Vox AC-30 project - Input welcome

Hey Luke, welcome to TTR... :cheers:

Do you happen to know how Brian May machined his metal parts over 50 years ago?

Hey man, Brian did most everything by hand. He approximated a lathe by using a hand drill with a file or sandpaper. I think he had some access to basic machinery at University, but he's always maintained the majority of it was made using hand tools. He made the bridge, the rollers, the tremolo block, the vol/tone knobs, etc that way. The tremolo springs were actually valve springs from a motorbike, the tremolo arm was part of a "saddle bag holder", and the tip was the end of one of his mother's knitting needles! I could go on and on.. But there's a whole book about this guitar. It's completely fascinating.

The Red Special - The Story Of The Home Made Guitar That Rocked Queen And The World – The Story Of The Home Made Guitar That Rocked Queen And The World
 
Luke,

Welcome to our own little corner of insanity!

Your projects are looking terrific. I’m glad to see you jumped right in there with pictures. We love those!

Make yourself comfortable and post early and often.
 
Here's a couple pics of my guitars for fun. I modified my Fender Jags to incorporate Brian's unique switching and pickup arrangement. (Burns TriSonics wired in series) The black one was brand new, and I bought the white one very heavily used, then decided to go "full relic" on it. So some of that damage is from use and some is from me dragging it through the rocks in my front yard.

jagclose1.jpg

JAG01.jpg
 

Attachments

Greetings & Salutations Luke.
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.

Now that I have officially greeted you. Welcome to The Tone Rooms. Them there are some nice projects you are working on. I'm looking forward to following your progress.
 
Here's a couple pics of my guitars for fun. I modified my Fender Jags to incorporate Brian's unique switching and pickup arrangement. (Burns TriSonics wired in series) The black one was brand new, and I bought the white one very heavily used, then decided to go "full relic" on it. So some of that damage is from use and some is from me dragging it through the rocks in my front yard.

View attachment 14917

View attachment 14916

Very nice!!!
 
So after a bit of googling and testing small samples... I've whittled down what I'm after. I'm looking for some the JMI / Rexine style fawn tolex... which is different from the readily available stuff one finds when one googles "Fawn tolex." I bought a sample of the new stuff and it was a duller grey/beige color and darker than I expected. I'm looking for the more tan/creamy colored stuff, with a different pattern.

I realize I might be posting an ad for a unicorn, but let me know of any leads. Thanks!

Fawn Comparisons.jpg
 
That grille cloth looks like Tygon....

The Rexine Rolex is hard to find these days. The particular Rexine style you are looking for was widely used in book binding. This site has a fawn tolex but I dont think its the smooth style Rexine:

Fawn Vinyl NOS (New Old Stock) Rose Morris Vox Amp Covering

Word from my music colleagues is that JMI Amplification is the only current resource for Rexine and quantities are limited:

JMI Amplification

On a side note, this grille cloth looked close to the one in the image you posted:

Screenshot_2018-05-19-06-20-22.png

All the best...
 
Last edited:
Back
Top