AC15CC1 Review

The AC15CC1 Custom Classic from Vox needs no fancy introductions! Born from a classic design and with a heritage dating back to 1958, it maintains and evolves Vox's pedigree in thoroughbred tone. Features 15 watts of power, 12" VOX/Wharfedale Custom speaker and much more!

Features:	7.8
Sound:	9.3
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	9.3
Overall rating:	8.9
Users rating:	8.6
Comments:	15

overall: 9.8

Featured review by: shakysam, on june 04, 2007

Price paid: $ 730.17

Purchased from: www.Giggear.co.uk

Features: The AC15CC1 Custom Classic from Vox needs no fancy introductions! Born from a classic design and with a heritage dating back to 1958, it maintains and evolves Vox's pedigree in thoroughbred tone. Features 15 watts of power, 12" VOX/Wharfedale Custom speaker and much more! This amp's features may seem limited at first, but I've found that they prove suitable for most styles of music, with the exception of metal and heavy rock, which one would require a pedal for. The reverb is a little unorthodox, but works well at low levels, and the tremolo is excellent; capable of giving my guitar tone a spooky shimmer when set to low speed and mid-depth. The bass and treble controls are also very effective. Don't be fooled by the 15 Watts power rating; I've played to an indoor crowd of about 200 people with it and it didn't quite need to be fully cranked. At home the master volume circuit means that I can have plenty of distortion (plenty for this amp, at least) without breaking the windows. It is by far the loudest 15 Watt combo amp that I have ever encountered. // 9

Sound: Vox excels at making amps with fat, deep clean tone and the new AC15 CC1 is no exception. Adjusting the bass and treble controls can also achieve a very respectable Fender-style clean tone. Roll up the volume control and this amp suddenly provides plenty of growl for blues, Indie and The Clash-esque punk. As mentioned earlier, heavier styles will require a pedal. As with all good tube amps, pick attack and tone and volume controls on the guitar have a strong effect on the sound, giving even more scope for tonal variety. When combined with a good guitar, this amp is capable of tonal nirvana across the majority of musical genres. I use this amp with a Fender American Telecaster and a Crafter Constantine (roughly equating to an Epiphone Les Paul Studio). With the fully-shielded Fender this amp is surprisingly quiet, however the Crafter reveals that this amp generates a lot of noise with only a semi-shielded guitar plugged into it. In my opinion, it's worth going to the effort of shielding your guitar for this amp; call it a labour of love. // 10

Reliability & Durability: User reviews on other websites complain of reliability issues relating to an incorrectly-rated fuse, but I can only assume that Vox have solved this problem for 2007, as I have cranked my amp close to the limit for gigs that would usually swamp a 15 Watt amp and it has performed admirably. This amp has also been bumped around a bit, but again I cannot fault it's build quality. The construction on the outside appears to be just as solid, even if all the hardware is plastic (jacks, knobs, corner protectors etc). Being a tube amp, it will need servicing eventually but so far I have suffered no reliability issues what'soever. // 10

Impression: I play British Indie, punk, ska and some generic rock music with this amp and it handles them all brilliantly. I've been playing for about 4 years and I previously owned a Marshall MG100DFX amp. Believe me, the Vox absolutely destroys it in every way.I bought this amp after comparing it directly to a Fender Blues Junior. With my American Telecaster, the Blues Junior was better than the Vox in only one area; the trademark 'Fender clean' sound. In every other respect, the Vox sounded much deeper and more pronounced; much more like I'd imagined £400 of amplifier to sound. For more or less the same asking price, I had to choose the Vox. Ok, so the Vox AC15 CC1 does not have multiple channels, a plethora of effects or indeed the most brutal distortion. But if it did, it wouldn't be a loud bare-bones tube amp that's all about pure tone, and that is by far what Vox do best. What this amp does provide is deep, powerful tone at any volume and genuine tube distortion when needed. On top of all that it looks like it dropped right out of the '50s and it smells like a proper tube amp should too. Glorious. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: Jak Archer, on january 27, 2009

Price paid: £ 400

Purchased from: PMT

Features: 15w all-tube amp, has one channel with reverb and tremolo. Top boost which has Bass, Treble and Volume(gain). It has a External speaker input switchable between 8ohm and 16ohms. Speaker - Alnico Blue. It has standby Switch which is a good feature and it usually comes with a footswitch to turn the reverb/tremolo on and off but I didn't get one because I got my secondhand. // 7

Sound: I use a Epiphone Les Paul Classic and an Epiphone SG G400. This amps sound great through my les paul but it doesn't sound all that through my SG. I play hard rock and it does it great but for when I want to play some Maiden, Judas Priest I will need an OD pedal. Like every tube amp when you have the master volume low and the gain high the amp sounds fizzy but when you crank it it really opens up and sounds sweet. It is a trebley amp so I just roll the tone knob down on my guitar. The cleans on this amp are just awesome. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Mine hasn't broken down yet but from other peoples experience these amps are apparenlty not very reliable. I haven't gigged with it yet but soon will do. All the gigs I have played so far have been with other bands so If my amp fails I can always use theirs but I think I will gig a backup as it's to much trouble carrying around two amps and the ac15 weighs a tonne. // 7

Impression: I play hard rock this is great for that as you can get just the right amount. The only problem with this amp is the amount of treble in this amp but hopefully I will be changing the tubes because I bought it secondhand so that might sort the problem out. I was comparing this to the Peavey classic 50 and the AC15 just sounded better. It had a better hard rock sound and nicer cleans than the Peavey. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: init24, on january 30, 2008

Price paid: $ 400

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This is a basic 112 single channel Vintage voiced British amp. The lack of a second channel and an effects loop is annoying, but it is a small 15w combo, so not much should be expected. There is tremolo and reverb, both of which are foot switchable via a two button foot Switch. Being this amp is only 15w, it is more of a bedroom amp (what I use it for) and it breaks up at lower volumes, which makes it ideal. // 7

Sound: I use a SG and a LP copy, both with HBs and they sound orgasmic. It actually sounds better with single coils. I know this because I tried it out in GC with HB and SC guitars, all in the same price range, and the SC guitars sounded the best. The amp only gives a general tube amp buzz, nothing more. The amp cannot get that brutal distortion sound very well and I wouldn't recommend it for metal (which is good, because I don't play any metal). It is well suited for 60s and 70s rock, but nothing that is too heavy on the distortion. The amp breaks up easy, so the sound is almost always distorted at high levels. Both the tremolo and reverb sound excellent and complement the sound of the amp nicely. The tremolo isn't very potent, but it can easily get a great Gimme Shelter tone. The reverb isn't as magical as Fender reverb, but it is still very usable. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This amp has never given me any problems and I doubt it will in the future as it seems to be solid. I wouldn't gig without backup ever regardless or the reliability, because you never know what could go wrong, but I get the impression from this amp that if I had to gig without a backup I could. // 10

Impression: This suits my style perfectly, because I typically play '60s-'70s rock and it gets that tone with ease. I've only been playing a few years, but I've played plenty of amps and this one in a winner. I knew everything when I bought, but nothing discouraged me, because of the amazing tone. My only complaint is that it is made in China. My favorite feature would be the tremolo, but the top boost is a close second. I've played countless other amps, even others of the same model (there could be better quality control on these amps), but it is still pretty good. For the money this is an amazing sounding low wattage tube amp. If it was stolen I would save up and buy either a standard AC30 or the alnico blues version of the AC15. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Mitchell?, on december 15, 2008

Price paid: $ 450

Purchased from: eBay

Features: The Vox AC15 Custom Classic (Wharfedale speaker) is a wonderful sounding amp, with straight-forward features, and just plain good tone. It's a single channel valve/tube amp, with master volume, which means you have to crack the 'Top Boost' channel volume for your preamp Drive. It has reverb and tremolo, which has depth and speed controls. Both are footswitchable with an included footswitch, which is solidly built. I use this amp for practices, and small gigs, where it has enough power. It is just 15 watts, so don't expect it to fill an arena, but it is tube, so it can get pretty friggin' loud. // 8

Sound: I use this with a PRS Custom Semi-Hollowbody (2 humbuckers, mahogany body) and it sounds great. The cleans are full and warm, with perfect bass response, and beautiful chime on the high-end. The amp is british-voiced, so the Drive is great for those Led Zep tones, and does great for Vintage stuff. You need to crank it for more gain, or a clean boost or OD for higher gain stuff. It suits my style fine, which is blues, rock, Indie and stuff. I play a lot of different things actually, but the Vox can keep up. I use a Little Big Muff on it for some really get tones, works great for higher gain stuff. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This thing is built like a tank, albeit a lot classier. It's nearly 60 pounds, but it looks like I could throw it out of my window and it would still work (I'm on the 3rd floor.) It's never broken down on me, but I don't exactly neglect it, or thrash it. I would gig with it without a backup. // 10

Impression: My overall impression of this amp is that the amp just kills it. It's got absolutely charming cleans, and the Drive is smooth. It's great for my style, and I'm completely happy with it. I compared it to a Fender Blues Jr., which I liked, but the Vox was just better for me. If this was stolen, I'd track down the kid and beat HIM. Then buy another for the giggles. // 9

Comments

[shakysam]

I paid £400 for this amp, nor did I write the first few lines; I'm not sure where the other information came from.

[fastmart]

is it loud enough for normal club/pub use ?

[hendrixfanatic]

fastmart wrote:

is it loud enough for normal club/pub use ?

Yes, I tried it today, and you can get very loud with it!

[etalkishere]

I recently got the Vox AC15 tube amp from GC. I tried it live along with my gt-10 mic'ed up to my PA. I was able to get amazing clean and hi-gain distortion lead tones. While I am still not sure about AC15's reliability (I heard there are fuse issues that some bad-luck users experienced), I am completely sold to its tones. Loved it thus far. Flip side, I don't like its weight, too heavy for 15W amp. Plus, it is a pain to replace tubes.

BTW, I called Vox up and asked if the fuse issue is a widely known one and if Vox ever recalled AC15 amps because of the issue, they said they never had that recall and believed those fuse issues are just isolated cases. I hope that is the case. Highly recommend this amp to those who are looking for great tones.

[etalkishere]

BTW, don't get fooled with its 15w rating. It's a loud amp. Since I do mic my amp to our PA system, 15W is way plenty.

[Shannock]

I went to try one at a music shop - it came straight out of the box and was dead as a dodo. Good advert. As the salesman said, a nice amplifier, but at the end of the day it has ONE sound only. I came away with a Vox AD50-VT. The AC15 and AC30 simulations sound great.

[Shannock]

I tried the blue speaker version straight out of the box, it was dead as a dodo. Nice advert. I came away with an AD50-VT. The amp simulations are superb - even the AC15 and AC30. As the salesman said, "The AC15 is a nice amp., but at the end of the day, it has ONE sound."

[shadow__666]

Would it be loud enough to play parties and the like where there is no PA system over a loud drummer?

[tom_martin_123]

Shannock wrote:

I tried the blue speaker version straight out of the box, it was dead as a dodo. Nice advert. I came away with an AD50-VT. The amp simulations are superb - even the AC15 and AC30. As the salesman said, "The AC15 is a nice amp., but at the end of the day, it has ONE sound."

FOOL! you bought a solid state amp over this!!! The tone on the ad-vt series is alright but just not even in the same league as the vc 15.

p.s u posted practically the same message twice, why would anybody listen to you?

[DerekC99]

Shannock wrote:

I went to try one at a music shop - it came straight out of the box and was dead as a dodo. Good advert. As the salesman said, a nice amplifier, but at the end of the day it has ONE sound only. I came away with a Vox AD50-VT. The AC15 and AC30 simulations sound great.

Shannock wrote:

I tried the blue speaker version straight out of the box, it was dead as a dodo. Nice advert. I came away with an AD50-VT. The amp simulations are superb - even the AC15 and AC30. As the salesman said, "The AC15 is a nice amp., but at the end of the day, it has ONE sound."

I'm confused.

[Jari]

Classic.

[jeordie1]

I think u would know if u had a fuse problem by now coz my fuse blew on the second day i had it before i even took it off stand-by. Dont put a similar fuse back in (650mA i think), and the 1A fuse i put in blew too so put in a 2A fuse. therefore u kno u are gonna be safe. The 2A fuse i put in hasnt blown in ova a year now. Freaking sweet amp by the way, can handle any music style as long as u have pedals for high gain stuff. Very loud too!

[Wylde]

Shannock wrote:

I tried the blue speaker version straight out of the box, it was dead as a dodo. Nice advert. I came away with an AD50-VT. The amp simulations are superb - even the AC15 and AC30. As the salesman said, "The AC15 is a nice amp., but at the end of the day, it has ONE sound."

Wow... 1 sound??? If you can only get 1 sound out of an AC15 i feel sorry.

[JohnIsMyName]

how does it handle fuzz?

[Hi-imbob]

This amp sounds great but I really wouldn't recommend buying this amp. Ive got one and its nothing more than a headache, If only I had the money again. If your going to use this amp in a studio or for gigging, make sure you've got a backup. I treated this damn thing like royalty. Bottom line its simple a bad designed amp. bloody transformers and rectifiers! (mine started playing up after about 6 months)