Vox Cambridge 30 Twin Reverb

Price Paid: US $325

Features: 8
Price Paid: US $325
Features: 8

This is an update of the review I wrote back in March 2001. Much is still the same, but I'm update reflecting the corrections and repairs made to this amp for my brother and sister musicians.

Typical two-channel switching combo amp. 30-watts RMS on 2-10's. Reverb and tremelo effects. Play a Les Paul and Strat through it. Wanted a good studio amp and amp for small venues. Get the foot switch.

Sound Quality: 8
Effects Channel is very woofy, and the mid and high end just isn't there (sorta the opposite of a Marshall). The bass response seems to get overwhelming higher when you run the gain and the gain boost switch. There's a Mid Range Boost that irritates situation. The Amp sounds best to me in Effects Channel with Gain Boost "ON" and with preamp in a low setting.

The saving grace to this amp is Channel 1. This channel has a very good classic Vox sound. I run treble EQ at 60-70% with bass at 0%, but 30% bass adds dimension without woofing. Treble at high setting is piercing. The superb reverb and tremolo run through both channels. Amp is quiet and lacks hum. Playing live at a small venue, use an overdrive stomp box [I use a Boss Blues Driver] for gain boost to get you over the top with decent a level although this amp seems to have enough natural power WHEN IT "S RUNNING 100%. It's a great practice and studio amp to mic.

Reliability: 3
Big problems with this particular amp. It brown'd out after 30-minutes, loosing half its output. I thought problem had to do with heat and in the output section. Korg Warranty Center in Geneva, NY and Distributor's tech center in Rochester, NY then had amp. Problems are in quality control.

Customer Support: 10
Excellent, but it takes time. Korg handles warranty work in USA. Very responsive and supportive. Seems they will make thing right through their warranty centers and distributors. Took it for warranty work (Korg, inc.) and the output amp in the preamp section was replaced ($2.00 part). Still had the problem of browning out. It seem persistent. In May 2001 I took the amp back to House of Guitars in Rochester, NY for warranty work. HOG's tech's re-solder'd the board to eliminate any cold connections. Amp does what it's suppose presently and is running 100%. If this amp is browning out, check all the solder points. Must be quality control problems in Korea.

Overall Rating: 8
Still give it this overall rating even with the browning out problems. Excellent amp for the buck. Love the sound. I play blues live and in studio work. The warranty work put a damper on what I consider a very good product

Submitted by Mark Lord at 08/16/2001 12:40

Price Paid: US $325.00

Features: 10
New 2001 beatle wanna-be sound,my wife will not kill me price range,2channels,like the switching,power plenty for us chord players.Love the reverb

Sound Quality: 10
seems like the strat really shines here,great sounds,bright, deep tones,Threw my epi sheraton on,jag on and the cropper guitar but the strat excells in the sound department.Crimson&Clover, yes I tried that song with the tremolo,It's there, cool.Clean channel is just the sound I want,and the distortion is there with the tube change.Thanks to that guy with the RCA 12AX7A tube suggestion, major difference and good to go.Very defined.

Reliability: 8
I"ve been using a peavey 158 rage only because it's easy to cart and it's a decent pratice amp for band pratice.Wait till wed, when they hear this.I think I can reley on this.

Customer Support: N/A
just e-mail them for a manual ,don't know yet.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing 32 years,own a marshall stack, a peavey deuce vt serries,a peavey rage158 and now this vox which I would replace because it's the sound I wanted and their electronics are superior. Like everyone says change that tube.

Submitted by wws11 at 07/28/2001 14:09

Price Paid: US $349

Features: 8
This is a very versatile amp with lots of goodies to play around with. The Tremelo is easy to set and the reverb is great. I give it an 8 because vox did not put an actual MID knob on the amp, and they put the mid boost on channel 2 (which no one hardly uses)and you need to play around with the volume and gain controls.

Sound Quality: 7
The tone is great. I repeat, there is nothing wrong with the sound this amp makes. The only problem is this amp is not loud enough! At low levels this amp sounds beautiful and would work well if it was miked or for recording, but once you turn the volume knob halfway it doesn't get any louder. I did the mistake of turning the volume all the way up causing the tube to go crazy and to hiss and squeal (so loud it would make a man deaf). I imediately took it back for a louder amp (fender hot rod deluxe). Channel 2 produces a semi-transparent and woofy distortion

Reliability: 8
It comes with a limited warranty so there is no woory about the amp breaking or anything like that. The speakers are pretty tough, if they can handle that high squealing noise that i encountered then they are built to last but it IS made in korea so you don't know what will happen.

Customer Support: N/A
never needed to contact em.

Overall Rating: 7
I played this amp for 2 1/2 weeks before i took it back. i am much happier with my LOUDER hot rod deluxe. if you play in a band with a drummer and you don't have anything to mic this amp with, dont get it. the thing has the power of a 15 watt amp.

Submitted by Sean at 05/21/2001 03:18

Price Paid: US $299.00

Features: 10
I read these reviews befor buying this amp, so I kinda knew what to expect.I dont know what year it was made.Its two channels are enough for me and it has all the features that I wanted.The reverb is a little week but Ive got a Fender so no problem.This amp is loud enough for me.If not it can be miked.

Sound Quality: 10
I think the amp sounds great.I havent changed the tube yet,but I will.Some say the drive channel is to dark but I love it.I link my Fender twin and this amp together and get an awsome sound.Its very low noise is great and the distortion is ok,stand alone.However I use a Korg AX1000G Processor and the amp comes alive.Cant wait to put a new tube in it to see what happens.

Reliability: 10
Havent used it out yet but that should be no problem.Its built sturdy and looks well made.

Customer Support: 6
Never delt with Vox at all.Dont need a service center.I just take it to my basement and Hot Rod it and fix it and tweek it.Its got to be very simple to work on.You got to watch out,taking your amps to some of these "service centers".I guess if I needed one though it would be know problem.

Overall Rating: 10
Ive been playing for 26 years and own all kinds of stuff.Fender Strat,Fender Twin,Korg,Boss,Roland sound efx.K-2000 keyboards,Drums,you name it.Now the little Vox amp is a new member of the studio.I would buy it again because its exactly what I was looking for.I thought about another Fender ,they are awsome I might add,but this little twin is perfect.I wish I had an AC-30,but thats down the road a way.

Submitted by Chris Dube'/Alpha Monster at 04/04/2001 06:55

Price Paid: US $295

Features: 9
this amp is brand new. 3/01.

you know all the features.

im gonna tell you what i like and dont like about it.

as far as features go- it DOES have to channels with separate EQ and KILLERRRRRRR tremolo and a nice reverb. i give it a 9.

LIGHTWEIGHT is a feature! my other amps kill me to cart them.

Sound Quality: 9
tone is subjective- but here goes.

this amp sounds better than my BLUES JUNIOR, or my MARSHALL JTM60, and better than the o/d channel on my HOT ROD DELUXE. not better than the clean channel on the deluxe- but the deluxe weighs a ton compared to this amp. the ULTIMATE amp is the MARSHALL DSL50. its the best sounding amp ive ever played or owned. sometimes the stage is too small to take that amp to the gig, though.

i personally like a darker tone. this amp has that. i dont think its muddy - but it is dark and you can brighten the character of it with the controls- which work well. it CAN GET muddy- you have to fiddle with the controls to get the sound you like.

1) channel 1 is BEAUTIFUL. i cant believe i would ever say that about a solid state amp- but its reactive to your playing. not like playing through your home stereo. it just SHIMMERS, plus- you can crank it and really make it grunt! i love that!

2) channel 2 is a bit more touchy. see- the controls are very interactive. you have to change your tone settings as you raise the volume. it WILL get woofy if you dont. i see that as an advantage. i think you can dial up the perfect tone/volume combination.

i like the mid-boost UNENGAGED. it gets wierd if you push it in. a little TOO vox-y for me.

i changed the pre-amp tube immediately to a sovtez 12ax7WB. sounded better.

which brings me to the next advantage of this amp.

3) it has one tube. one $10 tube! the JTM60 has $88 worth of tubes that i just changed, and the HRD has $77 in tubes, that i just changed.

do the math. two sets of tubes would buy another VOX AMP!!!!!!

i give it a 9- because i love the sounds. they are unique to these amps.

Reliability: N/A
dont know about the reliability yet. just got it.

Customer Support: N/A
dont know yet.

Overall Rating: 9
i own 3 FENDER amps (blues junior, hot rod deluxe and a '75')

2 marshall amps (jtm60 1x12, DSL50 and 1936 cabinet)

and this vox amp.

i think i will play it a lot. maybe not every gig!, but it has some sounds that my other amps dont have. isnt that why you buy another amp?!?!?!?!

i LOVE the tremolo and the clean sound and the overdrive sound too. i have a gig tonight. guess what ill be playing?

if i had to complain about something- it would be the power. i wouldnt mind it being a little louder, but that may ruin everything else that i DO like about it.

the weight, size, sounds are really great.

also, it needs some shielding on the back cover of the chassis!!!!
i can fix that little problem with some aluminum tape.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/21/2001 08:06

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 10
I bought this amp and a foot switch new on 2/22/01,I wanted something light weight. You all know the features on it. The features I like most are the headphone jack because it sounds like my Rock Man's distortion, also the twin blue speakers, it's an awsome sound! In the late 60's I used the tremelo on Crimson and Clover, but thats about it. I don't really use it much now. I enjoy playing Beatles music and blues, this amp does just fine. I use this amp at home in the house or in a 24x30 garage and with the volume at 9 o'clock, it's plenty loud enough. One thing I have noticed with mine is once I get to 12 o'clock, thats about all the volume it has. I like this amp!!

Sound Quality: 10
I have a Gibson Les Paul Elegant and a Epiphone Dot and they sound great thru it. The day I bought it I checked out all the reviews and took everyones advice. I CHANGED THE TUBE!!(Groove Tube GT12AU7) Yes, it did make a difference. The amp is quiet and my settings are bass straight up and treble at 10. I have an Ibanez TS9DX Tubescreemer,if you don't have one, get one! It sounds great on this amp. A friend of mine is a real good blues player, using a Fender 62 Strat, he put this amp through the ringer, we both were amazed of the sound and tone that came from this amp. Even with changing the tube, the distortion is so-so. Thats why I use the TS9DX. All in all, the twin blue speakers give you that awsome Vox sound at a low price. I'm starting to like this amp more and more!!

Reliability: 10
It's winter here and it is sitting out in my garage. I go out and fire up the woodburner and play as loud as I want. I have had no problems at all sofar, even in the cold. I have Marshall JTM 30 which is an all tube 30 watt.It is much louder than the Vox. I don't think the Vox could handle a gig. But, if you are looking for a great sounding practice amp at an excellent price, you can't do any better than this.

Customer Support: N/A
I have'nt needed it yet. We have a store in town that services Vox and hopefully they will be able to handle my problems, if any. Going by other reviews, it sounds like a nightmare to deal with Vox. But, maybe other companies are the same....

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing for about 35 years and between me and my two boys we have, Marshall, Vox, Crate and Peavey amps. Gibson, Epiphone, Fender and Ibanez guitars and a CB drum kit. I play mostly for fun, I don't plan on being in a band at all. My goal at this time is to build a jam room out back and have enough equipment so that all you have to bring is your guitar. I did this at another guys house and had a blast!! Thats when I pluged into a 1964 Vox Buckingham and fell in love with the sound. This is the first Vox I have owned. If it were lost or stolen would I replace it with another one? No... I would go buy the AC15. Now that I know how much I like the sound of Vox, I would go out and buy the next step up.I didn't have the patience to save for a Vox AC15, so I bought this instead. But, for the price of this amp, you can't go wrong. As far as some of the negative feedback on this amp, I think these people are expecting a 100 watt sound out of a 30 watt,one tube amp. They are in two different leagues, therefore, don't compare them to each other. I just love the tone of a Vox amp!!!! If you do too, don't hesitate, go buy it. But, don't forget, CHANGE THAT TUBE!!!!!

Submitted by Rick M. at 03/20/2001 16:50

Price Paid: US $325

Features: 8
Typical two-channel switching combo amp. 30-watts RMS on 2-10's. Reverb and tremelo effects. Play a les paul and Strat through it. Wanted a good studio amp and amp for small venues.

Sound Quality: 8
Effects Channel is very woofy, and the mid and high end just isn't there (sorta the opposite of a Marshall). The bass response seems to get overwhelming higher when you run the gain and the gain boost switch. There's a Mid Range Boost that aggravates situation. The Amp sounds best to me in Effects Channel with Gain Boost "ON" and with preamp in a low setting.

The saving grace to this amp is Channel 1 has a very good classic Vox sound. I run treble EQ at 60-70% with bass at 0%, but 30% bass adds dimension without woofing. Treble at high setting is piercing. The reverb and tremolo run through both channels and are superb. Amp is quiet and lacks hum. Playing live at a small venue, use an overdrive stomp box to boost level.

It's a great practice and studio amp to mic. I have a tube preamp with a 10-db boost that can make this amp a small venue gig amp, but I have to admit if I had it all over to do again I'd get a Fender '65 Deluxe or a Marshall 201 combo amp even with them costing twice what this amp did.

Reliability: 3
Big problems with this particular amp. It brownouts after 30-minutes, loosing half its output. Think problem has to do with heat.
Took it for warranty work (korg, inc.) and the output amp in the preamp section was replaced ($2.00 part). Still has the problem of browning out. It seems to be persistent.

Customer Support: 10
Excellent. Korg handles warrenty work in USA. Very responsive and supportive. Seems they will make thing right.

Overall Rating: 8
Excellent amp for the buck. Love the sound. I play blues live and in studio work. The output problems put a damper on what I consider a very good product

Submitted by Mark Lord at 03/10/2001 17:49

Price Paid: US $275 used

Features: 8
2 channel transistor and tube hybrid. Reverb, tremelo, mid boost, gain boost, spkr out, line out, headphone out. Master volume on 2nd gain channel, bass/treble controls. 30 watts, 2-10" Celestion spkrs. Great looks, convincing Vox tone (on tube channel).

Sound Quality: 8
If you experimented or played the other Korean reissues, this is the best model offered. Channel 1 sounds like the Pathfinder (I'm sure the circuit is the same), Channel 2 sounds like the Cambridge 15. I've had both of these smaller amps so I know. Nice addition of the 2 10" speakers and more volume although not terribly loud when compared to my Crate VC30 (1 12" spkr, Class A amp w/4 EL84 tubes) which just eclipses the Vox. However, reverb is good, overall tone is good if you use the midrange boost on the 2nd channel, turn the master volume up all the way, and use the preamp gain to about 1/2-3/4. Forget the gain boost, its a solid state cheesy distortion that makes you want to retch. However, if you use the 2nd channel as I've described and fiddle with the tone controls to match your guitar (I use a Strat), the tone is crisp, clean, somewhat fat, and very Vox. This is not an amp that has a lot of tones but what it does do it does very well. Make SURE you change the stock Sovtek 12ax7 tube for something warmer. there are a lot of tubes out there to pick from but ideally you should get an old GE, Sylvania, Amperex, or something like that. Go to the tubestore.com for selections or Torres Engineering web site.

Reliability: 6
Who knows? As it has low power and only one tube, assuming it was wired correctly at the factory and the parts are ok, it should be pretty good. But change that tube.

Customer Support: N/A
no idea.

Overall Rating: 8
I like it for it's ability to sound somewhat like a Vox vintage amp. It sounds good coming out of the line output into headphones but not as good as using the speakers. Forget the line out for the clean channel, thin and brittle. Ok out of the speakers but no where as good as the tube equipped 2nd channel. Good for a home practice recording amp or rehersals. Maybe also low volume gigs but this is a one-trick horse tone-wise. Not a whole lot of variation in tone but what it does do it does well and is low-cost. However, my Crate VC30 blows the Vox out of the room and has tons of tone settings available. But I still like the Vox and will probably keep it. I've had the original Vox tube amps back in the 60s including the AC50 and the AC100, those were the real amps with the real sound, also the AC30. But for a couple hundred dollars, the Korean model is pretty good overall.

Submitted by Peter at 03/04/2001 08:11

Price Paid: US $349.00

Features: 7
The Cambridge Twin has a tube pre-amp (hybrid state) sending to two 10" Celestion speakers (an excellent choice for this amp!!). Their are two channels but I rarly use both of them. The amp features a nice built in reverb and a tremelo function which I rarely use since it does not fit my playing style. This is the closest I've ever heard a hybrid come to the tube amp sound. I've heard the expirementing with different tubes in the pre-amp can improve the sound quality

Sound Quality: 8
I own a Fender Tele (single coil pick-ups) and an Ibanaz RBX (Humbucker pick ups). The fender sounds wonderfull through the amp but I can't get the Ibanez to sound good. I think you really need single coil pickups with this amp. Even with the fender it took me a while to find the sweet spot and now that I've found it, I haven't touched the settings. As I stated above, this is the best sound i've heard out of an amp this inexpensive.

Reliability: 7
It seems dependable though the casing seems to be some light material. I wouldn't sit on the amp or throw it around but it seems that if you treat this amp right it will treat you right. I opened up the amp and the electronics seem reliable.

Customer Support: N/A
I have a 2 year warrenty through www.musiciansfriend.com and I haven't had to use it yet.

Overall Rating: 8
If this amp was stolen or lost I would buy another one. I really think this is the best amp for the price. I play instrumental rock a la Dirty Three, God Speed you Black Emporer, Rachel's, Tristeza and this amp fits the bill perfectly. Most guitarist look for an amp in this price range end up getting suckered into buying a Marshall Valvestate (don't, they fall apart in no time at all!) but this amp is a much better choice. It sounds good enought for the experienced player and is loud enough for small venues and yet it is priced so that anyone can afford it.

Submitted by Mike Projekt at 03/03/2001 16:30

Price Paid: 560 Singapore Dollars

Features: 10
I think this amp is made in 1998.
The amp is versatile enough for me because I can play Rock, Pop, Jazz,
Country and Blues with it.
There are 2 channels. It has a channel & tremolo footswitch and a Gain Boost & Reverb footswitch.
This amp doesn't have an effects loop.
Who needs it anyway?
Using an effects loop will make the sound noisy.
It has a headphone jack.
I wish it has more guitar inputs, so that my friend and I can use
the same amp.
I never use the tremolo although it is great.
I use this amp at home and for gigs at school hall.
It certainly has enough power besides I am using a multi-effects to
boost it.
It is a half tube half solid state amp with one 12AX7 preamp tube.

Sound Quality: 10
I am using a Gretsch Double Anniversary with high-quality Filtertron
pick-ups.
It suits my 60's Rock N' Roll music style very well.
It is extremely quiet.
Using the clean channel, I turn up Bass half-way and full for Treble, I get instant 50's Tone Nirvana!
Using the dirt channel, I turn up full for both Treble and Bass, 7/8 way up for Gain, switch on the Gain Boost and Mid Boost, I get the guitar sound from Paperback Writer by the Beatles.
I use it in my bedroom for this settings.
It sounds loud enough.
The clean channel distorts into a crunch at high volume.
Using the clean channel, I turn up full for both Bass and Treble
and switch off the Mid Boost. Classic Vox tone.
The distortion is only mild if you want more overdrive, you can use 3 Tube-screamers in the clean channel.

Reliability: 10
I can depend on it totally because it's a sturdy stuff and won't break down easily like a full-tube amp. Power tubes blew most often.
I would use it on a gig probably with a Marshall EL100 Power Amp to amplify the sound to give it distinct tube tone.
I fused one preamp tube before because I use it for 8 hours at a stretch and I replaced the fused Sovtek with a Marshall.

Customer Support: 10
I never dealt with the company because I didn't have problems with it.
I did the tube replacement all by myself, it was easy.
All you have to do is to unscrew 2 screws from the top panel.
I can find an authorised center in town and I am going to get 2 Korg footswitches for the amp.
No warranty needed.

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing guitar for 8 years.
I owned a Zoom GFX-8 multi-effects, a Dunlop Crybaby and a Gretsch Anniversary.
If it is stolen or lost, it will be replaced by an AC-30 /6TBX which is rather uneconomical at this moment.
I love it's vintage Vox tone and I hate it when it doesn't come with a
tube power amp.
I compare it with the Line 6 spider and this sounds more quiet than Line 6. The Spider really crackles like an insect.
I wish it had a power tube, two more handles, Vox Blue speakers and leather coverings instead of plastic.
When I use a tube amp simulator in my Zoom GFX-8 with Vox Cambridge,
it sounded exactly like a tube amp.
So for those who are using it on the road, by all means buy it!
I won't be heart-broken if this thing gets smashed up because it's cheap.

Submitted by Brandon Ong at 02/17/2001 05:41