Leather handles, late 1960 - autumn 1963

Serial humbers high 4200s to high 6000s

With the introduction of the split front cabinets in late 1960 / early 1961 came a new style of handle: leather straps with metal clasps instead of the solid luggage-style handles of the TV Front AC30s. Three were provided: a long central one, and two shorter ones placed transversely at the cabinet ends.

The AC30 Twin in the JMI amplifiers brochure, May 1961.

The central handle is around 1" wide and 10 1/2" long; the smaller outer handles are 3/4" wide and around 8 1/4" long; the leather of varying shades. AC30 Super Twin amplifier sections and cabinets only have a single central handle.

AC30 Super Twin serial number 5355. Original leather handle.

A number of Super Twins have what look to be original black ribbed PVC handles. It should also be said that numbers of amps have replacements for broken originals - either in the form of reproductions or substitutes sourced from equipment produced by other manufacturers - certain Pye portable radios for instance. The leather, reinforced though it was, regularly failed. Below, serial number 5634, its handles on the verge of disintegration:

Serial number 5634

Serial number 6372. Later type of end clasp.

Note in the image below that the holes for the end handles lie just inside the lines of piping. Simply good luck? Or were the channels for the piping arranged (when the split-front cabs were being designed in late 1960) in such a way as to allow room for the fixing points? The handles were purchased by JMI "off the shelf". No point putting the piping in only to find that four screw holes punctured it.

Serial number unknown, late 1962 / early 1963.

Often the leather straps were replaced later with new-style plastic handles. Below, serial number 5784, its replacements themselves removed. One can see the single holes for the original strap handles and the pairs of holes for and imprint of the feet of their successors.

Serial number 5784

The new plastic handle, 1963-1968

Beginning somewhere in the 6000 serial number range

As Jim Elyea has indicated, the first Vox amplifier to receive the new SBU plastic handles was the T60 Bass in late 1962. But it is the AC30 that concerns us here, and at present the earliest firmly dated instance of an AC30 with new-style handles is from 11th May '63: a shot of the Rolling Stones, Battersea Park Fair, on one of the two AC30 Twins in black vinyl covering.

11th May, 1963.

Below, a detail from a promotional photo taken by Dezo Hoffman on the 20th June 1963. JMI generally supplied Dezo with empty cabinets (no speakers, no chassis) for his shoots. The Beatles did not receive their new AC30s with plastic handles until August though.

Perhaps slightly earlier still are the photos taken for JMI at some point prior to the 27th of June, the date on which they were documented by the Patent Office in London.

All logos and legends were blued out by the Patent Office.

It looks as though the SBUs were created, by design, to fit exactly between the two lines of piping running around AC30 cabinets. Their size has no direct relationship - proportionately or otherwise - to the T60 amplifier cabinets to which they were initially fitted.

A detail from an extremely well-thumbed copy of the JMI fold-out "Precision in Sound" catalogue from the autumn of 1963, Hank Marvin and The Shadows on the front. This is the first instance, where catalogues are concerned, of an AC30 with new SBU plastic handles.

Autumn 1963.

Examples, 1963

Serial number 7016.

The standard form of logo.

Immediately below, serial number 6792 with a set of extremely peculiar handles. Not only are the metal brackets different from standard form, but the VOX logo inset in the extended lozenges is quite different too. In overall appearance they look almost home-made - but quite a lot of trouble to go to for one amp.

Serial number 6792.

Detail of serial number 6792.

Detail of serial number 6792.

Examples, late 1963 and 1964

Certain batches of amps with serial numbers in the 9000s and 10000s were given two new types of handle: one with a blank extended lozenge (no logo), the other with a blank rectangular panel.

Detail of serial number 9775, recovered in orange vinyl. All three handles have a blank panel.

Detail of serial number 10600. Serial number 10325 also has this type of handle.

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