Westrex Co. Ltd, contractors for Vox - makers of AC80/100 chassis from early 1964 to the second quarter of 1965
Westrex was a subsidiary of Western Electric, an American company specialising in telecommunications, sound recording equipment for films, amplification systems for cinemas, and disk cutting (vinyl LPs). The UK factory was set up in 1929 at 152-154 Coles Green Road, Dollis Hill (London NW2), within easy reach of the new North Circular Road. The head office was in Liberty House, Regent Street.
Below two views of the factory taken during an aerial survey of the Dollis Hill area in 1930.
The factory is in the foreground, either side of Coles Green Road. The large building still under construction on the North Circular Road is Kemp's Biscuit Factory.
Above, the Westrex buildings in the middle distance. Pictures from the britainfromabove website.
Click on the first thumbnail for the Coles Green Road site on Google Maps. The second picture is of Liberty House.
Although little information is readily available on what Westrex produced during the second world war, telecommunications and aviation systems seems most likely - the company was certainly a registered supplier of civil and military aviation equipment by the late 1950s. And it was during the 50s and indeed 60s that Westrex flourished, branching out in all directions: larger and larger cinema amplification units; speakers (frames, drivers and coils); domestic hi-fi, sometimes made for other companies, sometimes released under its own name; hospital equipment; and later, teleprinters and so on.
Below, cinema and hifi equipment manufactured by Westrex UK in the 50s and early 60s: a number of the images were original posted on the audioheritage.org site.
For some truly gargantuan American and Japanese-made Western Electric kit, > click here.
Vox
Although no firm dates are available for the initial contracting of Westrex, early 1961 is suggested by the fact that the company produced chassis for the new version of the AC30/6, introduced by JMI in the Spring of that year (the so-called "Post List of Changes" circuit). See this page on the Vox AC30 website for further details. Westrex was also contracted to assemble numbers of AC6s, AC10s, AC15s, and of course, AC80/100s.
Chassis, once finished, were driven at regular intervals by lorry down to the Vox factory in Dartford - 115-119 Dartford Road - to be given boxes, speakers and serial number plates.
Dick Denney is recorded as saying that he felt that Westrex-made AC30s were best (i.e. better than those assembled for JMI by Burndept Electronics - perhaps consistency of production; to his ear the sound? Unfortunately it is not altogether clear why though.
Other contractors were: Burndept Electronics, some early work followed by a major increase in production from summer 1962; and from 1964, Triumph Electronics of Purley. Triumph mainly assembled PA amplifers and AC50s early on. Work on the 4-series and 7-series amps, and small runs of AC100s came later. By mid 1965, manufacture of the majority of JMI amplifiers (all parts of the process) moved to the Vox / Burndept Works in Erith. Burndept was a fellow member of the Royston Group, which held controlling interests in both.
One of the easiest ways to spot a Westrex-made amp is by the red dye painted on the solder joints to indicate that they had been inspected. In the case of AC30s, the voicing of the amp - treble, normal or bass - was sometimes indicated in full by the output terminal block. The name "Westrex" occasionally figures too. At least one AC80/100 has a simple metal-stamped "W".
Above, two images of a copper-panelled AC30, serial number unknown. The third picture is of the chassis of an AC80/100 made at Westrex in early 1965 - Woden transformers and choke originally with plain metal shrouds, link voltage selector, originally black panel.
Other manufacturers marked their solder joints with red too - Hiwatt as made by Dave Reeves, and Marshall in the period c. 1967 - 1970 - perhaps a hangover of procedures for checking equipment made for the military. Reeves was after all known for his "military spec" wiring. The substance employed is variously said to be red light bulb lacquer (ie. the substance used to tint the glass of bulbs red); or red "layout fluid" as used for marking up prototype objects made of steel. Layout fluid sounds most likely.
On the left a JMP 1959 100W Super Lead from 1969 and on the right a Hiwatt DR103.
That Westrex could produce beautiful wiring too is shown by this AC80/100, carefully and neatly assembled:
From late 1964, however, JMI began moving key manufacturing operations into one of the buildings owned by Burndept in Erith - the "West Street Works" - and from mid 1965 the majority of amplifiers were produced there. Burndept of course was a fellow member of the Royston Group, which owned a controlling share in both companies. The contract with Westrex came to an end. The contract with Triumph Electronics (in Purley) was retained though; and Triumph not only continued producing PA amplifiers and AC50s and AC100s to order; but was the principal assembler of the highly complex 4-series and 7-series amps.