Sounds like quite a Frankenstein set-up! The Vox series 90 amps were a last ditch effort by the Thomas Organ-owned U.S. Vox company(very little to do with the original British company that manufactured all the classic "British Invasion" era tube amps like the AC-30) in the early '70s to compete in the emerging "hi-tech" transistor amp scene. While practically all of the earlier American Vox amps were also transistor(Super Beatle, Royal Guardsman, etc)and featured quite a few unique bells-and-whistles in the on-board effects department, the U.S. company fell into a sales slump once Marshall came along with a heavier tube sound, and guitarists came to realize that the American tranny amps sounded nothing like their Beatles, Stones, and Yardbirds records. By the time the Series 90 amps appeared, Vox was pretty much "yesterday's news", but these amps featured an interesting design as the amp "head" was merely a pre-amp, with the power amp located in the speaker cabinet. The Acoustic 360 bass amp of that time period employed that set-up, as well as(ironically)the ill-fated Sunn Orion line. Needless to say, the Series 90 amps were a dismal failure, and Vox U.S. came to an end soon after. The original British company met a similar fate, but due to slightly different circumstances; it was the short-sighted insistance of Thomas Organ(who got their hooks into the U.K. Vox company financially)to persue transistor technology for GUITAR amps(which I think we would all agree leaves something to be desired--of course, bass is another story)that drove both companies down in tandem. Kasino is an early/mid '70s offshoot from Kustom amps(you know, the padded tuck'n'roll Creedence Clearwater Revival ones)and appearently they made amps with the pre-amp/power amp in speaker cab design; I'm not that familiar with that line. For all the poop on Vox, past and present, go to
http://www.voxshowroom.com This is an excellent site. Even though the Vox name was treated like a red-headed stepchild for many years, the line is back with some of the best re-issues made of the original British AC30's & AC15's tube combo's, plus some respectable budget line tube/tranny hybrids. The only time I ever saw ANY Series 90 amps used "professionally" was on the back of the first Knack album(the one with "my Sharona"), and considering they were a contrived freeze-dried approximation of the Beatles, that seems about right; they couldn't be bothered to find any appropriate Vox amps(AC30, AC100, or even a U.S. Super Beatle, for cryin' out loud!)for their "Hard Day's Night" finale mock-up photo. I guess what I'm saying is--don't pay too much for that garage sale "treasure" if you realy want it...
