all of these bands have what in common?

[mitchfit]

QUESTION---what would all of these bands have in common?

ROLLING STONES, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN, E.L.O, ELTON JOHN, DAVID BOWIE, THE WHO, JIMI HENDRIX, THE KINKS, THE ANIMALS, CREAM, T.REX, BOB DYLAN, FLEETWOOD MAC, SANTANA, MANFRED MANN, DONOVAN, WISHBONE ASH, STATUS QUO, THE SMALL FACES, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, BLIND FAITH, THIN LIZZIE, SOFT MACHINE, CAT STEVENS, THE BAND, AMERICA, MATTHEW'S SOUTHERN COMFORT, JONI MITCHELL, BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS, KING CRIMSON, STEELEYE SPAN, SAVOY BROWN, MAMAS AND THE PAPAS, EDGAR BROUGHTON, EAST OF EDEN, BADFINGER, STONE THE CROWS, GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS, DAVE CLARK FIVE, THE FORTUNES, THE FOUNDATIONS, HOT CHOCOLATE, HERMAN's HERMITS, SWEET, THE SEARCHERS, THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN, NICE, TEN YEARS AFTER, AUDIENCE, ARRIVAL, THE SETTLERS, QUINTESSENCE, ATOMIC ROOSTER, HARD MEAT, CURVED AIR, ROY HARPER, SATISFACTION, TRAPEZE, BRONCO, VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR, DADDY LONGLEGS, ALAN BROWN, SKID ROW, CHICKEN SHACK, DANTA, INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, FAMILY, CLOUDS, THE WORLD WAR...

ANSWER---Charlie Watkins

www.wemwatkins.co.uk/history.htm

www.watkinsguitars.co.uk/history.htm


i just learned about him today myself, thought others might enjoy the history lesson as much as i did.

mitchfit

[Deleted]

Hey you missed me off there! To be more accurate, you missed off Mick Ralphs - I bought a WEM 4x12" off him about 30 years ago - weighed a ton. I hope the b****** who nicked it from the studio I left it at gave himself a hernia...
TT

[Michael Messer]

Hi Mitchfit,

You missed almost every British guitarist and band from the 1950s & 60s!

The first electric guitar I played was a red Watkins Rapier 22. I was seven years old when it arrived at our house in 1963.
The first PA systems and guitar amps I used at gigs were all Watkins/WEM

I bought two WEM amps in the 1970s/80s, a Dominator, which got stolen at a gig and a WEM 40 which I sold. Oh yes....I also had a Watkins/WEM Copycat tape echo unit for a while.

Charlie Watkins and Jim Burns are important figures in the history of Rock & Roll.

Shine On
Michael

[pete1951]

Pre `WEM` Watkins are some of the best sounding small amps ever made, the peak (for me) is the 18watt circuit copied by Marshall used in the Dominator, Scout etc.
PT
I still gig with mine.
I, will be putting one of my Burns Guitars though it, so I do have the set.

[mitchfit]

kinda figured the list was short, but had no way of knowing for sure. shamelessly stole the list from:

www.watkinsguitars.co.uk/

and saw fit to include Jimi Hendrix because of his fame, and mention of his name in one of the above
linked articles. [at least i KNEW he'd had the benefit of a WEM PA] upon reading through the article
again, perhaps the list was of people who had purchased their own WEM PA systems. as opposed to
using one in concert(s). not sure on that either.

again, blinded by miles and miles of atlantic ocean, when WEM amps first appeared on the scene, what
stages of company development were VOX and Selmer amps at? much speculation at the vintage Hofner
website about the amps used on early Beatles recordings [before their VOX endorsement].

MM said:

..."Oh yes....I also had a Watkins/WEM Copycat tape echo unit for a while."...

if those have appreciated like the old "echoplex" units here in the US, bet you wish you had held on
to it? [i recall the old original wall plug in powered/120VAC univibe i got rid of just as soon as
the ~vastly superior~ 9VDC battery powered stomp boxes were being offered for sale...Oo-o-ops]

hats off to Mr. Watkins, his brothers and their respective companies.

mitchfit