Development of the Line Source 40 column speakers began in late 1962 - "Line Source" signified a directional (in this case a forward spread) loudspeaker array. For some notes on the development of this type of speaker, which certainly was not new in 1962, see this page. A page on the Vox LS15, the 15 watt version of the LS40, can be found here.

One of the many interesting consequences of development was that Vox had to commission taller rolls (bolts) of Vox grille cloth from its suppliers so that the cabinets could be dressed with the diamonds in the right orientation. Up to 1963, the only item in the Vox catalogue approaching the height of the LS40 was the T60 speaker cabinet: and a standard yard (tall) did that. LS40s required 45-46 inches.

The speakers were first shown in early 1963. Below, a detail of an advert placed in a British music trade journal, January 1963. It is likely that they were exhibited a month later at the Frankfurt Trade Fair - see this page.

Detail of an advert placed in a British music trade journal, January 1963.

From late 1962 to the summer of 1963, the speakers were issued in beige vinyl and without tilt-back stands.

In late August at the "Association Musical Instrument Industries" Trade Fair at the Russell Hotel, a set were exhibited, now in black vinyl. "Record Retailer" magazine reported their prospective presence at the show.

"Record Retailer and Music Industry News", 5th July, 1963

Detail of a Vox advert in "Beat Instrumental" magazine, September 1963. An image of an early Line Source speaker in black vinyl. Note that the diamonds on the grille cloth are "sideways" and that there is no tilt-back stand.

The earliest known use of LS40s on stage at present is a Rolling Stones concert, Parr Hall, Warrington, 25th November, 1963. Note the pre-production form of the tilt-back stand side mount, not a hand-wheel but a metal plate:

Detail of a photo of the Stones on stage, Parr Hall, Warrington, 25th November, 1963. Note the perspex logo and the form of side mount for the tilt-back stand.

The idea for tilt-backs is likely to have been borrowed from Meazzi, a company well known to Jennings. Jennings was sole distributor in the United Kingdom of Meazzi's Echomatic echo unit, certain guitars, and a small spread of other items, from 1959-1963. By the autumn of 1962 Selmer also had evidently won the right to offer other a small range of Meazzi products:

Factotum set, Meazzi catalogue, second half of 1960.

September 1962, a detail from a Selmer advert for the Meazzi Factotum, a sort of multi-purpose amplifier (with echo and reverb) and speaker set. The Factotum was well known to Jennings, which also imported units for sale - one offered by Musicland in 1963, circuit diagram copied in August 1960 (for factory use).

The thing of note in the advert though is the tilt-back column speakers - a good nine months before JMI began work on its Line Source 40 columns. The Meazzi/Selmer speakers were clearly the inspiration. The hand-wheel assembly took a little while to work out however, not appearing until late 1963 / early 1964.

Above, details from the Vox catalogue of 1964.

Detail from the JMI pricelist of August 1964.

As the catalogue entry above indicates, the LS40 columns were 45 inches tall, 13 inches wide, and 7 1/2 inches deep. They contained had four 10 inch drivers, wired for a total impedance of 16 ohms. When two columns were driven from the same amplifier, the impedance selector will have been set at 8 ohms - 8 ohms for two 16ohm cabinets, 16ohms for one 16 ohm cabinet.

The speakers intially were Elacs, part number 10N/81, sprayed JMI blue. Later on one occasionally finds Celestions or Goodmans.

Vox issued Line Source 40 speaker cabinets with various types of amp: the Metal Clad 30 watt and 50 watt Public Address units (M.C.30 and M.C.50); AC30 Super Twin amplifier sections; and from 1965, large box AC50s:

Above, a detail from an advert of March 1966: an AC50 with a pair of LS40 columns.

In the US, from 1965, Thomas Organ re-christened the LS40 as the Grenadier - "a full forward spread of sound with low rear radiation":

A detail from the Thomas Organ "King of the Beat" catalogue of 1965.

A Vox LS40 column speaker remounted on a new stand in Studio 3 at Abbey Road, April 1966. According to Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, "Recording the Beatles" (Houston, 2006), p. 259, Abbey Road bought eight LS40s from Vox in 1965.

It is likely, as in the case of the Vox Line Source 15, that the wooden cabinets for the first LS40s were made by P.A. Glock, which was based in Crayford, a mile or so up the road from JMI's Dartford Road Works. By 1967, Heslop and Co., based in Rayleigh, Essex, had taken on the construction of at least some of the cabinets. Heslop was a fellow member of the Royston Group of Companies.

A JMI LS40 column with the label of Heslop and Co., the company that made the wooden cabinet, on one of the drivers.

During the JMI period, when small identification plates were fitted to the backs of speaker cabinets, they were not normally stamped with anything other than the model and impedance - serial numbers were rarely, if ever, stamped in the serial number panels.

A late JMI LS40 identification plate.

LS40 and (from 1965) LS60 columns sold well, and were standard fare at concerts the world over through to the end of the sixties and sometimes beyond.

Detail from the Vox (JMI) pricelist of April 1967.

Detail from the VSEL pricelist of February 1969.

The blurb from the VSEL public address equipment brochure, Feb. '69.

Led Zeppelin, Copenhagen, 28th February, 1970, four LS40s visible, two on the near side of the stage, two on the far.

1963 - 1964

Brown grille cloth; early logos (perspex and wood block); blue Elac 10N/81s

Sold on ebay in 2015. An early set, originally with perspex logos, as in the brochure of February 1964, illustrated above. Speakers and wiring intact.

Detached handwheel assembly from an early column set

Mid 1964

A NEW TYPE OF ELAC SPEAKER - the 10N/82 - AND NEW WIRING

Various changes (transitions really): cabinets have thin edges at first, a new style with thicker sides then comes in; wood block logos give way to plastic stippled logos; Elacs with an impedance of 4ohms become the norm, hammertone silver (poly grey) in colour rather than blue, this probably coinciding with the transition from Celestion alnico blue (T530) to alnico silver (T1088) from April to August 1964. In terms of cabinet covering, smooth grey charcoal at first, then black basketweave.

Good pictures of the Elac drivers showing the model / part number: 10N/82. Thsee cabinets still have hand-wheels with VOX in cursive.

One speaker with older wood-block logo and blue Elacs, the other with a plastic stippled logo and silver Elacs. Blue Elacs and silver Elacs are all 4ohms and wired identically, in series (but with different coloured wire). The columns are probably not too far apart in date.

From late 1964

Black grille cloth; new style plain lettering on hand-wheels.

A nice set of columns, one replaced driver, but otherwise all original. Note the Elacs without bells.

END BELLS FOR THE ELAC 10N/86 SPEAKERS

The part code for these speakers was 10N/86. Below a good examples of the new-style end-bell with its central screw.

Sold on ebay in 2005. Note old-style red cover without logo along with a new-style green one with logo. The cabinet with its back unscrewed has two Elac drivers and two Goodmans.

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On to Vox Line Source 60 (LS60) column speakers.