Vox 95-932011 "King Vox-Wah" Pedal - US Production
1967 - Late 1970s





King Musical Instruments manufactured a line of highly regarded woodwind and brass instruments in their Eastlake OH factory from 1965 through 1979. Thomas Organ introduced their innovative Vox Ampliphonic product line for amplified woodwind and brass
instruments including the Vari-Level instrument pickup and Octavoice I and II signal processors in July, 1967. Looking for ways to expand their market reach, Thomas Organ partnered with King Musical Instruments to offer Ampliphonic products under the "King Vox" brand. The alliance between Vox and King was highlighted in a full page Downbeat magazine ad from 1975 (shown above).

The King Vox Ampliphonic Vari-Level instrument pickup was suited for either woodwind or brass instruments and included two mounting adaptors. It also included a volume control for level adjustment.

The King Vox Octavoice came in two models: Octavoice I for woodwinds and Octavoice II for brass. When connected to the Vari-Level pickup and an appropriate amplifier, the Octavoice was capable of dropping the amplified pitch of the instrument by one or two octaves. The amplified tone of a clarinet played through an Octavoice I might sound like a bass clarinet or a contrabass. The amplified tone of a trumpet played through an Octavoice II might sound like a trombone or a tuba.

The King Vox alliance also produced the King Vox-Wah. Inspired by jazz trumpeter Clyde McCoy, the King Vox-Wah could be connected between the Vari-Level pickup on a trumpet and amplifier to electronically simulate the sound of a cup mute. The King Vox-Wah was also sold as a guitar accessory.


Produced both Italy by EME (Eko) and in the US by Thomas Organ, the circuit design of the King Vox-Wah was identical to the V846 Vox Wah-Wah and the Thomas Organ Crybaby. In fact, all US produced V846, Crybaby and King Vox-Wah pedals share a printed circuit board with the same Thomas Organ part number, 84-22865.


"Stack of Dimes"
03 Inductor

"Trash Can"
Inducto
r

TDK 5103
Inductor
At the heart of every King Vox-Wah pedal is a 500 mH ferrite inductor. This inductor plays a major role in the tonality of the pedal. As Thomas sourced their wah inductors from various vendors, the appearance may vary from pedal to pedal.

The King Vox-Wah is most commonly equipped with either a "Stack of Dimes - 03," "Trash Can" or a "TDK 5103" brown cube 500 mH inductor.

It is not difficult to determine the year of production for most items built in the US by Thomas Organ. As Thomas commenced production in 1957, adding 57 to the first two digits of the serial number should give you the year of production. The serial number of the King Vox-Wah above is 1932196. Adding 57 the first two digits of the serial (19) makes 76. This King Vox-Wah was produced in 1976.

The Vox Showroom would like to thank Rock and Roll Vintage of Chicago IL for allowing us to take photos of the King Vox-Wah pedal shown on this page. We'd also like to thank Helen Kahlke of the Bassic Sax Blog for the King Vox Ampliphonic magazine ad.



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Photos and editorial content courtesy Gary Hahlbeck, North Coast Music


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