The Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp is a Vox amplifier, currently around $799. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Vox AC15 Custom CC TTBC Limited Edition. It pairs well with the Knight Audio Technologies Kat-STB and the Greer Royal Velvet.
Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp
Vox · amplifier
The Vox AC30 is a 30-watt Class A tube combo built around four EL84 power tubes, prized above all for its bright, chimey top end — the amp that defined the British Invasion jangle and later carried The Edge's shimmer and Brian May's Queen tone. Its Normal and Top Boost (Brilliant) channels sharpen that chime further, while the Class A power stage breaks up naturally and musically when pushed. Where a Fender-style clean scoops the mids, the AC30 pushes them forward, so chords ring with sparkle and single notes cut through a mix.
- bright
- chime
- sparkle
- british
- shimmer
- clean
- chimey
- boost
Good for
- Live
- Studio
- Worship
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp is commonly used in
- Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Psychedelic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp
Knight Audio Technologies Kat-STB
pedal
54% match“purpose-engineered for the specific interaction between Brian May's Red Special guitar (with its Burns Tri-Sonic pickups) and a cranked Vox AC30”
Greer Royal Velvet
Greer
42% matchThe Royal Velvet's smooth, velvety fuzz-drive pushes the AC30's bright chime into thicker classic-rock territory.
MXR Phase 90
MXR
41% matchThe chiming AC30 and the Phase 90 are a documented classic-rock pairing, the amp's bright top end giving the phaser's sweep plenty of sparkle to move through. — also used together by 1 artist
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
41% matchDocumented together in at least one player's rig — the RAT's low-gain, cutting distortion punches through the AC30's bright chime without losing definition. — also used together by 1 artist
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
40% matchThe Guv'nor's thick, saturated crunch balances out the AC30's bright chime, keeping things from turning fizzy at higher gain.
Electro-Harmonix XO Deluxe Memory Man
Electro-Harmonix
38% matchThe AC30's bright, chiming sparkle suits the Memory Man's lush analog echo, both leaning into that classic British shimmer. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Caroline Guitar Company Somersault
Caroline Guitar Company
38% matchThe AC30's bright, chiming sparkle suits the Somersault's glitchy, boutique chorus, both leaning into that shimmer.
Boss DM-2 Delay
Boss
35% matchThe AC30's bright, chiming British clean tone gives the DM-2's organic, lush echo a genuinely classic amp voice to trail off against. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
See all 88 pedals that pair with the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp →
Cheaper alternatives
Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
Audiocade
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp's tone
Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge
Vox
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp's tone
Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus Mop Top Liverpool
Tech 21
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp's tone
Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper
Mooer
72% similarityAn amp-in-a-box take on Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp's tone
Vox AC10 Custom
Vox
70% similarity“Valued as a compact, all-tube way to get genuine Vox Top Boost chime without the size or stage volume of a full AC15 or AC30”
Blackstar CV10 Carmen Vandenberg Signature 10-Watt 1x12"
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Vox AC15 Custom CC TTBC Limited Edition
Vox
70% similarity“the smaller sibling of the AC30 that reaches Vox chime and compressed breakup at volumes usable indoors”
1964 Vox AC30
Vox
97% similaritysimilar tone character
Vox Ac30 1960s
Vox
97% similaritysimilar tone character
Vox AC30HWRH Hand-Wired 2-Channel 30W Head
Vox
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Vox AC30CH Custom 30W Head
Vox
96% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Vox AC15 Custom CC TTBC Limited Edition, the 1964 Vox AC30. Budget picks: Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone, Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge, Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus Mop Top Liverpool. Boutique upgrades: Matchless DC-30.
What pairs well with the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Knight Audio Technologies Kat-STB, Greer Royal Velvet, MXR Phase 90 — “purpose-engineered for the specific interaction between Brian May's Red Special guitar (with its Burns Tri-Sonic pickups) and a cranked Vox AC30”.
How much does the Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp cost?+
Around $799 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).