Watkins
guitars and WEM amplifiers launched the careers of many British guitarists
in the 60's and 70's. They were regarded as 'the British Strat' but were
available at a price which most teenagers could afford. The company was
started in London by the legendary Charlie Watkins and his brothers Reg
and Sid. Charlie was really the 'amp man'. Sid and Reg Watkins made the
guitars in their factory in Chertsey Surrey. In the late 60's the decision
was made to split the guitars away from the amps as a separate company
and the name Wilson was adopted. Wilson was the maiden name of the brothers'
mother.
Sid
joined the company after completing a contract in Hong Kong where he
had been employed in the communications industry. He adapted well to his
new role of luthier and became a well respected guitar craftsman.
As
a teenager my first guitar was a Rapier bass and I still have it
after forty years. Later I acquired a Wilson Ranger 2. The guitar brand
names changed from Watkins to WEM in 1964 then after 1968 to Wilson until the factory closed in 1982. Over the years the basic
designs remained the same and the most popular models were the Rapier 22,
33 and 44 which had 2, 3 or 4 pickups respectively. Early models had no adjustable
truss rod in the neck but of all the old Watkins guitars which have passed through my hands, very few have had neck warps due to the use of metallic internal bracing.
In
these pages I hope to share some information with you about the guitars,
amps and the famous Copicat. Other sites have information on the amps and copicats (see credits page)but I think you will find this the most comprehensive reference site for the guitars. I hope that readers of this site
will add any information they may have and pictures of their equipment
so that we can build up a good database for owners and
lovers of the marque.
NEW for 2008 - Watkins Rapier from the collection of Guy Mackenzie on the BBC Antiques Roadshow
Video Clip here
Link to Guy's Guitar Collection website
Many more pictures added to the Guitar and History pages
|
Webmaster
Reg Godwin (right) meets Charlie Watkins August 2004
Charlie and his wife graciously entertained me in their home and allowed me access to a treasure trove of Watkins archives to help with this site. In typically generous Charlie style, he also gave me a Wilson 6 guitar as a momento of the visit. Legendary bass player Mo Foster describes Charlie as a 'national treasure' and no one would argue with that!
.jpg)
"Beatle" Reg in 1971 with the first Rapier Bass which started everything off
.JPG)
Part of the Collection 2008
Featured in Guitar and Bass Magazine Oct 2007 |
|
