A shot of the Fair buildings as they were in 1966. Hall 12 is indicated with an arrow.

In 1967 (as in 1966), Vox had stands 2416/2417 in Hall 12. Other British manufacturers were nearby. Stars of the Vox show: - the Gyrotone, the new Wah-Wah pedal and much-delayed solid state range of amplifiers, first exhibited in London in August 1966. Orders had not only been taken then, but in succeeding months too following the circulation of sets of promotional brochures. Field testing and subsequent redesign pushed production back into 1967 however.

Known to have been present at the Fair were Tom Jennings, Dick Denney, Reg Clark, Dave Roberts, Colin Barratt (overseas sales manager); Frank DeCosta; and Rodney Angell, Research Engineer in JMI's organ division. Rodney oversaw the setting up of the organs. An early Riviera (a protoype) was shown. Jim Hooper and Alan Murray drove the vans down - one containing the bulk of the equipment, the other for transport in and around Frankfurt.

Hubert Strudwick, JMI's export manager from 1965, did not attend. His role was more administrative than sales.

Rodney Angell's travel documentation for the Fair. Thanks to Martin Kelly for the photo.

A note published in March 1967 - signalling an announcement to come (the end of JMI's distribution of Thomas Organs in the UK); and Dick Denney's demonstration of the Wah-Wah pedal. Domestic and trade music journals carried adverts for the Wah from April - see the example at the foot of this page.

Below, the rather heavy-hand pitch for the solid state line placed by Tom, still the door-to-door salesman, in the music trade press in December 1966, aimed squarely at dealers and re-sellers. Reg Clark would have been a degree more subtle.

Music trade press, December 1966. Tom's estimate of deliveries was rather hopeful. Production proper began in late March, despatch in early April.

Music trade press, January 1967.

A second picture taken at the Vox Works - printed in February 1967.

A detail of the above. An unknown control box on top of the organ - volume, treble and bass (?).

Below, the double-page spread issued by JMI to coincide with the Fair. Versions also appeared in NME and Melody Maker magazines.

Music trade press, February 1967.

The Gyrotone had also been exhibited in some form at the Russell Hotel Fair of August 1966. The guitar organ was present at almost every Fair from late 1964.

A vignette of the Vox stand, February 1967. On the back wall, Phantoms and a Mando-Guitar. On the shelf, probably one of the new PA amplifiers.

Music trade press preview report, February 1967, a little short on detail perhaps, but worth including nonetheless.

As mentioned above, JMI issued adverts for the Wah pedal, demonstrated by Denney, in the the popular music press and trade outlets from April 1967, the example below from a trade journal, May '67.

Music trade journal, May 1967.