Question:

Hi guys, I was given a referral to you folks, as I'm running out of options.

At the risk of heresy to you folks, I have an old (maybe 1968) Vox Westminster Solid State bass head that has been dead for some time now. I would like to get it up and running again for sentimental reasons (it was my first ever real bass amp), but can't seem to find a repair shop willing to take it on.

I know you guys are the tube amp guys, but I'm wondering if there is any chance you guys would be interested in taking on a possible repair of my old Vox amp?

Thanks!

Jack - Boise ID

Answer:

Regarding the Vox bass amp . . .

In 1968, many transistorized amps used germanium transistors in their outputs. These have been considered obsolete for the last 25 years and finding the proper replacement units is a big pain in the behind. I'll bet you a sugar-glazed doughnut that the reason nobody wants to work on your amp is that it contains germanium transistors. In principle, it is possible to modify the original Vox circuit to use silicon transistors but this would be a big, thankless, and very tedious job so I would not recommend it.

Now, I have been a bass player since 1970 and can testify that those old solid-state Vox circuits were actually pretty crappy even by 1970 standards.

While I realize the power of nostalgia and the coolness of retaining connections with one's past, I myself would never want to go back to playing through the pieces of junk that I used as bass gear back then. So let me propose an alternative or two to you.

One: clean up the Vox and sell it off on ebaY as-is to a collector, as a nonfunctioning amp in need of restoration. You might find someone who has an amp chassis and needs a cabinet to mount it in, and would pay you an insane sum of money for the privilege. Don't laugh- I am amazed at what people will pay for stuff on ebaY .

Two: remove the chassis and sell it on ebaY (see above). You keep the cabinet, grille cloth and whatnot and we show you how to install a replacement amp that retains the look of the original, but functions properly, sounds good, and uses modern and commonly-available materials. I myself do this sort of thing all the time, to furnish inexpensive bass amps to my friends.

By the way... the bass loudspeakers that often went into those old amps were themselves barely adequate to the task unless you were lucky enough to have one that had Jensen's in it. I would strongly recommend pulling the originals out, setting them aside for a collector to drool over, and installing something that will not blow up the first time you romp on it.

Best regards - Niels