kennyhowes wrote:Eddie - I too am a fan of the TBX series from the '90s (I have three of them!), and I just bid and lost this week on an AC30HW like yours (the combo version).
I also have a '64 JMI AC30ST trapezoid head, which is the bee's knees.
You have a great selection of quality amps there Kenny. It's very rare to find original JMI AC30 head/cabs in the UK; I'd estimate over 90% of what you see for sale are combos; and I can't recall seeing a trapezoid head for sale here for a very, very, long time. I am guessing most of these must have been originally exported to the US. Would be great to see some pics of your '64 head so we can all have a good drool!
One thing I've tried to avoid in this thread is getting into the (in my view completely pointless) "UK Vox versus Chinese Vox" debate. I've seen far too many comments in amp forum threads which I think are overly negative and unbalanced on the Chinese made amps and which really miss the point.
As I understand it, Korg decided to shift production from the UK to Asia in part because extension of the Marshall contract manufacturing arrangement was becoming untenable but more specifically as it would allow them to lower costs of manufacture and to be able to produce a wider model range that included lower entry price point amps while maintaining a competitive price point for the higher end amps. Whilst I personally think it was a very very sad day indeed when you could no longer buy a new Vox amp with a "Made in England" plate on it, I completely understand the business logic of what Korg did. Given that Korg were consciously taking cost out of the product, and simultaneously ramping up production facilities in Asia where there was no history or feel for the product, it's not surprising that the early production quality was perhaps less than some traditional Vox fans were hoping for.
Although I haven't sampled the latest HW Vietnamese amps, from the reviews I have read, it appears they are a step up in performance terms from the Chinese products. I have owned several of the Chinese Vox amps and, for the price point they were offered at, and especially for what you can now buy them for on the used market, I'd say they offer very good value for money. However, and it's a big however for me personally, I ultimately was not happy with the quality/tone that they offered relative to the original '60's models and also the Marshall built amps. That's why I now only have original '60's JMI and Marshall built versions left. This is just my 2 cents based on what I've experienced and the tone I prefer. I fully respect the views of those people on here who prefer the Chinese made amps and the tone/features/value that they offer - hope this makes it clear where I'm coming from!!
Depends what your budget is. Very positive things have also been posted on this forum from Brian and others about the new solid state AC-30 they make now. 
