Vox AC-1 Mini Combo

Price Paid: US $25.00 used

Features: 9
This amp is a mini-amp by Vox that has just what it needs. How could anyone expect more than volume, cut, and gain, headphone jack, battery power and a/c power from a $35 amp? I played it at about half volume in the living room and my wife heard it in the bedroom with the door closed and window unit air conditioner going and she thought it was my Fender Champ! This little solid state one-watter is worth more than the asking price. It may not have loads of features, but for the price and the fact that what it has works excellent, I give it a 9 in this category.

Sound Quality: 10
I use a Epi Casino with this amp and it likes the middle pickup the best. I love the clean voxy sound and it will give you some light distortion at higher volumes. The amp sounds much larger than what it is. By itself, it is not for metal but for a good clean amp with tone--that's right--tone, this baby is a winner. You can always add a distortion pedal. I've been playing for nearly 30 years and I give this little bad boy a 10.

Reliability: 9
Mine is 3 years old. It looks and sounds like new. I plan on trying it out on a small crowd of maybe 20 people with my effects board. I'm confident it will be heard. It is a plastic amp with a nice grill clothes over the speakers. Obviously, you want to be careful with any amp. You wouldn't want to sit on it!

Customer Support: N/A
Bought mine used.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been at it 28 years and own a Casino guitar, Peavey DB 115, Fender Champ, Digitech RP-2000 at this time. I would buy another one of these amps in a minute. I love the fact that it is so light and small and can produce sounds equal to much larger amps up to a certain volume. It has wonderful tone. I did my homework on this one reading reviews on this site and asking around on the Fender forum. The majority of fingers pointed out the Vox AC-1 mini amp as the best in the bunch of mini amps for under $50. When I say majority I'm saying 8 out of 10 at least chose this amp over all the other mini amps from my sample. This won me over. Plus, I like Vox products and this just re-inforced my opinion of Vox products. This may very well get most of my playing time. I wish I had bought one sooner. May not have even needed the other larger amps. Try one and see what I'm talking about. You will find yourself asking: how can so much good tone come from such a small inexpensive little box?

Submitted by mike baggett at 06/16/2004 08:38

Price Paid: US $34.99

Features: 7
it has volume, gain, and tone(cut) knobs. it is what i intended on buying. the reviews preceding this one were accurate. it gets loud enough to bounce around the walls of your apartment. at least you don't hear the strings rattling over the top of it. it has a 1/8 inch headphone jack, and an outlet for a 9v adapter(not included)

Sound Quality: 9
i've played through it with a gibson sg, and a gibson es-125(p-90, neck position). it sounds good. it get's semi-clean with the gain all of the way down, and the volume up. turn the volume on the guitar down, like any one of you would, and it gets clean. it is very treble heavy. the E, B, and D strings are prominant. it has a good crunch when you crank it. it is a smooth distortion like the postcard-sized instruction sheet claimed. i plugged a turbo rat into it, which gives a lot of volume boost, and the speakers could handle it. i tried it compared to a fender mini-deluxe, and overall it sounded better, but the fender's distortion was much thicker, but the fender would crap out on the bottom e string. all in all, it is worth 35.00.

Reliability: 4
it's entirely plastic. the fabric that imitates grill cloth is as well a synthetic blend. it looks like it could be cheap and easy to build a wood cabinet for the amp, but i haven't taken it apart yet. it's heavier than i thought it would be, it is thick plastic. perhaps it could be dropped from waist level on a linoleum floor and remain intact.

Customer Support: N/A
if you call for customer support on this i hope you record it.

Overall Rating: 9
it is exactly what i wanted. and it sounded better than i thought it would. definitely worth the money.

Submitted by Anonymous at 08/05/2003 19:30

Price Paid: 85 (Australian)

Features: 5
You've seen the features from the reviews below. Basic features but very versatile for a battery amp. Great little amp. I actually did a small solo gig at a friends party with it (no drums). Really good tone control, you can really tailor the sounds to your liking. The volume control is not a simple roll off type control, it is an interactive part of the circuit and when dimed it gives you a beautiful power amp sounding overdrive. The gain is good for adding more or less dirt. Housing is not so good, plastic and not all that solid. Can get rattly when you crank it. Solution, see below.

Sound Quality: 10
I loved the sound of this but didn't like the speakers. So I housed the guts in a home made stomp box. I added a level control (simple roll of pot) to turn the level down for other stomp boxes I have hooked up after it. I keep the volume control maxed to give that spongy feel to my sound and adjust gain and tone to suit. I love it as a mild overdrive unit to give clean sounds a bit of dirt. Won't do metal, but hey, its a Vox. Brilliant for blues, classic rock etc, anything where low to mediium levels of dirt are required. I love using it with a clean amp setting. I use a V-Amp 2 and regardless of what clean amp setting I use it give me that characteristic Vox tone.

Reliability: 7
The speakers are small and glued to the plastic housing. The plastic also rattled. It sounds awesome through larger speakers. Apart from the cheap plastic and speakers (which I don't use anymore) the construction seems really good. It's all PCB mounted but very solid and the pots are all smooth and crackle free.

Customer Support: N/A
Never needed it so I can't comment.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 5 years now. Owned quite a bit of gear in my time and have now settled into a home recording setup. Got lots of pedals that go into a V-Amp 2 then to a mixer (or hard disk recorder), power amp (with subwoofer) and home made speaker boxes (woofer and tweeter). My guitars are Gibson Flying V, Gibson Blueshawk, ESP LTD MH201, Ibanez 1976 SG Copy, '80s Hohner Les Paul Copy, Custom Made Stratocaster. All guitars sound great with the Vox AC1 stomp box. I love it and find myself using it more than any of my other 15 or so pedals. I bought it on a whim and it has become a staple of my sound. Couldn't ask more of it. For less than the price of an average stomp box it sounds fantastic, better than any I have tried. I also play through a Marshall JH-1, Vox Distortion Booster and Mica Fuzzder (old '70s fuzz). I play mainly indie/alternative pop/rock with a hint of blues.

Submitted by geoff at 06/01/2003 21:14

Price Paid: 31 (pounds) used

Features: 7
Cheap plastic toy that looks like a miniature AC30. 2 tiny speakers, gain, volume & cut (tone) controls. Headphone jack & ac adapter jack.

Some attention to detail (fake vents, handles, chicken-head knobs, back panels etc), but if only they'd put the jack on the other side and made the panel copper-coloured!

Sound Quality: 9
I use it with a 50s Classic Tele and an Epi Dot. The first thing I noticed when I plugged in my Tele - it buzzes like a real amp! The next thing I noticed was that it actually sounds like a Vox. That's not to say that it sounds like an AC30, just that it has that Vox character. It overdrives very smoothly, much better than my first 5W solid state practice amp, and even better than the clean channel on an all-valve Marshall DSL combo (which was very harsh). Very loud for its size as well, but obviously, some bass will be missing from a box that size. Miked up with an SM57 and a hint of reverb it rocks! I want to disconnect the speakers and wire the output into my AC15's 2x10"s... I also like picking it up and holding it to my Dot's F-holes to get some tuneful feedback! The interaction of the gain/volume is remarkably similar to my AC15 in that it gets more overdriven as the volume is turned up, with a limit to how much overdrive you can get from maxing the gain at a low volume.

Reliability: 8
Would I gig with it without a backup? I could probably use it as a backup, as long as there was a decent PA.
I opened it up and it's only a couple of transistors and some resistors & capacitors. Looks impressively solid & well-built.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I used to own a '62 AC30, now I have an AC15RI for recording and stuff (no gigging), so I chose this mainly because the Vox sound (and look) is a big part of my sound. I have the AC1 on my mantlepiece, so I can noodle away while I watch tv. It's a cheap plastic toy, but I reckon it's a notch above similar cheap plastic toys.

Submitted by Rhys Williams at 03/14/2003 16:20

Price Paid: US $45

Features: 9
gain, tone, volume
Rating it a 9, because itīs not very versatile. Itīs just what it is, and itīs pretty fine for the matter.

Sound Quality: 9
I used a american strat and a les paul.
This amp sounds better with the strat.
The amp it self has an excellent tone considering itīs size, the speaker, and the features. You can have a good clean sound. In fact, very good. If you crank the volume you get something like a poweramp distortion. if you crank the gain, you have something like a preamp distortion and the sound gets fuller.
Thereīs not a great amount of bass frequencies, but i think itīs due to the speakers too.
Iīm going to connect it to my marshall 1960A when i have time to see how it behaves.
I was told this amp sounds amazing with a 12" speaker.

When i crank it loud... it makes some buzz. I took of the battery door and some has disappeared. But thereīs still some, like if it was going to break.
Anyway, this is about sound.. and the sound is really Fantastic for itīs size.
Yes, itīs Voxey like. Maybe good for recording too.
But no, itīs not like an Ac-30. Letīs say it reminds it...

Rating it a 9, because itīs a small amp for practice.

Ps - ITīS LOUD. the midrange blows it away!

Reliability: 5
Seems fragile. Made of plastic..
Donīt overcrank it and make sure it wont fall off the table.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with them.

Overall Rating: 10
Itīs a great practice amp.
Itīs able much more than practice. I guess it will be good for recording too.
Anyway, excellent.

Submitted by Franco at 01/29/2003 13:04

Price Paid: US $35

Features: 7
PLEASE VIEW ALL COMMENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS BEING A $35, 90% PLASTIC AMP!!!

Cool looking, pretty functional practice amp that delivers decent tone at a volume that won't wake up the kids or wife. Volume, Gain, Cut (works the reverse of the std treble control), 2 speakers (I think) and a 9V battery or adapter. It's a cheap practice amp that does the job it's designed to do.

Sound Quality: 6
I play a variety of guitars but mostly a stock MIJ Strat with this little Vox. It sounds fine for what it is, but don't overcrank it or it sounds like sh*t. You can get a reasonable clean sound (which you can't with my other mini amp - a Smokey) and the overdriven tone is pretty good as well.

Reliability: 5
It feels fragile, I wouldn't want to drop it. Conversely, I've dropped my Smokey many times but it's built like a tank. The guitar input is on top of the amp and a cord with a metal jack makes the amp unstable and prone to falling over every time you move - don't put it too close to the edge of the table!!!

Customer Support: N/A
I've not dealt with Korg.

Overall Rating: 10
OK, this is a very cool looking amp. Does it sound like a vintage Vox? NO (I own 3). Does it sound decent for late night practice? YES. Is it a bargain at $35? ABSOLUTELY. Nice product, better vlaue for money than Smokey and better tone than the Marshal MS-2.

A RANT: Folks who use this site and just give everything a 10 because the product they are reviewing is their current favorite toy aren't doing other Harmony Central users a favor. Some of the reviews of this amp are just plain silly. Harmony Central is a great resource and people should be more objective in their reviews.

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/14/2003 13:57

Price Paid: US $20.00

Features: 10
Features: 10

Assume this amp was made 2000-2002. Was looking for a quiet practice amp for late-night practicing and this VOX AC-1 fits the bill perfectly.

Single channel, Volume, Cut(treble), and Gain. Has headphone jack and AC adaptor input. Also has the funky cloth diamond-quilt speaker cloth just like the legendary AC-30.

Plenty of power! This thing can bark!

Sound Quality: 10
Sounds: 10

Use a Fender 62 Telecaster Custom RI with this mini-amp. AC-1 has outstanding 'clean' tones, with the typical VOXY chime. The cool thing is, to make this thing really distort you got to crank both the 'Gain' and 'Volume' controls, just like with a real tube amp.

Very sweet 'chime' with clean settings, raucous distortion when fully cranked. Overall, this amp has killer tones for such a small mini-amp.

Reliability: 10
Reliability: 10

I don't think this amp is suitable for gigging, unless perhaps you were accompanying the Singing Nun in a tiny prayer chapel.

As far as reliability goes, as long as you don't drive over it with a pick-up truck it should last forever. The only maintenance is replacing the 9 volt battery. I use the 9 volt adaptor so that's not an issue.

Customer Support: 10
Customer Support: 10

I’ve dealt with VOX/KORG in the past and they have always been very friendly and helpful. As I already stated, I can't conceive of this AC-1 having any problems, it's very well built.

Overall Rating: 10
Overall Rating: 10

I've been playing for just over a year now. I already own a VOX Cambridge 30, which sounds terrific too, but is a bit loud for practicing at night. If it were stolen, I'd replace it in a second if I could still find one...sadly, VOX recently discontinued this little beauty.

For $20, just can't beat the value of this AC-1. To be truthful, I usually reach for this amp first anymore when I practice. Hook it up to a multi-effects pedal, like the AX1G, and this thing realy rocks out. Believe me, even just stand-alone, with great clean tone, and terrific overdrive distortion when you crank it, the AC-1 makes a perfect and very economical practice amp.

lr**
Michael Behuniak
Seattle, WA
Dec 29,2002

Submitted by Michael Behuniak at 12/29/2002 17:11

Price Paid: US $35

Features: 10
2002 Vox AC-1 mini amp. Volume, treble cut, and gain. Headphone jack and DC In that proves much more useful than the 9 volt battery. (see reliability. Simple design (but it's a mini-amp, c'mon, you don't pay for the features) but totally versatile and balsy. The treble cut really only seems to be useful while playing with clean settings. When the gain is up, you won't notice too much of a change. For what it is ($35 dollar toy, when it comes down to it) nothing beats it.

Sound Quality: 10
I play through a G&L 2002 custom Comanche (unbelievable), Epiphone Elite Les Paul, and Dean Avalanche as a backup. This baby sounds sweet and really reacts well to any pickup combinations you throw at it. If you tweak it right, you can get a huge range of sounds, and they're all pretty decent. I've had the Marshall MS-1 (Decent distortion but low volume level and terrible clean) and Fender Mini Twin (great in it's own right, especially distorted, but not nearly as good tone in my opinion) and the Vox blows them away. As others have mentioned, it really is Voxy. The clean begins to break up right about at half volume but that only creates a wider array of overdrive to work with. (besides, the volume control on your guitar can compensate greatly for the breakup and you can get some fairly damn loud clean and overdrive out of this.) I play thousands of styles of music, but blues, jazz, and acoustic comprise most of my playing. This is definetly a blues amp. It's got terribly smooth gain that is a joy to work with in chords and soloing. Oh yeah, THIS BABY GETS SOME GREAT FEEDBACK!!!! It really blew my mind. Turn it up, position your guitar in front of it and let it wail. crazy....

Reliability: 10
Right, so when I opened up and plugged in, I immediatly noticed a rattling while I was playing, that I found to be very annoying. I figured it was just the sound of the amp considering that it's a plastic toy (although very detailed and beautiful) but I found out about 30 seconds later that it was the 9Volt cover. I play now through an AC adapter, with the cover off. kind of gay, but definetly nothing to fret about. I figure this amp will never break. I've dropped it more than a few times and it's still just as good as the day I purchased it. I might mic it at a gig for a song or two just as a joke, although I've heard it gets great sounds through an extension cab.....hmmmmmmmm.

Customer Support: 10
It's $35 dollars. Who the hell would call costumer service. if it broke, i'd buy another one in an instant.

Overall Rating: 10
I'm 18 and have only been playing for the last 4 years. My other equipment includes a Crate Blue Voodoo half stack, (Not quite good, but trying really hard to be) Vox Valvetronix AD120 (quite possibly the best sounding, most fun amp I've ever played through) and various recording and PA equipment. Overall, I've got to give this a very high rating. For what it's worth, nothing even comes close. Vox nailed this little mo fo fo sho......right. They're fun too. get one.

Submitted by Jonathan Branham at 12/02/2002 15:38

Price Paid: US $29

Features: 8
This ia a mini amp, similar to others made by Fender, Marshall, Danelectro, etc. Volume, tone, and overdrive controls. The one feature I wish it had is some sort of tilt-back stand,as it can tip over easily, and the weight of a guitar cable is enough to move it around easily. Two speakers, and a very good looking front grille with Vox logo. It does have a headphone mini-jack.

Sound Quality: 9
I've used it with Fender, Gibson, and Parker guitars so far. I own a few og these mini amps (Fender, Danelectro, Smokey, Prime). Most of them are good enough at distortion to double as fuzz boxes, but can't do clean tones well. The Fender Mini Twin gets AMAZING distortion for its size.

Yhe Vox is just the opposite. Its tones range from clean to a crunchy overdrive. Any harder distortion, even at high volume, would have to be done by an external pedal. If the clean sound is what you're looking for, you won't find a better mini amp than the AC-1.

Reliability: N/A
Don't know, but at the price, who cares?

Customer Support: N/A
Bice web site.

Overall Rating: 9
I own about 20 guitars. I like these portable mini amps for portable/travel/outdoor use, and for playing without annoying my wife. This and the Fender Mini Twin are my favorites - this one for clean and the Fender for distortion.

Submitted by Bob DeGrande at 07/09/2002 17:52

Price Paid: US $20

Features: 7
Plug in and it turns on. Volume, Gain & Cut controls. Headphone jack not on top (would be more convenient.) I'm not aware of the adapter plug in, probably overlooked it because I just assumed it was 9-volt only - will have to try one out.

Sound Quality: 9
The key to this little amp, as was stated before me, is the TONE. When I opened the box (don't know what I was expecting because I had never seen one, maybe something a little bigger) I thought that this little toy would just sound awful. This thought was seconded by a friend who plays and laughed his ass off when he saw it. I WAS SO WRONG! This little bugger Kicks Ass, especially when you turn up the gain. Classic distortion and it DOES GET LOUD!

It's quite remarkable for it's size. As much as I like it, I have to give it a 9 because when the gain is turned down to provide a clean sound the output level still has to be kept down to keep it from breaking up. BUT when I plugged in my Overdrive pedal (Boss OD-1), keeping the gain down and just using the level for more volume I got a much louder clean sound. Also, the Cut control is pretty much useless. When you turn it up it just gives you a muddy, compressed sound. So don't bother with it, leave it all the way down.

I have only played through it with my Jap Strat (Hot Rails/single/single), because I'm using it as a practice amp at a cabin that I have, but for Rock & Blues I think it's great. You won't get a "modern" buzzsaw sound out of it and if you're a metalhead, then shy away - it's not going to get the sound you want. But anyone else wishing for a portable

Reliability: N/A
Doesn't matter. Obviously, it's plastic so you can't thrash it.

Customer Support: N/A
n/a

Overall Rating: 10
I'm just getting back into playing, my 2 sons are growing up now and I can crank again. I mostly play in my basement but recently hooked up with some guys in a garage (literally) band. My main guitar is a Hamer Standard and I'm the proud owner of a Rivera Thirty-Twelve Combo and also have a Marshall Lead 20.
I don't think you could find anything better for the price and sound - PLUS it is VERY cool looking, love that grill covering and the chicken head knobs! If lost, stolen or broken I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.
I haven't heard the Marshall Mini or Fender Twin Mini, but I can't imagine that they could sound any better than this little gem.

Submitted by MarkM at 07/09/2002 10:39

Price Paid: US $45

Features: 10
Made in 2001 or 2002. Great for almost any style of music. Has 1 and 1/2 Channels. Great practice amp. Looks like a AC- 30. Solid State. Vol. , Cut , and Gain. Head Phones. It Runs on a 9 volt batterey or a 9 volt outlet thing i never used. 2 2s.

Sound Quality: 10
I play a Squier Stratocaster 2001 made in China (don't worry its a good Squier.) It has stock pickups but set in a great position. This is my main guitar (besides my Acoustic) It sounds great threw this amp. It sounds Better then my fender Champ 15. When i use this on recordings it sounds like a damn AC-30 for a cheaper price. I can get Vox Tone out of this baby. Turn the Cut off Volume 3/4 and the gain less then halfway and you got a fucking AC-30.
The disortion is not modarn. It cant be used for punk.
Some of my friends have mini amps because when we are in school and when we bring our guitars in we don't feel like bringing our damn tube. My one friend has a fender mini twin. Its a very cute amp it kicks this amp's ass on the the killer disortion it has but my vox kicks ass on tone this amp has the best tone for a mini amp. My other friend has a no name brand prime mini amp. Its one watt and really sucks. The damn thing disorts at 1 on the clean channel ok. THe only reason he bought it is because he uses it for bass also. This amp is the best mini amp sound wise.

Reliability: 10
I can depend on this amp i hope it lasts many years. I treat it kindly it treats me kindly. I love it. Hell ill gig with it.

Customer Support: 10
I have no warrenty but if it breaks ill buy a new one.

Overall Rating: 10
as i said before I play a Squier Stratocaster 2001 made in China (don't worry its a good Squier.) It has stock pickups but set in a great position. This is my main guitar (besides my Acoustic). Its a nice black guitar. Now i would have better stuff but im really a keyboard guy so i play guitar as a hobby, no lessions. I have been playing for about a year on guitar but i think i sound like 2 years because i have been playing piano for almost 8 years! and you no thats the universal instrament. I have a boss BR-532 digital studio which has built in fxs which is really nice. i plan on buying a peavey transtube with fxs soon. I also plan on getting a new keyboard around next year. One day i hope on getting a rickenbacker 325c64 or somthing. the pit rules. This amp its a great vaule and worth every penny. Go to the store and buy it now!!!

Submitted by Curly of the Pit at 07/05/2002 07:06

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 10
For what it is I think it is perfect. I got it for I think 40 dollars when they came out. At first I used the 9-v battery. and was pleased and entertained enough to get the thing....but. When you use any ac adapter, it sounds so good and loud.
I was shocked. I had had it for weeks and was amazed that it was the same battery sucking box.

Sound Quality: 10
Very nice! I am writing this review, becuse i read someone elses were they said "i hope you are not going to use it in the studio." or something like that. What ever man. I recorded a guitar solo on a compilation disk with some reletively high production and you would never guess the amp used!!! I propped up the amp on a chair, set up a neumann super expensivo mic and plugged my fender telecaster direct with no effects.. turned up the amp no drive or cut, and got an incredible sound. It is a rock amp, and it is IDEAL for the studio, simply because it gives you an alternative to the usuall overdrive sounds... Very cutting high tones. lots of fun. That guy who wont use it in the studio is just limiting himself. my rating for this would be a 12.... as long as you use the ac adapter of course. with a battery it sounds super shitty. if you play it loud or hit the strinigs hard, the sound cuts out. so for get the battery unless you are in the woods...
fun fact:
buy a 25 dollar smokey amp too. use it as a pre amp to the ac-1 one and turn it all up up up and you get the sounds of ten thousands big muffs in a pit of HELL...

Reliability: 10
never a problem, and I have done anything but baby this thing. so easy to fix if you had a problem. I have opened it up only due to curiosity and bordom. to see what is inside, and cut out the thick plastic grill behind the cloth... so the speakers are only covered by the cloth... clearer soundnow.

Customer Support: N/A
don't know . would not bother over this. if it blows i will get a new one, or fix it. anyone could it has about a dozen solder points and a few wires. very simple and the speakers could be replaced easy..

Overall Rating: 10
SO good. for the price it is worth it for studio experimenting or late night practice or whatever...fun toy. or serious amp depending on your mood.

Submitted by Jonathan Bennett at 08/21/2001 08:40

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
This is an update of my earlier review with a tip I'd like to pass on. Go to Radio Shack and get part #274-248A (1/8" phone jack, closed circuit type) and hook that in between the speaker lines. I thought I'd do this to see how it sounded with some of these unpowered computer speakers and/or travel speakers to see how that worked out tone wise. The kicker was hooking it up to the 12" speaker in my Tech 21 60..... amazing how good it sounds (no wise cracks about the Tech, ok?). For two bucks you get 2 of the little jobs. Skip buying some 15 watt practice amp. Do this modification and it will sound better than or equal to 90% of those!

Sound Quality: N/A
I was surprised at the amount of bass it can kick out with an extension speaker. Overloads at about 3/4, but that is much louder than conversation level anyway.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
This little trick gives it a 10

Submitted by Larry Emory at 04/01/2000 22:50

Price Paid: US $35

Features: 8
I really like the adjustable gain, much better than an "on-off" switch, and it is actually useful! Chicken head knobs are cool & smooth in operation. The detailing of the plastic is nice. I would have preferred if the headphone and power input were on the top, like on the Epiphone mini (which is great in it's own way...) Some sort of strap or belt clip might have raised the score.

Sound Quality: 9
I am using a '58 Gretsch double anniversary (I got when I was 16)and an Olympia EA-15 (Tacoma ac/elect import version). It can't show the nuances that the Gretsch can do, but I love the sound of it, almost as good as the tube amp I got with the G back in '66. The ability of the amp to dial in such a wide range of sound from such a little box is great. I use a Zoom 505 with it (seems a must). Then the colors you can crank out really show. It gives just enough crunch to The Olympia to make it sound very rock 'n roll.

Reliability: N/A
I don't know how much of a thump it could take, nor would I care to know. I do like that it fits in my case. I'm moving to Asia, so unless it gets jacked, maybe I can report later on how it does in severe situations...

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing since I was 16, but layed off for about 15 years. Hmmm, I'm 49... do the math. It probably will get stolen, and I would buy another, no doubt about it. I also got one of those guitar ace headphone amps, and this sounds much better through a stereo or whatever. Save some money, and it looks so cute!!
I also got the Epiphone EP-1 (going on the road backpack style doesn't lend itself to mesa boogies!!). That amp has a more natural open sound, so it is perfect as an acoustic mini amp. This for rock and roll. So I won't feel bad taking them both.

Submitted by Larry Emory at 12/21/1999 09:43

Price Paid: US $40

Features: 10
Dunno what year it was made. If you're resing the reviews, you already
know the controls...pretty simple & straightforward. Looks very cute--
a mini AC-30, complete with cloth speaker cover...

Sound Quality: 10
I play rock (not the a-word), mostly U2-style...It works great for my style. Sounds just about perfect when I jam with my U2 "Under A Blood
Red Sky" CD...I play a Hamer Slammer DA-03 Daytona Strat-copy (which
is pretty decent itself)...Gives me a nice sound, warm, nice
distortion...doesn't sound tinny at all...To summarize it, it is
perfect for what it is designed (as a practice amp) and for even
more (maybe recording).

Reliability: 10
I don't gig, so I dunno...I do have gotten carried away playing and,
by pulling the cable, have dropped it from my desk about 4 times...
Nothing rattles and hums in it (pun intended), and it still works
perfectly.

Customer Support: N/A
Beats me.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been with it for a year. My guitar is a Hamer Slammer DA-03
Daytona, and I also have a Digitech RP-10 effects proc. (I don't use
the Digitech with the AC-1, though). It works perfectly for me...If
I lost it or whatever, I'd buy another one the next minute...I
strongly recommend it to my friends...If you want to buy a cool
practive amp -- this is it.

Submitted by Jose Kercado at 10/26/1999 14:18

Price Paid: US $30.00

Features: 2
Volume, Gain, Cut--described in other reviews. I'd prefer an on/off switch. I think the best feature is that it's cute as hell--looks like a AC-30 for "Guitar Hero GI Joe."
Would prefer the input jack not on the top becuase it makes the amp wanna tip over, but putting the jack on the front usually makes it even worse. Maybe on the side? There's a hole for an AC adapter, but the amp doesn't come with one. The battery hook up is not the traditional 9 volt type with snap locking connectors so my AC adaptor for 9 volt that fits snap locking connectors won't fit.

Sound Quality: 4
Let's be real. IT'S A TINY LITTLE PLASTIC PRACTICE AMP. You're not gonna drive a 4-12 with it, you're not going to use it as a preamp, and hopefully you're not going to use it in the studio. Stacked against amps in it's class, it probably sounds pretty favorable. However, I have had a couple of similar sized amps in the past. I still have one called an "Afterburner" which really sounds about the same. When I played the AC-1 in the store with a crap guitar, it sounded like crap. When I got it home and plugged in my Les Paul, it sounded much better. It actually can go louder than you'd imagine by the looks of it. What's hilarious is that you can actually get feedback out of it. Not the sqawky, squealy, undesireable feedback you'd expect, but the good stuff! Further, you can really fuzz it out with the gain, or back off the gain and clean it up. The "Cut" (bass-treble) nob dosen't seem to have as much effect as the gain nob.

Reliability: N/A
My guess is that if it falls on anything other than carpet, there will be damage (at least to the outside plastic). And your cord could easily pull it off a table top.

Customer Support: N/A
Not really applicable.

Overall Rating: 5
Been playing 12 years. If it were stolen or lost, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. What do I love about it? Mostly The Vox look, including the diamond grillcloth. It's got a decent tone for what it is, and I like that it'll do feedback, but it still sounds "plasticy." Using plywood instead of plastic might have helped the tone a lot. What do I hate. Nothing really. It's what I expect. Anything I wish it had? Yeah--little tiny EL-84s, ECC83s, top boost, and a chrome stand! I paid $30 for this amp (new) and that seems about right. I see that others have paid more--up to $45. I wouldn't have paid that much for it. The AC-1 may be a little better, but I don't hear a substantial difference in tone between this and other micro practice amps I've owned.

Submitted by David B. at 10/26/1999 10:42

Price Paid: US $35.00

Features: 9
1999 Vox AC-1 practice amp with 1 big ole watt of solid state power, three knobs (Volume, Cut, and Gain), a headphone out and a power in if you want to use an adapter. I like the fact that it has little tiny chicken-head knobs, that's a cute touch. The "Cut" control is a bit odd, you turn it all the way to the left to get full treble, and as you turn it to the right the sound gets more bassy. A little counter-intuitive but not a big problem. Wish the headphone out was a 1/4" instead of 1/8" because I'd like to see how this would drive another amp. What's amazing to me is that the little Volume and Gain controls actually DO work together to get different sounds out of this thing! I'm not saying this will replace your AC-30 or your Fender Bassman, but I am saying that at this size, and for this price, there are a lot of tones in this little plastic critter. It has no on-off switch; you plug into it, and it's on, and when you unplug, it's off. Odd but not something that bothers me a lot.

Sound Quality: 9
I use a Rick 330, a Harmony Rocket and a Fender Jazzmaster with this thing, and it really works well with all three. To me it seems a lot less noisy than the Marshall MS-1 that I had before, although it doesn't get the same ferocious distortion. It actually has a clean sound, which you can't really say about some of the other little tiny toy amps. The AC-1 has a lot more tonal character than most of its competition. It actually sounds very Voxy. I recorded a lead with it, using my Harmony Rocket, and close-miked with moderate gain dialed up on the amp, it sounded very 60s and Beatleish. I really like playing with this little amp and seeing what it can do, and it seems to be able to do much more than its competition. I like it better than the Marshall MS-1, which is saying a good bit since I really liked the MS-1. Unfortunately I dropped the MS-1, and that was all she wrote. But the Vox seems to open up a whole new area to explore as far as tiny amps go. I like it. It's got Character! I usually use small amps like this only for recording, because you can close-mike them and get humongously distorted sounds without getting evicted or served with divorce papers. The Vox is nice because it can get you the "eviction tone" without the eviction volume, and it can also get a variety of cleaner tones that are very useful for me in recording situations.

Reliability: N/A
I wouldn't gig with it, of course, it's totally unsuitable for that. And it's plastic, so I wouldn't want to drop it. As far as servicing, et. al., that's ridiculous, because it cost me $35.00, so if it broke I would just get another one. And I WOULD get another one, if something happened to this one.

Customer Support: N/A
I have never dealt with Vox but once owned a Super Beatle solid state amp. If the Super Beatle had been any more of a dog I would have had to buy tags for it and get parvo shots. The AC-1, however, is a well-behaved little puppy. As I said before, if there was a problem with it, I'd just buy another one. No need to bother "customer support."

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for a million years and I have a reasonable amount of gear. If anything happened to the AC-1 I would get another, simply because of the fact that the first time I recorded with it, I got a great 60s tone that helped me ding the solo first time out of the box. I'm really taken with it in all aspects. When I went buying, I compared it with a Marshall MS-1 and a Danelectro Honeytone, and it was clearly superior to both. That may sound strange when you're talking about 1-watt plastic amps, but it's true; the Vox just plain sounded better! I think Vox really did a great job on this one.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/04/1999 10:28

Price Paid: US $40

Features: 5
Gain, Volume, Cut knobs.... input, headphone and 9V ac plug... 2 speakers...

Sound Quality: 9
Like everyone else who reviewed it before, I am quite pleased and surprised by this little amp. It's bright and I can get some sweet tones (and some good feedback) out of it, even with my incredibly crap guitar. The bass response is not that great though. I can't get distortion out of it, but maybe that's just cause my pickups are bad. Stomp box solves this problem.

Reliability: 6
I'm sure it's dependable, as long as it's treated nicely.

Customer Support: N/A
Dunno... the store I bought it from gave me a 1 year warranty.

Overall Rating: 9
I just bought this amp yesterday, mainly to use it while I'm away from home. I'm really pleased with it. It's amazing for what it is.

Submitted by Anonymous at 09/14/1999 10:20

Price Paid: US $39

Features: 5
This one-watt solid-state amp features volume, gain and cut controls (cut is basically a treble roll-off). The weird thing about the "cut" control is is works like a reverse tone control, and you get the brightest sound when it's on "0". This took some getting used to. For a small practice amp, I guess it really has all the controls you could ask for, but I would make some changes. First of all, it would be better if the gain was independent from the volume. Also, I think a contour knob to kill the midrange would have been more helpful than the cut. Considering I most commonly play hardcore type music, the midrange is a bad thing and always seems to be looming around. But for blues and rock, this thing pretty much kicks ass.

Sound Quality: 10
Remember-I'm rating this based on how it sounds compared to other one-watt amps. I have previously owned a Fender MA-10, and it sonds like crap compared to this. My choice was between this or the Mini-Twin, and as soon as I heard the tubey-60's smoothness of this thang, I was taken. It has amazing hendrixian sounds, and you can aproximate the sound of a plexi by fiddling around with the knobs. TIP: To use this thing to it's full potential, use an EQ infront of it!

Reliability: 10
Ive had it for 6 months, and no problems at all.

Customer Support: N/A
never dealt with them, I'm not aware of any warranty.

Overall Rating: N/A
I personally really like this thing...I kinda think of it as an effect. It has a wide spectrum of overdrive sounds. The clean sounds are worthless, and you cant get a heavily saturated distortion out of it, but who cares. The smooth, tubey overdrive more than makes up for all of that.

Submitted by Robb at 02/07/1999 09:20

Price Paid: US $39

Features: 9
Made recently in China for Vox in England. About the size of a 1982-era Walkman, but styled EXACTLY like an AC-30 (complete with cloth grille). Runs on one 9-volt battery or AC power. Two micro speakers, chicken heads for gain, cut (tone) and volume, a headphone jack. Top-mounted jack which, when plugged into, turns the amp on. One delicious watt of peak power. My real rating for this thing is a 10, but I'm saying 9 since 10 says "very versatile." This is not versatile in the least, but it's great.

Sound Quality: 10
For what it is, incredible. The Marshall micro-stack is great looking but a piece of crap. The Fender Minitwin is awesome compared to the Marshall, but is also a piece of crap compared to this. The sound is clear, crisp, resonant and incredibly (as others have noted) REALLY DOES sound reminiscent of a real valve Vox, especially at high gain with a Les Paul. Brian May on a bedroom budget!

Reliability: N/A
Leave it on your desk or pack it gently in your overnight bag and you shouldn't have a problem.

Customer Support: N/A
Come on now. It would cost about as much to ship it to England as it would to buy another one.

Overall Rating: 10
This thing is ingenious and solves a problem -- what amp to use when almost everything is too small. It's cheap, sounds great, looks great, and does what it's supposed to do wonderfully. If you can find one, buy it. Here the 10 really applies, "fantastic value" is dead on.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/05/1998 10:20

Price Paid: US $43

Features: 6
3 knobs (volume, cut, gain), input jack, 2 2" speakers. It looks like a shrunken-down AC-30. Approx. 8" wide X 6" tall. Very cute little amp, and very simple. It's a little bigger than I thought it would be, quite a bit bigger than the mini-marshall I've seen at music stores. It seems better-built, too. At least it's big enough to sit on a table without the weight of a guitar cord pulling it off onto the floor.

Sound Quality: 8
This is a cool-sounding little amp. If you turn the volume up about 3/4 of the way, set the Gain about 1/2 way up, and leave the "cut" turned up(down? whatever the maximum treble setting would be), it is a hoot to play through. It cleans up when you back off on the guitar's volume knob, and gets good lead tones when cranked. It has a suprisingly gutsy sound. Must be the power tubes distorting (hee hee hee). I'm looking forward to recording with this little amp. I'm going to take it to band practice sometime as a joke, too. It's pretty darn loud for its size. I like the fact that I can FINALLY crank an amp up to full volume in my house, and not have the neighbors complain about the noise. Remember though, you have to turn it up loud for it to sound good. If you leave it turned down, it sounds kind of small, which of course it is. Another thing: Cranked up full, you can stand (sit? kneel?) in front of it, and get great feedback. This kind of suprised me.

Reliability: 6
Well, I've had it for a total of 17 hours now, and it hasn't failed me yet. As small as it is, I'd worry about accidentally stepping on it and crushing it, more than I'd worry about dropping it or something. I don't know about gigging with it... I think it would be hilarious to see someone on stage with one of these sitting on a music stand, mic'ed up and wailing. I'd do it, and probably will, but not without an AC adapter. It's plastic and meant to be a toy, so I won't give it a really high rating, although I can't see it giving me any trouble.

Customer Support: N/A
If this thing went up in smoke, I'd probably just dust the burn marks off and set it on a shelf. It's a toy. No, actually, I think I'd call them and raise all kinds of hell, just for the comedic aspect of it. I wouldn't expect an amp company to make a $40 toy amp a high priority, but it would be funny to call them and act like I expect them to.

Overall Rating: 10
I judge any instrument or amp by the amount of fun I have playing it. This amp, for what it is, is a lot of fun. It's meant to be a cool-looking toy that also sounds kind of like a real VOX amp. It does both really well, so I hereby bestow on it a 10.

Submitted by kelly at 04/02/1998 10:40

Price Paid: US $40

Ease of Use: 8
This being one of those little plastic "toy" amplifiers, it's not that tough to get the swing of things. Oddities: there's no power switch. you plug in and it's on There's volume, gain and cut (treble cut) controls. The Volume and gain are very interdependent and neither one cranked up will give you instant "fuzz" like with those little marshal MS-1s. But, as I will discuss later, that doesn't matter one bit...

Sound Quality: 10
This thing is the most amazing thing to happen to Vox-addicts on paper-route budgets. Picture it. It's a $40 peice of plastic that just looks cool, like a tiny AC-30, but this thing sounds amazing! Unlike the little toy Marshall or Fender mini amps, this thing has a very specific vox-like character. I can't explain it, but mic'd up, this thing does an amazing job at faking that classic Vox tone. For $40, don't just take my word for it, if you're a Vox fan, you must pick one up. The key is to keep the volume full up, or close to it, and the gain somewhere below half, and put the cut up about halfway and you've got a killer tone. It breaks up in a very sweet, voxy way. I'm an electronics geek and I can't figure out how they did this!

Reliability: 5
Well, it's plastic. I wouldn't do much more with it but record or practice with it.

Customer Support: N/A
I have no idea... You could probably fix yourself, if you had to, although I haven't opened it up yet (I swear I think there's magic in this thing!)

Overall Rating: 10
I would buy one for all my guitar playing friends. A great stocking stuffer, but beyond being so cute, it sounds amazing.

Submitted by Roger at 12/28/1997 17:21

Price Paid: US $45.00

Features: 8
1 Watt practice amp styled as mini AC-30. 2x2" speakers (no I don't think they are "Blue Backs") one input, volume "cut", "drive" controlls. Mini headphone jack (walkman type). 9 volt wall wart input. Usefull little solid state practice amp loud for its size. check out the authentic looking grille cloth and other cool cosmetics! I just wish it was bigger, something like the old Escort with say 3 or 4 watts running off of 6 AA batts going through 2 4" speakers would be a cool alternatve to a Pignose.

Sound Quality: 8
Now the amazing thing is it sounds pretty " Voxy" The "drive" gives a nice creamy smooth distortion up to about 3/4 much different than the grind you get out ot the Marshall Ms-2. My Tele gets a nice Jeff Beck with the Yardbirds tone, and if you back off the drive a bit you get a fair approximation of Rick Ring with my 330/12. The tone control works as a cut, giving full treble in the 1 oclock position and rolling off highs as you sweep it around, a little diffrent I will need to expirment more. It doesn't really get harsh untill its all the way up on all settings and its more of a physical breakup as opposed to a musical distortion. Up to 3/4 is cool with lots of good blues and pop sounds on tap. The head phones are pretty raucious giving a Satisfaction fuzztone type of thing at all settings. Could be useful for recording. Pretty good overall

Reliability: 9
Seems well made more solid than my ms-2

Customer Support: 7
Just got it! Warranty? what warranty.

Overall Rating: N/A
Pretty Cool overall It sound good and looks great (I'm thinking about watering it to see if it will grow into a AC-30) The head phone jack is less than great but what the hey, I'd get another(Custom colors?). But I wish Marshall would release somthing in the Vox line between this and the AC-15. The Escort would be cool, and the AC-4 would be awsome!! The schematics are out there, how about it!!

Submitted by D. Lindsay at 10/24/1997 12:14