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The Vox Climax (aka Vox V125 Combo) Amplifier (1982-83)
Rose-Morris Era


Vox Climax Valve Combo Control Panel Layout

Debuting in the fall of 1982, the Vox Climax was an all-tube, 125 watt 2x12" combo amplifier for guitar. It was briefly called the "V125 Combo" before settling on the Climax name (see sales flyer at bottom left). When viewed head on, the Vox Climax looked virtually identical to an AC-30, sharing the same traditional cabinet design and dimensions, basket weave vinyl covering, diamond grill, cabinet hardware and Vox logo. Unlike the AC-30, the Climax lacked a top mounted center handle. Two large expanded aluminum vent grills now occupied that space. With massive output from four EL-34 tubes, the Climax delivered 125 watts of pure valve power. Not only was this a fourfold increase in output over the AC-30, the Climax included both volume (gain) and master volume controls to keep that power in check. This made the Climax a serious rival to the high wattage guitar amps produced by Marshall Amplification. The Climax wasn't the only high-powered valve amp from Vox rivaling Marshall. A year prior to releasing the Climax, Vox debuted the V125 Lead and V125 Bass amplifier heads, complete with matching stackable 2x12" and 1x15" speaker enclosures. In fact, the engineers at Vox adapted and refined the circuitry of the V125 Lead head to create the Climax. Rose-Morris, Marshall and Vox Rose-Morris, the worldwide distributor of Vox from 1978 through 1992, also managed global distribution for Marshall Amplification between 1965 and 1980. Over time, Marshall grew dissatisfied with the inflated wholesale prices Rose-Morris charged dealers. As their fifteen-year contract neared its end, Rose Morris anticipated that Marshall might terminate their partnership. This anxiety prompted Rose-Morris to acquire Vox from CBS Arbiter in 1978 as a strategic hedge against the potential loss of the Marshall account. Marshall ultimately walked away from Rose-Morris when the contract expired in 1980, explaining why subsequent Vox product development under Rose-Morris was so heavily influenced by Marshall's market success. Circuit Design Although the Vox Climax combo circuit shared design similarities with the V125 Lead head, the two amplifiers are distinct and unique. Both models utilized the same folded steel chassis, diode rectified power supply, normal and brilliant inputs, preamp volume control, master volume control, five-band EQ circuit, and quad EL-34 125-watt output stage. However, the V125 Lead incorporated two 2N3819 JFET transistors in its initial gain stage and a panel mounted adjustable input sensitivity control. The Climax combo eliminated the transistors, achieving a fully vacuum-tube signal path and replaced the sensitivity control with a non-footswitchable, tube-driven distortion circuit. Speakers The Climax Tube Combo was equipped with two high-powered 12" Fane speakers. The Climax featured a rear panel toggle switch to select between running either the internal speakers plus an extension enclosure simultaneously or muting the internal speakers when connected to an extension enclosure. The latter option essentially transformed the Climax combo into a 125-watt amplifier head. Vox recommended their VR212 "stack" enclosure for external speaker applications. How Does It Sound? An extensive review of the Vox Climax valve combo was written by columnist Gary Cooper for Music UK magazine in September 1982. Please read the entire article at muzines.co.uk by clicking here, but here is a summary of Cooper's thoughts. Regarding the output level and tone of the Vox Climax valve combo, Cooper wrote: "...Vox have chosen here to make a phenomonally loud and ultra bright, clean combo with a decibel per watt output that must be staggering. Boy is this amp loud!" Regarding the preamp volume and master volume controls, Cooper offered: "There's little to be gained from setting the pre-amp pot up against the volume control with this amp as (even driving it with a Gibson using a pair of extra powerful humbuckers); that isn't the way to get a valve distortion from it." Cooper had this to say about the Climax distortion citcuit: "The Vox (Climax) features a separate valve in the preamp chain (an ECC83) which is there to wind on overdrive when wanted. I certainly found that by using this pot in close conjunction with the fine tonal control offered by the EQ section I was capable of getting some really superlative clean rhythm sounds combined (when using the distortion pot) with some fantastic traditional valve overdrive solo sounds. This extra preamp valve is certainly worth its keep, believe me! Maybe though Vox should think about offering a footswitch for the Climax so that the distortion pot can be switched in mid-number."

VOX Climax Valve Combo Specifications Output Power: 125 Watts RMS Speakers: Two 12" Fane Inputs: One ¼" Normal and one ¼" Brilliant jack Outputs: Single ¼" extension speaker jack Controls: Volume (preamp), Master Volume, Distortion, five band EQ: 100hz, 250hz, 500hz, 1500hz, 2300hz, all bands: +10db Tubes: 2 - ECC83, 1 - ECC82, 1-ECC81, 4-EL34 Dimensions: (W x D x H): 27.5" x 10" x 21" Weight: 88 lbs Price (1982): £399