VOX AC30 Hand-Wired 30W Tube Amplifier Head

Whether you’re pairing it with VOX’s matching V212HWRX cabinet or your own favorite speaker setup, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head is the ultimate choice for players who demand authentic British tones in a flexible head format. This is more than a reissue.

It’s a complete reconstruction of a vintage legend, hand-wired and fine-tuned to bring the ’60s sound back to life. Featuring hand-wired circuitry and custom transformers, this amplifier aligns classic British tone with modern necessities including a master volume that is removed from the circuit when fully engaged, a transparent effects loop, and custom-voiced spring reverb.

The core of the AC30’s unique voice lies in its EL84 power section; but the magic doesn’t stop there. In classic VOX amps, when pushed hard, the phase inverter stage itself begins to distort, a subtle but crucial source of the complex harmonics that define the true AC tone.

This distortion is different from preamp overdrive, imparting a texture and openness that simply can’t be replicated with pedals alone. The AC30 Hand-Wired Head goes beyond schematic replication to recreate essential details like this, ensuring the amp responds with the same musicality and depth as its ’60s predecessors.

This recreation started with sourcing and analyzing an original 1963 copper-panel AC30, measuring its precise electrical behavior, and mapping out the subtleties in its performance. As a result, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head features a newly-designed power circuit that recreates the classic voltage sag.

This subtle drop under heavy playing can change the overall feel of the amp in the player’s fingertips, creating natural compression and sustain. But while vintage amps are prone to ghost notes and noise, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head delivers the right feel while remaining quiet and reliable.

A critical piece of the vintage puzzle is the output transformer. The AC30 Hand-Wired Head uses a custom-wound transformer developed through rigorous prototyping, capturing the bell-like highs and complex harmonic layering that makes every note bloom. The subtle winding variations affect the midrange character and saturation behavior, so no effort was spared to match the magic of the 1963 original.

The AC30 Hand-Wired Head offers the two channels that have shaped the sound of VOX over the decades.

• Normal Channel: midrange warmth with a Bright switch for added top-end clarity, ideal for shaping your sound with single-coils or humbuckers.
• Top Boost Channel: the iconic VOX chime and drive, with separate Treble, Bass, and Volume controls for precise tonal shaping. Pushed hard, it sings with the legendary British crunch that defined rock’s golden age.

True to its heritage, this amp remains touch sensitive, expressive, and harmonically complex, whether you’re clean or cranked.

Unlike amps with limited reverb circuits, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head features a genuine spring reverb driven through a dedicated tube stage. The output transformer is designed specifically for matching the impedance of these signals, delivering lush, present reverb tones. Tailor your sound with the reverb's Level and Tone controls, and use the included footswitch for instant reverb bypass.

Modern players demand flexibility, and the AC30 Hand-Wired Head delivers with a FET-buffered effects loop designed for maximum clarity. Unlike effect loops that color your tone, the FET circuitry provides transparency—keeping your modulation and time-based effects pristine, even when the amp is pushed into overdrive. And for purists, it's fully bypassable.

Pushing 30W via four EL84 power tubes, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head offers enough headroom for the stage, while still delivering glorious breakup when driven. Its versatile speaker outputs make it easy to pair with a wide range of cabinets, and it has the perfect partner in VOX's V212HWRX cabinet, for a vintage-inspired stack.

From the copper control panel to the brass vent grills and classic VOX badge, the AC30 Hand-Wired Head is a celebration of VOX's unmatched heritage. It's not just an amp, it's a piece of rock history reborn for today's guitarist.