The Jennings Organ Company, or Vox
as we know it today, was formed from
the ashes of World War II. Dick Dennings
(who would later invent some of the most
endearing guitar technology for JMI/Vox),
a backline guitar player during the war in
big bands, approached Mr. Jennings with a
prototype guitar amp that would become
the Vox AC15. After having the AC15 out
for a few years, like many music companies
at the time, they were pressured to keep
up with the louder and more powerful
offerings across the pond from Fender. So
they doubled the power of the AC15 and
later added the famed “Top Boost” circuit,
solidifying the classic design of the AC30
that we know today, and subsequently
becoming another driving force behind
the sound and power of the British
Invasion. The AC30 went through very few
changes throughout the years, although
in the late ‘60s they opted for solid-state
rectification instead of tube, which, among
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TONE TALK //
other changes to cut manufacturing costs,
alienated some guitarists. However, Vox still
remains to have a heavy-handed influence
up there with Marshall and Hiwatt to
sculpting the sound of the British Invasion.
The Beatles, The Shadows, The Yardbirds,
The Kinks, and countless other acts used
and continue to use this amp, and many
modern bands and artists inspired by the
early sounds of the British Invasion such
as Radiohead, Muse, and John Scofield
continue to use and enjoy the AC30s. Not
only was Vox known for creating one of
the most endearing British amps, they are
also credited with being one of the first
suppliers of wah pedals in Britain, and
almost every wah sound you hear on British
records from the ‘60s and ‘70s were Vox
branded wah pedals.
Users of the Vox AC30: Camel, The
Beatles, The Yardbirds, Hank Marvin & The
Shadows, Peter Green
A People’s Guide to the Gear of the British Invasion