The AC 15 Custom (also known as the AC15C1) is a guitar amplifier from Vox, which features the sparkling tone Vox is known for. The short version is that this amplifier is prefect for brighter tones (think Tom Petty, John Mayer on “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”, or even early Beatles songs) but also performs like a champion when placed at the end of a chain with distortion.
In short I highly recommend this amp if you are playing clean or overdriven guitar. It definitely works for metal or (especially) grunge, but enthusiasts of heavy distortion may want to instead look to more classic distorted amps, such as the reissue Marshall SV20H or classic (but pricey) Marshall JVM series of amps.
The AC15C1 does not lack style, with great quality craftsmanship befitting the $799 MSRP
At 48 pounds (21 kilograms) the AC15C1 is not exactly light, although it could be worse. All in all, it is a solid amp with great tone, and the weight is just an unavoidable aspect of the equation, given contemporary technological limits. It has that classic tube tone, albeit in a package which is more reliable than the tube amps of yore.
The Vox AC15 is plenty loud for gigging, but those who need extreme volume may want to upgrade to the AC30. That said, most players will find the AC15 has more than enough volume. The Vox AC15C2 is basically just an AC15C1 with an extra celestion speaker, which is a good option if you need a louder volume (most won’t).
One special feature of the AC15C1 is the standard vs top boost plugins, which you can see at the top of the unit. Top boost gives that extra oomph, and is good for a bit more power-forward tone.
The AC15C1 also has a built in tremolo and reverb, which is great for clean tones or rock solos. All in all, this is a very versatile and honestly even a special amp, which I highly recommend for most styles of music, save perhaps metal.
All in all, I love the tone and heartily recommend the amp. You can check out the Vox AC15C1 on Amazon, and be sure to check out Always Free, the latest single by Lonely Singles.
