The AC30H2L - Limited Edition Mahogany Cabinet





Model Dimensions Weight MSRP Street Price
AC30H2L 27.4"  x 20.75" x 10.375" 75 lbs. $2599.00 $1999.00
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of VOX guitar amplifiers in 2007, Vox first introduced the AC15H1TV, and later the same year, the AC30H2. 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.

EF86: The tube with the magical VOX tone

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 the 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 magic returns.

The 30-watt AC30H2L mahogany hand wired amp features two channels of VOX tone through a pair of 12" Celestion Alnico “Blue” speakers. The tube complement is made up of 1 x EF86, 3 x ECC83/12AX7, 4 x EL84, and 1 x GZ34 (rectifier).

Click here to read in detail about the circuitry and all the electronic features of the AC30H2

Channel 1 is the EF86 Preamp channel - It features two inputs wired in the traditional way that gives them 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 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 mode and has a very sweet high gain tone with not very much headroom.

Channel 2 is the Top Boost Preamp channel - Like Channel 1, this channel includes two inputs wired with a 6 dB 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 color.

And true to VOX form is the Top Cut control, which cuts high from either channel end as it is turned up.

Flexible power - The O/P Switch adds even more flexibility to the AC15. 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 7.5 watts and will alter the tone to be somewhat smoother.

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