![]() ![]() For Brit-flavoured chewy mids, jangly treble and classic valve grind at an affordable price, you couldn’t ask for much more. The C1 may be an AC10 in name only, but it undeniably looks and sounds like a Vox. On balance, reverb will probably be more useful than tremolo in a plug and play amp such as the C1, and it sounds pretty decent. The VX10 was voiced somewhere between the two and the C1’s cabinet provides more thump and bass extension than the open-back design. The C1 in combination with the Gold delivered all the old-school Vox jangle you could want and the G10M was smoother in the highs and fuller in the mids. We compared the VX10 speaker with a Celestion Alnico Gold and a G10M. The C1 also cleans up really well when you back off your guitar volume, and the master volume does a fantastic job of reining back this surprisingly loud little combo to bedroom levels. The C1 can get very overdriven, but the bass end holds together extremely well, and even with single coils the treble remains devoid of harshness. In sheer gain terms, the C1 matches the old AC10 – then pushes things a lot further still. So we can say that the C1 does sound a lot like an original – but only up to a point. The point is it’s something you can dial in to taste rather than something you’re obliged to live with. If you prefer a bit more vintage looseness in the lows, the C1 can oblige when you ramp up the bass control. The most impressive thing is the way the C1 captures the harmonically loaded and slightly blurry chime that characterises the classic Vox sound. Compared to the old one, the treble isn’t quite as sweet, but the C1’s bass response is considerably tighter and better defined. With the reverb turned off, the C1 can sound very much like a vintage AC10’s normal channel. ![]() Despite all the construction changes between the C1 and the vintage AC10, the tonal similarities were more apparent than the differences. Better still, the vintage example was retrofitted with a top boost module and the input resistors had been changed to AC15 spec to make it louder and brighter. It was fortunate to have an original ’63 AC10 on hand to compare with the C1. It also means there is a greater range of tones than you might normally get from a regular two-band equaliser. So some familiarisation is required before you can start to get the hang of the tone controls, which means dialling in a sound can take a bit longer than you’d usually expect. There also appears to be some degree of crossover between the controls, which changes the timbre of the midrange. Turning up the treble control increases high-frequency response much as you might expect, but beyond the halfway point the bass begins to roll off as treble is increased. The AC10VS improves upon the standard model with an all-new 10 Celestion V-Type speaker which enhances the dynamic range of the amp, allowing for even more clarity and tonal versatility. Bass response seems to be fairly neutral about halfway up, so you can roll it off or boost it. The AC10C1 has quickly become one of VOX’s most loved amps with its simple control panel, compact size, and inspiring tones. The C1’s tone controls respond and interact in a peculiar and slightly unpredictable way that’s not dissimilar to the old Vox top boost arrangement. So there’s plenty of air moving around inside the cabinet to keep things cool. Standing over the amp and playing a powerchord, I felt a blast of air from the top vent hit me full in the face. Long adored for his ability to achieve rich, articulate tube tone at very manageable volumes, the AC10 has become a highly coveted piece of VOX history since it's discontinuation in 1965. ![]() I'd get the Ac15 regardless, especially if you won't be regularly carting it around as it's surprisingly heavy.Cathode biased Vox amps are known to run hot, but fear not. Shop and save on the Vox AC10C1 Limited Black & Tan 10W 1x10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp With Creamback and JJ Tubes at Woodwind & Brasswind. Based on the reviews, I'm almost convinced I got a dud, but I've heard other people express similar sentiments, so what gives? Maybe there was a bad batch? A tube swap didn't make a difference and if you're familiar with the whole cab situation then you know a speaker swap in that amp is no modest task, and also limited in potential options due to its size and tube placement. The only remotely usable sound I could get out of it was a hyper-compressed undynamic crunch tone, and that was still pretty miserable. It would go from whispy thin and abrasive cleans right into crunch with almost nothing in-between. ![]() If there was one thing about it that made it unusable, it was that it had virtually no edge-of-breakup to speak of. It's got way too much gain and does not do the vintage Vox thing at all if that's what you're after. I was roped in by the reviews too and that was the most disappointing NAD I've experienced. Are you referring to the inexpensive Vox Ac10c1? If so, run the other direction as fast as possible. ![]()
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