Vox Cambridge 15

Price Paid: £ (120 )

Features: 10
it got a line out a ext speeker out and tremlo

Sound Quality: 10
i run this into a power amp and 4 4x12 and it sound the dogs bo****cks! i play a prs and it un beliveable!

Reliability: 10
never had a problem!

Customer Support: 9
N\A

Overall Rating: 10
ive been playing it 4 6 months and live gigging 2 months and i love it!

Submitted by mark at 08/02/2001 12:25

Price Paid: US $179 + FOOTSWITCH

Features: 9
The features have been amply explained in many other reviews, so I'll not belabor the point here. Suffice it to say that there are enough tone shaping options to dig around and find amost anything you want. Very effective bass and treble, mid-boost is always on. So far, this is the only solid state/valve hybrid that I've liked in any price range. I give a 9 here because it's a practice amp at less than $200 and for that it's very well equipped. The line out, ext speaker, and headphone jacks are a bonus at this level.

Sound Quality: 9
This is the main reason I wanted to submit this review. Almost everyone agrees this is a great sounding little amp, and I'm a big fan too. I've played with mine for 7 months and feel I've put it through it's paces. As far as valve substitution...I bought this amp based on the reviews here. Ordered it sight unseen and crossed my fingers. I was surprised that it sounded quite good with the Sovtek 12AX7 that came with it. I popped in a Groove Tube ECC83 and it made a condsiderable difference. Then one day I did something that I questioned until I got it completed. I ordered a Mullard NOS CV4004 from KCA Tubes ($50). I doubted my sanity for spending $50 for a valve for a $180 amp. Until I put it in! Now I've got a $230 amp that absolutely is pure tone! The cleean headroom increased 20% The bass tightened up, and the gain took on a whole new dimension (meaning it's actually usable, quality gain now). Before the Mullard I only put the gain on about 3 to increase the volume some, and never used the gain boost. If the amp has a sound fault, it's the gain, but most combos have crappy gain, its a fact of life. After the valve switch I began using the gain more and now really like it. Sovtek tubes are used because they rate very high in stability for transportation, but test rather low in sonic properties. Hence the improvement with a NOS (New Old Stock) tube or good current off-shore tube brand like Ruby. It now has REAL VOX clang. The tone controls have much more voicing. In short, this is a different amp. If you can afford the $50, spend it..you will be happy for years to come (pre-amp valves last a long time if not banged around). I've got a Mesa Boogie Studio 22+ that doesn't have the cool clang that this Cambridge has. The killer is...I have a 65 Bassman cabinet tha I put just one (1) Celestion Greenback in. Plug the VOX into this and it's a poor man's AC15. I use a Cool Cat chorus to make up for lack of reverb. I play a 1999 American Strat and a Guild DCE1 with Fischman electronics. Both sound superb. I also play harp through this, but only using the 8" Bulldog that's in it. The 8" Celestion breaks up perfect with harp, and the rather week tremolo is just right for harp. I jam with a professional musician and we're both gear happy to a medium degree. He's always been astounded by the sound of this little "front-seat" amp. I love it and will probably never part with it just because for the money there's NOTHING out there that comes close, especially for a vintage clean clank (especially with the Mullard valve). If you can't spring for a Mullard, try a NOS GE or Phillips, RCA or something good for about $25. You'll be amazed like I am. Again, a 9 for it being this price range of amp...actually a 7 before the valve switch, a 9 after.

Reliability: 8
It's Korean, which 10 years ago meant crap. These days Korea is #4 in gear quality as far as I'm concerned. Good build quality, very tidy board wiring, spring-loaded valve sleeve. I've not had any problems and I've put lots of bedroom hours on it. I've carted it around to jam too. As long as you don't drop it or throw it it should last years. Again, for the price I've seen NOTHING that compares.

Customer Support: 1
Korg owns VOX now, which is better than the others that have owned them in the past 20 years. I didn't get an owners manual with mine, just the maintenance sheet. I emailed twice but never heard from them. I gave up. I ordered mine locally, asking for and receiving the equivalent of internet pricing, so I can take mine back to the store if need be. I doubt if I will have to.

Overall Rating: 9
Overall I would strongly recommend this to anyone looking for a small, lightweight, quality sounding amp with versatile features. It's not a one trick pony like so many "practice" amps. Oh yeah, you might want to steer clear of the Cambridge 30 series if you like tone. The valve is only on the gain channel on those, not the clean channel. Why they would do that I have no idea, but it takes away the possibilities of tube upgrades. So far I like every aspect of this little cooker. And oh yeah, it looks COOL. I grew up with VOX on the Ed Sullivan show, etc. I've only been playing this time for about 2 years. Played off and on for 20 but not very seriously. I realized I better get with it before I die. If I lost it or some turd stole it I would bum out. I've got other amps so not sure if I would replace it NOW, but if I wanted a small amp there is no other I would buy. The Celestion 8" just plain kicks ass. It's surprising how good they can make a small speaker sound. I'd like to thank the first 10 reviewers of this amp...it was them that made up my mind to give it a try. If you're reading reviews trying to decide which small amp to buy, like I did, look no further. This is the one!

Submitted by TheOldDogg at 07/14/2001 12:58

Price Paid: US $175

Features: 6
This is about the coolest looking practice amp you can find. It has that Vox style that I always liked. It's a little 15 watt, 8 inch combo with tremelo. Single tube in the preamp with solid state power. I think it comes from Korea. No reverb, though.

Sound Quality: 8
For what it is, it sounds pretty good. I just use it for practice around the house and it works great for that. I don't hink it has enough volume to be heard at a gig. I have a Fender Blues Junior thats also 15 watts, but it sounds much louder than the Vox. I use the BJ for playing out. But this is a practice amp and I got it to replace another solid state practice amp I had that sounded like shit. This one is so much better. I play a Strat and a Ric, mostly rockabilly, classic rock, and blues. It works real well for those styles/

Reliability: 9
I've had it for 9 months and I use it every day, almost. No problems.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I really like it for practice. It sounds pretty good and I like the style. It's not very loud, and it could use reverb. But compared to a lot of other practice amps out there, this is one of the best.

Submitted by Billy Towers at 07/10/2001 11:19

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
CORRECTION to FenderCrate's submission on July 9, 2001. This amp is made in Korea, not China. Please change reference to "Britsh engineering and >Korean< labor." Sorry for the trubble. Thanks.

Sound Quality: N/A

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

correction...see above

Submitted by FenderCrate at 07/10/2001 06:46

Price Paid: US $179

Features: 7
Features are described fully elsewhere. Having a single boost button for midrange is rather limiting, but also simplifies things. Gain boost is tricky. Punching the button (or foot-switching it on) creates a huge boost in volume, unless the gain is already up to 75 percent or more. (We're using percents here because there are no numbers on the knobs!) I'm slowly finding some uses for the tremelo ( I think the really s-l-o-w speeds could actually induce puking with some listeners.) No reverb, but I don't miss it too much because it sounds so incredibly....

Sound Quality: 9
GREAT! It's the first hybrid tube/SS I've tried, but it sure won't be the last. I thought no little amp could sound better than my little Crate tube amps or the Fender Blues Junior. But this does! There's a lot more range in the clean end of the spectrum than the all-tubes I mentioned. And plenty of gain for shreddin.' Regardless of gain settings, the ample bass and treble boosts give it the full tone you'd expect from something twice the size. Wide range of sounds--all wonderful!

Reliability: N/A
Too soon to say, but there no rattles or other signs of pending trouble. It's only 17 pounds, with no corner protections, so I will have to be careful about bouncing it down stairwells.

Customer Support: 8
Got it mail order from a "friend" in the business. Maybe I should return it, then buy it back as a discounted "blem." Naw, that's not nice. Made in China, except for the British Celestion speaker. I assume my local techie can handle whatever comes up.

Overall Rating: 9
Been playing 35 years. Still got my '66 Fender Super Reverb, which I never use except for occassional reunions with my high school mates (Yes, I was playing Louie, Louie when it was on the charts!) Now using a U.S. Strat and a Samick Les Paul. The amp is totally quiet or has just a slight hum depending on pickup settings. I bought this on the basis of user reviews, and you could do the same. I expect I will also get the larger 30w 10-inch model in the near future, or as soon as I can sell some of these old amps I used to think were perfect. Go ahead and get the optional footpedal for this amp. It controls both gain and tremelo. Overall, a great pairing of British engineering and cheap Chinese labor. Looks great, sounds even better. Getcha one.

Submitted by FenderCrate at 07/09/2001 12:59

Price Paid: US $170

Features: 9
Ordered brand new from an online place, primiarily because I needed a small but good quality practice amp that could be used for home recording. Features are great for me. Dig the hybrid solid state - tube set-up. Has a gain boost and mid boost, along with temolo.

Sound Quality: 10
I have a Fender Tele Plus with Lace Sensor pickups, and will soon acquire a Rick 330/12 (gotta have Rick somewhere in your collection if you're getting a Vox). Bar none, this is the best little amp I've ever played through. It sounds louder beyond its 15 watts, and is very quiet. On the advice of many here, I switched the pre-amp tube, and it really opened up the sound more, though I had no problems with the original tube whatsoever (hey, at least I've got an extra-tube now). There wasn't much of a change (went from a tock Sovtek to a Groove Tube 12AX7, which is amde by Sovtek), but the bass seemed to clean up a little. I was surprised at the bass response on this amp as well...very nice. And of course it has that Vox sparkle.

Reliability: 9
Built pretty well...I think it will hold up.

Customer Support: N/A
dunno...never dealt with.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing about 13 years. I gigged for a few years with a few alternative/indie style bands with a Fender Stage 112 SE and various Fender Strats and Teles. If this amp were stolen, I'd definitely replace it. I love the classic looks and it just sounds damn good. You could definitely record with this thing in a home or professional studio environment. If I ever play live again, I'm going to at least try to get this thing mic'd up, though it's probably more suitable for smaller venues. I can't wait to put my Rick through it (that's currently somewhere in the back of parcel truck...probably just about through South Jersey right about now). The way this amp sounds, I wouldn't have doubted a price closer to the $225 - $250 range.

Submitted by Anonymous at 06/26/2001 08:06

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 9
Bought new in 2001. Okay, I read the reviews on this site and decided to give this amp a try. I play rock/blues jam music and wanted a practice amp for my office. For a $200 practice amp this is an excellent amp. It has a lot of versatility via the gain and gain boost controls, and the headphone and direct recording out outputs are great features. It is quite light, which aided in carting it around(at least there's one thing to like about solid state).

Sound Quality: 8
I play a '66 fender jaguar, a Japenese Strat and an Ibanez strat copy through it.Overall, it has decent tone for a solid state/hybrid amp. No, its no match for a class A all tube amp, but its not $800 either. For jamming sans drummer, and mabe even for some recording, it is sufficient. Decent crunch through the Ax7, but I am definately interested in experimenting replacing the Sovtek tube as suggested in previous reiews. Definately on the chimey Vox side of tone, and a nice compliment to my silverface champ and princeton reverb. Thumbs up for what it is.

Reliability: 8
Nice looking construction for the price. Too early to really tell, but seems okay.

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't tried.

Overall Rating: 9
Overall, I wouldn't be concerned with the couple of negative reviews posted here. I challenge those reviewers to point us to another $200 amp with the great tone we all covet. This amp is decent for the money, has a vintage vibe, and a decent feature set. I've been playing for 20 years, have owned a bunch of nice fender amps and guitars, and I am not in the least disapointed in this amp for what it is, actually I'm quite impressed. My office is now much improved!

Submitted by rockin 'al at 04/16/2001 19:25

Price Paid: US $79.00 used

Features: 8
great simple 1 channel amp...effects loop,direct out,8ohm speaker out,headphone jack...nice tremelo,gain boost switch/mid range switch/optional footswitch for boost/mid gain...nice sounds well built pratice amp...

Sound Quality: 7
tell you a trick to get this amp to KICK BUTT!!! i replaced the 12AX7 tube and replaced it with an old 50's 12AU7 RCA tube and opened back and their are 2 trip posts on circuit board for gain adjust them a bit and it is now a great litte amp for the money!!!

Reliability: 8
just bought it used...looks like its fairly well built...

Customer Support: N/A
haven't had contact...

Overall Rating: 8
i have been playing for 25+ years...and i own just about everything never sold a thing!!! run independent recording studio/record label...yea,if stolen i'd buy another and soup-it-up its worth it with proper tweaking and looks swell sounds great and is small and handy for practice...

Submitted by sikewizard at 03/16/2001 14:47

Price Paid: US $179.99

Features: 7
2000 model. Features include : 15 watts, Celestion 8" Bulldog speaker, 12AX7 preamp tube, tremolo, Gain and Mid-range Boost, line output, headphone jack, 8 ohm speaker jack, single channel but gain boost and tremolo are footswitchable. No reverb but that's a minor gripe. Also, Vox should throw in a footswitch with it instead of making you buy one separately. I mean how much would it really cost them?

Sound Quality: 7
I bought this amp strictly for use as a practice amp and it's more than adequate. It sounds a lot bigger than 15 watts, nice volume and punchy distortion. Even though it has a preamp tube, it sounds very solid state-ish. Someone mentioned replacing the Sovtek tube and I might try that. Clean sound is decent and you can dial up various dirty tones with the gain control. With the gain boost on, I can get a fair 70's Zep/Bad Co. distorted tone with my strat. The tremolo control works nicely with clean tones but seems to disappear as you add gain. Overall this is a nice little amp but nothing spectacular.

Reliability: 9
This is the first Vox product I've ever owned but have had no problems yet. Only one tube to replace.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with Vox, so I can't comment.

Overall Rating: 7
Overall this is a nice little practice amp for the money - Adequate features, vintage looks, decent tone and volume. If you're looking for something more than a practice amp, then you may want to look elsewhere. I would never record with it but I'm pleased with it for what I use it for.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/07/2001 08:08

Price Paid: 139 (£)

Features: 8
Brand new. 1 Channel. 1 valve (that word sounds so much better than "tube" don't you think?) in pre-amp with 15W Solid state power amp. Line out, external spkr out (8 Ohms I think) and headphones. Gain and Volume controls (chicken head control pointers) with Gain Boost switch. Treble and Bass tone controls with Mid range boost. Tremelo depth and speed controls. Footswitch option. Blue "Bulldog" Celestion speaker which sounds fab. No "verb" as everyone has commented on, but that's not VOX, is it?

This amp looks cool with a capital OO. Very authentic. And the little Bulldog badge. Very nice indeed.

Sound Quality: 9
Sounds magic by the way!! I play blusey, rocky, jazzy, groovy, funky stuff on a Les Paul Std (stock p/ups [changing to Seymours this week]). This little amp can cut it big time. The clean is CLEAN and the variation you can get by using the Gain control and the Gain Boost switch goes all the way. It's very responsive to pick dynamics. I use the Guitar>Boss Hyper Fuzz II(on gain boost mode)>Ibanez TS-5(Tube Screamer)>Crybaby>Amp. I keep the gain just above half way. This way, you get a clean sound if you don't play too hard, but lay on those strings and you get a nice bluesy break up. When you need a boost, stomp on the Hyper Fuzz and the amp gets a little more overdriven. Then if you need lead tones, on goes the TS-5 for some delicious valve drive. And if you need a dirty rhythm sound, stomp off the Hyper Fuzz and leave the TS-5 on. Nice!! The tone controls are more versatile than you may expect. I keep the Mid Boost on all the time. Treble just below half way and Bass between just below and just above jalf way depending. The treble is SEVERE!! It's not useless, but I back it off because it's just not my bag. Know what I mean?

Oh by the way....To all those who said the Tremelo isn't strong enough. You're all talking pure pants!!! Yours' must be broken, cos mine's too strong!!!

Reliability: N/A
Seems sturdy enough, but I've only had it 2 weeks, so can't really comment.

Customer Support: N/A
I think I'll send them an email and see if they can muster up a response.

VOX's support policy here in GB is that you take it back to your local VOX dealer for service. That's OK with me. The folks at Sound Control on Argyle Street, Glasgow are great.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 8 years. If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy it again with the insurance money then hunt down and kill the junky who stole it and I could have 2. It's a wee cracker, so it is!!

This has converted me to VOX. I used to be a big Marshall fan. However, I wouldn't run away from you if you offered me a JCM 2555 or a Plexi. But Marshall don't make that calibre of amp anymore.

For all the valve (tube) purists out there. Pop into your local guitar store and give one of these babies a try. The closest thing you'll get to real valve tone without all the hassle. Especially if you put a TS-5 (tube screamer) in front of it.

This little amp is great value. I haven't tried it into a mixer or di'd from the line out, but I'm betting it sounds very nice indeed.

Very useful for more than just a practice amp. They've pulled off a winner here. I'd like to have 4 or six of them all piled up like Brian May's AC-30s and put one of them into a 4x12. Thad'd be sure to blow you away. Or maybe I'd just buy that AC-30. Yeah that sounds nice. See you in the AC-30 reviews next year.

Submitted by Big Pauly at 03/06/2001 14:37