• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Vox AC30 JMI 1966

J

jimnic88

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Messages
3
Hi!


I need please your Help :not_worthy:
I have the Option to buy a vintage VOX Ac30 JMI of 1966; the Seller says, that all is original and all is perfect. I post 4 Fotos can you tell me if all is ok? :)
He says also, that the Output Transformer is a Woden Transformer.
And is 2700$ a good price?
Thanks!!!

DSC0413.jpg
[/URL] free photo hosting[/IMG]
DSC0415.jpg
[/URL] imageupload[/IMG]
 
bern1

bern1

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2004
Messages
1,277
Hi and welcome to the forum. It looks nice and I wish I still had mine.

Having said that, those photos are not going to tell about the originality and internal condition of the amplifier. Somebody who knows Vox needs to have a look inside, at least with good quality photos of the internals.
 
J

jimnic88

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Messages
3
bern1 said:
Hi and welcome to the forum. It looks nice and I wish I still had mine.

Having said that, those photos are not going to tell about the originality and internal condition of the amplifier. Somebody who knows Vox needs to have a look inside, at least with good quality photos of the internals.
Click to expand...
Tubes_01.jpg
[/URL] [/IMG]
 
D

Desertdawg

Active member
Joined
Nov 25, 2001
Messages
2,057
Looks identical to my 1965 Top Boost.

If it sounds good, the price is about right. Maybe $2,500 because of cosmetic damage though. A good one in clean condition is $3,000 - $3,500.

Hint. Dump those tubes and get a set of either NOS GE 6BQ5 or Electro-Harmonix EL84 power tubes whichever your budget gets.
 
Arch D. Bunker

Arch D. Bunker

Active member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
258
You would expect a Woden stamp on the PT as well - it looks like the real thing though. If the attachment screw lips of the OT have rounded tops, it's likely legit.

Rest looks fine too. And aks the seller for the white cone stamps on both speakers to make sure they're no recones.
 
D

Desertdawg

Active member
Joined
Nov 25, 2001
Messages
2,057
Good call on the Brimars unless you have a set of four Ei Elites made in Yugoslavia. However, at that point, it's a personal tone flavor.

Oh, and I'm happy to post pics of my 1965 version for comparison if needed by the OP. I know it's genuine as I bought it new in 1965.
 
TM1

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,357
Most deffinatenly a JMI and most likely, without seeing the date codes on the mustard caps or a couple other components, I would guess `65/`66. There are date codes on the speaker gaskets. From what I learned helping my friend Jim Elyea write his 684 page book on Vox amps, Celestions were usually delivered weekly and used almost immediately by JMI.
JMI had 3 different chassis builders and the chassis were delivered to JMI in Dartford as were the cabinets and speakers. They were all assembled there in Dartford and then shipped out. Looking at the speakers, they are the later type of 15 watt Celestions. The earlier types had 3 bolts/screws on the back of the magnet frame. These two don't which puts it most likely into 1966. Also around this time period the date codes switched from the gasket to the basket/frame. they will be two numbers and two letters. the numbers are the day of the month. the two letters are the month and the year. I can not see the numbers on the Serial # plate, but Vox/JMI started with number #4000 in 1959 for AC30's.
If you can get me the codes off of the mustard caps, I can tell you when it was made.
I've worked on Vox amps for decades..
 
sonar

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
TM1 said:
Most deffinatenly a JMI and most likely, without seeing the date codes on the mustard caps or a couple other components, I would guess `65/`66. There are date codes on the speaker gaskets. From what I learned helping my friend Jim Elyea write his 684 page book on Vox amps, Celestions were usually delivered weekly and used almost immediately by JMI.
JMI had 3 different chassis builders and the chassis were delivered to JMI in Dartford as were the cabinets and speakers. They were all assembled there in Dartford and then shipped out. Looking at the speakers, they are the later type of 15 watt Celestions. The earlier types had 3 bolts/screws on the back of the magnet frame. These two don't which puts it most likely into 1966. Also around this time period the date codes switched from the gasket to the basket/frame. they will be two numbers and two letters. the numbers are the day of the month. the two letters are the month and the year. I can not see the numbers on the Serial # plate, but Vox/JMI started with number #4000 in 1959 for AC30's.
If you can get me the codes off of the mustard caps, I can tell you when it was made.
I've worked on Vox amps for decades..
Click to expand...


GREAT CONTENT!

and I don't even like old Vox amps. :jim
 
Bygone_Tones

Bygone_Tones

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
69
TM1 said:
... puts it most likely into 1966. Also around this time period the date codes switched from the gasket to the basket/frame. they will be two numbers and two letters.
Click to expand...

Only if you bought them from Justin Harrison. Celestion date codes moved from gasket to chassis leg in April 1968, no earlier.

http://www.bygonetones.com/celestion-date-codes.html

Arch D. Bunker said:
And aks the seller for the white cone stamps on both speakers to make sure they're no recones.
Click to expand...

Never value old speakers just by looking at the date stamps and cone stamps. The way to value an old speaker is by checking that it works properly and testing to see if it sounds perfect, ideally with a tone generator. In the same way you wouldn't value an old mullard valve just by looking at its date stamp. You have to get them out, check their condition and test them properly, only then you can come to a valuation - based on its condition.

With old Celestion speakers you need to firstly check the spider support hasn't come off - this is VERY common. Then secondly check for coil rub by lightly pressing around the edge of the cone - not directly down on it as most people do. Coil rub is also VERY common. A good 90% of all vintage celestions speakers will fail these basic tests in my experience, and will have sonic issues at stage volume, regardless of how mint they might appear to be. In that state, they are not worth anywhere near the prices people are asking for them in my opinion. Personally if Im valuing a speaker at several hundred pounds, I want it to be absolutely perfect in every way, sonic perfection. Otherwise you might as well be using a chinese one instead - it will sound better and is a hell of a lot cheaper.
 
F

F-Hole

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,174
Bygone_Tones said:
Only if you bought them from Justin Harrison. Celestion date codes moved from gasket to chassis leg in April 1968, no earlier.

http://www.bygonetones.com/celestion-date-codes.html



Never value old speakers just by looking at the date stamps and cone stamps. The way to value an old speaker is by checking that it works properly and testing to see if it sounds perfect, ideally with a tone generator. In the same way you wouldn't value an old mullard valve just by looking at its date stamp. You have to get them out, check their condition and test them properly, only then you can come to a valuation - based on its condition.

With old Celestion speakers you need to firstly check the spider support hasn't come off - this is VERY common. Then secondly check for coil rub by lightly pressing around the edge of the cone - not directly down on it as most people do. Coil rub is also VERY common. A good 90% of all vintage celestions speakers will fail these basic tests in my experience, and will have sonic issues at stage volume, regardless of how mint they might appear to be. In that state, they are not worth anywhere near the prices people are asking for them in my opinion. Personally if Im valuing a speaker at several hundred pounds, I want it to be absolutely perfect in every way, sonic perfection. Otherwise you might as well be using a chinese one instead - it will sound better and is a hell of a lot cheaper.
Click to expand...

Nice to see you posting Brian.
 
TM1

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,357
Brian; O.K. Good to know. do you know when the 3 bolts on the back of the basket switched from outside the bell to under the bell? Cheers!

One Q I have.. How do I date early Rola G12's? I have one that Celestion said they couldn't date it as it was a Rola code but that they thought it was from 1960. Has a Rola sticker on the back. I'll see if I can find a piccy and post it here.
 
Bygone_Tones

Bygone_Tones

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
69
F-Hole said:
They look to be the reissue 652's.
Click to expand...

To me, those look like a pair of mid 1960's T731's, likely taken from a Selmer zodiac, with reproduction Marshall labels on the back and re-coned. T731's are the only alnicos I know of with that paint finish. If other alnicos exist with that same paint finish, they are rare.

I could be wrong but the other speaker with the Rola label looks like a very early one to me made by British Rola. 1940's maybe. It could pre-date the usual dating system, which I think started in 1944. The G12 was originally a British Rola speaker and was first made around 1936. The merge with Celestion came later, in 1947. This is the original ad from 1936:

233810.jpg
 
TM1

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,357
Wow, 4 quid for the Rola G12's. That seems cheap these days, but was a small fortune back then. It's a really wonderful sounding speaker!
The alnico Celestions were pretty dirty when I aquired them. Both of them worked pretty well but the glue holding the copper voice coil windings came loose so I had to recone them. Good to know that they're most likely T731's & not the T652's. They are both old. I must have spent a good 45 minutes cleaning each one as the brown ciggy residue, etc. was thick like someone used them in smokey clubs for decades. I got these from my friend Jim Elyea who wrote the Vox Book. Someone had stuck this pair in a real early 4-input fawn AC-30 that should have had Goodmans(pre-T530 era). Jim found a set of Goodmans and put them in the AC30 and we bartered for me getting this pair. I got a lovely 1965 JMI "Domino Bass" setup from him as well. Basically an AC-6 with a few changes that the short-lived AC-6 didn't have. The AC-4 is an EF86, EL84's & an EZ80. This is an ECC83, EL84 & an EZ80.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top