Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
The Vox AC6 is a departure from the Vox AC2 & AC4, in that it has a 12AX7 preamp, negative feedback, no trem, and for some reason, the tone control is before the first triode – it’s a bit of an odd-ball in the Vox lineup from the time. The 12AX7 preamp arrangement would give … Read more
Another early Vox model is the AC2. It’s often described as being the same as an AC4, but there is one key difference — the tone control. Instead of sitting in the preamp like the AC4, the AC2’s tone control is wired in the power stage, between the EL84 plate and the B+ supply (effectively … Read more
Despite the name – and even the familiar look – the original Vox AC4 has very little in common with the modern “AC4” amps wearing the same badge. The cabinet and the single EL84 output stage are about all they share. The AC4 started life as the AC2 in 1958. Fair to say that the … Read more
This one turned out to be slightly different to the others I’ve worked on – it’s a Bell & Howell Filmosound, Model 156 Projector Amplifier (Part No. 13817), field-coil speaker version. Apart from field-coil speakers, there are clear differences between the 1576 vs the more common Filmosound 621 & 179 models. The tone control and … Read more
Philips 976B – I have had one previously that I documented here. PHILIPS MODEL 976B VALVE PA AMPLIFIER This is a small Australian-made valve PA amplifier from the mid to late fifties – about 8 watts, intended for 100v line systems running multiple speakers. These were also sold as Steanes Sounds Systems using the … Read more
This is a Goldentone 1776, which is essentially a Goldentone 1774 with trem. It had been reshoused in a 2 x 10 cab with Oxford speakers (one ceramic, one alnico), with the amp chassis mounted on the bottom, with the control panel up the top. The amp would have been mounted the same way in its original … Read more
This one’s a rare find – a Communication Systems of Australia valve PA head, ~35 watts from around 1967 / 68. It’s super clean, fully functional, with all parts within spec. Anyone familiar with vintage Australian guitar amps will recognise the front panel straight away: it looks just like a Goldentone. That’s no accident. These … Read more
I picked this one up from a factory in an industrial area – apparently, it had been sitting there as long as anyone can remember, and it was actually used to play music at one stage. I know one thing for sure – they never opened it up to dust it. PHILIPS EV4437 … Read more
