The Vox is in. As often is my lot in life, it was not working on arrival. If there is a plus to this, it’s that I know what the inside of my amps look like, and a bit on the construction used.
As this is a PRS forum, I’m not going to make this long. I found a connector that provides power to the preamp tube section had lost contact. Fixed that. The Vib/Trem oscillator tube was also out of it’s socket. Went through and seated everything, checked all connections. Thankfully, it roared to life.
Sound is impressive, and certainly “Voxy.” And it is loud. Making-the-grill-cloth-wave-like-ocean-current-through-sea-water loud. It is hard to believe this is 30 watts. As it is a 16 ohm output, I used my Weber Z-Matcher to connect it to my 8 ohm 2x12 Morgan cab w/ Alnico Blues in it to see what would be different from the stock 20W greenbacks. With the Blues it is cleaner, clearer, and even more Voxy. I’ll probably be making that swap in the future, as I think I prefer the sound.
Sound-wise, and looks-wise, it’s a winner. Very convincing classic Vox sound, especially through the Blues, with a touch more Marshallesque feel with the Greenies.
Construction is, frankly, disappointing. I don’t really mind the circuit boards as opposed to tag boards, as a lot of good amps use them. But the cabinet is particle board as far as I can tell, instead of the wood originals, some of the captive nuts holding the amp chassis in were no longer “captive” (repaired those while inside), and the tube sockets don’t feel like the quality units on some other amps. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, but it certainly bears out how good sound can come from less than the best components and workmanship. All I have read about the pros and cons of Vox amps came to mind as I got acquainted with my new house guest.
So, to sum it up, it is a cool looking, and cool sounding, amp. One of those I have felt the desire to explore for a while. One more box checked off.
Edit:
After a couple of hours of playing, I have to admit that it’s impressive. The sound is absolutely recognizable and the oft-used term “chime” comes to mind regularly. It’s a tone that cuts through, but isn’t ice picky... glassy is a better word to describe it. Very clear, while remaining warmly round. I can see why people like it. It sounds like what I’ve always thought of when “Vox AC30TB” comes up in conversation. I like it.
And did I mention loud? Wow. The low end rattles anything that’s loose around the room.
Really full, space filling projection, even turned down to about 9 o’clock or so (about 1/4 to 1/3 power) on the dial. The Ox Box will be my friend with this one!
