Vox AC10C1 Combo Guitar Amp

Product Information

The AC10C1 is equipped to produce that perfect Vox ‘chimey’ tone. With the gain control set low you get a rich warm clean sound. Add in some more gain and it soon starts to venture into a creamy overdrive territory that Vox are so well known for. I plug it in my Vox and........wowwww. Warm crunchy beautiful singing tone. Best tone ever. I have sustain even if this pedal have not enough gain for me.

For those of you wondering, this amp is definitely loud enough for gigging at a small bar, even with a drummer. I have it in my basement operating at half volume and my ears are starting to really ache. I have no doubt this would work at a small gig, even without a mic.You will notice that the 2 power tubes (EL84) sit right behind the speaker magnet and the 2 preamp (12AX7 and its only 2 not 3 like the specs tell you) sit above the power tubes under the control panel.

NEW products: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. This has changed that notion. It is a lightweight, great sounding, perfectly loud enough and great priced amplifier. I play mostly in the Indie/Shoegaze/Twee genres. Its clean, loud and expressive, though it does break up very well. I even like the Digital Reverb, which I was not sold on when I first read it. The Reverb is voiced well and doesn't get cacophonous with heavy overdrive (I use a vintage Rat and a Muff Fuzz clone). Many amps equipped with the AC-10 "Super Reverb" chassis, such as those shown in the pictures shown at left, were equipped with a traditional (and separate) anodized aluminum control panel. While gray anodized control panels seem to be more common, red panels were also produced. However, some AC-10 "Super Reverb" chassis do not have an anodized control panel. The control panel nomenclature on these amps was silk screened directly to the leading edge of the aluminum chassis as a cost saving measure.In addition, the new AC10 adds a digital reverb circuit, and it’s lush and wide-ranging. Plus, it’s certainly simple and portable.

The AC10C1 also includes a Top Boost tone circuit, as added to later AC30s. The original AC10 had a basic, passive treble cut control, but the new amp features an active tone control circuit with separate Bass and Treble knobs.

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The design is focused on tone at a reasonable price. While the original was a dual-channel amp with four inputs, the revived version is a single-channel affair with one input. It’s based on two ECC83/12AX7 preamp tubes and a pair of EL84 output tubes in Class A design. This differs from the original’s six-tube setup, but it shares the fundamental preamp-output tubes. The preamp circuitry of the AC10 Super Reverb Unit bore little resemblance to the original and namesake Vox AC10 circuit documented on JMIschematic "OS/008 AC/10 Amplifier N o 3," dated September 9, 1960. The original AC-10 design from 1960 had two channels while the AC-10 Super Reverb unit had only one. While the preamp circuit of the 1960 AC-10 utilized esoteric ECF82 and EF86 tubes, the 1964 "AC10 Super Reverb Unit" preamp was powered by more conventional 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes. The only effect in the original 1960 era AC-10 circuit design was tremolo. The 1964 era AC-10 revision added reverb. The "AC10 Super Reverb Unit" and the original "AC/10 Amplifier N o 3" circuits were produced concurrently by Vox in 1964 and 1965. Last thing, the other guitar player in my band have 3 Boogie. He often use an old studio 22 watts and have a fantastic sound with pedals. All this time i was looking for a sound like him and now with the Vox, our tone is in the same area. A bit dark, no bad frequency, smooth, articulate and sustained.

In terms of overall sound, the AC10 doesn't sound boxy like some other small amps in this category. An AC15 sounds more boxy to my ears than this amp. The size - I got this amp exclusively because of its small size and low wattage, but make no mistake, this amp can keep up at a gig no problem. The size is absolutely perfect, especially because of the small car I drive (Honda Fit), and I have no problem toting this amp, my guitar, and my pedal board all in one trip from car to venue. Easy to hit the sweet spot at a variety of volume levels (playing light is clean and punchy, playing harder has that drive sound) The clean (chimey?) tones are amazing, which is what I'm mostly looking for. The adjective "deep" comes to mind. Exceeds expectations in clean tones. Circuitry plus the 10 inch Celestian speaker seem perfectly matched.The AC10 was one of the first amplifiers to bear the VOX name and has long been adored for his ability to achieve rich, articulate tube tone at very manageable volumes. For this reason, the AC10 has become a highly coveted piece of VOX history since it's discontinuation in 1965. Now in 2015, VOX is proud to introduce the AC10C1, a modern take on this classic design. The options - while the options are few, they are all you need to get that signature Vox sound, and even some sounds that resemble a good Fender clean, but with a british twist. The controls are equally simple with a dual band treble and bass EQ, Gain, Reverb and that Master Volume for shaping your tone. Different tones are achieved through a balancing of the master and gain controls, and while the treble and bass controls do a great job, a mid EQ would have been a nice addition for further shaping the tone, although it wasn’t included on the original either. A single power switch is included with a delayed standby mode to save your tubes. I have own many amps throughout the years and you just know when you plug into one if its talking to you. This amp is light weight at under 30 lbs. If you like tube amp tones, but your at that stage in life where hauling a 40-50 lb. Amp is not that appealing, this is the amp for you. Grab and go. It sounds best when left on the floor vs. put on a stand. The way the cab is constructed, being on the floor gives it some more resonance which helps fill out the tone.