This amp is one of the few I've played where I get full on blasting driven tones I like in a small space and don't irritate myself to distraction in 10 minutes. 15-20 watts gets pretty damn loud (though I've used Tweed Deluxe, BFDR, Princeton, Vox Bruno with 2 6v6s and other 15-20 watt amps for years - great gigging size for me). The 4-5 watt amps I've played tend to sound flattened out and undynamic when driven. As noted, not much clean headroom, but it hits this really perfect balance of having just enough headroom to maintain bounce and dynamics and fullness AND compressing beautifully without having to be crazy loud. I've run teles, 335 style and a great Les Paul through it and they all sound really good. The reverb is ok in small doses and the construction leaves something to be desired, particularly the need to take out so many screws to do anything.Īll caveats aside though, it's a fantastic sounding amp. This little Vox is probably the best amp I have for getting a great driven sound at a level that doesn't blow my ears up. It's also loud as hell, super heavy, ergonomically unwieldy and 4x the price I paid for this amp. I briefly had the most recent handwired AC15 which is a great amp. I have a gazillion amps, an Axe Fx and more other gear than should be legal. Responds amazingly well to drive pedals (not that you need them necessarily). I just got one of these and can hardly believe how good it sounds. Vox is a company that definitely nails it when it comes to offering budget friendly amps that have boutique tones. When you put it into perspective, I could buy this amp for $500.00, which is the price of two pedals. Also, I have heard a lot of people complain about the reverb but I thought it was actually quite nice. I would have no issues gigging with this and using it every night. I thought my original Vox AC30 custom classic was well made but this AC10 was flawless. I was using the Gretsch Country Gentleman and they were a match made in heaven. Honestly I couldn't find a bad tone on this amp and that is so rare with Vox style amps. If I put the gain at 9 o'clock, so very low, and the volume at 12/1 o'clock, I could get the perfect amount of edge of break up tone. I thought that amp had a very usable amount of headroom. This amp just sounds so big for the size and I can't believe how warm the tone is. O'clock which is something else I never do as I find them bright. I don't think I have ever done that with an EL84 amp. I had the bass at 12 when I started and actually took it down further. The first thing I noticed when I started playing was how much bass there was. I played it for about an hour and I honestly can't remember having this much fun with an amp. I got a chance to play the AC10c1 today! Honestly, it's a killer amp. I don't plan to move the amp out of the studio much, so my only question will be durability. It's been well noted in this thread that there are build qualities that were obviously done to drive costs down, but I strongly believe that tone to value is there!! Without changing a tube or speaker, the tone is fantastic (since mine was used, I can't verify the hours on the stock speaker, so there may be some break-in time) The AC30 is in a completely different category and has obviously been the Vox flagship for years and also at another price point. After playing with the AC10, I wouldn't even waste my time on any of the AC4 models (including the Handwired), which IMHO are more of gadgety toys than musical tools. The stock Celestion 10" speaker produces smooth tones and just the right amount of bass without getting flubby, and I don't find the typical boxy-ness associated with other small combos.Ĭompared to my AC15's, I find similar top volumes with an earlier breakup, but to my ears, a much more pleasing tone. The 10 watts produce ample volume and a surprising amount of headroom, while the master allows lower bedroom volumes without sacrificing tone. I paid $250 used for mine, but would gladly pay the $449 street price now that I know what to expect. If you can look past the circuit board mounted tube sockets, pre-fabbed wiring harnesses and limited upgrade ability, I highly recommend grabbing one. With that said, the AC10 produces one of the best EL84 tones that you can buy for the $$. I'll also preface my review by saying that I've owned the following Vox amps previously, so my familiarity with Vox amps runs deep.AC4C1-BL, AC4HW, AC4-TV, AC15C1, AC15C1X, AC30CC2, AC30C2, and AC30HW2X. I had read many AC10 threads before purchasing, and had no unreal expectations about quality and construction. I own several other EL84 amps including the Matchless C30 in my profile pic, so I was looking for an inexpensive, low watt, small combo, just to tinker around with. I picked up one of these Vox AC10's on a whim and couldn't be happier.
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