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Hi there,

 

I am researching BEL guitar amplifiers which were made at the Bendix factory in around 1964/5. Very little is known about them.

I am looking to find people who worked on them, any pictures that you may have. Anything would be helpful. Even contacts you may know who are not on the web.

 

Thanks for looking

Keith

 

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Hello Manorcom

Despite working for the company for 8 years I couldn’t even pretend to have any engineering knowledge.  I’ve already given you an email address of a good friend who may be able to help but hopefully others may see this topic and have knowledge of these Amps.  Good luck! 

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welcome Manorcom sorry the only thing I knew about Bendix is the washing machine which if I remember some were made at Ericson's Beeston, I sure a member will say if I have it wrong.

But again a big Welcome.

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Mary, I worked at Plessey, which took over Ericssons in about 1961. I was there on and off from 62, till 95, and they certainly didn't make Bendix washing machines at the Beeston factory.

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Are we referring to Thorn Bendix on Beech Avenue, Forest Fields?

 

I had some dealings with their industrial electronics side when I worked at HATRA on Gregory Boulevard in the '60s - '70s.

 

I'll try to remember some of the personnel there but I'm not sure it will be of much help as it was a separate operation to the more consumer oriented amplifier business.

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I think he is jonab.

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Fly, did you know a 'Director' at Plessey called Harry Fletcher? Technically he was I think employed by GPT in Liverpool, but spent time at Nottm.

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Manorcom is referring to Thorn Bendix in Beech Avenue and is specifically after any info about BEL guitar amplifiers produced there in the 1960s

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No, the name doesn't ring a bell, but I was there in GPT days, but was mainly dealing with the HQ in Coventry. 

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The company had a couple of name changes even during my employment of only 8 years.   

In 1967 I’m pretty sure it was called Bendix Electronics Limited and owned by Ericssons. 

Later Sir Jules Thorn bought the company and the name changed to Thorn Bendix Limited

Then a further name change to Thorn Automation Limited.

We never made washing machines nor telephones, all the business involved industrial electronics for the Sugar industry, Textile industry, Defence industry (I even had to sign the Official Secrets Act)  and Wired TV industry (such as when a block of flats had just one aerial)  

I still have contact with 2 or 3 of the Engineers from those days and will do my best to get as much information as possible for you Manorcom

 

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Google 'Bendix'. An American company which had no connection with the Nottingham Bendix. They didn't even make washing machines but licensed their name out to another company. Some may remember the Bendix pinion in starter motors which used to get stuck and had to be thumped with a hammer!

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Hammer only needed if you were a certain sort of mechanic..

 

As I recall you simply put the car into gear (with ignition off) and rocked it back and forth a bit.  that usually freed up a stuck 'bendix' pinion. The later 'pre engaged' type is also not without its problems.

 

 

Lizzie, I've been in contact with both Manorcom and Graham and have a bit more info for Mamorcom.  Just need to move a few pictures about..

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Ahh.. a classy mechanic..

 

I had a Simca which had a pre-engaged starter.. except that the solenoid had failed and thus wouldn't drag the pinion into mesh..which was a prerequisite of the motor starting.  I couldn't afford a new starter motor and while I was seeking one from a 'scrapper', I just made  habit of parking on a slope as far as poss, and doing a 'bump start' as required.  If that failed.. I had to ensure that the car was in neutral, switch on the ignition and then get under the front and push the actuator in with a screwdriver, whereupon the car would start.  Mostly OK, but a bit scary when doing so on the hard shoulder of the M6 in the dark....:Shock:

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My contact at Thorn Bendix was a Frank Woodford/Woodward. He was on the technical innovation side working on opto-electronics. It was in the early days of optical fibres and potential uses of them. The association with Ericsson then Plessey becomes clearer now that fibre optic communications are the way to go in all sorts of fields.

 

I remember one of the BIG problems with opto-electronics in those days was that the detector semiconductors had to be cooled to ridiculously low temperatures in order to function (liquid nitrogen sort of level - about minus 200 deg C.)

 

Not much help, I'm afraid.

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Whilst at Plessey / GPT, I spent over 12 years working on fibre optic telecom systems for BT and Mercury. Also, optical matrix displays on the M6. 

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Thanks for your interest in my search. As I say any help or pointers will be followed up.

 

I beleive the amps were made in 1964 at Bendis Electronics Ltd, High Church Street, Baseford, Nottingham.

 

Here are a couple of pictures:

belamp1aug64.jpg

belMBjul64.jpg

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Some great memories there manorcom.

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Those pictures take me back to when I played in a group back in the early 60's. I didn't have a BEL amp though, it was just a basic chassis valve amplifier that I found in a junk shop on Arkwright St. and for which I made a case out of plywood and covered it with a speaker cloth and red vinyl. It looked pretty good! My guitar was a Hofner Congress which I fitted with an electric pickup. I still have it to this day along with a Fender Stratocaster, a Yamaha 12 string, a Spanish style instrument, a five string banjo and a ukulele. One of our gigs was at the Lowdham Grange Borstal where we rather inappropriately played 'Jailhouse Rock'. It did go down a bomb though. Nearly caused a riot!  Since I chopped a finger off I don't play anymore!:biggrin:

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I remember typing letters to Boosey & Hawkes, obviously can’t remember why. Coincidentally, the Factory Manager from about 1968 was a Mr Maurice Hawkes.  

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The New Basford branch of Beeston’s Ericsson Telephones became Bendix Ericsson (UK) Ltd on 1 January 1964 as a joint venture with The Bendix Corporation of USA.  The connection was with their headquarters based in Cincinnati Ohio and had no connection with the washing machine maker which had been sold off some years earlier.  In 1966 Ericssons, then Plessey, sold off their interest and the company became Bendix Electronics Ltd, wholly owned by Bendix.  In about 1966 the company became a joint venture with the Thorn Group as Thorn Bendix Ltd.  About 1969 Bendix sold their interest and the company became Thorn Electronics, still based at High Church Street, New Basford.  

The guitar amplifier development started about 1964 under Noel Scott.  These were the first transistorised guitar amps on the market and a great selling point, beyond the clarity of the sound, was that they were much lighter than valve amplifiers and thus easier to transport.

The first product was the BEL 4/60, a 60 watt amp with four  ten-inch 15 watt Wharfedale speakers.  Wharfedale was a Thorn company and presumably this was where the connection for future collaboration originated.  The 4/60 was followed by a bass amplifier supporting two 12-inch 30 watt speakers.  Next came the BEL 120 watt PA amp which was housed in a case about five feet high and contained four of the 30 watt Wharfedale speakers. 

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Well done Mr Eastwellian (don’t I know you?!!). I knew I could rely on your fantastic memory to help Manorcom, I’ve learnt a lot too.  I was Noel Scott’s Secretary when he was Chief Engineer, just goes to show how much interest I took in what I was typing.  

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