Members saturn1 Posted October 31, 2017 Members Share Posted October 31, 2017 Back in August I bought a VoxAC10c from a local dealer. I really liked the amp - great tone, flexible, light and plenty of volume for what I do. After about three weeks it started making a god awful noise after it had been on for about 10 minutes. I went back to the dealer and we plugged it in and the same thing happened. They went in the back room, pulled out another one in a sealed box and swapped it on the spot, no questions asked. This one sounded just as good and I was enjoying using it both in the practice environment and on gigs. Then one day, after about six or seven weeks, while practicing it just stopped producing sound, all at once, just stopped. The power light remained lit, but no amplification. I changed cables, changed guitars, cycled power, left it off for a few hours - same result, power lamp came on but nary a sound came out the speaker. I opened it up - fuse intact, tubes were all fired up. So I went back to the dealer fully expecting that after almost two months this was going to be a warranty repair scenario. Instead, they looked it over, opened it up, saw what I saw and offered to exchange it again. Because the one they had left in stock was from the same shipment they decided it would be best to wait for the new shipment to arrive sometime this week, in case it was the proverbial 'bad batch.' Because I like the way this amp sounds so much I will try again, but I'm curious if any one else has had quality issues with a Vox AC10c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t_e_l_e Posted October 31, 2017 Members Share Posted October 31, 2017 its a tube amp and tubes go bad over time. and even all tubes glow, it is not sure that all of them are working. in my experience el84 power tubes are very sensitive and you should not move the amp, while the tubes are still hot, you should not move the amp while it is on at all, and everytime you move the amp you should be very carefull, cause it could damage the tubes you should always have a working spare pair el84's at home and be very carefull with your amp. its not a vox thing its a tube amp thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted October 31, 2017 Members Share Posted October 31, 2017 The VOX company is long gone and exists in name only. I'm surprised they are still in business, whacking out amps in China at a dime a dozen. With that being said not every Vox made in the UK was noted for reliability. This is why companies like Bad Cat, Matchless, Dr Z, Morgan and countless other are doing fine job at making a Vox style and sounding amp. I have gigged with a Vox modeler I have, and had no issues, however I personally would not rely on an amp or specific model that has had issues. I'm sure VOX knows about it.Nothing like cheap end user quality control, where you figure out the bad ones from the good one, all for free plus your time and gas.money. Personally I'd go get my money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members doublecross Posted November 1, 2017 Members Share Posted November 1, 2017 Its not that uncommon for Asian made goods to have. A bad batch if you will, You need to remember how they source their parts. Bulk and to the lowest bidder in many cases. The little Chinese girl doesn't know a Vox from a Marshall, she just installs the parts into whatever it is she happens to be assembling on any given day. Its not like she's going to inspect or test every part she installs, just grabs them out of a bin and installs them. And to be honest most of the time damn proficient at it, But she has no control as to what she installs, That's decided higher up, in which case we get, make it as cheaply as possible and sell it for as much as we can. Last I checked that Vox or Marshall logo adds a bit to the cost. Although I doubt the little Chinese girl is aware of that. Oh look this one Sawtooth, I install parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members saturn1 Posted November 1, 2017 Author Members Share Posted November 1, 2017 Thanks for the feedback. They seem to sell a sh--load of these amps and I was curious to see if my actual experience is the norm or the exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 This is the first I've heard about problems with the new AC10s. Sorry you had bad luck with a pair of them - hopefully the one from the new batch will prove to be more reliable over the long term. Those look like really cool little amps - a nice alternative to (and less expensive than) a Princeton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted November 8, 2017 Members Share Posted November 8, 2017 FWIW I own a Vox Night Train combo. While not the same amp it was probably made in the same place. I got it for a good price as its a line they've discontinued. After a short period of time I found it to get a little wonky sounding, but just replacing the crappy chinese preamp tube in v1 with a tung sol has made it sound better than ever. That was over a year ago & I use it pretty regularly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 FWIW I own a Vox Night Train combo. While not the same amp it was probably made in the same place. I got it for a good price as its a line they've discontinued. Not to take it too far off-topic, but I wonder why they decided to discontinue those? I always thought those were cool little amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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