Johnny Marr’s 1960s Vox Ace

Johnny Marr’s first electric guitar was a red Vox Ace, which he purchased for £32 at a local guitar shop near his hometown around 1977. He became a regular at the store, building a friendly relationship with the owner and even helping out around the shop.

I had been going into a guitar shop in the nearby town of Altrincham religiously every Saturday so I could be around the guitars and hear the owner’s stories of life on the road as the soundman for The Sweet.

After several weeks of free labour my persistence paid off and Duncan agreed to give me a discount on a second-hand Red Vox Ace that I’d set my heart on and which happened to be the cheapest guitar in the shop.

Johnny Marr – Set the Boy Free: The Autobiography

Unfortunately, the specs and the year of manufacture of his Vox Ace are unknown. There were a few different versions of the Ace guitar, mainly in terms of what pickups they were equipped with, and whether the body was made of solid wood or plywood.

In any case, the guitar remained with him for a couple of years, and eventually, he moved on to a black Gibson Les Paul Standard.