Shadows guitars

[cockroach]

After reading a thread on another website, a couple of questions occurred to me which some folk on this site may be able to answer..

1. I recall a photo in the old Beat Instrumental magazine from around 1966/67, where Bruce is holding a Vox Escort guitar (which was basically a Telecaster type copy by Vox) with the built-in effects module (six push buttons on the scratchplate) at a UK music trade show, which photo caption indicated that he was being presented with it (by a pictured Vox executive)..Bruce is quoted as saying 'Hank will be dead chuffed with this!'

I wonder if either Bruce or Hank actually tried or used this guitar?

2. When Bruce got the blonde Telecaster around 1960/61(?) did Hank ever try it out? Seeing as Hank was a fan of James Burton whose sounds on the Ricky Nelson records he loved, and that although Hank had by then got the Strat, I wonder if he wished he had got a Tele...or whether by that time, he was fully satisfied with the Strat?

Any comments?

[Didier]

Bruce only used a Tele (likely lended) on a very few occasions, such as at the Paris Olympia where I saw him playing with one in 1961.
But Hank already had the Strat and developped his own style, using a lot the tremolo arm, so the Tele was obviously of little interest for him...

Didier

[JimN]

In relatively recent interviews, I understand that Bruce doesn't even remember that Vox New Escort guitar (which was fitted with a Vox "Hank B Marvin" short vibrato unit and all of the electronics - mid boost, tremolo, fuzz, etc - which were then being built into top-of-the-line Vox guitars.

There's a scan of that photo online somewhere.

Here it is (I re-did the text because the original image was distorted by having been photographed rather than scanned):

Third time lucky?

https://imgur.com/kiLCn3O

[cockroach]

In relatively recent interviews, I understand that Bruce doesn't even remember that Vox New Escort guitar (which was fitted with a Vox "Hank B Marvin" short vibrato unit and all of the electronics - mid boost, tremolo, fuzz, etc - which were then being built into top-of-the-line Vox guitars.

There's a scan of that photo online somewhere.

Here it is (I re-did the text because the original image was distorted by having been photographed rather than scanned):

Third time lucky?

https://imgur.com/kiLCn3O

Thanks Jim- that's the photo!

I'd remember if I got a free guitar...even years later!

[cockroach]

Bruce only used a Tele (likely lended) on a very few occasions, such as at the Paris Olympia where I saw him playing with one in 1961.
But Hank already had the Strat and developped his own style, using a lot the tremolo arm, so the Tele was obviously of little interest for him...

Didier

Even so, in my experience, if your friend and musical colleague in your band gets a new guitar, you'd be interested to have a try!

[Clarry]

In relatively recent interviews, I understand that Bruce doesn't even remember that Vox New Escort guitar (which was fitted with a Vox "Hank B Marvin" short vibrato unit and all of the electronics - mid boost, tremolo, fuzz, etc - which were then being built into top-of-the-line Vox guitars.

There's a scan of that photo online somewhere.

Here it is (I re-did the text because the original image was distorted by having been photographed rather than scanned):

Third time lucky?

https://imgur.com/kiLCn3O

Interesting pic. Hank was obviously not "chuffed"!

[Uncle Fiesta]

Perhaps he had an arrangement with Fender that didn't allow him to be seen playing another make, like Les Paul's with Gibson.

[JimN]

Perhaps he had an arrangement with Fender that didn't allow him to be seen playing another make, like Les Paul's with Gibson.

The Shadows did have a contract with Burns-Baldwin at the time.

But that didn't stop Hank from using a Fender Bass VI or the group in general from using the Gibson J-45 6-string and B-45 12-string guitars.

[cockroach]

Perhaps he had an arrangement with Fender that didn't allow him to be seen playing another make, like Les Paul's with Gibson.

The Shadows did have a contract with Burns-Baldwin at the time.

But that didn't stop Hank from using a Fender Bass VI or the group in general from using the Gibson J-45 6-string and B-45 12-string guitars.

Perhaps the Vox guitar was able to be provided as a part of the group's other separate endorsement arrangement with JMI for Vox equipment?

[Uncle Fiesta]

Perhaps he had an arrangement with Fender that didn't allow him to be seen playing another make, like Les Paul's with Gibson.

The Shadows did have a contract with Burns-Baldwin at the time.

But that didn't stop Hank from using a Fender Bass VI or the group in general from using the Gibson J-45 6-string and B-45 12-string guitars.

I'm assuming the Burns contract only covered electric 6- and 12-strings and anything else would be OK.