Vox AC4TV8 Guitar Combo Amp

The original 1961 Vox AC-4 was a four tube, open ended circuit with a 12AX7 and a EF86 preamp tube, one EL-84 power tube, and one EZ80 rectifier tube. The four watt amp powered an 8" Elac speaker. When Vox introduced the reissue AC4TV8 in 2010, they chose to not copy the original AC-4 circuit, cabinet, or speaker. They created a totally new amp with modern features that had a retro look and tone. The preamp of the AC4TV8 is powered by one twin triode 12AX7 configured into a cascading circuit. This choice of tube and circuit allowed for higher gain potential, so that the amp may be either clean or overdriven, depending on the volume setting. The single ended EL-84 four watt tube power section is connected to a power attentuator to allow the output of the AC-4TV8 to be adjusted between 1/4 watt or one watt if the full 4 watt output is not desired. The amp has a solid state (diode) rectifier for greater head room. A tone control rolls off the highs, if desired. A jack for a 16 ohm extension cabinet is located on the rear panel of the amp. The AC4TV8 light tan vinyl covered TV cabinet was inspired by the Vox Heritage Amp Series. Originally, the 1960's era AC-4 did not have a "TV" front amp cabinet. Celestion designed a special 8" "VX8" speaker for Vox to use in the AC4TV8.