Vox AC15 – A Versatile Workhorse But With a Distinctive Tone

To me, there are three types of amp. Nowadays I use the Vox AC15, but over the years I’ve used all sorts – so this is my experience. There’s your workhorse, jack of all trades amp that is capable of producing a range of usable tones. Solid state and modelling amps such as the Line6 Spider II would fall into this category. You can rehearse with them and they’re pretty reliable, you can store preset sounds, you can turn them up high enough without the tone breaking up – but you’d never want to record with one. I have to admit, nowadays I always compare any amp to my Vox AC15.

Like I said, they’re CAPABLE of producing a range of usable sounds, but they can never produce a truly great sound. Like a supermarket wine – they are pallatable to a wide range of tastes and go with many dishes, but they lack the character and individuality to ever become your favourite.

The second type is what I call ‘tone amps’. These are normally more expesive, better made and more loved amps, rightly famous for how they sound. Fender Reverb, Marshall JCM, some boutique amps too – these produce one or two great tones. Tones that a trained ear could pick out on record. Think Slash and you think Marshall. A lot of people don’t realise how crucial the amp is to creating a player’s sound.

But the problem with some of these amps is that they don’t cover enough bases and you often need a couple of other amps to give you a full tonal pallatte. Marshall does ‘heavy’ very well and the cleans are alright with the right effects chain – but if you need something slightly toppier or smoother, you can’t get it.

Fender’s reverb is the benchmark in my book. A lot of people even refer to the sound they want as ‘Fender type reverb’ – you hear it and you recognise it. It’s that natural room sound that only Fender does. But again, Fender distortion can be fizzy, so you need another option.

The other slight issue (although this is not so much of an issue nowadays) is reliability. To get that great tone, whether it’s the screaming high gains you’d want from your Marshall or the ‘verbs from your Fender Twin, you’re going to need lots of valves, circuits, springs, rectifiers and fuses – these amps CAN be unreliable simply due to the amount of parts that can go wrong.

This is especially true with vintage models. If you’re gigging with a Vintage Fender, you need a back up amp. If you’re in the studio, they may sound great on take 1, but if the ambient room temperature goes up or down, the sun comes out or the mix engineer coughs, the tone can alter. Temperamental is the best way to describe them.

The third type of amp is a combination of the above. Something that has a great signature tone, but also offers the versatility and reliability of a ‘workhorse’ amp. I’ve played guitar for over 20 years, used lots of different instruments and amps and so far, the only amp I know I can rely on for tone and verstality is my Vox AC15.

90% of the time, I use one setting on my amp – I never feel the need to change because it sounds so great. Afterall, that’s why I bought my Vox AC15. Sure, if I play a little softer or really dig the notes out – the amp responds really well. I can go from rattling the windows to a subtle strum just with my playing style.

The versatility comes from the fact that you can dial in a very plain tone and build from it. With other amps, the thing that makes the tone unique is inescapable – but with your Vox AC15 – that zingy, bright sound is achieved when you hit the sweet spot and every guitar needs a different sweet spot. So you can effectively create a blank canvas on which to pain your desired tones and sounds – or you can just hit your amp’s sweet spot and let those notes ring out.

So if you’re looking for a reliable and versatile amp with an awesome valve tone – The Vox AC15 is the way to go.

Vox AC15, great deal – Get Yours Now!

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