Vox AC4C1-BL 1x10" 4 Watt Tube Combo Reviews

Alexander
from VA
February 1, 2013Music Background:
Professional live sound and recording engineer

I love it

This thing sounds great. Beautiful Vox clean tones and really responsive if you drive the input. This is also really lightweight and portable. The built in 10" speaker sounds good and gets the job done, but this thing really rocks when you connect the speaker output to the Vox 112 greenback cab.

from
October 26, 2012

Classic looks and great tone

This amp does everything I could want it to do. It goes from chimey clean to blistering British Invasion at the turn of the Gain knob. The treble and bass eq's and the separate volume knob are very useful. I really enjoy how interactive this amp is with its controls. Even at 4 watts, it will get plenty loud for a rehearsal, or even live if the band isn't too loud. This little amp sounds very similar to an AC15 but without the extra weight and size. It's a looker too! This amp is an good buy for anyone looking for excellent vintage tube tone with sweet aesthetics. To me, the only thing missing from this amp is a reverb knob, but I'm sure that would bump up the price point considerably. I have a multi-effect board that has a decent reverb, so no big deal.

RC
from Buffalo, NY
August 20, 2012Music Background:
half serious hobbyist

Win/Win

This thing sounds amazing. It's a 4 watt tube amp for $299 -- don't over think this. It's small, it sounds like a VOX. Just get one and be done with it already.

Sean Hemmerle
from seattle wa usa
August 9, 2012Music Background:
lifelong self taught musician

Wow...

best $299(plus tax) i ever spent. this little guy has got some kick, thanks to the all tube design and the crystal clear celestion speaker. with my e,c, strat, i am able to get an endless variety of tones, using no pedals at all. from clean to crunch, it does everything. i had been eyeing a more powerful fender amp, but was hesitant because i live in an apartment building and i didnt want to tick off my neighbors, and i didn't want to get stuck playing a higher wattage amp on .005 volume all the time. this vox is perfect if you want to have something to use at home to it's semi full potential and also for playing live-miked up or on it's own, it can handle it. can't recommend this enough. 5 stars. killer design, too, with the blu-ish cabinet and blonde handle.

Pierce Murphy
from Denver, CO
May 18, 2012Music Background:
Professional Musician

Organic Is The Word

I am so down with this whole Class A revolution we've got going on in the guitar world right now. Amps that are more than just a thing to make your guitar louder. Amps that are themselves instruments.

This vox is no exception. The sound is sweet and organic. The overdrive is natural. It's like blowing into a sax too hard, you know: it's gonna growl if you do. That being said, it's never really all the way clean. But that's to its credit. It's not like solid state's sterile reproduction of your guitar's tone. The AC4C1 has a voice, virtually clean at lower volume/gain settings but quick to bear teeth with clockwise knob turns, that is unique and genuinely fun to interact with.

I took this to a gig (that's right, all four watts of it) yesterday. Jazz trio, guitar, bass, drums, 300 or so people in an outdoor courtyard. It was definitely loud enough, but in order to be so it was getting its crunch on. Larger, more complex voicings were bristly to say the least, but never unpleasant. It kinda sounded like old recordings, which I think is awesome. Needless to say, the trio was psyched about it.

Now, for rock, this thing is phenomenal. The overdrive is absolute heaven. None of that overindulgent, burned to chalk, nonsense that some deeply insecure guitar players need to feel comfortable in metal and its various whatever-core venues. Just sweet, singing, beautiful tone shaping. It most certainly has that Vox character. Subtly, but its there for sure.

All in all, its an unbelievable value. Well built, simple and sheer joy to plug an ax into.

Jim
from Minneapolis, MN USA
May 8, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

A Surprise and A Bargain

Having had access to vintage Vox AC 15 and AC 30 models from the early 1960s, I didn't expect a lot in this small and inexpensive tube amp. I did expect my money's worth and got that and more! This is no toy. It is well built, quiet at idle, has great Vox tone with usable controls and a speaker that is a great match for the amp and cabinet. It does what it is supposed to do. It isn't a 30 watt amp and it isn't a Fender. It isn't supposed to be. I was surprised and remain impressed. For this kind of sound and quality, this is truly a bargain that surprised me in a very good way. I especially like it with single coil pickups, but humbuckers work just great, too. A real keeper!

from Virginia
May 1, 2012Music Background:
Serious Hobbyist

Fantastic recording amp!

This is a great value! The natural break-up is excellent! I would definitiely recommend this amp for those looking for a bit of drive that only Vox's Top Boost can provide. The only reason I held back half a star is due to the clean not being pristine, but that is what Fender is for. This is the perfect compliment to a Fender clean (like the Fender Super Champ x2). I turn this thing on and realize an hour has past in no time at all. So much fun to play. Also, the Sweetwater rep was fantastic in helping me purchase this item.

Mike
from Columbus, GA
January 30, 2013Music Background:
30+ years

Outstanding Little Amp!

I'm into great tone without having to do a lot of eq tweaking to get it...and this amp has it, at all volume levels. Not necessarily a ton of different tones, but it does the classic "clean crunch" very well. Can go from a really nice chime to crunchy, simply with a bump of the gain. Sounds perfect with my P90 loaded guitar. Really dig the looks, too. All in all, a very solid little rig for recording or home use, and a very good value for the price.

Michael Miller
from Afton, VA
July 20, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

A very nice bedroom/living room amp

Lots of good sounds here; well-built and retro-cool. Amazing how lound 4 watts can get. The controls are very effective, producing a nice chimey clean to a creamy gain/overdrive sound without blowing out windows. Likes humbuckers and single coils. It is a keeper.

Ted
from UP, Michigan
April 7, 2012Music Background:
Alt Country

Immediate Satisfaction - Great Idea

This amp just seemed to be workable, easy and intuitive to achieve the tone I was looking for - right out of the box. This amp virtually does the same thing as the AC4TV (with it's attenuator switch 1/4-1-4w); providing great saturated-over driven sound at low volume levels, but provides a bit more tonality range with the pre-amp volume (gain knob) in addition to the separate bass and treble knobs. I believe this "Top Boost" idea improves the tonal quality with these low watt, closed back amps. Very pedal friendly. Maybe not as much ceiling as an AC4TV? Definitely has the expected Vox quality. I held off giving it a 4.5 to convey that these small amps won't have the versatility of a Blues Jr or the tonal muscle of an AC15C1 per say. But that is OOOOH-KAYYYY!!! It's a 4 watt amp; weighs only 17 lbs, making it portable-friendly; and has the right amount of features. This is exactly what I needed rather than always relying on my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe...and not rattling my neighbors windows.

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