Brian Jones Vox Custom Shop Limited Edition Fiftieth Anniversary Mark III Teardrop - One of Just 100 Produced in 2007

2007 Vox Mark III Custom Shop Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Teardrop

This 12 1/4 inch wide, 1 3/4 inch thick Northern Hardwood solid body guitar is a limited edition of just 100 guitars produced by the Vox Custom Shop in 2007 and weighs 7.30 lbs. The unique teardrop shaped body has rounded edges and a black padded cloth pad on the back secured by eight fasteners. One-piece, four-bolt maple neck with a nice fat nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a wonderful thick profile. Rosewood fretboard with zero and 22 original medium-jumbo frets and pearloid dot position markers with a pearloid inlay "57 - 07" at the twenty-first fret. The face of the headstock has a "VOX" decal in black. On the back of the headstock  is a black decal with "Vox / 50 Years of Golden Tone / Since 1957". There is also a black circular label with "Custom / Vox / Shop". Individual Kluson Deluxe style tuners with oval metal buttons. Single 'Butterfly' string-tree across E & B strings. Serial number "570778" stamped in black on the back of the headstock. Two single-coil Vox Alnico magnet pickups with six pole-pieces set in white plastic with metal surrounds with nicely balanced outputs of 5.90k and 5.88k. Two controls (one volume, one tone) plus a three-way pickup selector switch all on a chrome plate. Side mounted jack input. Vox 'skirt-shaped' metal knobs with knurled sides. Teardrop shaped chrome-plated pickguard with "Vox Mark III" engraved in blind, secured by two screws. Combined Vox bridge/tailpiece with six height and intonation adjustable saddles. Original black padded protector pad on back of guitar with eight fasteners. This one of just one hundred examples produced to commemorate Vox's 50th anniversary is in absolutely mint as new (9.50) condition. Housed in its original Vox four-latch, 'teardrop-shaped' black hardshell case with dark gray plush lining (9.50). Included is the original D'Addario 'The Player's Choice' strings hang-tag.

By 1964, the British music scene was exploding with bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, and the Hollies—all of whom used Vox amplifiers. Jennings started to pitch Vox guitars to all the major acts, which made them immensely popular, and resulted in a huge demand for the instruments.

In the late 1990s, Vox reissued USA manufactured versions of the Phantom, Mark III Teardrops and Mando Guitars. The USA made guitars are considered by many to be the most playable versions of these instruments ever made. To celebrate their 50th Anniversary in 2007, Vox commissioned a limited run of one hundred guitars to be USA manufactured - the Mark III, two pickup, fixed bridge, antique white "Teardrop". The late Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones used a white Mark III Teardrop until his untimely death in 1969.

"Milton Keynes, England, UK (November 27, 2007) -- VOX is releasing the Mark III, a limited edition replica of its 1960’s teardrop electric guitars made famous by Rolling Stone Brian Jones. A limited edition teardrop bass is also being sold. A small number of both will available in a limited U.K. release. The Mark III has a white northern hardwood body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, medium jumbo frets and a slight V neck. The guitar (shown below) is also made with six inline Kluson style tuners, a chrome pickguard and two single coil, Alnico magnet pickups." (Premier Guitar, November 27, 2007).

The Vox records show that the sequential run of these guitars had serial numbers from 570702 thru 570792. It is quite possible that only ninety-two of these were ever produced.