The Vox MC100
100 watt Public Address amplifier
The standard JMI publicity shot of the Vox MC100/6 public address amplifier.
The "MC" range of public address amplifiera - "MC" standing for "metal clad" (metal case) - was developed by Jennings in 1964. Four models, assembled under contract by Triumph Electronics in Purley, were promoted in the catalogue of 1964: from 15 watt to 100 watt power output.
The Vox MC100/4 public address amplifier in the JMI catalogue of 1964.
The MC100/4 in the JMI pricelist of early 1964 - compiled in advance of the Frankfurt Trade Fair. The MC100/6 had not been brought into being at this point.
Initially, the amplifiers had sloping fronts, four channels (inputs), and were all valve. On the MC30, see this page. A page on the MC50 is available here.
A detail from the "Precision in Sound" newspaper of 1964. The units pictured above have "three high impedance inputs and one music input" The MC100/4 at this point still had a sloping front.
In general terms, there was certainly nothing particularly new about dedicated amplifiers for PA applications. Vortexion, TVM, Westrex, Grampian, and a number of others had been building them for years. Most of these companies belonged to the "Association of Public Address Engineers", which Jennings joined in late 1963 / 1964, partly with a view to promoting its Wireless Radio Microphone, which it did at the annual exhibition in March '64, and partly no doubt to scope out the new equipment that potential competitors in the field were developing.
"Wireless World" magazine, March 1964. List of participants in the annual PA exhibition.
During the course of 1964, however, Jennings developed the MC100/6 - and in several respects this was indeed novel and innovatve: notably, its compact size, hybrid nature (transistor preamp, valve power amp), and advanced functionality. Via the meter and multi-position switch on the front panel, one could not only obtain a read-out of output power, but also the individual bias voltages of the EL34 valves in the power section.
Quite whether Jennings, or for that matter Triumph, quietly copied parts of the circuit from existing designs by other manufacturers at present is not known. The question will be taken up later on a separate page. The suspicion is that parts were indeed copied. The solid state PA mixer, issued along with the early sloping-front metal-clad amplifiers, was certainly copied from a circuit developed elsewhere. On the PA mixer, see this page. This is not to detract though from the technical achievement inherent in bringing the MC100/6 to production.
The new part-transistor, part-valve MC100/6 was displayed for the first time in August 1964 at the "British Musical Instrument Industries" Trade Fair at the Ruseell Hotel in August 1964. It was during this Fair that Tom Jennings forged the "Million Dollar" deal with Joe Benaron of the Thomas Organ Company.
Dick Denney at the Russell Hotel Trade Fair, August 1964. Behind him on the table, one of the new MC100/6s.
A shot of the table taken from a slightly different angle. Perhaps two MC100/6s, or an MC50/6 and MC100/6. On top of the nearest unit, is a Vox "Page-Boy".
"Record Mirror" magazine, 29th August, 1964. A note on the new MC100/6 "All in One" amplifier.
Incorporated in the "All-in-One" amplifier was a "Reverbalux" unit, advertised separately in the "Precision in Sound" newspaper format catalogue of late 1964. None are known to survive. It seems unlikely that many if any actually found their way to market.
"Beat Instrumental" magazine, October 1964 - a similar note to the one published in "Record Mirror".
Late 1964 to 1965 - the MC100/4 and MC100/6
A detail of the JMI pricelist of August/September 1964. At this point only the MC100/4 - the early sloping front amplifier - is encompassed.
A detail from a catalogue of 1965
A detail of the JMI pricelist of November 1965.
An early MC100/6 currently in the UK
Note that this unit has XLR microphone sockets rather than 1/4" jacks. Note the multi-position switch. "V1", "V2", "V3" and "V4" are the settings to display on the meter the individual bias voltages of the four EL34s.
A flat-fronted MC100/4, summer 1965
A detail of The Who with a flat-fronted MC100/4, summer 1965. This amplifier, or one identical to it, still survives. Pictures of the band with a colossal amount of Vox amplifiers and PA equipment, can be found on this page.
The amp above may have been one repaired by Pepe Rush, creator among other things of the "Rush Pepbox". In an interview conducted in 2015 - text posted here - the subject of Pete Townsend came up: "I put a sound system in a place in Putney High Street, on the corner of the Upper Richmond Road, and The Who played there, when they were really small, and their PA amplifier had gone wrong - it was a Vox, and the chap introduced me to him [Townsend] and he asked me to fix it, so I said 'yeah, I'm in the West End', and he said 'where? I live in Brewer Street' I said 'oh yeah I live in Old Compton Street, we're right on top of each other'. So I took it and fixed it the next morning and he came round. He met my dad, who was a professional session musician, and they talked - my dad knew his dad, Cliff Townshend, another musician, and we chatted and he used to come round".
On to the page on Vox PA100s, 1966 to 1968.