Vox Amps Big vs. Small

[crstory]

I had a Fender Blues Jr that I've played through for years and really like it. I recently got into vintage Rickenbackers and wanted an old 60's Vox AC30. Bought one off ebay, got it in and what do you know cooked the circuits and blew a speaker. Tube amp guru Kye Kennedy fixed it and suggested Celestion Vintage 30's as a replacement for the original bulldog speakers. I also now run it through a variac (voltage regulator) which was his suggestion and makes good sense. Apparently back in the 60's in England there was 110 coming out of the wall outlet, now there are 125-132 which lead to a cooked amp and blown tubes/speakers. In short, I absolutely love the AC30. I also use the Blues Jr amp when traveling and don't want to slip a disk. Hopefully, you can keep your Vox on the bottom floor where you live on wheels for easy mobility.

[larsongs]

AC15's, AC30's AC50's, AC100's, Super Beatles & many others Vox are great Amps to be sure. Which one for you depends on your needs & wants.

If you are looking for a Loud Amp with great Tone & Textures, Versatile, Mobile, relatively light weight(42lbs) & sized to fit in the Trunk of your Car I'd recommend the AC15. The Speaker choice is subjective but IMO the Alnico Blues sound best. They do up the price to almost an AC30 w/o Alnico Blues but that is the subjective part & that is up to your ear.

If you got a big Vehicle, don't mind lugging a heavy Amp, have a Roadie & are playing big Venues I'd recommend the newer AC30's with the Cut Switch. You can power the Watt's up or down. If it were me I'd go with the Alnico blues on that one too. IMO they just got the sound. Especicially if you're doing Beatles stuff.

Good luck finding an AC15 with Alnico blues to demo. They are very desirable & pretty scarce. I don't know that North Coast Music has an actual Brick & Mortar Store? I think they are an online dealer. They're the ones modding the new AC15C1's with Alnico Blues.

You'd have to check but I think on the new AC15C1's or AC30C2's doing the Alnico Blue Mod would be pretty much a straight swap if you felt like you needed or wanted to. Unlike some of the earlier AC15's. That way you could buy the new AC15C1 or AC30C2 & not have to pony up the big bucks. You might like the sound just the way they are. Those new ones do have some nice Features you may want too. Those you can demo in most Guitar Centers too.

Good luck,

Glenn

[Chrome Aardvark]

If you are gigging small venues or just playing for pleasure then you don't really need the AC-30.

If you really want the AC-30 gritty overdriven tones at a low volume team it up with an 8 or 9 series Maxon/Ibanez Tubescreamer or a Boss OD-1 Overdrive pedal. They'll give your AC-30 grit at a lower volume.

One of the things I love about the old Vox AC-30 I own, that hasn't been mentioned here, is that you can also the patch channels together. With mine I plug the lead running from the guitar into the high gain for the vibe-trem, then run a patch lead from the vibe trem's low gain into the high gain of the normal channel. You can then dial in the amount of each channel you want using the volume control on each respective channel - if I want more vibrato in the mix then I up its volume and dial back the normal channel. It's great way to get more sonic textures from the amp.

[paologregorio]

If you really want the AC-30 gritty overdriven tones at a low volume team it up with an 8 or 9 series Maxon/Ibanez Tubescreamer or a Boss OD-1 Overdrive pedal. They'll give your AC-30 grit at a lower volume.

This is what I do as well; I use a Tube Screamer, or a Sparkle Drive, or a Daddy-O pedal.

One of the things I love about the old Vox AC-30 I own, that hasn't been mentioned here, is that you can also the patch channels together. With mine I plug the lead running from the guitar into the high gain for the vibe-trem, then run a patch lead from the vibe trem's low gain into the high gain of the normal channel. You can then dial in the amount of each channel you want using the volume control on each respective channel - if I want more vibrato in the mix then I up its volume and dial back the normal channel. It's great way to get more sonic textures from the amp.

Yep, cool feature, and one can patch the channels together via a switch with the CC series, or via cable, as with the old amps, with the newwest classic and hand wired amps.

[RicukStu]

I've just ordered the Vox AC4TVH head with the V112 cab, hopefully should reach me in the next few days. Can't wait to hear it with my 370/12 VP and Janglebox

[Folkie]

I can't say how pleased I am with all the responses to this thread. If I go the Vox direction, I'll probably purchase either an AC15C1 with the Celestion Greenback (the model I auditioned with my 330/12 and Janglebox at Guitar Center) or have North Coast Music upgrade that amp with an Alnico Blue speaker. Too bad I haven't been able to audition the Alnico Blue.

My 330/12 has the stock hi gain pickups, and, since I purchased the 360/12 with scatterwounds, the 330 (run directly into a Janglebox and into the Fender Princeton Chorus amp) never seems to give me quite enough treble and chime. I guess I've been spoiled by the toasters. But when I tried the 330/12 through the AC15C1, with the treble knob on the amp about two thirds of the way up, I found I was getting much more sparkle. Unfortunately, I was unable to do and A/B comparison with my Fender Princeton Chorus.

The Princeton Chorus is a wonderful, flexible, workhorse amp. It sounds great with all my guitars and effects. I'd never heard it was known for it's high end, but, hey, I'm always learning new things here!

Robert

[jps]

I still think you should look into a Dr. Z.

[Folkie]

The only thing prohibiting that is price. But, hey, Jeff, maybe you can help me out on that!

[larsongs]

I can't say how pleased I am with all the responses to this thread. If I go the Vox direction, I'll probably purchase either an AC15C1 with the Celestion Greenback (the model I auditioned with my 330/12 and Janglebox at Guitar Center) or have North Coast Music upgrade that amp with an Alnico Blue speaker. Too bad I haven't been able to audition the Alnico Blue.

My 330/12 has the stock hi gain pickups, and, since I purchased the 360/12 with scatterwounds, the 330 (run directly into a Janglebox and into the Fender Princeton Chorus amp) never seems to give me quite enough treble and chime. I guess I've been spoiled by the toasters. But when I tried the 330/12 through the AC15C1, with the treble knob on the amp about two thirds of the way up, I found I was getting much more sparkle. Unfortunately, I was unable to do and A/B comparison with my Fender Princeton Chorus.

The Princeton Chorus is a wonderful, flexible, workhorse amp. It sounds great with all my guitars and effects. I'd never heard it was known for it's high end, but, hey, I'm always learning new things here!

Robert

You're gonna love having both those Amps! Great combination. There are some Alnico Blues for sale over on the www.BeatGearCavern.com/Forum Marketplace.

Let us know how you like the AC15C1 when you get it.

Glenn

[RicukStu]

I still think you should look into a Dr. Z.

I did some research into the Mini Z which was the amp I considered purchasing but I found out that it wasn't built to give a clean sound, it was built to be cranked up and give natural distortion. At £800+ I couldn't take the risk of buying an unsuitable amp. The Vox AC4 TVH arrived a few days ago and I'm really chuffed with the sound, it sounds fantastic with my Strat too and it has a built in attenuator which is switchable to 1/2 a watt which is great for natural overdrive at bedroom levels.

[jps]

I am not surprised with your finding on the Mini Z, just looking at it's specs say no clean here. A Maz 18 Jr. or possibly a Monza would be more suitable. i'd think.

[Folkie]

There's been a new development. I walked into our local Sam Ash yesterday, and they had two AC30's: a new one with two Celestion Greenbacks and a used one with one Celestion speaker (I'm not sure if it's an Alnico Blue). The used one is priced at $699, which is only $100 more than a new AC15 (and, of course, $100 cheaper than having North Coast Music replace the Greenback in a new AC15 with an Alnico Blue). I tried lifting the amp, and it really gave me a workout, and I didn't have my Ricks or Janglebox with me to try it out. Also, the controls are slightly different from a standard AC30. I wish I could remember the exact model number. Can anyone tell me more about the single-speaker AC30?

Robert

[jps]

Hmm, maybe I'll stop by there in the morning and buy it so you won't have to worry about hauling such a heavy amp around.

[Folkie]

For the record, Jeff, the used one is tagged at $799, but Greg, the manager, told me the actual selling price is $699. I would be very interested to know how it sounds to your seasoned ears. Also, Greg claims the amp is mint condition, but I don't know enough about Vox amps to make that assessment.

Robert

[jps]

Seasoned ears?

Yeah, like these!