Vox basses

[OutToPlayJazz]

I took on a new pupil tonight who said he's got a mid-sixties Vox bass. He's going to bring it along next week so I can take some pics, but can anyone shed any light on the company's activities (obviously they only make amplifiers these days!) in the bass making dept.?

Also, any sample pics of these instruments?

Thanks,

Rich.

[MythSte]

I know they did the teardrop guitars and basses, and some European company recently started making good quality replicas IIRC. Never done anything for me, but they do have a huge following!

[OutToPlayJazz]

Thanks, Ste... Rather stupidly I looked them up on Wiki [b][i]after[/i][/b] I'd put the post up. Any ideas on current values would be good too, guys.

[BigRedX]

As well as the classic guitars and basses of the 60s Vox also produced some rather nondescript instruments in the late 70s early 80s.

The teardrop bass has just been [url="http://www.voxamps.co.uk/guitars/ltd_guitars.asp"]re-released[/url]

[LukeFRC]

[url="http://www.voxshowroom.com/equipment/index.html"]http://www.voxshowroom.com/equipment/index.html[/url]

this site has all the 60's stuff

[bassplace]

Colin Moulding used an old one on the last 2 XTC albums (I've heard).

[BigRedX]

[quote name='finnbass' post='257718' date='Aug 8 2008, 12:27 AM']I have one of the more 'nondescript later versions.

[/quote]

Does that have the 60's style teardrop headstock?

[xgsjx]

I've got one of their "Not so good" basses, which I bought for my first bass. I might try & get it back & get some pics of it.

I did annihilate it's paintwork & did my own on it when I was a teenager (20 odd years ago) & the neck is a bit of a plank as far as I recall.

Sh!t, I'm gonna get this back with me (I still own it) & give it a review, it's got me reminiscing!

G

[Musky]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='257685' date='Aug 7 2008, 11:20 PM']As well as the classic guitars and basses of the 60s Vox also produced some rather nondescript instruments in the late 70s early 80s.

The teardrop bass has just been [url="http://www.voxamps.co.uk/guitars/ltd_guitars.asp"]re-released[/url][/quote]

Nondescript certainly but also made by Matsumoku, who weren't in the habit of knocking out duff guitars.

[gypsymoth]

the "non-descript" ones are the good ones, although they aren't considered real voxes because they were made in Japan instead of Italy
I have a Vox custom neck through - Billy Sheehan apparently had one for a while (gift from bandmates) but it now resides in one of those hard rock cafes. quite like an Aria SB, also from matsumoku.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='finnbass' post='257718' date='Aug 8 2008, 12:27 AM']I have one of the more 'nondescript later versions.

[/quote]
Got a pic of the headstock/neckplate, Mr Finn? Doesn't look like Matsumoku/JapCrap to me, possibly the brand went Korean for a bit after Matsumoku folded in '86. That's actually a lot like the post Matsumoku Aria Magna series.

Jon.

[gypsymoth]

hmm, my matso-vox is a different animal all together, including the headstock which is "traditional" vox.

[gypsymoth]

hmm, my matso-vox is a different animal all together, including the headstock which is "traditional" vox.

[flychris]

Here are some infos on old Vox basses...
[url="http://pulvoweb.chez-alice.fr/mavox/mavox.html"]HERE[/url]
but soory, it's in french, but I can translate something if you need something.

[gypsymoth]

you "here" link opens to my vox bass. Ok, not mine, but that's what i've got.

[BigRedX]

[url="http://pulvoweb.chez-alice.fr/mavox/voxstandard.html"]This[/url] is what I was thinking of when I was talking about nondescript Vox basses. finnbass' Vox is something altogether different...

[gypsymoth]

aah, when you click on "custom" you get a pic of sheehan with my bass. and english translation too.

not that I can't don't the gist of the french, je suis beceaup francais parlait

[flychris]

You're welcome...
I know the owner of those basses, and he's addicted to Vox basses

[gypsymoth]

I'm not addicted - but the vox custom fit's right in with my alembic and veillette - citrons. it is a really nice bass.

[pulvonium]

Hi everyone.
Thanks to Finnbass who send me an email
Hope my english is good enough...
I have to update my website, I have much more news now (including 1982 Vox Catalog). I'll try to translate more things in the future, I promise !

I'm a french bass player. I use these real/fake Vox Basses since four years. I own two custom and one standard Vox basses. Two of them come from England
I like these basses because of their sound, shape, rarity, and balance (I hate when the bass head falls...). And they are not too expensive for "old" basses.
The Custom has a big body, and the neck is almost fully out of the body like on a guitar (the neck comes in the body at fret 20 on E and fret 22 on G)
Inconvenient : This bass is very heavy. And after a few years playin on it, it's hard to play another bass (I loose all my marks)

These basses are (to my point of view) not REAL Vox. They have been build somewhere in Japan, when the Vox compagny was in a mess, not even 100% sure they are Matsumoku's (but not far)
Anyway, they are very strong basses. They take age well. And flychris is right, i'm addicted !
Flychris -> did we met somewhere on the net ?

Now about that :

I think I saw it long time ago (I think it was a red one but not sure)
Except the bridge, there's nothing in common with my bass. It doesn't even look loke the Vox White Shadow, which came after around 1985. Maybe more later ?...

[pulvonium]

I forgot to say : If ever there are here some Vox Bass User's, I would be very very happy to add pics of them on my website

[flychris]

out of the topic to pulvo
Oui pulvo, déjà rencontré sur le net... sous le pseudo "Budha bass" sur audiofanzine ! (c'est vrai que j'interviens peu ces temps-ci)
end of extra.

[lineboss58]

First bass i ever bought was a vox jmi clubman its a short scale 2pu bass, i still have it but have moved on since those days as a kid. It still sounds ok the body is plywood and there is no neck adjustment unless you shim it, vox basses of any model dont command high prices. The guitars they made were not of good quality most people realise this.

[pete.young]

It's all over the site already, but I owned one of the Vox teardrop basses, a Vox Wyman. It weighed several tons partly because of the chrome scratch plate, had a nice narrow neck but otherwise had few redeeming features. Sound was a rather characterless thud due to the pickups and short-scale neck.

As an instrument to play it's the least favourite bass of all the basses I've owned in the last 35 years. No wonder Bill Wyman hated it and refused to play them. Wish I still had it though- immaculate examples were going through the bay for round about £1500 last time I looked, which is roughly 100 times more than I sold mine for in 1974.

Mined ewe, 15 quid were a lot of money in 1974.

[OutToPlayJazz]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. It's been really informative so far, so please keep it coming. I should be able to get some pics done of my pupil's 60's Vox this week. Will post them as soon as