Hilton Valentine

This photo from Hilton Valentine's personal website shows him using a Gretsch Tennessean electric guitar.

His website explains: "I purchased this guitar at a guitar shop in Newcastle in early 1962 when I was still with The Wildcats. Yet another choice that George Harrison and I shared. I continued using this guitar with The Animals - including House of The Rising Sun - until I started getting all the freebies from Rickenbacker and VOX."

Featured in this 1966 ad. It was used on "Don't Bring Me Down", as stated in this May 15, 2001 interview with Tom Guerra.

1966 ad

Chosen as the 'greatest' by The Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Zoot Money, and many other leading groups.

Tom Guerra, May 15, 2001, "HILTON VALENTINE - FROM ANIMAL TO SKIFFLEDOG"

TG: “Don't Bring Me Down”?

HV: That was a 1966 Telecaster through a WEM fuzztone into the AC30. That Tele was given to me by a friend of mine, Deering Howe.

This photo from Hilton Valentine's personal website shows the Selmer Twin Selectortone 30 Watt Amplifier that he used during his career. On his website he says, "I had it while in The Wildcats and it carried me into the early days of The Animals until Vox gave me my first AC30."

This photo from Hilton Valentine's personal website shows him playing a 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris electric guitar with a "fire-glow" finish.

He explains on his website: "the Rickenbacker Rose Morris model number 1997 was issued in 1964 for exclusive distribution in Britain. I obtained this one when Rickenbacker gave it to me..."

Hilton Valentine describes his Rossetti Lucky 7 as the "first real electric guitar" in this interview with Tom Guerra.

"I have also used a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4 X 10 since 1997. I used this amp at numerous gigs from the end of '97 to mid 2000. I loved this amp. The only reason I sold it was because it had UK voltage and I now live in the U.S.. " - via Hilton Valentine's website

"I continued to use my VOX AC30 in the studio." - via Hilton Valentine's website

"Futurama III This guitar was just one in a series of progressively better guitars that I owned. It looked cool and was in my price range. As stated in the book, Futurama was the brandname of UK importer Selmer. I used Selmer amps (see AMPS link at the bottom of the page) but that was not a consideration when I bought this. I purchased it new in either '59 or '60 and used it during my Wildcats days. George Harrison had a Futurama as well, but his had "Resonet" on the scratchplate - an almost identical guitar. I gave this guitar to Tappy Wright (who was in The Wildcats and later the Animals' road manager) when I bought a Burns guitar (below)." - via Hiltson's personal site

"VOX gave me this 12 String sometime in late '64 early' 65. I cannot remember the model name, if they assigned one at all. I just knew it as the Tear Drop 12 String. I believe it was a prototype and never mass produced. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones also had a VOX prototype but his was a 6 string. This photo is from the American LP Animal Tracks." - via Hilton's personal site

Details on the guitar and given the time-frame, make it very likely a V223 Vox Mark XII.

This photo from Hilton Valentine's personal website shows him playing a white 1966 Fender Telecaster, which is corroborated by an anecdote on his site.

This photo from Hilton Valentine's website shows a Selmer TV19 guitar amplifier similar to the one that he used during his career.

On his website he explains, "I used a Selmer Stadium TV19 just like this one back in my Wildcats days. I bought it in 1960 or '61 on the "never never".... which is a payment plan. It had a crankin' 14 watts of power!! Pretty good back then I guess. This wasn't my first amp, but it was the first serious amp that I owned."

On Hilton Valentine's website he says, "Around the later part of '65 I started using the VOX Super Beatle amp for gigs in the U.S. "

As explained on his personal website: "This photo was taken in 1961 at one of the many gigs we did at the Tynemouth Working Mens Club. My friend Ronnie McKenzie (Mad Mac) is on drums. I bought the guitar (1960 model) in either late '60 or early '61."

On his personal website, he says that the D-120 is the guitar he is currently using.

Hilton Valentine with his Gibson SG Custom, he used this guitar in some Animals perfomances in the 80s.

Hilton Valentine is confirmed to have used the Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string Electric Guitar during a live performance with The Animals on US TV in 1965, as documented in the video "The Animals - Bring It On Home To Me (Live, 1965) UPGRADE ♫♥," uploaded by Eric Burdon Tribute Channel 13 on YouTube.