Best Combo amp for £1,000 or less

Voxman

Lez325 said:

Thank you for such a detailed response Voxman- I do like the sound of the AC 30 - Andertons have the Vox AC 30 Custom with Celestion Greenback which also has spring reverb and tremolo for a mere £833 & the AC 30 with Celestion Blue speaker for £1125 plus a hand wired AC 30 with Green backs for £1200 

I am going to Guildford tomorrow ( work related) and will endeavour to drop into Andertons and give one a spin....Living in Somerset is a bind- no quality equipment shops around, I really want new not considering 2nd hand as yet!

I'll see what's what on Wednesday afternoon armed with my £1,000 with an AC 30 of some sort in mind

Thanks all for the replies so far- appreciated

Les 

Les, GAK do the AC30C2 for £699 -  It's out of stock but can be ordered at same price. See if Andertons will price match:

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/vox-ac30c2-(celestion-greenback-speakers/31318

One other thought Les - whilst you're at Andertons, try out the Vox AC15C1 (Greenback) and AC15C1X (Alnico Blue).  It's still a very loud amp that's a little lighter, a little smaller and a little cheaper than an AC30 - whilst circuit wise it's very similar to an AC30, it has its own slightly different character that you might like.  

Lez325

I most certainly will. Is the 15w loud enough would be my only concern . I do quite fancy twin speakers too for a fuller sound.  I will.try Andertons on the price match. If not I can always orderror from GAK. Thanks for the heads up.

Voxman

Lez325 said:

I most certainly will. Is the 15w loud enough would be my only concern . I do quite fancy twin speakers too for a fuller sound.  I will.try Andertons on the price match. If not I can always orderror from GAK. Thanks for the heads up.

AC15's are still pretty loud!

There is a 2x12 AC15 too - but IMO you may as well go AC30.

Lez325

Voxman said:

Lez325 said:

I most certainly will. Is the 15w loud enough would be my only concern . I do quite fancy twin speakers too for a fuller sound.  I will.try Andertons on the price match. If not I can always orderror from GAK. Thanks for the heads up.

AC15's are still pretty loud!

There is a 2x12 AC15 too - but IMO you may as well go AC30.





I'll be in Andertons later today- here's what I'll be considering after a suitable trial with my Strat, yes I brought my own guitar to trial the Vox range lol - this one is not in stock but I'll give the AC30 a good old bash, I just fancied a hand wired job, are they better by a long way or a waste of an extra few quid????

hope this link works I'm on my Galaxy S7 

https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/AC30HW2/combo-amps/vox-hand-wired-ac30-with-green-back-speakers

any thoughts?

or this which is a tad cheaper - but has the Celestion Blues which do sound a lot better in my ears

https://www.andertons.co.uk/P/AC30C2X/combo-amps/vox-ac30-custom-with-celestion-blue-speakers

Les 

timebenezer

I have a vintage AC30 but find it too heavy for gigging regularly. I recently bought a Koch Studiotone XL from this forum and have found it very usable and has a similar sound to the AC30, they seem to go for well under £1000. My handwired vintage AC30 is up for sale in the classifieds, but I'm looking for slightly more than a £1000... (only slightly!). Best of luck with your search!

Lez325

Thank you guys for all the advice. I bought an AC 30 with blue Alnico speakers it sounded sublime. Can't wait to give it a session 

Les.

danban

Good man! I've got a ac30 with cream backs and love it!
The stock valves aren't great, replacing them really makes it come alive!

Voxman

Lez325 said:

Thank you guys for all the advice. I bought an AC 30 with blue Alnico speakers it sounded sublime. Can't wait to give it a session 

Les.

As they say on the A-team 'I love it when a plan comes together'.  Many congrats & enjoy - it will get even better once the speakers have broken in.  

BowynMadley

Mesa express 5-25? I've seen a few 1x10s and 1x12s go for sub a grand 

Voxman

BowynMadley said:

Mesa express 5-25? I've seen a few 1x10s and 1x12s go for sub a grand 

Les has now got himself a Vox AC30C2x 

Lez325

Yes I have and it sounds awesome with the Blue Alnico's - can't wait to gig it

Lez325

Voxman said:

Lez325 said:

Thank you guys for all the advice. I bought an AC 30 with blue Alnico speakers it sounded sublime. Can't wait to give it a session 

Les.

As they say on the A-team 'I love it when a plan comes together'.  Many congrats & enjoy - it will get even better once the speakers have broken in.  

How long does that take- they sound creamy now lol