SOLD! - 2007 VOX AC15 50th Ann. Hand Wired Heritage TV Fawn 1x12 Top Boost

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of VOX guitar amplifiers, Vox introduced the AC15H1TV. This amplifier, like the others in the Heritage Collection, will transport you through the golden age of VOX tone, combining the prized EF86 preamp channel of 1958 with the 1963 Top Boost channel all in one amplifier. Add in some modern tone shaping control enhancements and the result is perhaps the finest VOX amplifier in the company’s 50 year history.

EF86: The tube with the magical VOX tone
What is it that makes EF86 based VOX amplifiers sound so good? Maybe it’s the way the amp naturally overdrives. Or maybe it’s the raw power of the creamy distortion as you crank the amp all the way up. Whatever it is, there is an undeniable magic about this period of VOX amplification. The EF86 Pentode tube is at the heart of this elusive tone, and for many years, the EF86 tube was not available in production quantities. Fifty years later, the magic returns.

The 15WATT AC15 Handwired features two channels of VOX tone through a single 12" Celestion Alnico Blue speaker. The tube complement is made up of 1 x EF86, 3 x ECC83/12AX7, 2 x EL84 power, and 1 x EZ81 rectifier.

Channel 1 is the EF86 Preamp channel
It features two inputs wired in the traditional way that gives them a 6dB gain difference between them. A two-position BASS SHIFT switch is included, with position 1 voiced to the original vintage-correct bass response and position 2 voiced to tighten the bass response and reduce any muddiness during high volume use. The three-position BRILLIANCE SWITCH provides flat response when in the OFF position. Position 1 is a new position voiced like the early AC30 “Treble” amps, while position 2 is the original brilliance circuit, which acts as a dramatic bass cut. The EF86 Mode switch re-configures the EF86 valve from Pentode mode to Triode mode. Triode mode will give a lower gain tone with higher headroom. Pentode mode is the famed original mode and has a very sweet high gain tone with not very much headroom.

Channel 2 is the Top Boost Preamp channel
Like Channel 1, this channel includes two inputs wired with a 6dB gain difference between them. The Treble and Bass controls are from the 1963 Top Boost circuit and are extremely interactive. Very minor adjustments of these controls can yield dramatic changes in tone color.

And true to VOX form is the Top Cut control, which cuts high from either channel end as it is turned up.

The O/P Mode Switch adds even more flexibility to the AC15. This switch changes the power output valves from Pentode Mode, which is the normal 15WATTS operating mode of the power amplifier, to Triode Mode which halves the power output to 7.5WATTS and will alter the tone to be somewhat smoother.