Vox AC30HW Head

Brand new AC30HW.This is the head and cab version. Just the perfect Vox as designed by Tony Bruno. Hi and Lo inputs based on the 63 Vox Brilliant channel. It can drive a 16 ohm cab or an 8 ohm cab or 2 8 ohm cabs. Has variable vibrato, reverb and a footswitch to control both. Cab has 2 vox alnico speakers. 33 watts rms of class A power - this baby rocks. The master volume allows for practical distortion at club level. It has more features than most other boutique amps, and sounds just as good.

I use teles and les pauls. This amp is perfect for me - I'm a vox nut. I've traded in almost everything for this amp. It is quite quiet when idling. It does that vox jangle than better than any vox amp I have heard even the 60's ones (JMI). It sounds better than my Matchless Clubman and Badcat Cub. The distortion is as a vox should be creamy and biting all at once- can I get an amen.

This remains to be seen. You never know with a Class A amp, but since this amp is basically a studio amp due to its pricetag, it does not matter much.

I have no idea how vox are today. They better be cool about warranty with the price tag on this work of art.

Ok, so is it worth the hefty price tag? Yes and no. Yes because it is the coolest sounding Vox one can own IMO. But in a way no because who in their right minds will gig with this amp - I would never risk it getting stolen this way. If you are a rich pro like U2 or something, then yes it is worth it, because you could actually afford to replace it. I'd rather keep it in the studio where it is nice and insured. I've compared it to all matchless and badcat products (really!!), and those other amps are really great, but they just don't nail that Vox tone with perfection. The 60's versions do, but dirty chasisses and damaged transformers and caps usually stifle their full capability. By the time you fully work the chassis of a 60's vox you can expect to add a couple of grand to the cost of buying one. I think it is only after a super thorough servicing that you would finally get the tone of the VOXHW. The VOXHW gets you there without the hassle, and there is some premium to be paid for that. Like the 60's ones this is destined to appreciate or at least I hope so - too bad they did not make it in fawn! So in conclusion, if you have been searching for that perfect vox tone, don't want the hassle of refurbishing a 60's model to spec, or are somehow convinced your Matchless or Badcat is an UberVox, then you should check the VOXHW out - it really is the super vox that the DC 30 or Bad Cat Black Cat claim to be; I don't mean to diss Matchless or Badcat - they are awesome sounding amps, and they have something in common tonally with a Vox, but they really don't sound like a Vox, they sound derived from a Vox. Finally with the AC30HW we see a vox amp that nails the complexity and articulation of Badcat or Matchless but still sounds like a Vox, and in a sick way, if you are a fan of that tone, this amp is a must have, even for 4000 USD. If you are a Vox afficanado, you'll instantly understand when you play this amp! If Vox is just a color in an arsenal of tones, then you can certainly get away with a Badcat or Matchless. In any case you could never get away with the pitiful excuse for a Vox that Korg force feeds the masses with the PCB in it -better off with a line 6 and that is pretty mean insult. I love the AC30HW, and I suspect many of you will too!