Vox Cambridge 15

Price Paid: US $179

Features: 8
Standard Vox Cambridge 15 features. Other reviews have already written them up. Like other people have noted, reverb would have been nice.

Sound Quality: 10
Great sound for a practice amp. Blows my old amp away completely. It makes my crappy guitar sound good. I'd say it's suitable for all styles except metal.

Reliability: 10
Looks solid and reliable enough. No problems so far.

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for a little over 2 years. Own a shitty ibanez. I was really bored by my old amp, and didn't play very much for a while. But after I got this amp, it inspired me to play again.

Submitted by Owen at 06/02/2000 14:06

Price Paid: US $125 used

Features: 10
Brand new, purchased off Ebay. I've been playing for longer than I care to admit but mostly am a home recordist and hobbyist now. Play melodic R&R and blues-tinged high energy stuff, with surf style tossed in. The amp has 1 channel, headphone jack, line out, speaker out, and boost switches for mids, overdrive, as well as gain, volume, bass and treble controls. It also has a tremelo (kind of weak) but I don't use it. 15 watts of outrageous volume, sounds much louder. Also has a 12AX7 tube in the pre-amp and a Celestion 8" speaker.

Sound Quality: 10
I wanted to compare side-by-side the Cambridge 15 to the Pathfinder (which I've had for about 6 months and like a lot). To cut to the chase, AFTER I replaced the stock Sovtek 12ax7 tube with an old American (no name, it wore off) 12ax7 tube I had laying around for about 15 years, the amp CAME ALIVE and eclipsed the Pathfinder in tone , drive and volume. There was no comparison overall. The Cambridge sounded so much better overall, I decided to keep it and sell the Pathfinder. This was only after I replaced the tube. Before that, I was leaning towards the Pathfinder as it was much louder than the Cambridge, but this was due solely to the crappy Sovtek tube. Testing was done using a 1975 stock Strat plugged directly in, and then adding a Furman reverb, and then an ART SGX2000 prior to the input. Most testing was done with just the guitar. Both at low and higher volumes and gain, the Cambridge captured my ears, when compared to the Pathfinder. And, it bears repeating, I previously liked the Pathfinder very much, feeling that it was the best small amp I had heard in a very long time. The only area where the Pathfinder beat the Cambridge was in the voicing of the bass and treble controls. There was more variation in the Pathfinder which lacks a mid-range boost switch. To match the Pathfinder's tone variations, the Cambridge mid-range boost switch has to be engaged or it sounds thinner than the Pathfinder in the clean ranges. With the mid-range engaged, it equals the thickness of the clean, chimey tones. With the treble increased, the clarity jumps out even more. There is a wide range of tone that can be produced, and even though I only tested the amp with a Strat, I'm sure any guitar plugged into this amp can be voiced to your liking with the Cambridge. I also tested both amps through the headphone output. Here is where the Cambridge really won out over the Pathfinder. The sound from the headphone out was warm and thick with absolutely no trace of the solid-state underlying crappy buzz that the Pathfinder produces, even at low volumes. A definite winning hand goes to the Cambridge and I urge anyone that likes the Pathfinder to get a Cambridge, replace the stock tube with an American GE, Groove Tube, or the like, and prepare to be blown away, especially if you're going to record directly with this amp.

Reliability: 10
Should be great. Perfect fit and finish, strong tolex cover, vintage styling.

Customer Support: 5
made by Korg, 1 year warranty, shoudl be no problem.

Overall Rating: 10
I rate this amp a 10+. It's so full of tone and strength, I think if you plug it into a larger cabinet, you'd have all you need for club and casual gigs. Also for home recording it's ideal, especially given you can mike the speaker, take a signal from the line or headphone out, or get one of those cheap headphone out adapters from Radio Shack that have wires that you can attach to the speaker wires and get the exact sound DIRECT from the speaker (my secret). Run and get a Cambridge 15, especially if you have a Pathfinder.

Submitted by Peter at 05/28/2000 05:53

Price Paid: 1650 (SEK)

Features: 9
I bought this amp in March 2000, I believe it has only recently been released. The shop also had a full solid state version with less features which I think is called a "Pathfinder".

The line-out/speaker ext. makes it a little more "serious" than your basic practice amp and the headphone line is must for these sort of amps these days. Everyone complains that it doesn't have reverb, but nor does an AC30 so I think it's keeping with the classic Vox style.

Similarly, it doesn't need anymore tone and contour controls or any other parameters. Amps with too many functions never sound good to begin with in my opinion.

It's great that it's so light, it makes carrying the guitar in the other hand on the way to rehearsal seem really heavy.

Sound Quality: 9
It has that nice valve hum when you turn it on. It's also very responsive with great definition, you can almost hear each string when you strum - in short it's all "tone" in keeping with it's heritage.

It really blew me away when I tested it with a comparable "Park" amp with an 8" speaker. The Park had really heavy bottoms and no brilliance, whilst the Cambridge has really clear bottom end and that sweet, chimney top end - once again, classic Vox!

The gain boost I think is too much for most people that buy this sort of amp, then again, it helps you get that same mild overdrive sound when you're practising at home at really low volumes, perfect.

It is a loud amp, you could use it a small venue and I have once already. In fact, I recently used in the studio through a 4 x 12 Marshall cab. Sure, the bottom end won't pound you in the chest but the mid-range just soared (I rolled the treble right off, it could cut through a wall!). At first I tried a Les Paul (with the cab) but it just saturated the bottoms and mids too much. I had better
results with my re-issue Tele, in fact, I think low-gain, single coil
guitars will generally sound better through this amp.

Reliability: N/A
It's hard to say yet, I've only had it a month, it certainly looks sturdy.

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know either, I was told that there is an authorised Vox dealer/distributor close to Stockholm which is good to know.

Overall Rating: 10
You would give it 11 (no pun intented) just for it's looks. If it was just good looking you could call it "bimbo" but it's not, it has the sound and features I want - the perfect amp.

Submitted by Joe Algeri at 04/04/2000 00:07

Price Paid: 1200 (FIM)

Features: N/A
This is a Korean made Vox amp, 15 watts, one 8" celestion speaker, tube preamp. One channel only, no reverb, but tremolo. Controls are Gain (with boost button), Volume, Treble, Bass, Midrange boost button, Tremolo speed and depth. Line, ext. speaker and headphone outs. Tremolo and gain boost are footswitchable (switch not included)

Plenty of power for home practice, just enough for light jamming. Easy to carry around (which is one reason I bought it), weighs only 8 kg.

If it had reverb, effects loop, and two footswitchable channels, id give it a 10, but like it is: 8.

Sound Quality: 9
I play a MIM strat and a Yamaha tele copy through this. Somehow it just doesn't feel right to play a '90's Charvel superstrat through this amp =) . So, mainly single coils. Great sparkle and response, and lots of lows, if you keep in mind that it's only a 8" speaker! At rehearsal I run it through a Marshall JCM 800 1 x 12" cabinet. Very nice. I haven't tried it through my Laney 4 x 10" cabinet yet, but I bet it'll sound great.

This is a very good amp for pop and rock tones, maybe even blues and funk. Not enough power for serious metal tones. Heck, anybody ever heard a metal player playing a through a Vox? I thought so too.

Reliability: N/A
I've had it only for a week now, so I can't tell if its reliable or not. It seems to be well made, so I would use this at small gigs without a back up. At bigger gigs this IS my backup.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with 'em.

Overall Rating: 9
I was shopping for a small portable practice amp with enough power for light jamming. This one does it, and does it well. I was also looking at Marshall Valvestates, but this one, though a bit more expencive, had a lot better clean tones. Because I use my Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor for dirty tones anyway and the fact that Valvestates didn't have speaker out, I decided to buy this one. If it was stolen I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. Very nice tones in a such a compact package!

Submitted by JS at 03/29/2000 05:38

Price Paid: US $174 plus tax

Features: 9
The Cambridge 15 made its debut last summer, I believe. I have been looking for a practice amp, something light enough to tote around the house and to rehearsals. I play in a band that covers music from the '60s, so the Vox sound is right up my alley. This little guy has one channel, volume and drive controls, treble and bass, tremelo speed and depth, plus buttons that boost the drive and midrange. Also a jack for a footswitch that activates the drive boost. On the back, it has line out, external speaker, headphone outputs. I could wish for reverb, but for the price this amp is loaded as is. I use an Ibanez AD-9 delay pedal when I want a wet sound. This amp has plenty of power for a solid-state 15-watt amp with an 8-inch speaker. It is has a ton of punch. I'm guessing it is very similar to the Pathfinder, only with the addition of a 12AX7 tube in the preamp section. I replaced the Sovtek 12AX7 with a GE tube that was made in Great Britain, and that seemed to fatten up the tone even more. I admit this could be my imagination, but I thought a Vox amp, even one made in Korea, deserved an English tube.

Sound Quality: 9
I have a Stratocaster and Telecaster, both American Standards from '96-'97 with stock pickups. This amp suits my style well, because I play a lot of '60s stuff that requires that Vox jangle. The drive allows me to get some nice blues tones. Treble and bass controls seem to be interactive. When treble gets too shrill, I roll off on the guitar, especially the Telly. Although the boost is almost too extreme for my tastes, volume wise it could come in handy when I have to jump out of the mix on my solos. There's some hiss with single coils when the drive is set past 10 o'clock, and especially in the boost stage. As far as clean tones go it isn't Fender quality, but I was surprised by how much headroom this amp has.

Reliability: N/A
I think it would be a dependable amp. I had not been planning to gig with it, but as pleased as I am with it I just might. It would make enough noise on the stage so that with a line out through a DI to the mixing board I think it would suit the clubs we play just fine. It has not broken down, but I only bought it last Friday. It seems sturdy enough, however.

Customer Support: N/A
Never had to deal with Vox. Don't know details about warranty. I never read that stuff, even though I probably should.

Overall Rating: 9
I've played guitar for 30 years. I have a '67 Fender Bandmaster with a 2x12 cabinet that I love dearly but get tired of humping around. If this were stolen or lost (at 17 pounds, it would be a lot easier to run off with than my 65-pound speaker cabinet) I could see myself buying another. I love the retro looks of it, and would be thrilled to see someone make a mini-stand for it. Headphone jack makes it convenient for when the wife and kid are sleeping. After reading all the raves for the Pathfinder on Harmony Central I was prepared to be impressed with the Cambridge 15. But this thing rocks like no practice amp I've ever played. My whole original goal was to give my bandmates a break in our basement rehearsal room. I'm afraid they'll still be telling me to turn it down.

Submitted by Paul Menser at 02/29/2000 17:15

Price Paid: US $200.00

Features: 10
1999 model...I guess..I mean it had to come over on the boat..that takes awhile:)
This a pretty loaded amp for the money..Headphone jack-line out-ext speaker...tremolo...Celestion speaker..mid-boost...volume boost
NEEDS REVERB!! Seems loud enough..Ido worry about Clean headroom...I'll know more about that after practice..I just bought this
For the Money and what you get I'll have to give this a 10

Sound Quality: 10
Sounds very tubey..for a SS amp...I'm a tube amp lover and this amp is fun..I'm trying different tubes at the moment in it..
This is a little more noisey than the Pathfinder I tried also..must be the tube preamp...
Also the Cambridge is really bright amp compared to the pathfinder...I have to turn off the treble..or it'll take your head off...thats with the mid-boost on..It must be because of the Celestion speaker....I think I'll try something else to mellow the highs
Very good Clean tone....and the OD sounds good for a SS amp...This has to be one of the best bargin amps out there..
For the cash...I'll have to give this a 10...but of course for 4X as much money you can buy a Flextone and have 16 different tones...But none of them sound better than this amp....Been there..done that!
I think this amp would be giggable in small places...I only worry about clean headroom...but it gets loud enough clean that my wife heard me from outside.....from one end of the house to the other.
Tremolo...don't really use it much...but it does what you expect...

Reliability: N/A
I just bought this......so time will tell

Customer Support: N/A
Same as above

Overall Rating: 10
I give it a 10 for best bang for the buck amp....looks cool also

you should be able to buy these for around $169.00..I paid $200.00 from a local yocal...I needed it for practice and couldn't wait on shipping...Man I hate buying local:)...If only they would get a clue on how much they loose...by trying to make the days profit on each customer who walks in..instead of giving competitive prices and customer service......I won't name the Store...but hey who else sells..Peavey..VOX..Gibson...Marshall..:)
Like I said......10 for the amp.....1 for the store

Submitted by Chris D at 02/04/2000 06:26

Price Paid: US $179

Features: 9
Like the Reissue Pathfinder but has a 12AX7 preamp. Has a mid boost and gain boost switch. Wish it had reverb instead of tremelo---
this is the only reason for a 9. It has 15 watts I think but
sounds much louder.

Sound Quality: 10
I think this the most natural sounding practice amp for the money
I have ever seen. Great clean to tweed to high gain sound. Very
responsive to the touch. It sounds much bigger than a 8" speaker. It is $179 at Mars right now.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing on and off since the '60's. I have a strat and
Ibanez Artstar. I have a 50 watt Mk II stack in a bedroom but
I never have a real reason to crank it. I have been looking for
the "ultimate" practice amp for years. I think the Vox Cambridge is
the best I've seen so far. I will be selling my Marshall Lead 12 to
get one. If you are looking for a small amp---please check it out!!!!

Submitted by Gary at 01/29/2000 11:20

Price Paid: US $175

Features: 8
-1999.Vox single preamp tube 15w celestion speaker
-compatable with blues, funk, and clasic rock styles(plenty of power when pluged into a cab)
-one channel, headphone jack, line out, 8ohm 15w line out(optional foot switch)
-Vox should have included reverb
- great tremolo,and nice boss blues driver like distortion

Sound Quality: 8
moderate distortion, zero buzz, great for any style but metal. I use humbucker and fender single coils.

Reliability: 9
very reliable, I would probably not use a backup amp

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by kris at 01/09/2000 17:14

Price Paid: US $169

Features: 8
Brand new 1999 model. Controls for Gain, Volume, Trebel, Bass, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth, a Gain Boost switch, and a Mid Boost switch. Input Jack and Footswitch Jack on Top, Line out, Speaker out (8ohm extention cabinet), and Headphone Out. 15 watts, 1 12AX7 in the pre amp stage. Tremolo in an amp in this price range is very nice. Reverb would be nice though. As would a Mid or Countour Control instead of just a boost

Sound Quality: 8
I'm playing it trough both an SG and an ES-335. The SG can drive it into some real rock states. Classic Vox. think queen, think the beatles, think the doors. It says clean for a while, and then goes from mild overdrive into nice crunch with the gain boost engaged. Not Brutal Marshall distortion, at least not without a pedal of some sort. But it has better tone than any amp in this price range hands down. It does tend to be a bit trebbly, but again thats part of the vox tone. A bigger speaker might fix that...

Reliability: N/A
I don't know. 1 year warrenty. Sam Ash extened it another year for ten bucks.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
Very nice amp, lighter than my Marshall, suits all my styles.I'd buy another one. I'd tell my friends to buy one.

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/27/1999 18:23