Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com:
Watkins Electric Music was formed in 1949 in London by the Watkins brothers, Charlie and Reg. Their first solid electric guitars appeared in 1957.
Guitars made by the Watkins brothers have appeared under the WEM (Watkins Electric Music) brand and, after 1968, the Wilson brand. The Watkins brothers had decided to market their guitars under a separate brand from their amps, and chose Wilson as it was their mother's maiden name.
This WEM-branded Sapphire 12-string is a rare model and should appeal to collectors specialising in this maker or of British guitars. This guitar, with bidding on eBay currently at a measley £25, ought to fetch some good money but I feel that the seller is shooting himself in the foot by demanding "Cash on collection, No post collection only".
Some eBay sellers are - how shall we say this politely? - very naïve. It's not as if it is difficult to arrange to send a guitar. You don't have to lug it down to the Post Office. It's easy enough to book a collection online, have the courier pick up the guitar from your house and deliver it in 24 or 48 hours to the destination given. And you can track the whole thing online. Some people don't seem to realise that we are living in the 21st Century yet.
However, you DO have to package the guitar carefully. Perhaps this seller is too lazy to do this. "I haven't got a box big enough," is a poor argument. I have sent guitars packaged in boxes I have made from an assortment of pieces of cardboard that I have found, and have been complimented afterwards by the buyer on how well packed the guitar was. I once sent a Vox AC30 piggyback head to Madrid in a box made out of bits and pieces of cardbaord and that survived the journey admirably and the buyer was extremely happy with it.
So, this is a tip to eBay sellers: Don't be lazy! If you insist on "collection only" then be prepared for your item to sell for peanuts, if it sells at all. Be prepared to do a little work, and package your item carefully. Oh, and good clear, preferably LARGE photos on the eBay listing are a must. The above photo, was the best I could lift from the Sapphire 12 auction. Quite frankly, it's bloody awful.
Enough of the rant. For more on Watkins/WEM/Wilson guitars, see Watkins Guitar World (where there are some better photos of a similar Sapphire 12-string).
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
- More 1960s Innovation: The Wem Fifth Man Project Iv Guitar
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- Wilson Rapier 44
guitarz.blogspot.com: Dave Coulson writes: Thought you might like this one - an old 4-pickup Wilson Rapier 44 which I was given around 28 years ago. The Watkins company made guitars and amps, and in 1968 they decided to badge their guitars as Wilson,...
- Anyone For A Game Of Dominoes? Collection Of 1960s Japanese Domino-brand Guitars For Sale
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Guitar
WEM Sapphire 12-string - rare 1960s solidbody from this classic British maker
Watkins Electric Music was formed in 1949 in London by the Watkins brothers, Charlie and Reg. Their first solid electric guitars appeared in 1957.
Guitars made by the Watkins brothers have appeared under the WEM (Watkins Electric Music) brand and, after 1968, the Wilson brand. The Watkins brothers had decided to market their guitars under a separate brand from their amps, and chose Wilson as it was their mother's maiden name.
This WEM-branded Sapphire 12-string is a rare model and should appeal to collectors specialising in this maker or of British guitars. This guitar, with bidding on eBay currently at a measley £25, ought to fetch some good money but I feel that the seller is shooting himself in the foot by demanding "Cash on collection, No post collection only".
Some eBay sellers are - how shall we say this politely? - very naïve. It's not as if it is difficult to arrange to send a guitar. You don't have to lug it down to the Post Office. It's easy enough to book a collection online, have the courier pick up the guitar from your house and deliver it in 24 or 48 hours to the destination given. And you can track the whole thing online. Some people don't seem to realise that we are living in the 21st Century yet.
However, you DO have to package the guitar carefully. Perhaps this seller is too lazy to do this. "I haven't got a box big enough," is a poor argument. I have sent guitars packaged in boxes I have made from an assortment of pieces of cardboard that I have found, and have been complimented afterwards by the buyer on how well packed the guitar was. I once sent a Vox AC30 piggyback head to Madrid in a box made out of bits and pieces of cardbaord and that survived the journey admirably and the buyer was extremely happy with it.
So, this is a tip to eBay sellers: Don't be lazy! If you insist on "collection only" then be prepared for your item to sell for peanuts, if it sells at all. Be prepared to do a little work, and package your item carefully. Oh, and good clear, preferably LARGE photos on the eBay listing are a must. The above photo, was the best I could lift from the Sapphire 12 auction. Quite frankly, it's bloody awful.
Enough of the rant. For more on Watkins/WEM/Wilson guitars, see Watkins Guitar World (where there are some better photos of a similar Sapphire 12-string).
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
- More 1960s Innovation: The Wem Fifth Man Project Iv Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's another all-but-forgotten guitar innovation from the 1960s. From Watkins Electric Music in London, it's the WEM Fifth Man Project IV guitar which could perhaps be thought of as a pre-cursor to the Fernandes Sustainer....
- Shergold Marathon 6-string Bass From 1978
guitarz.blogspot.com: Yesterday we looked at a vintage guitar made by an almost forgotten American manufacturer, and today I want to show you a guitar from an almost forgotten British manufacturer. We've looked at Shergold guitars before here on...
- Vintage 1967 Domino Dawson
guitarz.blogspot.com: Regular readers may remember this collection of Dominoes that was being offered for sale on eBay back in September 2011 with a Buy It Now price of $11,000. Unsurprisingly the collection of 12 Japanese-made Domino guitars and one...
- Wilson Rapier 44
guitarz.blogspot.com: Dave Coulson writes: Thought you might like this one - an old 4-pickup Wilson Rapier 44 which I was given around 28 years ago. The Watkins company made guitars and amps, and in 1968 they decided to badge their guitars as Wilson,...
- Anyone For A Game Of Dominoes? Collection Of 1960s Japanese Domino-brand Guitars For Sale
guitarz.blogspot.com: Introduced in 1966/67, the Domino line of guitars was created by Maurice Lipsky Music Co., an importer and distributor from New York City, using guitars built in Japan (possibly by Kawai). Designs were mainly based on European manufacturers...