c.1966 VOX MARK VI

Iconic Vox Mark VI “Teardrop” produced circa 1966, in excellent original condition.

With this guitar, we find ourselves thrown back right into the heart of the 60s and the British Invasion era. A young London group was in the midst a meteoric rise in popularity, after their 1962 debut and a rapid conquering of the national scene followed by international recognition ensured by an American tour and the accession of their album England’s Newest Hit Makers into the US charts.

Its founder, a certain Brian Jones, would frequently appear at the time with a tear-shaped guitar in his hands, with a very modernistic appearance among its German and American counterparts which were commonplace in the period. Bearing a name reminiscent of the rigorous nomenclature of British military aircraft, the Vox Mark VI appeared in 1964, in direct lineage to the Mark III version of the Phantom model, the British manufacturer’s original solidbody guitar, and immediately met with resounding success since it found a particularly prominent champion in the person of the Rolling Stones’ guitarist.

Very quickly, the production abilities of the JMI factory (Jennings Musical Instruments, owner of the Vox brand) located in Dartford, Kent became overstretched by demand, as they were already under high pressure for producing the Vox line of amplifiers. The decision was then made to entrust the manufacturing of guitars to the Eko company based in Recanati in the Marche region of Italy, the beating heart of European instrumental manufacturing in the 60s, 70s and 80s: in addition to electric and acoustic guitars produced by Eko, the surrounding villages would spawn a host of accordions, electric organs, synthesizers, drum machines, amplifiers and effects each rivaling in innovation and inventiveness, produced by sympathetically old-fashioned names such as Farfisa, Elka, Crumar… It was in this creative environment that the Vox Mark series was developed, the Mark VI being quickly complemented by the nine-string Mark IX and the twelve-string Mark XII. All these models have in common a configuration with 3 single-coil pickups, a master volume control, two tone controls and a three-position pickup selector – the connection is quickly made with a certain American guitar model…

The guitar shown here comes in an elegant three-tone Sunburst finish with a one-piece black lacquered neck, fitted with a tremolo bridge and mute, and remains in remarkable original condition. Fully set up in our workshop, the instrument is ideally adjusted with a low action and good intonation, ready to navigate the musical repertoire of the sixties.

Sold in its original hardshell case, strap included (essential for comfortable playing!).