VOX AC30H2L Hand Wired Limited Edition Guitar Amplifier
Your search for the Holy Grail of Class-A VOX tone ends here…
THIS AMPLIFIER IS BRAND NEW AND IS PART OF OUR COLLECTION FROM THE VAULT
In 2007, to commemorate their 50th Anniversary, VOX designed and built a limited number of special guitar amplifiers, the Heritage Collection (HC) range of hand-wired amplifiers. The pinnacle of this range was the VOX AC30H2L combo amplifier in solid hand finished oiled African Mahogany.
Here at southcoastmusic we pride ourselves on the selection of limited edition and rare instruments that we have for sale – some are available for viewing by appointment only and we are delighted in this instance to offer for sale what is possibly the only brand new example of the iconic 50th Anniversary VOX AC30H2L in the world today.
It is no secret that today’s VOX amplifiers are built in China. Price pressure and the need for sustained production quality and consistency was the catalyst for the move from UK production. Today’s VOX amplifiers are built to the highest standards and are more affordable than ever. Anyone who dismisses all Chinese Made products as second rate needs to get out more. Its not where its made, rather, who makes it. The 50th Anniversary series was hand built by one of the World’s most sophisticated Electronics manufacturers. We can’t tell you their name but we can tell you that they are famous for building state-of-the-art boutique valve powered HiFi amplifiers…in China.
Rather than just a typical reissue where a vintage amp is dusted off and copied, this Hand -Wired amplifier, transports you through the golden age of VOX tone, combining the prized EF86 preamp channel of 1958 with the popular 1963 Top Boost channel all in one amplifier. Hand wire each Amp individually and add in some modern tone shaping control enhancements and the result is arguably the best sounding and one of the most sought after VOX amplifiers in the company’s 50 year history.
As the ultimate collectible AC-30, VOX issued the AC30H2 in a mahogany enclosure. The amp used a EF86 preamp tube, the same valve used in VOX amps manufactured in the late 50s and early 60s. This tube had nearly become extinct until Electro Harmonix reissued it. This is one of the finest VOX amplifiers in the 50 year history of VOX.
E F 8 6 : T h e t u b e w i t h t h a t m a g i c a l V O X t o n e . .
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 a vintage VOX 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 VOX magic returns.
The tube complement is made up of 1 x EF86, 3 x ECC83/12AX7, 4 x EL84, and 1 x GZ34 rectifier.
C h a n n e l 1 . . .
Channel 1 is the legendary EF86 Preamp channel, and features two inputs wired in the traditional VOX way providing 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 VOX 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 VOX mode and has a very sweet high gain tone with less headroom.
C h a n n e l 2 . . .
Channel 2 is the highly prized and most desirable VOX 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 colour. And true to VOX form is the Top Cut control, which cuts high from either channel end as it’s turned up.
F l e x i b l e p o w e r . . .
The O/P Switch adds even more flexibility to the VOX AC30 Heritage. This switch changes the power output valves from Pentode Mode, which is the normal operating mode of the power amplifier, to Triode Mode which halves the power output to 15 watts and at the same time offering smoother tonal characteristics.
F i n i s h i n g t o u c h e s . . .
The 50th Anniversary VOX AC30H2L combo guitar amplifier is much more than your typical reissue where a vintage amp is dusted off and copied. The 50th Anniversary VOX AC30H2L combo guitar amplifier has been painstakingly and completely hand-wired with point-to-point soldering.
The hand rubbed oil finished solid African mahogany cabinets are Hand Crafted and will enhance the look of any space that it occupies, not to mention the sonic excellence and inspiration that it will provide you.
The 30watt Class A VOX AC30H2L mahogany hand wired amplifier delivers its two channels of glorious VOX tone through a pair of 12″ Celestion Alnico “Blue” speakers…these are the HOLY GRAIL of guitar amplifier speakers.
T h i s i s w h y :
In 1993, as Korg/VOX was trying to develop the most accurate AC-30TB reissue ever attempted, they faced a number of obstacles. The largest was the Celestion/VOX Alnico blue loud speaker. It hadn’t been produced for 25 years, and for good reason.
The VOX Alnico Blue has an alnico magnet. An alnico magnet is made of an alloy of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt (hence the name – Al Ni Co)
The third component in the alloy, cobalt, is the problem.
Most of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from Rhodesia (Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe). In the late 1960’s, Rhodesia nationalized it’s cobalt mines and limited production to push up the market for the mineral. These actions drove up the price of cobalt to a point that it became unfeasible to use alnico magnets in speaker manufacturing. By the middle 1970s, most speaker manufacturers dropped alnico magnets, replacing them with focused field ceramic or ferrite magnetic structures.
Alnico magnets offer several significant benefits for speaker performance. Alnico is an intensely powerful magnet. A very small alnico magnet is often more powerful than a much larger and heavier ferrite equivalent. This increased magnetic strength (or “gauss density”) offers improved tone.
Additionally, the strength of an alnico magnet does not fade with heat, as is the case with ferrite magnets. If a ferrite speaker is driven hard for several hours, it requires more wattage to produce the same amount of acoustic output when cold. Alnico speakers do not exhibit this heat induced volume fade.
In 1993, VOX approached Celestion about once again making the “alnico blue.” VOX convinced Celestion that the market would accept a 12″ 15 watt guitar speaker that would cost over AUD$600 retail, especially if installed in a near perfect reissue of the 1964 Vox AC-30 Top Boost amplifier. Celestion agreed, and the rest is history. A big thank you to northcoastmusic for this information.
This is the official limited edition VOX Anniversary model, and only 500 were built. Launched July 2007.
V O X A C 3 0 H 2 L S p e c i f i c a t i o n s :
- Power Output:
- 30 Watts RMS into 8 or 16 ohm loudspeaker load—selectable via rear panel switch.
- Valve complement:
- 1 x EF86, 3 x ECC83/12AX7, 4 x EL84, 1 x GZ34 (rectifier).
- Loudspeakers:
- 2 x 8 ohm VOX/Celestion Alnico Blue loudspeakers wired in series for 16 Ohms.
- Included items:
- IEC Power cable, Vinyl Cover, Owner’s Manual
- Dimensions & Weight:
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 69.5cm (27.4″) x 56.4cm (22.2″) x 26cm (10.2″)
- Weight: 34.5 kg (76.1 lbs.)
southcoastmusic is an authorised Australian VOX reseller. If there is another VOX Amplifier or Pedal that you would like to buy – contact us now for a great range and competitive pricing!
ONE ONLY BRAND NEW!
