A Vox Continental from mid 1963

Key contact assembly

Below, details of the key contact assembly of the Continental from mid 1963 accompanied by a few brief remarks:

1) - The signals from the note generators are always on but earthed to ground in the assembly until a key is pressed.

2) - When a key is pressed, four versions of the note are passed to the drawbars - effectively tone shapers and mixers - to the left of the keyboard.

3) - The contacts are likely to have been formed from nickel silver ("German silver") wire, used by Jennings for its valve console organs from the mid 1950s. The "Model G" is expressly said to have had German silver.

4) - In December 1955 Les Hills and Bob Wittington applied on behalf of Jennings for a patent for a new form of assembly. This was granted in January 1959. Although the conductive rubber strips described in the patent application - and various other elements - are not present in the Continental, the design is essentially the same. As for immediate or intermediate precursors, the starting point for the Continental may well have been the solution arrived at for the Jennings "Model H" of 1958/1959 (also a 49-note keyboard).

Plaque on the front of the contact assembly, Continental from mid 1963.

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