On this pic you can see this is the small-head AC50. Later and more common Ac50 are taller. It is in very good shape, except for a little impact nearby the center, but no holes at all. The lower right corner is missing, and the handle was too, but I took the Pathfinder one.

 

It fits perfectly.

So it is the rare mono-channel AC50. Four inputs with variable gain, one volume, one treble, one bass and that's all.

It has a copper panel, as opposite to the dual-channel grey panel.

A back view.

"A JMI Product" written below the inputs.

The output jack is an XLR (or RCA, I'm always confused with these) and there is a "Warning..." plate on the center of the backpanel.

Note the handle fits OK but looks a little too "new"...needs 35 years of use.

 

 

Detail on the backpanel.

The serial number plate is under the head. I have a pic but due to the flash you can't read anything on it...

 

 

Here is an inside view of the cabinet.

The speaker looks to be original, but the logo has disappeared. It is written on both sides "FERRIVOX" in the same styling as on the "egg"pedal for the AC30's tremolo control.

It is a 18'' speaker and I wonder if the name "Ferrivox" means it is a ceramic one; due to its age and the big, long magnet cover, I believe it is an alnico one...Can someone help here?

This speaker is really loud, so loud you have to carry it with a provided handle...

I play bass through it. It is perfect in the medium and treble range, but when you put in some big bass notes, there is a rattle, like if the speaker wasn't well attached to its enclosure...

I have to find a replacement, not to destroy this one. Again, you can play with it, and the sound is

warm and big, but I believe this speaker is fragile.

 

Detail on the speaker.

Detail on the chassis. When I bought it, the guy had just made it serviced and didn't want to put a lot of money through it. So the tech told him the GZ34 was dead and that he had to wait for a new one to come. The owner didn't want to wait, so the tech put some diodes bridge to go on as a rectifier! This is SolidState! Needless to say, the first thing I did is fire the bridge and put on a good Philips GZ34. There was two Sovtek El34G and three Sovtek 12AX7 & 12AU7 too: the sound was lacking something...I put good old RTF El34 and Mazda

Ecc83 & Ecc82 all the way up and it now sounds fantastic, like a Vox should!

But I have to find a 2x12 cabinet for guitar...I played it through the bass cab but this is not heaven. For bass playing, I change one of the 12AX7 for a 12AU7.

 

Detail on the chassis. The amp has been serviced. I love its sound...

 

The Vox Ac50 page.

Original 1963 bass rig! Great for guitar too, of course!. Can you imagine, the complete set-up, with the original Foundation cabinet & its speaker? The finest piece in my collection...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II'm really impressed with that amp. The Beatles '63 rig! Bought it near Toulon. The guy who sold it (through a music store) also has a sixties AC30 but he doesn't want to sell it...what a shame...

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