Here is an exceptionally rare Vox Phantom XII 12 string from the late 60s. Information on these guitars is patchy. There are no date codes on the pots and serial numbers follow no discernible pattern. We do know these guitars were made in Italy from 1965 to 1969. This exact guitar was previously advertised on reverb 11 years ago as being a 1966 model. 

This is the exact model played by Anton Newcombe from the Brian Jonestown Massacre, right down to the missing vibrato arm!

By the mid 60s the UK manufacturer of Vox JMI was struggling to keep up demand on account of the Beatles success using Vox amplification. As such Vox outsourced production to Italy. These Italian models are mostly the same, the main difference being the truss rod adjustment, which is handled at the base of the neck, rather than the at the headstock. Also many, but not all Italian Phantoms had a snap on padded back cover, this one does not. 

This guitar has rocked hard in its life! If only it could talk. As a result it has some issues which will need to be addressed before it can be strung up and played. As evidenced in the photos, you will see that the neck pocked has suffered damage. The ‘wall’ of the neck pocket between the neck and the front pickup has broken. It is a clean break and a simple repair for a skilled luthier. This, however has lead to the neck shifting forward. A guitar tech some years ago tried to compensate by tightening the truss rod as far as it would go, and is jammed. The truss rod is a replacement and doesn't feature the protruding knob at the base of the neck which is standard for this model. The bridge cover is missing, the vibrato system is missing its spring and vibrato arm and a large bushing rests in place of the spring - essentially making it function like a hard tail. A good idea on a 12 string! There is the usual pick guard shrinkage which has lead to pick guard warping and cracks.

The bridge and middle pickup are reading low resistance, which points to coil corrosion or break, they will likely need to be rewound. 

These repairs are relatively straightforward for a skilled luthier, but this guitar shouldn’t be strung up and played until these problems are addressed.

Aside from these issues the guitar presents in decent rock and roll ready condition. The paint has a nice aged patina, the frets are in decent condition with only light wear marks. The original tuners appear to work well. The electronics, frets and hardware all appear to be largely original on this guitar. It comes with a very cool original Vox case in gig worthy  condition. 

This guitar is a magical relic of the 1960s and totally hip. A worthy candidate to be repaired and enjoyed by its new owner. 

 
Brand: Vox
Model: Phantom XII
Country: Italy
Year: 1966
Serial: 223XXX
Case: OHSC
Body Colour: Black 
Neck Colour: Black
Finish Type: Nitro
Fretboard Material: Ebony
Scale Length: 25.5”
Frets: 22
Neck Radius: 12”
Neck Profile: Med C
Nut Width: 44.1mm
12th Fret Width: 53.4mm
1st Fret Depth: 21.1mm
12th Fret Depth: 26.2mm
Pickups: Single Coil
Resistance: bridge: 0.89k middle: 0.490k neck: 5.9k
Electronics: 
Knobs: Original
Pick Guard: Original
Hardware: Chrome
Weight: 3.22kg