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 in Italy and in the US by Thomas Organ, the circuitry of the King Vox-Wah was identical to the V846 Vox Wah-Wah and the Thomas Organ Crybaby. The King Vox-Wah is most commonly equipped with either a "Stack of Dimes - 03," "Trash Can" or a "TDK 5103" 500 mH inductor.

URL: http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/king-wah.html