During the course of 1964 JMI's catalogue grew exponentially - both in terms of new designs (created in house) and distribution deals struck with other manufacturers. From this creative burst came the Guitar-Organ Mark 1 (Dick Denney's favourite toy) and, among other things, further versions of the single manual Vox Continental portable transistor organ, the "Portable Deluxe" and and Guitar-Organ sharing certain voicings (banjo, mandolin, marimba, and Hawaiian guitar) - therefore electronic modules - in common.

A number of the effects encompassed may go back as far as 1959. Below, an advert placed by Jennings in the music trade press in July '59. A slightly different selection of voicings was advertised in December. Although the "REVERBERATION" is unlikely to have had any bearing on later developments (it was presumably a sort of sustain or echo circuit), it would be interesting nonetheless to know even on a very basic level how the assembly was arranged.

July 1959.

That the organs described in September '64 were not showcased individually in the main rooms at the Russell Hotel Trade Fair in late August 1964 seems likely on two counts: (1) photographs taken at the fair show only a perspex Continental, presented in company with a perspex AC30; and (2) the piece below, a sort of overview of JMI's stand after the event, names only the Guitar Organ as having been present.

Music trade press, November 1964. The Continentals described are (in order): Continental (standard model); Continental deluxe; Continental standard Mark 2 and Mark 1.

Detail from the JMI pricelist of September 1964.

Below, an extract from the Jennings section in a survey of the organs available in the United Kingdom published in January 1965, the Univox range still going strong. Note that weights are given (not normally provided in the Jennings documentation):

Music trade press, January 1965. The list begins with JMI's stock of Thomas organs, omitted here. JMI was the sole Thomas distributor in the UK at the time.

Quite how many new-version Continentals were made or ordered is unknown - probably vanishingly few. Only the plain single manual - and later the double manual - were offered in the USA and Europe. The same is true of the Guitar-Organ Mark 1 (which was quite different from the Mark 2 that was marketed far and wide).

The Continental with repeat percussion that turned up a few years ago, said to have been made in 1966, is simply a standard model (49 keys) with the effect built-in, not a Continental deluxe. It is possible, as has been claimed, that this is the only one of its kind made.

The special control panel is perfectly in order (though clearly some expense to go to if this was indeed a one-off). However, one needs to keep in mind the fact that the JMI circuit for repeat percussion - sheet number OS/063 - was originally designed expressly for the Continental. Later copies of the diagram added references to the Guitar-Organ and Electric Accordion to the information panel. For more on these circuits, see this page.

Examples of the Continental deluxe and the Standard Mark 1 and Mark 2 have yet to come to light.

By mid 1965 - that is to say more or less coinciding with the development of the dual-manual Continental and the Guitar-Organ Mark 2 - the exotic variants of the single manual had been deleted from JMI's catalogues and pricelists. Perhaps in the long run Denney's banjo, mandolin and Hawaiian guitar effects were best confined to the Guitar Organ.

Piano and Pedal Bass (late 1964-1967)

Illustrated in the "Vox Precision in Sound" newspaper-format catalogue of September 1964 and produced and sold in relatively small numbers (much as the "variant" Continentals"). Len Stiles, who regularly had interesting Vox equipment for sale, advertised a Piano Bass in August 1968 - perhaps unsold stock cleared out from the West Street Works by the newly-formed "Vox Sound Equipment Limited".

The standard JMI list price for the Piano Bass at the end of 1965 was £99 15s, so 19gns (£19 19s) - "new" - was quite a bargain.

September 1964

Detail of the JMI pricelist, late 1965.

The Who, March 1965, apparently defaulting on the return of a Vox Piano Bass and Phantom guitar and case. In view of "Phampton", the handwriting likely to be that of the investigating clerk.

"Melody Maker", 17th August, 1968. Len Stiles was an old mate of Tom's (going back to the mid 1950s, accordion days).

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Documents relating to Jennings (Vox) guitar amplifiers, 1957