Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 10:15
by ecca
I need a mental nudge........
In my twisted memeory I can't date with any surety the times I had my first electric guitars.
The first one was a Vox Shadow, I think 13 gns along with a Selmer 5 watt amp.
The second one was a red Colorama.
At some point during mid 63 I had a Vox Ac15 and a secondhand Copicat.
i can remember that I used the Colorama from at least early 1963 until about May 1964 when I had a Harmony H77 and a brand new Copicat.
Question;
When did the Vox Shadow come out and when did the red Colorama supercede the Wine Red Colorama with the bigger headstock ?
Ecca
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 12:00
by alanbakewell
Here you are then. It was sometime early 1967 when I bought my red Hamony H77 from "The Central Piano and Music Stores" in Walsall.
It was a right handed guitar as left handed was out of the question then.
Is it at all possible that that was yours at one stage?
xx
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 12:22
by JimN
Ecca,
The Vox Shadow, if I recall correctly, was one of a series of relativel cheap guitars (£17 - £30) which shared the same basic Strat-style body and neck:
Stroller - one pickup near bridge, no tremolo, basic wooden bridge
Duotone - similar to Stroller, but with two pickups in expected positions
Shadow - similar to Duotone but with a basic tremolo and metal bridge
Dominator - as Shadow but with three pickups.
The necks and fretboards were made of beech or similar, there was almost no camber on the fretboard and the pickups were basic bar-types with metal covers, looking. Bit like Telecaster neck pickups with the VOX logo embossed.
Some of the names, particularly Stroller and Shadow, had been used on previous cheap models, but these basic, vaguely Fender styled, instruments were introduced in early 1962 or very late 1961. Vox aso had an intermediate price range (Ace, Super Ace) which were even more Fender-like, but in 1962, they started to concentrated on the Phantom, then later on the Mk VI Phantom (Teardrop), Soundcaster and New Escort (Telecaster copy).
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 12:24
by JimN
I too had a Harmony H77, bought s/h in mid-68 (£55) and retained until I got my first Fender the following year.
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 13:05
by alanbakewell
Mine was 50 guineas.
A splendid upper class way of inflating prices.
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 13:20
by JimN
alanbakewell wrote:Mine was 50 guineas.
A splendid upper class way of inflating prices.
Ah... so your was secondhand too...
I think the Harmony H75 / H77 was just over £130 new.
Vox guitars:




JN
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 13:49
by chas
The first Vox Shadow was the same shape as a Guyatone LG50 (vaguely Les Paul shape).
Chas.
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 14:20
by ecca
chas wrote:The first Vox Shadow was the same shape as a Guyatone LG50 (vaguely Les Paul shape).
Chas.
Yup, that was my shape Chas.......
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 14:53
by ecca
Here's the pattern done by my Mom at the time to make me a jumper...... ( still got it ) ( the pattern, not the jumper )
Re: Aides de memoires.......

Posted:
30 Mar 2013, 20:25
by Amanda
You swapped the AC15 for A Dansette!!