Vox V1043 Essex Bass

Price Paid: US $400.00

Features: N/A
I bought mine new, in oh geez 1966? Jenkins Music in Wichita Kansas. I will keep it. however I feel it was seriously under powered. After I bought it I always felt I should have bought the Fender Bassman for about the same dough. But I fell victim for the publicity that was saturating us in the day..From Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Beatles played Vox. It served well in my garage band high school days and the numerous Battle of the Bands we played in (the Raven Blues.). I still have my Essex however I still wish I would have bought the Bassman.......

Sound Quality: 6
Just somewhat underpowered.

Reliability: 8
It is still functional and works as good as the day I bought it.

Customer Support: N/A
Blew a spealer once, they fixed it free of charge.

Overall Rating: 5
40 years playing this amp

Submitted by Nick Nichols at 10/27/2005 20:05

Price Paid: N/A used

Features: 8
This Amp was made between '64 and '68 by Thomas Organ in Sepulveda California under license , equipped with 2x12" speakers , the one I own does have original VOX speakers , some models came with Vox/Celestion Alnico Blue Bulldogs and are of much more value( there were three versions of the Essex - the V1041 V1042 and V1043 ) , the latter is of which I own, and to which this write up pertains.
Amp features Tone-X , which is basically operates like a parametric shelving filter/EQ circuit , used in conjunction with the hardwired momentary footswitch ,
in essence , a set-able sweepable enable switch to the level of Tone-X set on the amplifier ( stepping on the footswitch activates the parametric shelving filter[Tone-X])
Has two 1/4" inputs , line reverse as mentioned in a prior write up , polarity reversing circuit.
Volume goes to 11 ... just kidding : ) actually only goes to 6 -
another unique feature to some Vox amps , there is a switch on the back that turns on a tone generator , a "G" tone , a tuner built in !!
Solid State 30-35 watts (?) - also has its own handcart , weighs in at roughly 85 pounds , pretty solidly built , as they tended to do "back in the day"

Sound Quality: 7
currently playing an Ibanez Roadstar II Bass with P/J pickups and a Fender P , varied styles of play , and the only FX I use are Boss chorus and Vox Wah , the amplifier is a little noisy , but its 40 years old !! - the line reverse switch DOES in fact help with the inherent 60hz hum - distortion is very low and in the non brutal area

Reliability: 9
It's Vox , I would rely on it , my amp is in pretty darn mint shape , I bought it with a non working footswitch , and have to give a nod here to North Coast Music/Vox Showroom for totally helping me out , switch replaced and working fine

Customer Support: 10
North Coast Music/Vox Showroom

Overall Rating: 8
Been playing for about 12 years , I own tons of gear , if it were stolen , I would miss it , but would be OK with it , I'd buy something newer , I bought it because of the VOX name and because of the condition it was in , only one small tear in the Tolex , cosmetically mine is in fine shape for its age , lots of bottom end thump and surprising tone and volume for a 30 - 35 watt amp , I'm happy with it

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/24/2005 07:03

Price Paid: US $100 used

Features: 5
Don't know when it was made, but I got it used in early 70's, and had it, intact, until mid 80's, when some stupid kid stole it just to take the 12" speakers out of it for his boom box car! I recovered the amp, less speakers, but that was the beginning of the end for it... Still have it, actually, but the fiberboard case fell apart, a wire or two got pulled off, and I have no idea if it will ever play again. When I used it, it was great- I was a bass player at the time, and my first garage band, from Baton Rouge, LA, named "The Dregs of the Earth" by my mother, used it for our PA. Pretty featureless, only vol, tone cut, line reverse (earlier reviewer didn't know what that does- it reversed power polarity, if you have a hum one way, it usually goes away when switch is thrown) and a foot switch hard-wired which never seemed to do much, but prob. was sustain. Still, for a bass amp, it had what you needed. Solid state, by the way.

Sound Quality: 10
Loud and clean, but rather bass-y. This was a slight minus when The Dregs used it for PA, but later when I played bass for bands that had real PA's, it was a plus- with bass cut turned all the way to bass, it just hummed, no thunk- the smoothest bass notes you ever heard.

Reliability: 10
Pretty solid. Never broke down till it was abused by that stupid kid. More on that story- another kid in the neighborhood ratted on him, which was how I got it back, but the rat was, well, a rat- I already knew he was as dirty as, well, a dirty rat. The kid who alledgedly stole it went to jail- I felt bad for him cause the rat prob. put him up to it. Geez, what a sad story.

Customer Support: N/A
no experiences

Overall Rating: 5
Ive still got it, in a box, and would be happy to trade/sell it to someone who might make some use of it. email me at threehundredmusic@yahoo.com

Submitted by Anonymous at 11/08/2002 11:03

Price Paid: 100 (Canadian) used

Features: 10
late 60's early seventies amp not sure though. I bought this off of my friends mom for 100 canadian. it's made of 1 inch board and weighs about 80 lbs, and stands almost 3 ft high. it's 55 watt solid state, and is loud enough to shake dishes in the china cabinet 2 rooms away, on level 2 of 6 avail. There's a Volume and a Tone-X for knobs, 2 inputs, line reverse(no clue what it does really) and an output on the back. there is a switch on the back inside a little circular hole-type enclosure, which makes a wicked banshee scream.. i have no clue, but best guess is power switching from 110 to 220 or whatever is in europe.. since there is a cord in the little cubbyhole for the power cord that looks like an old lamp cord, but the end is cut off.. personally i never use anything but one input. vol and Tone-X.. and thats all I really need, as It really only stays in my room, where I play bass and guitar through it. very rich sound. Although compared to newer amps, it'd get a 3 or so, I give a ten because it sounds so amazing.

Sound Quality: 9
I use an Epiphone Sg, with the bigsby style tailpiece, and an Aspen strat copy, with a floyd rose.. the strat doesnt sound as nice.. but's thats mainly because my sg is my baby, and the strat is the deliquent kid next door.
I play classic rock mainly, and bluesy-"la grange" type stuff, the thick tone sounds ,well undescribable at about level 2 on the tone x, on level 0, i can shake my eavestroughs... when I'm inside.. it's insane. with a nice distortion like a big muff it gives off a really nice deep purle-esque sound to it, but it will produce nice headbanger metal sounds too.. oh since it is really a bass amp.. basses sound really rich and full through it too..it's got two 12's in it and really hums the feedback if you get too close on high vols..

Reliability: 10
this amp was owned by an older woman. who sod it to my friends mom.. who had it for ten-fifteen years and sold it to me there's usual wear on it, like tolex peeling on the underside from carting it around, but the damn things so heavy it'd break the ground before anything on it would break.. only problems I've had have been pots sounding a little scratchy.. but that doesnt happen too often

Customer Support: N/A
never dealt with them... i e-mailed about it to their site to find out the year it was made.. and approx value.. but nothing.. but I think if I talked to their service line. or sent a letter they'd do something good.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for more then ten years now, I'm 19 now.. I love it so much, that I am now looking for as many vintage Vox items I can find, wahs effects and stuff, I don't think I'd gig it, It's too precious to me I am looking for vintage guitar stacks, not only are they sometimes cheaper, but I love the sound and esthetics better, new amps don't look as interesting and they all wanna be marshalls..perhaps I'll find an Orange, Music Man.. or who knows.. anyways, If you find one of these.. snatch it up before someone else does, I've been told it may be worth between 4-7 hundred american, so thats 6-9 hundred percent more than I paid!.. plus the Vox diamond pattern is so eye-catching.. amazing.

Submitted by Mike Craigen at 12/24/2000 09:34