The AC30 Custom Classic is the culmination of 45 years of research and development in guitar amplification. Vox says it has taken the best of the AC30 and added certain twists and new features to create a more flexible amp. Everyone knows the warm sound of the AC30. A classic, legendary design.

Vox makes its own transformers and speakers (except for the models designed by Celestion), which gives it a personal sound that's hard to find in other amplifier brands.

Building on the acclaimed AC30, the VOX AC30 Custom Classic is born

Fortunately, "real" amplifiers are more and more prized and valued every day. It's true that modeling is also developing in interesting ways, and it gives us certain advantages such as recording direct with acceptable quality. In any case, the body and sonic reality of traditional amplification based on classic designs (as with the amp on our test bench today) is unbeatable. I always think this when I'm playing through a powerful tube amp. You really gain expressiveness, and the number of nuances that appear between your guitar, your pick and you increases.

Two channels
The most appealing and novel aspect of these two channels is the ability to blend them, creating combinations of both. The first channel is reminiscent of the classic AC30, while the second offers two modes: normal and bright. In short, we can use each channel separately, with different settings and sounds, or create a "tailor-made" tone by blending both signals.

Versatile controls
Front panel
The control panel is located on top of the amp. This gives good visibility from above, so our tone settings are visible at all times.

We start with two inputs and an "input link" switch to sum the signals or not. Next comes the volume, also equipped with a bright switch. Then comes the "Top Boost," the section where we control treble, mids and bass, which also has a selector for standard or boost EQ. Now on to the reverb: a tone control and, second, a control for mixing the effect with the signal. The effects section also has a low drive/high drive switch.

Next up are the knobs that control the tremolo, with which we set its speed and depth.

The control panel ends with a curious "CUT TONE" knob, which we'll talk about in the sound section, the master volume, the standby switch, and finally the on/off switch.

The rear panel
Although it sometimes seems we'll never use some of the connections that "gadgets" come with, good connection versatility always comes in handy in the end.

The Vox AC30 CC comes with two ¼" jack outputs for connecting external speakers. Next we find four small switches that let us configure the following parameters:

a) Impedance: 8 or 16 ohms
b) Output Bias: Hot or Warm
c) Smoothing: Modern or Vintage
d) Level: -10 dB or +4 dB

Effects send and return connections on ¼" jacks, along with an on/off switch (loop bypass). Finally, before we reach the traditional power socket, there's a ¼" jack input for the footswitch.

The detail of the handles
Although this is a reasonably manageable combo, the two side handles on the top of the amp are a welcome addition, since they make the unit even easier to carry. They even let two people move it if necessary. Still, the AC30 CC also has the traditional center handle. That makes three in total. No shortage of handles here.