Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This amp excels at what it was designed for: creating that top boost tone at reasonable volume levels and it sounds great. With the master volume, this little guy is great for apartment dwellers or for practicing at night. However, nothing beats having the master volume close to wide open - and it's loud. No rattling here coming the chassis and the 12" speaker is very capable of handling the 4 watts. Tone is warm, and breakup is great with gain just past 12 o'clock. This thing really rocks with the gain wide open - pure Vox heaven. Sounds great with the following pedals: Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster, Hot Tubes, and an Ice 9 - not all engaged at the same time, of course. They add to the richness of the tone at lower gain stages. Strat and Les Paul approved. Thanks MF for the great deal on this awesome amp!

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I have a Vox AC30 back home in my country but when I moved to the US, I was looking for something that would fit well in an apartment but still gives me that Vox tone. After some browsing, I came upon this particular model of the AC4. I bought it without even trying, and I've never regretted it. It's one of the best small amps I've ever tried, even better than the Roland Cube for me. I would say it's on par with a Deluxe Reverb in the power that it gives. The warmth also rivals the AC30 that I have. It tackles everything well from jazz to blues to rock. I am surprised by the quality of this amp and it exceeded all my expectations. Definitely would buy this if I need a small and portable amp.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I like this amp a lot. In fact, I bought two. It's not the most versatile thing in the world. However, what it does, which is that it sounds like a classic Vox, it does very well. It gets beautiful sound at a sweet spot that is not quite performance level but above ideal bedroom level, making it a wonderful rehearsal and recording amp, or gigging with PA support. If you don't need pristine cleans and you have a reasonable drummer, small club gigs should be possible as well. Stock speaker isn't the greatest in the world, but the 1x12" cab can support many kinds of speakers. I even have an Alnico Blue in one, fits just fine with the bell on. Really comes to life with the master maxed out. I had the 1x10" AC4C1 combo a couple of years ago, and my only wish was that it'd come with a 12" speaker instead. It's like Vox answered my prayers with this small, reasonably priced, beautiful looking amp. Thanks, Vox!

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This little amp is perfect if you are looking to get that Classic Rock Crunch you hear on so many vinyls. However, running a Telecaster through it without any gain you get the perfect clean necessary for Jazz. So, in that regard it can be a versatile amp in the right musicians hands. Where it gets limited is instances where you need a specific kind of gain or distortion to get your sound; in that case, well, it sounds like a Vox and not like a Marshall--not a bad thing in my opinion.

Relative to the other AC4's this one has a bass control which allows for a thicker sound; I know the other AC4's are great but a bit too trebly and thin for some people's tastes--that problem is solved with this amp. However because of the twelve inch speaker this one is heavier and less portable than the other AC4's, but still pretty portable nonetheless. I use it as my go to amp when playing outside my house with others.

All in all the price is perfect for this amp. To be honest the price feels like steal compared to the other options for tube amps under five hundred.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I stumbled upon a used AC15 a few years ago, and I've never looked back when it comes to tone. The Vox jangle just does it for me. However, I've gotten tired of hauling 60lbs of amp everywhere and the 15 is a bit too powerful for smaller venues. I've tried several small amps, and they're alright, but they don't have THE sound that I love out of the AC15.

This little amp does. It's crystal clear and punchy. The 12 inch speaker gives plenty of bass response, which is typically lacking in smaller practice amps. The only thing it lacks from it's bigger brother is the onboard tremolo and reverb, but that's easily remedied with pedals. It's light and compact, so it's great for small venues and playing around the house, and it has plenty of volume for being a 4 watt amp. For home playing, I typically set the preamp at 1 o'clock (about 6 if there were numbers) and the power amp to 10 o'clock (about 3-4 if there were numbers). So there's a decent amount of headroom on the amp. I would think you could play most average sized bars without additional amplification, but I haven't tried yet.

If you're a Vox AC15 or AC30 fan, this is an excellent amp as a small alternative. There's very little tonal difference between my 15 and my 4, so I don't feel like I'm settling for taking my smaller amp if my back doesn't feel like hauling the bigger one.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I own two small solid state amps; they're good but I was ready for an upgrade. I've always wanted a tube amp and was very excited when I saw that this was for sale. I looked at other tube amps and chose this for the VOX brand and sound (I play rock and blues and am a huge U2 fan), the classic VOX look, the 12" speaker, and the reasonable price. Look up other tube amps; this is a good deal, especially with the 12" speaker.

I mostly play a Strat through this and it sounds great either clean or crunchy; the sound is just...natural. It's also plenty loud (I use it for practicing and recording as opposed to gigging.) Note that this is a simple amp with no built-in effects. The only controls are Gain, Treble, Bass, and Volume. While an amp with built-in effects is convenient and generally cheaper than buying all the effects separately, I'm a bit discriminating about my tone and so I preferred to have a solid base sound to which I can choose my own effects. I also don't care for amp emulators on amps. Some of the effects I have are already complicated (I'm looking at you, Korg SDD-3000) so I love the simplicity of this amp.

Final thoughts: This gets hot. The back is closed and the ventilation is slits on the top about the width of the handle. Just don't touch that area and you should be fine.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

4 Watts is a lot of power. Had no problems keeping up with my band. Love the simplicity of controls. Set the gain up high, use the volume to set your level and control the amount of drive with your guitar volume. Sounds so much bigger than the 10" models. This opens up much more. Good for Beatle-heads for sure!
Professional musician on a different instrument!

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I bought this as a second amp for home, as I leave my Fender Blues Jr. NOS at church.
I A/Bed them side by and was able to dial up the same tone minus the reverb on the Vox of course. I use a couple of delays and my MXR Carbon Copy helps make up for lack of verb.
I like the Vox sound as it's got more of that closed back punch to it as opposed to the open, airy Fender sound. The Vox doesn't sound small or boxy at all. I run my pedals through it with a couple of LP style guitars and the bass doesn't muddy up at all.
I can only run my Blues Jr. on 2.5 at church and side by side this amp hits the same volume on about 5, so that's pretty impressive to me, still leaving me what seems to be quite a bit of headroom.
I am going to A/B them again and may possibly get rid of the Blues Jr. and get another one of these.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Great practice or recording amp. If you want the classic VOX sound and don't need the volume of an AC15, this is it. No frills, just a good amp. The tubes could stand to be replaced right off, and a Celestion blue is a nice thought, but sounds great out of the box.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Vox came through with a good one here, have owned the 10" speaker version for years, when this came out with the 12" was a must have.Getting some nice sounds from clean to gritty..great for jammin' in your room..throw a mike in front and jam out with a band..only wish it came with reverb, picked up a pedal to take care of that..if you like the Vox sound you can not go wrong with this amp..and the price is right..

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I was really looking forward to getting this amp for a home valve practice amp to use with my pedal board. When I first plugged it in I thought it sounded great, but after a few minutes my ears were so fatigued. I tried it at different volumes and with the treble all the way down, and I still could not believe the laser ear shredding peakiness of the speaker. It is the worst 12" speaker I have ever heard in a guitar amp. It guess it is possible that I got a defective speaker, as the one I played at a local store did not have this issue. The one I had said it was made in December of 2015 in China.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Great little amp! I was worried that it wasn't going to have enough low end but it has surprised me. Lovely amp!

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

If you like the classic Vox tone & top end chime of the AC30 or AC15 but don't need the volume levels then this is your amp. I purchased this primarily for home/practice use, but if you miked this amp or used an extension cab, you could easily gig with it. The 12" speaker removes any "boxiness" otherwise associated with these small amps, and the sound is actually quite full. Simple to dial in with only 4 tone controls. it's a fun amp.
The only con is that this amp breaks up too early (even with single coils) . With the gain pushed past the halfway mark, it's pretty muddy. So if you want crystal clean tone the gain will have to be around 8 o'clock & even if you max the volume it's still pretty quiet.
I will probably try switching out the pre-amp tubes (12AX7), for some 5751's which should give me a greater sweet spot before breaking up.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I play a Strat and a Gretsch Hollowbody electric, with the Gretsch the amp definitely has the boxy or brown Vox sound, with the Strat, clean chime at low gain/high master settings, is loud enough for rehearsal or small venue (I used it for a concert in a 164 seat theater with a clean tone) easy to dial up loud, overdrive sound with the gain up, has no reverb, but good with a pedal, good price, I will no doubt upgrade the speaker, but for a portable, low watt Vox amp I'm happy with it.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Overall great, traditional VOX tube sound. 4 watts into a 12" speaker. Have also driven a 2x12 cabinet with great lower tones. Very happy with purchase and oh so portable.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I am very happy with the tones and volume of this amp. It would be nice to have an IPod input to play backing track through.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I have been playing out of my solid state Fender 212 frontman for 6 years which was LOUD and BIG, too much amp for me. Now just this last year my friend got an Orange Tiny Terror, I fell in love with the warmth of tube amplifiers, but not the sound of the Orange. So i started looking at Vox. All of the reviews were great, and so were the demo videos on youtube. So WITHOUT EVEN PLAYING IT, I threw down the money and got it from MusiciansFriend. I couldn't be happier, It works perfectly with my Ibanez semi hollow Artcore and my pedalboard. I can get anything from a beautiful, clean Jazzy sound to a nice crunch. And what I can't get out of the amp, my pedals do the rest. and the handle on top is nifty, totally looks old school. overall it is a beautiful amp.

The one downside is that the Tubes could be changed right off the bat, I've noticed that when I turn the volume up that there is a slight humming sound. It is not even noticeable when I'm playing though. So I can do that later. that is the ONLY bad thing about this amp. That is why I am giving it a 4/5 stars.

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This is a great little amp and has been my main gigging amp for the past couple years. It does a good job at keeping up with my band at smaller venues, but I usually mic it anyways. I would definitely recommend giving it a mic anywhere bigger than a small club, unless you play in a more mellow band. I've always been a fan of smaller, low wattage, tube amps with minimal controls and this definitely fits the bill. I wouldn't really recommend it for bedroom/apartment practicing because it's still pretty loud and it sounds best when you can really push it. It's definitely a very bright amp, maybe a little too bright with some guitars, but there's also mods you can do to it to change that. I plan on changing the speaker someday, just haven't gotten around to it yet and the speaker it comes with is decent enough, just a little stale in my opinion. It's a pretty rugged little amp, it has spent some good miles rattling around in the back of cars/vans/trailers and i haven't had any problems with it. Overall a great amp for anyone looking for a simple, portable, low wattage tube amp that will give them that classic Vox sound at an affordable price!

Comments about Vox AC4C1-12 Classic 4W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Mine died 101 days after purchase (and it was only ever used for low-volume practicing at home). Pilot light still comes on and the tubes light up but there's no sound (spkr and tubes all tested fine). The rumblings about poor build quality are seemingly true, unfortunately.