Vox Mark XII 12 string

This is a solid body teardrop guitar with a sunburst finish, and three single-coil pickups. The neck and middle pickups sound best - the bridge pickup is good, but very trebly in comparision. It's not tinny sounding though, and sometimes it does come in handy to cut through the mix. It's Italian made - mid sixties, not sure what year. I use Ernie Ball strings on it, and it stays in tune exceptionally well, especially the longer I've had it.

I've been playing this guitar since 1973 and I use it as often as possible. Since 1975 I mainly play it through a Vox Royal Guardsman, an excellent combination. I often use it with a Korg compression pedal, to sweeten it just a bit and give it more studio-like sustain. But for a wide-open Pete Townshend tone, no pedals are necessary. I play a lot of Beatles, Byrds, and Rasbperries music and it does just fine. One of The Raspberries played it once and complimented me on it too. I've used it on several records. The only disadvantage is the rounded teardrop shape for playing comfortably in a sitting position. I've never regretted not having a Rickenbacker as long as I've owned a Vox Mark XII.

I got this guitar used, but it was and is in near mint condition. It took me a while to get the neck adjusted and for it to stay tuned properly at first, but it wasn't too bad and after a few years of playing and breaking it in I feel the action, sound, and even staying in tune is excellent. I've played other Vox 12 strings also and they all have a wider neck, more like an acoustic guitar - but I like the narrow neck of the Mark XII better, and recommend it to musicians used to a Tele or a Strat. Les Paul and acoustic guitar players might prefer the wider neck of the Phantom XII, however.

This has been an excellent guitar for both studio and live work, and is my second most played guitar just after my trusty Stratocaster. I first played it starting in the summer of 1973, and for a couple of years or so it played well, but I gradually got it set up the way I wanted it, and again, it seemed to stay in tune better eventually. Everything is original on it. The guitar didn't have a mark on it originally, but over 30 years of playing has taken a little toll, but not much. The most blemish to the front of the guitar is from where a friend of mine used to play it and one of his rings put nicks in the finish - ouch! I didn't notice it at first, and when I did, and had to ask him to PLEASE be careful from now on!
He was, he didn't mean to do it deliberately. Still looks really good though, the Vox sunburst.

I don't know if I'm just the second owner of this guitar or about any of it's history - it was around 7 years old when I bought it from a Fort Lauderdale, FL pawn shop. I'd looked all summer for a guitar exactly like this, and was about to give up when I finally found it, and in near mint condition too! Vox was pretty much history by 1973 I believe, and fortunately I've never had to have any repairs on it other than minor setups and adjustments. I've always been surprised that more companies over the years haven't taken a cue from Vox and marketed a similar, well contructed flashy 12 string.

I've been playing guitar since around 1970, and when a music store owner I worked for in 1973 showed me a catalog of Vox guitars, I remembered Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones playing one and I decided that I would look in every music store between Indiana and Florida to find a teardrop 12 string! I almost gave up my search until I finally found my guitar in a Fort Lauderdale pawn shop window! They were closed at the time, but I went back the first thing in the morning and made my selection! I can't imagine life without it - it looks so cool and I really do use it a lot for my sound. If I did ever have to replace it, I would want to play the new guitar first and I would be very picky, I'm afraid...I've played other brands (Rickenbacker, Gibson) that I liked very well, but I still prefer Vox. The other Vox 12 string models that I've played over the years have been good, but have a wider neck compared to my Mark XII, and I'd probably have to get used to it somehow. My guitar also had a tremelo bar on it at one time - unusual, I think, for a 12 string - but I don't miss it and never felt the need to replace it. It was missing when I bought it; I suspect it would make the guitar go out of tune more often, possibly.