When the AC30 couldn’t deliver enough volume for the Beatles and other mid-60s bands to be heard in larger venues (and over their screaming fans!) Vox recognised that they needed to compete with Fender’s more powerful options and the AC50 was born. In contrast to the AC30, the AC50 (and AC80/100) heads were based on EL34 power valves that could deliver more output (although never 50W, note!) and Vox dropped the complex vibrato/tremolo circuit. The result was a great sounding, uncomplicated and reliable amp that continued in production in various guises until the end of the 1970s.
Perhaps because they offer far more bass than the AC30, AC50 amps are often underrated yet provide iconic, rich tones for which Vox is celebrated for across generations. They are not lacking in top end but - unless the bass is dialed down a long way - they can appear so because these are capable of huge bass response. As such, and especially when paired with Vox ‘Foundation’ cabs (1×18), they make fantastic bass amps as well as guitar amps.
This is a second-generation AC50 head which is valve rectified. Soon after this amp was produced in 1964, Vox moved to a solid-state rectifier and the vast majority of surviving AC50s are MkIII or later amps of that type (see our other listing for a 1964 MkIII). It has two independent channels (one ‘Normal’ and one more treble-voiced ‘Brilliant’ channel) both of which incorporate the Top Boost tone stack that Vox had used on the later AC30s.
This one came to us in a fairly sorry state requiring a bit of work. Crucially, all the transformers and the vast majority of the preamp components are original and this is one of the finest sounding AC50s I have come across. We have tidied up the cabinet, replaced the mains lead, replaced filter caps and cathode bybass caps, and some work to the power and bias supplies to ensure that it would keep sounding good for many years to come. One of the pots had already been replaced by a previous owner but the remaining original Egen pots have cleaned up and all work well. Unfortunately, the original serial plate was missing and a replica (blank) of the period-correct two-panel plate has been added. Any original components that have been replaced will be supplied with the amp.
The original XLR speaker sockets and impedance selector have been carefully restored and I can optionally supply the correct leads to connect this to your cab or an adapter to enable you to use your existing speaker cables.
This amp contains a complete set of vintage Mullard tubes (2 x EL34, GZ34 rectifier, 3 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82) which test strong and - in the case of the pre-amp tubes - quiet. As with most JMI era amps, these are the valves these were designed for and, of course, it sounds wonderful.
This bit of British Rock history has now emerged from a careful restoration and is back to its best. Fitted with a new vintage-style cloth-covered mains lead and fully checked over by our consult amp tech, this also comes with a recent October 2025 PAT test so it’s good to go.
When the AC30 couldn’t deliver enough volume for the Beatles and other mid-60s bands to be heard in larger venues (and over their screaming fans!) Vox recognised that they needed to compete with Fender’s more powerful options and the AC50 was born. In contrast to the AC30, the AC50 (and AC80/100) heads were based on EL34 power valves that could deliver more output (although never 50W, note!) and Vox dropped the complex vibrato/tremolo circuit. The result was a great sounding, uncomplicated and reliable amp that continued in production in various guises until the end of the 1970s.
Perhaps because they offer far more bass than the AC30, AC50 amps are often underrated yet provide iconic, rich tones for which Vox is celebrated for across generations. They are not lacking in top end but - unless the bass is dialed down a long way - they can appear so because these are capable of huge bass response. As such, and especially when paired with Vox ‘Foundation’ cabs (1×18), they make fantastic bass amps as well as guitar amps.
This is a second-generation AC50 head which is valve rectified. Soon after this amp was produced in 1964, Vox moved to a solid-state rectifier and the vast majority of surviving AC50s are MkIII or later amps of that type (see our other listing for a 1964 MkIII). It has two independent channels (one ‘Normal’ and one more treble-voiced ‘Brilliant’ channel) both of which incorporate the Top Boost tone stack that Vox had used on the later AC30s.
This one came to us in a fairly sorry state requiring a bit of work. Crucially, all the transformers and the vast majority of the preamp components are original and this is one of the finest sounding AC50s I have come across. We have tidied up the cabinet, replaced the mains lead, replaced filter caps and cathode bybass caps, and some work to the power and bias supplies to ensure that it would keep sounding good for many years to come. One of the pots had already been replaced by a previous owner but the remaining original Egen pots have cleaned up and all work well. Unfortunately, the original serial plate was missing and a replica (blank) of the period-correct two-panel plate has been added. Any original components that have been replaced will be supplied with the amp.
The original XLR speaker sockets and impedance selector have been carefully restored and I can optionally supply the correct leads to connect this to your cab or an adapter to enable you to use your existing speaker cables.
This amp contains a complete set of vintage Mullard tubes (2 x EL34, GZ34 rectifier, 3 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82) which test strong and - in the case of the pre-amp tubes - quiet. As with most JMI era amps, these are the valves these were designed for and, of course, it sounds wonderful.
This bit of British Rock history has now emerged from a careful restoration and is back to its best. Fitted with a new vintage-style cloth-covered mains lead and fully checked over by our consult amp tech, this also comes with a recent October 2025 PAT test so it’s good to go.
