Go Rocky Go

Vox Conqueror 

The Go Rocky Go is a carefully crafted replica of our Vox Conqueror (S/N: 2004) Brilliant Channel, faithfully recreating the original M.R.B. (Mid-Range Boost) and the built-in distortion effect, while incorporating refinements for seamless live performance with a variety of amps.

At this point, it’s unnecessary to state that we’re Beatle-nerds. You may already be familiar with the Dr. Robert and The Mocker pedals, both based on different circuit sections of the Vox UL730, the amp used on the Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s albums. Following this lineage, it was time for the next amp used by the Fab Four to receive the Aclam treatment and be transformed into a pedal.

The Vox Conqueror was part of a new amp series released by Vox in 1967, replacing the unsuccessful UL series. These amps were 100% solid-state, as the technology had become more popular and affordable. The Conqueror shared its preamp with other top-tier amps from the same series, including the Defiant and Supreme. The only differences between these models were their output power (30 watts for the Conqueror, 50 watts for the Defiant, and 100 watts for the Supreme) and their speaker configurations. 

These amps had many features similar to the UL series but incorporated a completely different circuit, including an all-new distortion effect and the introduction of M.R.B (Mid-Range Resonant Boost), a feature adapted from Vox prototypes designed for the US market by Thomas Organ. This circuit was a key step in the development of the Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah. Additionally, the amp came equipped with reverb and tremolo effects. 

As usual, given the close relationship between The Beatles and Vox, some units were sent to the band for studio use. It is well documented that they used these amps during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions and on the legendary White Album. They can also be seen in the Hello, Goodbye music video alongside a Vox UL amp.

To distill the amp’s tone and capture it in a stompbox, we followed the same winning formula as before: we got our hands on the real thing. The fun part? We actually scored one while searching for a UL730 back in 2017. So, we rescued it from our vault, restored it, measured every component, and traced the circuit boards to ensure we knew exactly how the amp sounded. This time, we aimed to pack as many features
as possible, and we’re incredibly proud of the result.

The Go Rocky Go is a carefully crafted replica of our Vox Conqueror (S/N: 2004) Brilliant Channel, faithfully reproducing the M.R.B., the built-in Distortion effect, and
incorporating a few refinements to make it ideal for live use with a wide range of different amps.

We included a dedicated volume control for the Distortion effect, allowing you to match the clean and distorted output levels, or even boost them, regardless of how hot your guitar pickups are. Plus, the switching between clean and distortion is completely silent, unlike the original vintage amp, which produced loud pops whenever the effect was engaged. 

Even though the pedal has two footswitches, you can control all four functions (bypass, distortion, M.R.B. and Crunch Mode) thanks to our intelligent switch detection. Each switch performs a specific function (bypass and distortion) when pressed independently but pressing them together lets you control the M.R.B., an incredibly useful feature that keeps the pedal’s footprint compact, saving precious space on your pedalboard. 

But that’s not all. The Go Rocky Go has a hidden mode. While adapting the circuit and trying to match it with different White Album guitar tones, we thought: wouldn’t it be cool to have a tone that sits between the clean sound and the fuzzy distortion? And so, Crunch Mode was born. 

Hold the Bypass switch for 1.5 seconds, and the bypass LED will turn blue, activating a fuller, dynamic edge-ofbreakup tone. The hotter your pickups (a Casino with P-90s sounds glorious in this mode), the more gain you’ll get. We’re confident you’ll love it.

We also adapted the circuit to run from 9V to 18V. At 9V, the tone is slightly warmer, and the distortion effect leans toward fuzzier territory. At 18V, the Go Rocky Go has higher headroom, increased output volume, and the Distortion effect gains more sustain
and bite, definitely worth trying. 

We wanted the Go Rocky Go to be as beautiful and inspiring on the outside as it is on the inside. That’s why we took inspiration from George Harrison’s iconic 7 Rocky Stratocaster, a 1961 Fender Strat originally finished in Sonic Blue, which George hand-painted using dayglo polish in 1967. This guitar was featured during the first-ever globally broadcast event, All You Need Is Love. The Go Rocky Go pays tribute to this legendary instrument with a Sonic Blue base finish and vibrant, colorful artwork.

A DEEP DIVE INTO THE GO ROCKY GO

The Go Rocky Go is a carefully crafted replica of our Vox Conqueror (S/N: 2004) Brilliant Channel, faithfully recreating the original M.R.B. (Mid-Range Boost) and the built-in distortion effect, while incorporating refinements for seamless live performance with a variety of amps.

Normal mode (Bypass Switch - White Led): Reproduce the clean channel of the original Vox Conqueror preamp.

Distortion (Distortion Switch - Orange LED): Fatures the original Conqueror's built-in distortion effect, with a fuzzy, vintage character (quite different from modern distortion pedals and high gain amps). Match the clean and distorted output levels, or even boost them, regardless of how hot your guitar pickups are with it's independent Volume Control.

M.R.B (Mig-Range Boost) (M.R.B LED): Switch between 3 selectable frequencies for enhanced midrange response.

Crunch mode (Bypass Switch - Blue LED): A brand-new take on this amp circuit, sitting between clean and distortion. It slightly increases gain, adding a slight overdrive. An internal Crunch Gain control lets you fine-tune the amount of overdrive (Factory set to max.). Pro tip: Hotter pickups (like a Casino with P-90s) will drive the gain even further.

Voltage versatility (from 9V to 18V): At 9V: warmer tones with a fuzzier distortion. At 18V: Higher headroom, increased output volume, and more sustain and bite on the distortion.