Feel free to email gitboxwiki at gmail.com with any ideas, news, brickbats or bouquets. -Paul-
FentonWeill
From Gitbox
|
I am always interested in getting any Fenton-Weill photos, memorabilia and recollections. And I may well be interested in any guitars, amps or FW parts you may be willing to part with at a mutually acceptable price. Ideas, news, brickbats or bouquets are always welcome. Email me I'm finally getting round to updating the model pages - check it out. Plenty of new photos and info kindly supplied by FW fans all over the globe. Keep it coming and many thanks to all those who have contributed. |
Contents |
Fenton-Weill History
Guyatone/Antoria LG50 - The inspiration for the Burns-Weill Fenton
The Burns-Weill Fenton shape was modelled after the the Japanese Guyatone LG50, often marketed as an Antoria , a popular import at the time. While they look similar, the Guyatone had a what looked like solid Alder body with a Maple veneer, with a maple neck and decent rosewood fingerboard. It appears to be a common myth that they were cheap, plywood guitars, in actual fact recollections of those that have tried them indicate they were a very nice playing instrument with a V neck profile.
In contrast the Burns-Weill Fenton was a solid wood mahogany body with a tightly fitted set neck. The pickups on the two guitars looked similar but the similarity was only cosmetic, internally they were quite different.
Burns-Weill Guitars
Fenton-Weill Guitars 1960-65
Founded by Henry Weill after the demise of the company he and Jim Burns had founded a year earlier in 1959, Burns-Weill. Henry Weill continued to make guitars and amplifiers, initially as Weill-London (supposedly Henry just cut Burns off the nameplates for the first production models) but soon changed to Fenton-Weill. Henry took the company name Fenton-Weill after the first model made by their previous company, the Burns-Weill Fenton.
Henry Weill started working out of the basement of his London home (237, Acton Lane, London W4, which remained his business address), but by 1963 a factory was established at 96 Lots Road, London SW10, employing up to 15 people engaged in the manufacture of guitars and amplifiers. The output must have been quite prolific, as in addition to his own brand of guitars and amps he also made models for other companies, notably Hohner and the early Futurama range for Selmer. Henry's main interests were in design and innovation, and when cheaper Japanese imports started flooding the markets, the orders became fewer and the company was gradually wound down in 1965. After this, Henry Weill preferred to work as a one-man operation, operating out of the basement of his London home. Later in the 60s he chose to concentrate upon PA and disco installations for clubs, an expanding market which he did rather well in. Henry and his family later emigrated to Florida in the USA.
Fenton-Weill Now
The story of Fenton Weill doesn't stop in the 60's though. Adrian Turner has the rights to the Fenton-Weill name and has lovingly recreated the sound with a range of re-issue pickups to start off with. There may well be more to come in the future. Adeson UK
Fenton-Weill Recollections and Memories
Tim and Steve have a transcript of an interview with John Hornby-Skewes in June 2004 where he talks about working for FW in the early 60's. THE PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF JOHN HORNBY-SKEWES - JUNE 2004
This is a brief recollection by my friend Olly Scott on his memories of playing in bands in the early sixties in the UK and his memories of Fenton-Weills. Fenton-Weill, An unsolicited testimonial. It was a combination of Olly telling me about Fenton-Weills as the best guitar tone and ergonomics he could remember from the sixties, and seeing one on eBay that first got me started on Fenton-Weills. I hate to admit it but Olly was right.
Some cool Fenton-Weills on the web
Weird Vintage Guitars Tim Braybrook's lovely site with a few Fenton-Weill's under the Burns and Burns-related section.
Champ Electronics "The Vintage Valve Amp Hospital" Nottingham, England. Some great pics of Fenton-Weill Amps and descriptions of the work done on them.
FENTON-WEILL AMPLIFIERS a joint collaboration between Tim Fletcher and Steve Russell. Steve has created "the" Hofner reference site on the web at http://vintagehofners.co.uk and with Tim provides a great reference to FW amps.
EXAMPLES OF FENTON-WEILL GUITARSA companion page from Steve and Tim to their FW Amp page.
The Guitar Collection UK The guitar collection of Guy Mackenzie in the UK. Includes Two FW guitars, a FW bass, a Hohner Apache and a very rare Burns-Weill bass.
Burns Guitar Museum Home of Per Gjörde's Burns Museum and his fine reference work on the complicated Burns history "Pearls and Crazy Diamonds". Includes some info on the original Burns-Weill collaboration and Fenton-Weill.
Fenton-Weill Models
A list of Fenton-Weill Guitars and Basses, itemised by model
Fenton-Weill Catalogues
Thanks to the generosity of Ade Turner, we are ecstatic to host this collection of scans of Fenton-Weill catalogues, flyers and snippets. Excuse the quality - these are scans of copies of copies, but the originals are likely long gone so this is as good as it gets.
Fenton-Weill Facts, Oddities and Miscellany
Fenton-Weill Players - old and new
New - current Fenton-Weill players
- The Fenton Weills Indie/Surf/Alternative from Nordrhein-Westfalen,Germany
I've heard back from these guys and they do in fact play two Fenton Weill guitars. Great sound too.
- The Kaisers Beat Group from Scotland. Kaiser Matt emailed me with photos and info on both his Burns-Weill Fenton and his Guyatone LG60. I'm as envious as hell on both counts.
- Mary Epworth and the Jubilee Band Mary Epworth is a singer and songwriter who makes music influenced by traditional English song, 60s west coast Psychedelia, and Greek Progressive Rock.
- Bryan Colechin Originally from NZ, Bryan has played with Life in the Fridge exists in NZ, the Marching Girls in Melbourne, toured the planet with Hugo Race and True Spirit. His current band is Hellhound Brown an international psychedelic swamp combo.
Old
- John Entwistle (The Who) - John's second bass that he played in the Detours was a custom he built with the aid of some Fenton-Weill factory workers. If anyone anywhere has a picture of this bass we would love to feature it. Email me gitboxwiki at gmail.com
- Richie Blackmore - started out on FW amps and guitars
- Peter Green - Preferred amps in the early days were Fenton-Weill
- Oliver Scott Recollections of playing in the early 60's and impressions of the Fenton-Weill.
- Beau Jangs- 60's Psychedelia from Vancouver
- Dave Plotel- Now of the Red Hat Band. Dave mentioned in an email to me that he and his brother got matching guitars from Henry Weill.
- Section 62 - 61-66 (and recently reformed). Originally the Avengers. Section 62 carried on from where The Avengers had left off and a few months later came their first brief flirtation with fame when they were approached by Kangol to participate in a national advertising campaign to promote the sale of their berets in the UK. The campaign used as it’s catchphrase “A Kangol beret’s chic from every angle”. From their biography
|
|
Section 62 complete with Henry Weill supplied Fenton-Weill onstage advertising sign and a total Fenton Weill lineup with FW guitar, bass and amps! |
|
I'm going to have to up a special page on these Section 62 boys. They're having too much fun. David sent me this photo from a recent (2008) practise where they all brought along their old FW gear. Not one but two Triplemasters and a bass. Wow. More to come. |
|
- Stephen Amazing, bass player
"Amazing Stephen Amazing, bass player with Clark Hutchinson was playing a Fenton Weill Contra Bass when I saw them supporting, (from the bottom of the bill!), Black Sabbath at the Lyceum, London in July 1970. I recognised the guitar as I had one myself at the time. I found mine very heavy and the neck bowed badly over time. Still wish I'd kept it though!" -Paul Nachman-
- Super Bantous et Mujos From Congo, Africa. That's a FW Dualtone on the left. African Beat from the 60's
- Rolling Stones - Gotcha! nah not that lot from London, the original Rolling Stones from Dover/Folkestone in 1961.
They're mentioned on this page of early Kentish bands. .
- Blue Rondos - another gotcha, Not the more famous combo from Liverpool, this lot was from Manchester, UK in 1964. Later changed their name to the Rondo Blues to avoid confusion. And featuring a FW bass. Featured on the ManchesterBeat website.
- Clefonaires from Ireland c. '60-61. Sean Hunt of The Clefonaires shows off his Fenton-Weill RP1/B bass. From Irishshowbands.net .
- Eddie and the Dukes from Workington, Cumbria, UK c. '60-66. aka The Dukes, the Wildcats. Guitarist John Tinnion played a Fenton-Weill solid in the early days. From Cumbrian bands of the 60's profile website.
My Fenton-Weills
Brag Page
Other Early UK Guitar Manufacturers
- Watkins Guitars History The story of Watkins Electric Music (WEM), Watkins Guitars and Charlie Watkins
- Supersound Guitars by Alan Wooton. The first model the Ike Isaacs made in 1958 was designed by Jim Burns, with electronics and pickups by Alan Wooton.
- The Sound City History A brief history of the Dallas Arbiter company. Unfortunately it mainly concentrates on Sound City, Arbiter Electronics, Dallas Arbiter, or Dallas Music Industries (DMI) and barely mentions the pre Dallas-Arbiter company: John E. Dallas and Sons, Ltd. (JED) who made the Dallas Tuxedo. The first UK solidbody guitar in production.
- Another reference to the Dallas company can be found here in the history of Jedson Guitars (son of JED - get it?) Jedson History
- Burns Guitar Museum Home of Per Gjörde's Burns Museum and his fine reference work on the complicated Burns history "Pearls and Crazy Diamonds". Includes some info on the original Burns-Weill collaboration and Fenton-Weill.
- Broadway Guitars Broadway was a brand name belonging to UK importers Rose-Morris and they applied it to instruments from various sources during the late 1950s through to the 1960s. The name was certainly used on electric guitars from Germany , Japan and the UK .