Vox Handwired AC15 head
Vox really seems to have gotten everything right with the new Heritage Handwired AC15 head. They’ve created a superb line of guitar amps that don’t just live up to their esteemed heritage as master amplifier builders, but surpass it and offer something truly unique as well. Vox is obviously not a company content to rest on their laurels.
The AC15HTVH head will inspire shock and awe the moment you see it in person. It’s simply a lovingly constructed, beautiful amplifier to behold, so much so that you may just want to display it in your living room like a fine piece of handmade furniture. The creamy blond tolex is striking, and the brown leather handle and gold Vox logo perfectly compliment the characteristic diamond-pattern grill cloth. The hand wired AC15H just might be the sexiest amp ever built.
Of course, cosmetics are irrelevant if an amp doesn’t sound good. Fortunately Vox has always made amazing guitar tone top priority, and that dedication is reflected more than ever in the Heritage Handwired series. Plug it in, and the Heritage AC15 head immediately impresses. It practically reeks of classic Vox. Sparkling, harmonically rich clean sounds abound, and a flick of the volume knob will transport you into Brian May style overdrive creaminess. The distortion sounds are thick and punchy, and respond to the subtlest of changes to your guitar’s volume knob. You can go from raging British overdrive to spanking clean without stepping on a single pedal.
One of the cornerstone's of the characteristic Vox handwired tone is the EF86 tube preamp section of the first channel. The use of this tube is a return to form for Vox, who used this classic Pentode in the early versions of the AC15. The EF86 lends itself naturally to rich, even-order harmonic overtones and sensitive dynamic response, with an incredibly smooth, creamy overdrive when pushed hard.
Vox also had the forethought to include a few very handy modern features on these otherwise vintage style amplifiers. Two channels (each with a high and low input), one with the classic EF86 preamp and the other with the 1963 Top Boost Circuit, offer amazing vintage tonal flexibility. Add to this the option of Pentode and Triode operation (with Triode being a dirtier half-power mode), a three position brilliance switch, and a two position bass shift switch, and you have a seriously flexible amp with a wide range of vintage guitar tone options.
The Vox Handwired AC15H is an absolutely smokin’ head, and it’s really fantastic to have a new amplifier of this caliber available from this venerable company. The old adage “they don’t make em’ like they used to" does not apply in this case!
Vox Handwired AC15 Head features:
- 15 Watt Power Rating; 7.5 Watts in Triode Mode
- Handwired classic Vox AC15 circuitry
- EF86 Tube Preamplifier
- EL84 Power Section with ECC83/12AX7 preamp
- Two Channels, one with the EF86 preamp and one with the ’63 Top Boost Circuit
- Two speaker jacks, 8 or 16 Ohm selectable
- High and Low inputs on each channel
- Two-position bass frequency shift switch
- Three-position brilliance switch
- Pentode and Triode Operation
