Vox V1143 Super Beatle schemo

[imbuedblue]

I hear you R.G. I had a chance to buy a mint Super Beatle about 15 years ago and passed because I couldn't afford it at the time. A few months later, I ended up getting a beat up Silverface Twin Reverb with the push-pull master volume and restored it. Call me crazy but to this day I am still kicking myself for not finding a way to buy that Vox. Meanwhile, the Twin sits unused in my music room.

[R.G.]

Naaa...That girl is now an angry hairy lesbian that hates your guts

I didn't say a *guy* married her , did I?

and the amp still sucks.

There can be no disagreement about matters of taste. They did sound harsh with the stock setup. This was largely the doing of those horns. Detaching the horns made a lot of difference. But even so...

I remember buying them working for $100 just to pull the speakers out and then throwing the metal frame, head and cab in the dumpster in the 70s.

For which I kinda thank you, I think. That's why I get offers in the $2000 range for my all-working Beatle setup.

I turn the offers down.

That's not to say that a mainstream tube amp *can't* sound good, just that...

Well, you see.

[Steve Conner]

You guys are mean.

I should mention that RG's evangelism on the Thomas Vox amps inspired me to experiment with the transformer-driven output stage. I built a hybrid version driven by an EL84 and it sounds remarkably good on guitar. I figured out that if I used a complementary pair of output transistors, and a tube as the driver, I could just use a Fender Champ OT as the interstage. So I ended up with basically a Champ with boots on.

I believe (and have measured!) that the transformer drive gives it a very high output impedance, almost a current source, which is what tube amps have and guitar speakers like. So I think those old Thomas Vox amps might have had some mojo somewhere if you looked hard enough.

But horn tweeters, what were they thinking...

[52 Bill]

But horn tweeters, what were they thinking...

You can't blame Thomas Organ for that one, that started with the AC-50's from your side of the pond.

[drewl]

What other amp has a mean F-in Fuzz Face built in?
I'm with RG on these, love em, and thanks to RG I've been able to save a bunch from the dumpster.

[JHow]

RG helped me save a pathfinder thomas vox. Once I cottoned to the fact that the wires DO break very easily (which tripped me up a couple of times) I came to like it. I also ditched the original pnp ge output transistors (since one was dead) and went with more reliable modern silicon ones. Also the oxford speaker had a rip in it, so I installed weber alnico, which I like.

The tremelo is (my humble opinion) groovy. It has this open, echo-y, "Born in the Bottoms" kind of vibe to it.

And it comes with a foot switch!

I would definitely adopt another one, or one of the larger ones, if it turned up dead cheap, or someone was pitching it.