FOXX (ac30) what is this???

[bobby]

hello, please help. can anybody tell me about this amp(foxx ac30)?? i can find nothing on the web. it is actual Vox parts? put together in england and shipped to Foxx (california)? or built in cali? and if it is really a Vox with just another company name on it, what Vox is it a "replica" of? early 70's??? late 60's?? i assume these are very rare. any info would be much appreciated. thanks!
-bobby

[fyl]

Marketing rights for Vox were held in the US by Thomas Organ, JMI/Vox couldn't sell amps under the Vox brand - except if they were distributed by Thomas.

A few amps and cabs were branded Foxx and distributed by another company (Rittenger ?) in the US.

[bobby]

very cool. thanks Fyl. so these few Vox amps and cabs, what era Vox were they then? new at the time? or old stock? this happened in the mid-70's?

-bobby

[fyl]

what era Vox were they then? new at the time? or old stock? this happened in the mid-70's?

There is very little info available. I would say early to mid-70's. As the amps were 100% UK Vox with a Foxx logo, the serial number in the back and other elements could help date it.

For instance having something like

"Manufactured in England by
VOX SOUND LIMITED
AC30 REV
SERIAL NO 7402344"

Would mean a post-70 Dallas-Arbiter model (LMITED instead of LTD.) manufactured on the second week of '74 (7402 YYWW in teh serial number).

Other elements:

"I came across this today and thought I might share it with the group:


Dating your Vox amplifier


Because the Vox name has been used by such a variety of companies in
different locations, no lists of serial numbers are available. Even so,
certain characteristics can help narrow the date of manufacture to within a
year or so. These characteristics can be applied to most amplifier models
prior to 1985.


This list comes from The Vox Story book.


1958-1959


* Blonde covering, or occasional two-tone grey-cream.
* Black control panel with screened gold legend.
* Seperate letters in Vox emblem.
* Small "Jennings" embossed badge on top margin of frame.
* Round control knobs.
* Audiom 60 Speaker (AC15) or 80 (proto-AC30).
* Small "TEN" or "FIFTEEN" type badge lower left.
* Hinged plastic carrying handles on AC4 & AC10, large leather strap on
AC15.
* Brown latticed or occasional plain speaker cloth.
* Brass ventilators.


1959-1960


* Blonde covering standard.
* Black control panel, gold legend.
* One-piece emblem.
* Pointer control knobs.
* Brass ventilators.
* Brown latticed speaker cloth.
* Audiom 60 or Rola-Celestion G12 speakers, 4-input models only.
* "A J.M.I. Product" legend between input jacks.


1960-1961


* Blonde covering.
* Copper control panel, photo-anodized legend.
* Pointer control knobs.
* Brass ventilators.
* Blue "Vox" speakers.
* Leather strap handles.
* Brown latticed speaker cloth.
* Six-input models, three channels.
* "J.M.I. Product" legend lower right.


1961-1962


* Blonde covering with occasional black, red or blue samples.
* Hardware same as 1960-1961.
* Occasional "Top Boost" units fitted in rear-panel with Treble and Bass
controls operable.


1962-1963


* Blonde or dark (smooth-textured) covering in equal use.
* Hardware same as 1960-1962.


1963-1964


* Dark cover standard, texture varies between smooth dark grey or black
to basketweave texture.
* Injection-molded vents.
* Strap handles with "Vox" logo appear in mid-1964.
* Speaker cloth still brown lattice.
* Top Boost controls integral with control panel early 1964.
* "Bass" type badge lower left on normal (non-Treble or Top Boost)
models.


1964-1965


* Change of control panel color to dark grey with metallic legend.
* All hardware injection-molded.
* Corner protectors fitted.
* Changed to black latticed speaker-cloth in 1965.


1965-1966


* Chassis and case unchanged.
* Speaker color-change to silver for Lead units, remains blue for Bass
units.
* Mains selector changed to five-way rotary switch type.
* Mains switch plastic.


1966-1967


* Metallic black ventilators used late 1966.


1967-1968


* No change due to emphasis on solid-state.


1968-1969


* Control panel indent. changed to "A Vox Product."
* Manufacture location "Erith, Kent."
* U.S. style rectangular emblem used.
* Changed to silicon rectifier system, GZ34 valve deleted.


1969-1972


* Reverb model with cylindrical aluminum control knobs, pull-enable
switches on Volumes.
* Large PCB for control section.
* Double row of ventilators (Stolec model)


1972-1974


* Reversion to pointer knobs.
* Standard circuit, no reverb.
* "Blue"-type speakers with "V.S.L." label on cover.
* Old style emblem.
* Metal mains switch.
* Tagstrip construction.


1974-1978


* Same chassis and case but Celestion G12M speakers fitted.


1978-1979


* Control panel process changed to spray-paint/screen print.
* Two rows of PCB's for control section.
* G12M speakers.


1979-1985


* Same chassis and case but (pale-blue) Fane 125283 speakers."

From a 1996 post by Nick Schepis

[bobby]

thank you very much Fyl.
-bobby

[Fretts]

I actually asked Ridinger about those amps. They told me that for a brief period, there was no importer for Vox into the US, even though Thomas Organ (I think) still had rights to use the name. So they brought in a couple of shipments, maybe only 100 or so AC 30's and put the foxx badge on them.
BTW, Ridinger is the company that made the flocked, fuzzy pedals in black, blue, red and yellow. I had a foxx Tone Machine which was an octave-fuzz. Fulltone makes a version of this same pedal, with some refinements to the tone, and calls it The Ultimate Octave. Foxx has come back from the grave, if you are interested, here's a link or two
fOXX Pedals
fOXX Tone Machine | DiscoFreq's FX Site

[billyz]

I found one of those in a music store cheap. No one knew what it was. The speakers in it were crappy( don't know if they were original ) . I put in some Vox speakers from an old Super Beatle cab. Changed a few caps and it sounded great. I also found a VOX badge and changed it out too( yeah I know ).

[Fretts]

No problem with the badge, it IS a Vox AC30. maybe not the best version they ever made, but the foxx-badged AC-30 is a made in england Vox AC-30 during a time when they didn't have any importer into the US. So Ridinger had a stab at being the importer but it was very short lived. Actually, being an oddball moment in history, that foxx nameplate might be worth keeping with the amp as a rare bird.

PS Vox had some AC30s made in Italy at some point, for all I know, the foxx episode might have been during that time. But the main point is that the foxx AC30s are not copies or knockoffs, but obtained from the real Vox company.

[billyz]

You know, I might still have the FOXX badge in my parts box.