Watkins
Watkins
Also known as: WEM, Watkins Electric Music, WEM Watkins
UnclaimedWatkins Electric Music (WEM) is a British music equipment maker founded in London in 1949 by brothers Charlie and Reg Watkins. The company began as a record shop in Tooting Market before moving into instrument retail and then into amplifier manufacturing in the mid-1950s, becoming one of the earliest UK-built guitar amp brands. Early models included the Westminster, the V-fronted Dominator, and...
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Watkins Electric Music (WEM) is a British music equipment maker founded in London in 1949 by brothers Charlie and Reg Watkins. The company began as a record shop in Tooting Market before moving into instrument retail and then into amplifier manufacturing in the mid-1950s, becoming one of the earliest UK-built guitar amp brands. Early models included the Westminster, the V-fronted Dominator, and the entry-level Clubman, alongside the Rapier line of solid-body electric guitars designed by Reg Watkins.
The brand's most influential product is the Copicat, introduced in 1958 and widely credited as one of the first portable tape echo units. The Copicat went through multiple revisions — valve, transistor, and IC versions — and became a fixture of British rock and studio production. WEM also built a reputation in large-scale live sound, with Charlie Watkins pioneering high-powered PA rigs used at British open-air festivals in the late 1960s and 1970s, earning him a nickname as the father of British PA.
Variants of the name have appeared across the company's history, including Wilson guitars (a sister brand using the Watkins brothers' mother's maiden name). WEM equipment was used by acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix in various live contexts, and the Dominator later inspired the circuit topology behind Marshall's 18-watt amps. Reissues of the Dominator and ongoing Copicat servicing have kept the brand active with vintage enthusiasts.
Watkins has 29 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Combo Guitar Amplifiers, Guitar Amplifier Cabinets, and Solid Body Electric Guitars. Their gear is featured by 91 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Electronic. Notable users include Noel Gallagher, Daron Malakian, and John Lennon.
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