VOX, Mark III BRIAN JONES 50th Anniversary Guitar “It’s All Over Now”
Guitar collectors and fans of Brian Jones know the story of VOX’s offering in 2007 of the Brian Jones Mark III Anniversary Guitar.
The Mark III, a/k/a, “Teardrop” guitar is one of the most iconic guitars in music history. To me, it is the SECOND most memorable guitar directly associated with its player (first for me is the “Beatles Bass”).
Brian Jones was the ultimate embodiment of rock coolness. He was the beginning, and some say, the end, of the Rolling Stones. Without Brian, I don’t think the “aura” of the Stones would have developed so quickly. Look at photos of the group with, and without, Brian. They were not, for good or bad, the same after Brian left the stage. I, among most fans, saw the VOX Teardrop as being a Brian Jones guitar-only he could play one and only it could he play. If you have not seen the T.A.M.I. (Teen Age Music International) show, then you must watch it and see Brian playing the iconic VOX teardrop used as the blueprint for this Anniversary Guitar. And to hear the original, play “It’s All Over Now” very loud. That incredible driving guitar ending is Brian playing his Mark III.
Nothing else fitted Brian-except the reverse Firebird-and that guitar made him beyond cool but it was not British. Brian was British so his guitar had to be British.
We, tuneyoursound.com, have purchased the end of the line of this Anniversary guitar. I know that another website was touting that they had “bought the balance of the production of these guitars in late 2007”. Well, that was true then but not now. In fact, the builder of these guitars, had eighteen (18) of these guitars in stock that were never paid for by the purchaser. We have now purchase them, paid for them, and now we own them.
ONLY TEN (10) OF THEM WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE. One, Serial Number 57-07-01 is being kept by the builder. The others are being kept in our collection.
Once again, the details of these guitars:
The 50th Anniversary Brian Jones Mark III guitar is based on the original guitar designed for Brian Jones in 1963. That original “prototype” guitar is now housed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
From the History of VOX:
“December 1963: The AC50 and AC100 Bass amplifiers are in production. Some of the first ones go to The Beatles, who use them on stage for "The Beatles Christmas Show." The amplifiers will later be heard (but not seen) on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and seen (and heard) in "A Hard Day's Night."
The first prototypes of VOX's second iconic guitar design – the Phantom Mark III - are built by Mick Bennett at the Jennings factory, and feature a brand new plectrum-shaped body. It quickly becomes known as the "Teardrop." One of the first prototypes - a white, two pickup, six-string model using a Fender Stratocaster bridge is given to Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. He uses it extensively during 1964 and '65, and it becomes forever identified with him.”
As with the original MARK III “TEARDROP” guitar, the 50th Anniversary model includes:
“Telecaster” type neck.
“Telecaster” type stop tailpiece.
Two (2) Single Coil Pickups.
Three (3) position pickup selector switch.
A separate Tone and Volume control knob.
A zero fret on the fretboard.
White paint on body and front of headstock.
Enclosed tuners with metal keys.
Metal pickup surrounds.
Pad on back.
Rosewood fretboard.
Metal pickguard.
What’s different?
Has “57-07” imprinted on lower fretboard.
Does not have Brian’s DNA on it.
Serial numbers are listed as “5707XX” with “XX” being the number of the unit in the total production lot of 100 pieces.
Each guitar ships with a custom fitted VOX case and a COA (Certificate of Origin).
Personal Comments from Richard:
I own 203 VINTAGE VOX guitars and amplifiers. Of those, I personally find the EKO pieces to be much better quality and to play better as well and the original pieces built in the UK to be ultimately cool. But it took a talented American luthier to “remake” this iconic MARI III “TEARDROP”. All of these 100 50th Anniversary Brian Jones Mark III guitars were built by hand by a single luthier here in the USA. But I think this is appropriate in that Brian was really an American guitar player and the Mark III was a hybrid Telecaster in its original intent.
Normally I am not a fan of “reissue”, “Anniversary”, “Legend” guitars. In fact it makes sick to see what has become of many historic brands. But this piece works for me because it was built by hand by a builder who respected its original design but then enhanced its playability. And he seems to have been able to impart a “Touch of Brian” in each one. I won’t guarantee that this guitar will increase significantly in value as a “collectible” but it would surprise me if it doesn’t. It is such a great “recreation” of an iconic guitar used by one of the cool guys who really brought music to an entire generation. And to hold one brings back a lot of those historical musical vibes of the early 1960’s that will never happen again. That was the creation of rock and roll as I know so it is appropriate to have a “recreation” of it shown by this guitar instead of a reissue.
This is a new guitar from its original builder. It is not a “from parts” guitar. It is a complete original. It is guaranteed to be in new condition. Should the buyer not be fully pleased with it, it can be returned within five (5) days for a refund (no harsh treatment pleased).
And I can also guarantee you that there are absolutely NO MORE OF THESE VOX 50th ANNIVERSARY BRIAN JONES MARK III GUITARS AVAILABLE FROM THE BUILDER. The end is now the end.
Yes, “It’s All Over Now”.
To those of us who bought one (or more) of these new back in 2007, congratulations. That purchase was an excellent investment as evidenced by the offering price of these last ten pieces.
And to those who choose to buy one of these, good luck. We believe they will sell out quickly because they meet most, if not all, of the most important collectability test markers as I apply them to my purchases:
They are rare. Only 100 built. 82 sold originally. 1 kept by builder. 7 kept by us for our collection. 10 sold here.
They are “iconic icons”. In other words, they are recreations made by hand of an extraordinarily iconic and historical musical instrument that came to symbolize all that was “cool” during the “British Invasion” and continues to stoke the fertile memories of those never to be repeated musical times.
You can carry one in your hand.
They are extremely likely to have significant accretion in value over the time of their ownership, i.e., placement in the hands of a single owner and taken out of the market inventory.
They are authentic. Their design history can be traced. Their building history can be verified. They are real.
You can show off by playing it.
NOTE: We are selling these as single units. Once one sells, another will be posted. Even though we like collectors, we want everyone to have a chance to own one of these. And we always like to trade so if you have something that is cool and vintage, we are open to hear about it.
Please contact us if you have more questions.
Free shipping in the continental US (not Alaska and Hawaii).
Actual shipping cost outside the USA. Please email first for a shipping quote before buying the guitar. Thanks.
FINAL NOTE: I don’t personally buy into the parlance of “historic”, “in memory of”, “in tribute to” et al that the market guys use to sell products that have a tie to dead people. They are “Mad Men (and Women)”. This is simply a new guitar that was built by hand based on the original prototype that was designed in the mind of Brian Jones to be a rock & roll guitar. He succeeded and its iconic status becomes secondary to that. Brian played it. Now you can play one like it. Sometimes we just need to take something familiar in our hands to make our minds take us back to that time in our past when we heard our first Stones song on the radio (for me it was: “NOT FADE AWAY”-and it has never faded away for me).
Price in the US: US $3,495.00
Price in Europe: Euro 3.495,00 (VAT included)
