Vox AC15

From the serial number, this amp was made by Korg in '98. It has the Vox Blue Celestion, and an aftermarket Mercury Magnetics output transformer. The amp is good, but putting the MM tranny in was like putting a performance carburetor on a 69 Chevelle SS. It is versatile enough for me. I play rock 'n' roll from the '60s to the present day, reggae, blues. I do not need a lot of bells and whistles. In fact, I don't even use an overdrive pedal with my AC15, because nothing could sound better than its natural tone. It has a very mild reverb, but that's about all I want. Vox's tremelo circuit is the best ever. Bass and treble interactive. The master volume makes it usable at home. At gigs, it has plenty of jism to cut through the mix, even unmiked.

I have a Telecaster with Harmonic Design Vintage Plus single coils, a Squier Venus with a Harmonic Design humbucker at the bridge, coil tapped; and a Tokai Rickenbacker 350 copy with ersatz toaster pickups and flatwound strings. I like a vintage sound, and this amp provides it. Very little noise. It is just crunchy in an extremely pleasant way that doesn't hurt my ears.

I have heard the horror stories, but I haven't had a single problem in almost two years.

N/A

I've been playing for 33 years. This is the amp I have dreamed of owning. I also have a blackface Fender Bandmaster, loaded into a custom 2x10 cabinet with Weber VST speakers. Kind of like a Vibrolux without reverb. I have recapped the Fender and put a Mercury Magnetics Super Reverb output tranny in. Lots of fun working "under the hood," but guess what? When I played them side by side, I preferred the AC15. In fact, the Fender hurts my ears when the volume is over 3.

The AC15 is a gorgeous amp, and I'm glad I got mine when I did, since Korg has stopped making them. Couldn't sell enough of them, they said. Watch the price and reputation go sky high now. Pricewise, I think it was in a no man's land -- too expensive compared to a Hot Rod Deluxe, not enough snob appeal for the Top Hat/Bad Cat/Matchless crowd (probably because of its printed circuit boards). But if you put this up against one of those designer amps in a blindfold test, I would like to see the results.

Two months ago, I purchased this Vox AC15, which the name plate indicates was actually constructed in 2001. Past reviews have described the features of this amp. It is enough to say that the Vox AC15 differs from its big brother, the AC30, in having Master Volume and Reverb controls. My amp is equipped with the Blue Bulldog speaker, which provides the authentic Vox sound. It's features are more than sufficient for the music I play- a variety of popular music from the 40s to the present day.

I love the chimey, mid-range punchiness of the Class A Vox sound and the touch sensitivity it offers the player. Before I bought this amp, I already owned a 2000 AC30 Reissue. The AC30 is a tremendous amp, but I began to dread having to carry its 80 lbs to practice each week. So I searched for a small Class A EL84 tube amp that I might use for rehearsals and small venue gigs. I ended up buying a Fender Blues Junior and was disappointed with its dark tone. I modded it with a Weber Blue Dog and JJ Tesla tube to get that Vox sound, to no avail. In the end, I conceded that I had been perfuming a pig in the hopes that it might change into a rose. Finally, I sold the BJ and ended bought the rose- a real Vox AC15. I'm glad I spent the money on it. I use a Custom Shop 63 NOS Telecaster through it and the sound is wonderful. The tones this amp produces are the right ones. I keep the Master at 3 'o clock and get a great rock sound. As others have noted, this amp is not a metal shred machine. What it offers the player is a sound that no other amp has. The lesson for me was: if you want the Vox sound, buy a Vox.

I've only owned this amp for about two months, so it may be too soon to say anything about its reliability. Still, I take the Vox to practice every week and it gigged out with me four times now, with no problems. As I carry it in, the reverb pan's a bit noisy, but when I set it down and the Mains are on, I have no problems. I treat it with care, as I do all of my musical equipment.

All of my past interactions with Korg have been positive and helpful.

The Vox AC15 model has been discontinued since February, 2002. I believe I bought the last new pristine model in America. Search the net and try to find a new one now. I paid a premium for it, but I don't regret it. I feel fortunate that I can afford the amp that offers the tone I want. The Vox tone- midrangey, chimey and punchy- is the opposite of the Fender sound, with its scooped out middle. No Fenders for me. Although I am not a collector, I do believe the demand for this amp will increase in value because it is a Mini-AC30, without the weight. It's suitability for just about every booking makes it my first choice for a gig. I know that others have had trouble with reliability, but my experiences have all been positive. Maybe Korg responded to the criticisms and made modifications in the last year of production. I love this amp.

VOX AC15- NO DIRTY CHANNEL- SO UNLESS YOU USE PEDALS YOU METALHEADS- LIKE ME- CAN LOOK ELSEWHERE. LOW POWER- IT'S GOT TREMELO WITH FOOTSWITCH CONTROLLER. IF YOU ARE INTO THAT,"GROOVY", SORT OF THING.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT FEATURES. AMPS WITH TOO MANY GIZMOS DON'T DO ANY," ONE", THING GREAT. I COULD TOTALLY LIVE WITHOUT TREMELO AND REVERB BUT A PRE- GAIN THING WOULD BE PEACHY.

I USED IT AT ULTRASOUND IN NYC IN A REALLY TINY ROOM. THEY HAD ALOT OF SMALL EXPENSIVE, "DESIGNER HANDBAGS", THE VOX WAS THE ONLY DECENT SIZED AMP IN THAT ROOM. I DON'T USE PEDALS, SO I WAS BUMMED TO FIND THAT IT WOULD BE A NIGHT WITH NO DISTORTION- BUT I LIVED THROUGH IT-!
I NEVER PLAY CLEAN- THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME- AND YOU KNOW WHAT- MY G+L SOUNDED PRETTY DAM GOOD CLEAN. THE VOX IS A REAL GREAT AMP IF YOU PLAY CLEAN. THIS AMP WOULD PROBABLY SOUND AMAZING WITH- IF YOU COULD FIND A ONE- A PEDAL THAT DOESN'T," FLATTEN", IT'S REAL NICE ORGANIC TONE. I HAVE NOT FOUND A PEDAL DOESN'T DESTROY THE SOUND OF A GOOD TUBE AMP- EVER.

IT IS MORE RELIABLE THAN ALOT OF EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE AMPS -ONES THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD BECAUSE THEY NEVER SEEM TO BE IN WORKING CONDITION.- I WON'T MENTION THEIR NAMES. I GUESS HIGH- END PRICE MEANS HIGH- END MAINTAINANCE, LIKE A FERRARI OR SOMETHING. THE VOX RAN REAL HOT BUT THAT'S "class a thing". PLAYING OUT WITH IT - I WOULDN'T BET MY LIFE ON IT- THAT'S FOR SURE- BUT DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT VOX SO I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG.

I HAVE NO "BLOODY", IDEA. SINCE IT'S FROM," ACROSS THE POND", I GUESS IT WOULD NO PICNIC. I WOULD DEFINATELY OWN A FEW OTHER AMPS OR AT LEAST ONE OTHER BESIDES THE VOX OR WELL, YOU WOULD BE NUTS.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR A DAM LONG TIME AND I DON'T CARE FOR THE SOUND OF ALOT OF AMPS OUT THERE. SOLID -STATE AMPS ARE A BAD DREAM, YOU KNOW WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL IN YOUR UNDERWEAR, OR DON'T REMEMBER WHERE YOUR CLASS IS, OR YOU GO INTO A MENTAL,"BERMUDA TRIANGLE", AND FORGET ALL THE ANSWERS DURING A TEST, AND I LOVED THE TONE OF THIS AMP.
THE VOX IS LOW POWERED, I COULD NEVER USE IT FOR, "RAYZ HELL", MY REAL HEAVY BAND, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO OWN ONE. IF I PLAYED REAL SMALL CLUBS OR NEEDED AN AMP THAT WAS LESS," WAR-LIKE", THAN MY STACK, IT WOULD BE PERFECT. PLAYING CLEAN THROUGH IT WAS ACTUALLY A PLEASURE. IT GIVES YOU REAL ROUND, FULL NOTES. I WILL GET ONE SOMEDAY. ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING AMPS I HAVE PLAYED. EVERYONE SHOULD GIVE IT A LISTEN.
I WOULDN'T SAY IT IS A ,"FANTASTIC VALUE", BUT YOU COULD DO WORSE FOR THE PRICE.

Does the job beautifully, if you want great tone without features this thing delivers.

It just sings! I play an American standard Strat and are-issue Tele through it and I can't fault anything I play Rory Gallagher style through it, and it's all there.

Utter crap! I've just spent #145.00 on a new Transformer and rectifier on it and it's gone again. I see other reviews on this page that back up my opinion. This review will make it harder to get rid of this amp but I don't care, I just don't want anybody else to make the same mistake.

Don't know, just took it to my local repair shop.

I've been playing for 30 years and I've rarely come across an amp that sounds so good, much better than my Fender Blues Deville and my Mesa rectifier although it obviously doesn't have the power. When I first plugged into it I thought the quest was at an end and I'd buy another and link them up - end of story.

But the reason I'm submitting this review is that I don't want any young Rory fans to shell out their hard earned cash on this mess of an amp. DON'T GO THERE!

1964 JMI Vox ac 15 twin, one of the best amps ever made, what can I say, this amps sounds amazing, you can get a variety of tones from this amp depending on the guitar you use, I've yet to find a bad match for it. Very basic set up, but then again that is the beauty of it. Two channels, each with high/low inputs. The vibrato/tremolo channel has a volume control, vibrato/tremolo selector (foot switchable) and 3 speed selector as well as a cut control (takes the edge off of the top end at high volumes)
The brilliant channel has volume, cut and brilliant or normal selector.
The amp is the perfect recording amp, and it is loud enough for small clubs.

Vibrato/tremolo channel has 2 very distinct sounds when the effects are turned off, the vibrato channel sounds open and airy very chimey, think Tom Petty, Beatles. The tremolo has a bit more compression and is less trebely, both sounds are very pleasing, and when either the vib. or trem. are on they are just the lushest and smoothest I've ever heard.
The brilliant channel is amazing, it breaks up with the sweetest sustain if you crank it (probably because of the EF86 Pre-amp tube) and if you roll back the volume it cleans up and gets a very bell like tone. I am still amazed at how responsive this amp is, it picks up every detail and emotion that you put through the strings and the variety of sounds is huge for such a simple amp.
I use a 1960 Gibson ES330 with P-90's and a 1958 Les Paul RI, and both guitars have a distinct tone when played through this pup. I've been told that Telecasters are also a great match for these, so I may be in the market for a Tele soon.

I bought this amp from a dealer in England and although it was in working order when I got it, one of the pre-amp tubes died on me a few weeks after I received it, it was an old Mullard 12au7, probably the same tube that it came out of the factory with in 1964. I've since then replaced all the pre-amp tubes with proper NOS Mullards and the amp is now tip top. These old amps are built to last, remember, the Beatles giged with these for long hours every night for entire years and the things worked like a charm.

No comment, Jennings Musical Instruments has not been in Business for many years.

Been playing for over 17 years, I've owned Fenders amps, Marshalls and a few boutique amps, and this JMI Vox ac15 is the best amp I've ever owned, I can safely say that all the hype about the old Vox amps is true, and that explains the high prices they command these days. I am also lucky to have gotten such a good deal for it, these are getting very hard to find and when they do become available, they go fast. I recommend this amp to anyone that likes Matchless, TopHat, Savage, etc. A good number of those boutique amps are based on the JMI Vox model.

VOX AC 15 THIS AMP IS GREAT !LET'S FACE IT,LENNON COULD HAVE USED ANY AMP HE WANTED HE MADE THE AC15 CHOICE. IVE OWNED MINE FOR ABOUT A YEAR. AND IVE OWNED OTHER VOX AMPS IN THE PAST , ALL OF WHICH I LOVED ! BUT THIS AMP IS ALL AROUND THE BOSS. SOME MAY SAY IT'S TO LOW ON WATTS,BUT UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERANCE BETWEEN CLASS A AND CLASS A/B. PLUS IN A LARGE CLUB I STILL HAVE THE MIC- AND LINE OUT OPTIONS.SO NO PROBLEM WITH GETTING FULL ROOM COVERAGE.TONE IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN VOLUME !

I USE MANY TYPES OF AXES THROUGH THE VOX AC15 . I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE DANO'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIPSTICK TUBE PICKUPS SOUNDS LIKE THE EARLY 60'S GROOVE! ALSO A STRAT,AN OLD KAY ARCHTOP, ALL GUITARS SOUND GREAT THROUGH IT ,AT LEAST ALL MINE ,AND I'M A STICKLER FOR TONE.

NO PROBLEMS SO FAR EXCEPT ~ REVERB IS A BIT NOISY WHEN HALF WAY UP !I ALSO RUN AN RP.5 PROCESSOR THROUGH IT. AND AVIOD USING THE AMP REVERB. THIS IS SOMEWHAT DISAPIONTING DUE TO THE VOX AC15 HAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE FINEST SOUNDING REVERBS IN THE BIZZ!AND I CAN'T UTILIZE IT TO THE FULLEST. STILL I'LL SACRIFICE FOR TONES OF GOLD !

VOX CAN BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH . CUSTOMER SERVICE ISNT WHAT IT SHOULD BE ...KORG/MARSHALL/VOX that is... MY FRIEND OWNES A RETAIL MUSIC STORE AND WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING AN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CO. OH!WELL PLENTY OF CUSTOMERS ARE READY TO JUMP ON THE VOX WAGON BUT WE CANT GET PRODUCT !they say it's what's happing again VOX SO LET'S GET THE PRODUCT OUT THEIR.VOX!!!

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC PROFESSIONALLY FOR OVER 20 YEARS , I WILL 0NLY BUY VOX AMPS THEY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST !I OWN THE AC15/A BERKELEY 2/A PATHFINDER/A 2X12 BUCKINGHAM CAB/SEVERAL GUITARS/P.A.SYSTYM/RP5/KAY UPRIGHT M4 BASS/ IF MY VOX STUFF WAS STOLEN I WOULD PROBABLY START COLLECTING GUNS (HA HA !)

This is a 1996 Ac-15. As many know it is not really a reissue of the old AC-15, but half of a AC-30 ressiue. It has Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Trem, and Master knobs. 1 channel. With the preamp volume cranked it doesn't get very distorted. If you use the preamp as the voulme with the master all the way up it doesn't sound much different. 1 volume knob would have been easier. The treble and bass are very interactive, but be warned this is a very bright amp. If you are using single coils it can be to bright even with the bass cranked and treble off. The reverb in this amp is terrible. this amp is one of the first ones made with the faulty reverb buzzing, unbagged tank. It is pretty annoying. If you like to play surf, which I do (not happy surf, evil surf) the reverb doesn't even come close to the drippy sound found in old fenders. It just creates space. It doesn't sound bad, but its not deep or lush at all. It seems like a waste of a tube-driven 'verb to me. The trem is good. It doesn't get super fast, but it is deep enough. Good for bo-diddley rhtyhm sounds. Not so good for Link Wray Rumble sounds. I am happy with the trem though.

As I mentioned above this is a bright amp. With my Hagstrom III it is very trebley even with treble off. It doesn't bother me much though. I am not that picky, except with the reverb. I played a Silverface fender deluxe reverb and it had the best reverb I have heard. Perfect for Surf, spaghetti-western and garage sounds. If the Vox had a better reverb I would like it better. There isn't really much distortion obtained by cranking the preamp. To get this thing to sound good you have to turn it up loud. It is rated at 15 watts but it is not a practice amp. This is the only amp I have and I gig with it constantly. It is good for rock and roll, garage and whatever you like to play. What i like best is that you get a good sound when you turn it up. Tube amp break-up is nice. Not too clean, not too dirty, just right.

Well, here it is not so good. This amp has many design flaws, and has broken down on me a couple of times. I did buy it used, but it looked really clean when I got it. The reverb has the annoying buzzing, which is the main flaw. The tubes are a pain to get at. you have to remove the whole chassis, which tears the tolex as you pull. If you blow a tube during a gig, forget it. It would probably take a half an hour to replace. This thing recently started blowing fuses, which was traced to a bad Rectifier tube, and also the Standby switch was shorting out, blowing fuses. My tech just removed the Standby because he didn't have one in stock so now it's just on or off. Fine with me. This is the only amp I own so lately I have been wary of it.

Bought it used, never tried to contact them, though I may someday try to get a new standby switch.

Overall I am pretty mixed about this amp. The biggest plus is that it looks cool. The sounds are definately good, but the reliability and overall design is somewhat poor. I would not buy it again if it was stolen, though I would probably miss it. I would buy an old deluxe reverb to replace it. I play a 60's Hagstrom III, a 68 SG and a 60s Teisco del rey. The gibson is my main guitar when the headstock isn't falling off. It does sound good through the amp with the P-90s. The Hagstrom has a raw, garage sound ala Billy Childish, Link Wray etc, but can also produce deep rhythm sound ala Bo Diddley. The teisco is pure trash ala the mummies. They all sound good through this amp. That reverb really make me mad!

Vox Ac-15, made in 1999...amp is not particularly versatile, but sounds fantastic for clean and slightly distorted sounds. No channel switching, so I use pedalboard for more sounds. Built in tremelo sounds great, reverb is good. Loud for 15 watts, but if you jam with loud drummer, might not be loud enough.

I use Les Paul Special with Seymour Duncan P-90s, and play oldies, classic hits, and country-rock. Usually run amp a little below halfway up,and can vary sounds with distortion pedal and/or how hard you strike strings. The overall sound is sweet, and compressed in a good way.

Bought it in April Of '99, used it on 70 club gigs. Not a single problem.

Didn't ever have to deal with Vox, although when i was looking to buy one they were very good about giving me many dealers names in my area.

I've been playing for over 30 years. Have lots of gear, this is one of my favorite amps, along with a 1974 Fender Deluxe. I would get another one. Very good sound, good tremelo, looks great, easy to move, fits in small cars, etc. The AC-15 with the Celestion alnico Blue is supposed to sound even better...

This is a late '90's Korg reissue Vox AC 15. It features a 12" gold label Vox Bulldog speaker. It has one channel with high and low inputs, volume, treble, bass, reverb, tremolo and master volume controls. It has a standby switch and a footswitch for reverb and tremolo. It is a 15 watt Class A tube amp with two EL84 power tubes.
The features are great for the sixties rock band I play in.

I play a '62 reissue Stratocaster, "62 reissue Telecaster Custom with Seymour Duncan Alnico pickups, '50's reissue Telecaster with Fender Texas Special pickups and a Rickenbacker 360-12V64. These guitars mix very well with the Vox to achieve a sixties British Invasion and American garage/psychedelic sound. I have gotten some good tones for surf too, but the amp's strength is really in the early Beatles, Stones, Kinks sound. The 12 string loses a little definition when the amp is cranked up to 3 O'clock. For example, it sounds good on the Beatle's "You Can't Do That," but lacks clarity on the Byrd's "Turn! Turn! Turn! I haven't used the master volume for overdrive because it distorts just enough with the volume at 3 O'clock and the master at maximum. I do use a Boss FZ-2 Hyperfuzz (Satisfaction... ) and an Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer. The tremolo is distinct and clear. It doesn't get muddy. The reverb in my amp doesn't work for some reason, so I'm using a Boss RV-2 until I get it fixed. The amp is generally quiet enough with the band (two guitars, bass, keys and drums), it's pretty noisy with the fuzz. With the volume at 3 O'clock it's just loud enough for my band. I can't and don't want to get louder than that on stage. We do play Led Zepplin's "Rock and Roll" for an encore when the evening is raucous enough and the amp sounds great turned all the way up with the Tele and no effects.

I gig about four times a month. I bring a backup. The amp hasn't broken down, but I had an AC 30 that did breakdown. My confidence level with Vox is not great. I love the tone, but... . Let's what happens after 30 gigs or so.

Haven't dealt with the company.

Playing 33 years. Also own a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Fender Bassman with a 2X12 bottom. I would replace it if lost or stolen. I think the Vox and the Fenders are essential for the sixties rock I play. I chose the AC 15 for it's sound and size. The older I get the more I value lighter and smaller gear!

The features are decent for this amp. Reverb and tremolo are included along with a master volume. I bought this amp brand new from a Vox dealer rather than through the mail because I mistakenly thought I would get better service. I was wrong- see below!

I used stats and Les Pauls into this amp. Both sounded fine. To my ears, I liked a cranked LP the best. It really nails the overdriven Vox tone. However, from day one I had a ringing and rattle when this thing was cranked. Guitar Player mentinoned this in their review and attributed it to the reverb tank. Vox claimed it was going to correct this by adding some rubber to the tank and using a tank bag. Mine obviously didn't have these corrections. My amp tech did them and it did improve but didn't totally eliminate the problem.
There is no excuse for an amp in this price range to have these problems.

I can't put it any simpler- reliability of this amp SUCKS. I used it very little the first year. Shortly after the B.S. warranty ran out, it blew a transformer! I paid to have it replaced- guess what it began to blow fuses.
I have a very experienced amp tech who has done a great deal of work on all my other vintage amps. His opinion was that this thing is built like shit. It is not handwired. Tubes are mounted close to the PC board. The voltages are two high and it is nearly maxed at idle. I'm not an expert at electronics but I'll certainly take his word for it because the performance backed him up.
I would never depend on this amp without a backup.

I bought this from a local dealer. I won't mention any names but he is in PA and claims to be an expert on VOX ( he is even listed on the Vox Pages Website). When I approached him about the buzzing and rattles, he said he would get back to me. He never did. When I called back, he blamed it on Vox being owned by Marshall. Eventually, the dealer did nothing and offered no help.
When I finally became disgusted with the amp, in a moment of insanity, I approached him about trading up to an AC30. He had the balls to tell me he wouldn't even accept my amp on a trade due to the fact that my model didn't have the corrections that Vox supposedly made to this amp (yeah, the same ones I had been complaining about!). I'm getting more pissed as I write this- why protect him- Its "Rhoads Music".

I've been playing for over 20 years. I have owned tons of amps and guitars, vintage and knew. I should be a lot better than I am but I believe I know tone. This amp does have great tone when it works but beware, mine didn't work often. Did I get a lemon? Maybe. But if I did the dealer and Vox certainly did nothing to help.
I ended up selling it at quite a loss and bought a Dr.Z Carmen Ghia. Honestly, the Guia does not sound quite as good but at least it works.
Beware of this amp. I suspect we will be seeing a lot of these for sale. If you want that sound by a DrZ or Matchless!