Pictures taken at the event and contemporary comments show that the Fair, in 1965, was still very mixed - classical instruments alongside folk, jazz, newer guitars and amplifiers, and the weird and wonderful. Emphasis and expressed interest naturally varies with the source. For "Crescendo" magazine, amplifiers, the electric guitar, and so on barely exist. For "Beat Instrumental" of course there is little else but. The short Pathe newsreel item gives the viewer a glimpse of the quirkier things at the event.

Advert for the show in the Music Trade press, June 1965.

Among the items displayed by Vox were: the Guitar-Organ (though this was not really new); two-manual Continental; the M.3 (Mark III) Mixer unit; MC150 public address amplifier; Escort guitar; Microphones; Bass, Mic, and Distortion Booster units (the Treble Booster had already appeared in late 1964); and a range of guitars and amplifiers. A new pricelist was published in November.

Music Trade press, preview of the show, August 1965.

Below, the adverts placed by Jennings in the music trade press to accompany preview reports of the show. The second is the first of a series of whimsical promotions for Thomas organs, the distribution of which JMI had taken on in the summer of 1963.

The equipment illustrated had been represented in several earlier ads (starting January 1965).

Further pages on subsequent years, 1966-1967, will be created in due course. The page on the Vox showing at the BMI Fair, August 1964, is here.

The page on the Vox showing at the Frankfurt Trade Fair (Musikmesse), February 1965, is here.

Two printings of a Vox flyer for the Show. At the foot of the list of main pages is the note: "Reprinted by kind permission of the Dartford District Chamber of Commerce, from their quarterly newsletter."

Dick Denney at the Fair demonstrating the Guitar-Organ through an AC30 TB. Note the cut-out in the guitar's headstock.

Below, the new Line Source 60 speaker cabinets at the Fair along with new two-manual Continental (ultimately put into general production in a different form) and of course an AC30.

Music trade magazine, September 1965.

A further picture of the LS60s. The columns, which evidently had two compartments, could be stacked one on top of the other and hinged together for transport. Total power handling per column was reckoned to be 80 watts, a pair therefore being sufficient to cope with the new MC150/6 150 watt Public Address amplifier.

Music trade magazine, September 1965.

A further note states that the speakers in the new LS60 units had double cones (these were sometimes termed "whizzers"). Such units were produced, notably by Celestion, for PA and organ applications.

Music trade magazine, September 1965.

It is unlikely that many LS40 column speakers with integrated 40 watt transistor amplifiers were made or sold.

Music trade magazine, August 1965.

Music trade magazine, September 1965, Larry Macari (as mentioned in the text above) on accordion. The identities of the two others are not known at present.

In the inset picture, The Kinks at the NME Poll Winners' Concert, April 65, published in a section of the journal devoted to the Fair printed on yellow paper. The photo was one of a batch later passed to Thomas Organ for marketing purposes.

Below, Sir Malcolm Sargent opening the event. Sargent is reported in the London edition of The Guardian newspaper, 24th August 1965 (foot of this page), as saying that beat groups "were going further into the jungle...". His view of electronic music was not high.

Sir Malcolm Sargent opening the Show

A grab from the Pathe footage - the Arbiter stand and two others.

A detail of the Ludwig stand.

Snippets - as ever, click for larger images

"Melody Maker" magazine, 21st August, 1965. Pics of other pages from the "Trade Fair Special" of that issue to follow.

Above, "Beat Instrumental" magazine, October 1965, pp. 10-13. As in Melody Maker, one of the things picked out for special attention - the 150W PA amplifier. On the PA amplifiers, see the links on this page.

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"Crescendo" magazine, October 1965, p. 2. Unfortunately not a mention of Jennings.

The Manchester Guardian newspaper, 24th August, 1965.

The London Guardian newspaper, 24th August, 1965.

On to the page for the Russell Hotel Fair, 1966.

Main trade fair index page.