Jennings AC1/10 Amplifier

Summer 1959 to early 1960

Glen Lambert

A little understood model with only one known surviving example - serial number 3094, pictured by Jim Elyea in his Vox Book (though not owned by him). Although the designation "AC1/10" (following on from the use of "AC1/15") does not appear in any of the Jennings promotional material that has come to light so far, it can hardly be a coincidence that two shops in different parts of the country independently cited it in 1959 and 1960 - see the adverts at the foot of this page. Working backwards from later circuit diagrams, in particular OS/008 (for "AC10 Amplifier No.3"), the amp also has good claim to be termed "AC10 Amplifier No.1".

Alas at present there's not a single known photo showing the internal arrangement, so we have no photo of the chassis, but the existence of a storage compartment at the bottom of the cab, the similar style of pressed board rear panel as the AC1/15, and the vent added to top of the baffle under the grille cloth indicates the use of a side mounted AC1 style box chassis with EL84s mounted directly under the panel - the same vertical plinth arrangment as its bigger brothers - the AC1/15 and AC2/30. Like the AC1/15 it had 4 controls - 1 x Speed, 2 x Volume, 1 x Tone and a Tremulant (push style) switch which was positioned under the input jacks. The following images of the one known example are pieced together from various pages in Jim's Book.

The Dick Denney design was actually a reduced power version of the existing AC1/15, integrating full phase-shifting Vibravox in a 10w chassis, with a slightly re-arranged control panel. Compared to the G1/10 TV Front - pictures of an - it had a slightly larger-sized TV front cab of 17 3/8" x 17" x 8 1/2" with a large vent opening added at the top under the grill. The island cutout was increased to 12" x 2 1/2" to allow for the larger fascia plate.

Front View. Note the slightly increased cab size 17 3/8" x 17" x 8 1/2, and addition of a large vent opening in the upper grill and 11 diamonds width. Picture from Jim Elyea, Vox Amplifiers, p. 116.

Top view. Elyea, p. 188.

Panel detail. Note almost identical controls to the AC1/15, with simplified input arrangement. Elyea, p. 189.

Rear View. Note the serial number in white ink at the lower left of the pressed board rear cover. Elyea p. 115.

The AC10 Amplifier No.1 or AC1/10 was a very short lived product, likely due to the cost of making it being not a great deal less than the AC1/15, yet price point being 35 guineas (20gns less than the AC1/15) in 1959. Hence there would have been little profit margin. Note that the smaller G1/10 TV Front had not been phased out in favour of the AC1/10 but simply became the budget model 10w amp appearing along, and small numbers were still being made alongside the newer amp. The AC1/10 has no know schematic and first appeared in adverts by September 1959. By December 1959 it was already being phased out with the AC10 Amplifier No.2 in production and advertised by early 1960. According to the serial number sequence it's likely that fewer than 50 AC1/10s were made.

Early adverts

AC1/10 (not specifically named) amplifier with Tremulant & Vibrato advertised at 39 guineas, 24th September, 1959, "TV Today".

The earliest advert with the model name AC1/10 cited - placed by Cooke and Sons of Peterborough, 6th November, 1959.

Advert for a used AC1/10 and electric guitar, Portsmouth, July 1960.

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