WOW!! What a bunch of Vox haters ( ya bastards!!)
I played a Vox Constellation teardrop (like a Wyman but with all the onboard effects) for maybe 5 years exclusively, during my progrock days and into punk/new wave period. Yeah, pencil thin neck.
I actually owned two identical ones in the Trans Wine finish. I loved the bass and still own it decades later....probably because I played so many gigs and sessions with it. My spare got knocked over by someone during sets while I was backstage and cracked the neck, so I sold it.
Using it full-time, I found the pickups weak,and the tuning machines not that great. I had the House of Guitars tech install Schallers and a pair of Model Ones on it back then. I recall him trying to talk me out of modding it, since it was mint and rare...but I had him do it and make me some custom wooden rings that would allow me to reverse it and put it back to stock, which I never did.
The bass was incredible with the Model Ones and made me develop my use of sustain and controlled feedback live, due to the hollow body. I really loved the bass and got a great sound out of it both live and in the studio.
You just could never sit down with the teardrop shape.
I also later bought a sunburst Constellation IV as a spare and left it stock.
Also have a pair of matching Constellation 12-strings, which are killer. Changed the tuners to mini-Schallers on my main player. EVERY Ric 12 player who has heard it has asked to play it and then has asked to buy it...it's that good. It has the treble boost onboard circuit that Roger Mcguinn had custom wired into his Ric 12 to make it sound good and give him that now famous "Byrds 12 string sound." Which is why everyone loves the way my Vox sounds....and the Vox neck is waaaay nicer than a Ric 12.
But yeah....some of those other Vox models can be dogs!! Ya gotta know the good ones from the bad ones.
