My Second Electric

[John Boyd]

In another thread I posted a pic of a Jansen Jazzman J1 - similar to my first electric guitar.
This pic shows a Jazzman 2 - a clone of the Fender Jazzmaster.
This model had the option of a trem unit ( Jazzmaster style) and thats what I chose for my second electric.
The last in this series featured the same body shape with three pickups.
Jansen also made basses in the style of Fenders and Gibson, along with 6 string clones of the Vox Teardrop ( I had one in 67), Rickenbacker, and a very good copy of the 'Trini Lopez' Gibson. It was named the Peter Posa model after our local 60s guitar hero.
Cheers,
JB

[John Boyd]

I referred earlier to a Jansen Teardrop (Vox Clone) - this is the only pic I could find.
A guitar, just like this, was my fourth electric guitar purchased in 1967.
JB

[John Boyd]

A better pic of the Jansen Teardrop model.
JB

[noelford]

I couldn't properly remember my first electric – I'm fairly sure it was a Hopf solid body, £14, around 1960, though I can't find any pics. My second, however, I remember very well, a Burns Sonic. Here's a pic of me and the actual guitar, which I posted in the Burns forum a short while ago:

[Bojan]

I referred earlier to a Jansen Teardrop (Vox Clone) - this is the only pic I could find.
A guitar, just like this, was my fourth electric guitar purchased in 1967.
JB

When you mention Vox clone, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Vox guitars were initially made by the Italian Eko company. Can anyone corroborate this? Jim?

[JimN]

Hi, Bojan,

Vox guitars (other than badge-engineered imports) were originally made on a relatively small scale in England, albeit (just as with the amps) the woodwork was done by contractors, including the G-Plan furniture company.

Only after the amplifiers had taken off in a big way internationally, and when JMI had big problems with supplies and production (being too small a firm to mass-produce) did JMI have a deal with Eko to take over some of the production - though the designs were usually changed to suit Eko's manufacturing methods. It's consequently easy to spot the differences between a UK Vox guitar and an Italian Eko/Vox guitar.

The Vox Phantoms used by Peter Jay and The Jaywalkers and the Vox Soundcaster used by the Dave Clark Five, the Joystrings and the Walker Brothers (for instance) were all made in England.

Hope this helps,

JN

Incidentally, some Vox AC30s were made in Italy. I only ever saw one, at Roberto's workshop in Tuscany. It looked alright, but Roberto said it was rubbish.

[Bojan]

. . . when JMI had big problems with supplies and production (being too small a firm to mass-produce) did JMI have a deal with Eko to take over some of the production - though the designs were usually changed to suit Eko's manufacturing methods. It's consequently easy to spot the differences between a UK Vox guitar and an Italian Eko/Vox guitar.

Thanks Jim, I knew you would come through. By the way, what would be the main difference between the UK and Italian Vox guitars, visually and in any other way?

Bojan

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi Bojan/Jim
Here is a pic of the all English Vox Ace, I believe the Ace bit was the tremolo system. My original Vox Ace, my first guitar, was sent to the local school jumble sale by my sister in law.I found this green sunburst one a few years later.
Regards Geoff.

[ecca]

. . . when JMI had big problems with supplies and production (being too small a firm to mass-produce) did JMI have a deal with Eko to take over some of the production - though the designs were usually changed to suit Eko's manufacturing methods. It's consequently easy to spot the differences between a UK Vox guitar and an Italian Eko/Vox guitar.

Thanks Jim, I knew you would come through. By the way, what would be the main difference between the UK and Italian Vox guitars, visually and in any other way?

Bojan

There'd be a bit of spaghetti stuck to an Italian guitar.

[Bojan]

. . . as opposed to bits of shepherd's pie crust on the UK one?