Vox AC30CC2 212 Combo

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A

Sound Quality: N/A
This is a follow up to my last review....well I got the Celestion Alnico Blue speakers yesterday and installed them (not easy to do in this amp!) the speakers cost me about $475 for two of em' shipped. Yep, it is money well spent...it is worth the extra money. The stock 'Winkerbean' or 'Wharferdale' speakers aren't bad, but, in comparison to the blues they sound flubby and muddy. The Celestion Blues are all that!!! especially in this amp, very silky smooth and EXTREMELY articulate even with tons of distortion! VERY, VERY NICE!!! Keeps the low end articulation (low strings upper fretboard) better than any speaker I have used, sure it is a bit of a 'squished' frequency spectrum compared to alot of speakers but the Celestion Blues keep everything so silky smooth and sweet! I have ALOT more control over my sound from my fingers on the strings (if that makes any sense?) Not the speaker of choice if you want barky, harsh and 'in-your-face' sound. Expensive, but if you have the dough and want the best sound from this amp the 'Blues' are the ticket.

Reliability: N/A
I hope this thing can handle some gigs, the EL84s run rather hot so....changing tubes is dang hard to get at! I broke a (real thin and cheap) screw off in the back plate trying to re-attach it after changing out the preamp tubes :(

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
With the Celestion Blue speakers this amp is that much better. Keep in mind that the Celestion Blue speakers arent as 'loud' as the stock speakers, you will give up just a little bit of volume. A worthy trade-off in my opinion! (BTW the speakers are 8 ohm each in series, a 16 ohm load).

Submitted by Jim at 05/06/2005 07:14

Price Paid: US $999

Features: 10
This amp has alot of 'features' and versatility that the original AC30s don't have (channel stacking, reverb, 1/2 power tube switch, etc..). One HEAVY mutha...tubes are hard to get at.

Sound Quality: 10
This amp, even with the cheap speakers, sounds awesome! It can get a real 'presence' in your face crunch or a smooth and 'chimy' break-up exactly like Edge from U2. The reverb is OK and the tremolo is OK (both aren't great but usable). The 'warm' setting (switched on the back panel) and the 'top boost' channel stacking selection, using a strat (single coils) gets a real silky-chime EXACTLY nailing the U2 sounds of early recordings (add an analog delay and 'Bobs your Uncle' your there!). I take a point off because the amp has the typical AC30 noise/hiss especially exagerated when top boost is increased (the best sound ALWAYS comes at a cost...). This will give a sound guy problems when mixing a live situation and when recording...I changed the preamp tubes (3-12ax7s) to JAN-Philips mil-spec tubes and the tone and response is MUCH better, but the noise is still there (the 'hiss' is obviously a 'circuit' problem and not a tube problem as I have had these tubes in my Matchless DC30 and perfectly quiet). I actually like the sound of this amp MUCH better than my DC30 Matchless, I wish it were as quiet though :( I add a point for the amp being made for less than a thousand bucks (even though it is made in China and I don't particularly like to 'invest' in their economy...) the amp is heavy, made well, designed well, sounds GREAT!!! and I got free shipping from Musician's Friend so...I am very happy with it!

Reliability: N/A
This is the BIGGEST question....if this amp can handle a few road bumps and bruises it will be VERY POPULAR because it sounds so smooth and silky.

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know...

Overall Rating: 10
I have a pair of Celestion Alnico Blues on the way, I will install one and compare with the stock 'Winkerbean' speaker(s). I was able to save $125 by buying the blues separate. This amp is surprisingly great with the cheapo speakers but I expect it to be that much better when the blues arrive. This amp probably isn't a good choice for death metal or harsh 'throaty' type of distortion, but for smooth, pleasing very musical sounds...this amp is versatile and sounds great! The only 'chink' (no 'racial' pun intended) in it's armor is the noise/hiss issue.

Submitted by Jim at 05/05/2005 07:54

Price Paid: US $1000

Features: 9
This is a new, 2005 VOX AC30CC2,(low serial number ...245) with the Wharfedale speakers. I couldn't see spending an extra $600 for a pair of the blue AlNiCo Celestions, when I can buy a pair and install them myself for $200 cheaper, or buy a pair of the new Eminence Red Coats. I don't think I'd want to, however. Like an earlier reviewer posted, they really do sound great! I A/B'd the stock speakers w/a 2x12 cab loaded w/the Red Coats. I found the Wharfedale's to be more articulate than the Red Coats, believe it or not. As for features, this is far and away the most feature-laden amp Vox has ever made. The only amp that comes close is the now-discontinued Vox AC 15, which I also have. I think it was guinea-pig of sorts, because out of the AC 15, we got the control panel for the much bally-hooed AC 30HWj, and now an even MORE knob-happy AC30CC. Anyhoo, I'm a blues player... think Anson Funderburgh, Jimmie Vaughan, Freddie King, Ronnie Earl, Kid Ramos... you get the idea. I'm very much a guitar-cable-amp kinda guy, so yes, this thing has more than enough features for me. What I was intrigued with was the various levels and textures of gain one could get on this thing with relative ease. I'm a relatively clean player most of the time, and am quite happy with this amp's ability to go from just a little bit of grit to all out gain, at relatively listener-friendly volumes. If it's any kind of benchmark, my other main amp is a '98 Fender Vibro King, which I keep around 3.5 on the dial.

Sound Quality: 9
My main guitar is a '95 Fender Custom Shop 50's Relic strat with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots. I've also got a Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean, and occassionaly get to borrow my buddy's '96 Gibson Historic '56 Les Paul Goldtop w/Lollar P-90's (it SCREAMS, and is defined at the same time). The Vox' strengths, as far as I'm concerned, are it's level of articulation, and where it sits in a given mix. When you play a note, you hear that note in a very-well defined way. It's frequency response also occupies a very specific stratum in a sonic spectrum: midrange. It plunks right down in the middle of everything, and won't be denied. As such, it cuts through the mix very nicely. Is it as good as a $3000 Matchless or other Vox-inpired boutique amp? Probably not, but it's 1/3 the price!! It's a perfect back-up for my Vibro King.

Reliability: N/A
The reliability is unkown at this point. I've played it a few times at various gigs, and have had no problems yet. I don't mind saying that I'm a little bit nervous about Chinese, pc board amp... a reassuring fact, however, is its weight. It weighs almost as much as any similar Matchless I've played. Also, as another reviewer posted, the tubes are chassis mounted, and NOT mounted to the pc board. In addition, it's VERY similar in physical dimension to the orginal Voxes from years past.

Customer Support: N/A
No experience yet. I hope I don't have any.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for about 15 years total, about 5 years professionally (here in Austin, TX). If the amp were stolen/lost, I'd immediately invoke the Lords of Karma to punish the party/parties responsible, then go back and buy another one. Loves: PRICE, tone, flexibility. Hate: weight (this thing is HEAVY, plus Vox tolex is notorious for tearing easily. I can think of no other amp in its price range that can match the Vox for tone and features. Buy one before they get popular, and ye shall be cool.

Submitted by Scott Unzicker at 04/27/2005 13:48

Price Paid: US $1000.00

Features: 10
What more do you need in an AC-30? 33 watt and 22 watt settings. Blendable channels from the original to top boost. Trem and Reverb and the very transparent master volume, along with a great effects loop, its all I need and then some.

Sound Quality: 10
WOW is all I can say, I had high hopes that this amp would be great but it has far exceded my expectations. I use a Gibson Les Paul Classic, 62 Reissue Deluxe Fender Telecaster, Vintage Ibanez Blazer strat style. I also use alot of pedals, the signal goes like this: Shure UHF wireless into my Boss TU-2 tuner, Budda Bud Wah, Pharaoh Class A Boost, Visual Sounds Jekyl & Hyde (red version), then to the front end of the amp, in the loop the siganl goes into Fulltone Supra Trem, Boss HR-2 Harmonist, MXR EVH Phase 90, Boss DD-5 delay, Aphex Guitar Exciter, Custom made volume pedal. Im using the top boost channel at 100% and the master at about 1/2 to 1/4 depending on the situation, and the amp on the low power (22 watt) setting. With the Les Paul I am getting almost Marshall tone with the Vox chime thrown into the mix, and did I say how responsive this thing is using the guitars volume. These come with EH power tubes, a Sovtek rectifier and chinese preamp tubes. I had two NOS Mullard shield 12AX7 tubes and a new JJ Tesla so I loaded these into the amp, the Mullards in posistions 1 & 2 and the JJ in the 3rd position, WOW the harmonics are unreal!!! The trem is wonderful maybe could go a bit faster, and the reverb is nice an lush. I could rant all night about this amp, but I have never owned anything this sweet and Ive had alot of gear, from Orange, Marshall, Fender, Egnater, Top Hat and well way to much stuff, this one is a keeper for sure!!

Reliability: 10
Its new but its very well built, the power tubes are not mounted on a PCB they are directly mounted to the chassis, very good design, and all the components look to be of high quality. I dont expect any issues. The cabinet is bult like a rock and its all quality wood no partical board, very nice!!!!

Customer Support: N/A
Not needed so far.

Overall Rating: 10
Of course these were just released so this is a homeymoon review, I have been through alot of gear so I know good tone and good quality, this has everything I need and then some, go try one out youll see what Im talking about, and no I dont work for the company, Im a paramedic who lives in Missouri and plays for the love of music.

Submitted by Chris Hoover at 04/18/2005 21:22

Price Paid: US $999

Features: 7
Standard ac30 minus all the inputs with a load of useless features for an average guitarist. Madie in 2005, It really isnt to versatile but if you want the vox sound this is it. 2 channels normal and top boost. It has more than enough power for me.

Sound Quality: 9
This amp really sounds amazing i could only imagine what it would sound like with good tubes and better speakers. Also my guitar has really hot pickups in it so it would def. sound smoother with a strat or a gibson les paul with 57 classics in it. There is some hum but that is to be expected with any ac30. The distortion is very mellow not brutal at all.

Reliability: 5
I don't know ive only had it for a couple of days.

Customer Support: 7
Its alright but it could be better.

Overall Rating: 5
Alright here is where i get angry i no longer have my amp yeh i had my dream amp that ive been waiting for 10 months for 4 days, do you want me to tell you why i don't have it anymore? Well anyways VOX could really care less about how a package gets to you and what kind of packing is involved this amp was shipped in a single box!! With flimsy cheapo foam corner protectors thats ALL, So when i got it was beat to all hell (thanks UPS) the reverb didnt work and there was crackling on the channels. So here is what we learned by this go out and buy an amp from a company that actually cares about there customers- THANKS ALOT VOX!

Submitted by Dan Kelley at 04/17/2005 19:36

Price Paid: US $999

Features: 8
Very versatile, especially for an AC30. The master volume is great, and makes it possible to get all the AC30 tones at playable levels. Other featurs include channel link switch, Top Boost and Normal Channels, Reverb, Trem, switchable smoothing and output bias. w/vox 30w speakers.

Sound Quality: 10
I'm using a Les Paul DC Standard with a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat (p90 retrofitted into a standard sized humbucker) in the bridge, and a humbucker in the neck. It sounds awesome. Sounds like an AC30, as it should, but much more versatile. Master Volume is completely transparent. Reverb and Trem are decent and usable. This amp has great clarity, and unbelievable harmonic content. If you sit down with an AC30 for an hour, you'll understand what i mean. more than enough gain at reasonable levels. Goes from Chimey crystal clean to punk rock crunch, all at usable volume levels. If you have an AC30, you know what this amp sounds like, but now you don't need a hotplate to actually use it. I would go so far as to say that this amp could be used for every style of music. From Jazz to Metal. the 2x12 combo configuration doesn't fare well for heavier styles, but if you had the head and a closed back 4x12, i wouldn't be surprised at all if you could play hardcore or metal with it. The speakers i this amp are the biggest surprise. they sound great. very rich, like a g12h-30. They really handle the chime and the bite without any hint of brittle break up. I really wish the ratings when higher than 10 in this category, cause this amp might be 100!! If you are looking to spend about a grand on an amp, get this amp. you absolutely cannot get a better amp brand new for less than a grand than this one.

Reliability: N/A
Who knows? They just came out.

Customer Support: N/A
No experience

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for over 15 years. If this amp were stolen or lost, i'd cry. Even if something were to go wrong with it, i'd still love it. It's kind of like a cute little kid. No matter what it does, you can't stay mad at it. It just sounds that good. Almost bought an Orange AD30TC. This thing is far superior. Some advice for all those considering AC30 style amps...if you want an AC30, get an AC30, nothing else sounds like one. It is easy to group all 30 watt el84 "class a" amps together and assume they all sound similar to an AC30. They don't. Only an AC30 sounds like an AC30. An Orange AD30 sounds nothing like an AC30 (actually sounds more like a 2203 marshall). Same with Matchless and Bad Cat. A Valvetronix sounds more like an AC30 than any of these. I think there are certain "flaws" in the signal that other manufacturers "correct" when they make they're AC30 based amps. It's these flaws, like the subtle ghost notes and honk, that make the AC30 sound so rich complex. play one, you'll like it. and if you don't want a 2x12 combo, get the head and a cab.

Submitted by griggernj at 04/15/2005 09:34

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 10
This amp has all the features that I need. Through the use of several switch settings and pot settings you get all the sounds that the AC30 has ever offered plus some. Additional features include reverb and tremolo.

Sound Quality: 10
The sound of this amp is nothing short of incredable. Great top end, mids and lows. Extremely well balanced with great natural tube distortion and clean when you want it. So far I've tried it with an American Stratocaster, Gibson ES135 and a Ric 360 12 string and I get the sounds I've been looking for but never got until now.

The suprise of the day is the speaker voicing. Never heard of Wharfedale before but these speakers ROCK!

Reliability: N/A
A lot of thought seems to have gone into the design. As all electronics these day use circuit boards so too does the AC30CC2. However, it is clear to anyone with an electronics background, that Vox did the boards right and I do not expect any problems. For those that are concerned about jacks mounted on circuit boards, Vox has given them their own little sub board to eleminate flexing issues and other problems. Time will tell how reliable this amp is but I expect it to be good.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I'm glad I told the owner at my favorite local music store about this amp because he told me thanks for the info when they came in 9 months later and gave me an extra discount for letting him know about them.

If this amp was stolen I would replace it with exactly the same. I always loved the Vox sound and this amp gives me everything I want plus some. As far as I'm concerned this is the best sounding amp at any price and the price is a steal.

If you ever wanted an AC30 Amp, this the one to get. You will not regret it. This amp has THE Tone!

I can't come up with anything negative to say about this amp.

Submitted by John at 04/13/2005 15:57