Vox AC30HWH

I've always loved the tone of Vox amplifiers because I've been a big Beatles and and U2 fan pretty much all my life. The Vox is really a sound that came over from the British islands that invaded the US with a good hard rock tone for that day and age which really allowed other builders from the UK to expand their explorations in guitar design. Vox really lost a lot of respect for me because they pretty much make everything they do over in China now. I don't think they actually make any amplifiers in the UK anymore which is a disgrace and a slap in the face to the original founders.


UTILIZATION

Features

30W
Hand-wired turret board construction
All-tube design
3 ECC83/12AX7 preamp tubes
4 EL84 power tubes
GZ34 rectifier
Fitted with matched Ruby Tubes that provide extended dynamic range
Traditional VOX two-channel design: Top Boost and Normal
High and Low inputs for each channel
The Normal channel provides an additional BRIGHT switch
The top boost channel provides a HOT/COOL switch to achieve even more gain
Master Volume/Bypass switch completely bypasses the Master Volume section
OP mode switch cut the amp's output power level in half
Vintage fawn-colored vinyl, reminiscent of the 1960 classic AC30
Choose either Celestion Alnico Blue or Celestion G12M Greenback
Included VFS1 footswitch controls the Top Boost channel's Hot/Cool switch
Includes premium, custom-fit dust cover



SOUNDS


The tone of the Vox AC 30 is a great tone but this amplifier even though it's hand wired just doesn't do it for me. They have such an iconic look with their crisscrossed diamond plated front grill but the overall feel and appeal and respect of Vox has just been lost. I wouldn't buy this amp even though it is hand wired or point to point built otherwise. Vox should stick to building Vox amplifier's in the UK where it belongs. This is a much disappointed way of doing business anymore with these British amplifiers.

OVERALL OPINION


You can find these amplifiers for right at around $1300 new which is way too much money for this amplifier. The idea that you can pay more money for the hand wired version but really it's hand wired in some other country and they're not up to par. If you want to spend money like this on something then get something that sounds great and is built in the place of origin and not shipped out to some other foreign country because it's cheaper and costlier to build, go with Dr.Z. I'm very willing to spend a little bit more money to buy amplifiers made in America or built in the United Kingdom or in Germany or anywhere in Europe but not in China basically just to get cheaper labor and products.

The major difference in this amp to the regular production Vox Ac30 is that is is all hand wired components. There are no PCB boards and everything is hooked up via turret boards. This makes the construction of the unit a lot stronger and easier to fix if you ever run into any problems with the amp. And of course this is the head version so you'll need to pick up a cabinet to plays with this amp. Preferably a cab that is a fawn match.

The combination of this hand wired amp and the Celestion Alnico Blue Dog speakers give a sparkling and a sweet warm classic Vox tone. There are a few different features to this particular amp then the latest reissues that came out a few years ago. One of those being the Hot/Cold switch which changes the treble in the top boost channel. And also the wattage selector from 30 to 15 watts.

UTILIZATION

Key Features and Product Highlights

• Hand-wired turret board construction
• Birch-ply cabinets featuring solid bracing and a natural high frequency diffuser
• All-tube design
• ECC83/12AX7 preamp tubes (x3)
• EL84 power tube quartet; (AC30 models); EL84 Duet (AC15 models)
• GZ34 rectifier (AC30 models); EZ81 rectifier (AC15 models)
• Fitted with matched Ruby Tubes that provide extended dynamic range
• Traditional VOX two-channel design.
• Top Boost and Normal. High and Low inputs for each channel
• The Normal channel provides an additional BRIGHT switch.
• The top boost channel provides a HOT/COOL switch to achieve even more gain
• Master Volume/BYPASS switch completely bypasses the Master Volume section
• OP mode switch cut the amp’s Output Power level in half
• Vintage fawn-colored vinyl, reminiscent of the 1960 classic AC30
• VFS1 footswitch controlls the Top Boost channel's HOT/COOL switch
• A premium, custom-fit dust cover is included with every model

SOUNDS

This amp is more used for country, blues, and mild rock tones. The biggest users of the amp is the Edge and Brian May. Not this particular amp model but the Vox AC30 in general. The best thing about Vox Ac30 is their ability to take pedal extremely well. You can throw just about any pedal in front of the amp and it just accepts the tone from the pedal and blends it with the Vox darker amp character that is present in its voicing.

A Les Paul works quite well with this amp. You get a great blues rock tone that is extremely warm and smooth in tone. I like to use a Strat with this amp as I'm a big fan of the Edge and his Strat is very recognizable in the songs I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Bullet The Blue Sky.

OVERALL OPINION


If you need a well built combo amp and are playing anything from country to mild rock then this might be an amp for you. If you use overdrive or effects pedals frequently then this is just about the best amp you could use effects with.

I am not sure what the going rate for these amps are but I have seen used ones going for aroud $1300. That might be a little high for an amp like this but it is hand wired and that price is recognized in that feature. For the regular production Vox AC30 then you would look at about a few hundred dollars cheaper than this. I would recommend this amp to anyone who needs a Vox tone which is very unique and distinct from all other amplifiers.