Vox AC30 website

Vox AC30 website updates

2025

17th April

Some brief notes on circuit diagrams for the Vox Super Continental organ (late 1965 to mid 1967):

The main sheet supplied by JMI to dealers, who will in many cases have been the first port of call for a buyer looking to have his Super Continental repaired, was TMO/015, a sort of companion sheet to TO/065 for the single manual. As mentioned yesterday, the prefix "TMO" stood for "Two Manual Organ". So far as one can tell the sequence mostly encompassed component layout sheets, i.e. sheets illustrating the position and value of resistors, capacitors, and so on, on the PCBs.

At present, two TMOs for the Super Continental are known: TMO/015 and TMO/002 (referenced by name alone, see the pic in yesterday's entry). TMO/001 and TMO/003 to TMO/014 may have been "Works Only" sheets, supplied to dealers only on request.

It is possible that there was some gap after TMO/015. TMO/030 is the main sheet for the Vox Super Continental II (released in the autumn of 1967) - circuit drawn out by Albert Hogben at some point in the second half of 1967, but the information panel later adjusted first by "Vox Sound Equipment Limited", then "Vox Sound Limited". TMO/071 breaks the "two manual" mould however, being for the single manual Vox Corinthian organ.

Component layout sheets for the Guitar Organ had a sequence of their own: "GTO", presumably "Guitar Transistor Organ".

The information panel of the main sheet provided for the Super Continental in the dealer service manual, drawn by R. Lester, no date.

16th April

Below, the information panel of JMI circuit diagram OS/095, the earliest sheet that has come to light for the Vox Super Continental's "Walking Bass" unit, drawn out on the 17th January, 1965, a small change noted in 1966.

The design of the two-manual organ was evidently underway relatively early on - relative at least to JMI's unveiling of the prototype for the first time in public at the BMII Trade Fair in August. Development is likely to have run in parallel for a time with that of the Guitar Organ.

Information panel of OS/095. The sheet looks to have been signed off by Doug McDonald. The component layout was given on TMO/002. The prefix "TMO" stood for "Two Manual Organ".

15th April (2)

The photo preceding the one in the previous entry from the set printed in January 1967:

West Street Works, January 1967.

15th April

Local Kent press, January 1967, production of organs in full swing on the second (top) floor of the West Street Works in Erith - final assembly of a Vox Super Continental organ. Following the fire at the Works in early December 1965, the Organ Department had returned to Dartford Road for a time, moving production back in stages to Erith in 1966 and early 1967.

In August, JMI released the Super Continental II, though without really saying how it differed from the existing model. The organ pictured below is a Super Continental I (not that it was ever called that).

January 1967

14th April

There is now a page on a superb early Super Continental dual manual organ that came to light in the UK a few years ago. Thanks to Steve for the pictures.

13th April

The first of a set of pages on the Vox Super Continental dual manual organ has been started here - a good deal of material to come. Below, Dick Denney and "Miss Vox" at the Frankfurt Musikmesse, late February/early March 1966, an early Super Continental just visible at left.

Frankfurt, 1966.

12th April

Posted yesterday on the Vox AC100 website, part of a longer piece on Tom Jennings, mainstream Liverpool press, September 1964, the Beatles having been in the USA for near on three weeks.

15th September 1964.

The Stones' Blackpool concert seems to have been remembered and reported as being particularly destructive. But other instances must also have been in Tom's mind. The Dave Clark Five for instance lost a good deal of their gear in a riot after a concert in Sweden in May [not July] 1964. JMI had to fly replacement amplifiers to New York for the American leg of the band's summer tour.

Below, a detail from a photo of The Stones with the wreckage of an AC30, probably Blackpool (24th July 1964?). Note that the amplifier chassis has top boost controls in panel.

Albion transformers (the choke ripped away); eight knobs on the control panel.

10th April

Dublin, October 1963, a relatively rare instance (where small ads are concerned) of a Vox Super Reverb Twin expressly mentioned as being in stock. 160 guineas (£168) was the standard Jennings list price in the autumn of 1963.

Generally speaking only the larger shops outside London would stock the whole range - Gamlins in Cardiff, Kitchens in Leeds, Barratts in Manchester, and so on, some models doubtless supplied by Jennings on a "Sale or Return" basis.

October 1963.

9th April

Just to note there is now a new page lining up the various versions of the AC10 against select JMI pricelists and adverts, late 1957 to 1961 - page number two in the Vox AC10 section of the website.

7th April (2)

Jack Woodroffe's, one of at least two Birmingham music shops to have had Italian-made Vox Echos in stock in late 1961, £89 and 15 shillings being only 10 shillings over the standard Jennings list price of 85 guineas. In 1961, £90 was equivalent to around £1700 in today's money. The page on the early Vox Echos is here.

October 1961. With a fancy red Stratocaster (perhaps a refin?) at £164 one could make a pretty good start at emulating Hank.

Jennings prices, October 1961.

7th April

Swan's, Manchester, September 1958 - certainly one of the first 100 - perhaps first 50 - AC1/15s. Swan's was a fairly long standing Jennings organ dealer. The page on early AC15s can be found here.

September 1958.

6th April (2)

Kay Westworth's, Birmingham, April 1959, a two-input AC10 at 27 guineas and an AC1/15 (classed as being 20 watts) at 59 guineas in stock.

April 1959.

6th April

Nottingham, April 1953, report of the social evening held by the local Radio Engineers Society, a Minivox played by Mr Weightman:

April 1953.

Pontypridd, South Wales, July 1953 - a Minivox ("Univox Minor") in stock at the Arcade Music Shop. 60 guineas was £63.

July 1953.

January 1953, currently the only known advert for the Minivox.

5th April

One of the earliest adverts for Vox in America illustrating equipment recently arrived (i.e. not simply reprinted from a photo supplied by JMI) - 1st November, 1964.

Left to right: an LS40 column; AC4; AC50 Foundation Bass; and an AC10 Twin. The guitars are: Vox Clubman; Dominator; Symphonic Bass; and Super Ace. The Clubman's hang-tag can be seen at left.

Cleveland, November 1964.

3rd April

A small correction to yesterday's entry. The Brimar ECF82 in AC10 serial number 3224 is certainly from late 1959, not 1969, as the "STC" logo appears above "BRIMAR" in the valve's print. STC owned Brimar from 1933 to 1960, when it sold to Thorn.

Brimar ECF82 dated "1H9" = 1st week August 1959.

2nd April

At least one of the valves fitted at factory to AC10 serial number 3224 survives: a Mullard ECC83 dated April 1959 ("B9D").

The Brimar ECF82 currently in place is dated "1H9", which means 1st week of August either of 1959 or 1969. In the bag of spares and duds that came with the amp are two unused Brimar EL84s dated "4G8" and "1H8", respectively July and August of 1958 or 1968. That they are unused suggests that all three Brimars are from 1968 and 1969.

The only other early valve (i.e. before the mid 1960s) in the box is a white print Mullard ECF82, made in Holland, dated March 1961.

31st March (2)

A quick illustration of how the chassis assembly of the AC10 mark 2 hinges away from the top of the cabinet to allow access to the valves.

(1) With the amplifier face down on a blanket, undo the two thumbscrews under the chassis top.

One of the two thumbscrews holding the chassis to the underside of the cabinet top.

(2) The assembly can then be tilted back on its hinges towards the speaker.

Board fixed to baffle with removable hinges.

Assembly tilted back.

(3) One can just about reach the valves too through the cutout for the control panel.

View through cutout on the cabinet top.

31st March

Some updates to the page on Dallas-made AC30s, 1974 and 1975: three amps from 1975, serial numbers 7503D1566 (thanks to David); 7504D1591; and 75102198.

An entry has also been added for an amp probably from the first half of 1974, status currently unknown.

30th March

A couple of details of AC10 serial number 3224, mid to later 1960. The TCC caps have the date code "QM" = December 1959 for their manufacture. Further pics to follow shortly.

A detail showing one of the brass thumbscrews holding the chassis assembly to the top of the cabinet. The whole thing pivots forward on hinges to allow access to the valves.

28th March

September 1969 - a good illustration of how the Vox Riviera organ could, by design, be broken down into three parts for ease of transport.

One of the drawbacks of larger organs was their weight. In the 1960s and 1970s, bands often sawed the case of their Hammonds in half to improve portability.

September 1969.

26th March

The page on early Dallas AC30s, 1974 to 1975, is in the process of being updated. Now that further relevant amps have come to light, a couple of statements that were provisional initially - relating in the main to serial numbers - can be made with more certainty.

25th March

A slightly duff image, but legible nonetheless. Yardley's, Birmingham, December 1959, the old shop at 69-70 Snow Hill, a "Vox Hi-Fi deluxe, 20 watt" at 59 guineas, and a "Vox Professional with Tremilo" at 39 guineas, in stock - in other words an AC1/15 and an AC/10.

23rd March

A further batch of new and updated entries for AC30 Twin serial numbers: 8146N, 8873B, and 9066B; also 8854N, a Super Twin amplifier section.

22nd March

Some new and updated entries for AC30 Twin serial numbers: 8400, 8435N, 8763N, and thanks to Tom, 22789.

21st March

Some new and updated entries for AC30 Twin serial numbers: 6056B, 6872, 7205N, 7253N, and 8198N.

20th March

The page on Domino SRT amplifier section serial number 2509 mentioned below can now be found here.

17th March

Thanks to Tanner, some new details of, and info on, Domino SRT serial number 2509 coming soon - to be set up on a new page.

Domino Super Reverb Twin serial number 2509 with an AC10 Twin (1964).

16th March

Below, a detail of a JMI amplifier guarantee card envelope from 1967, the form of words adopted evidently going back (with a few differences here and there) to mid 1960, perhaps further. The four stages of inspection? In most cases they will have been:

1: - inspection and testing of the chassis by the contractor responsible for assembling it prior to despatch to Dartford Road - from 1960 Triumph or Westrex, from late 1962 Triumph, Westrex, or Burndept.

2: - inspection following final assembly at Dartford Road (ie. once chassis, speakers, and cabinet had been brought together to create a usable amplifier).

3: - play-through of the amp with guitar or bass in the booths at 115 Dartford Road (up to late 1964) and in the West Street Works at Erith (late 1964 to 1968).

4: - final inspection of the whole before boxing up (to ensure among other things that documentation, tags, and so on were to hand).

15th March

Vox AC/10 serial number 3224, bought new at Yardley's in Birmingham in late autumn/early winter 1960, complete with original cover, footswitch, and JMI documentation - one of the earliest Vox amps, if not the earliest, to survive with all paperwork present.

Details of the preamp, power section, and speaker, etc., to follow shortly.

Vox AC10 serial number 3224.

13th March

An inspection tag from an AC4, and JMI warranty documentation. The numbers on the envelope indicate some model other than an AC4. "13337" can only have been an AC30; "2122" might - just about - be right for an AC10 Twin or an AC50 where 1964 is concerned.

The AC4 tested by B. Bibby and signed off on 18th December 1964.

12th March

Yardley's, Birmingham, May 1960, a Vox AC6 and an AC10 without tremolo (at 29 guineas) in stock. This is the only instance that has so far come to light of a shop advert for an AC6 outside London. The page on the model can be found here.

13th May 1960.

10th March

Entries for a further thirteen later AC10 Twins have been added to this page: serial numbers 2101, 2180, 2211, 2233, 2276, 2289, 2419, 2549, 2582, 2583, 2604, 2688, and 2746. Select pictures to be added shortly.

7th March

Bradley's Music in Rochdale, October 1964, a rare instance of an AC30 noted as having "Treble" voicing. JMI's main strand of documentation for the general public and dealers - pricelists, catalogues, and so on - only mentioned "Normal", "Bass", and "Top Boost".

The 30W, 50W, and 100W amplifiers mentioned in connection with the Line Source speakers are either the Metal-Clad Public Address units, or perhaps standard AC30, AC50 and AC100 amplifier sections. These last are certainly known - an interesting spread of survivals - to have been supplied/bought for PA applications.

October 1964.

6th March

Leicester, June 1964, two Domino amps, and among the accessories, add-on Top Boost modules, guitar strings, and chrome amp stands.

4th March

Thanks to Robert, pictures of AC30 Super Reverb Twin serial number 03852, part of a batch shipped to Thomas Organ in the USA, have now been added on this page.

3rd March

Thanks to Kevin and Ian, a couple of shots of the tremolo assembly of AC30 Lightweight serial number 12374. The transistors in the tremolo circuit are OC44s (three). One of the filter capacitors in the main amplifier section is dated "IDI" = 38th week of 1963 for its manufacture.

1st March

Pictures from a good while ago of a black panel AC30/6, mid to late 1961, a distinctive (and carefully made) hole behind the choke, output transformer missing, cabinet painted black. The serial number plate, which evidently survived the painting, was not pictured.