Vox bass amps. Should they be issued/reissued?

[JakeK]

I don't play bass, but if I were to, I'd want to get a Vox bass amp. Vox don't make bass amps, and I think they should. I know Paul McCartney used a T-60 on the first two Beatles albums, an AC-100 from "Hard Day's Night" to "Help!". Bill Wyman used Vox bass amps from 1963-1968.

Were Vox bass amps as good as the 60's Fender Bassman or the Ampeg SVT? Should Vox reissue their 60's bass amps?

[antipodean]

I use a '60s AC50 head through an Ashdown 1x15" cab - it got a 5-star review last time I had it out in public (from a buddy who uses a silver-face Bassman 100). I don't see the need for any other tube amp. The downside is that it has to be miked (no line out) at larger venues, which can be problematic, and the reason I have modern amps in my storeroom.

The rig also works very well with guitar, with a reverb unit and overdrive box in the chain.

Vox sell the AC50CPH and AC100CPH, but I'm not sure how well they compare with their vintage brethren.

[soundmasterg]

I believe JMI amps sells clones of the old Vox bass amps...at least the AC50 and AC100, though I could be wrong as I haven't researched it a lot. I'm actually in the process of building myself a Vox AC100 clone that I'm adding some bits to so I'll get a better idea of how they sound when I'm done. I have a real SVT and some old Sunn bass gear so I can compare it pretty well to some classic stuff, and btw the Sunn stuff is really hard to beat as is the Ampeg SVT. Like I've said before in other threads....each amp and guitar or bass has it's own sound and its own application. They are like different colors for a painter. Another thing is that the AC100 was the identical amp when used for guitar or bass, and there were at least 4 different models, with the later ones being better for bass generally and the earlier ones better for guitar, but YMMV.

These days most bass players use solid state gear, or solid state with a tube in the preamp. It is much easier to transport, gets good sound, has loads of power, is quicker, etc. Most of the tube bass gear is used by guys using flatwounds and going for the old school thump, or guys using rounds and going for the warm and aggressive Geddy Lee type of sound when they turn the tube amp up. So any company that was going to make and sell a tube bass amp would be starting with a much smaller market than what was available in the 60's

Greg

[rickinroma]

Greg, AFAIK JMI has an AC100 reissue in combination with a 2x15 speaker. I have contacted people there months ago. The offer was around 2K euros head+cab

I could be interested to buy a 60s reissue if VOX decided to design and produce a decent one.

I'm actually in the process of building myself a Vox AC100 clone that I'm adding some bits to so I'll get a better idea of how they sound when I'm done.

let me know, I am pretty curious about it

[soundmasterg]

Greg, AFAIK JMI has an AC100 reissue in combination with a 2x15 speaker. I have contacted people there months ago. The offer was around 2K euros head+cab

I could be interested to buy a 60s reissue if VOX decided to design and produce a decent one.

I'm actually in the process of building myself a Vox AC100 clone that I'm adding some bits to so I'll get a better idea of how they sound when I'm done.

let me know, I am pretty curious about it

I'll be sure to post some info here about it when I get it closer to being done. I'm still in the layout stage and am space limited in a way on my board because I elected to have Heyboer make me a vintage correct clone of the output transformer, right down to the Z mounting, which mounts the transformer through the chassis instead of just on top. This interferes with my board inside the amp and I had to have two boards and mount some stuff under the board, which is nto ideal. I've got most of the issues sorted and am waiting on some parts to get the sizes correct as to where I place them, but its coming along. Needless to say, if I was going to make more, I'd do some redesigning to make things fit better, and this particular one I'm making I've added a second higher gain channel in addition to the stock Vox channel. (Remember the AC100 was only a single channel amp.)

Thanks for the interest and more to come eventually!

Greg

[rickinroma]

I am looking forward to reading any future new about it

[icabod]

The bass player for the Fab Four, out of Toronto, picked up a JMI ac 100 about a year and a half ago, and uses it on a NCM ac 100 2-15 cab...sounds great with both, 2 hofners, and his Ric PMC, I need to check it out with my 62 p am reissue, and my J. I think I'd like to have that combo...the JMI has volume and tone only, but sounds great.and cost him 2000. cdn., the JMI is in a larger cab than the original vox......cheers......R

[whojamfan]

Vox revamped their bass amps in the 90s to be solid state combos which weren't half bad. I have the T-25, and it's pretty cool for what it is. Love that Bassilator switch for electric earthquake type sound. Of course, the cosmetics are very cool. I had a T-60 as well, but traded it in on a guitar recently.

[JakeK]

This is funny...I can't find the JMI AC-100 Bass amp on the JMI wesbite anywhere...!

[rickinroma]

http://www.jmiamplification.com/Heads/J ... 0head.html
http://www.jmiamplification.com/Cabinet ... 20cab.html

[JakeK]

I saw that. I thought it was a guitar head? So, in August '64-December '65 John and George were using bass amps? Color me confused...

[soundmasterg]

I saw that. I thought it was a guitar head? So, in August '64-December '65 John and George were using bass amps? Color me confused...

There was no AC100 bass amp or guitar amp per se.....there was an AC100. Vox would put a guitar or bass label on it and that was that. All the AC100's were the same in their various eras...meaning there is no bass or guitar version. There is the 80100 AC100 which is the mark 1 cathode biased version...about 80 watts RMS...this is what the Beatles used initially. These are sweeter and more touch responsive than the later ones. Second was the mark 2 which was fixed bias and 100 watts. These were cleaner and louder. The Mark 3 had a few changes but was similar to the Mark 2. The Mark 4 had more changes but wasn't too different from the other previous versions. The difference was in the speaker cabinet......guitar vs bass would have very different setups.

Jim Elyea's new Vox book is terrific and goes through these changes with a fine tooth comb. Its expensive but very worth it for a Vox nut.

greg