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Vox AC30 website updates

2021

31st December

Sunny California, June 1964, a further pic of a consignment of Thomas Organs - presumably with accompanying documentation (manuals, circuit diagrams, tutorials, and so on) - being loaded for transport to JMI's new "Thomas Organ Division" at Dartford Road.

30th December

A note on Geoff Harris. Geoff began at Jennings, then the "Jennings Organ Company", around 1953 (not the mid 1950s as initially stated) as an engineer. With Derek Underdown, he designed a new type of drawbar-switch that allowed different attenuations/voicings to be switched in and out as the drawbar was moved from one position to another. The patent was applied for in July 1957 and granted (published) in April 1960.

As the 1960s progressed, one his duties involved the attending of Trade Fairs (as "engineer"), primarily one suspects to set up and demonstrate the growing range of Vox Continentals, on which he had worked, for display.

In late 1964, Geoff became head of JMI's Thomas Organ division, overseeing the assembly and sale of the organs shipped as component parts by Thomas from California (Sepulveda). His boss was Ken McDonnell, overall head of the organ section. At much the same time, production of Continental range was moved in part to the West Street Works in Erith. Following the fire of December 1965, however, the department had to be relocated for a number of months. Space was found in the Riverside Works in Erith (owned along with the West Street Works by Burndept Electronics).

Where JMI organs are concerned, the most important new thing in the mid 1960s was the dual manual Continental, shown for the first time in pre-production form at the Russell Hotel Trade Fair of August 1965. Although Geoff's position had changed - his role now was more managerial and promotional - it is safe to assume that he was involved with its design.

When JMI folded in April 1968, Geoff, along with many other JMI employees, transferred to the new company - "Vox Sound Equipment Limited" - formed by Cyril Windiate and Reg Clark to take the "Vox" name forward. Cyril, an accomplished organist (and endorser of "Jennings Organ Company" organs in the mid 1950s), had been given charge of JMI following Tom Jennings's dismissal in September 1967, and had guided the company as best he could through its period of receivership, December '67 to April '68. One of his hopes for VSEL - not unfortunately realised - was that it would produce a new line of Church Organs. Nonetheless the organ department flourished. By mid 1969 seven models were in production: two types of Super Continental, two types of Riviera, the Continental, Corinthian and Junior, the greatest number since the heyday of the "Jennings Organ Company" in the late 1950s.

When VSEL folded in December 1969, many who had begun in JMI days left - Cyril Windiate, Reg Clark (to Dallas Arbiter), Geoff Harris, and numerous others. Geoff's services, however, were apparently sought again by "Vox Sound Limited" in 1970 (the company that had been brought into being in January of that year) - a not insignificant contract to service Vox organs. Thousands had been sold in the UK since 1963.

Keyboard magazine, July 1970.

update 4th Jan. In March 1967, Geoff's official title was (or had become) "Organ Sales Manager" - (stated in a reply to a letter asking for a set of organ circuit diagrams to be sent out to New Zealand). The "Thomas Organ Division" had come to an abrupt end in late January / early February 1967 when Joe Benaron announced, with Tom's agreement, that Thomas would take over from JMI the marketing and distribution of Thomas organs in the UK. Probably quiet sighs of relief all round.

29th December (2)

Some matters/questions relating to the covering of amps:

(1) Who applied the covering to the wooden cabinets? The answer in most cases prior to 1965 is the cabinet maker (contractors). A small number of bare wood cabs may have been "dressed" at 115 Dartford Road, however (quite aside from the items produced by Mick Bennett in the custom shop).

(2) From 1965, the balance began to change - bare wood cabinets were increasingly supplied to the West Street Works in Erith and covered there by JMI staff. This became the norm in late 1966.

(3) Black basketweave vynide seems to have been used first on AC30s with serial numbers in the 8000s. Serial numbers 8138B and 8142 are possibles, though it may be that these are in fact recovers. So too number 8432. Numbers 8648 and 8739 look fine. But for most of the 8000s and 9000s the prevailing type of covering was pebble/heavy grain vynide.

29th December

Thanks to Robert (very belatedly), details of a Burndept-made chassis, late 1963, its number still stamped on the plinth (highest encountered so far in this position). The page on Burndept chassis has been updated.

No serial number plate. Chassis number 2001, still stamped on the plinth. The Woden transformers have the date codes "JU" and "KU" = September and October 1963.

28th December (2)

Thanks to Glen, a pic of the serial number plate from AC30/6 serial number 4506N, certainly black panel and likely to have had the pre-List-of-Changes circuit - i.e. made before Spring 1961. The plate is now on an early AC10 Super Twin amplifier section.

28th December

Recently surfaced, AC15 serial number 4208N, split front (the lowest in sequence so far); black control panel; a number of black WIMA Tropydurs still in place; electrolytics renewed; a replacement Celestion alnico G12 speaker (a T731, made for Selmer).

AC15 serial number 4177 is a two-tone TV Front model.

27th December

A page on the types of rexine and vynide used on AC30s has been started here. More to follow.

21st December (2)

A great shot showing the construction of the leather handles used on AC30s (to the Spring of 1963), the one below on serial number 6372.

Detail of serial number 6372.

A page coming soon on the rexine and vynide coverings used by JMI from the 1950s through to 1968.

21st December

From the V&A Archive, a shot of "The Overlanders" with an early square top Vox Continental - unusually, the mains socket is on the back panel, jack socket on the underside. Fitting out of the first 50-60 organs, all done by hand, could be quite variable. Note the presence of the old-style volume pedal (advertised from late 1957 through to late 1962/early '63). This predated the "modified" Fender pedals that were normally issued with Continentals in 1963. See this page.

Photo by Harry Hammond.

15th December

Thanks to William, pictures of AC30 serial number 15541B, well used over the years. The amp is one of the earliest known at present to have a "slot" voltage selector - to some extent transitional (for a very short time) between the earlier link type and the later "dome" selector. Slot selectors are also found occasionally on AC10s and AC50s, not so far on AC15s or AC100s.

14th December (2)

Pictures of AC30 Super Twin serial number 5854, sold on ebay a little while ago. The output transformer may be a factory replacement, Woden date code "HV" = August 1964. A recent post on FB indicates the date code has now been cleaned off.

14th December

Thanks to Jeremy, piotures of AC30 TB serial number 12622 (probably second quarter of 1964), complete with footswitch and original maroon cover - now registered on this page.

13th December

Thanks to Volker, pictures of "Vox Sound Limited" AC30 Reverb, serial number 30202, from the last third of 1971. Further details can be found here.

12th December

A detail from a shot of The Stones, Bridlington, 2nd May, 1964 - the earliest dated instance of an AC30 with top boost integrated in the control panel "live" on stage that has so far come to light. Pictures from June indicate that the band were issued with two, one for Keith Richards, the other for Brian Jones (as pictured) - probably in April, if not before. A key date in the year's musical calendar was the NME Poll Winner's Concert - on the 26th of April in '64.

The Shadows had a set of three (with copper control panels) on their six-week tour of Europe, 5th May to 14th June '64. Those are liked to have been consigned well before the band's departure.

11th December

A quick note to record an update to the page on AC30s with serial numbers in the 5000s.

It seems that when production of AC30/4 chassis at Dartford Road came to an end in late 1961, small runs of AC30/6s were produced in the Unity Works (no. 115 Dartford Rd) thereafter, probably through to the autumn of 1962 (when the contract with Burndept Electronics began).

During this period Westrex was therefore the *main* assembler of AC30/6 chassis rather than the *sole* assembler.

5th December

Published in "Guitarist" magazine, October 2017 (issue 425), an AC30/4 chassis (with added top boost) in a later cabinet, two black metal vents on top, rounded corners for the back panels. Whether the speakers are original to the chassis or come from a third source is unknown. The wiring - pink and red - looks old.