With a simple design like this it all comes down to tone as there are no bells and whistles to attract potential customers with, so how does the AC10C1 perform? Starting with a clean tone, the gain set low and master volume set high it is immediately apparent just how much this amp sparkles and chimes. Classic Vox cleans are present straight away with a load of dynamics that are so much fun to play. At these settings there is plenty of clean headroom from the master volume but you’d be hard pushed to play with a loud drummer on stage if clean tones are your thing or you need a clean amp for running pedals into. The digital reverb is okay. My problem is not with the quality of the sound, but simply that it should have been optimized to favor more subtle sounds. Seriously, you're unlikely to ever have that knob over "9:00" before it gets pretty swampy and surfy. But at the end of the day, it's better to have it than not have it.

This is a single channel amp. The amp distortion sounds good, but I usually dial it clean and get my overdrive/distortion tones from pedals. It takes most pedals well. The only one that didn't work well for me was the JHS Morning Glory. It just made it louder for some reason.

Plugging in, the first thing you notice is that smooth Vox sound. It might not have the drive, volume, or smoothness of a ’60s AC30, but it’s still lovely and instantly evocative. Plus it includes a key feature that helps your sound while making that noise. Many amps equipped with the AC-10 "Super Reverb" chassis, such as those shown in the pictures shown at left, were equipped with a traditional (and separate) anodized aluminum control panel. While gray anodized control panels seem to be more common, red panels were also produced. However, some AC-10 "Super Reverb" chassis do not have an anodized control panel. The control panel nomenclature on these amps was silk screened directly to the leading edge of the aluminum chassis as a cost saving measure. I bought this so I would not have to lug a heavy Marshall to practice. I ended up selling the Marshall because I was playing the Vox more. The Vox AC10 was one of the earlier amplifiers produced by the company but never reached the same status as the coveted AC15 model that has become one of the most revered guitar amplifiers ever made. The AC10 was a lower powered version of that classic Top Boost tone circuit amplifier but was discontinued in 1965 in favour of its higher powered sibling that went on to be the basis for some of the greatest guitar tones of all time. However, the AC10 was also very much loved at the time for its ability to reach the tonal characteristics of the AC15 but at more manageable volumes on stage and in the studio.

I get some great output coupled then with mic'ing up and running through the house PA. Yet this little beast can be tamed down for the home and still give that great clean to grit tone of the VOX. The classic Vox top-boost tone is present: the clear and clean high-end cuts well. But I was particularly surprised by the warm bottom-end: the bass tones are clear and well-defned without being "boomy" or "woofy". And the old Vox tremelo (which I never used much) has been replaced in this AC10C1 by a reverb function that adds a realistic spacial character that doesn't wash-out the fundamental guitar tones. The amp is fairly light, maybe 35 pounds. It's very loud. Will easily cut through the mix even with a loud drummer. This is totally giggable for small to medium venues. I would mic this for a really loud venue. The AC10C1 also includes a Top Boost tone circuit, as added to later AC30s. The original AC10 had a basic, passive treble cut control, but the new amp features an active tone control circuit with separate Bass and Treble knobs.

Customer Added Media

Last thing, the other guitar player in my band have 3 Boogie. He often use an old studio 22 watts and have a fantastic sound with pedals. All this time i was looking for a sound like him and now with the Vox, our tone is in the same area. A bit dark, no bad frequency, smooth, articulate and sustained.