Hank's Gear: In a nut shell.. Which guitar for which year ?

[Fenderman]

Does anyone know if Hank (or a collector) has his old Antona (the guitar he used on the first Cliff album and 2 Drifters singles)?

[Nabuco]

Thanks for the info, guys !
I'm asking that because i want to restart playing, this time with the proper gear. And i want them to be, at least, 80% - 90% accurate.

[JimN]

Hank definitely does NOT still own the Antoria LG50 guitar he used for the first few months of his tenure as lead guitarist of The Drifters. It is highly doubtful that he has seen it since he sold it in the middle of 1959.

There once was a rumour to the effect that Hank part-exchanged the Antoria for his first Stratocaster, at Macari's shop in Charing Cross Road. But we know that that cannot have been true.

JN

[RUSSET]

Thanks for the info, guys !
I'm asking that because i want to restart playing, this time with the proper gear. And i want them to be, at least, 80% - 90% accurate.

Hi Gabriel,
You may be interested to know that Burns are supposed to be making a copy of the Antoria LG50. See this link :
http://www.burnsguitars.com/drifter-lg50.php

Tony.

[David Martin]

We've been waiting years for that guitar... Will it ever appear?

[ecca]

My first elec guitar was a Vox Shadow which was the same as the Guyatone in appearance.
However, I think mine was a special unplayable version designed to test the beginner.

[Amanda]

If it's going to be a replica of the one Hank played will it have the banana shaped neck as quoted by Hank ?

[RogerCook]

I had a black Guyatone. I had to learn everything on the lower 3 or 4 frets. Anything above that was unplayable! I couldn't wait to get rid of it ... might have been worth a fortune now

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi all
The nearest Antoria, to Hank's original , is Collin P J's re-furbished Antoria. There were not many the same as Hank's even in the late fifties early sixties. Lots of Guyatone's and Antoria's, but not like Hank's. Even the Burns prototype LG50, still on the back burner as Mr Gibson put's it, is still only an aproxomate copy of Hank's Antoria,look's like a very nice guitar and it sound's good, but not like Hank's, and not the Antoria sound as we know it.
Regards Geoff.

[chas]

My first elec guitar was a Vox Shadow which was the same as the Guyatone in appearance.
However, I think mine was a special unplayable version designed to test the beginner.

Ecca, I think unplayable was part of the standard spec. of that Vox model - designed to test the determination of the beginner
Youngsters today have no idea what most of us had to put up with when we started back then!