First cut is the deepest...

Choosing the correct direction for this project is very difficult committing to building either a custom or renovation to a fully stock box is my dilemma. Well last night I bought the circuit schematics for this vintage solid state amp. Yes!  I said solid state this is the first of the solid state amps in production.

From the VOX Showcase website:

Designing the Solid-State Circuit Thomas Organ developed a few all tube Vox models for the US and Canadian markets, but Thomas felt that the future of guitar amplification was in transistorization. To that end, Thomas Organ hired a brilliant solid state electronics engineer, Sava Jacobsen, to analyze "what made a Vox sound amp like a Vox amp" and then create solid state circuits that could recreate Vox tone.

Jacobsen started his tone analysis with the AC-30. After his tone analysis was completed, Jacobsen developed a modular three channel solid state preamp for his new Thomas Organ AC-30 clone. This new preamp section included tremolo, reverb, a top boost switch and an MRB (mid range boost) circuit. Jacobsen also developed a 35 watt modular solid state power amp to interconnect with the new preamp. The resultant amp was the Thomas Organ answer to the AC-30TB, the Vox Viscount.

Jacobsen aware that the maximum audio output of the Beatles' Vox AC-30 amplifiers had become no match to the level of their screaming fans. In response, JMI started development of  the flagship solid-state Vox was produced by Thomas Organ in the US from 1966 through 1970.

The Viscount, The Royal Guardsman and The Super Beatles all had the same control panel layout and effects features. The lead channel (channel one) had reverb, tremelo, and fuzz effects. The mid or (channel two) had MRB (mid range boost- positions one two and three), Reverb, tremelo but no fuzz.

Over the Viscount, Vox and Fender crossed paths over a new line of solid state amps and in 1964 the project was dumped since Leo Fender sold the company to CBS and the new owner just wanted to keep the technology as is.

This is the amp in its Original State from Vox It is 1967 V1153

Well this week I buy a plug and some compressed air to blow out the dust and dirt from the electronic components. Then I will plug in my Les Paul and clean the pots of the amp and see what this amp can do. I have been holding off to before I tried this because any dirt in the pots need to be cleaned and I just want to get a vacuum inside there to suck up all the dust and age old crap from the Fillmore East and my uncle Chicks basement in Woodside, New York.

This would be great, if I fix the plug and there is nothing wrong with electronics I would welcome this... I can just picture it: and here is the video...

This is a 1966 Viscount  similar to mine maybe even a 

V1153 which came out in 1966 The V1153 is a preferred 

model as the later models were loaded up with gimmicky 

features that were often problematic.

I have a great friend who said he would give me a hand so I purchased the schematic which I am sure will look similar to this:

This is for the later model VOX Viscount V1154

I have this choice to make on what direction I need to go, but until I can focus upon this project with my dogs determination to finish it, I am stuck with this RAT.

My amp in its current state

Here we see a familiar face to this 1967 Advertisement  for VOX amps...

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog...