INTRODUCTORY PAGE.
Mullard was one of the subsidiary PHILLIPS factories which were established in Eindhoven Holland. The 'Mother' factory in England was the Croydon factory, situated in the south of England. I managed to contain myself through the 6 yrs apprenticeship at the Simonstone Factory near BURNLEY and to this day, I still have so much respect for the thorough training that I endured. One year I received the "Apprentice of the year", which was quite an honour.
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Mullard quality Valves at their best - the guitarist's dream amplifiers. The 'Electron Gun' and 'Valve assembly' Department,
Using - EL34's - GZ 34 Rectifier Valves, ECC 83's - etc - Mullard Simonstone factory, Lancashire. England.
still being used after 70 years.
(Photos 'C' c / o Permission of the Mullard Personell Dept 1961).
(If anyone has any Photos of the CRT Factory Simonstone please let me know). Please use the 'Contact form'.
(Then came the change of scenery!)
Notice the 'TAP' on the drums!.
The pictures below reveal a part of my new - ('TOOL-BOX').
My - Past and Present - Instruments, which have given me so much pleasure, some of which I still have today.
Top Left -
1. Blues Harp & Hohner C/G Mouthorgan.
2. Watkins Rapier Guitar. 1962.
3. Dave Shaw - Penny Whistle.
4. Below - Gibson S.G Side View.
5. Below - Mandolin Banjo. 1951.
6. Below - Gibson S.G Guitar.1967.
7. Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitar 1976.
8. Gibson 330 Guitar 1977.
9. Fender Telecaster Guitar 1959.
10. Tokai Les Paul Guitar 1992.
11. Hohner Melodeon1956.
12. Yamaha Pacifica 1999.
13. Below - Spanish Acoustic Guitar.
14. Saehan - Acoustic Guitar. 1971.ish
(BELOW), A & B resurrected old photos taken from my brother's Agfa photo slide transparencies.1961.
A. Wammy 's Burns Black Bison with (Brother Ray Walmsley's - HOME MADE) Guitar amplifier, 2 "x 12" speaker cabinet & stand, propping up Ray's Hofner guitar.
B. Wammy's 'Mugshot' 1961 - taken outside the Great Harwood's Unity WMC during The 'Movers' Pop Group episode.
C. Wammy pictured here with the Padiham Cricket Club ans-amble, the Mullard Movers Quintet?
(Photo 'A' c/o Ray Walmsley). (Photo 'B' c / o Ray Walmsley? ). (Photo 'C' c/o Permission of the Mullard Personell Dept 1961).
(A). (B). (C).
It wasn't long before Gibson Guitars came on the scene 'Joe Brown and the Bruvvers' were in the charts exposing Joe's Gibson ES 335, so after a little encouragement from ex - Warrior - Tony Anderson, I bought an ES - 330, again from 'Mary's Music.' It was a precious instrument but eventually it slipped through my fingers. The ES-330 was traded in at Reidy's the Home of Music, Penny st, Blackburn where the 'Four Penny's had some financial encouragement, they hit the top ten in 1964 with a great song called Juliet - the bass player Fritz Fryer was a 'chip' off the old block!!!.,
Then I bought the 'Idol of my life' a Gibson S.G , that I cherished so dearly. I sold the S.G after quite some years to a Spanish lad in Palma de Mallorca and bought a Fender Telecaster. The walls at 'Musical Torres' in Palma were lined with Fender guitars that nobody wanted, all with serial numbers of only five digits, I should have bought the lot! Ah well.
The Fender guitar came back to England with me in 1976 and I sold it for one hundred and twenty pounds and later found out it was worth maybe, Two Thousand Pounds, just to buy a second hand 'John Birch' Les Paul - what a big mistake.
Eric Clapton in 1965 joined the 'John Mayall's Bluesbreakers' and was mastering a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar, so what did I do? I bought the very same model of guitar for four hundred and fifty pounds, again at 'Mary's Music' and is still with the family after a lifetime of commitment, I gave it to my son Simon - but occasionally use it when I play at Bushy's beer tent during the June TT.
(Please see Photos at the bottom of this page.)
During this time I bought a second guitar, a Yamaha Pacifica to do some 'Gigs' in Benidorm, but it wasn't up to. much at all.
There was a poor blighter, recently separated from his wife that put an advert 'in a Yorkshire Newspaper -' Tokai 'Love Rock Les Paul guitar for sale, I bought it, because he was desperate for money and it was so cheap, I still have the guitar and I must admit, it is the best guitar that I have ever had. (Sorry Mr Gibson / Les Paul!).
I never did 'Master' ? the Accordion / Melodian but thank you Jack Cooper of Birtwistle Street, Great Harwood, I sold it to someone in need.
Penny Whistles? - Courtesy of Dave Shaw '- the tooling was made by a friend of mine -Terry Martin (Terrence Patrick Martin), who was a fellow engineering apprentice at the same Mullard Factory, together with John Rideough they owned - 'R & M' Engineering, in Great Harwood, Lancashire - Hey Up! I worked along side them for a while. Great fun!.
(Pictured Below) - some of the amplifiers, pedals, diagrams and accessories I had bought in the past.
In the background - FuzzFace and Marshall Supa fuzz Diagrams (Faded to avoid copyright Infringements - that's if there are any?).
Top Left -----Selmer Treble & Bass Amplifier 100 watts
Below --------Roland 501, a professional effects unit, that included the 'Chorus' facility to Enhance vocals, used back in the late 70's.
Below --------Roland 201, a multi-purpose unit, used for instruments & vocals from 1974
Below --------Selmer Amp & speaker cab, used by many professional groups
Top Middle --Watkins Copycat, used by more or less all the guitarists During the 60's onward, I was lucky to meet Charlie Watkins,
in his factory at - 66 Offley road London,
Morley pedals were Introduced in England from America, the Volume / Wha was unbeatable.
Shure ---------SM 57/58 Microphones were paramount in those days, the SM 57, always reminded me of Dave Edmunds
Below ---------100 watt Fender Twin Reverb combo that weighed 'a ton'
The Binson Echoret was used by Hank Marvin from the Shadows, this.unit was a revolution in those days
Dunlop -------Fuzz Face
Dunlop -------'Crybaby and Volume pedals' were the best , again being used by the top guitarists.
-TU-2 guitar tuners, came in quite later on.
Marshall ------Supa Fuzz.(Still in demand).
Top Right----- Impact 100w PA Amplifier used by Badfinger at the Cavern Liverpool (Formerly - The Ivy's).
Below----------Marshall Stacks they were supreme with the pre-amp overdrive.
My Original Gibson Les Paul Standard, bought from Mary's Music Accrington Lancashires 1976.
(Now in the hands of my son Simon over in the Isle of Man).
(38 years of loyalty - just a 'little' varnish missing on the back of the neck and body!).
Photos c/o Craven Image Studio.
The following next 3 pages give you an opportunity to listen to the C.D's that I have produced -
1. Delivering the Goods. (Original Wammy Songs).
2. Another Star in Limbo. (Original Wammy Songs).
3. Rock n' Roll No 1 C.D. (Covers of Famous -Rock n Rollers!).
Simply select the desired track - click on it - and scroll down to follow the words.
(Exept the Rock n' Roll C.D.)
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