Catalog Illustration of the V-1 Pickup - 1962 Vox Clubman I & II
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JMI introduced the entry level Vox Clubman I and Clubman II guitars, along with the Clubman Bass, in the "Vox - The Choice of Leading Artists" catalog from 1962.
The Clubman I, Clubman II and the Clubman Bass all shared the same laminated plywood body, produced for Vox by one of two UK furniture manufacturers, Stuart Darkins & Company of Shoeburyness, Essex or G-Plan of Hemel, Hampstead, All of the bodies were routed to accommodate two pickups, despite the Clubman I guitar having only one. The Clubman I and II guitars were offered in a red or white cellulose finish accented by a single ply black plastic pick guard.
The Clubman I utilized one chrome plated Vox single coil V-1 pickup while the Clubman II and Clubman Bass had two. The Clubman I had a single volume and tone control with white plastic control knobs. The Clubman II and Clubman Bass added a second volume control. Rather than utilizing a traditional ¼" jack, Vox made the odd choice of incorporating a panel mount TV connector for signal output, insuring that you would need to buy replacement guitar cables from Vox.
The bolt on neck of the Clubman I and II guitars was made from polished sycamore with a flat topped rosewood fret board. Like the bodies, the necks were produced for Vox by either Stuart Darkins & Co. or G-Plan with final assembly at JMI. The nineteen fret neck had six individual open gear tuners. The guitar had a scale length of ~25 ¼" and the neck was ~ 1 ⅝ wide at the nut. No truss adjustment was provided, the neck was reinforced with a steel rod.
A simple, chrome plated steel "claw" type tailpiece and a floating bridge with no adjustment for string height were utilized, in accordance with the features one might expect of an entry level instrument.
The Clubman I guitar was described in the 1962 "Vox - The Choice of Leading Artists" catalog as follows: "A fine quality single pick-up electric guitar, distinctive styling in red or white cellulose finish. Polished neck with shaped head. Vox strings and pick-up."
The 1962 "Vox - The Choice of Leading Artists" catalog described the Clubman II guitar as "An advanced version of tthe Clubman I but with additional tone switch providing greater variety of tone. For solo or rhythm. A superior guitar at a very moderate price."
Vox discontinued the Clubman I and Clubman II guitars in 1963, replacing them with one new, two-pickup model, the Clubman. The new Clubman was a bit more of a Stratocaster knockoff. However, the Clubman Bass survived onward in its original form through the end of 1967. |
