View source for Univox

{{Short description|Company in the Czech Republic}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = Univox
| logo             = Univox_logo_1970s.svg
| caption          =
| former type      =
| type             = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| traded_as        =
| industry         = [[Musical instruments]]
| genre            = <!-- Only used with media and publishing companies -->
| fate             =
| predecessor      =
| successor        =
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1960}}
| founder          = [[Thomas Walter Jennings]]
| defunct          = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> {{Start date and age|1987}}
| location_city    = [[Westbury, New York]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| locations        =
| area_served      = Global
| key_people       =
| products         = [[Electric guitar|Electric]] and [[steel-string acoustic guitar|acoustic]] guitars<br />[[Bass guitar]]s<br />[[Instrument amplifier|Amplifier]]s<br />[[Electronic keyboard]]s<br /> [[Effects unit]]s
| production       =
| services         =
| equity           =
| owner            =
| parent           = [[Korg]]
| divisions        =
| subsid           =
| homepage         = [http://www.VintageUnivox.com VintageUnivox.com] {{smaller|{{nowrap|(archive site)}}}}
| footnotes        =
| intl             =
| bodystyle        =
}}
'''Univox''' was a musical instrument brand of Unicord from the early 1960s, when they purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America of [[Westbury, New York]], and began to market a line of [[guitar amplifier]]s. Univox also distributed [[guitar]]s by [[Matsumoku]], [[effects unit]]s by Shin-Ei Companion, and [[synthesizer]]s by [[Crumar]] and [[Korg]].
In 1985, the [[Wickes Companies]] sold Unicord to Korg, and the Univox brand was phased out.
==History==
In 1964, Unicord (a manufacturer of electric [[transformer]]s acquired by [[Gulf and Western Industries]] in 1959) purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America and began marketing a line of amplifiers under the name of Univox.
Univox-branded fretted instruments (electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses) began being imported from Japanese contract manufacturer [[Matsumoku]] in 1968,{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} In 1978 Unicord phased out the Univox line of guitars and equipment. They switched to an original guitar line called "Westbury", and an amp line called Stage which lasted until about 1982. The Unicord Corporation was purchased by [[Korg]] in 1985, effectively ending the line.
Univox was best known for its copies of instruments from better-known companies such as [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], [[Rickenbacker]], [[Ampeg|Ampeg/Dan Armstrong]], [[Epiphone]] and others. The [[Univox Hi-Flier]] was based loosely on the distinctive [[Mosrite]] "reverse swept" shape; it was popularized in the early 1990s by [[Kurt Cobain]], almost two decades after original production had ceased.
===Change to Stage amplifiers===
The Univox name developed a market reputation as cheap because Unicord had copied amplifier designs from companies such as [[Shure]] and [[Electro-Voice]] instead of doing major original research and development. Univox used time-proven electronic circuits and quality components, but to avoid the negative market perception Unicord introduced the Stage brand; the only difference between the Univox and Stage equipment was the nameplate, attached prior to shipping.
==Relationship to Korg and Marshall==
Unicord was also the U.S. distributor for both [[Marshall amplifiers]] and [[Korg]] synthesizers.
The Marshalls used [[EL34]] output tubes, but as they could barely reach the rated output wattage Unicord replaced them with [[KT88]] tubes before shipping to U.S. vendors.
Unicord had begun as a manufacturer of electrical transformers. When the original Marshalls came to the U.S., Unicord's engineers were concerned that the output transformers could not reliably handle the full output. Unicord redesigned the output transformers and told Marshall to use the Unicord design in all units shipped to the U.S., and Marshall could use the design outside the U.S. if they wanted to. Marshall did adopt the Unicord design for all their tube amps.
Tony Frank, the design engineer at Unicord, created the dual-volume-control two-stage pre-amp that Marshall introduced with their 4140 and 2150 amplifiers, which allowed a "super-dirty" fuzz even at extremely low volumes.
==Products==
===Univox amplifiers===
[[File:Univox U45B amplifier.jpg|thumb|200px|A Univox U45-B tube combo amplifier from the mid-1960s.]]
[[File:UNIVOX U-1010 B-Group amp head.jpg|thumb|200px|A Univox "B-Group" amp head from the early 1970s. Model: U-1011]]
A number of tube and solid-state amplifiers were produced by Univox over the years. These ranged from small practice combo amps to powerful heads with separate cabinets. Some models had built-in [[spring reverb]] and [[tremolo]] effects. In 1971, Univox introduced the B Group amplifiers, covered in two-toned blue or gray [[Tolex]] with distinctive ovaloid cosmetics.<ref>
{{cite web |title=Univox Amplifiers |url=http://www.VintageUnivox.com/amps/uniamp.html |work=VintageUnivox.com}}</ref> The C-Group (UX) line of amps were used by [[The Jeff Beck Group]] and [[Led Zeppelin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wholelottaled.webs.com/univoxux1501.htm| title=Whole Lotta Led}}</ref>
===Univox guitars===
In 1962, Gulf and Western acquired Merson Musical Products, an importer of various headstock-brand guitars such as Tempo, Giannini and [[Hagström]]. Around 1968, they started producing Univox-branded guitars.  Unicord and Merson split in 1975, but Unicord continued to make Univox guitars until about 1978, even adding some newer models.<ref name=VintageUnivox.com>
{{cite web |title=The Univox Page |url=http://www.VintageUnivox.com/ |work=VintageUnivox.com}}</ref>
====Electric guitars====
[[File:UNIVOX GUITAR hi-flier phase3.jpg|thumb|300px|Univox Hi Flier Phase 3 guitar]]
[[File:UNIVOX GUITAR gimme.jpg|thumb|300px|Univox Gimme guitar, natural finish]]
*Badazz
*[[Univox Coily|Coily]]
*Custom
*Custom 335 (six and twelve-string versions)<ref name="guitars">
{{cite journal |last=Wright |first=Michael |title=Univox Guitars – Merson/Unicord Part 1 |url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/1952/univox-guitars/ |journal=[[Vintage Guitar (magazine)|Vintage Guitar]] |issue=February 1998}}</ref>
*Deluxe
*{{Proper name|eEagle}}
*Effie (six and twelve-string versions)<ref name="guitars" />
*Gimmie
*HR-2
*[[Univox Hi-Flier|Hi-Flier]]
*Les Paul Copy (black and goldtop)
*Limited Edition Series (double-cut Les Paul Junior copy)
*Lucy
*Mother/Rhythm and Blues
*Pro (Jazzbix)
*Ripper
*UC-2
*UC-3
*Westbury Performer
====Bass guitars====
*Badazz
*Coily
*Hi-Flier
*Naked
*Precisely
*Eagle
*Professional
*Stereo
*UB-1
*[[Univox 'Lectra|'Lectra]]
====Acoustic guitars====
*Auditorium
*Artist Series
*Dove
*'Grass
===Univox keyboards===
[[File:Korg PE-1000 (Univox K4).jpg|thumb|300px|Univox K4 (1976, Korg PE-1000)]]
*Univox K4
*Univox MaxiKorg K3
*Univox MiniKorg K1/K2
*Univox Stringman (see {{cite web |url=http://www.keyboardmuseum.com/pic/u/univ/stgman.jpg |title=link |others=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219071805/http://keyboardmuseum.com/pic/u/univ/stgman.jpg |archivedate=2010-12-19}})
===Univox Drum Machines===
[[File:Korg Mini-Pops SR-120 Desktop.jpg|thumb|Univox Mini-Pops SR-120 (mid-1970s)]]
* Univox JR-4
* Univox SR-55
* Univox SR-95
* Univox SR-120
===Univox effects===
[[File:Shin-ei Uni-Vibe (1968), Jimi Hendrix, EMP Museum (clean).jpg|thumb|[[Uni-Vibe]] (ca.1968) {{nowrap|formerly owned by [[Jimi Hendrix]]}}]]
Univox had many effects units, generally made by Shin-Ei, but perhaps their most well known was the [[Univox Super Fuzz|Super-Fuzz]] Pedal, used by [[Pete Townshend]].<ref name=VintageUnivox.com/> Univox also produced the [[Uni-Vibe]], a chorus/vibrato that attempted to emulate a [[Leslie speaker]] effect, popularized by [[Jimi Hendrix]].
==References==
<references />
==External links==
{{Commons category|UNIVOX|Univox}}
* [http://www.vintageunivox.com/ VintageUnivox.com]  {{smaller|(moved from [https://web.archive.org/web/20140716174814/http://www.univox.org/ Univox.org] in 2014)}}
<!--
* {{cite web
| title     = Univox.org
| url       = http://www.univox.org/
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140716174814/http://www.univox.org/
| archivedate=2014-07-16
}}
-->
* [http://www.matsumoku.org/arai_matsumoku.html "Lawsuit" copies discussion]
* [http://www.matsumoku.org/arai_matsumoku.html Matsumoku: Guitars Made in Japan]
[[Category:Guitar amplifier manufacturers]]
[[Category:Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gulf and Western Industries]]