The Vox AC15 could be credited as the gateway drug of the worship guitarist. It’s glassy tone and angry snarl has been the cornerstone for many of great worship guitarists including the pioneer of worship guitar – Nigel Hendroff. That’s right before the Droff started playing Jackson he played a good old AC15. In fact in his interviews discussing his new Jackson Scarlett 30 Signature Amp, Droff mentions that he loves the Vox tone but that it was just missing some control over the mid-range. While he is correct he still used the AC15 for more than 10 years before he switched over to the Jackson. Basically if it is good enough for Hillsong then it is good enough for us.
This amp has it’s pros and cons and I must confess that while the Droff has used the AC15 over the past 10 years he also ran stereo with a Matchless Spitfire. In spite of it’s cons this amp makes our top 5 list of affordable worship guitar amps. The AC15C1 with the Celestion Greenback will have slightly higher headroom and a tad bit more bass response. The AC15C1X with Celestion Alnico Blue brings the classic Vox chime and clarity with lower headroom. Most of us at WorshipGtr.com prefer Alnico blues in AC30’s and Greenbacks in AC15’s. Check them both out before deciding!
Pros
- Price
– New w/ Celestion Greenback ($599)
– Used w/ Celestion Greenback ($475)
– New w/ Celestion Alnico Blue ($799)
– Used w/ Celestion Alnico Blue ($649) - Maintains Value – Used AC15s’ tend to sell higher than other amps in their class (as of April, 2014)
- Pairs Well with Pedals – As seen with Droff these things sound even better with Overdrive, Reverb, and a ton of delay!
- Classic Vox Sparkle
- Weight – While the amp won’t break your back, at only 48lbs this amp won’t break your back either.
Cons
- Overheating – Like it’s older brother the AC30 these tend to overheat and blow throw tubes.
- No Mid Range Control – Some argue that the Tone knob is all you need but some ton gurus cringe at not being able to control every aspect of their tone.
- Headroom – Only being 15 watts there is not alot of headroom on this amp. If you are playing at a large church without iso cabs we would recommend going with the AC30. Cranking the master volume will also work but will shorten the life of your output transformer and tubes.
Should You Get One?
If you like your amp to run on the edge of breakup, play at a smaller church, and don’t want back surgery this is the amp for you. If you like to run your amp loud and clean and/or prefer a darker amp this amp is not for you. For more headroom in the same tonal family head to the Vox AC30. For a darker amp check out the HotRod Deluxe.
If you play an AC15 let us know your favorite settings as well as what pedals and guitars you use in the comments section below.
4 Comments
También protegerá un tanto poor ciento de los recursos que
estén fuera de ella.
Just curious, are you sure Nigel paired the AC15 with a Matchless Lightning and not the Matchless Spitfire? In his Hillsong Creative video he mentioned the Spitfire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0bpgltTlE
I think the next step in my setup is to run two amps in stereo. I already have a AC15c1x so I’m just researching which amp to pair it with.
Thanks for the post man!
Thomas you are absolutely correct. Nigel does use a Spitfire. As far as pairing with an AC15c1x I would strongly consider the new Bad Cat USA Player Series Cub 15R. The tone is just absolutely fantastic and at $1299 it just can’t be beat. There is also the Handwired Cub III 15R which is $1699 less 10% non-profit discount. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I appreciate it. Thanks!