Vox AC15

Price Paid: US $539.99

Features: 8
This is a brand new Vox AC15 Custom Classic. It was manufactured in November of 2005 in China :-(. It is a 15 watt 1x12 tube combo. It runs off of 2 EL84 power tubes and 2 12AX7s.This is the one with the Vox special designed 12 not the $300 blue Alnico. Most folks think Vox amps are all class A however they are not. This is an A/B amp. The controls are layed out as follows: Power and Standby, Master Volume, Depth, Speed,<-(Tremelo) Mix <-(Reverb) Bass, Treble, Volume, Input. I play an assortment of ALL genres. I peck around with everything from rock, blues, funk, worship, classic rock etc etc. This amp suites me fairly well, but it could never be my signature amp. I am a minimalist when it comes to guitar so this amp does what I need it to therefore I can't complain about lack of features. That's what makes it cool right? If I wanted to flip switches and twist knobs I would get a Mesa Road King.

Oh.... BTW this amp comes with a flimsy little footswich for turning the verb and trem off.

Sound Quality: 7
I play a Tele and a PRS with P90s. I don't have a guitar at the moment with buckers so no comment there. With both of my current I can dial in a good sound pretty quick. I like to dime the master volume and control my overall volume with the other volume control. This gives a nice warmer tone. This amp can be very raspy sounding if you don't EQ some of the high end out, but that's what some folks like about Vox right? I also like to set both volumes volumes at 5'O Clock for a nice grinding, biting sound. If I need to clean it up I just roll off the volume. The tremelo is quite nice and can be very strong if you need it. Be careful with the reverb though. I really don't care for the verb on this guy. I am a Blackface reverb cranked to 7 junkie, but this amp's verb just plain out is unusable above 1.5 to me. I find myself wanting to play alot of open chords with a delay behind it. The dirty stuff this amp is capable of is cool, but might take my Fender loving ears a little time to ajust.I also am having a hard time getting this guy EQ'd to where my modded TS9 sound the way I like it. Overall the amp is worth the amount it costs(less than $600 new) but I can sum up my overall impression of the amp thus far with a few words: BRIGHT......Sterile(can be; not always though)Presence (can really bring the chime out of single coils)Jangly, chimey, sparkle!

Reliability: 6
This is where I get a touch nervous. The amp has very thin tolex. It has cheap feeling badging, amp handle and the input jack is plastic. I gutted the amp the night I got it and the insides look cheap to my eye. These are just observations and me being honest. It obviously wasn't enough to keep me from buying the amp especially since I plan on using it at home. This guy will see no gigging.And to credit the amp the cabinet feels fairly solid as does the chassis itself. If you are a geek like me and want to see the insides of the amp you can look at them on my Photobucket site:

http://photobucket.com/albums/a284/B_Bent/Vox%20AC15CC/

I give it a 6 just because of the potential I see for upset. If you are a hardcore gigging musician I would make sure this guy gets treated like gold.

Customer Support: N/A
No experience whatsoever.

Overall Rating: 7
I have been playing for over 10 years and have had every brand of amp known to man. I am a self diagnosed tone/gear junkie. If this amp were lost(how do you lose an amp? LOL!) or stolen I would not be in a hurry to replace it since this is just a fun amp for me to try. And as much as I may have painted a somewhat bad picture of this amp it's really not bad. It's just that it is more of an outside of the box amp for me. I love old Fenders and what can you say those old Fenders with 6L6s are gonna be fatter than a 15 watt amp with EL84s.

Submitted by GKA at 01/01/2006 19:48

Price Paid: (£480)

Features: 8
This amp is the new vox ac15 cc1 which is now made in china (to save money, i guess) and seems very similar to the korg reissue vox ac15, except it only has one input, solid state rectifier and cheap looking power switches. Like the previous review, its best to look at the vox website.

Sound Quality: 5
Im using this amp with a rickenbacker 360 and a 62 custom telecaster. My main type of music is mostly radiohead, beatles, the who, rem, etc. The sounds this vox ac15 cc1 make are not really that good (in fact very average) when compared to the previous reissue korg ac15, and i cant help feeling that these chinese made ac15s are cost cut versions of the reissue ac15 (great pity) - obvious changes are ditching the tube rectifier for solid state circuit (totally yuck, and short-sighted of vox) and possibly other circuit changes. Bottom line is that it doesnt sound like a vox ac15 should do.

Reliability: 9
this amp is only a couple of weeks old and, so far, seems just fine (touch wood).

Customer Support: 8
havent really had much contact with vox, but when i have spoken to them they have been very helpful.

Overall Rating: 6
ok, first of all this amp is very cheap for a vox ac15, but dont be fooled: you dont get something for nothing. I cant really recommend this amp (which is a real shame) even thou it looks great, and the simple fact that it is a vox ac model. I will be looking for a korg ac15 reissue to replace this one, as they sound so much better, and just to clear any doubts, im not a vox snob who only praises english made voxs of past.

Submitted by casino555 at 12/30/2005 11:13

Price Paid: US $600.00

Features: 8
For the specs, it would be best to go to their website. It has all the basic features for a single channel amplifier.

Sound Quality: 6
I have owned the amp for 2 weeks now and still do not love it. I have played it with a 335, tele, strat, 73 deluxe tele, and a reverend wolfman. I want to go on record and say that tone is completly subjective. I have owned 2 other Vox AC15 TBR amplifiers over the years and regret selling them. I thought this amp would be a great addition and get that wonderful vox tone. It does have the vox sound but not that classic rich, organic, musical tone. I played it with a 1x12 cabinet with a weber blue dog and that helped. It still is lacking something and I am not sure what it is. I would have to say it has a certain solid state sound to it, not to knock SS amps. The AC15CC1 to me sounds good for a $600.00 amp, but by no means does it compare to the AC15 reissue. I am not a tone snob, but I expected more from VOX. Like I said this amp is great for a $600.00 amp, but to me no worth keeping.

Reliability: N/A
To soon to judge, but I will say it has tube rattles and cabinet buzzes I can not get rid of.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 6
Could be a great amp for some, I was just disappointed with the sound and performance.

Submitted by Brad at 12/27/2005 21:22

Price Paid: US $1200 used

Features: 9
As you know already if you've made it this far - Korg built these amps in the late '90's and a while into this century. . . but now they're not available. Too bad. It's pretty much the best amp I've ever owned. In fact I have two of them with the Blue Celestion AlNiCo speaker. Couple that with a Rickenbacker (or Gibson, or Fender, or YOUR guitar) and it's THE sound.

Sound Quality: 10
Are you kidding. . . classic tones you know the groups that used these. . . all the vibe and tone and power is there in a smaller package. Having carried around giant rigs, this is refreshing to move about. Of course you should buy a rolling anvil style case. . . get one on eBay for $65+shipping. . . . if you can't afford the case, you can't afford the amp

The master gain configuration is great. . . you can run the input gain all the way and just keep the master down and get serious toneful grind with your Les Paul. . . you'll need to keep that pot cleaned out as leaving it in this position will definately create dead spots on the pots. I've had these amps a couple of years and play out professionally each week and teach at home with them and they just put all my other amps in the music room to shame.

Reliability: 8
Could be a little finicky. . . but so is my wife of 25 years. Only problem I've ever had was a constant blowing of the fuses. . . due to a bad recitifier tube. . . Don't gig without a backup-but I don't think you'll need one if you keep it tuned up. . . and don't beat this one up-it's your best friend. . .take care of it

Customer Support: 7
Are you kidding? I would repair it myself.

Overall Rating: 10
I'm old. I've had them all. Bogner, Matchless, Fender, Reverend, Two Rock, Peavey(sic),Magnatone, you'll keep this one. . . I sold the others (except for a Super Reverb I use with my pedal steel)
Pluses: Killer tone and sound. Relatively lightweight. . . Beatles soul. . . .jangle. . . great gain

Minuses: Terrible tolex, a bad rectifier tube will blow fuses, difficult access to tubes, no customer support (but we don't depend on that anyway, right?)

Result: Given all the problems, consider this one a beautiful blonde you'd be crazy not to want to play with in every sense of the word. . . . I'll never get rid of mine (wife or VOX AC-15) but then again, I do have 2 AC-15's. . . hmmmmmm. . . .

Submitted by Jeff Abbey at 09/09/2005 16:01

Price Paid: US $600 used

Features: 10
From the serial number, this amp was made by Korg in '98. It has the Vox Blue Celestion, and an aftermarket Mercury Magnetics output transformer. The amp is good, but putting the MM tranny in was like putting a performance carburetor on a 69 Chevelle SS. It is versatile enough for me. I play rock 'n' roll from the '60s to the present day, reggae, blues. I do not need a lot of bells and whistles. In fact, I don't even use an overdrive pedal with my AC15, because nothing could sound better than its natural tone. It has a very mild reverb, but that's about all I want. Vox's tremelo circuit is the best ever. Bass and treble interactive. The master volume makes it usable at home. At gigs, it has plenty of jism to cut through the mix, even unmiked.

Sound Quality: 10
I have a Telecaster with Harmonic Design Vintage Plus single coils, a Squier Venus with a Harmonic Design humbucker at the bridge, coil tapped; and a Tokai Rickenbacker 350 copy with ersatz toaster pickups and flatwound strings. I like a vintage sound, and this amp provides it. Very little noise. It is just crunchy in an extremely pleasant way that doesn't hurt my ears.

Reliability: 10
I have heard the horror stories, but I haven't had a single problem in almost two years.

Customer Support: N/A
N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 33 years. This is the amp I have dreamed of owning. I also have a blackface Fender Bandmaster, loaded into a custom 2x10 cabinet with Weber VST speakers. Kind of like a Vibrolux without reverb. I have recapped the Fender and put a Mercury Magnetics Super Reverb output tranny in. Lots of fun working "under the hood," but guess what? When I played them side by side, I preferred the AC15. In fact, the Fender hurts my ears when the volume is over 3.

The AC15 is a gorgeous amp, and I'm glad I got mine when I did, since Korg has stopped making them. Couldn't sell enough of them, they said. Watch the price and reputation go sky high now. Pricewise, I think it was in a no man's land -- too expensive compared to a Hot Rod Deluxe, not enough snob appeal for the Top Hat/Bad Cat/Matchless crowd (probably because of its printed circuit boards). But if you put this up against one of those designer amps in a blindfold test, I would like to see the results.

Submitted by Paul Menser at 11/30/2002 16:42

Price Paid: US $1,200

Features: 8
Two months ago, I purchased this Vox AC15, which the name plate indicates was actually constructed in 2001. Past reviews have described the features of this amp. It is enough to say that the Vox AC15 differs from its big brother, the AC30, in having Master Volume and Reverb controls. My amp is equipped with the Blue Bulldog speaker, which provides the authentic Vox sound. It's features are more than sufficient for the music I play- a variety of popular music from the 40s to the present day.

Sound Quality: 10
I love the chimey, mid-range punchiness of the Class A Vox sound and the touch sensitivity it offers the player. Before I bought this amp, I already owned a 2000 AC30 Reissue. The AC30 is a tremendous amp, but I began to dread having to carry its 80 lbs to practice each week. So I searched for a small Class A EL84 tube amp that I might use for rehearsals and small venue gigs. I ended up buying a Fender Blues Junior and was disappointed with its dark tone. I modded it with a Weber Blue Dog and JJ Tesla tube to get that Vox sound, to no avail. In the end, I conceded that I had been perfuming a pig in the hopes that it might change into a rose. Finally, I sold the BJ and ended bought the rose- a real Vox AC15. I'm glad I spent the money on it. I use a Custom Shop 63 NOS Telecaster through it and the sound is wonderful. The tones this amp produces are the right ones. I keep the Master at 3 'o clock and get a great rock sound. As others have noted, this amp is not a metal shred machine. What it offers the player is a sound that no other amp has. The lesson for me was: if you want the Vox sound, buy a Vox.

Reliability: 10
I've only owned this amp for about two months, so it may be too soon to say anything about its reliability. Still, I take the Vox to practice every week and it gigged out with me four times now, with no problems. As I carry it in, the reverb pan's a bit noisy, but when I set it down and the Mains are on, I have no problems. I treat it with care, as I do all of my musical equipment.

Customer Support: 9
All of my past interactions with Korg have been positive and helpful.

Overall Rating: 10
The Vox AC15 model has been discontinued since February, 2002. I believe I bought the last new pristine model in America. Search the net and try to find a new one now. I paid a premium for it, but I don't regret it. I feel fortunate that I can afford the amp that offers the tone I want. The Vox tone- midrangey, chimey and punchy- is the opposite of the Fender sound, with its scooped out middle. No Fenders for me. Although I am not a collector, I do believe the demand for this amp will increase in value because it is a Mini-AC30, without the weight. It's suitability for just about every booking makes it my first choice for a gig. I know that others have had trouble with reliability, but my experiences have all been positive. Maybe Korg responded to the criticisms and made modifications in the last year of production. I love this amp.

Submitted by Paul Goricki at 11/06/2002 13:24

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 3
VOX AC15- NO DIRTY CHANNEL- SO UNLESS YOU USE PEDALS YOU METALHEADS- LIKE ME- CAN LOOK ELSEWHERE. LOW POWER- IT'S GOT TREMELO WITH FOOTSWITCH CONTROLLER. IF YOU ARE INTO THAT,"GROOVY", SORT OF THING.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT FEATURES. AMPS WITH TOO MANY GIZMOS DON'T DO ANY," ONE", THING GREAT. I COULD TOTALLY LIVE WITHOUT TREMELO AND REVERB BUT A PRE- GAIN THING WOULD BE PEACHY.

Sound Quality: 10
I USED IT AT ULTRASOUND IN NYC IN A REALLY TINY ROOM. THEY HAD ALOT OF SMALL EXPENSIVE, "DESIGNER HANDBAGS", THE VOX WAS THE ONLY DECENT SIZED AMP IN THAT ROOM. I DON'T USE PEDALS, SO I WAS BUMMED TO FIND THAT IT WOULD BE A NIGHT WITH NO DISTORTION- BUT I LIVED THROUGH IT-!
I NEVER PLAY CLEAN- THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME- AND YOU KNOW WHAT- MY G+L SOUNDED PRETTY DAM GOOD CLEAN. THE VOX IS A REAL GREAT AMP IF YOU PLAY CLEAN. THIS AMP WOULD PROBABLY SOUND AMAZING WITH- IF YOU COULD FIND A ONE- A PEDAL THAT DOESN'T," FLATTEN", IT'S REAL NICE ORGANIC TONE. I HAVE NOT FOUND A PEDAL DOESN'T DESTROY THE SOUND OF A GOOD TUBE AMP- EVER.

Reliability: N/A
IT IS MORE RELIABLE THAN ALOT OF EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE AMPS -ONES THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD BECAUSE THEY NEVER SEEM TO BE IN WORKING CONDITION.- I WON'T MENTION THEIR NAMES. I GUESS HIGH- END PRICE MEANS HIGH- END MAINTAINANCE, LIKE A FERRARI OR SOMETHING. THE VOX RAN REAL HOT BUT THAT'S "class a thing". PLAYING OUT WITH IT - I WOULDN'T BET MY LIFE ON IT- THAT'S FOR SURE- BUT DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT VOX SO I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG.

Customer Support: N/A
I HAVE NO "BLOODY", IDEA. SINCE IT'S FROM," ACROSS THE POND", I GUESS IT WOULD NO PICNIC. I WOULD DEFINATELY OWN A FEW OTHER AMPS OR AT LEAST ONE OTHER BESIDES THE VOX OR WELL, YOU WOULD BE NUTS.

Overall Rating: N/A
I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR A DAM LONG TIME AND I DON'T CARE FOR THE SOUND OF ALOT OF AMPS OUT THERE. SOLID -STATE AMPS ARE A BAD DREAM, YOU KNOW WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL IN YOUR UNDERWEAR, OR DON'T REMEMBER WHERE YOUR CLASS IS, OR YOU GO INTO A MENTAL,"BERMUDA TRIANGLE", AND FORGET ALL THE ANSWERS DURING A TEST, AND I LOVED THE TONE OF THIS AMP.
THE VOX IS LOW POWERED, I COULD NEVER USE IT FOR, "RAYZ HELL", MY REAL HEAVY BAND, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO OWN ONE. IF I PLAYED REAL SMALL CLUBS OR NEEDED AN AMP THAT WAS LESS," WAR-LIKE", THAN MY STACK, IT WOULD BE PERFECT. PLAYING CLEAN THROUGH IT WAS ACTUALLY A PLEASURE. IT GIVES YOU REAL ROUND, FULL NOTES. I WILL GET ONE SOMEDAY. ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING AMPS I HAVE PLAYED. EVERYONE SHOULD GIVE IT A LISTEN.
I WOULDN'T SAY IT IS A ,"FANTASTIC VALUE", BUT YOU COULD DO WORSE FOR THE PRICE.

Submitted by RAYZ HELL at 09/21/2002 08:30

Price Paid: N/A used

Features: 9
Does the job beautifully, if you want great tone without features this thing delivers.

Sound Quality: 10
It just sings! I play an American standard Strat and are-issue Tele through it and I can't fault anything I play Rory Gallagher style through it, and it's all there.

Reliability: 1
Utter crap! I've just spent £145.00 on a new Transformer and rectifier on it and it's gone again. I see other reviews on this page that back up my opinion. This review will make it harder to get rid of this amp but I don't care, I just don't want anybody else to make the same mistake.

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know, just took it to my local repair shop.

Overall Rating: 1
I've been playing for 30 years and I've rarely come across an amp that sounds so good, much better than my Fender Blues Deville and my Mesa rectifier although it obviously doesn't have the power. When I first plugged into it I thought the quest was at an end and I'd buy another and link them up - end of story.

But the reason I'm submitting this review is that I don't want any young Rory fans to shell out their hard earned cash on this mess of an amp. DON'T GO THERE!

Submitted by Anonymous at 06/29/2001 11:39

Price Paid: US $1300 used

Features: 9
1964 JMI Vox ac 15 twin, one of the best amps ever made, what can I say, this amps sounds amazing, you can get a variety of tones from this amp depending on the guitar you use, I've yet to find a bad match for it. Very basic set up, but then again that is the beauty of it. Two channels, each with high/low inputs. The vibrato/tremolo channel has a volume control, vibrato/tremolo selector (foot switchable) and 3 speed selector as well as a cut control (takes the edge off of the top end at high volumes)
The brilliant channel has volume, cut and brilliant or normal selector.
The amp is the perfect recording amp, and it is loud enough for small clubs.

Sound Quality: 10
Vibrato/tremolo channel has 2 very distinct sounds when the effects are turned off, the vibrato channel sounds open and airy very chimey, think Tom Petty, Beatles. The tremolo has a bit more compression and is less trebely, both sounds are very pleasing, and when either the vib. or trem. are on they are just the lushest and smoothest I've ever heard.
The brilliant channel is amazing, it breaks up with the sweetest sustain if you crank it (probably because of the EF86 Pre-amp tube) and if you roll back the volume it cleans up and gets a very bell like tone. I am still amazed at how responsive this amp is, it picks up every detail and emotion that you put through the strings and the variety of sounds is huge for such a simple amp.
I use a 1960 Gibson ES330 with P-90's and a 1958 Les Paul RI, and both guitars have a distinct tone when played through this pup. I've been told that Telecasters are also a great match for these, so I may be in the market for a Tele soon.

Reliability: 9
I bought this amp from a dealer in England and although it was in working order when I got it, one of the pre-amp tubes died on me a few weeks after I received it, it was an old Mullard 12au7, probably the same tube that it came out of the factory with in 1964. I've since then replaced all the pre-amp tubes with proper NOS Mullards and the amp is now tip top. These old amps are built to last, remember, the Beatles giged with these for long hours every night for entire years and the things worked like a charm.

Customer Support: N/A
No comment, Jennings Musical Instruments has not been in Business for many years.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing for over 17 years, I've owned Fenders amps, Marshalls and a few boutique amps, and this JMI Vox ac15 is the best amp I've ever owned, I can safely say that all the hype about the old Vox amps is true, and that explains the high prices they command these days. I am also lucky to have gotten such a good deal for it, these are getting very hard to find and when they do become available, they go fast. I recommend this amp to anyone that likes Matchless, TopHat, Savage, etc. A good number of those boutique amps are based on the JMI Vox model.

Submitted by ralph at 03/13/2001 18:38

Price Paid: US --- used

Features: 10
VOX AC 15 THIS AMP IS GREAT !LET'S FACE IT,LENNON COULD HAVE USED ANY AMP HE WANTED HE MADE THE AC15 CHOICE. IVE OWNED MINE FOR ABOUT A YEAR. AND IVE OWNED OTHER VOX AMPS IN THE PAST , ALL OF WHICH I LOVED ! BUT THIS AMP IS ALL AROUND THE BOSS. SOME MAY SAY IT'S TO LOW ON WATTS,BUT UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERANCE BETWEEN CLASS A AND CLASS A/B. PLUS IN A LARGE CLUB I STILL HAVE THE MIC- AND LINE OUT OPTIONS.SO NO PROBLEM WITH GETTING FULL ROOM COVERAGE.TONE IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN VOLUME !

Sound Quality: 9
I USE MANY TYPES OF AXES THROUGH THE VOX AC15 . I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE DANO'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIPSTICK TUBE PICKUPS SOUNDS LIKE THE EARLY 60'S GROOVE! ALSO A STRAT,AN OLD KAY ARCHTOP, ALL GUITARS SOUND GREAT THROUGH IT ,AT LEAST ALL MINE ,AND I'M A STICKLER FOR TONE.

Reliability: 9
NO PROBLEMS SO FAR EXCEPT ~ REVERB IS A BIT NOISY WHEN HALF WAY UP !I ALSO RUN AN RP.5 PROCESSOR THROUGH IT. AND AVIOD USING THE AMP REVERB. THIS IS SOMEWHAT DISAPIONTING DUE TO THE VOX AC15 HAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE FINEST SOUNDING REVERBS IN THE BIZZ!AND I CAN'T UTILIZE IT TO THE FULLEST. STILL I'LL SACRIFICE FOR TONES OF GOLD !

Customer Support: 5
VOX CAN BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH . CUSTOMER SERVICE ISNT WHAT IT SHOULD BE ...KORG/MARSHALL/VOX that is... MY FRIEND OWNES A RETAIL MUSIC STORE AND WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING AN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CO. OH!WELL PLENTY OF CUSTOMERS ARE READY TO JUMP ON THE VOX WAGON BUT WE CANT GET PRODUCT !they say it's what's happing again VOX SO LET'S GET THE PRODUCT OUT THEIR.VOX!!!

Overall Rating: 10
I HAVE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC PROFESSIONALLY FOR OVER 20 YEARS , I WILL 0NLY BUY VOX AMPS THEY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST !I OWN THE AC15/A BERKELEY 2/A PATHFINDER/A 2X12 BUCKINGHAM CAB/SEVERAL GUITARS/P.A.SYSTYM/RP5/KAY UPRIGHT M4 BASS/ IF MY VOX STUFF WAS STOLEN I WOULD PROBABLY START COLLECTING GUNS (HA HA !)

Submitted by CHRIS K. at 03/18/2000 09:00