The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: Aussie Mark on December 08, 2013, 05:37:18 PM
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I've scored a Vox Wyman at a bargain price for use in the 60s section of our Stones tribute show. It's on the way from the UK, so I should have it in a week or so. Based on the photos, the neck pickup has been replaced by a Strat pickup or something like that (might even be a Jazz pickup, but the photo is too small to tell for sure). So, I'll need to source a white/cream 4 pole pickup at some point in time. From what Google tells me, these basses are not fantastic players, with baseball bat necks, but for the price I paid I don't mind as long as it is playable and produces sound LOL
I know Thornton owns/owned a Wyman, and I think Leftybass owned a Vox at some point before he bought his Phantom Guitarworks reissue. Anyone else own a Vox teardrop or Wyman?
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Funny you should mention Vox. I just dug out some old pictures today. I started playing on a Vox Mark IV teardrop. It was a truly horrible bass. The necks should have been stamped with "Louisville Slugger". Still, it did teach me how to play. I eventually put a mini-humbucker in the bridge slot to get any sort of decent tone out of it. That bass was dumped for my first good bass - '66 Thunderbird II NR.
I wouldn't even buy one for the sake of nostalgia. It was that bad.
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Mark mine is actually a Stinger IV (see my avatar), which is similar to the Wyman Bass but different. You'll find your Wyman has a thin neck. It's the Mk IV's and Phantom IV's that have the 2x4 necks. In case you were unaware, the Wyman bass was manufactured by two different companies. The "British Version" was made in Italy by Crucianelli which was more of a deluxe version with nice block inlays in the neck and made for JMI around 1965-66. The second and the most common version was made by Eko also in Italy but this version was made for Thomas Organ in 1967-68. My Stinger IV was made by Eko.
I read that Bill never asked for and was never consulted about the creation of the Wyman bass. He said that one day a fellow from Vox showed up and gave him the bass. When he opened the case, he was surprised to see his name on the headstock. Said he tried the bass and hated it for a host of reasons but the main one being the excessive neck dive.
You should be able to find an original Vox pickup for your bass on Ebay. I see them listed for sale regularly. Good luck with it.
TD
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When I was a young tadpole and just starting to play bass, I had such a jones for a Vox Wyman bass and a Super Beatle because they looked so good. I wanted to get rid of my Airline amp and Crestwood bass and score the ultimate Vox gear. I figured I would be the coolest guy in town if I could have my dream gear. A few years later when I actually had some money and went out to do some serious equipment shopping I got to try that combo out. I wound up with a serious case of WHAT WAS I THINKING :o.
Rick
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Bill also said that when their endorsement contract with Vox was up, some people from Vox came and took back all the gear.
FWIW, Toody Cole of the Pierced Arrows (successor to Dead Moon) has played a Vox Wyman for years.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/davepix/Basses/542126c1.jpg)
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I used to have an Italian Vox. It was a Saturn IV and I hated it. The neck was very narrow. Too narrow. A friend of mine has one and he loves it. Another friend of mine bought a Vox stack and she got a bass with it. It is, I think, a Phantom in the coffin shape. I love her bass. The neck is much more P-ish.
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I considered one of the Phantom Guitarworks copies, but at double the price of this old Vox once I'd factored in a hard case and shipping I figured I'd go with the Vox. It won't be my main player for the Stones shows, but it will get a run when we do club shows where we do multiple sets involving wardrobe and gear changes between sets based on the era.
On the 1966 tour of Australia and New Zealand Bill used a Vox Wyman. The Vox was stolen after the concert in Wellington and went missing for many years until the current "owner" got in touch with Wyman and returned it ... http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081621836159.html
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I'll bet it's going to be tough finding a short scale Travis Bean and Steinberger bass for the 70's and 80's wardrobe changes. :)
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I'll bet it's going to be tough finding a short scale Travis Bean and Steinberger bass for the 70's and 80's wardrobe changes. :)
I know LOL
I get around that by using a range of basses. For 60s era shows I've been using my Duesenberg Starplayer, which for the average audience member looks close enough to a Framus Star bass - and it's a totally fantastic bass to play. Then, I've got my Ampeg Dan Armstrong lucite reissue for Mick Taylor era sets, with my SG reissue used for anything from the 70s onwards or for generic modern era "greatest hits" shows. It's not totally on the money, but it's a lot better than the Stones tribute bands I've seen online who have bass players playing a P bass or a 5 string Warwick or a Dano Longhorn!
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I used to own the Vox Mark IV shown on the Vox Showroom site, the neck was huge.
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I used to own the Vox Mark IV shown on the Vox Showroom site, the neck was huge.
LOL. That's an understatement that only those of us who have played them can understand. If you look really close in the fuzzy pic I posted, you'll be able to make out the Gibson mini-bucker I installed. By install, I mean chiseled out the rout.
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It's reassuring to know that way back when ( by the looks of yer haircut and the general scenery) I was not the only one modding bassses.
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I love my '65 Phantom. It's made in England, tiger maple neck, ebony board, 2 Precision type overwound SC pickups. But my 1970 Italian one was a POS, as much as I hate to say it. Night and day difference in quality, materials and sound.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/VOX/P1050152_zpsca3d14f5.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/VOX/P1050152_zpsca3d14f5.jpg.html)
Was that a Magnatone amp, Gary?
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I think Leftybass owned a Vox at some point before he bought his Phantom Guitarworks reissue.
You are correct sir, I have a white hollowbody Teardrop. Haven't played it in years, it's a righty.
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Was that a Magnatone amp, Gary?
That was one of the worst amps I ever bought. That was a very early Carvin 100w, back when they were mail-order only. The cabinet is a Guild 2x15.
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Nice score on the Vox! Always wanted a Constellation, but probably won't ever happen at current day prices...
Oh, and there's this as well:
http://elderly.com/vintage/items/55U-5069.htm
;D
(http://elderly.com/images/vintage/55U/55U-5069_front.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xbtlW16Gts
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The Vox has arrived, and yes, the neck is ridiculously skinny. When I joined the Stones tribute band I managed to adapt to playing short scale basses and the 24 fret crampedness of a Dan Armstrong reissue, so I'll be able to live with playing this one too I guess. I haven't plugged her in yet (have relatives from interstate staying with us for Christmas) but will do so over the next couple of days. The neck seems pretty good and it plays quite well unplugged. I was very surprised the see there is a truss rod wheel adjuster at the body end of the neck, similar to Musicman basses. That's pretty rad for 1966.
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I was very surprised the see there is a truss rod wheel adjuster at the body end of the neck, similar to Musicman basses.
The wheel on my early 70s Italian Phantom IV went round and round and did nothing, hope you have better luck with yours!
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Isn't the truss rod wheel a Burns invention?
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My Italian Vox violin bass had the pencil neck and the truss rod wheel. It worked.
Isn't the truss rod wheel a Burns invention?
IIRC Burns was first, and their wheel turned a gear, like the later Gretsches. The Vox may not work that way. It may just be a conventional rod with a wheel that acts as a nut.
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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.
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^^
Beautiful Constellation! Bet your modified one roared with the Dimarzios.
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I only hate the very narrow necks. I tried the original Vox of Janneke of Dutch band the Deaf wit a Fender-ish neck and I love it:
(http://lisannelentink.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/The-Deaf-9.jpg)
(http://www.festivalinfo.nl/img/artist/review_foto_artist_pic/32437_The_Deaf_25530.jpg)
Spike of the Deaf has two copies made by a Dutch Luthier:
(http://www.roarezine.nl/wp-content/gallery/the-deaf-parkpop-2011/the-deaf-05.jpg)
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As long as we're posting photos of our Vox teardrops. My 1968 Stinger IV.
(http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Thornton_Davis/Stinger_3_A_zps78ef5d06.jpg) (http://s498.photobucket.com/user/Thornton_Davis/media/Stinger_3_A_zps78ef5d06.jpg.html)
TD
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NICE!!!!
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I finally had time today to plug it in and give it a whirl. The neck plays really well despite being ridiculously skinny - it's too skinny for my gorilla hands to play finger style, so I'll have to get used to playing with a pick again whenever I use this in the Stones tribute (and it's more authentic that way too, I suppose).
The non-stock Strat pickup at the neck sounds surprisingly good - big and tubby like an EB-2 or Rivoli, with the tone control giving it quite a bit of bite when dimed. The bridge pickup is very weak, so the pickups are not balanced well at all. I've ordered an Allparts 4 pole single coil and will play around with various combinations of the pickups once it arrives.
Overall, I'm happy with it for the price I paid - all I need it for is a stage prop that is playable and sounds ok .. and it is all of those.
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The neck is skinny ... but it works. I played with a pick at a gig for the first time in more than 25 years last weekend ....
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/mdeayton/Gig%20photos%202014/1795680_424114657720066_1433907707_n_zpsa506660d.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/mdeayton/Gig%20photos%202014/1604648_424114427720089_1880952974_n_zps4cdb30bb.jpg)
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I found a shot of my Vox Constellation teardrop with the Model Ones added....Schallers too. My first "collection."
This made is a great bass. I used this thing as my main bass for maybe six years. Recorded great and stayed in tune. Once I got used to how to control and use the sustain/feedback on tight stages, it became an added sonic tool.
Still have both the teardrops in the pic. The Alembic looking bass was custom built for me by Ryan Brodesser, a builder outside of Rochester, NY. The Fender Bass VI is a 2/63, if I recall. Sold it to Entwistle in the 80s. Same one Sotheby's auctioned off after he passed.
The banjo burned up in a house fire but you can see why I sometimes mention I incorporate a "banjo claw" style in some bass runs.