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The Horniman Museum
Of all the items that I had the pleasure of placing in the Horniman Museum, my favourites are the 1937 Art Deco Bakelite and Chrome Rickenbacker guitar and the 1962 Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass with a Paul McCartney appended signature.
Only the second year of production. This the first electric guitar to be mass produced: A Bakelite and chrome 1937 Art Deco Rickenbacker. This example may possibly be the best outside of Rickenbacker's own museum.
A 1962 Watkins Westminister amplifier as used by many groups at the time, and indeed as used myself in my teens.
A 1962 Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass with a Paul McCartney appended signature.
The Watkins Copicat
copicat ......
copicat ......
copicat ......
In 1958 Charlie Watkins invented the world's first truly portable echo unit: The Watkins Copicat. Within 3 years it revolutionised the sound of British music, and at just over £38. (approx £350 by today's standards), was a must for every aspiring band. Charlie eventually grew a workforce of 60 and produced thousands of them.
I was fortunate enough to meet Charlie when, as a child, having just taken up the guitar I would visit his Balham guitar store every Saturday morning, just to sit and drool over the guitars hanging on his wall. After about a year (God bless him for his patience), I did in-fact purchase my first electric guitar from him: A secondhand Hofner Club 50. What was to follow was the purchase of a Watkins Westminister and a Watkins Copicat.
Some 30 years later when about to place a Watkins Copicat in the Horniman Museum, I first took it to Charlie to test and clean. As usual Charlie was meticulous, ensuring that everything was right. At the time I mentioned that in the 60s it had an immeasurable impact on the British music scene. Hence after some conversation beween us we decided that we should relaunch a Watkins Copicat Retro Classic. And in so doing I had my friend Philip Rose (possibly one of the greatest wood craftsmen in the world today) make presentation cases for Mark Knopfler, Gary Moore, Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's guitarist) and Paul McCartney. Other clients included David Gilmour and Pete Townshend. Plus one as a competition prize in Guitarist magazine. Needless to say, given my client list and the publicity I was able to generate the leatherette covered shop model was an overnight success. With both studios and artists pressing for examples. A huge success, the model later adopted the name of one of Charlie's earlier models: the Watkins Shadow.
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