Super Ace has plenty of tonal variation too. The combination of Vox Super Ace and WEM Clubman must have disturbed countless neighbours in the UK in the early 1970s. Not loud enough to gig, but a great recording set up with some awesome tone! TURN IT UP! Strung here with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1967 Vox Clubman, 1973 Fender Vibrolux Reverb
The Vox Clubman is known as a pretty straightforward guitar, with a flat fretboard and no truss rod adjustment. But this example from 1967 was factory fitted with the same neck as the Vox Consort or Soundcaster: i.e. a curved rosewood fretboard on a fully adjustable neck, with floating metal bridge to match. Combined with a lightweight mahogany body, and Vox's V1 pickups, it makes a pretty respectable, instrument; far better than your typical mid-sixties Vox Clubman. Read the story in the link above. Played here through a 40w 2x10" silverface Fender Vibrolux, it sounds pretty nice! This guitar is strung with Gibson bright wire strings (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Shadow, 1963 WEM ER-15
A nice dual pickup 1963 Vox Shadow played through a 1963 WEM ER15 amplifier. Early Vox guitars often don't have great build quality, but the pickups are pretty nice. With a little love and attention (specifically frets and set-up), these lightweight guitars can sing like a lark!
There were several Vox Shadow variants. Check out vintageguitarandbass.com for a whole lot more on the Vox Shadow.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1965 Vox Ace, 1965 Vox AC4
Two very cool UK Vox (JMI) products from 1965: a dual pickup Ace guitar, and a 4w AC4 amp. Actually a great combination with a pretty wide tonal palette.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Clubman II, 1963 WEM ER-15
More about this guitar: https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/vox/1963_Clubman_II.php Two from 1963. The Vox Clubman came as a single or dual pickup guitar - pretty basic, but with Vox's standard V1 pickups pretty nice sounding too. The WEM ER15 functions equally well as a guitar or bass amp, and with the gain turned up has PLENTY of bite.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Epiphone Granada, 1965 Vox AC4
A gorgeous sunburst Epiphone Granada played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Shadow, 1965 Vox AC4
A nice dual pickup 1963 Vox Shadow played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier. This model changed a lot through the sixties: different body styles, differing hardware and even different pickup arrangements. This example has the strat-style body, two pickups and tremolo.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1967 Vox Stroller, 1965 Vox AC4
A final year 1967 single pickup Vox Stroller played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 1964 Vox AC4
This is a really cool British-built vintage guitar from the early 60s. Nice sounding, with plenty of mellow with the neck pickup selected and the tone rolled down, but maybe not as much bite as you'd expect from the bridge pickup alone. (Perhaps the springs should be removed to raise the pickup further). The tremolo is pretty useable, and doesn't detune the guitar significantly with a little use - i've not really tried any dive bombs mind you! The AC4 is a cool amp, with a beautiful basic sound; it isn't really loud enough to disturb anyone else, but this does mean it doesn't get especially gainy either. I generally wish it would give a little more... Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
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The Hagstrom Swede bass, or model HB 903, was only built in small numbers: just 1479 basses shipped between 1971 and 1976. Unlike the current range of Hagstrom guitars, the 1950s-1980s Hagstroms were built in Sweden. This example comes from 1973 and is pretty typical: translucent cherry finish, mahogany body, mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard. It's a really nice bass, beautifully appointed with a very wide tonal range, and a great playing feel. It is relatively heavy though for a mahogany instrument, mostly due to its thick solid body. Very cool bass, and certainly one of the very best basses produced by Hagstrom.
This example of the Shaftesbury 3400 was produced by Japanese manufacturer Matsumoku who made some great quality guitars in the 1970s and 1980s. This is a slightly later example, and has some features not seen on earlier 3400s. Although nice guitars, these are not in the same league as the Gibson Les Paul it was emulating (no set neck, no carved maple top); but they are far better than many of the entry-level Les Paul copies available in the mid-1970s - for example the Shaftesbury 3400 has gold plated hardware, a solid body bound front and back, Maxon brand humbuckers and nice inlaid neck and headstock.
The Epiphone 1802T was the early name given to the Epiphone ET-270 and derived from an existing Aria guitar, also the 1802T. This was the first of the 1970s Epiphone solid bodies made in Japan by Matsumoku.The model evolved somewhat over its short production run: the very earliest examples were very similar to the Aria, sharing the same body shape, hardware, and clear-coated neck with Fender-style headstock with decal logo. By the time it was designated the Epiphone ET-270 it had been upgraded with the classic Epiphone-style headstock, with nice inlaid logo, and Epiphone 'E' motifs on the truss rod cover and scratchplate. This example from 1971 is somewhere in between with the Epiphone-style headstock, but with silk-screened logo, and no 'E's.
Shaftesbury was a brand distributed by Rose-Morris in the UK - generally imported guitars from Italy or Japan. This guitar, model 3400 was produced by Matsumoku in Japan, and was one of the earliest Les Paul copy guitars, debuting in the UK in 1969, although the same guitar was also sold as the Univox U1982 'Rhythm and Blues' by Merson in the USA as early as 1968. It was also available in different territories under different marques, most obviously the Aria 5522 (Japan), Jedson Jet 4444 (UK, Dallas Arbiter), with no doubt many more examples worldwide.
The Gibson Victory MV-X, or Victory 'Multi-Voice' 10, was so-named because of the 10 distinct switch settings: although on first glance this guitar is very much a 'super-strat', with its three-pickup 5-way switch wiring configuration, the original advertising, sounds like... all of 'em underlines that this isn't just a Stratocaster copy, having the sounds of both Gibson humbuckers and Fender single coils available with a flick of a switch. The model was short-lived, with the first instruments shipping from Kalamazoo in Summer of 1981, and the last (excluding any stragglers) leaving Nashville by early 1982. This one was stamped on August 3rd 1981 in Kalamazoo.
Scan of 1970 Epiphone guitar catalogue produced by Rosetti for the UK market. Undated but most likely from mid-late 1970, this was the first UK catalogue to show the new range of Japanese (Matsumoku) Epiphone guitars. Interestingly, these pages show the Epiphone solid bodies with a single-sided Fender-style headstock layout - a feature quickly replaced with a typical two-sided Epiphone headstock almost immediately. Epiphone electric guitars: 9520, 9525; bass guitars: 9521, 9526; acoustic guitars: 6730, 6830, 6834
Scan of 1971 Rosetti catalogue (UK) featuring guitars from from numerous manufacturers worldwide: guitars by Epiphone, Hagstrom, Levin, Hoyer, Egmond, Eros, Moridaira, Kiso-Suzuki, Schaller, and Tatra.
Scan of 1971 Selmer guitar catalogue showing the range of electric and acoustic guitars distributed by the company: guitars by Gibson, Yamaha, Selmer, Hofner and Suzuki. 1960s Selmer had always placed Hofner at the front end of their catalogues, no doubt these were the better sellers - but into the 1970s Hofner were slipping somewhat and only appear at the tail end of this publication, pride of place going to Gibson, and to a lesser extent Yamaha. In fact this is the last Selmer catalogue to include the many Hofner hollow bodies (Committee, President, Senator etc) that had defined the companies output for so many years - to be replaced in the 1972 catalogue by generic solid body 'copies' of Gibson and Fender models. A number of new Gibson models are included for the first time: the SG-100 and SG-200 six string guitars and the SB-300 and SB-400 basses.
Scan of 1968/1969 Selmer guitar catalogue (printed July 1968), showing the entire range of electric and acoustic guitars distributed by the company: guitars by Hofner, Gibson, Selmer and Giannini. Selmer were the exclusive United Kingdom distributors of Hofner and Gibson at the time, and this catalogue contains a total of 18 electric guitars, 7 bass guitars, 37 acoustics, and 2 Hawaiian guitars - all produced outside the UK and imported by Selmer, with UK prices included in guineas. This catalogue saw the (re-)introduction of the late sixties Gibson Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Standard (see page 69) and the short-lived Hofner Club 70. Other electric models include: HOFNER ELECTRICS: Committee, Verithin 66, Ambassador, President, Senator, Galaxie, HOFNER BASSES: Violin bass, Verithin bass, Senator bass, Professional bass GIBSON ELECTRICS: Barney Kessel, ES-330TD, ES-335TD, ES-345TD, ES-175D, ES-125CD, SG Standard, SG Junior, SG Special GIBSON BASSES: EB-0, EB-2, EB-3 - plus a LOT of acoustics branded Gibson, Hofner, Selmer and Giannini
Hofner Colorama was the name UK distributor Selmer gave to a series of solid and semi-solid guitars built by Hofner for distribution in the UK. The construction and specifications of the guitars varied over the period of production, but by 1961 it was a totally solid, double cutaway instrument, with a set neck, translucent cherry finish, six-in-a-row headstock, and Hofner Diamond logo pickups. Available as a single or dual pickup guitar, this sngle pickup version would have been sold in mainland Europe as the Hofner 161.
Commodore was a brand applied to a series of guitars produced in Japan at the well-respected Matsumoku plant from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s - and sold primarily (perhaps exclusively?) in the United Kingdom. The models bearing the Commodore name were all guitars available from different distributors with different branding. Although there may have been some minor changes in appointments (specifically headstock branding) most had the same basic bodies, hardware and construction. Equivalent models to the Commodore N25 (and this is by no means an exhaustive list) include the Aria 5102T, Conrad 5102T(?), Electra 2221, Lyle 5102T, Ventura V-1001, Univox Coily - and most famously the Epiphone 5102T / Epiphone EA-250.
The Hofner Colorama was the name given by Selmer to a series of solid (and semi-solid) body Hofner guitars distributed in the United Kingdom between 1958 and 1965. The Colorama name actually applied to some quite different guitars over the period, but in 1960 it was a very light, semi-solid, set necked guitar with one (Colorama I) or two (Colorama II, as seen here) Toaster pickups. Although an entry-level guitar, it was very well-built, and a fine playing guitar; certainly a step up (at least in terms of craftsmanship) from many of the Colorama guitars that would follow, and a good deal of the guitars available in Britain circa 1960.
By the end of the 1960s, a decision had been made to move Epiphone guitar production from the USA (at the Kalamazoo plant where Gibson guitars were made), to Matsumoto in Japan, creating a line of guitars and basses significantly less expensive than the USA-built models (actually less than half the price). The Matsumoku factory had been producing guitars for export for some time, but the 1820 bass (alongside a number of guitar models and the 5120 electric acoustic bass) were the first Epiphone models to be made there. These new Epiphones were based on existing Matsumoku guitars, sharing body shapes, and hardware, but the Epiphone line was somewhat upgraded, with inlaid logos and a 2x2 peghead configuration. Over the course of the 70s, the Japanese output improved dramatically, and in many ways these early 70s models are a low point for the brand. Having said this, there are a lot worse guitars out there, and as well as being historically important, the 1820 bass can certainly provide the goods when required.
Production of Bill Lawrence's Gibson Marauder began in 1974, with production peaking in 1978. But by 1980 the model was officially discontinued, though very small numbers slipped out as late as spring 1981. Over 7000 examples shipped between 1974 and 1979, and although no totals are available for 1980 and 1981, it is unlikely production reached three figures in either of these years. These final Marauders were all assembled at the Gibson Nashville plant, and had some nice features not available through the later years of production, such as a rosewood fretboard, and in this case, an opaque 'Devil Red' finish. It's a great looking and fine playing guitar!
When Epiphone production moved from Kalamazoo to the Matsumoku plant in Japan, a whole new range of electric, flattop and classic acoustic guitars was launched. Between late 1970 and 1972 the new models were launched and refined. This 'folder' catalog contains various inserts released over these years detailing four electric six-strings (ET-270, ET-275, ET-278, and thinline EA-250), three bass guitars (ET-280, ET-285, and thinline EA-260), three folk/steel acoustics, four jumbo flattop acoustics, two 12-string jumbos, four classic acoustics, and a banjo.
'Gibson Specials' was part of the June 1981 pre-owners manual series, but unlike the other folders contained a mish-mash of different guitars: limited editions, test marketing and close outs. "You will find the unusual, the brand-new, and the bargain within this folder". End of line 70s guitars like the Marauder, S-1, and L-6S Custom mixed in with brand new models the The V, The Explorer and the Flying V Bass.
Rose-Morris were selling Shaftesbury-branded Rickenbacker copy instruments from the late 1960s right through the 1970s. The 3263 bass was one of the first models, (alongside the 3261 six string and 3262 twelve string) available from late 1968 until about 1974. The earliest incarnation was a set neck bass, produced very briefly in Japan. But production quickly moved to Italy. This bolt-on neck example was built by Eko, in Recanati, using the same hardware and pickups as fitted to Eko, and Vox basses built around the same time. It's certainly a fine looking bass, and not a bad player either.
This very early, and pretty rare British-built guitar is branded Hohner London. Hohner were, of course, a German company, better known for their harmonicas and accordions, but they were keenly expanding into guitars at the birth of the 1960s. This model, along with the Hohner Amazon and (particularly) the Hohner Holborn, bear some similarity with Vox guitars of the same period; furniture manufacturer Stuart Darkins constructed bodies and necks for both brands, with Fenton Weill assembling them using their hardware and pickups. These guitars do have some hardware peculiarities, and they are not the most adjustable of instruments, but they actually play very nicely, being solidly built out of some very nice woods. Check out the video on this page.
The Vox Super Ace was a mid-priced British solid body electric guitar, produced by JMI at their factory in Dartford, Kent. It was broadly modelled on the Fender Stratocaster, and a sibling model to the dual-pickup Vox Ace. Both the Ace, and Super Ace (along with several other models), were redesigned in 1963 with a new body shape, headstock style, and pickup layout - only increasing the resemblance to the aforementioned Fender. The Super Ace had a 1963 price tag of £47 5S. It's a pretty nice playing guitar with some lovely sounds - check out the videos on this page, and in the Vintage Guitar and Bass supporting members area
The Vox New Escort was Vox's version of the Fender Telecaster, at a time when American guitars were out of reach for most British musicians. It was made by JMI in England, for the British market, and unlike the majority of other models, didn't have an Italian-made equivalent. But the New Escort wasn't a slavish Fender copy, adding Vox's stylish teardrop headstock to the tele-style body, with a stop tailpiece and two Vox V2 single coil pickups. And it's a pretty substantial, and nice playing guitar, with a very comfortable neck. Check out the images, specifications, and watch a video of it in action. There is also extra content in the vintageguitarandbass supporting members area.
Catalog scan. The 1969 Fender Lovin' Care catalog consisted of 48 pages of electric guitars, basses, amplifiers, steel guitars, acoustic guitars, banjos and keyboards. Like the previous catalog, this featured the company's guitars in a variety of interesting settings around California, from the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, to the Hollywood Bowl. Several instruments were making their first appearance amongst it's pages: the Telecaster bass, Montego and LTD jazz guitars, and the Redondo acoustic. It was the final catalog appearance, however, of the Electric XII, Bass V, Duo-Sonic, Coronado I and Coronado Bass I.
The Eko Ranger series of guitars was incredibly popular in the second half of the 1960s and through the 1970s, selling in very large numbers. The Ranger Folk was 1 1/4" smaller, and 1" shallower than the Ranger VI and XII - and with a narrower waist. Not a bad guitar; a little quiet, but pretty playable. These were great value in 1973, and because they sold so many, they are easy to find and excellent value today.
The Symphonic bass was built in the UK, by Vox parent company JMI. It was the Vox equivalent to the Fender Precision bass, and was one of the most expensive Vox guitars produced. It was actually a great playing bass, rather similar to the Precision in feel and sound, but was probably just too expensive compared to an actual Fender and consequently sold poorly. When Vox hit financial problems in 1968, unsold guitars and basses were passed on to Dallas Arbiter, who briefly sold the excess Symphonic bass stock as model 4537. This bass, although with a neck date of February 1966, was most likely one of the unsold Vox guitars sold on by Dallas Arbiter. Check out the bass, and the two video demos through 1960s Ampeg and WEM amplifiers.
The 1968 Shaftesbury 'Electric Guitars' catalog was just four pages long, and contained four guitar models: the six string Barney Kessel-style 3264; and three Rickenbacker-styled semi-acoustic models: the six-string 3261, the twelve string 3262 and the 3263 bass. Shaftesbury was the house-brand of major UK distributor Rose-Morris, and seems to have been launched as a response to the company's loss of it's distribution deal with Rickenbacker. The guitars were mid-priced, and built in (initially) Japan, and later Italy, by Eko
1970 Rose-Morris catalog, dated April 1970. It featured 6 electric guitars, 32 acoustic guitars, 3 basses and 1 steel guitar. It contains the following instruments, over 20 pages: Electric guitars: Shaftesbury 3261, 3262, 3264, 3265, 3400; Top Twenty 1970; Bass: Shaftesbury 3263, 3266; Top Twenty 1971; Acoustic guitars: Eko Rio Bravo, Rio Bravo 12, Ranchero, Ranchero 12, Colorado, Ranger, Ranger Folk, Ranger 12; Aria 1674, 1675, 1676, 1679, 1680, 1695, 'John Pearse' Jumbo, 'John Pearse' Folk; Rose-Morris 15-11, Kansas, Georgian, Florida; Suzuki 1663, 1664, 1665, 3054, 3055, 3060; Tatay 1713, 1714, 1715; Peerless 3052; Steel guitar: Aria 3425
The sixteen-page 1971 Rose-Morris catalog featured electric guitars by Rose-Morris' own brand, Shaftesbury, and budget brand Top Twenty; aswell as acoustics by Eko, Aria, and for the first time Ovation. The catalog contains the following instruments: Electric guitars: Shaftesbury 3261, 3264, 3265, 3400, 3402; Top Twenty 1970; Bass: Shaftesbury 3263, 3266; Top Twenty 1971; Acoustic guitars: Ovation: Balladeer, 12 String, Glen Campbell, Glen Campbell 12 string; Eko Rio Bravo, Rio Bravo 12, Ranger, Ranger Folk, Ranger 12, Colorado, Ranchero, Ranchero 12, Studio 'L'; Rose-Morris Florida; Aria 'John Pearse' Jumbo, 'John Pearse' Folk
A detailed look at an early 1970s Fender Precision bass guitar in custom black finish, with rosewood fretboard. 1972 list price, $307.50. The Fender Precision had been shipping since at least very early 1952 - with just one re-design circa 1957. This example, then, shows a model already two decades old, but barely changed since the '57 revamp. Fender got it right first time around, and although there are numerous minor cosmetic differences, the essence of this bass is effectively the same as it was in '52: a simple, single pickup instrument with a GREAT sound. Check out the demo video through an old Ampeg B15. It's no wonder this is the bass that everybody wants!
The Vox Stroller was the brand's entry level electric solid body guitar, fitted with just one pickup and a fixed tailpiece. Although aimed at student guitarists, it wasn't a terrible instrument, but did lack somewhat in adjustability, having no accessible truss rod and only a floating rosewood bridge. But this example is actually quite an improvement on earlier versions, with a standard 1/4" jack and a solid mahogany body. 1967 price £18 2s. JMI ceased UK guitar production in late '67, and combined with decreasing demand for the Stroller, this surely must be one of the last examples shipped.
A nice example of the Vox Clubman II bass, built by JMI in Dartford, Kent in 1963. This is a lightweight bass, short (30") scale and very easy to play. It is an early example, and as such has a thin black scratchplate and side mounted, coaxial output jack. JMI offered left handed examples of their solid body Vox guitars and basses at 10% premium. Production numbers are unclear, but left-handed examples rarely come up for sale
Not to be confused with the Gibson ES Artist launched by Gibson in 1979; this ES Artist was an early model designed by the Gibson research and development team in Kalamazoo in 1977, the instruments themselves constructed by Gibson artist Chuck Burge. It was planned for launch as a high end semi acoustic with 335-style construction (central maple block) and innovative circuitry - but was pulled at the last minute, being deemed too expensive. Apparently, several examples were produced with varying specifications, though exactly how many actually left the Kalamazoo plant is unclear. Certainly two guitars were sold to LaVonne Music by Gibson in around 1980. Read more about the development of this guitar, with details from Chuck Burge and the story of it's sale to LaVonne music