Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I realise that the choice of amp is wery subjective but it is interessting to discuss it anyway
The technical stuff and features of the amps is interessting too.

The JC120 is priced at $1400 over here now. Everything is getting more expensive as our currency has weakned around 30% is weak compared
to the dollar. It means that everything imported from USA is getting 30% more expensive and in addition to that there is a salestax on top which
makes the piece of equipment nearly 40% more expensive than earlier.
If I can find one with "old" price I think I would buy one. Old price is "only" $900 (or less if I get a good deal).
Without salestax the old price would have been $675, a price that should be more comparable with US price.

I have been told that the JC120 has an excellent chorus but perhaps thats not really needed with a Ric 12 string as
it produces a natural sounds like chorus and the sound is even greater with Janglebox.

Vox AC30CC2X seems to be that more expensive compared to Vox AC30CC2 that I could purchase 2x Celestion Alnico Blue later
and still get the amp cheaper than a CC2X. Also Weber alnico is a cheaper alternative. Then I also could reuse the two GSH12-30 elements in
another cabinet I got (or I can sell them).

The Alnico blue elements is 15W while the standard Vox elements is 30W. Will the Alnico elements compress the sound a
bit because their spec is lower at 15W ? Are there disadvantages of the lower watts of the Alnico Blue 15W compared to the 30W GSH12-30 ?
Could the Alnico 15W be more easily damaged ?

Vox AC15CC1 could be a good alternative. It is also much cheaper ( AC15 + Roland JC120 will probably cost less than AC30CC2X). I have a Mesa Boogie F-30 and it is really way to powerful for home use. It is always operating near minimum volume. This might indicate that even a 15W could be more than enough.
I think 30W could be too powerful. I can see that the Vox AC30CC2 has got bias switch making it possible to run it on 22W. I think some amps can switch of two tubes and run at
half power. I guess it will be 15W if two of the EL84 tubes are removed. According to the schematics it seems like it could be possible to modify
it to 15W by removing two tubes or even better do some mofications and have a switch to turn off two tubes ? I wont do that myself but I have contacts that have
experience with tube amps.
http://www.bnv-gz.de/~ooehmann/schemati ... Manual.pdf

Fender Twin Reverb amp is 85 Watts. There should be plenty of headroom for clean
sound but I fear it is powerful for home use ( or home recording).

i don't see where are you located but if it is europe how about jmi? they are not *that* expensive for handwired amp there.

grazioso wrote:i don't see where are you located but if it is europe how about jmi? they are not *that* expensive for handwired amp there.

Yes it Europe. I checked with the local distributor and 30w handwired JMI seems to
be much more expensive than Vox AC30H2 over here (Norway). The price for Vox AC30H2 is quite good acutally compared to Vox AC30CC2X etc. It seems to
me that it is quite flexible as well with the half power mode OP switch etc. Most of the time I could probably run the amp at 15W and it will probably
prolong tube life as well

Do Vox provide service manual with wiring diagrams/schematics when they sell an amp or must it be ordered separatly ?

My other two amps is handwired as well...

NorwegianWood wrote:

grazioso wrote:i don't see where are you located but if it is europe how about jmi? they are not *that* expensive for handwired amp there.

Yes it Europe. I checked with the local distributor and 30w handwired JMI seems to
be much more expensive than Vox AC30H2 over here (Norway). The price for Vox AC30H2 is quite good acutally compared to Vox AC30CC2X etc. It seems to
me that it is quite flexible as well with the half power mode OP switch etc. Most of the time I could probably run the amp at 15W and it will probably
prolong tube life as well

Do Vox provide service manual with wiring diagrams/schematics when they sell an amp or must it be ordered separatly ?

My other two amps is handwired as well...

i have no idea if they provide schematics. i steer clear from new korg/vox. no matter how cool they look i don't feel comletely comfortable with what they use as components in these mass produced things....... imho it is more matter of what product you like and how do you feel about putting your money into pockets of some corporate entity like that. isn't there any small local amp shop there in norway sweden or denmark that can make it happen for you?

A few years ago I saw RM use a JC 120 on stage. It was okay, but sounded a little too thin and trebly for my taste (imagine that, a Ric sounding thin and trebly). But he was loud! I will commit Ric heresy here and tell you I've been using a Roland Cube 60 with an MXR DynaComp and either a 1-12 or 1-12 extension cabinet. The extra cabs really accentuate the bass. It sounds good and the amp itself is small and portable, and Roland is worldwide.

Congrats, on your purchases. You're gonna love them.

Janglyman

For my money, a simple class A EL84 or EL34 amp. No stages. Just trem and reverb as options. To me, these amps have the chime and jangle that complements the Rik 12.

Personally, I find the 6L6 and 6V6 amps to be a bit wrong for these guitars, but hey, that's just me.

there is nothing wrong with cathode biased 6v6 or 6l6 amp, 6l6 would bring more bottom end than 6v6 but still the keyword is cathode biased amp.

You are going to want something that handles all those chimes and jangles without turning them into yesterday's soup.

My best choice is the Traynor YCS50 head, which works at 15 or 50 watts, according to your needs, feeding the 2 x 12 cabinet of your choice.

12-string needs a little more power and definition, and this Mr, Clean amp has it.

I have an older YCS50 1x12 combo and it does the "Hard Days Night Chord" very well thank you using a 330/12. The separate head with 2 x 12 speakers opens things up just a little bit more.

I'm pretty happy with my latest acquisition, a '68 (or so...) Laub Unique 26R with twin 12s. It is more VOX than Fender, clean as can be, with genuine Magnatone-licensed pitch-shifting vibrato and a verry lush 3-spring extra-length reverb tank. Two independent channels and stereo, too.

There must be at least three of these in existence; made in Mequon, WI. Mine, thanks to a very heavy-duty factory vinyl slipcover, looks like the day it came off the bench. It's like a super-Maggie.

How would a Marshall JTM 45 head reissue with 1960 4X12 or Hiwatt CP50 signature with 4X12 sound with a Ric?

JakeK wrote:How would a Marshall JTM 45 head reissue with 1960 4X12 or Hiwatt CP50 signature with 4X12 sound with a Ric?

How do you think it would sound, Jake? Probably a lot like Townshend, no?

Killer, actually. I love Marshalls- I often use a Bluesbreaker combo (JTM45 in 2x12 combo form).

Collin, I know how Pete's Rics sounded through Marshall's ("My Generation", "The Kids Are Alright", "A Quick One While He's Away", "So Sad About Us", "Pictures of Lily") (they sounded cool, BTW)...but I don't know how they sound through Hiwatts.

They sound great through Hiwatts, if my friend's dad's 360/12v64 through a pair of custom 100s is any indication.

My favorite amp for my Rickenbacker 12-strings is a Fender Blues Deluxe tweed (40 watts), the original ones made and assembled in the USA (Corona, CA) in the early 1990's. This amp plays so clean and quiet that I play my acoustic guitars through it.

You'll be disappointed in this amp if you desire an overdriven sound (but who needs overdrive with a RIC 12?). The Drive channel doesn't break up, it just gets louder. If you desire an overdriven tone, just use an overdrive pedal.

I also have a Vox AC 15 CC with a Celestion Alnico Blue speaker (the Wharfdale speaker is way too shrill and tinny...lacks warmth). This amp sounds good with my RICs, but the overall tone is not as well-rounded as the Blues Deluxe.

I did purchase a Vox AC30H2 and a Roland JC120. The Vox was not cheap but I got a really good price for the Roland JC120. By playing both amps at the same
time it sounds awsome. When playing on those two when they are separated by 3-4 meters it results in incredible sound. It also works to connect one of the JC120 line outputs into the AC30H2. The Roland JC120 is a bit thin as some has written here but it adds a nice sound on the highs when used together with the AC30H2 .

The Vox AC30H2 has got a lot of features as two channels. One with pentode/triode switching for the channel1 preamp. The ouput amp can also be pentode/triode
switched. This makes it possible to run the amp at half power like a AC15 which suites me well. It has also got blue alnicos.
As the AC30H2 was almost the same price as a AC30CC2X and then I thought handwired is better and the 30w/15w switch is also nice.