Hi Guy,
Just a note to say the guitar recently added to your guestbook is a Hohner Apache, not an Amazon.
They are pretty similar, but the Apache has no contouring to the body, undrilled pickup covers and was originally offered in the unusual ‘beige with maroon plate’ colour scheme. Amazons as you know had the red plate, black engraved mini plate, plus heavily contoured bodies in a natural mahogany or sycamore finish.
The ‘Fenton Weill Amazon’ is not something that ever existed – this range (including the Zambesi which is essentially an Apache with a sycamore veneer on the top and bottom of the body) were only ever sold as Hohner here in the UK (although I’ve seen a Swedish advert that has them branded as FWs, but with different names … Tuxmaster maybe?).
While we are on the subject, my feeling is that the other Hohners made to this shape – the “Holborn” are NOT the work of Fenton Weill. I’ve owned an Apache, Amazon and Holborn in the past, and the Holborn has none of the signifiers of early Fenton Weill manufacture (set neck, little red switch), but is almost identical to several Vox models, which shared the beech with sycamore veneer with bolt on neck construction. Possibly made by g-plan?
Will
Hand Of Glory Records