Vox AC15 Custom Head, AC30 Custom Head
3
first play
VOX AC15 & AC30 CUSTOM HEADS
20
Guitarist july 2016
VOX AC15
CUSTOM HEAD
PRICE: £586
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Valve preamp and valve
power amp
OUTPUT: 15W RMS, switchable
to 7W or 0.2W
VALVES: 4x 12AX7, 2x EL84
DIMENSIONS: 284 (h) x 610 (w) x
266 (d)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 15.3/34
CABINET: Ply
CHANNELS: 2, non-footswitchable
CONTROLS: Normal volume,
Top Boost volume, bass and treble,
reverb level, tremolo speed and
depth, master volume, master
tone cut
FOOTSWITCH: 2x button switch
switches tremolo, reverb
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Reactive
Attenuator circuit allows full tone
at low volume settings
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Along with the
AC30CH (right), the matching 2x12
G12-M speaker cab costs £442
Vox Amplification
01908 304600
www.voxamps.com
VOX AC30
CUSTOM HEAD
PRICE: £838
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Valve preamp and valve
power amp
OUTPUT: 30W RMS, switchable to
15W or 0.3W
VALVES: 4x 12AX7, 4x EL84
DIMENSIONS: 284 (h) x 705 (w )x
266mm (d)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 19/42
CABINET: Ply
CHANNELS: 2, non-footswitchable.
CONTROLS: Normal volume,
Top Boost volume, bass and treble,
reverb level, reverb tone, tremolo
speed and depth, master volume,
master tone cut
FOOTSWITCH: 2-button switch
switches tremolo, reverb
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Reactive
Attenuator circuit allows full tone at
low volume settings, series effects
loop with true bypass
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: See AC15CH
PROS Plenty of tonal range
available from the two channels;
a decent tremolo effect
CONS Price arguably only reason to
buy this over the AC30; shame the
two channels can’t be footswitched
PROS Great range of classic Brit
clean and overdrive tones; nice
reverb; very loud
CONS Annoying that the effects
loop can’t be footswitched, along
with the channels
7 8
maxed out you can get that boxy midrange
grind that typifies Queen’s wall of sound.
Power-wise, the AC15 head combined
with its matching 2x12 enclosure is plenty
loud enough for most pub gigs, although
there’s not quite enough clean headroom
for stuff that demands it, like country
picking or funk. For that, you need the extra
headroom that a quartet of EL84s brings.
Getting a half-decent cranked up sound
at home or in the studio would be more
difficult as both amps are very loud, but
thanks to the new Reactive Attenuator, it’s
wonderfully simple: just flip the rear panel
switch to its lowest setting and enjoy the
fully-cranked effect at conversation levels.
Verdict
Both the AC15 and AC30 heads are worthy
additions to the Vox Custom range.
While combos are often considered more
portable, an AC30 is a weighty beast to cart
around. Separating the amp and speakers
makes this job easier, while adding a degree
of flexibility – you can use any available
speaker cabinet, although there’s no doubt
that visually and sonically, the specially
designed V212C enclosure is the perfect
companion. The new Reactive Attenuator
circuit is a great addition and makes both
heads ideal for stage, studio and home use.
Intended for serious Vox enthusiasts at
all levels, these Custom heads are relatively
affordable and just as relevant today as the
originals were 50 years ago.
3. The Reactive
Attenuator feature
is on both heads
and offers three
switchable output
levels. On the
AC30CH it switches
from 30/3/0.3
watts; on the AC15
it switches from
15/1.5/0.2 watts
GIT408.rev_vox.indd 20 5/12/16 2:32 PM