Vox AC4 1x12" 4-watt Combo Amp

I have owned this amp for about a year now. Initially I was taken with it but then as I started comparing it to some of my other tube amps I started to feel that it lacked bass and was rather shrill sounding. I tried a different speaker and tubes which did help but the amp still seemed somewhat anemic. Finally I decided to try a different output transformer (a Classictone made in the USA number 40-18031). Replacing the output transformer made a HUGE difference. The amp now sounds much fuller, smoother and cleaner, even with the stock speaker which actually is a pretty good speaker (it doesn't have a character of its own, it's a very neutral sounding speaker but it sounds fine after being broken in). I installed a Jensen Mod speaker in my amp and it sounds good. I put the stock Celestion Seventy 80 that came in the amp in another speaker cab and use it in parallel with the speaker in the AC4 when I want to use a 2 X 12 configuration. The other nice thing about changing the output transformer is it has taps for 4,8 and 16 ohm speaker loads so I can use it with a variety of speaker configurations.So I would say this is a great low wattage amp but for me really only after the output transformer is replaced. But you may like the sound of it as is, as many do. Just giving my two cents. I was frustrated with the amp lacking bass and sounding boxy and was considering selling it but after replacing the output transformer I love it!

If you're a fan of Vox tone, this thing has it in spades. Great overdrive but cleans up nicely as well. It's also a lot louder than you might think. Bought it for home use (serves that purpose well) but plan to gig it in a couple weeks after realizing that. (Did just fine keeping up with a Blues Junior at a jam.) Excellent quality. Very happy with this purchase.

EDIT 2: I got the AC10 when it came out and its significantly better for not much more money. And the stock 10in speaker is also much better than the stock 12in one and even seems to have better bass with that amp. All around I recommend the AC10 over this one.EDIT: Greenback was a half step up and I already had it, but it lacked bass and felt fizzy more than chimey. Put a Ceramic Weber Blue Dog in it and now it is incredible. Highly recommend this amp and that speaker. Amazing...Pretty awesome deal here. Looks 100% Vox. Sounds about 90% Vox with the 12in speaker after a tube change. It came with tubes that just said CHINA on them... JJ's went in and sounded much better. The stock speaker is better than the 10 inch one but still leaves a little to be desired... Its not terrible or anything. But hooking it up to a Greenback in an external cab is wonderful. Sounds like a quiet top boost channel of an AC15. Simple to use. Great tone. Easy to transport. Awesome. Highly recommend.

I changed the stock speaker to a weber blue ceramic that I bought off craigslist. The stock speaker is average at best and I thought my pathfinder sounded better. Speaker change a big improvement it makes the amp come alive fuller sounding classic Vox tone. I think any good speaker would sound better stock.

I've had the AC4 in blue vinyl with the 10" speaker. Though it has it's own tone, it was too scooped and crunchy when you get it turned up loud. Though some folks would like that, it's not practical for me. So I traded it in on the AC4C1-12 with the 12" Celestion speaker. I just used it on it's first gig in a medium sized club and am very impressed. The bass response is much better and the cleans are cleaner. It can keep up with a medium volume drummer. I wanted something light that I could use for rehearsal and small gigs and this unit really delivers. The 4 class A watts can tear your head off and the tone is really nice. With the gain turned down it has a nice clean tone and when you crank the gain it really crunches in a good way. Very responsive. Not as scooped as the AC4 with the 10".More twang and for a roots type player, that's a good thing. I did put it on an amp stand and the sound man did put a mike on it, but as far as the stage volume goes, it kept up with a drummer, bassist and two other guitarists. The bass and treble controls do not have much of an effect past 12 o'clock so I left them there. I used a Zoom G1N for all the effects and though it isn't anything to write home about, the effects are perfectly usable. And I got to carry everything in with one trip. So, I think this is a nice amp at a decent price that has plenty of tube vibe and is easy to carry to rehearsal and to a gig.

I've owned an AC15C1 in the past and this amp does sound like the Top Boost channel of that amp. Unlike its predecessor, the AC4TV, this does amp does not get mushy when you run dime it. It does overdrive the treble frequencies aggressively, so just be aware of that. I purchased JJ preamp tubes, and regretted it. The JJ's did tame the high end, but they also decreased the amount of preamp gain and made the amp sound muffled. I put the stock tubes back in, then later a set of Tung Sol 12AX7s, which are pretty decent. I do have a JJ EL84 installed which sounds fine. Some have complained about the stock speaker, but I find that after breaking it in it sounds pretty good. I discovered that the lack of bass the amp produces has less to do with the stock speaker then it does with the shallow cabinet dimensions. I replaced the speaker with an Egnater Celestion Elite 80 (a tweaked Classic Lead 80 which puts out tons of bass when installed in the Egnater cabinet) expecting a huge increase in bass - there was none. So the stock speaker went back in. Overall, a terrific amp for a terrific price.

The little amp that can. In my adolescent years I bought a highly unnecessary Fender Supersonic 22 that you can't even use / get good tone out of it's so loud... I seriously had to keep it on 1 to keep from disturbing the neighbors. AC4 I picked up on sale... Great vox tone and I can actually turn it up halfway. Sounds great clean or with pedals. I give it an A+ much fabulous such nice. Don't buy a huge amp just mic a little one.