Tube chart · Guitar amp

Tubes for Vox AC15

Era: 1958–presentPower: 15 W

The Vox AC15 is the AC30's smaller sibling and arguably the more recordable of the two — 15 W of EL84 break-up plus the same chime. The original EF86 channel produces the most singular Vox sound; later models swapped to 12AX7 for production reasons.

Complete tube line-up

Every socket in the AC15, with stock tubes, direct-swap alternatives, and rolling notes. Tube names link to dedicated specification pages.

  • EF86 / 12AX7 (normal)
    EF86EF86 / 6267
    Alt:6267, 12AX7 (later versions)
  • Top Boost (later AC15) × 2
    12AX712AX7 / ECC83
    Alt:ECC83
  • Power tubes (cathode bias, class A) × 2
    EL84EL84 / 6BQ5
    Alt:6BQ5
  • Rectifier
    Alt:6CA4, GZ34 (modified socket)
Important: bias before you swap

Power tube swaps almost always require rebiasing — running a new quartet of EL84 cold or hot will shorten tube life dramatically and can damage the output transformer. See the biasing guide and the troubleshooting guide before rolling tubes.

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