This thing is sounding great! I'm always blown away by the vox tone and I dig the lower wattage on this one. If I see an ac4 around town I'm bringing it home. Also digging these very detailed reviews.
Been a long time coming :) Sounds great by itself. Definitely sounds better than the Origin5. I wish it did have an effects loop. The captor results with Plexi drive are amazing. I do wish they just came out with the 12" first. A weber blue pup does fit fine in this amp.
Yeah, it’s got a much better speaker than the Origin 5. It’s a very cool amp, especially for studio stuff. It does sound great with the Plexi-Drive. I love that pedal.
@@TheToneLounge I’ve never played this particular one but i am a fan of Vox amps and it sounds good based on this and other reviews. Wish it had reverb though.
I put a 10 inch Greenback in mine, and it's been my trusty home and practice amp for 7 years. I play a single coil guitar so I use an eq for a bit more bass. It's a great pedal platform, also. Still makes me smile while I play, it sounds great.
AC4 isn't for me, but the AC15C1X definitely is. :) That little amp sounds killer! And I'm really glad you are all setup and putting out new content, Jonathan! :D
First of all thank you 🙏 for making this video. As to the lack of features. This amp is for the guitarist that wants that pure crystalline Vox tone without any tone suck from a cheap effects loop circuit or reverb. These AC4 amps although have no reverb, you have to admit have this natural beautiful swirl to the tone, it is not a dry sounding amp! And if you want the amenities, most guys will spend the money for a great reactive load box with a native effects loop and IRs and models for cab simulation and reverb like the OX box. And lastly, that tone! Oh my god, how can you not be fooled you aren’t listening to a Marshall plexi stack with the right microphones? That pure class A overdrive, especially with some of those pedals pushing !! Damn. This amp is one of those, it’s too good to be true for the money amps! That’s why some guys foolishly pass up on it. There is no way in a blind test, guys wouldn’t think those were classic overdriven Marshall tones. This little Vox does Vox and Marshall! And no other Vox amp does both!
With the right cab, in a blind test, most people would think this is a much more expensive amp then it is. I was rather surprised when I started using it with IRs. The sound was as equally good as my AC15. The one thing I really dig about the AC4 is that it's Top Boost circuit does not react the same way as those of the AC10 and AC15. I'm not a fan of the TB channel input, but on the AC4 I find it killer. It takes pedals far better than my AC15 TB channel can. It even plays well with fuzz! You are right, this amp's lack of feature is not necessarily a bad thing, I just think that if they had made it an option it might have been a more popular amp.
I've got the vox ac4 12 and whilst it would be nice to have reverb your right it sounds pretty good without it....I use mine with gain up full and use the guitar controls to control it...its got amazing chime and excels at the slightly dirty clean sound....and resonds to your dynamics of picking...I sometimes plug my line 6 m13 in and it works fine but to be fair I'd probably be better of buy a cheap reverb pedal and some "tube screamer " type pedal...maybe a wah wah...but like you say its not a dry amp it's very alive...and pure....sometimes when just having a noodle the temptation is to use loads of effects...but it's nice to sometimes just use your skills as a player....after all when you play and acoustic you never think " gee if only it had reverb and a chorus with some delay " ...
@@paulcartwright2810 you buy an Ox Box if you want all the amenities, lots of guys buy ox boxes with their amps that have a full feature set. With this amp and a great load box with lots of built in IR’s etc, it will do anything!
I just inherited one and it’s fantastic. Overall, after shipping it through USPS w a guitar stool and VOX coil cable it came out to $120 and I think it was worth it. The cleans remind me of my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe but ya know, it’s a VOX so it has that traditional VOX sound. Definitely would’ve been nice to have reverb but whatever… for a small tube amp that packs a punch and sounds fantastic at bedroom level. I did have to take the back panel off to reconnect the speaker wire and push a loose tube back in… with a cordless drill it took me about 5 minutes to unscrew the back cover and the two screws on the top panel and put it back together. I’m loving the warmth and crunch I’m getting. Nice amp, it’s kinda like a Blues JR.
Hi! Check the Vox Lil' Night Thain amp. 2\1.5 Watt. Two ecc83 in preamp and 1 ecc82 in power. The nice feature is master volume gives only loudness, not extra gain, and not effect on sound. Two modes - Bright - like AC15, and Thick - fat fuzzy hi-gain in Orange style. For good hi-gain sound the power tube is impotant. Stock chinesse ecc82 (12au7) may sucks. In internet exists schematic for VOX Nigth Thrain 15 (Version1 whithout fx loop and with 2 tubes in preamp). I think Lil' version is close. Cool feature is PI madi from half tube, and there is 3 walve cascade for hi gain.
@@mikhail6289 extremely easy way to defeat the bright caps. The master volume turned up defeats the bright cap. Put a buffered volume pedal in front of amp and dial the treble out of the gain by pushing it - adjust gain back down with the volume pedal. That switches off the excess treble and gets the levels you want.
Much appreciated Steve! I'm doing my best to provide valuable information so that people can make informed purchasing decisions. I think the AC4 is a very capable amp. Ever tried one?
@@TheToneLounge I have one. But the 12 inch speaker version. I removed the c20 capacitor from mine too take the top end a bit. Used to play fender amps but am a full vox convert now! 😁
Yes, yes, and yes! This may be my ultimate bedroom amp. I love Vox. I don’t like to fiddle too much with ‘bells and whistles’. I have tried the AC15 and AC30 in a shop bot way too loud for home use. AC10 will probably too loud as well. But AC4 might do the trick! And it suits my fav genres. Thanks!!!
My pleasure! Yeah, the AC4 has all the essentials and sounds killer. I prefer cranking that amp and getting amp distortion from it. My AC15 is great for cleans but the amp distortion is fizzy and gets on my nerves lol
@@TheToneLounge Thanks again, Jonathan. Thanks to your demo I pulled the trigger on a AC4 for home use. Had the unique chance to try one out in my own town. Lovely for my needs. Near mint condition. €275. Kind regards!
I have the ac4c1-12 and it a great amp. I have the vintage black model that comes with the valve tube upgraded to jj tubes. So I don't know what the ruby tubes in other models sound like. Swapped out the speaker with a celestion blue 16 ohm and added a hole to the the back panel of the amp to make it open back. Then added a hole grommet to make it look asthetically pleasing on the cheap. I use the amp with either an mxr Timmy, crowther hot cake, or a lm308 chip rat pedal. Then I do wet effects like reverb(surfybear metal reverb) and delay(mxr carbon copy analog delay) through a separate amp by using a ABY splitter pedal.
That sounds like a killer setup. And great choice in pedals too. That is a classic lineup for sure. What's the other amp that you use for your wet/dry rig?
@@TheToneLounge I pair it with an old 1955 Bogen GA5. Which back then was a 5 watt Fender Tweed Champ clone. I guess Bogen was a PA company that delved into guitar amps back in the 50s. Bogen is a hidden gem. Kind of like the Sears Silertone amps used to be. Or I pair it with a Mini Super Beetle.
Telecaster wise I’m going for a John Jorgensen, Jerry Donahue(which plays an ac4 live), and Brad Paisley tone. Im not big on country but love the tone. Rock/Blues wise on Stratocaster I’m looking for the Rory Gallagher, Richie Blackmore, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and Tom Petty tones. Surf wise you can’t go wrong with Hank Marvin of the shadows tones. Don’t need big amps. Even live you don’t need big amps. Put the amps on a amp stand and put a microphone in front of it with today’s PA systems.
Tones sounded superb. But unless you already have something like the Two Notes Captor, or extra speaker can already, that’s another expense. If you’re already set up for home recording with a cab sim, etc, I can see this being a great option. It would have been interesting to hear the amp’s speaker mic’d for comparison.
Nice amp, although it has little to do with the original early 1960's EF86 AC4. But, it offers a nice typical Vox sound and also much more gain. I had compared the schematics of the original, the AC4TV and the AC4C1 and all differ a lot from each other. The AC4TC is some sort of very hot-rodded Tweed Champ/Princeton circuit with El84 power tube, two hotter gain stages combined with a Princeton typical treble tone control, while the AC4C1 offers a hot input gain stage, then a vintage one, followed by a - more Plexi typical cathode follower in front of a typical AC-30 tone stack, and then another vintage gain stage, so it is in my opinion rather some sort of Vox meets Plexi amp. Not the worst choice for me. The cathode follower has the advantage, that adjusting the tone controls does not affect signal output level as intense as it happens without it, also the Vox tone control offers an even more intense mid scoop than Fender amps do, to be honest, the Vox scoop was the first one and the Fender followed later, as the early Fender Tweed amps hardly offered any mid-scoop. On the other hand, if you reduce Bass and Treble to zero, you get an almost linear response, but with about an about 8 - 10 dB lower preamp output signal level, so using a neutral boost for compensation could make sense especially with this amp, if you do not like a too mid-scooped sound. Nice Vox clean to crunch sounds you get at lower gain settings, eg. a nice Rory Gallagher tone you already get with gain at about 4-5. Higher settings give you already nice Brian May or even Plexi-like AC/DC or comparable, convincingly sounding British Classic Rock tones. One - for me - big advantage of the C1 also is, that you can reduce Bass intensely, very useful for hotter sounds, while the Tone control of the TV only affects treble. As I mostly play overdrive sounds and hardly any clean sounds, this is one of the reasons, why I sold my AC4TV and bought this one. The built-in speaker is not bad, but tends to sound a little boxy in the small enclosure. I hardly use it, but prefer using a load box and cabinet IR's, but if I did, I most probably replaced it with a VT-Junior, as this one also adds some more mids. But of course the small enclosure always has some limitations, independent of the used speaker. Sounds awesome through a 212 Blue alnico cabinet, even more through a 412 with G12M's. You never guessed that this is such a small amp only. So the amp sound itself really is excellent in my opinion, if you like the typical Vox sound with some more gain reserves, if needed. Only Metal sounds you hardly will get out of it ;-) But almost everything else. Even fully turned up a very vivid, dynamically reacting sound, still a lot of AC-30 character, but not as compressed sounding as a real, fully turned up AC-30, most probably also because of the cathode follower. I already had more expensive amps, which sounded worse. Sounds excellent in my opinion for everything between vintage clean and classic overdrive, also works well with pedals. As I already said, nice Vox meets Marshall Plexi sort of hybrid amp, but in a very positive way. Best of both worlds, so to say and once not only the lowest common denominator. Works surprisingly noiseless too. Just captured some ToneX models of it and did not even need a noise gate at the highest possible settings. Only the 4W output level are fake, a single EL84 already produces 7,5W and they really are too loud for home use at higher gain and volume settings. For me no problem because of my load box, but not really perfect for home/bedroom use withot at least a power attenuator, if you not only need clean or only decent crunch sounds. The only disadvantage for me is the 16 ohms speaker output only. An additional 8 ohms one would have added more cabinet/speaker connectivity flexibility. Nevertheless a wonderful sounding small amp with unusually good sounds and equally wonderful dynamic reaction to attack for the price range. Also looks nice.
Most modern Vox have little to do with their Vintage counterparts. I own a few modern Vox amps and an old AC50, and the AC50 is quite different in terms of tone and build. Still, I can't fault the modern Vox amps. They are really good and sound great.
@@TheToneLounge Especially that this amp differs from the original is, what I like. More than enough gain, which I cannot say about the V15, which had been my first Vox decades ago. (Meanhwile I knew, what to do, to mod it properly, to make it sound more like an AC-30, would not even have been complicated, but at this time I did not.) Had a Straight 6 pedal for a while, also nice, but different, sounded a little too compressed for my taste at higher gain settings and a Nighttrain, which I did not like so much. Considered for a while to buy an AC15, but to be honest, the AC4C1 already gives me all the sounds, I need and I anyway onyl use it with load box and cab IR's. Just ran the AC4C1 through a 412 V30 and Hesu Demon cabinet IR with Gain and Volume fully turned up and Tone controls fully turned down. Awesome sound! Can even compete with a good Plexi. Nevertheless the schematic showed me some points, which still could be fine-tuned at little for my taste. I consider about selling my Jim Root Terror...
@@TheToneLounge the ac4, just like the ac30 has a particularly on the treble control. If we set it up to 14hrs, the bass will "disappear " even in the maximum. I've never saw any review explaining this topic.
It sounds great! But I think I fall into the "Who is this amp not for" category. Did Thomann send you another HB guitar? You said you had to send the one you bought back
@@TheToneLounge Noice! I was thinking about getting one of those, or the one with actives...but I might just go with a Jackson Monarch from Sweetwater...being in the states, ordering from Thomann is an extra $40 in shipping
@@lordimpaler3899 yeah I saw the one with active pickups, there is also one with P90s. What’s up with the price hike on shipping? I’ve seen a few people mention that in the US and the UK.
@@TheToneLounge Idk what the deal is...i even had to pay $17 extra at the post office for my first HB guitar...the guitar itself was fantastic, but $57 on top of the USD list price is a bit much
This or the UA Ruby pedal for great Vox tones at home? I’ve got a 5 watt fender amp and a pedal board for home play. Not sure if I should get another small combo, or try monitors and the UA Ruby. Anyone got this AC4 and a Ruby through monitors? What will sound better? The AC4 is way more affordable and looks really cool 🤔
Two different beasts. I don't have personal experience with the UA Ruby, so I can't comment on tone or reliability. The concept of the Ruby, however, I am familiar with. I'm sure that the Ruby sounds great and has tons of very useful applications. That being said, it won't give you the same experience as playing a tube amp in the room.
@@TheToneLounge not in real yet! I have the temptation to buy one from Reverb, and use it with loadbox and IRs, but my Loadbox is 8 ohm, it means I need another one, and they can cost as the amp itself. This stops me so far.
Great video! Given that you have plenty of experience with different sized vox amps, do you think this one with the 10” speaker would be better for home use, compared to the 12” one? I think the 12 sounds “fuller” but it’s heavier and maybe less manageable for home use.
It's going to be mainly down to low end (bass). The 12" will drive a bit more bass at higher volume. At lower volume you will perceive more low mids. Personally, I think the 10" version is great and is more than adequate for home use. It sounds better at bedroom levels than my AC15.
@@TheToneLounge I tried both the 12” and the blue one, and for home use/low volume I really liked the blue one (I also tried a tweed pro junior and preferred it to a black blues junior). Now I’ve been using my blue one with my Blues Driver and sometimes it’s a bit harsh, do you prefer the OCD? I think it could also be a matter of lowering the gain and cranking the master.
@@awoodstock_ You can use something like a Klon clone (a cheap exampe is the Golden Horse) to add a bit more fatness and low end, or just a tube screamer-type pedal, the NUX Steel Singer is quite good for that.
What would you suggest between the AC4 and AC10 for home use? I don't need effects as I have a nice pedal board already. I don't even want the gain really, just clean tones. I'm worried that it may be too easy to overpower the AC4 with my pedals. Is that a problem? I play at my church, which has their own system, so I don't really need an amp for gigging.
Well, there would be a loss in terms of features. Your current amp has a lot of cool features, with amp modeling and the effects. If the tone feels like it's not your thing, then the AC4/10 would be an improvement in tone imho. The AC4 sounds fantastic and is great for home use, but is very limited in terms of options. The AC10 also sounds great but only has built in digital reverb. It depends on what you need.
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This thing is sounding great! I'm always blown away by the vox tone and I dig the lower wattage on this one. If I see an ac4 around town I'm bringing it home. Also digging these very detailed reviews.
Oh Yeah, definitely worth it. Don't buy it new, try and find a used one. That's what I did.
Been a long time coming :) Sounds great by itself. Definitely sounds better than the Origin5. I wish it did have an effects loop. The captor results with Plexi drive are amazing. I do wish they just came out with the 12" first. A weber blue pup does fit fine in this amp.
Yeah, it’s got a much better speaker than the Origin 5. It’s a very cool amp, especially for studio stuff. It does sound great with the Plexi-Drive. I love that pedal.
Great vid brother. Glad you showed a bunch of examples with different guitars and pedals and gave your personal opinion on it.
My pleasure! What do you think of the amp?
@@TheToneLounge I’ve never played this particular one but i am a fan of Vox amps and it sounds good based on this and other reviews. Wish it had reverb though.
I put a 10 inch Greenback in mine, and it's been my trusty home and practice amp for 7 years. I play a single coil guitar so I use an eq for a bit more bass. It's a great pedal platform, also. Still makes me smile while I play, it sounds great.
I'm thinking of doing the same upgrade to mine. I love the Greenback.
@@TheToneLounge I prefer Greenbacks over the Alnico Blues. They sound better to me...
So I agree ;-)
Hi Willem
I'm thinking about doing the same thing. Did you run into any problem when you swapped the speakers?
Thanks
@@Calvin-xu5pw No, none. Just use the 16 ohm version. 👍
@@willem9688 thank you for your answer. I have been good so Santa should be okay with that and maybe some valve too.
AC4 isn't for me, but the AC15C1X definitely is. :) That little amp sounds killer! And I'm really glad you are all setup and putting out new content, Jonathan! :D
I’m glad to be back at it. I’m very excited for the new lineup of content that I have in the works for this year.
Wonderful tones! I think the ten inch version even sounds better than the twelve inch version.
Live in a room, it can sound a bit thin and boxy, but with a mic in front of it? It's a killer studio amplifier.
@@TheToneLounge Ok. Thanks! Maybe I search for the 12 inch version instead. Had it a couple of years ago and liked it very much.
First of all thank you 🙏 for making this video. As to the lack of features. This amp is for the guitarist that wants that pure crystalline Vox tone without any tone suck from a cheap effects loop circuit or reverb. These AC4 amps although have no reverb, you have to admit have this natural beautiful swirl to the tone, it is not a dry sounding amp! And if you want the amenities, most guys will spend the money for a great reactive load box with a native effects loop and IRs and models for cab simulation and reverb like the OX box. And lastly, that tone! Oh my god, how can you not be fooled you aren’t listening to a Marshall plexi stack with the right microphones? That pure class A overdrive, especially with some of those pedals pushing !! Damn. This amp is one of those, it’s too good to be true for the money amps! That’s why some guys foolishly pass up on it. There is no way in a blind test, guys wouldn’t think those were classic overdriven Marshall tones. This little Vox does Vox and Marshall! And no other Vox amp does both!
With the right cab, in a blind test, most people would think this is a much more expensive amp then it is. I was rather surprised when I started using it with IRs. The sound was as equally good as my AC15. The one thing I really dig about the AC4 is that it's Top Boost circuit does not react the same way as those of the AC10 and AC15.
I'm not a fan of the TB channel input, but on the AC4 I find it killer. It takes pedals far better than my AC15 TB channel can. It even plays well with fuzz! You are right, this amp's lack of feature is not necessarily a bad thing, I just think that if they had made it an option it might have been a more popular amp.
I've got the vox ac4 12 and whilst it would be nice to have reverb your right it sounds pretty good without it....I use mine with gain up full and use the guitar controls to control it...its got amazing chime and excels at the slightly dirty clean sound....and resonds to your dynamics of picking...I sometimes plug my line 6 m13 in and it works fine but to be fair I'd probably be better of buy a cheap reverb pedal and some "tube screamer " type pedal...maybe a wah wah...but like you say its not a dry amp it's very alive...and pure....sometimes when just having a noodle the temptation is to use loads of effects...but it's nice to sometimes just use your skills as a player....after all when you play and acoustic you never think " gee if only it had reverb and a chorus with some delay " ...
@@paulcartwright2810 you buy an Ox Box if you want all the amenities, lots of guys buy ox boxes with their amps that have a full feature set. With this amp and a great load box with lots of built in IR’s etc, it will do anything!
I just inherited one and it’s fantastic. Overall, after shipping it through USPS w a guitar stool and VOX coil cable it came out to $120 and I think it was worth it. The cleans remind me of my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe but ya know, it’s a VOX so it has that traditional VOX sound. Definitely would’ve been nice to have reverb but whatever… for a small tube amp that packs a punch and sounds fantastic at bedroom level.
I did have to take the back panel off to reconnect the speaker wire and push a loose tube back in… with a cordless drill it took me about 5 minutes to unscrew the back cover and the two screws on the top panel and put it back together.
I’m loving the warmth and crunch I’m getting. Nice amp, it’s kinda like a Blues JR.
Dude, your setup sounds killer! Enjoy jamming with that amp, and props for the handyman skills with the cordless drill fix!
Hi! Check the Vox Lil' Night Thain amp. 2\1.5 Watt. Two ecc83 in preamp and 1 ecc82 in power. The nice feature is master volume gives only loudness, not extra gain, and not effect on sound. Two modes - Bright - like AC15, and Thick - fat fuzzy hi-gain in Orange style. For good hi-gain sound the power tube is impotant. Stock chinesse ecc82 (12au7) may sucks.
In internet exists schematic for VOX Nigth Thrain 15 (Version1 whithout fx loop and with 2 tubes in preamp). I think Lil' version is close. Cool feature is PI madi from half tube, and there is 3 walve cascade for hi gain.
Hey Joe, I have that amp on my list 100%! I just need to find one for sell. I have not found any on the used market in a long while.
@@TheToneLounge waning: C19 clip mode (bright cap) is sucks, especially for hi-gain))
If it’s anything like other Vox amps, cranking the master volume defeats the bright cap. Try it and let me know what you think.
@@TheToneLounge for me problem is not highs but little fizziness, i will try different tubes and cabinets,
@@mikhail6289 extremely easy way to defeat the bright caps. The master volume turned up defeats the bright cap. Put a buffered volume pedal in front of amp and dial the treble out of the gain by pushing it - adjust gain back down with the volume pedal. That switches off the excess treble and gets the levels you want.
Amazing review. . Best on UA-cam. Great channel too. The ac4 is pure vox tone without a doubt
Much appreciated Steve! I'm doing my best to provide valuable information so that people can make informed purchasing decisions. I think the AC4 is a very capable amp. Ever tried one?
@@TheToneLounge I have one. But the 12 inch speaker version. I removed the c20 capacitor from mine too take the top end a bit. Used to play fender amps but am a full vox convert now! 😁
Yes, yes, and yes! This may be my ultimate bedroom amp. I love Vox. I don’t like to fiddle too much with ‘bells and whistles’. I have tried the AC15 and AC30 in a shop bot way too loud for home use. AC10 will probably too loud as well. But AC4 might do the trick! And it suits my fav genres. Thanks!!!
My pleasure! Yeah, the AC4 has all the essentials and sounds killer. I prefer cranking that amp and getting amp distortion from it. My AC15 is great for cleans but the amp distortion is fizzy and gets on my nerves lol
@@TheToneLounge Thanks again, Jonathan. Thanks to your demo I pulled the trigger on a AC4 for home use. Had the unique chance to try one out in my own town. Lovely for my needs. Near mint condition. €275. Kind regards!
I have the ac4c1-12 and it a great amp. I have the vintage black model that comes with the valve tube upgraded to jj tubes. So I don't know what the ruby tubes in other models sound like. Swapped out the speaker with a celestion blue 16 ohm and added a hole to the the back panel of the amp to make it open back. Then added a hole grommet to make it look asthetically pleasing on the cheap. I use the amp with either an mxr Timmy, crowther hot cake, or a lm308 chip rat pedal. Then I do wet effects like reverb(surfybear metal reverb) and delay(mxr carbon copy analog delay) through a separate amp by using a ABY splitter pedal.
That sounds like a killer setup. And great choice in pedals too. That is a classic lineup for sure. What's the other amp that you use for your wet/dry rig?
@@TheToneLounge I pair it with an old 1955 Bogen GA5. Which back then was a 5 watt Fender Tweed Champ clone. I guess Bogen was a PA company that delved into guitar amps back in the 50s. Bogen is a hidden gem. Kind of like the Sears Silertone amps used to be.
Or I pair it with a Mini Super Beetle.
Telecaster wise I’m going for a John Jorgensen, Jerry Donahue(which plays an ac4 live), and Brad Paisley tone.
Im not big on country but love the tone.
Rock/Blues wise on Stratocaster I’m looking for the Rory Gallagher, Richie Blackmore, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and Tom Petty tones.
Surf wise you can’t go wrong with Hank Marvin of the shadows tones.
Don’t need big amps. Even live you don’t need big amps. Put the amps on a amp stand and put a microphone in front of it with today’s PA systems.
Tones sounded superb. But unless you already have something like the Two Notes Captor, or extra speaker can already, that’s another expense. If you’re already set up for home recording with a cab sim, etc, I can see this being a great option. It would have been interesting to hear the amp’s speaker mic’d for comparison.
You mean play the same thing but compare the SM57 to an IR?
Love that stripped down les paul!
Can't get more basic! lol One pickup and one volume.
I got it I use it BUT theres lacking Lows...
AC 10 is the best among all these low wattage Vox amps 😊
It's really a matter of taste. I have some viewers that swear that the AC4 is the best. I say the AC15 is the best.
Nice amp, although it has little to do with the original early 1960's EF86 AC4. But, it offers a nice typical Vox sound and also much more gain. I had compared the schematics of the original, the AC4TV and the AC4C1 and all differ a lot from each other.
The AC4TC is some sort of very hot-rodded Tweed Champ/Princeton circuit with El84 power tube, two hotter gain stages combined with a Princeton typical treble tone control, while the AC4C1 offers a hot input gain stage, then a vintage one, followed by a - more Plexi typical cathode follower in front of a typical AC-30 tone stack, and then another vintage gain stage, so it is in my opinion rather some sort of Vox meets Plexi amp. Not the worst choice for me.
The cathode follower has the advantage, that adjusting the tone controls does not affect signal output level as intense as it happens without it, also the Vox tone control offers an even more intense mid scoop than Fender amps do, to be honest, the Vox scoop was the first one and the Fender followed later, as the early Fender Tweed amps hardly offered any mid-scoop.
On the other hand, if you reduce Bass and Treble to zero, you get an almost linear response, but with about an about 8 - 10 dB lower preamp output signal level, so using a neutral boost for compensation could make sense especially with this amp, if you do not like a too mid-scooped sound.
Nice Vox clean to crunch sounds you get at lower gain settings, eg. a nice Rory Gallagher tone you already get with gain at about 4-5. Higher settings give you already nice Brian May or even Plexi-like AC/DC or comparable, convincingly sounding British Classic Rock tones. One - for me - big advantage of the C1 also is, that you can reduce Bass intensely, very useful for hotter sounds, while the Tone control of the TV only affects treble. As I mostly play overdrive sounds and hardly any clean sounds, this is one of the reasons, why I sold my AC4TV and bought this one.
The built-in speaker is not bad, but tends to sound a little boxy in the small enclosure. I hardly use it, but prefer using a load box and cabinet IR's, but if I did, I most probably replaced it with a VT-Junior, as this one also adds some more mids. But of course the small enclosure always has some limitations, independent of the used speaker.
Sounds awesome through a 212 Blue alnico cabinet, even more through a 412 with G12M's. You never guessed that this is such a small amp only. So the amp sound itself really is excellent in my opinion, if you like the typical Vox sound with some more gain reserves, if needed. Only Metal sounds you hardly will get out of it ;-) But almost everything else.
Even fully turned up a very vivid, dynamically reacting sound, still a lot of AC-30 character, but not as compressed sounding as a real, fully turned up AC-30, most probably also because of the cathode follower. I already had more expensive amps, which sounded worse.
Sounds excellent in my opinion for everything between vintage clean and classic overdrive, also works well with pedals. As I already said, nice Vox meets Marshall Plexi sort of hybrid amp, but in a very positive way. Best of both worlds, so to say and once not only the lowest common denominator.
Works surprisingly noiseless too. Just captured some ToneX models of it and did not even need a noise gate at the highest possible settings.
Only the 4W output level are fake, a single EL84 already produces 7,5W and they really are too loud for home use at higher gain and volume settings. For me no problem because of my load box, but not really perfect for home/bedroom use withot at least a power attenuator, if you not only need clean or only decent crunch sounds.
The only disadvantage for me is the 16 ohms speaker output only. An additional 8 ohms one would have added more cabinet/speaker connectivity flexibility. Nevertheless a wonderful sounding small amp with unusually good sounds and equally wonderful dynamic reaction to attack for the price range.
Also looks nice.
Most modern Vox have little to do with their Vintage counterparts. I own a few modern Vox amps and an old AC50, and the AC50 is quite different in terms of tone and build. Still, I can't fault the modern Vox amps. They are really good and sound great.
@@TheToneLounge Especially that this amp differs from the original is, what I like. More than enough gain, which I cannot say about the V15, which had been my first Vox decades ago. (Meanhwile I knew, what to do, to mod it properly, to make it sound more like an AC-30, would not even have been complicated, but at this time I did not.)
Had a Straight 6 pedal for a while, also nice, but different, sounded a little too compressed for my taste at higher gain settings and a Nighttrain, which I did not like so much.
Considered for a while to buy an AC15, but to be honest, the AC4C1 already gives me all the sounds, I need and I anyway onyl use it with load box and cab IR's.
Just ran the AC4C1 through a 412 V30 and Hesu Demon cabinet IR with Gain and Volume fully turned up and Tone controls fully turned down. Awesome sound! Can even compete with a good Plexi.
Nevertheless the schematic showed me some points, which still could be fine-tuned at little for my taste.
I consider about selling my Jim Root Terror...
You should explore the amp controls
I will, I am working on the AC4 series.
@@TheToneLounge the ac4, just like the ac30 has a particularly on the treble control. If we set it up to 14hrs, the bass will "disappear " even in the maximum. I've never saw any review explaining this topic.
It sounds great! But I think I fall into the "Who is this amp not for" category. Did Thomann send you another HB guitar? You said you had to send the one you bought back
The new one is the one I play in this video :)
@@TheToneLounge Noice! I was thinking about getting one of those, or the one with actives...but I might just go with a Jackson Monarch from Sweetwater...being in the states, ordering from Thomann is an extra $40 in shipping
@@lordimpaler3899 yeah I saw the one with active pickups, there is also one with P90s. What’s up with the price hike on shipping? I’ve seen a few people mention that in the US and the UK.
@@TheToneLounge Idk what the deal is...i even had to pay $17 extra at the post office for my first HB guitar...the guitar itself was fantastic, but $57 on top of the USD list price is a bit much
I’m taking advantage of the fact that I am in Europe because when I come back to Canada I may not be able to buy from them again.
Any difference, other than the tolex color, between the blue and purple ac4c1?
Not that I am aware of
This or the UA Ruby pedal for great Vox tones at home?
I’ve got a 5 watt fender amp and a pedal board for home play. Not sure if I should get another small combo, or try monitors and the UA Ruby. Anyone got this AC4 and a Ruby through monitors? What will sound better?
The AC4 is way more affordable and looks really cool 🤔
Two different beasts. I don't have personal experience with the UA Ruby, so I can't comment on tone or reliability. The concept of the Ruby, however, I am familiar with. I'm sure that the Ruby sounds great and has tons of very useful applications. That being said, it won't give you the same experience as playing a tube amp in the room.
Have you checked out the Mooer little monster AC
Super cheap little Vox AC all tube head clone 5 watts
I have not but will check it out.
with the stock speaker it sounds like a cheap toy, but you got some really nice tones with IRs!
With a proper cab/speaker, there are killer tones in this amp! Ever tried the AC4?
@@TheToneLounge not in real yet! I have the temptation to buy one from Reverb, and use it with loadbox and IRs, but my Loadbox is 8 ohm, it means I need another one, and they can cost as the amp itself. This stops me so far.
Great video! Given that you have plenty of experience with different sized vox amps, do you think this one with the 10” speaker would be better for home use, compared to the 12” one? I think the 12 sounds “fuller” but it’s heavier and maybe less manageable for home use.
It's going to be mainly down to low end (bass). The 12" will drive a bit more bass at higher volume. At lower volume you will perceive more low mids. Personally, I think the 10" version is great and is more than adequate for home use. It sounds better at bedroom levels than my AC15.
@@TheToneLounge Thanks! I found a used blue one and that’s the winner.
Let me know what you think of it. I have a series about pedals for that amp coming soon.
@@TheToneLounge I tried both the 12” and the blue one, and for home use/low volume I really liked the blue one (I also tried a tweed pro junior and preferred it to a black blues junior). Now I’ve been using my blue one with my Blues Driver and sometimes it’s a bit harsh, do you prefer the OCD? I think it could also be a matter of lowering the gain and cranking the master.
@@awoodstock_ You can use something like a Klon clone (a cheap exampe is the Golden Horse) to add a bit more fatness and low end, or just a tube screamer-type pedal, the NUX Steel Singer is quite good for that.
What would you suggest between the AC4 and AC10 for home use? I don't need effects as I have a nice pedal board already. I don't even want the gain really, just clean tones. I'm worried that it may be too easy to overpower the AC4 with my pedals. Is that a problem? I play at my church, which has their own system, so I don't really need an amp for gigging.
Ac4 all the way. It works great with pedals and packs plenty of volume with a mic'd gig.
@@TheToneLounge awesome thanks! I like the size and the price.
@@ShuckCreations there are two versions to look out for, the one with a 12" speaker, and another like mine with a 10" speaker.
@@TheToneLounge All I can find is the 12 in. Reviews lean towards it being an improvement.
Yeah, the 12" might be a better choice for you. Let me know if you get it. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Have you tried bugers v5 infinity? What are your thoughts on it?
I have not tried any of the Bugera stuff. Perhaps I will in the near future. Cheers
I have the Vox Valvetronix VT 20+. Is the AC-4 a big upgrade? I'm debating between that or the AC10. For home playing.
Well, there would be a loss in terms of features. Your current amp has a lot of cool features, with amp modeling and the effects. If the tone feels like it's not your thing, then the AC4/10 would be an improvement in tone imho. The AC4 sounds fantastic and is great for home use, but is very limited in terms of options.
The AC10 also sounds great but only has built in digital reverb. It depends on what you need.
Go for AC10 or for the HOTONE BRITWIND check'em out on youtube vids , good luck 👍
Have you tried the Harley Benton tube15?
I actually own one and I am doing a video on that one next!
I’m seeing a $399 US price tag
Thanks for the clarification Erik!
Present day AC4 amps are updated 12” models. These 10” models were never anywhere near this money
Oh, good to know! Cheers
Great player
Thanks! What did you think of the AC4?