30th July

Two early Super Twin amplifier sections originally fitted out for Super Twin II sets (as pictured in the flyer from autumn 1961 in yesterday's entry) - serial numbers 5002 and 5056. Further pictures of 5002 are linked on the main Super Twin index page. The metal XLR sockets were made by Geloso and used by JMI through to late 1963 / early 1964.

Rear of serial number 5002 (early 1962), the cellophane there temporarily to protect the plate.

Rear of serial number 5056. The arrangement arrived at for this amp makes better sense, sockets and wiring above the slider board.

In terms of impedances, the sockets will have been linked at factory to the 8 ohm tap on the speaker terminal block in the preamp in order to accommodate the two cabinets of 16 ohms apiece (two Celestion blues in each). If the player decided to use one cabinet on its own, JMI's expectation presumably was that the sockets should be linked into the 16 ohm tap - which involved taking the back panel off. It is fairly safe to assume that the owners of Super Twin II sets did not always do this. Whether the documentation supplied with the amps by Jennings laid down the law in fairly unequivocal terms is unknown at present.

To date no Super Twin II set has come to light complete.

29th July

The earliest explicit mention of JMI amplifiers being provided with covers as standard comes in late 1960 - probably December - a short line in a typescript pricelist.

December 1960.

The flyer issued in the autumn of 1961 for the new Super Twin models also makes the point: "Waterproof covers are supplied free":

Autumn 1961.

More to come on early Super Twins shortly. How far back the provision of covers as standard went is not clear at present. Those listed in the pricelist of May 1960 (entry for 26th July, below) seem on the face of things to be extras. There is nothing to indicate that they were available simply as replacements, if needed, for lost or damaged originals (as is certainly the case in JMI pricelists from the later 1960s).

28th July

To be added to the page on AC30 stands (along with the pics below, 25th July), a couple of early mentions in JMI literature/documents, the first in the brochure of mid 1961, the second in the announcement circulated in September/October of that year.

Mid 1961. A stand for the Twin and Super Twin.

September/October 1961.

No provision is made for the single speaker AC10 or AC15. The "Super Twin" was first mentioned in the music trade press in July 1961 - see this page.

27th July

Added to the pages on AC10 covers and AC30 covers, a detail of the JMI pricelist for May 1960. The AC30 in view is a Twin rather than the single speaker model. The latter was the same size as an AC15.

May 1960.

26th July (2)

Thanks to Colin, pictures of a late "Vox Sound Limited" AC30 with almost all references to "VOX" removed. The chassis is at least a year earlier than box, speakers, and serial number plate. It seems likely that the amp as we have it was put together for sale by a former employee (initials "EOC"). In 1973, VSL became more or less inactive. Stock - finished and unfinished - was either bought privately by members of staff or spirited away to be sold. At least two senior employees set up shop with quantities of unsold VSL gear. Strangely the company did not declare bankruptcy. It simply ceased to operate until the summer of 1974, when Dallas acquired it at the recommendation of Reg Clarke.

Presumably EOC felt that the amp could not be presented legitimately as a "factory-finished" VOX. Further pictures are on the Birch-Stolec page.

AC30 serial 25905, the "VOX AMPLIFIER" part of the serial number plate cut off. The speakers have the date code "HE" which means some day in August 1972 for their manufacture. The only "VOX" logo or legend that remains is on the voltage selector.

26th July

A detail from a photograph of the Sound City music shop on Rupert Street in London taken before March 1964, i.e. prior to the move to Shaftesbury Avenue. On top of the AC30 Super Twin, a Jennings standee headed "VOX ECHO REVERBERATION". Inset at left, the star endorser, who with hair well over his ears, seems to be someone other than Cliff Richard. The rest is too fuzzy to make out clearly.

Was the standee originally produced for the Vox AC30 Super Reverb Twin (which the amp in the window could easily be) rather than the stand-alone Echo unit?

Original photo owned by Andy Babiuck. The standee is approximately 2 feet long and 7-8 inches high.

Detail of JMI's catalogue for Fender equipment, mid 1960, the whole posted below, entry for 17th July (2), Cliff's pose similar to the star on the standee, but hair clearly different.

One of the first adverts for the "Cliff Richard" Echo, April 1962. "Echo-Reverberation" was really stretching it a bit, even for JMI. Control panels always give "Vox Reverberation". By November 1963, the Vox Echo de Luxe (the "Short Tom"), a true echo effect, had been introduced. The earlier unit appears to have remained in production through to 1966 however.

25th July

A small spread of early AC30 "tray" stands: The Blackjacks (from Swansea) and The Dynamites (Camarthen). Two more belonged to a band seen at the Cavern in 1964, i.e. long after the Beatles had stopped playing there - picture here.

Such stands were available for Twins with serial numbers from the high 4100s through to the high 5000s, but most bands - or at least the majority - did without them.

The Blackjacks.

The Dynamites.

24th July

Thanks to Chris, some shots of AC10 serial number 3513, an early split-front amp, probably very early 1962. The page on split-front single speaker AC10s is here, linked also on the main AC10 index page.

AC10 serial number 3513.

23rd July

The page on AC30 covers has been updated and tidied up. As in the case of AC10s, no green cover with VOX in cursive has surfaced so far. It is not clear at the moment why that should be. Were none made?

22nd July

Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, later the Jaycats, with Alvin Lee on guitar, picture from this page. The total of two-tone AC15s in early photos now stands at 32.

Known instances are being collected together on this page as they come to light.

Ivan Jay and the Jaymen. The right-hand amp appears to have plain grille cloth.

21st July

Thanks to Chris, pictures of the latest AC30 Lightweight currently known to have been sold by JMI - serial number 15246L. The page on the Transistor Lightweight can be found here.

AC30 serial number 15246L.

20th July (2)

A page has now been started on covers for Vox AC10s, 1959 to 1967, further examples to be added in due course.

20th July

A shot of a maroon/burgundy AC30 cover probably from the first third of 1964, heavy plastileather, cursive logo, and though needing some remedial work still serviceable. Thanks to Ihor for signalling its existence. Coloured covers for AC30s with "VOX" in cursive are fairly scarce these days. To date, four in brown have come to light and two in red, one of these last possibly being maroon/burgundy (the lighting in the photo is not ideal).

The page on AC30 covers will be updated in the coming days.

The colour rendered above is pretty accurate.

19th July

One of at least three AC30 Super Twins to have been produced in powder blue in 1963. Two more can be seen on this page. Thanks to Chris for the pics.

AC30 Super Twin serial number 8301N.

18th July

The Royal Variety Performance, Victoria Palace Theatre (London), 16th May, 1960, the earliest dated sighting so far of two-tone AC15s. It is likely that these were supplied to The Shadows by JMI with the show in mind.

16th May, 1960; broadcast on BBC1 on 22nd May.

17th July (2)

Just to add that it was the relaxation of fairly stiff restrictions on the importing of foreign-made musical instruments - widely reported in the music trade press in mid 1959 - that opened the door not only to the importation of equipment from the USA later in the year, but also to the striking of deals - JMI supplying Fender guitars and amplifiers in the UK, the use of the word "exclusive" being a clever marketing touch. Jennings was effectively a main dealer, not the "only" or "sole" supplier.

"Exclusive from America". This is the most common version of the catalogue. Joe Brown is in the side panel of the other.

17th July

The most obvious precusors on a general level for the standard two-tone AC15 (first produced in late 1959 / early 1960) will have been the Selmer Truvoice range, issued in dark red and oatmeal - "blood and custard" - or dark red and grey (1956 to 1960); the Watkins Westminster and Dominator in pale blue or dark red and oatmeal (from early 1959); and the Gibson "GA" range, issued in dark red and mottled white (c. 1955); dark red and brownish-yellow (c. 1958); and sometimes, dark blue and yellow (also c. 1958).

The Selmer shop, which also sold Watkins, was four doors up from Jennings on the Charing Cross Road. Gibsons were much scarcer though. Aside from the amps brought to the UK by visiting American musicians, there seem to have been relatively few around for most of 1959. However, towards the end of the year, one begins to find mentions of imports.

24th October, 1959, Ivor Mairants.

21st November, 1959, Stanley Lewis. The "Amplifier, Gibson Les Paul model" was a Gibson GA-40.

Bell Music in Surbiton announced in February 1960 that a consignment of Gibson amplifiers had "just arrived".

Evening Standard, February 1960.

Below, Joe Brown, Gene Vincent, and assembled stars, on the set of the Jack Good show "Boy Meets Girls", Manchester, February 1960. Joe is plugged into a new-style (tweed covered) Gibson GA-40.

Manchester, 20th February, 1960.

Two-tone was definitely the thing of the moment in 1959 and for most of 1960 though: Supersound, Zenith, Besson, Hohner, you name it, all produced amps, generally of fairly low wattage, in parti-coloured cabinets.

16th July

In company with second circuit AC15s, early third circuit AC15s have two terminal blocks mounted on the aluminium upright of the preamp: one at left for the speaker wires, the other at right for the mains cable. The main filter capacitor tends to be positioned between the tagboards.

In early 1961 the terminal block at right was dispensed with and the mains cable hardwired to the switch and voltage selector. Probably at this time too the decision was made to mount the main preamp cap. lower down.

These were fairly minor changes. Perhaps more substantial, certainly in terms of wiring and assembly, was the introduction of a small tagboard for the footswitch circuit, as mentioned on the page linked above.

So far as one can tell these modifications went hand in hand with the modification to the circuit noted in February '61, though it evidently took a little while for things to work through.

Some new material to be added to the page on second circuit AC15s shortly.

A stray early third circuit chassis.

Two tiny thumbnails from the AC15 in Watkins colours auctioned in 2007 (briefly mentioned below): two terminal blocks in the preamp.

15th July

A further early Continental (from later 1963), Midlands group, identity unknown; and two more bands with two-tone AC15s, total in early photos now 30: Danny King and the Dukes (not pictured), and The Nomads (Cumbria):

Later 1963, logo on the back panel, "VOX" alone in cursive.

The Nomads.

14th July (2)

The entry below has been tidied up slightly. The final para for some reason was difficult to frame.

14th July

Two or one? In May 2007 the third circuit AC15 pictured immediately below came up for sale on ebay (seller registered in Lincoln):

Although the pictures were pretty dismal, one could see the important things: third circuit AC15, cabinet done in Watkins colours (Westminsters and Dominators), flag on the front grille cloth, a grey Elac speaker (also as Watkins), and serial number plate lacking. Other pictures showed the electronics bearing a degree of new work.

Below, an amp - the same one (?) - illustrated by Jim Elyea. The speaker is different though, possibly so too the flag.

Jim Elyea, "Vox Amplifiers", p. 143.

If this is indeed one and the same amp, it certainly does not feel like a prototype (Jim's determination) in the normal sense of the word. Was the intention really to make a run of AC15s in copycat Watkins colours? - pun, sorry. Something else is probably in view.

13th July

The Saints, a Wrexham band, pictured in (later) 1963 with an early Continental with music stand. There appears to be a third hinge on the main body above the fixing point for the stand braces.

The page on bands with early Continentals has been updated.

12th July (2)

Two-tone AC15s in early pics, the total now 27 - four more: The Beatmen (Nottingham); The Cossacks (Eastbourne); The Crestas (Birmingham) - thumbnail pics on this page; and The Tremors (Wolverhampton) - small photo (in colour) on this page.

Pic. originally posted here.

12th July

And three more two-tone AC15s: Gerry and the Pacemakers c. 1961 / 1962; The Staggerlees (also with a TV Front AC30); and The Zephyrs - fourth picture down on this page.

To these should be added the four (at least) used by The Shadows - and well photographed - in 1960, mentioned in the entry for 4th May here.

For the time being the number of two-tone '15s caught in pictures taken before 1963 stands at 23. Perhaps though, some of the amps glimpsed at 115 Dartford Road in 1961 ended up in the hands of the bands featured in the entries below.

11th July (2)

Two more: Pete Miller, later of Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers; and Joe Brown (with Billy Fury).

11th July

Continuing the theme of two-tone AC15s in early pictures, a detail from a photo published in the music trade press in March 1961 of amps and organs awaiting dispatch at 115 Dartford Road: ten two-tone AC15s in view.

Ten beige AC15s are also pictured (in the full view), along with at least two AC10s and a series of AC2s.

10th July

Two more two-tone AC15s. Thanks to Robert, and posted a little while ago, a promotional picture of his band taken c. 1962/1963 at Elstree Studios for a film that ultimately did not come to be. The singer, who was not a member of the group, was brought in specially for the shot. Robert is to the right of the drummer.

The matching two-tone AC15s (blue/grey and oatmeal) - a "Normal" and a "Bass" - are third circuit amps.

9th July

The Cannons with two two-tone AC15s, one with cloth gone. It is not known whether these were second or third circuit amps. JMI did good business with the two-tone '15s. Further pics to come.

8th July

Some new entries added to the page on the AC10 Super Reverb Twin. More to follow shortly.

Entry in the JMI catalogue of 1964.

Also to say, the general page on footswitches has had an interim tidying up, a picture of the switch of AC10 serial number 3224 (late autumn 1960) now incoporated:

Footswitch of AC10 serial number 3224 with Radiospares 4-pin "Alldry" plug.

7th July

A short note on the footswitches issued with Domino Reverb amplifiers - (1) the combo, late 1963 to later 1964; (2) the piggy-back version, later 1964 to summer 1965:

1: - as mentioned a little while ago (updates page, Jan. 2024), Domino Normal and Reverb combos normally had a type of footswitch of their own to switch the tremolo on and off - wedge-shaped, made of Bakelite, white or black, no VOX logo, and more often than not with a white cable. AC4 serial number 3391 also has such a switch. The AC4 and Domino range (save for the Domino SRT) were assembled for JMI by Triumph Electronics in Purley. It may have been Triumph that sourced these switches.

Domino Normal

Domino Reverb

AC4 serial number 3391. Thanks to Martin for the pic.

The cast footswitch of a late Domino Normal, no "VOX logo.

2: - piggy-back Domino Reverbs (in company with certain AC10 SRTs) were evidently equipped with footswitches that had DIN plugs, though no example has come to light so far unfortunately. The sockets on Domino Reverb serial numbers 3576 and 3607 were replaced with jacks in more recent times. That the ovoid switch pictured below came from a Domino seems unlikely - the DIN plug assembly feels too modern and the cable (around 4 feet long) probably too short.

Domino Reverb serial number 3329, DIN socket for the footswitch to the right of the serial number plate, to the left the Geloso XLR speaker socket.

The DIN plug has only three pins. It is not possible to tell how they are connected without breaking the plastic housing. If a cast housing had been used for later Domino Reverb footswitches however, it will probably have been more along the lines of the one supplied with the late Domino Normal pictured above (no "VOX" logo).

6th July

Thanks to Paul, pictures of AC30 Twin serial number 15157TB, probably ready for sale in the third quarter of 1964, have been added here.

AC30 Twin serial number 15157.

5th July

The page on Domino Reverbs has now been been updated - more to follow shortly.

Below, one of the 10" Celestions in serial number 3607, dated "19GK" as mentioned yesterday. The model number is not known definitively at present. Smaller versions (6 1/2" and 8") were used in Murphy radios, but few mainstream guitar amplifier manufacturers appear to have used them.

Small magnet, pressed metal frame (and therefore a budget model in all likelihood). Impedance 15 ohms, the two speakers wired in parallel for a total of 8 ohms.

A pair of similar speakers in a cab of unknown origin. The seller noted the stamped numbers on the frames: "4865", which may be the model number (though certainly not the "T-Book" number), and "RO6LJ", which is 6th November 1964 for their manufacture - picture from this page.

Added note: four of these speakers can also be seen in a Marshall Bluesbreaker - video here. Whether they are original to the amp is unknown - is that really factory wiring?

4th July

Just to record the existence for the time being of two late Domino Reverbs - serial numbers 3576 and 3607, both from the same source, probably the ones displayed at the Dallas International Guitar Show in May 2024. Thanks to J.

The page on Domino Reverbs will need updating, especially in light of the date of the speakers in serial number 3607.

Amplifier section serial number 3576 paired with a Domino Bass cabinet (single 12" speaker added in the USA).

Domino Reverb serial number 3607 with its original speaker cabinet and speakers: Celestion 10" drivers, budget model, small magnets, model number beginning "7", so perhaps part of the [CT]7722 range. One has the date code "19GK" = 19th July 1965 for its manufacture.

Dallas International Guitar Show, May 2024.

3rd July

A detail from the famous picture of the Vox Works published in the local Dartford press in January 1967 and reprinted by Jim Elyea in his book on Vox Amplifiers: the final stages of checking an AC30 before boxing up.

The cabinet is chalked "41". In its foot, the brown warranty envelope. The mains plug is tied up at the side (to prevent the speakers being damaged in transit). The footswitch is evidently soldered in but not visible (presumably tied up on the other side).

A label is attached to the handle, perhaps one of the standard blue ones giving the model, serial number, and marking that final testing had taken place. Something is tied onto one of the back board screws half-way down the left hand side - the upper back board?.

The speakers have terminals on discrete tagboards mounted between the spokes of the frame (ie. post mid 1966 where T1088s supplied to JMI are concerned). In the preamp, red Lemco signal capacitors (distinguishable by their blobby profile), and tall blue and yellow Dubilier coupling capacitors. In terms of serial number, somewhere in the low 22000s.

Simply for comparative purposes, the preamp of serial number 22177.

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