Circa 1966 Vox Mark IV Bass

The British amp company Vox started building guitars in 1959 but they didn’t really make any inroads into England’s guitar scene until 1961 when they introduced the angular, sort of coffin shaped Phantom. The Phantom sold very well, thanks in part to its use by English bands like The Kinks and The Hollies and American groups like Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Electric Prunes. The first Phantoms were made in the UK but by the mid-1960s demand was so heavy that Vox turned to the Italian company EKO to fulfill the orders.

Tony Hicks of the Hollies with his Phantom XII in an ad from 1965

In 1964 Vox developed the teardrop-shaped guitar they initially called the Phantom Mark VI, but, to avoid confusion, they quickly redubbed it the Mark VI. The new shape proved to be an immediate hit, especially after Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones started playing a white one.

By 1965, Vox was making six (Mark VI), nine (Mark IX) and twelve-string (Mark XII) versions. (You really need to check out the Mark IX. It’s a very odd guitar.) They also began making basses, which, as you have most likely figured out by now, was called the Mark IV. This lovely red Mark IV was made around 1965 by EKO and was imported into the US by the Thomas Organ Company, Vox’s American distributor. It boasts a scarce red finish and it looks to be in excellent shape. Vox basses are fairly rare, in part because they were expensive. In 1966, the year this Mark IV was probably imported into the US, the Mark IV had a list price of $349.90, which was quite a bit more than a new custom color Fender Jazz Bass, which sold for $285. Still, they have an unmistakably 1960s vibe and to my ear, they have a great, punchy tone. If you’d like to capture that vibe for yourself, just send $2195 to the good people at Jay Rosen Music and they will be happy to help you out.