Vox Organ Guitar

[newey]

A while back, ChrisK and I exchanged a few PMs about the 1966 Vox Organ Guitar, which was probably the ultimate guitar mod- and, ultimately, a failure in the marketplace.

This thing had more controls than the cockpit of a 737!

Anyway, I found this video, from the 1960's game show "I've Got A Secret", hosted by Steve Allen.

Vox Guitar Organ

Not only do you get to see and hear the guitar, you get a bit of TV history as well.

For those younger members, Steve Allen was the original host of "The Tonight Show", and was one of the best-known celebrities of his time.

[FireBall]

That's a cool video! Dude was doing some Vivian Campbell neck grabbing stuff...LOL

[cynical1]

Interesting...verrrrry interesting...

Steve Allen mentioned that this beasty would sell for $600.00-$800.00 back in 1966. That would roughly translate to $2700.00-$3500.00 in today's dollars...no wonder in flopped...

Nice piece of nostalgia.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[newey]

Here's a better photo of the thing:



The box that came with it provided power to the rig as well as splitting the signal into separate guitar and organ outputs.

The caption from this photo indicates that only 80 of these were ever made. Before the product launch, Vox is supposed to have given one to both Lennon and Brian Jones, both Vox endorsers at the time. Both allegedly declined to do an endorsement of the product.

[ChrisK]

I remember it well, after all I lusted after one for a while. I had the catalog that had a pic of it in it. It was really lame (or so I thought) because each fret was actually six discrete frets, and the strings "made the contact" for each "key".

It got me interested in electronic organs and synthesizers. While I eventually built a PAIA-based unit in the '70s, I started by designing VCOs and VCAs (and unfortunately log/anti-log generators) while still in the military. After I got out, I was messing around with Walsh functions and computer music, which is what originally got me interested in microprocessors (one did need a computer after all).

And then the 8080 was announced and I saw the micro as it really was (a technology wave in the same vein as the invention of the transistor), and the race was on.

I still have some of the original Yahama digital modulator chips (think DX7); I'd convinced them that I wanted to design a programmable alarm sounder for fire alarm systems (I actually did design micro based fire alarm systems in the early '80s).