Manufacturer Vox Neck joint Bolt on Body Maple, Ash | Body type Solid Scale 25.5" | |
Period 1963 - 1967, 1998 - present | ||
The Vox Phantom is an electric guitar, originally released in 1962 by the Jennings company. It is unique for its distinctive, pentagonal shape, which became part of the iconic representation of the British Invasion. Originally made in England, manufacturing was later relocated to Italy.
Features of the Vox Phantom included 2 or 3 single-coil pickups, open-back tuners, and a Tune-o-matic bridge inspired by similar Gibson bridges. Later models included a Bigsby-inspired tremolo, designed by Vox's founder, Thomas Jennings. It included a round leather-coated pad on the back for comfort while playing. A 12-string version, the Phantom XII, was also made. Both 6 and 12 string guitars were also made as "Stereo" versions; capable of operating in stereo with a special cable which connected to two ampflifiers simultaneously. This enabled complex panning and switching effects that were in vogue as Psychedelic rock was popular.
Another variant of the Phantom guitars was the rare "Special" built in the UK, then later in Italy, a white version being famously used by Ian Curtis in the 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' video. This included on board effects such as fuzz, Tremolo, and repeat percussion. Effects were operated by a series of push buttons along the bottom neck side of the pick guard, with knobs to contol vibrato & repeat speed. this model also has an 'E' tuner built in which can be used for an interesting drone effect.
The guitar shared many of the practical problems of similar unusually-shaped guitars, such as Gibson's Flying V. Its shape made it difficult to play sitting down, and its polyester finish scratched easily at its corners.
Numerous copies of the Vox Phantom's distinctive five-sided body design were manufactured, by companies such as Teisco and Kawai under the Domino brand name. Contemporary copies are also manufactured by companies such as Eastwood Guitars (called the VG6) and Jay Turser (called the Phantasia). Jack Charles of Phantom Guitarworks continues to build replicas of this and other VOX models.
In the late 1990s VOX reissued USA built versions of the iconic Phantom, Mark III Teardrops and Mando Guitars. The USA models are considered to be the most playable versions of these instruments ever made.
For 2011 VOX reintroduced the original pentagonal body shape in its Apache series. The travel guitar hosts a 2-channel guitar amplifier, speakers, several rhythm patterns, and an E-String tuner.