The crunch tones are gorgeous, especially at this price point but you need to remember that 10 Watts is VERY loud from a valve/tube amp like this and the best tones won’t be achieved at bedroom volumes. At these settings there is plenty of clean headroom from the master volume but you’d be hard pushed to play with a loud drummer on stage if clean tones are your thing or you need a clean amp for running pedals into.įor real volume you need to add in more gain from the pre-amp and then things get dirty pretty quickly, although we’re talking edgy breakup and crunch tones here, rather than high gain territory of course. Classic Vox cleans are present straight away with a load of dynamics that are so much fun to play. With a simple design like this it all comes down to tone as there are no bells and whistles to attract potential customers with, so how does the AC10C1 perform? Starting with a clean tone, the gain set low and master volume set high it is immediately apparent just how much this amp sparkles and chimes. This is also a pretty light amplifier considering its all tube design, weighing in at only 12.3kg, perfect for those smaller gigs or studio sessions. Even played at high volumes there are no rattles or extraneous noises to speak of and the whole design feels thoroughly roadworthy, without any complex, multi-channel circuits to go wrong mid gig. The leather carrying handle feels sturdy enough and the controls are very smooth and responsive. The construction is very good, with the classic Vox look immediately recognisable thanks to its diamond pattern grille cloth, black tolex and gold Vox logo. A single power switch is included with a delayed standby mode to save your tubes. Different tones are achieved through a balancing of the master and gain controls, and while the treble and bass controls do a great job, a mid EQ would have been a nice addition for further shaping the tone, although it wasn’t included on the original either. The controls are equally simple with a dual band treble and bass EQ, Gain, Reverb and that Master Volume for shaping your tone. There is no Normal channel from the larger AC15, but the Top Boost circuit provides a wide range of clean and dirty tones so is all you really need here.
10 Watts may not sound like a lot, but this is a very loud little amplifier, so Vox has very wisely included a Master Volume for this new model allowing you to crank the pre-amp stage while setting the power to a manageable level for whatever musical scenario you find yourself in. The design is simple with a single channel set-up powered by a pair of 12AX7 (ECC83) preamp tubes and a pair of EL84 power tubes providing 10W RMS of output through the custom 1x10 Celestion speaker.
#Vox ac10 black and tan portable#
This is essentially a smaller, more portable and lower powered version of the AC15, sitting between this and the low powered AC4 amplifiers. However, the AC10 was also very much loved at the time for its ability to reach the tonal characteristics of the AC15 but at more manageable volumes on stage and in the studio.įor 2015 the AC10 has been resurrected in the form of the very affordable AC10C1 – AC10 Custom. The AC10 was a lower powered version of that classic Top Boost tone circuit amplifier but was discontinued in 1965 in favour of its higher powered sibling that went on to be the basis for some of the greatest guitar tones of all time. I'd get the Ac15 regardless, especially if you won't be regularly carting it around as it's surprisingly heavy.The Vox AC10 was one of the earlier amplifiers produced by the company but never reached the same status as the coveted AC15 model that has become one of the most revered guitar amplifiers ever made. Based on the reviews, I'm almost convinced I got a dud, but I've heard other people express similar sentiments, so what gives? Maybe there was a bad batch? A tube swap didn't make a difference and if you're familiar with the whole cab situation then you know a speaker swap in that amp is no modest task, and also limited in potential options due to its size and tube placement. The only remotely usable sound I could get out of it was a hyper-compressed undynamic crunch tone, and that was still pretty miserable.
It would go from whispy thin and abrasive cleans right into crunch with almost nothing in-between. If there was one thing about it that made it unusable, it was that it had virtually no edge-of-breakup to speak of. It's got way too much gain and does not do the vintage Vox thing at all if that's what you're after. I was roped in by the reviews too and that was the most disappointing NAD I've experienced. Are you referring to the inexpensive Vox Ac10c1? If so, run the other direction as fast as possible.
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