The Best Guitar Amplifiers of the VOX brand

If you want a small amp with a great sound, this is your choice, especially if you are looking for the typical Vox sound.

This is a very simple amp. It has two channels (actually, the second channel works more like a gain boost for added distortion). The clean channel is great. And surprisingly takes pedals very well, even fuzzes.

When I want a distorted sound, I prefer to overdrive the clean channel. The gain channel is a little too hard and with too much treble if not equalized correctly.

The EQ has only bass and treble controls, just like some other high range Vox amps. Anyway the Vox sound is very heavy in midrange.

It is loud enough for practice but you can also use it is bigger venues if you mic the amp or you can use its output jack and connect it to the mixing table (this one is frequently used at my church). More volume can be achieved by connecting a bigger speaker, but you?ll have to hardwire it.

The only downsides of this amp are the lack an external speaker output, effects loop and a footswitch connection to change between channels. However, again, some high end Vox amps don?t have them either.

I got Vox Pathfinder 10 because I wanted a nice sounding little solid state combo. I already had the bass version of this amp, which has a great sound. So, I decided to try the guitar version. I mostly play Heavy Metal and Power Metal. This is the only amplifier I ever tried that can produce a nice Metal distorted tone with the gain knob set at noon. The tone is the familiar British tone. I love it so much. Controls are simple and easy to use and you can easily set them for a great tone. However, this amp hasn’t any effects. For me, that isn’t a con, because I use effect pedals for this purpose. Quality is great. This amplifier looks and sounds better than many more expensive amplifiers. If you love classic British Heavy Metal sound, it’s perfect. I’m sure it does a good job for many other genres too.

When the time came for a decent amplifier upgrade, the main options I was looking for were mainly Fender and Vox. With a budget of roughly 1000E to spend, the main amps in my mind were the Fender Blues Junior, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and the Vox AC15c1 and AC30c2 models. Playing in a 60s rock’n’roll. rhythm and blues band. I always loved the tones coming out of the Vox AC30s and AC15s of The Beatles, Rory Gallagher and Brian May – and while the chiming rhythm sounds and soaring, overdriven solos of some of their iconic songs always resonated with me, the appearance of their Vox amplifiers (with their iconic tolex grilles), always appealed to me, too. It was for these main reasons that I gravitated towards the Vox amplifiers over the Fender ones.

Why did I go for the AC15 over the AC30 though? The Vox AC15 does the chime and jangle that are perfect for the ‘Hard Days Night" early Beatles tones and jangle of Tom Petty, as does it the crunchy, overdriven tones synonymous with Brian May, Rory Gallagher and Oasis. It’s smaller frame is also more suitable for my home environment, though it retains much of the tonal qualities of it’s larger brother (but it houses a single Greenback speaker instead of two and a lower output of 15 watts). The amp is built to be durable and mine has seen no signs of damage or detrimental wear (or tonal / speaker degradation) in it’s extensive use since it’s purchase in May. Furthermore, the smaller body won’t break your back in comparison with the lumbering AC30!

Overall, the amp is pure Vox tone – sounds terrific with my Rickenbacker and Fender guitars, and does both chiming, jangling rhythms and scorching, gritty leads perfectly. If I had to find a fault in it, it would be that in comparison to the AC30, the AC15 has slightly less ‘headroom’, with not much in the way of mid-range tonal control. This may be nit-picking though, as I genuinely believe the AC15 does both clean and overdriven tones justice, and handles a multitude of pedals very well. The amp also excels in studio and the tones recorded from it are crisp and colourful. Lastly, for around the 500E mark, you’re absolutely getting bang for the buck and won’t break the bank! I’m delighted with mine.

This Amp-series might be one of the more famous ones in the world, and the "status" that it has is understandable. I’ve it stationed in my bedroom beside my little "studio" corner and of course, it’s a good looking amp and also a sort of decoration. The features may be limited but that’s almost what to expect, if you’re looking to buy an amp from the AC-series you know what you’re searching for. As in my case i’m a huge U2 fan and that’s is actually the main reason why i bought it.
Basically you have two options, either the Top Boost or the Normal channel.
I’ll summarize it quickly from my point of view.

Top Boost – No additional pedal is needed to create a crunchy/overdrive sound.
Normal – Might need something between the guitar and amp to crunch it up a little…

A really good additional pedal to the Top Boost option is a simple Compressor pedal, my main order is basically: Guitar – Dyna comp – Delay – Vox Ac15. And for solos i usually add a Boss Sd1. It’s quite simple when comparing to the tones you can get.

Then should you buy it? It depends…
1. Do you want to imitate specific bands, for example U2, Queen etc?
2. Do you have access to a place where you can really crank an amp to it’s max?
3. Do you have a few different guitar pedals? (Probably yes..)
If you can tick these 3 then you might be the one to buy a Vox AC-15.
Now comes the 3 opposite questions..
1. Do you play at home, ex in an aparmtment/townhouse?
2. Do you have a really expensive guitar and almost no pedals?
3. Do you want a Vox AC-15 but with the Alnico blue speaker instead of the Greenback stock version?
If you can tick these 3 then might not be the one to buy a Vox AC-15..
I’m living in a house with neighbours in almost every direction and it’s not very often when i can even crank it up to 50% without worrying about getting complains, i’ve solved this sort of by having compressor with relative low volume on. But i’m not fully satisfied with that solution.
Then as i said it’s features are limited. Tremolo and Reverb is the only effects you can mod around with so i’d recommend having a few pedals just to spread the capabilities.
And the speaker… i underrated the Alnico blue speaker and planning on ordering it to get it replaced with the Greenback speaker. I’m not saying the Greenback is bad (which it isn’t) but it’s not the tones i’m searching for. So dig into the two options just to be sure you’re choosing the right one.

Summarized it’s a great amp and of course a really good option if the AC-30 is too big for you. I’m only 17 and i do not have all the money in the world but i still find this amp "cheap" compared to its capability. And especially to U2 fans wondering if it’s any good for "U2" purposes – It doesn’t requires more than this amp and ex a Korg SDD 3000 to give me shiver =)

This is a bit of a long review, forgive my seemingly rambling text. My general review and personal experience with the product comes first.
At the end I’ll include how to find the VOX Tone Room program for those who need help with its installation.

Great amplifier at a great price. It really can’t be beaten. It comes with a huge variety of onboard tones, but not too many as to seem overwhelming, as any good modelling amp should. 2x’s 4 channel programming, and the VOX Tone Room program only makes programming and sound tuning even easier.I do strongly recommend this amp to any beginner guitarist, or a player who needs a good practice amp, or someone who wants to play, but keep things nice and quiet. I want to give it a full 5 star review, but it’s not without it’s faults. Namely, it was not obvious by any means to find the VOX Tone Room program. I had gone through the manual, looking for clear instructions as to where I can find the Tone Room program to install. I went to the VOX website, couldn’t find any easy-to-spot download links, and those which I did find, only redirected me to VOX’s homepage. Only after I had to contact VOX’s customer support, was I able to find it on the VT20X’s own product page, install MIDI drivers and THEN Tone Room. So it was a little hard to find. Once I got it all figured out, this small 8inch speaker was really working some magic.
I got it tucked into a corner on my desk, a bit out of reach, but I can manipulate all the controls and the soundbank from my computer with a 5 meter long USB cable I purchased from Amazon. I ordered the 4 channel VOX footswitch as well, and I can easily play from my computer desk, using the Tone Room program to change and program my amp, while using the footswitch to change channels, all without ever having to actually reach behind my cluttered desk to touch the amplifier at all!

It’s really quite a gem. At this price, it’s unbeatable. There really isn’t anything else on the market for a bedroom player like myself, such as this. Not to mention, it has a separate volume and ‘power’ knob. Meaning I can get it to just the right loudness by manipulating the ‘power’ knob and the ‘volume’ knob together. Most amplifiers I’ve used really go from 0 to 100 really fast when you try to get low volumes, this is not the case with this amp!
I really love this amplifier. Just be aware, that you will have to be careful about the Tone Room program, since it was not an easy find for me!

In case you have purchased this amplifier, simply find the VT20x product at VOX’s website, and under ‘SPECIFICATIONS’ you will find a link that says ‘PRODUCT DOWNLOADS’. Click on the link, and you will be presented with a list of downloads for Mac and Windows users. Install the ‘VOX Driver’, ‘VOX USB MIDI Driver’, and the ‘Tone Room Installer’. Run and install all three programs, and you should be all set to use Tone Room with your VOX amp!

Great things can come in small packages, and this VOX Valvetronix VT 20X is just that. Plenty of power at 20 watts to rattle the windows in a smaller venue, or light up your neighborhood with your garage rehearsals. Attractive styling and durable grill cover. Easy intuitive operation with all the amp models you’d ever want whether you’re playing clean rhythm guitar or doing lots of lead work with heavy distortion. Here’s the best part for me. It’s small size fits in anywhere (it’s a little larger than my toaster….no kiddin’), and lighter in weight than my bowling ball. I just walk in, set it down, plug my ESP LTD deluxe ec-1000 fm amber sunburst into it (1/4" jack input) plug in the foot pedal you can buy for it for switching through channels, push the ON button, and start cranking out the music! That simple! I love it! And the price is super right. In the context of equipment prices this amp is cheap to keep….inexpensive. You’re really going to be surprised how good this little guy sounds

I love this little amp and I think it’s a great bang for your buck.
This is my 4th modelling amp and right now I don’t see myself switching out this amp. All the previous ones were from Fender Mustang series and I definitely like this one the best. I think the sound is absolutely great for such a small and cheap amp, definitely better than the bigger and more expensive Mustang amps that I’ve owned. Plus you can use it with batteries and as a bluetooth speaker so I use it a lot for just listening to music from my phone around the house or when I’m doing something in the garden. Since it’s so small I sometimes take it with me to a friends house to listen to music.
From the different amp models I mostly use 3 – Brit 800, Brit Verb and Double Rec. They cover pretty much all my needs from more mellow classic rock sounds to nirvana and some more metal type music.
From the effects I like the 2 delays and I think the phaser effect is nice as well, don’t really care for the rest of the effects there are.
It looks a bit weird like a woman’s handbag but I don’t really care as long as it works and sounds fine.
If you need a small amp to just rock out at home or you need carry your amp around a lot you just can’t go wrong with this one.

I haven’t really found too much information or many reviews, so I was just hoping before the purchase that at this price point it will be good.
In a word, yes it’s good, and I didn’t regretted ordering it. I will use it as a practice amp at home. For me it was important that if it has a Bluetooth feature, than it also should work properly.
I have briefly owned the Fender Mustang GT before and I wasn’t really pleased with the music playback quality because it sounded really boxy, but Vox made it work. The music playback is pleasant and enjoyable.
Lets get to the most important part, I like some of the tones, even though I am just a beginner, I could dial in some nice tones, but I have still a lot to learn about the different effects.
I would mention that it doesn’t have any noticeable static noise or humming like other practice amps like the Blackstar ID Core 20.
Yes, it’s not a Boss Katana, but it has other purposes.
I would add that the build quality is satisfying. I haven’t had a chance to try any recording features, cause I don’t need it, so I cant comment on that. And yes it has an app, and it could be a little more intuitive with more features like the Fender app.
So, would I recommend it? Yes if you don’t mind the slightly higher price. Is it better than the Yamaha THR 10? I don’t know, but its newer and it has a good functioning bluetooth, what justifies the price difference.

Wow, what a great amp.
I was hesitant about buying a hybrid amp and wether it would be too complicated.
This amp is easy to use. The preset amps are brilliant. You can even adjust the levels in the presets with easy.
You can also use it as a traditional amp and dial in your own settings, but with the quality of the tone the preset amps produce, I hardly use it as a regular amp.
As a gutarist who has spent years trying to get a great tone out of amps, I can highly recommend this amp. The tones are great and the amp is easy to use. So much fun.

Update: after 2 months of use, I have finally started to use the Tone Room. I bought a lead from the internet for 15 Euro and it’s the best 15 Euro I have spent this year.
Very easy to use. Down load the file from Vox (website) and connect your phone/computer to the amp.
The Tone Room has another 60 preset sounds, often named after the song from a famous band, so it easy to re-create the band’s sound. Each preset, is editable.
There are also 21 different effect pedals which you can swop in and out, to create your own sound.
I haven’t read many reviews of the Tone Room, which is a shame, as it is a great feature and very easy to use.

Update (4 months)
The more familiar I get with the amp and also the Tone room, the better the amp gets. The Tone Room is superb and easy to use.

I got this as my first amp and I must say I am really happy with it. It si very easy to use and it also has over 30 presets wich sound just great. The amp models are very nice modeled . There are lots of options,11 amp models (20 using VOX tone room) and 12 effects( 21 using the VOX TONE ROOM). I was very pleased with the sounds, the clean and also the high gain ones. In the app there are lots of tweaking possibilities and i spent many hours creating beautiful sounds using effects wich are also great. This amp is a lot louder than i expected. This amp can easily be used for small concerts. Overall i am really happy with my Vox VT40X and i would recomennd it for anyone who is looking for a practice amp .

This thing is huge! If you’re looking for a home practice amp this certainly won’t be suitable. It’s tremendously loud and could be used in many medium to large sized venues.

It’s super heavy, almost 4 stone! The handles seems sturdy enough but it’s too early to tell. At this point though the quality seems good enough to last a good while.

The good thing about this amp is the master volume. In previous AC30’s the only way to get a good warm distortion was to crank the volume up full meaning to have a nice tone you had to deafen your bandmates – not any more! Now you can crank up the volume for the tone, and control the overall master with the master section. Another cool feature is the spring reverb which is super sweet. Also the tremelo is a nice touch and sounds crisp even if I don’t use it much myself.

The sound it legendary. It’s a powerhouse and sounds so warm you wouldn’t believe. Despite it being an old design this amp is suitable for hundreds of genres too – from blues, to rock, to pop, to metal, this amp could do it all!

Amazing buy and I’m glad to be a proud owner of an AC30. No complaints, simply awesome.

Great amp got from Thomann for a very bargain price. Thanks to you lads.
Very heavy box but with the two side handles you can hire second creature to make it easier. Great features like tremolo, reverb, master volume. I was testing/ listening so many amps and this is the sound that fits my ears. The only downside are the stock tubes. Main V1 Ruby 12ax7 very very muddy with flabbiness through my Les Paul in Normal channel. Top Boost channel has EQ bass and treble and even with the Chinese V2 12ax7b tube can be adjusted to find your own tone. Power tubes Chinese Shuguang rattling as in hell. First when recording at home though amp is faulty but after studying many websides I discovered this is common Combo issue especially AC30 which is called torture chamber for tubes. I found the way out either buy good quality damper rings/ instruments and keep existing tubes or buy specially dedicated power tubes for VOX AC30 which have rugged construction and are resistant to bigger heat and vibrations. With Strat/Tele you might not get as huge rattling like with Les Paul but you can only hear it while playing at reasonable volumes on some notes but it is very annoying and you really hear while playing. When playing loud on rehearsal with drum kit to loud to hear it.
But when you sort that it sounds like a beauty beast and it is louder than many 50-60W tube amps. Other good thing is that you do not have to rebias the amp after changing tubes so you are saving the visit to tech guy. With this amp the master volume works for great I mean it is not like i many Fender/Marshall amps that when you up to volume level 2-3 you see the difference in loudness and after that it you need to put earplugs. With this amp loudness increases gradually.

There are tons of reviews about this amp and tons of forums telling people to mod this amp straight out of the box. I say DON’T. Don’t touch it. There’s a reason Vox build this lovely little powerhouse the way they did. Simply put – Engineering. These guys know what they are doing. They use certain components for a reason. They source the proper parts and custom make other part to make sure every thing is perfect. This amp sound totally VOX because of this. The custom VX10 sounds perfect in the mostly closed back cabinet. The Chinese made tube don’t suck, like many purists think. They go well with the all circuit board construction. Even the way the chassis is engineered to fit perfectly in this small sized cabinet. Light, portable, loud, clean headroom and lots of room for grit. You can’t touch an amp like this for the price. The closest size weight amp is the Fender Princeton (I own a 1966). A new Princeton will run double in price. OK, the Princeton is more handmade, but when you play these side by side, the Vox AC 10 C1 stands up and hold its own. It will be a classic amp some day, like the Princeton. Get in on the ground floor and pick one up for 499. That’s nothing for what you get. Pure, Sweet, Jangly, Gritty, Real VOX Tone! Don’t change a thing on this amp. You’ll change the base character and be disappointed, as well as a few hundred euro poorer for having bought NOS tubes and vintage speaker. You don’t need to do it. It’s perfect as it is. VOX tone at its best.

Excellent small tube amp, easy to move around for rehearsals and small gigs, the sound is great with great eq range from sharp trebles to middle basses as well, the dynamic respond amazing the natural tube overdrive with me strat is just great ( no drive or boost pedals needed ) , thinking of buying a second one to play them stereo, very loud amp for just 10 watts don’t think you can crank that little monster at home easily it will blow your ears, it is not a bedroom amp, I play blues rock and tube overdrive is just amazing, not recommended if you need loud cleans, this amps breaks up before 12 o clock even with single coils, the loudness is at gigging levels but overdriven, even for small outdoor party’s at my friends garden no mic needed for gigging hard blues rock, great reverb as well. Highly recommended