by stephen » 05 Nov 2014, 13:06
My 1963 VOX AC30 BASS amp......
Circa 1963 and in my 4th year at Rock Ferry High School on Merseyside, just about everyone wanted to form a 'group' and try to become the next Beatles. Far more interesting and relevant than learning Latin and preparing for university. A couple of my contemporaries were in the early stages of such a formulation. One had a drum kit and the other a cheap electric, but they had no amplification or bassist. I was thrilled to be asked if I'd like to fill that spot, especially as I couldn't play a note on ANYTHING at that time!
Just one snag though...............I had neither bass guitar nor amp, so reluctantly made my excuses. "Hang on Steve," said Dave the drummer, "Didn't you say that your grandad had left you £500 in his will a few years back? Why don't you use some of that to buy the gear?" Greatly shocked I replied, "Quite simply because my dad would kill me as he's dead set against all this rock & roll stuff and has forbidden me to have anything to do with guitars and anyway, I don't know if the savings account is in my name or in trust."
However, once the seed of this idea had been planted, I couldn't get it out of my mind, so I furtively searched through my father's bureau until I found the TSB savings book and lo & behold it WAS in my name! Of course there was the problem of where the hell was I going to keep this equipment without Captain Davies (my dad) spotting it. Dave soon cleared it with his far more human parents that my stuff could be stashed at his house where we could also rehearse. In my young & eager mind, all this was actually beginning to sound feasible and I started to feel less anxious about incurring the wrath of Davies senior. All that was left was to do the dirty deed..................
After school one afternoon, myself and Luke (the guitar player) in full school uniform inc. caps, went to the TSB and I withdrew £200 facing up bravely to the questioning of the stern faced bank teller. After that, it was off on the underground over to Liverpool and Frank Hessy's shop. Nosing around amongst their impressive stock, we were initially shooed away by their salesman Mr. Michaelson, who obviously didn't want schoolboys with no money putting their sticky little fingers over everything on display. As we were being shown the door, I managed to persuade him that we really were intending to buy something and would he please produce an AC30 Bass forthwith. "Just where are you going to get £115 guineas to pay for it then, boys?" he asked with a smirk. "Right here!" I replied, producing a wad of notes. I can still remember the look of shock on his face and how quickly his attitude changed. Chairs were swiftly produced, an assistant despatched to the basement to haul up the Vox and a Precision Bass was placed in my totally inept hands, as "You'll be needing a good bass to go with that amp."
That £200 wouldn't have covered the Vox AND the Precision, but if it had, I'd have gone for it, as by that time I was fully into the might-as-well-be-hung-for-a-sheep-as-a-lamb mode. In the end, I settled for a more affordable cherry red Burns Bass (a Vistasonic??).
Us two schoolboys with the wad of cash certainly drew the crowds in that little shop, that grew even more incredulous when it became obvious that I couldn't play a note and just thumped about on those strings! Money swiftly changed hands and soon Luke and I were struggling out of the shop and down Church and Lord Streets to the James Street underground station and then onto Dave's house to secrete the gear.
The upshot of this was that my triumph was very short lived. For some reason my dad decided to have a clear out of the papers in his bureau and noticed that my TSB book was in a different place than usual. Unfortunately, he also looked inside...............
After various forms of parental torture, I admitted the extent of my transgression and the only satisfying part of the affair was seeing exactly how utterly amazed my father was that I'd had the nerve to do it in the first place.
Retribution for this defiance was swift and total. First the bass & Vox went back to Hessy's with my dad threatening Michaelson with all sorts of legal consequences if they didn't refund every penny that had been paid, "Didn't it occur to you to ask exactly how a young lad came by such a sum of money?" a furious Captain Davies demanded of a now timid Michaelson.
As for me, I was forbidden to never, ever, ever have anything more to do with guitars/music whilst I lived under his roof and I was also grounded for the next 6 months. So ended a boyhood dream....do so wish I could have kept both the dream alive and of course that amp.
Stephen.
Last edited by stephen on 05 Nov 2014, 16:40, edited 1 time in total.