Vox Royal Guardsman Head

Price Paid: US $151.00 used

Features: 9
I have a early 1966 model made before the 6 pin footpedal was around. It utilizes the standard 1/4" 2 button pedal with an additional RCA one botton MRB pedal. I use it with a Buckingham 2-12" bottom currently so the only difference is that it lacks the midax horn. I picked it up on ebay in rough non-working shape but have since had it gone over by my tech who told me it was a major retrofit. Three channels,no distortion but reverb, tremelo, & MRB on a mid 60's amp ain't shabby. Everything works now!

Sound Quality: 8
I own all three of the Thomas big head amps (see my other reviews). Its interesting how differently they sound even though cosmetically they're identical. We play 60's to modern rock with a little blues. The Guardsman is probably the brightest sounding compared to the Beatle & Buckingham. It almost borders on harsh but not to where it can't be corrected with the proper speakers. The tech scoped it at 75 watts after his rebuild so it might be overdriving the 35 watt Buckingham cabinet a bit. It also seems to have slightly more hiss than its cousins but as I mentioned it was totalled when I got it. For a gigging amp I use it more than the others since the Beatle is overkill(I just wanted to own one of those monsters!) & the Buckingham is just a little light in the larger clubs,but great in the small to mid size venues. As with all 60's Voxes-killer reverb! I use mostly a Ric 360 & an Epiphone Wildcat with this amp. The hollow bodies seem to soften the harshness a little more.

Reliability: 8
Just brought it back to life but my guys good at this stuff. If its anything like the others it will be road worthy.

Customer Support: N/A
Find a good tech!

Overall Rating: 9
I am just fasinated by these old Voxes. When I went into Artists Music in 1966 at age 14 I was blown away by the MRB & distortion effects these amps had, cutting edge back then. They also looked so much cooler than the other amps of that era. I own great sounding tube Fender & Mesa amps but I collect these old beasts. I guess my only complaint is the weight & bulk of these things. No wonder Vox put them all on trolleys, I'm not parting with any of em. They aren't getting easy to find these days.

Submitted by Rob B at 09/13/2004 21:25

Price Paid: US $580.00

Features: 10
I've owned the same Royal Guardsman since 1967. I had originally ordered the amp through Adler Music in Van Nuys at the same time that a friend of mine who played in my first band ordered a Vox Continental organ. After waiting a month for our order, our dads finally got disgusted and looked up the Vox factory in the phone book. They drove us to the factory that was located five miles away from Adler's and bought the gear factory-direct. The rest is history.

I had bought a new Fender Super Reverb from Adler's in 1965 (still have it, in showroom condition) but I wanted an amp that had all of the effects built-in. Although my Super Reverb has a superior all-around tone and playability, the Royal Guardsman is unique in its own way. Yes, it may not score high by most musician's standards, but it certainly has a place in my heart.

It has three channels featuring spring reverb, tremelo, MRB and built-in distortion. The distortion is great if you are into playing hits from the 1960's. I agree with others that have offered opinions about the effects use: Bridge the Top Boost and Mid Range Boost channels (1 and 2) and you'll be able to use all of the effects at the same time with the use of the four button foot switch.

The amp has never had any balls, but I don't believe it was designed to project a lot of sound. It does great if it's miked, but I quickly found out in the 1960's that you really couldn't crank it up and project sound like I could do with my Super Reverb. It's loses tonal quality after you turn the volume past 5.

Sound Quality: 10
The Royal Guardman definitely lacks the strong mid-frequency sound of my Super Reverb. However, the amp is still in the showroom condition as of this writing (1/29/2004) and sounds exactly as it did when new. I realized when I bought it that it would be substantially different from a Fender amp, so I was not disappointed. Yes, the channels are distorted at high volumes. After 5 on the volume knob you get the same feeling of fingernails on a blackboard. However, I came to really appreciate the amp in 1990 when the same friend that brought the Vox Continental organ at the same time I bought the Royal Guardsman sold me his organ. I had stored the Royal Guardsman in the closet from 1970 until 1990, and began using the amp to play the organ through.

Oh my God, the ULTIMATE Vox sound! It didn't take long for me to start an oldies band and use the set-up for playing songs from Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Zombies, the Beatles and everyone else that used the same set up in the 1960's. I played both guitar and keyboards in the band, with the Royal Guardsman being used for the organ and to play my Rickenbacker 12 string through. For all other guitar work I used the Super Reverb. Both the organ and the amp are still in flawless condition and they sound fantastic when playing tunes from the 60's. The Vox has a one-of-a-kind sound......the Vox sound! As long as you realize the limitations of the amp and appreciate the specific sounds it makes, it is a great amp for the older musician that remembers when Vox amps ruled the world.

Reliability: 10
I've never had a problem with the amp. However, I only used it for about three years. I played guitar in my first band from 1967 to 1970. After that, I started another band that played the club circuit in Los Angeles and switched to bass. The Royal Guardsman is in no way, shape or form a bass amp. I switched to a Fender Bassman with two 15" JBL's. However, since I started using the amp again in 1990 (now almost 14 years of constant use) I have only experienced one problem, and that was one broken reverb spring. My tech has serviced the amp for a few scratchy pods, a blown horn in the speaker cab (bought another original Midax horn off of eBay for $12.00) and other minor repairs. For me, it has been very reliable due to the fact that it has been stored in a dry closet and well cared for.

Customer Support: N/A
I have a great service tech that knows these amps inside and out. I've probably invested about $100 in service and repairs since buying the amp 37 years ago. That's because I have taken good care of the amp and still have the factory original service manual that allows my tech to breeze through anything that needs to be done. His expertise is unbeatable and he gets the job done in one day. If you own a vintage Vox amp, it's best to find a tech that will take care of you because most music repair facilities do not know much about these amps and they tend to charge $65.00 an hour for labor charges. You will end up paying big money in labor charges because time will be wasted while the tech tries to figure out how to repair the amp. The parts are dirt cheap...it's the tech that will make the repairs expensive.

As far as authorized service centers, ha ha ha ha ha!

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing music since February 10, 1964. I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and decided right then and there that I had to be a musician. I was 11 years old. I own the following gear: 1965 Fender Super Reverb amp; 1966 Fender Bassman amp; 1967 Vox Royal Guardsman (complete with head, speaker cabinet, trolly, four button fott switch, casters and covers); 1962 Leslie 125; 1965 Hammond B-3; 1967 Vox Continental organ; 1970 Fender Stage 73 Piano; 1966 Ludwig black pearl drum set (identical to Ringo's); 1969 Fender Precision Bass; 1965 Fender Stratocaster; 1969 Fender Telecaster; 1970 Shure Vocal Master PA system (head, speakers and chrome stand).......hell, too much to list!

I wouldn't compare the Royal Guardsman to anything else. If it were lost or stolen, I would either try to replace it or look for another Vox combo like a Beatle, Berkeley or other Vox that uses a separate amp, speaker cabinet and trolly (love the look!)

Submitted by Lou Farah at 01/30/2004 08:59

Price Paid: US $700. used

Features: 8
I have a complete 1967 Royal Guardsman (head, cabinet, rack & covers) that was well cared for and is still in great shape. I acquired it in 1992 and I truly love it. I've had several Vox solid states (Buckinghams, Viscounts, Berkely II's etc) and this one is the best sounding one I've ever owned. It's a given that the Thomas Organ solid state amps were not as road worthy as their British made cousins; regardless, they do have a sweet and distinct tone and are very versatile amps. You have to take into consideration that these were the first solid state amplifiers to hit the market in the 60's. The hollowness of the mid range boost in combination with the glass like treble of these amps creates a unique nasal quality that I've never been able to replicate with any amp I've owned. Over time, the capacitors will go gassey and need to be replaced, but a good electrical tech with small hands and a little respect for the temperature of his soldering iron can restore these babies and make them sing again no problem. That's something you really can't do with a completely printed circuit board or these new digital modeling amps. I doubt you'd be able to find replacement boards to restore a current modeling amp at all 10 years from now ... these Thomas Organ Voxes are already 40 years old and for the most part you can still fix them and (with the exception of some of the multipin din connectors) you should be able to make repairs for several more years unless the electronics manufacturers completely abandon transistors and capacitors. I've had the Jennings, Rose Morris, and Marshall AC-30s and although they have superior workmanship, durability and their own great sound (especially the new Marshall reissues), they don't have near the tonal range and versatility of the Royal Guardsman. And when it comes to style, there has never been a more classy and distinguished looking amplifier than the Thomas Organ Vox line. Yeah, they're a dinosaur ... an endangered species ... a relic, but that makes them all the more valuable and worthy of preservation.

Sound Quality: 10
The Royal Guardsman sounds great with all guitars ... especially Rickenbachers. I like to bridge the Bright and Normal Channel so I can get the Midrange, Distortion and Treble all together. On the midrange channel, placing the treble at 75% and the bass at 25% with the selector switched to the low or middle range puts you in that distinct Kinks "Really Got Me"/"Set Me Free" tone even without distortion. Obviously, that real "Day Tripper" tone is in there too! You'll recognize it immediately.

You get full control of the tremelo speed and depth (which you don't get with an AC-30) and the reverb is typical spring reverb for the most part, but it does have a particularly full richness that some other amps miss.

The presence of this amp comes alive about 4 to 5 feet from the cabinet and beyond. If you stand too close, you won't get the same appreciation that your audience will. The bass on the Tone X channel gets you in the gut the same way. It becomes more effective and apparent with distance from the cabinet.

The distortion is tight and fluidly buzzy like a bee more than crunchy . It's very much like the sound Jeff Beck achieved on the Yardbirds "Heart Full of Soul". It has it's place and it's different; nonetheless, most players would probably want to use a modern pedal. for most distortion.

Reliability: 5
I regret that I stored this amp for 3 years in a storage unit while I was on tour. Heat is not good for these vintage circuits and capacitors. Had I left it in a climate control environment, I could have saved myself the trouble of having it recapped. That in itself wouldn't be so bad, but I won't trust just any Yahoo to work on this amp. Some techs have a tendency to leave out screws and not tie back the wires like they were originally. THAT really irks me, but isn't a fault of the amplifier ... just some lazy techs.

Customer Support: 1
Forget it ... they're long gone! Call North Coast Music if you want photocopies of schematics and then hit the yellow pages for electronics suppliers.

Overall Rating: N/A
I've been playing since 1964. My first amps were Silvertones (single 12 Twin 12, and Bass 15). I upgraded thru Accoustic 150s, Marshall 50 watts, Ampeg V-4s, Music Man 212-65, Vox Viscounts/Buckinghams/Royal Guardsman/Jennings,Rose Morris & Marshall AC-30's, and most recently a Fender Champ 30 and Carvin Nomad with 2-12s (which I dearly love!).

If the Guardsman were stolen, I doubt I'd find another in as good shape. It would be a real loss, probably irreplaceable. If I chance d on a cherry, I'd take it in a second.

Submitted by Tom Prothro at 08/25/2003 19:52

Price Paid: US $250 for 2 used

Features: 3
2 channel solid state amp, orignally marketed with a 2x12" cab with a hi-freq horn...i got two of these things for $250 from a the guitar center in jacksonville, arkansas....these are quite likely the worst sounding, most unreliable amps ever made...allegedly 60 watts rms, if you try to get any sort of decent volume out of them, they sound like a raspy chili fart...they are shrill and harsh sounding...do not buy these amps!!!!

Sound Quality: 1
both of the ones i bought had the horn removed, which did nothing to help the shrill, nasty tone they produced...pedals did not help, nor did changing guitars...icky!!

Reliability: 1
no such thing...these amps were built by the thomas organ company in claifornia....seems a lot of the brits struck poor deals when it came to getting their stuff sold here in the states...marshall got screwed, and so did vox....they wanted to sell their amps here, but the deal they made gave thomas the latitude to not only build amps here, but design them as well....in the end, it was the musicians who bought them that got the shaft....both example i had were very unstable.....

Customer Support: 1
if i ever were to get my hands on the wankers responsible for this travesty, i'd make 'em sorry.....

Overall Rating: 1
music equipment history is full of stories like this: marshall and the american made heads with 6550's instead of el34's, the crybaby wah that wouldn't by jim dunlop, and so on...jennings music basically got put out of business by these greedy creeps who foisted these piss-poor knockoffs on the american public...jennings was barred from importing the good sounding amps we wanted, and being unable to effectively tap the market, went south....meanwhile, we bought vox amps, expecting a certain sound, and got shit for it....may thomas organ burn in hell.....

Submitted by doug in indiana at 07/19/2003 13:44