Alongside the exceptionally well-known AC30, Jennings (JMI) produced a number of smaller Vox tube amps at their Dartford factory. The AC10 and AC15 were great guitar amps, but the smallest model in the mid-60s line was the AC4. And it was small - just 4w with an 8" speaker. Perfect for getting some great valve tones at home, but, frankly, too small for playing 'out', at least one with drums. These British built amps were widely adopted in the UK in the early and mid-1960s, with around 3000 sold in just four years of production. Like other vintage Vox guitar amps, they are still desired by collectors and players today; especially as recording amps in a blues and classic rock context.
True they are not too loud - but I have a lot of fun playing mine - check out the video clips
The AC4 is great sounding amp, with a nice classic tube tone; it is no wonder they are snapped up as soon as they hit the market today. The Vox AC4 shipped between late 1961 and late 1965, with numerous cosmetic changes throughout the course of production. Check out Vox Amplifiers: The JMI Years by Jim Elyea for EVERYTHING you need to know about this amplifier. The image below shows how the amp was promoted in the 1962 'Choice of the Stars' catalog.
The AC4 name was first used in late 1961, evolving from the AC2 / AC6 which had been around since 1958. Early examples had the 'TV' style front, and were were shipped with fawn tolex, changing to black later in 1962. The AC4 was fitted with an 8" speaker, typically Elac or Goodmans, and had the simplest of controls: volume, tone - plus a speed control, for the tremolo.
The tremolo was switched on/off with a footswitch, with it's rate adjustable from the amp itself. Note the fuse with 230v and 110v settings - this allowed the unit to be exported to the United States, before being replaced by the US-built (Thomas Organ Co.) Vox Pathfinder in late 1965.
There were numerous minor changes to the AC4 across the period of production, some of the significant ones are summarised below. Compare a 1964 and 1965 AC4.
Check out some videos of vintage guitars played through vintage Vox AC4 amplifiers
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Vox New Escort, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a fabulous guitar - Vox's take on the Fender Telecaster (which was in pretty short supply in mid-1960s Britain), and actually a pretty awesome player. It sounds pretty good through this contemporaneous Vox AC4, but check it out through the 1960s WEM ER15 and early 70s WEM Dominator
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1961 Hohner Zambesi, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a really interesting early British guitar, and nicely built, with electronics by Fenton Weill, and woodwork by furniture manufacturer Stuart Darkins. It sounds pretty dark, with a fat woody tone - in part the result of it's solid mahogany body and set mahogany neck - far more like an early Gibson than an early Fender. The neck is deep and solid - and doesn't feel like it could move much - there is no adjustable truss rod. In fact there isn't much adjustability at all - the pickup height is set, and the floating bridge requires manual placement. But despite all this, it is a very playable guitar! And it works well with this mid-sixties Vox AC4. Great guitar (despite some hardware peculiarities), great amp!
There is a much longer video of this guitar exploring more settings from this guitar / amp in the vintageguitarandbass supporting members area here.
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1961 Hohner Zambesi, 1965 Vox AC4
This is a really interesting early British guitar, and nicely built, with electronics by Fenton Weill, and woodwork by furniture manufacturer Stuart Darkins. It sounds pretty dark, with a fat woody tone - in part the result of it's solid mahogany body and set mahogany neck - far more like an early Gibson than an early Fender. The neck is deep and solid - and doesn't feel like it could move much - there is no adjustable truss rod. In fact there isn't much adjustability at all - the pickup height is set, and the floating bridge requires manual placement. But despite all this, it is a very playable guitar! And it works well with this mid-sixties Vox AC4. Great guitar (despite some hardware peculiarities), great amp!
Recorded here with a Heil PR-40 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1965 Vox Ace, 1965 Vox AC4
Two very cool UK Vox (JMI) products from 1965: a dual pickup Ace guitar, and a 4w AC4 amp. Actually a great combination with a pretty wide tonal palette.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1966 Epiphone Granada, 1965 Vox AC4
A gorgeous sunburst Epiphone Granada played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Shadow, 1965 Vox AC4
A nice dual pickup 1963 Vox Shadow played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier. This model changed a lot through the sixties: different body styles, differing hardware and even different pickup arrangements. This example has the strat-style body, two pickups and tremolo.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1967 Vox Stroller, 1965 Vox AC4
A final year 1967 single pickup Vox Stroller played through a 1965 Vox AC4 amplifier.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about these instruments here: 1963 Vox Super Ace, 1964 Vox AC4
This is a really cool British-built vintage guitar from the early 60s. Nice sounding, with plenty of mellow with the neck pickup selected and the tone rolled down, but maybe not as much bite as you'd expect from the bridge pickup alone. (Perhaps the springs should be removed to raise the pickup further). The tremolo is pretty useable, and doesn't detune the guitar significantly with a little use - i've not really tried any dive bombs mind you! The AC4 is a cool amp, with a beautiful basic sound; it isn't really loud enough to disturb anyone else, but this does mean it doesn't get especially gainy either. I generally wish it would give a little more... Strung with Gibson bright wires (10-46).
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
A vintage AC4 makes a great practise or recording amp, but they can be hard to find. There are several excellent reissues, though none is quite the same as a 1960s JMI amp, all have great Vox tone, and some upgrades from the original. There are 10" and 12" speaker versions - the Vox AC4HW1 is a handwired reissue with a 12" Celestion speaker and seems to be an incredible amp, but check out also the AC4C1 and AC4TV with early 60s 'TV'-style cabinet
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