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1965 Vox catalogue

With 'Beatlemania' and the 'British Invasion' firmly underway, Vox needed a US distributor for it's products. Enter the Thomas Organ Company. This 1965 Vox guitar and amp catalogue was the first issued by the Thomas Organ company for the US market. It features a few Italian-made guitars, as well as a lot of British made ones. In contrast, the next catalogue features almost exclusively Italian instruments.

Hagstrom 12 (F-12S)

Details, images and sound clips of the Hagstrom 12, solid body electric twelve string. Also known as the F-12S in the United States. There are obvious similarities to the Hagstrom II and Hagstrom III, but without the Hagstrom tremolo. All have the famous Hagstrom low action, and fast-playing neck.

Vox Bassmaster

The Vox Bassmaster was one of numerous early Vox guitars styled, at least vaguely, on Fender instruments. As an entry level bass it wasn't bad. It had a very thin neck, and along with it's short, 30" scale, made an ideal students bass. It was British made, but a forerunner to later Italian models. Have a look at a 1963 Vox Bassmaster, and a 1965 Vox Bassmaster, with sound clips.

1969 Gibson SG Special

The Gibson SG came in several varieties; and the Special is a typical 60s Gibson in many ways. Naturally, it has a mahogany body with a set mahogany neck, in true Gibson style. The pickups are typical Gibson single coil P90s, and the control layout, too, is classic Gibson. Have a closer look, or check out the SG Special soundclips of this guitar, through various vintage amps.

1979 Gibson ES-175D

A closer look at a 1979 Gibson ES-175D. By the late 1970s, the ES-175D had followed the path of most Gibson guitars and changed it's mahogany neck, in favour of a maple neck with volute. It didn't last long, and the neck was again mahogany by 1983. Details of the changes in the ES-175D over time are detailed in the ES-175 timeline.

Gibson ES-125TC

Details of this sixties hollowbody, with two new photosets: a 1962 ES-125TC and a 1966 ES-125TC. The ES-125TC was a thinline version of the ES-125, only available from 1960 until 1970, changing very little in that time. Gibson shipped over 5000 of them in that time (and another 5000 two-pickup versions, the ES-125TDC).

Hagstrom III

Details, images and sound clips of the Hagstrom III solid body electric. Also known as the H3, and in the United States, the F300. There are obvious similarities to a Fender Stratocaster, but this guitar does have it's own character: in feel, playability and tone. Hagstrom made some very nice guitars!

Vox Ultrasonic XII - twelve string guitar

Details and images of the VOX Ultrasonic XII V275. The Ultrasonic XII was a late sixties Vox twelve string based on the six string Ultrasonic V268. Both had the same built-in electronic effects: distortion, wah-wah, repeater and treble/bass boost (listen to Ultrasonic sound clips). Differences between the two models are very subtle; really just a different headstock shape to accomodate the extra strings. This is one of the late sixties Vox guitars made at the E.M.E factory in Recanati, in Italy, primarily for export to the American market.

Vox Bass Guitar Pickups

Vox guitar and bass pickups of the 1960s were all of relatively simple single-coil design. The first produced were British-made, and these appeared on all the early British models: The Clubman bass, the Bassmaster, and the Phantom bass. Later models were made in Italy, along with the guitars themselves, and these were largely for the American market, under the distribution of the Thomas Organ company.

The Shadows Modern Electric Guitar Tutor

This interesting guitar tuition book featuring the Shadows, is peppered with Vox guitar and amp images. The Shadows themselves used Fender guitars and Vox Amps, but the then-new Vox Phantom guitars and Phantom bass feature prominently. There are also advertisements for a selection of British-built Vox guitars, the Consort, Dominator, Super Ace and Clubman bass. This book is undated, though most likely from 1963.

1976 Gibson L-6S Custom

A closer look at a 1976 Gibson L-6S Custom. Maple guitars were all the rage in the mid to late 1970s, and Gibson introduced several models in this vein. The Gibson L-6S range comprised three guitars, with the Custom being the top of the range. It was all Gibson: single cutaway (like a wide Les Paul), set neck, two humbuckers and a varitone switch with several distinct tones. Gibson shipped over 12000 L-6S Custom guitars between 1973 and 1979 and around a third of them were in the ebony finish shown here.

Vox 1970 Full Line Catalogue

By 1970, Vox UK was owned by the Corinthian Bank, and the number of guitar models offered had been slashed drastically. gone were all the Italian Vox's; being replaced by a small number of Japanese 'lawsuit' models. This catalogue is aimed at the UK market, with prices in Sterling, and contains just three guitars: the Gibson Les Paul styled VG2, and the Gretsch Country Gentleman styled VG6 and VG4 bass. The catalogue concentrates on amplifiers: AC30, Defiant, Supreme and Foundation bass, and organs: Corinthian, Continental and Riviera.

1971 and 1976 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman

Two new photosets of 1970s Gretsch guitars. A 1971 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman and a 1976 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. Both guitars have that 17" maple hollowbody, maple neck and ebony fretboard. Gretsch altered models continuously, and despite having been produced just five years apart, these guitars have numerous differences in hardware. The essential Country Gent features are there in both guitars.

Gretsch 1979 Guitar and Bass Catalogue

That Great Gretsch Sound. The 1979 Gretsch catalogue has the new Gretsch Committee on it's front cover, and features a selection of hollow, semi-hollow and solid-body guitars and basses. This was printed shortly after Chet Atkins ended his involvement with Gretsch, and although he is not mentioned explicitly, many of the models featured have some form of Chet Atkins connection, be it a name or signature-embossed scratchplate.

1965 Vox Clubman Bass

1965 Vox Clubman Bass. Vox is better known for it's teardrop and phantom shaped guitars, but in the mid sixties they were also producing a lot of other designs too. The clubman is simple and functional; small and light, with basic electronics and no truss rod. This was completely British-built, assembled at the Vox Dartford factory, and what many bassists cut their teeth on back in the 1960s.

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