Why did you buy the guitar?
When the guitar came up for auction a lot of people had mixed feelings given the uncertainty as to where it might end up. we were fortunate to be in a position to bid and had a vision that the guitar would be made available for all to see through placing it in public exhibitions. That said, it's unlikely we would have bid for the guitar if it wasn't for the fact that the money would go direct to Natalie Curtis - a way for her father to continue to support her even now. Having children of our own, that seemed like a worthwhile cause.
The role of the band in our lives has been immense, actually life-changing. Their music cannot be reduced to a "thing", but if there was one object associated with Joy Division it's this guitar and we thought it should be preserved for the future and available to music fans to hopefully inspire them to delve into the amazing music the band created.
Why isn't this in a museum?
that's the plan! The latest page shows which exhibition the guitar is currently being shown and It's the primary reason we created this site. We will operate as the custodians of the guitar but aim to loan it (short & long term) to galleries and exhibitions so that the maximum number of people can view this iconic object.
How can I help?
As mentioned, we're always interested in contacts for institutions that might want to exhibit the guitar. You don't necessarily need to know anyone there, but if you hear of an event you think is relevant, there's a good chance we don't know about it, so just letting us know is a huge help.
Is this endorsed by the band?
We are fans and have no connection or communication with any member of the band or their associates.
Where is the guitar now?
We'll update the SITE whenever the guitar moves, or is about to move. When not on exhibition it is stored in a professionally secured location - but with your help we hope that won't be very often.
Do you loan the guitar for private events?
No. Our insurance company places a fairly high bar on what we can do and ultimately this requires loanees to demonstrate that they have had the proper insurance and logistics in place and are experienced at handling valuable artefacts.
Does the guitar play?
It does! And we can confirm a certain chord sequence works 🙂. Even the electronic effects module seems to be in (mostly) good working order. However, as you can see, the guitar is not in the best state after years of use. The strings themselves are in a pretty poor condition and we faced an interesting dilemma as to whether or not to change these. They will of course have been replaced many times since 1980 but who knows who last played them and so we have decided to leave everything "as is". If the guitar were to ever be used properly again it would need significant refurbishment and we think that would loose some of the character and therefore we've chosen to just leave it alone.
Isn't this website a bit much for just a guitar?
We've asked ourselves that a lot.... But the Vox Phantom is something special... It's the key instrument associated with Ian Curtis, someone who had a monumental influence on the lives of many people and left us far before his time. It's hard to put into words, but from the unique form, the rudimentary electronics, the misspelled "replat" button... and of course the immortal LWTUA video, it's just a thing but it means something.
We're not on hugely active on social media so needed some way for people to contact us - which is why we made this.
Who are you? Do you make money from this?
We're just normal people based in the UK and huge of fans of Joy Division and New Order. All this is purely for the love of the band & their music and no, there is no money involved.
What happens when you all die?
Yeah, thanks for asking. We're working on a plan for that.
Why "I Remember Nothing"?
Before you came here, we were strangers, and now ...... maybe not so much.