Vox Guitars History
Vox are probably more famous for their amps than their guitars, but there is a section of the guitar fraternity out there who not only love the modernist look of some of the models, but also the sound.
They generally don’t sell at a very high price, even the vintage models, which is good news for some, but raises the question as to why they don’t sell like other guitars. One reason may be that Vox are a highly innovative company, and in business or design terms, that equates to risk taker, and sometimes the ideas just don’t take off.
Instead of concentrating on the development of a good standard guitar they went off in all sorts of directions. But, Vox started out as a broader musical venture anyway, and they didn’t hit the scene until the late fifties, by which time the horse had pretty much bolted in guitar terms (not that it was hurdle for PRS though, but then again, they were an entirely different type of outfit).
If their guitars were played by the amount of seriously credible musicians that used their amps then their guitar legacy would have been assured, but alas on an instrument level they will probably be more remembered for the use of their organs by Ray Manzarek, John Lennon than by who played their guitars.
One of their most off the wall ideas was probably the guitar organ, which never really took off, although it was the basis for the contemporary guitar synthesizer. The mind boggles at the thought of some of the ideas that probably never made it past the board in the first place.
Phantoms are still sought after, but over several decades, there has not really been anything else that has really piqued interest. Their guitars seem to be consigned to history as a bit of a curio, but at least Vox have continued doing well doing what they do best, which is produce amps for guitarists, and effect pedals.
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