Does anyone else have a Thomas Vox SS Lead Series 90?

[(paologregorio)]

Hi all,

I've had a solid State Thomas Vox Lead Series 90 (complete) sitting in my garage for years; I bought it awhile back for the Vox Bulldog speakers. It's pretty clean, so I was thinking of having it serviced/repaired, as well as installing a couple of the pairs of extra speakers that I have lying around in the cabinet so it would at least be a functioning amp. I've never used it for guitar, but the former bandmate that I bought it from, as well as the previous owner, used to play bass out of it. It's complete except for the chrome trolley. someone removed the tilt stand (I wonder what happened to THAT?), and put casters on the bottom.

Does anyone here on the forum have a Series 90? If so, does anyone have any impressions of them? I used to have a Super Beatle, and I like the sound that came out of it at the time, but that was a LONG time ago, and that thing was a beast to carry around. I'm just wondering if it's worth the trouble, if I should put in Ebay as is, or if I should just contact this gentleman: http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/v ... oxprot.htm

[(paologregorio)]

Bump.

No love for the behemoth SS Vox, eh?

[(paologregorio)]

Here are some pics:

The preamp head has a cover with a pocket in which one can place a strap and c couple of guitar cables. Cool, eh?

[(paologregorio)]

Close up of the preamp control panel:

Closeup of the power amp control panel, which is on the back side of the speaker cabinet. the preamp plugs into the power amp via an odd pin plug that looks just like the end of a vacuum tube, and plugs into the tube socket type jack input on the left side of the power amp control panel pictured below. The power amp is mounted in the bottom of the speaker cabinet. It's one of the weirdest amps I've ever seen:

[(kennyhowes)]

Maybe at some point, Paul! Let me get caught up on some bills first.

[(paologregorio)]

[(kennyhowes)]

PM sent.

[(paologregorio)]

I guess I shouldn't have originally said "complete" if it didn't have the 4x12 speakers in it. It only has the tweeters. What I meant by "complete" was the top and bottom halves of the amp.

[(Zurdo)]

though this is an old thread, I want to add that I have a 1969 Series 90 but the smaller version, same size as the Royal Guardsman with two 12" speakers, but with a Midax horn.

these amps produce a very musical sound unlike any other amp I ever had; The Vox Showroom website says "the Series 90 amps were the best sounding Vox amps". I agree. I tried to sell mine needing the money but the emergency came and went and I decided to keep it, I haven't found any other vintage amp that is as reliable and sounds so good.

why do they sound so good? I don't know, if I knew I'd be a genius. Specifically, it sounds great with my 1966 Rickenbacker 370-12, producing a well-balanced reproduction of the paired strings without any need for a compressor.

[(paologregorio)]

Mine's still under wraps, in storage. It robably will be for some time.

[(whojamfan)]

It's soon to have some company Paul-haha-can't wait to check that out! Need it like a hole in the head, but hey, can never have too many holes in your head

[(kennyhowes)]

Paulie - did you sell the Series 90 after all?

[(jingle_jangle)]

I think Tracy Sands has one of these up for sale, too...

[(grenadilla)]

It is funny how back then (1969) it was hip for a guitar amp like a Vox or Acoustic to have a high-frequency horn. Why not? Don't guitars have high frequencies ? Then they went out of fashion. Those Series 90 Vox amps came along when Jimi Hendrix made a Marshall more hip than a Vox. What if Jimi had used Vox?

[(paologregorio)]

mine is still under wraps in the shed.