Vox V121 Grenadier XII PA Columns
Vox V826 High Frequency Horn


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The Vox Grenadier XII was the US version of the British made JMI
Vox L.S. 60 PA column. The Grenadier XII was introduced in 1966 by Thomas Organ. The L.S. 60 was first shown at the British Music Trade Fair in the summer of 1965.

Click here to view an original owner's manual for the Grenadier XII column.

Thomas Organ struck a deal with Jennings Musical Instruments in the summer of 1964 to become the exclusive US distributor of Vox.

Within a year of the original distribution agreement,  Thomas Organ renegotiated the US distribution agreement with JMI. Thomas objected to the high costs of importation and supply line shortages from JMI. The new agreement allowed Thomas to pay JMI a licensing fee and produce Vox gear in their own US manufacturing facilities. Thomas Organ would no longer import Vox gear from the UK.

Thomas Organ did more than trim their importation costs when they started manufacturing Vox gear in America in 1965. They often used cheaper materials. The Grenadier XII  is a good example. The British equivalent Vox L.S. 60 was constructed from multi-laminate baltic birch plywood. The Grenadier XII was made of inexpensive 3/4" particle board. Despite their cost savings, the prices Thomas Organ charged for the US made gear remained unchanged.


The first version of the Grenadier XII was equipped with four US made Oxford 12K5-9 12" gold frame speakers (also known by Thomas Vox p/n 33-5084-6). A Vox sticker was added to the back of the ferrite magnet. Fender installed a similar 12" Oxford ferrite magnet speaker in their popular "Deluxe Reverb" amp. The individual speakers were rated at 20 watts RMS each. This meant that a single Gremadier XII could handle about 80 watts RMS. At that power rating, the Grenadier XII was designed for use exclusively as a vocal PA, so no miking the kick drum, please.

A later version of the Grenadier XII, model V1211, appeared in the 1969 Vox catalog. This new, shorter Grenadier XII had three Oxford 12K5-9 12" gold frame speakers plus a small Celestion high frequency horn and silver plastic grill as used in the Vox Series 90 amps. This horn was similar to the Goodmans Midax horns used in Beatle and Royal Guardsman amps.

The slender cabinet for the Grenadier XII was designed to be no larger than necessary. A chrome plated tubular "kick back" swivel stand allowed the Grenadier XII to be tilted for better sound dispersion.

A three pin male XLR jack was provided for connection of the speaker to the power amplifier. A recessed slide switch, mounted directly above the speaker jack, allowed for impedance selection of 4 or 16 ohms. A 1/4" jack, mounted near the top of the back, was used to connect the optional Vox V826 high frequency horn to the Grenadier XII. The V826 was a Goodmans Midax horn mounted to a plated pedestal (see image below).


Grenadier XII PA Column............... Grenadier X PA Column

The 1965 US Vox price list indicated that the retail price for a V121 Grenadier XII PA column was $299.90. Adjusted for inflation, a pair of Grenadier XII would retail today for about about $4000.

The same 1965 Vox price list indicated that the V826 accessory high frequency horn and crossover retailed for $39.90.

An interesting sidelight. Thomas Organ installed the Vox grill cloth sideways on the first production run of the Grenadier XII. This was necessary as the Vox grill cloth supplied to Thomas Organ could not properly accommodate cabinets as tall as the Grenadier XII. Thomas Organ had special extra wide rolls of Vox grill fabric manufactured to correct this problem for subsequent Grenadier XII production.

Once again, I thank Marc Speed for allowing me to take photos of his Grenadier XII columns and Ihor Boyko for his assistance with the Oxford Speaker part numbers.









Specifications - Grenadier XII
Power Rating 60 watts RMS
Speaker(s) 4 x 12" Oxford 12K5-9 Ferrite Gold
Size (cabinet size, less tilt back stand) 52" H x 15" W x 7" D
Acceesories Cover, chrome plated tilt back stand





North Coast Music manufactures many replacement and restoration
parts for the Grenadier XII under license from Vox. These parts are
available exclusively at North Coast Music. Some are shown below.



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Photos and editorial content courtesy Gary Hahlbeck, North Coast Music

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