Dave Wakeling, of The English Beat, plays a copy of a Vox Teardrop Brian Jones model. Turns out Wakeling always wanted to be Jones.

“It is a copy of Brian Jones’ guitar from The Rolling Stones. He was my favorite when I was a kid,” says Wakeling. “I even bought a wing in the store and cut it into a bob and stood in front of the mirror with a cricket bat”

We just hope his dad never walked in on this.

The guitar he plays is made by Jack Charles of Phantom Guitar Works in Oregon. Charles has the rights to the various Vox Guitars and the Phantom name.

“He has a full collection, of Vox guitars, twelve strings, mandolins. He does a good job,” he says.

They did a reissue of the teardrop years ago (before Charles got the rights) and a rep brought some over to Wakeling. He was not impressed and things the copies by Charles were superior to the previous reissued models.

“The reissue was almost unplayable.” he says.

This isn’t his first Vox teardrop. He traded the Dobro he wrote Save it for Later on for one. But this brings up another issue for the lefty Wakeling.

“The other thing about the original is they were right handers strung for lefties and that creates some obvious issues with your hands bumping into things that they ought not to.” says Wakeling.

A Vox Teardrop from the new Phantom Guitarworks will set you back about $749. For the lefty version Wakeling plays add another hundred. Phantom Guitarworks have a number of models of Teardrops, including 6 string, 12 string and bass models. They also have the MandoGuitar and a nine string model. They also have hollow body models.

Wakeling’s guitar has a unique sound, even if he dismisses the notion it matters in his music (the guitar, indeed, doesn’t write songs). It is as unique a sound as a Rickenbacker. MIND YOU, this isn’t to say they sound LIKE a Rickebacker, just that it is as distinctive a sound.

Wakeling says there is no particular reason why this guitar works for him. He adds that it shouldn’t be taken that he doesn’t CARE about how he sounds. He just feels that amplifier matters most.

“I like to have something that sounds warm and with a bit of an edge. I got a Doctor Z amplifier and I thought about the same as an AC 30,” he says. “It’s like a boutique AC 30 with one hardwired Celestion speaker. It is 38 watts but it sounds like 250.”

He even expresses a little irritation about those who spend too much time genuflecting in “gear worship.”

“I get really irritated by people who aren’t very good going on about equipment,“ says Wakeling. “The main thing about gear is that it does not matter at all. Listen to Robert Johnson. The action on his guitar was an inch and a quarter. My music would work on any guitar--shredders might need a specific guitar but I have never been a shredder.”

He does add that sometimes you pick up a guitar you’ve never played before and there can be something like a “special” moment. And saying gear doesn’t matter isn’t saying you want speakers that blow or tuning pegs that do not stay in tune. It is saying that it is easy to use gear as an excuse.

The English Beat have begun working on a new record—23 songs, including a number of covers. The drums are done. They were recorded on a 2 inch tape 16 track.

“They sound like drums recorded in the ‘60s,” says Wakeling. “The tom toms were massive.”

The balance of the record will be recorded digitally. Keep an eye for The English Beat on the road. They tour three weeks, take three off and then head out again.