THE VOX SPECIAL PAGE







VOX CONQUEROR




EQUIPMENT

The Vox Conqueror was the end result of the transition from valve amps to transistorized amps. It was introduced late in 1966 or early 1967, and it can be heard used by the Beatles on Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album. This amplifier sounds much better than the majority of older transistor based amps. Vox really put an effort into voicing the amp so it would sound good. One other factor of the good sound may be that at the time the circuit designers were still thinking in terms of valve amp design, and built the power section as a class A design. This was after all a key ingredient in the sound of the classic AC30. They also used germanium transistors in the distortion section of the pre-amp. In any case, the overall result is great.

The amp offers a number of unique features, only found on this amp and its brothers and sisters, the Supreme, Defiant, Virtuoso, Dynamic, Foundation and Super Foundation amps. Mine is equipped with Vox silver alnicos giving it an exceptionally good sound. Here are some sound samples to show what the Vox Conqueror sounds like:
  • wholelo.mp3. Whole Lotta Solid State. There are internet rumours about a Vox solid state being used on Zeppelin II. This recording does nothing to prove it wrong. Normal channel, fuzz on medium, MRB and a humbucker guitar.
  • lemonmix.mp3. Squeeze My Lemon. This sample will also keep the rumours alive.
  • LikeCreedence.mp3. Fortunate Son was recorded with a Kustom solid state amp with features very similar to the Conqueror. Set the Conqueror fuzz to a very low setting, and play a Rickenbacker 360, and it will sound like this.
  • Stones.mp3. A sample of the six different settings of the MRB effect.
  • Prudence.mp3. "Clean" is the most common adjective for solid state amps. Though probably not played through an amp, this classic song really sounds good through one. It is the brilliant channel being used.
  • StrawberryFields.mp3. Played in a style like track 2 of CD2 of Beatles Anthology 2. I should probably have played a Casino instead.
  • Flying1.mp3. The Conqueror definitely is the amp of Magical Mystery Tour. Here is the rythm guitar part of Flying. It is the Normal channel, though without the tremolo.
  • Flying2.mp3. Same guitar part, with tremolo, and buried in a complete recording of the song. Lead guitar is also Conqueror normal channel.
More details on The Vox Showroom.
You can hear this amp on several songs of my album, most notably the title song, Fin de Siecle.