Dick Denney, the lead engineer at Vox, indicated on page 21 of his 1992 book "The Vox Story," that the Clubman and Stroller were introduced to the Vox line in 1961. These guitars were originally produced by Stuart Darkins & Co, a furniture maker in Shoeburyness England under contract to Vox. After 1963, production was shifted to G-Plan of Hemel Hempstead, another UK based furniture maker.
The first appearance of the Shadow guitar in a Vox catalog was in 1962, seen below. A reprint of this catalog is available from North Coast Music, just click on the catalog image.
While sharing the same body and neck, the Stroller, Clubman, and Shadow were otherwise quite similar. The Stroller had a single pickup and no vibrato arm. The Clubman added a second pickup to the Stroller. The original 1962 version of the Shadow added a vibrato arm to the Clubman.
A fourth model, originally called the Dominator (UK Vox catalog - 1962), and later called the Duotone (UK Vox catalog 1964-5), added a third pickup and a rotary pickup selector switch to the Shadow.
To further complicate matters, the 1965 UK Vox catalog shows the model originally offered as the Dominator or Duotone as a two pickup guitar with the same specifications as the original Shadow while the Shadow beame a three pickup guitar with the same specifications as the former Dominator or Duotone. The three pickup version of the Shadow was sold by Vox in America (US Vox "King of the Beat" catalog - 1965).
Vox probably selected the name "Shadow" for this guitar to create a mental association to Cliff Richards and the Shadows, the largest guitar band in England before the Beatles. It is unlikely that the Shadows ever played this guitar.
The 1962 UK JMI Vox Catalog described the Shadow guitar as follows: "A new moderately priced guitar with a fine specification of two slim-line pick-ups and a roller bearing smooth action tremolo unit. Single side machine heads, polished slim hardwood reinforced neck. Separate tone and volume controls. Rosewood fingerboard."
A fiberboard hard shell case was available.
The price list that accompanied the UK 1964-65 Vox catalog indicated that the Shadow guitar retailed for about 29 pounds, or roughly $90 USD. Converting this to the value of the dollar in 2011, the Shadow would retail for about $600.
