Zoom H5 Handy Recorder

128 Guitarist November 2014
QUICK TEST
MISCELLANEOUS
Introduced with the AC15 back
in 1958, Vox’s AC4 is one of the
original British guitar amplifiers
– in fact, the AC part of the
name refers to Alternating
Current mains power, which
not all areas of the UK had back
then. Originally called the AC2,
Vox renamed it the AC6 and
then the AC4 in around 1962,
with no significant changes to
the circuit, which featured a
built-in tremolo and three
controls for volume, tone and
speed. The modern version has
a completely new circuit, and
Vox also upgraded the driver to
a proper 10-inch Celestion
loudspeaker. Now, it’s gone a
step further by releasing a
12-inch version, appropriately
called the AC4C1-12.
While the AC4 looks similar
to a mid-1960s product, the
internals are significantly
different from the originals,
which used an EF86
preamplifier and an EZ80
rectifier alongside a single EL84
power valve. The EL84 remains
and is now powered by a silicon
rectifier and driven with the
more common but less
troublesome 12AX7/ECC83 in
the preamp. The circuitry is
printed-circuit based, using a
non-plated board in a simple
L-shaped steel chassis.
Alongside the single-input jack
socket, there are chicken head
knobs for preamp gain, bass,
treble, and a master volume.
Because the AC4 is a pure
single-ended Class A design, the
EL84 runs hot – very hot in fact
– with a lot of heat conducted
to the control panel. There’s
ventilation, but it’s not very
effective. This apart, the AC4 is
a good-looking and generally
well-made little amp.
Sounds
Sonically, the AC4 is well
behaved, with just a faint
background hum – something
GUITARIST RATING
Guitarist says: Classic Vox clean
and overdrive sounds in a very
portable package
Long-player – Vox adds a 12-inch version of its popular small amp
CONTACT: Vox PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.voxamps.com
Vox AC4C1-12 combo £319
common to many single-ended
designs. We tried it with a Strat
fitted with regular-output
Duncan Alnico Pro II pickups
(Hank-approved clarity for
vintage Shadows stuff ) and a
PAF-loaded Les Paul Standard.
Used at lower gain levels, the
AC4’s clean sounds are typical
of what you might expect to
hear from an early Vox: a boxy
midrange and restrained bass
coupled with a zingy treble that
needs to be carefully tamed.
Set that treble knob right,
though, and you get the chiming
chord effect that makes the
AC4’s bigger brother one of the
great rhythm guitar amps. Turn
up the gain some more, and the
AC4’s blues/rock alter ego
appears, with a sweet singing
sustain that’s great for invoking
the original British Invasion
vibe. Ideally, you need a decent
humbucker for this, and the
AC4 sounded great with our Les
Paul, although vintage PAF
users should note the increased
gain makes unpotted pickups
much more likely to squeal.
Verdict
There are lots of small single-
ended amps clamouring for
your cash, but only a few of
them have one of the most
famous badges in guitardom.
Ideal for home users, and great
for lower-volume
environments, the AC4C1-12’s
bigger speaker lends more
authority and punch for live use.
However, for recording, we
would still favour the slightly
more compressed frequency
response of the 10-inch version,
because it’s quicker and easier
to dial in. Check it out soon and
see if you agree.
[NG]
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VIDEO DEMO
GIT387.rev_quick.indd 128 10/2/14 10:53 AM