Too many paths but only one way to go...

When it comes to such a project the hardest thing is to find out what your direction is. I keep vacillating between just fixing the bottom board and re-tolexing the whole thing or build a new cabinet and have some fun with the wood grain and make it look like a piece of furniture.  If I spend the money on the wood I commit myself to building a custom Vox Amp one that George Harrison would of loved to have. Then I could make it totally all original and can get about $1500.00 for it if I sell it. If I do the work why would I want to sell it it will be something no one has. This is the first drawing I have done in many many months since my life got so busy. I find myself writing to you all and sometimes it just takes the whole weekend to finish what I just have to say. In this drawing I have mapped out the raw parameters and the dimensions of what I want to do.

 Please note when you click on this file I have attached questions for myself.

I am just so on the fence with what I want to do I feel as if a choice like marriage I feel she is a keeper and it is louder then a AC30 and neck and neck with a Fender Twin Reverb. I would never need to buy a half stack Marshall. These are the amps the Beatles used on Revolver LP and earlier. They may be solid state but they are the best since Fender and VOX worked on them.

This is a photo of who? I don't know, but look at all the Vox amps...

I hate indecision and what I hate more then indecision is me feeling this way. I just need to finish my studio and workshop and then I can take sometime to do something each weekend that will not kill me or break the bank.

This is one direction

the other

Things that make me go hmmm...

Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run...

Stairway to heaven lyrics fit the bill for this tonight... Hey all welcome back to my thoughts on this project. Now I have two directions I can go, I can fix the wood at the bottom and the sides to re-tolex the cabinet and make it original but then I have to spend $250.00 for the trollies which angle the amp. or go totally custom and make a new cabinet and make it a high gloss wood grain with a Black speaker grill… just food for thought for this evening. Tell me what your thought are.

I like the medium color  of these two but I am not sure how much I really like it...

Oak cabinets would be a bit heavy like what I have now ... choices are good to have.

I have to copy the amp  but would love to make finger joints for the sides to give that pro look.

these last three is really where I would like to take it...

And here she is in her former glory

Thanks for reading... God Bless!

-Peter

THE VOX VISCOUNT HAS ARRIVED!

My cousin Gary and I have always shared musical instruments and advice on music and playing guitar. About a month ago I was talking about speaker cabinet that I wanted to build. He tells me that he has a VOX amp that would make a great project for me.

There is a history behind this amp he tells me that in the 1970's he was doing some business with with a gentleman named Henry Gross in Brooklyn. Henry presented the amp to Gary and said it was a great amp and he should take it off his hands.

Henry Gross was the Lead Guitarist from Sha Na Na and his claim to fame is a song "Shannon".  From 1969 through 1971, he played with Sha Na Na at, among other places, the Fillmore East and Fillmore West, opening for such bands as The Grateful Dead, The Mothers of Invention and The Kinks. Henry told my cousin that he used this amp through out this time and he believed it was on stage at Woodstock in 1969.

What does this all means to me? History of a thing has a great appeal to me and gives a item  substance and depth.

Now I remember this amp vaguely... My cousin told me that once I restore this I will not have to buy a half stack since when he would play through it it would shake his father house.

Arrival was March 10, 2014.

 The right speaker is blown and the other is fine and they are hooked up in parallel.

 The grill and the tolex is in pretty ratty shape but it is expected for the age of the amp.

The biggest issue I have with this amp is that it was constructed with flake board.

If anyone has an interest in more info on this amp please read at this link:

http://www.voxshowroom.com/us/amp/viscount_models.html

March 18, 2014

Now tonight I took off most of the tolex and wanted to see the condition of the flack board. What I found was pretty disappointing because the condition was a bit worse then I first thought.

 I put the casters back on it  so I can move the amp about freely without the wood dragging and leaving wood particles around.

 You can see how badly it is falling apart, any wetness to the amp the wood swells and turns into a sponge.

Now the questions arise what to do with this amp since the wood is in such bad shape.

While I think about this if you like to comment your more then welcome to do...

-Peter