Vox AC30/6TBX

Price Paid: US $1,599-

Features: 8
The "new" '63 Reissue AC30 with Blue Alnico speakers is a basic 1963-vintage amplifier remade. It is a 33-watt Vox tube amp with 3 channels- Vibrato/Tremolo, Normal, and Brilliant (Top Boost).
No Reverb, no Channel Switching, no Effects Loops and no Headphone Jack. To improve upon the original, larger valve vents and a Standby switch have been added to extend tube life. Players prioritize different features. My last amp was Fender's 100-watt, triple channel "Evil Twin"- it had everything but the Sound. Since then I have discovered that my needs are simple- I want Tone. The AC30 isn't the most versatile amplifier on the planet, it's just the best one.

Sound Quality: 10
Why buy the AC30? It's heavy, expensive and 33 watts. Because it's also TONE HEAVEN. Like the Fender Telecaster I play, it's marvelously simple and alluring. My AC30 is clean, chimey and warm. The speakers are 12 watt Alnico Blues and surprisingly loud! The AC30's distortion is the unlike anything else I've experienced- at full-tilt each string retains its individual tone- what a beautiful breakup. I play in a wedding band and the guys shout at me if the volume approaches the halfway mark. 33 watts?! The music we play spans the 40s to the present and this amp is equal to all of it. I never have played an amplifier that has the wonderful ability to bring out the mid-range and bass in my instrument- sounds I had never before heard from my Tele. Very Voxy. Some noise comes from the amp when it sits under florescent lighting, but it's not something I notice much.

Reliability: 10
This amp is built the way they used to build them. I don't worry about my Vox AC30. I have nevr had the luxury of gigging with a backup and so I have played amps that have a reputation for being reliable. It's a Vox.

Customer Support: N/A
I found that buying an AC30 can be a very difficult experience. The Vox website shows lots of European dealers and Korg USA. But Korg is simply a distributor. I live in St. Augustine, Florida and it took me some time to find North Coast Music in Wisconsin, a very reliable place to buy a Vox. There's nowhere to try out these amps. I bought mine without hearing it. You have to be willing to take a good risk. The warranty period is one year. I believe the AC30 is built to last.

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing guitar for 30+ years. I've owned Gibsons, Fenders, Martins, Taylors, Ampegs, Music Mans, etc. The AC30 is the best amplifier I've ever owned, period. Despite the long wait I endured for my amp- almost three months- I would buy my AC30 again and again. It's really a boutique amp- it's so expensive that you have to make a special commitment to own it. It's too bad that quality costs so much, but if you have to have THE TONE, you'll buy the AC30. Get the Blue Alnicos- they're worth the extra couple hundred dollars. The Greens simply aren't the real thing- I've played them both.

Submitted by Paul Goricki at 05/01/2000 14:28

Price Paid: 11900 sek

Features: 6
This 1997 made Vox ac30 is a 33 watts combo with three channels (brilliant,normal and vibtrem) but they`re not footswitchable.There is 6 inputs, hi and low for each channel. You can choose between two speaker combinations, celestion greenbacks or celestion vox blue. The Vox blue speakers are more expensive (that alnico magnet sure is`nt cheap) but they have that real Vox ac30 sound. I have the blue speakers and I am happy with it. You can run two or all three channels at the same time but I think it has the greatest sound just with the brilliant channel alone. There is no middle control but you dont need it because there is a lot of middle on all the time, so if you dont like a guitar sound with loads of middle, then this amp is nothing for you. It has`nt all the features and I don't think that you can get that many different sounds from it but it works for me.

Sound Quality: 10
I got a Gibson lespaul standard, a Gretsch silver jet, a Fender 52 vintage reuisse telecaster and a strat.I get a great sound with all of these.It`s clean sound is great with a lot of mid, and when I stomp in my Ibanez ts-9 and my Ibanez sonic distortion I get THAT sound i have been looking for. With the other amps I own I have never really used the clean channel but this amp made me allowed to do that.When I turn the volume up it has the sweetest overdrive i have ever heard, and it`s 33 watts are VERY LOUD watts. I`d just love the sound of it, it`s great.

Reliability: 8
Being a class A amp, it sure runs very hot, but with a fan behind, it won't cause any trouble. I think it is a well build amp and it looks and feels reliable.

Overall Rating: 10
I have search for a long time for the perfect sound and tone.Now I`m there. I have own several marshalls (6100,artist) a Laney vc50 and some peaveys but now I know why a lot of people choose Vox. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

Submitted by jonas at 03/26/1999 13:59

Price Paid: FIM 11000

Features: 10
Features are told many times here, so I only tell, what is my opinion... Some people say, that Vox AC30 is not very versatile amp, but I just can't imagine a thing lacking. I always play with sound undistorted, so I don't mind that there is no "gain"-knob. Vox AC30 is available with 3 different speaker configurations, and I prefer the Vox Blue speakers. 33watts of Vox is very loud 33watts.

Sound Quality: 10
I play Finnish-type surf-like music, which is often in minor. Sad songs. I use 60's reissue Stratocaster and Amtech tape-echo simulator. This is a combination you can't beat! The beautiful rich tone with a peak in a certain midrange frequency (caused by the Blue speakers) completely surrounds you! With medium gauge stringset you'll get beautiful harmonic distortion. Vox is very fast. It has great attack, and compression. For some purposes Vox is superb with Fane Classic 50 speakers.

Reliability: 9
Vox is reliable enough, if you regularly change tubes. I recommend changing tubes after 300 hours of use. There are still 60's Vox amps in use, so It can't be so difficult to maintain.

Overall Rating: 10
When I made my choice of music style, I knew I'd buy a Vox someday. I have achieved my goal. I would buy another, without hesitation if I'd somehow lose this. Only what I hate about it is the weight. Your friends suddenly finds something else to do, when they think that you are planning of carrying Vox off the stage. Hovever, a small guy can carry it alone...

Submitted by Sami Jokela at 01/04/1998 21:48

Price Paid: US $1299.00

Features: 8
The Vox AC30 is versatile enough for what my band plays. Our style is rock and punk and the Vox fits right in. I use a variety of guitars: a Gibson SG, an old '86 Japenese made Fender strat, a Fender Tele and a 330 Rickenbacker (for the jangle) and each guitar sounds excellent through this amp. The AC30 has three separate chanels with two inputs each: the Brilliant channel, the Normal channel and the Vib-Trem channel. All three channels can be hooked together to increase the volume, but i think it sounds better and loud enough to use one channel. There is no channel switching but a good overdrive or distorion pedal will do wonders. There's no effects loop or headphone jack, but i don't miss either one. The only features i wish this amp had were standard treble, bass and middle controls. Instead there is a cut switch (it seems to act as a prescence control and works for each of the three channels), and for the brilliant channel there is the addition of bass and treble control. These two function together in subtle ways and can be very versatile or a huge headache. I use this amp for rehearsing, live shows and recording and it has enough power (it's rated at 33 watts and it's a pretty loud 33 watts).

Sound Quality: 10
The Vox sounds like God himself has blessed your amp, your guitar and you. It's the sweetest sound I've ever heard. It can be noisy, it seems to have a hum to it that is worse with flourescent lights. The sound breaks up into the sweetest overdrive as you crank up the volume. this amp responds well to your touch and depending on how you stike the strings, hard or soft, it responds.

Reliability: N/A
I've only owned the amp for a short time, so. . .it does seem to run very hot and I compensate by placing a small fan behind the back of the amp to help cool off the tubes.

Customer Support: N/A
I bought this amp from Renegade Music Company out of Florida. The UPS man, who argued with me about which was the front door and which was the back door of my apartment, had turned the package upside down. The footswitch broke the rectifier tube so I couldn't play the amp after I got it. I called the company and spoke with Frank and he is sending me new tubes free of charge. of course, I couldn't wait and went and bought a new rectifier tube. So, the company I bought the amp from has been very helpful. I'm not sure how long the warranty is, I filled out the card and mailed it in but I can't remember any of that information.

Overall Rating: 10
Yes, I would buy it again. I love the sweet tones and overall sound. The only thing I hate is the cost. It's a shame that such a beautiful sounding amp has to cost so much money. Also, this amp is HEAVY. It's a hernia inducing beast for sure. I played my first vox amp about three years ago in a music store next to a Marshall 30watt 1X12, a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier, a Laney stack and a Fender tube combo (I think it was a blues deluxe). I prefered the sound of the vox over all of these. This amp comes with three handles which makes carrying the heavy beast a little more manageable.

Submitted by Scott Jewell at 12/09/1996 15:19

Price Paid: US $1600

Features: 7
Being a re-issue of an amp designed in the late 50s, the Vox's controls are bound to seem strange to anyone accustomed to more modern amps. There are three channels (Normal, Brilliant, and Vib-Trem), but only the Brilliant channel has tone controls. All you get on the other two is volume and a treble cut, which works on all three channels in the power stage. The Vib-Trem channel offers both vibrato (pitch modulation) and tremolo (volume modulation). There's a selector switch and three speeds available for each. The one thing I miss is a master volume control. Sure, it's a vintage reproduction, but the AC30 sounds beautiful as it begins to overdrive, and I dial in that sound in my living room.

Sound Quality: 10
There's no way to describe that sound unless you've heard it, and no way to forget it either. It's fatter than most other amps I've tried, and the attack is more crisp. When you get the amp into overdrive it has the sweetest tone I've ever heard. This thing wont do metal grunge, but overdriven it still has a great sound. I wouldnt call it the most versatile amp in the world, but on the other hand, people from a whole lot of different styles use them (everybody from The Beatles to Brian May of Queen to Tom Petty to Rory Gallagher to Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt).

Reliability: N/A
I've only had mine three months, so who knows. Because the tubes operate in Class A (i.e., they run superhot) the originals have a reputation for blowing up. I think the newer ones are supposed to be more reliable.

Customer Support: N/A
No contact yet.

Overall Rating: 9
When I bought this amp, I tested it side-by-side against several others: a Matchtless C30 and Clubman, a Mesa Blue Angel, a Fender Super and Pro-Sonic. The only one of those which comes close is the Matchless C30 (which is really an improved clone) which has the master volume but also costs a lot more. The Vox and the Matchless are the two best-sounding amps I've ever heard. They wont do everything but they do what I need. (And with a good pedal you can get the rest.) If I had it to do over again and I had an extra thousand dollars to burn, I'd buy the Matchless with that master volume control. Barring that, I'd definitely buy this amp.

Submitted by Will Miner at 06/10/1996 12:56

Price Paid: US $1,350.00

Features: N/A
One of the "true" vintage re-issues available. After several false-starts with good intentions is seems Korg has been very diligent with keeping the AC-30 top boost a straight forward class A amplifier. It has the touch dynamics that you expect from this design. Any deviation from the original design seems to have been done solely for the reliability aspect.

Sound Quality: N/A
How do you describe the VOX AC-30 sound? It has been used in so many musical styles that it can be hard to classify. You can get the "jangly" top end that doesn't seem as tinny as most amps would with the high-end coming through. The mid-range is smooth in character and the low-end seems to stay amazingly tight for a 33 watt amplifier. This is one amp that you can manipulate well with your guitars controls alone!

Reliability: N/A
What can I say? So far, so good. One of the improvements in the AC-30 reissue is a larger vent panel on the top of the amplifier. Class A designs run hot by nature and not having proper ventilation is asking for trouble! As far as constuction goes it is solidly built. As a matter of fact, As a matter of fact, they are acually built in the Marshall factory!

Customer Support: N/A
Korg is the USA distributor. They are a large musical equipment company that has been distributing Marshall for many years. I expect that this speaks well for support and parts availability. As a matter of fact there are a slew of places that supply parts for vintage VOX gear.

Overall Rating: N/A
After going through over a dozen amps over the years it's ironic that I go all the way back to a design from 1964 for my mainstay amplifier. Great tone, well built, and solid resale value (not that I plan on selling it). It's a keeper!

Submitted by John Reaume at 02/16/1996 09:30