The Vox SG 200 Bass - 1971


Vox SG 200 Bass


Gibson SG Bass
In the years leading up to the introduction of the SG 200 guitar in 1971, the number of guitar and bass models offered by Vox had grown to near epic proportions. The 1966 Vox catalog alone offered thirteen different solid body instruments, eight semi-acoustic models and eleven acoustic or "Spanish" guitars.

Some of the guitar models produced by Vox were original designs. These included the Phantom, Teardrop, Apache, Scorpion and Winchester guitars and basses. The balance of the Vox guitar line was modeled after popular models from Fender, Mosrite and Gibson.

Maintaining this large range of guitar models proved to be a financial hardship for Vox as their parent company, Royston Industries, was looting the profits from all of their subsidiaries to fund the development of the ill-fated "Midas" aviation flight recorder.

By the fall of 1967, precious little money was available for Vox to maintain an inventory of finished goods much less meet their current financial obligations. To make matters worse, Royston lost the contract to build the Midas aviation flight recorder. The financial losses sustained in the development of the Midas flight recorder dealt a crushing blow to Royston. By the end of 1967,
Royston and all of its subsidiaries (including Vox) were forced into into receivership.

Vox disappeared from the UK market for the first half of 1968. Eventually a deal was struck with the receiver bank that would allow Vox to again reopen as a new, independent company named "Vox Sound Equipment Limited" (VSEL)  Reg Clark, sales manager for Vox Sound Equipment, was interviewed about the new company in an article published in Beat Instrumental, a UK music magazine.

Reg Clark mentioned in this Beat Instrumental interview that the previous Vox guitar line had grown too large and he intended to keep only the best of the models previously offered. The results of this downsizing can be seen in the 1969 Vox "Giant Sounds" guitar catalog. All British made Vox guitars were discontinued, including the iconic Phantom and Teardrop models. Only three of the previous electric models made for Vox by Eko survived the cut: the solid bodied Vox Bulldog guitar, the semi-acoustic Vox Lynx guitar and the semi-acoustic Vox Cougar Bass.

In addition to pruning back the number of older guitar and bass models, the 1969 Vox catalog introduced the Gretsch inspired V.G.4 bass, V.G.6 six string and the V.G.12 twelve string guitars. Vox ceased to offer guitars produced in Italy in 1970, but the Les Paul inspired V.G.2 and VG2 Bass were added in 1970. The SG200 guitar and SG200 Bass arrived in the summer of 1971. All of the Vox "V.G" and "SG200" guitars and basses were most likely produced for Vox by Vibromatic in Japan and were significantly less expensive than the Italian made models that Vox had previously offered.

The 1971 Vox catalog described the SG200 Bass guitar as follows: "Bass guitar version if the SG200 exhibiting all of the hall-marks of Vox qualiy."

Unlike the Gibson SG which had a "set" neck, the neck of the Vox SG200 Bass was removable with a scale length of about 30 ¾". The head stock was devoid of a Vox logo. The original Gibson SG bass had a symmetrical body while the Vox SG200 Bass body was slightly "offset" at the waist. The retail price of the Vox SG200 Bass in 1971 was £48.10.


1971 Magazine Advertisement Including the Vox SG 200 Bass



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