Vox Solid State Dealers

Vox Solid State Equipment Dealers

Below, the beginnings of a page on Vox solid state equipment dealers in the 1960s. The first section gives the dealers listed down the right-hand side of an advert for Vox at the Frankfurt Music Fair, February 1969.

The second section illustrates plates affixed to amps and cabs - from shops in the UK, Denmark and Germany at present.

An asterisk indicates that the shop is still in business.

Beat Instrumental, February 1969

List of European Vox dealers / distributors

Some of these dealer/distributors were long established. Hummel in Frankfurt for instance put its plaque on at least one AC100 from 1965/1966. European Musik Import in Denmark handled Vox AC30s at least as far back as 1964 - see this page on the Vox AC30 website.

As noted on various pages on this site, "Vox Sound Equipment Limited" amplifiers, the solid state range had different designations in Denmark. At present, the reason or reasons for the redesignations are unknown. One possibility is that amps were shipped to Denmark still needing final assembly and finished off there by the principal VSEL importer - "European Musik Import A/S. Kirke Vaerlosevej 261, Lille Vaerlose, a little to the north of Copenhagen. See this page, and the note for 30th September (2|) on this page. A certain amount of import duty was waived for items that arrived in the form of component parts. It may be that new names were simply a means of aiding the bureaucratic process.

Within Denmark, amps were sold for the most part by Alfred Christensen and the Dansk Musik Instrument Company (1966-2002), which was effectively Alfred Christensen by another name. In Spring 1969, a catalogue was produced based on the material issued by VSEL in the UK in February.

A1 - Supreme - unknown serial number, "A1" stamped on Alfred Christensen plaque.

A2 - Super Foundation Bass - 2202.

B1 - Defiant - 2508, and one with an unknown serial number.

B2 - Foundation Bass - no examples at present.

C1 - Conqueror - 2203, 2271, 2377, and one with an unknown serial number.

C2 - Dynamic Bass - 2221.

Front cover of the Christensen / Dansk Musik catalogue, Spring 1969. In the body of the catalogue, the amps are given with their conventional names, "Conqueror" etc.

A number of the dealers listed in the roster published by Vox (illustrated at the head of this page) are likely to have been recent additions - one probably being Konsumex, in Budapest, the State Trading Company of Hungary.

In Italy, E.M.E. was the main distributor in early 1969. In 1968, Comusik in Rome apparently performed this role. A brochure was produced (page above).

One of the worries affecting British makers of guitars and amps in 1969 and 1970 was the slow but sure contraction of the export market. Vox had been particularly dependent on overseas sales (75% of its output in late 1966). The stiffness of this market in late '69 was a major factor in the unwinding of Vox Sound Equipment Limited, as America had to all intents and purposes ceased to be a customer. Thomas Organ (effectively Vox, USA) had its own range of solid state amps - the Super Beatle, et al.

Click for larger images.

JMI Virtuoso