TRIUMPH SPECIALS - Knock-offs

c. 1968 - Black painted panels with white stencilled lettering

Music trade press, May 1969.

In spite of the reversed captions, the published note above to some extent explains the strange amps on this page - black paint on aluminium for the control panel, legends screen printed, white knobs, no mention of JMI, and so on. None of the amps have a brimistor nor any holes for the wire pass-through. Handles and badges are generally standard "VOX" however.

There are legends for the controls, channels and inputs, but no decoration and no "JMI".

The chassis of the first amp below has a metal Triumph badge. A similar badge also survives on a late Triumph-made AC100 - see the first amp on this page. Indeed, components, layout and electronics of of all the amps below are typical of Triumph manufacture. In other words these are not later Alan Pyne hotch-potches.

On the face of things, it seems unlikely that Triumph Electronics itself was involved, even though the principal components employed in these amps definitely came from there. Triumph was in south London (Purley) - due south of the centre - not south-east; and leaving the company name-plate on chassis would be a colossally stupid thing to do if one were the perpetrator. Well that is the sense at least.

Significant date codes on the Mustard capacitors of amps (1) and (2) below are third and last quarter of 1968. None of the amps has a serial number plate.

The first of the AC50s below was probably sold off as a chassis alone - its box is a modified Conqueror speaker cabinet from 1968.

Anthony Smith, who kindly supplied pictures of an AC100 for the AC100 website, reports that:

"A friend of mine at the Jennings factory knew I was looking for a large amp and informed me of a liquidation sale at the factory, around 1967 [more likely to have been in 1968]. They had 2 AC100s for sale, amps that for some reason didn't make it to final assembly, chassis only, no box. Mine had a slight fault on the control panel around the voltage regulator otherwise in perfect condition."

Presumably the AC50 chassis and components were either bought from JMI, or perhaps from someone who had removed them from Triumph, and made up in south east London into saleable amps in 1968 - AC50 knock-offs. The amps were assembled with great skill and neatness - whoever produced them knew what he was doing.

Prior to the finding of the press note of May 1969, it seemed probable that the amps on this page had been made by Triumph as a means of using up left-over parts. Perhaps further evidence will come to light to tip things back in that direction. But the feeling certainly is that someone from Triumph was involved in the business.