The Rocking Chairs with VOX (1964)

Cliff reflects on early amp experiments, love for Vox gear, and a key meeting with industry pioneer Tom Jennings

Cliff Cooper, Founder and CEO of Orange, remembers:

“By the time I opened the Orange Shop, I’d played in two bands, The Rocking Chairs and then The Millionaires. I’d also set up two very basic recording studios, so I had some experience of both music amplification and recording.

“I loved the sound of the early Vox amps and used to play my Höfner Verithin bass through a Vox T-60 head and 1×18” bass cab. At the time, I had revamped the CTI Pixy but couldn’t afford to manufacture it in any meaningful quantity.”

Meeting Vox’s Tom Jennings

“I took the Pixy to Tom Jennings of Vox and asked if he might be interested in marketing it under the Vox name with a royalty for myself. He thought the Pixy was a great idea but said it didn’t quite fit with the Vox brand. That said, he encouraged me not to give up.

“Tom was a very kind man, and a real pioneer who brought so many ground-breaking developments to the market.”