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Originally, AC-100's were sold in the US under the Beatle name in the early part of 1965. By mid 1965, Thomas Organ had discontinued selling the AC-100 in favor of their new solid state models. Four models were introduced before the ending of production in 1970; the V1141, V1142, V1143 and finally the Beatle Super Stack. The V1141 and the V1142 were similar in every detail except that the V1142 did not feature the distortion effect. The V1143 was similar to the V1141 with the addition of a "G" tuner and Repeat Percussion effects. In addition, the V1143 model was manufactured with Field Effect Transistors (FET) transistors. This was true for all VOX models ending with the number three (3). The Beatle Super Stack was a V1143 with two 4x12 speaker cabinets similar in appearance to a Marshall stack.
Although, wearing The Beatles' name, the Super Beatle amplifier was more of a marketing ploy than an endorsement by The Beatles themselves. The Beatles did utilize Super Beatles' during the last few US concert dates in 1966, but there is no evidence that they ever recorded or were interested with Thomas Super Beatles. That's not to say The Beatles didn't like Super Beatle's or solid state amplifiers. They had used solid state English amplifiers in the studio, but probably because Super Beatles' were made and distributed solely in the US they had little access to these amplifiers. The Super Beatle was the top of the line for VOX in the United States and this amplifier was loud and clean.The Super Beatle's control panel had three channels with a myriad of controls and tone options. The MRB feature could be remotely controlled by way of a footswitch but the V1142 model was not equiped with the distortion feature. The Viscount, The Royal Guardsman and The Beatle all had the same control panel layout and effects features. The lead channel (channel one) had reverb, tremelo, and fuzz effects. The mid or (channel two) had MRB (mid range boost- positions one two and three), Reverb, tremelo but no fuzz. Channel three or the bass channel had tone X only. This was a tone or treble enhancing effect for bass guitar. The VOX fuzz was a very much sought after effect by musicians in the mid sixties and was the predecessor to all later fuzz and distortion variations by all manufacturers. Similarly, the VOX MRB was the predecessor to what we know as the Wah-Wah pedal. MRB did the same thing as a Wah-Wah as far as emphasizing mid range frequencies. The difference was it did it in three fixed distinct settings. This idea was later adapted to the sweeping frequency shift of a potentiometer on a Wah-Wah pedal. |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Output Power | 120 watts |
| Channel One |
Two inputs,
one volume, one bass, one treble. |
| Channel Two |
Two inputs,
one volume, one bass, one treble. |
| Channel Three |
Two inputs,
one volume, one Tone-X. |
| Speaker(s) |
Four Vox Bulldog 12" Heavy Duty speakers
+ two 25w high frequency horns |
| Size (Head) | 9" H x 27" W x 10.5" D |
| Size (Speaker Cabinet) | 40" H x 27" W x 11.5" D |
| Accessories | Cover, Chrome rollerstand, Foot pedal. |
