Thomas Organ Co.

Thomas Organ Co.

Also known as: Thomas Organ, Thomas Organ Company

Unclaimed

Thomas Organ Company was an American musical instrument and amplifier manufacturer based in Sepulveda, California, with additional operations near Chicago. Owned by Warwick Electronics Inc., the company is best remembered in the guitar world for its 1964 distribution deal with Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), which made Thomas Organ the exclusive U.S. distributor and, eventually, builder of V...

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Thomas Organ Company was an American musical instrument and amplifier manufacturer based in Sepulveda, California, with additional operations near Chicago. Owned by Warwick Electronics Inc., the company is best remembered in the guitar world for its 1964 distribution deal with Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), which made Thomas Organ the exclusive U.S. distributor and, eventually, builder of Vox-branded amplifiers for the American market. Thomas Organ's U.S.-designed Vox line included solid-state amps such as the V-1 Pathfinder, V-2 Pacemaker, V-3 Cambridge Reverb, V-4 Essex Bass, and V-8 Berkeley Super Reverb.

The company's most culturally significant contribution was the invention of the wah-wah pedal. In late 1966, Thomas Organ engineer Brad Plunkett bread-boarded a pedal using a transistorized mid-range boost (MRB) circuit and the enclosure of a Vox Continental organ volume pedal. Released in 1967 under two names — the Vox Wah-Wah and the Cry Baby — the pedal became one of the defining guitar effects of the era and a staple across rock, funk, and psychedelic music.

Thomas Organ continued producing Cry Baby wahs in Sepulveda and later in Chicago into the late 1970s. When the company wound down its effects production in the early 1980s, Jim Dunlop acquired the Cry Baby rights and continued the lineage under Dunlop Manufacturing. Today Thomas Organ units from the 1960s and 1970s are collected as vintage effects, prized for their distinctive inductor-based voicing.

Thomas Organ Co. has 3 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Wah Pedals and Multi Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 17 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Blues, and Funk / Soul. Notable users include David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix.

Artists Who Use Thomas Organ Co.

David Gilmour uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

David Gilmour

Guitarist · Pink Floyd

Jimmy Page uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Jimmy Page

Guitarist · Led Zeppelin

Jimi Hendrix uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Jimi Hendrix

Guitarist · The Isley Brothers

Stevie Ray Vaughan uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Singer, Guitarist · The Vaughan Brothers

Gustavo Cerati uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Gustavo Cerati

Singer, Guitarist · Soda Stereo

Ritchie Blackmore uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Ritchie Blackmore

Guitarist · Deep Purple

Batuhan Mutlugil uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Batuhan Mutlugil

Guitarist · Duman

Takashi Mizutani uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Takashi Mizutani

Singer, Guitarist · Les Rallizes Dénudés

Eddie Clarke uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Eddie Clarke

Guitarist · Motörhead

Tim Mahoney uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Tim Mahoney

Guitarist · 311

Jorma Kaukonen uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Jorma Kaukonen

Guitarist, Singer · Jefferson Airplane

Curtis Mayfield uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Curtis Mayfield

Guitarist · Jerry Butler & The Impressions

Leigh Stephens uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Leigh Stephens

Guitarist · Blue Cheer

Helios Creed uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Helios Creed

Guitarist · Chrome

Lucio Maia uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Lucio Maia

Guitarist · Soulfly

Peter Banks uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Peter Banks

Guitarist · Yes

Douglas Castle uses 1 Thomas Organ Co. product

Douglas Castle

Guitarist · Peace

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