

These models include the Vox Lynx, Vox Cougar bass, Vox Challenger, and Escort bass. So Vox imported a range of guitars from Italian manufacturer Crucianelli. Crucianelli / Eko - Early Italian Vox guitarsĪt the same time, there was significant demand for hollow-body instruments, something not easily produced in any numbers at the Dartford plant. These were primarily for the British market, though many were exported to the United States in the early/mid 1960s. Numerous JMI guitars were produced in the UK, from the Fender-style solid bodies Shadow, Ace, Stroller and Consort, to more original designs, such as the Phantom, Mark and Marauder. Unable to cope with worldwide demand, a second plant 'West Street' was opened nearby in 1965, but was badly damaged by fire in January 1966.

Later necks were imported from Italy, but even with an Italian neck, these are regarded as the British Voxs. The earliest UK Vox's were solid-body guitars, assembled in the JMI 'Unity Works' plant in Dartford, Kent, with components coming from numerous British suppliers.

The Jennings shop, 100 Charing Cross Road, London, specialised in Vox guitars JMI - Vox guitars made in England Have a listen to some vintage Vox soundclips. They are loved for their crazy shapes and for the exciting sounds from the built-in guitar effects. Today, many of these rare guitars are highly collectable, with vintage Vox guitar values on the rise. Eventually the UK factory ceased guitar production, and the last few Vox guitars available for several years, were the Vox Giant range guitars, made in Japan. JMI outsourced some production to two Italian factories, EKO in Recanati, and Crucianelli, primarily for the American market, and at it's peak had a huge number of models available. After Beatlemania, Brian Jones' teardrop Mark VI and the British Invasion of 1964, they could not keep up with worldwide demand, especially in the US. But it started in England JMI were making Vox guitars at a factory in Dartford, Kent (See pic), primarily for Shadows fans in the UK. Today, vintage Vintage Vox guitars are highly collectable, especially the teardrop and phantom styed guitars, and the more unusual models: early JMI guitars and those with complicated inbuilt effects circuitry.īut the story of the 1960s Vox guitars is complicated, with many different guitars made in different plants worldwide, often quite different from each other. For a few short years in the mid 1960s, the Vox name was everywhere. Soon American acts would join the roster, most notably Paul Revere & the Raiders and James Brown, but also countless less well known bands. Vox was a massive name in 1960s Britain, with Vox guitars and even more Vox amplifiers widely used by the very biggest names in British music: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Hollies, The Dave Clark Five and the Yardbirds, to name but a few.
