Vox Guitar Serial Number Dating Fender
Hey All,Picked up what I believe to be an early/mid 1965 Vox AC30t today - I'm having a hell of a time finding out when it was made, but I'm not really sure what to look for, either.I do know it is grey panel w/ a rotary selector knob, has 3 top vents, Vox logo w/ line, 3 black handles mounted on top - not sure what else to look for. Some pics of the serial # and amp below - any help would be greatly appreciated!BTIt's not completely original, but the speakers are Celestion Blues and the logo, tolex and grillcloth are all NOS from 1965 (!) hence the shiny, nice appearance. Doesn't matter when it was made it's an awesome amp.Though to date it I'd look at the speaker, transformer and pot codes.The serial number should also help. Google Vox serial numbers and you should be able to find a corresponding date on a list. Also things like the control panel layout and color should help date the Vox. I forget what means what, but they went from no Top Boost, to added Top Boost on the back, to a Top Boost on the control panel.
They also swapped from a copper top to a grey top control panel. From the Vox Amplifier book by Jim Elyea, the only serial number range that matches yours is for the AC30 Super Twin circ 1965 to 1967.
This is a twin however so that is confusing or possibly a bogus plate for the amp.From page 527 however, it states ' By mid-1963, the model name started to be individually hand-stamped as A.C./30'. The 'T' stands for Treble model.So it could possibly be a 1963 through maybe 1966 based on the numbers there. As stated above, the transformer number, pot numbers, chassis number or speaker numbers, if they are all original, would help.The footswitch in your picture was introduced in 1963 but was possibly used up to 1965.The Grey Etched and Filled paint job came out in 1964, that pretty much eliminates 1963 as the year.From the logo if that is original, it looks like the 1964 examples in the book.So here is my guess, its a 1964 amp with minimal changes to the circuit, that part looks legit. Someone found a plate form a Super Twin and put that on the amp. Without more data, that is the best scenario I can come up with. I looked up the Albion transformer history and here is what I found.There is a history of Albions prior to 1963 however based on the paint comments above your amp is 64 or beyond and so I will relay what is known about that time period. In May of 1964 the Albions reappeared in the line and dominated through August and were phased out in December of that year.
Vox Ac15c1 Serial Number Dating
Vox Guitar Serial Number Dating Fender 5
After this time Woodens were dominate with only sporadic use of Albions or Parmekos as inventory ran out. Woodens were the main transformer through the end of the JMI era - paraphrased from the book.So the amp is a mid to late 64 or possibly early 65.And thank you for your question, my very expensive VOX Amplifier book had been sitting gathering dust and it afforded an opportunity to clean it off and do some research. I paid $150 for this copy which is personally signed by Jim Elyea and is #478 of 1000 printed.
DisclaimerThe Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar,this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts.This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures,instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used.It follows that potential scammers can use this knowledge to try to trick unsuspecting buyers.If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase.
You have to work your way thru the machine, figuring out what holds it all together I replaced a set of very noisy bearings on what I'll call the 'input shaft' from the drive pulley. Sorry for all the questions, there aren't too many Harrison guys on this forumBob, We have a Harrison guru in the Northeast area and you MUST have someone in the UK, home of these babies. The best information I have from Harrison here is that there are no further documents. Is that straight front actually the front of the casting or is it empty space created by a filler 'box'? 
How quiet is that model from 1200 rpm on up?