Vox AC15-TB

2001 AC-15TB. Single channel, master volume, reberb and trem. Loud enough for gigging unless you play with a monsterously loud band (which i am not knocking at all). Quiet enough for home use.

With master on ten amp is fairly clean and midrangey until the pre-gain hits about four or five. Then she starts to break up in a very natural way. If the pre-gain is up around 7-8, the amp sounds like a smoothly overdriven 50w marshall with much less volume. When the pre-gain is floored, the distortion is creamy but never harsh or shred-like.

The beauty of this amp is that the pre-gain does not sound processed as it does in most any other amp i have tried. With just a little volume this amp always sounds naturally overdriven, as if it were an amp without a master volume cranked.

Sounds great with teles, strats, gibsons.

What this amp does not do is get super fat metally tones or that clear, tight bottom crystal top fender tone. Definitely a vox all the way.

Poorly constructed. Reverb has failed three times in two years. The amp itself has failed once. Amp used mostly at home, too. Gigged with it only 10 times.

So far it has been fixed under warranty. We will see if the present reverb problem is fixed by Korg (parent company) as well

If not for the breakdowns this amp would be a 10. If lost, I might buy one used. Great for recording and gigging (assuming it works!).

Current Vox issue. Excellent Single chanel class A tube guitar amplifier based on the famous vox top-boost amplifiers of the 1960's. This is amp is a dream "tone machine" for guitarists looking for 1960's vintage tone vibe. It is the only modern amp I've used which can deliver 60's vibe in the tradition of jefferson airplane, the electric prunes, brian jones era rolling stones, the shadows, beatles, kinks , love who and many others. The controls are deceptively simple as they interact extensively with each other( as do the gain and tone controls on the best vintage amps). Except I would say that this amp has a control section even more responsive than some vintage amps. A multitude of tonal variations(all excellent) are possible by setting the gain structure and tone controls in various positions. All you really need to do is "feel your way".

This amp is made for "vintage tube tone buffs". Its toneality posseses a deeply atmospheric edge. The sound of this amp paints pictures. This amp is particularly good for warm clean sounds and driven moderate tube break-up edges. The AC15TB is a subtle device and probably wouldnt suit players looking for "heavy crunch" with loads of fat bottom end. In actuality, the AC15TB has a beautiful tight bottom end. Once again being characteristic of class A vintage tube gear. I for one dont look for the "heavy metal thang" in amps. The same day I discovered this amp I tried out the AC30TB reissue. Interestingly the AC30TB lacked the warmth of the AC15. I thought the AC30 was booring old poo in comparison to the 15. This was partially because you can drive and control the gain structure of the AC15 at low volume levels due to it having a master volume control. Being both a recording engineer and a recording artist I very quickly came to see the obvious benefits of the AC15TB. If you are looking for sophisticated tube tone at lower sound levels, this unit is perfect for all studio applications.

I exclusively use vintage single-coil instruments as chime and twang are my signature sounds. I mainly use a 1961 pre-L series fender jazz master and a 1964 1997rose morris 12-string rickenbacker. These are both dynamic complex sounding instruments. All guitarists know that the key to success is matching the right guitar to the right amp. This AC15TB reissue is the perfect "mercedes benz" of tube amps to complement my fine old "cuban cigar" guitars. This amp is not noisy and I dont give a toss how brutal a guitar amps distortion is as I am more interested in using subtle amp breakup to create a tonal edge. If I want distortion I start with a rich amp tone and add a morley , a digitech gsp2101 or a lexicon G2.

It looks and behaves like a quality amp. Though it be true to vintage design it would have been nice to have quick access to fuses and tubes. No break downs experienced so far.

No experience in this department.

This amp does everything and more when it comes to what I like. Without getting into "star trek territory" I cant think of any suggested improvement to the sound of this amp. I have owned vintage black face fenders, vox's and burns amps. The fender black face reissues are excellent amps. This AC15 does not have as much headroom or full rounded tone of a black face fender reissue. Even so the AC15TB is much warmer and goes places the fenders dont and cant go. The AC15TB has an abundance of true vintage tone. I havent heard any other contemporary amp which sounds so vintage.. Usually the only way to get the tone is to buy a vintage amp and restore it. With the AC15TB I dont have to go thru this process and I've "jumped the fence" from fender to vox. I would give this amp a 10 if I wasnt willing to leave that one extra rating because there is always the hope that you will fall inlove with yet another amp. The AC15TB will be a tough act to follow.

Pretty simple, one overdriven channel; master volume for clean, input volume for distortion. Treble, bass. How many amps can you name with a built in analogue tremolo? Very Nice Spring Reverb. Only one problem, it is a bit quiet, sure it can beat out a drum, but that's only at full volume, and that means that you get that thick creamy distortion, which for me isn't a problem.....but if you go for that clean sound, then this amp probably is just big enough for a small club, or big one, depending on the size of your PA.

You can manuever it into a plethora of sounds. My vox, produces the most high quality tone I could want, you can even play an acoustic right through it with pretty damn good tone. It's got a sweet bass to it, and the treble...my god...its got a huge range. Its been known to make the shitiest guitars i've ever heard sound pretty good.

ahhhhhh...yes...there was an incident where vox sent out some bad transformers with their amps, mine was a 98 I think, and unless you've experienced this yourself you probably don't know what a Class A transformer costs.... about $170+labour. That was a pretty shitty deal. But other than that no prob...I don't know if vox ever solved their little transformer problem, but it sure as hell happenned to die after the warranty expired.

Haven't dealt with anyone directly. never needed to either.

it's a classic amp, why else would guys like jimmy page, eric clapton, ed o'brien(radiohead), and about 10,000 other musicians use it.

All Tube, Single channel 15 watt with 1-12" Bulldog" speaker. Very basic with Gain, Bass, Treble, Reverb depth, Tremolo speed, intensity and master volume. TONE is the word here, yes I'd like to see an effects loop and maybe a little more volume (it is a loud 15 watts though), that would be "icing on the cake" but the cake itself rocks!
I use this in along with a Tech21 Trademark 60, sometimes either one at a time, or together with a Morley A/B switch box. The Trademark 60 takes care of my heavily overdriven sounds and some Fender emulations, but the Vox is superior for clean to mildly overdriven sounds.
I play small to medium venues-it's almost always miked, but it gets enough
level for the gigs I'm playing as far as stage level.
One thing that I would definitely change-having to remove the chassis to change tubes and removing the back to change a fuse.

Using it with a stock Strat, Telecaster, and Epiphone Casino, playing 60's influenced power-pop, but also get into old-school Country and Jazz-ish sounds. I plug straight in or maybe just an echoplex in line. Set at 3/4 on gain with master vol full on it gives me just enough rasp that cleans up as I back off on the guitar's volume. This doesn't work so well with the humbucker equipped guitars I've tried (Les Pauls, 335's), the tone
just gets dull with those as you roll back on the volume.
I just can't say enough about the tone--it's the most important thing with any amp I suppose, and it's just incredible on this one. Rich, clear and full.
The reverb doesn't get that Fender depth, but it's a lot smoother and the tremolo is fine (I don't use it a lot though)

The first session I had with the amp was fortunately a casual jam, as the amp just shut down on me. The mains fuse had blown-so as soon as Radio Shack opened up the next day I got replacements and so far have not had it occur again.
The amp occasonally emits a faint high pitched whine which I think may be a bad pre-amp tube, though it's not consistent.
I would not gig without a backup-right now that's my Trademark 60-at $900
I can't really afford a second AC15 as much as I'd like one.

I would definitely buy one again, it's the tone!-nothing sounds near as good to me-except maybe a Tweed Fender.
I wish it gave me more confidence that it won't just blow up ;-) This is based on what I've read though.
No wonder Brian May has so many AC30's-I don't think it's just for volume,
I've read that he switches between them to avoid possible blow-ups.
If I didn't sound as good as it does I wouldn't have bought it-if the sound isn't
110% awesome to you then look elsewhere. I'm giving it a 9 overall for the tone.

Considering the original dosn't have much in the way of knobs or reverb,this gets a 9 since you get EVERYTHING needed for the VOX sound. Gain knob in the pre amp,reverb and master volume.Tremelo to die for...all laid out like a good amp should be....simple yet miles above the originals for versitilty. Not that the Old Jimi's weren't good...but at 5k a pop for one in mint condition....I'll take this setup anyday!

Sounds killer if your a VOX guy and I am. I have a VOX AC30 and I like this better. Won't get the BiG sound or the big low end two Alnico's give...got weber bluedogs in my AC30. Thing is I like the gold label spker in this version but will move up to a blue alnico soon I guess.In the meantime you can get Beatles,Tom Petty....fantastic STONE'S tones from the BRIAN JONES period!!1 And all guitars sound differant as to say this amp is really many amps in one.But that is the magic of VOX and this AC15 which is just the top boost channel from the AC30 in a smaller box!!! Tone for ages....sustain and meeeow class A heaven with my favorite bias...cathoid...it sings. P90's sound very early stones like...think jumping JACK Flash ect...single coils have a totally differant effect. My Gretch Tennessean sounds like George Harrison to the bone. Even my Albert Lee signature wails but I do feel that strat freaks would be better off with a low watt fender....but then you just get the Fender sound. When I use my LP studio lite with 57 classic's this amp sounds very much like a little blues breaker...add a TS9 tubescreamer and it's a JTM/plexi almost....but better IMO and at reasonable volume. Great all around recording ,small club amp. I AB it with a 75 Fender Priceton reverb...amazing combination. Tone??....say no more....

This thing I bought used but it's brand new...maybe was a floor model or something...made in late 2000 and when I got it the pedal hadn't even been broken into....it was virgin.Even smells new...hey it is. Built like a tank. I can't speak for the early versions and others on this thread but the new ones are all there...no wierd vibrations from the reverb ect....guess VOX took care of all the little things in the last four years this bad boy has been out...buy a new one!No backup...I live on the edge.

What other company can you go to the ceo to get satisfaction!!! Mitch Colby who runs KORG/VOX will take care of anything the dealers or sellers of his stuff throw in your face. E-mail him if there is a problem and the CEO will do the rest...can't beat that kind of service with a stick,Please use your dealer or warrenty first but it's nice to know you can go over their heads and get a hold of the top dog.

I know the new 2000 bread/range are going for 1k across the board from dealers and this goes for all of em. If you look around you can find 2nd's with small blemishs and snagg one for 700 or so. Used is good too. As for my overall rating look above...awsome...beats the hell outta any of the wanna be's out there like Crate and Peavy who think they are doing you a favor by putting weak clones on the market.BUY THE REAL DEAL and get an Alnico when your ready.

1997 model - what drew me to this amp is the great classic British rock sound. It's easy to dial in on this reissue because of the master volume. You can do clean Beatles up to sweet, even overdrive for the Who, Kinks, a lot of great rock. Nice additions are the reverb (though a bit weak) and the tremolo.

Fabulous Class A clean and overdriven sounds. It won't do the heavy overdrive/distortion thing, but a great classic rock sound. See how many Vox amps you see on the stage with top rock groups - it's a sound that will never grow old. Not great with single coils (Fender type), but great with humbuckers and P-90s. I put NOS American tubes in it - EL-84s are not too expensive, and worth it.

Had some trouble with the reverb tank buzzing when new - they eventually replaced the tank and put some additional insulation under it in the cabinet. Otherwise no problems in three years of regular playing.

The reverb was serviced under warranty without any problem.

purchased from zzounds.com

S# indicates a manufacture of 1999. all tube "class a" or whatever (see other reviews that discuss vox's wiring practices)

i play the type of pop guitar usually associated with vox gear (early who, xtc, velvet underground, oasis, supertuesday, bla bla bla)

knobs: volume, master volume (no channel switching), tremolo speed,

tremolo depth, reverb, high and low "eq."

jacks: 2 inputs (1 grounds out 6dB of signal, other is "full power"), footswitch for reverb and trem, line out, and speaker out (these are unlabled and the instrucions included gave no indication as to what is what. thank goodness the web site has a picture and schemeatics (see reliability).

this amp supplies THAT british sound in a lo-power amp. you buy it for that clean jangle and find uses for the rest of the sounds.

#1 guitar is a Epiphone Dot (see review of that elsewhere on this site). purists would say the stock pickups aren't a perfect match for this amp; they are right, but it works for me.

while i was playing the thing wide open, my friend and i were talking about how good it sounds, so obviously the 15 watts are not ear splitting.

the overdrive you get by backing off the master volume is "classic" (ie: shreaders need not apply) but again sounds exquisite; it's very sensitive to your dynamics. use a light touch and it sounds clean, plant a heavy-right hand downstroke and listen to it go. i bought a cheap boss stomp box to induce a little more overdrive, and this amp makes it sound pretty good actually.

the tremolo may be historicaly accurate, but it doesn't have a lot of range. you'd think that the depth-at-zero would be no trem at all; but that's not the case. i think someone once said that "...the trem has 2 speeds, but they're 2 really COOL speeds..." 2 is an exageration, but not much of one.

kind of noisy, especially for only 15 watts. but, it is just rock and roll.

reverb doesn't go cowabunga! deep, but is still useful.

the whopping 2 band eq does not provide a very wide range. there is bass cutting going on when the treble is turned way up. one could say that the 2 knobs and odd voicings they provide is "econimical..."

the solder joints on the 2 input jacks failed within one month (literally). taking a look inside, revealed really poor workmanship and design. there's no way you'd be able to change a tube in between sets, the PC board mounts are born to fail, jeezy creezy help you getting to the solder joints to fix them... i could go on (did i tell you about the defective RCA patch cable to and from the reverb tank?), but this review would just get even more boring.

a korg warranty shop fixed the defective solder joints right away... but heaven help me when that one year warranty period is over. the voxamps.co.uk web site has schemeatics, which i'm sure i'll be needing soon.

i've played for 14 years... mostly as a hobbiest. i bought this amp without hearing it first, as i could not find one in my area to try. i really took a leap, paying so much for basically a 15 watt practice amp (i've noticed that the price has shot up to $999 since i bought mine. knowing what i know now, i would not have payed that much for this amp). there are so many more flexible and powerful amps out there for less money.

having said that, it sounds as good as i expected and is as inflexible as i had discovered through research. this thing makes pretty much one sound, but does it exceptionally well.

if lost/stolen, would i buy it again? yes. no. yes. no. yes. no. yes. no. yes. no. yes. no. yes. no. yes. no...

1999, single channel, basic class A amp. No effects loop, channel
switching, etc. It does has a master volume though, and reverb. I bought the amp for rehearsels and small club use.

I use a G&L Legacy Special and a Washburn WMSTD with Seymour Duncan humbuckers. I play rock, r&b, funk, and country. With the exception of country, it seems to suit the styles well. I couldn't get enough clean power for "old timey" country stuff. The distortion is just okay. I used a Boss SD-1 for o.d.

This is where the problem was for me. The reverb crapped-out twice, even with a new reverb tank. After opening up the amp, I found the construction to be second rate. My Blues Jr.is built better at 1/3 the price. My Prosonic is a tank compared to the AC-15. The Fender's tubes are mounted to the chassis vs. mounted to the pc board like on the Vox. With the heat that a class A amp puts out, that spells trouble in the long run.

After e-mailing Korg, they sent a tank out promptly via FedX. I was very pleased with the quick response. Unfortunately, I still had reverb troubles.

I sold it and have never looked back. I fell for the hype surrounding
the amp, and it never lived up to any of it, IMHO. There are alot of class A amps avail. that are built much better, and at the same price or less!

new, 1999 model. doesn't have a load of features. it's just a lot of money to provide good tone.
i bought it to try and improve the tone...i was playing a fender roc pro 1000 (i must have been having a midlife crisis when i bought that monster.)the roc pro has a good clean channel, but the other two channels are over the top rock and roll. the vox has just the right break-up at moderate volume levels. it doesn't provide enough gain or overdrive for searing leads, tho. great amp for rythm and blues. has line out...all tube amp...has master volume and preamp vol. two channels, one is a bit hotter than the other. has green speaker.

am playing a guild starfire II semi hollow body, and a american deluxe fat strat. the difference in the strat played thru the vox and the roc pro is huge. very SRV out of the vox, tho i wasn't searching for that sound.
has a small amount of hum, which is pretty normal for a tuber.
the vox has a warm tone, even with just one speaker. not a lot of variety...warm clean sound...breaks up gently for punchy rythm stuff.
you won't acheive hard rock distortion. i purchased a budda phatman two vacuum tube overdrive unit to compensate for the lack overdrive.
works quite well.
i still haven't turned it all the way up...but i would guess it will break up nicely. i bought this so i could record at a reasonable house level. the roc pro had the neighbors calling... sounds good at low volume, which is what i wanted. now i can record late at night and not bother the wife or kids.
i notice a buzzing in the right hand corner of the cabinet...other reviews suggest it is the reverb unit. i clamped my hand on that corner and it goes away...

vox has a good rep...i'm done gigging, so can't comment here. i never used a backup when i did gig, tho. if she breaks down mid gig, well, it's miller time.

don't know.

25 + years playing...i'd get another if lost or (gasp!) stolen...
might upgrade to the blue speaker version. don't like the buzzing inside cabinet much...alot of money for a 15 watt amp, and it's got buzz...tried comparing it to small fender amps, and they sounded too hollow.

1997 model with 1x12 Vox Heavy Duty "Bulldog" speaker. 2 inputs with volume,treble, bass,reverb,tremolo(speed and depth) and master volume.
Consists of 5 12AX7A'S, 2 EL-84'S,and 5Y3 rectifier. No channel switching,effects loop or headphone jack. Has reverb/tremolo footswitch, line out, and speaker out.

I play blues rock, surf, and classic rock and is great for roots syle rock. I use a PRS Custom 24 with HFS and Vintage pickups. I use this amp at home and with playing with a 4 piece classic rock band.It has plenty of power and is probably the loudest and heaviest 15 watt amp around. It can be noisy with master and volume full up. particularly with effects pedals hooked up. Would like to have a Boss LS-2 line selector stompbox to put the effects in a loop when I want to use them so they would be totally bypassed when not being used. I use an Ibanez TS-5 tube screamer,Ibanez C-5 chorus, Dan-Echo, and Vox wah sparingly. The amp sounds much bigger than it's rated power and size and cuts through easily.It remains clean to about half volume and is great for 60's style rock, and blues. Great "chime" and "jangle" and is great for clean Beatles tone and for mild distortion. Not a shredder, but can get Clapton/Bluesbreaker like tones.Great dynamics using guitars volume control and is very touch sensitive to picking techniques with great transient response. Considered the Mesa Blue Angel also. Traded in a Laney VC-30 2x10 for this amp. Thinking of adding the chrome amp stand to get it up at ear level as well as uddating the speaker to a Weber Blue. Considering changing the rectifier 5Y3 to a GZ34 to boost the output to around 22 watts.I would welcome any comments on these changes.

Owned it for a year as it was a floor model that came into the dealer slightly scratched. I would use it without a backup. Had one incident of it blowing main fuse and took it in to dealer and found no problem.It hasn't given me any other problems. I am concerned with the ordeal involved in getting to the tubes to replace them as you have to pull the chassis. Seems to be well constructed.

Local dealer Matt's Music very helpful and friendly. Repaired once under warranty very promptly. Tubes and speakers have 90 day warranty and amp is one year.Haven't dealt with Vox directly.

Been playing on and off for about 35 years.Have owned 62 Fender Tremolux, 73 Marshall 50w,Fender F-30, Laney VC-30 2x10,62 Gretsch Tennessean, 68 Les Paul Custom, 85 strat. I would buy it again more than likely, but would probably check out the Dr.Z Carmen Ghia, and Mesa Blue Angel or Maverick. Overall I'm very pleased with the sound, reliability, and overall vibe. Headphone out and effects loop might be nice. Wish the Vox Blue speaker option wasn't so expensive at $250 more.