Re: Your best & worst boutique amps.....

glimmertwin · Post by **glimmertwin** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:44 am

Speaking of boutique - those Savage amps are freaking awesome if anyone gets a chance to try em. The Macht series in particular is golden. Randomly a guitar center in my town carries them(still by far the coolest thing I have ever seen in a guitar center).

PorkyPrimeCut · Post by **PorkyPrimeCut** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:17 pm

Well, I think I've made a decision.

Yeah right!! I'll probably change my mind again tomorrow.

I've looked through demo after demo, read all the reviews & watched all the auctions on eBay (no all of them obviously).

I reckon 15 watts may well be enough for me. The AC30's are pretty special but way too heavy & way too loud.

I reckon even in mid-sized clubs (ha, we won't get past pubs) the AC15 should be enough. Failing that I'll just have to use what they've got, if they've got anything.

I'm gonna save that extra amount of cash need & buy the AC15H1TV (the Heritage model). Its a killer.

I'm not pulling the trigger till April which means I can save as much as possible (and change my mind as much as possible).

I just get the feeling I'm always gonna want a Vox.

Also, fuck onboard Tremolo & Reverb. I've got pedals, I should use em.

I'm quite tempted to go the whole hog & do this....

Pity about the Anniversary badges.

echobaseone · Post by **echobaseone** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:22 pm

I bought one of these and I honestly haven't thought about buying another amp since.
Pretty reasonable pricewise, and you can add/subtract options...because it's being built FOR YOU. Not the most aesthetically pleasing amps out there, but you don't listen with your eyes.

Quality wiring:

Just noticed the post above! Frenzel does offer AC15/30 type builds as well. But the Fawn Vox is lovely!

Fiddy · Post by **Fiddy** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:19 am

echobaseone wrote: I bought one of these and I honestly haven't thought about buying another amp since.

Just noticed the post above! Frenzel does offer AC15/30 type builds as well. But the Fawn Vox is lovely!

I bought one of these..a 5E3 a while ago and maybe it was the speaker I used but I didnt really like the tone, specially on the "M" channel.

jop · Post by **jop** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:09 am

You know there's going to be a AC4TV Head, right?

PorkyPrimeCut · Post by **PorkyPrimeCut** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:09 am

Ha. Changed my mind (slightly) in less that 24 hours.

I'm now looking at the AC30 head, still the Heritage model.

A friend has put me onto a Newquay based amp builder who should be able to make an amp identical to the AC30 cab but for a fraction of the price.

So much for 30 watts being too much!!

On a purely aesthetic level the AC30 head looks so much nicer than the AC15

Jets · Post by **Jets** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:56 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote: Ha. Changed my mind (slightly) in less that 24 hours.

I'm now looking at the AC30 head, still the Heritage model.

A friend has put me onto a Newquay based amp builder who should be able to make an amp identical to the AC30 cab but for a fraction of the price.

So much for 30 watts being too much!!

On a purely aesthetic level the AC30 head looks so much nicer than the AC15

Can I have the details of that builder in a PM please? Thanks.

Also those AC30 heritage heads are really great. Definitely worth the upgrade over the normal amp IMO.

echobaseone · Post by **echobaseone** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:29 am

tribi9 wrote:
echobaseone wrote: I bought one of these and I honestly haven't thought about buying another amp since.

Just noticed the post above! Frenzel does offer AC15/30 type builds as well. But the Fawn Vox is lovely!
I bought one of these..a 5E3 a while ago and maybe it was the speaker I used but I didnt really like the tone, specially on the "M" channel.

Bummer. I love mine. I run a splitter into both the M & F channels though, and just adjust the preamp levels to suit.

PorkyPrimeCut · Post by **PorkyPrimeCut** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:11 am

Jets wrote: Can I have the details of that builder in a PM please? Thanks.

Also those AC30 heritage heads are really great. Definitely worth the upgrade over the normal amp IMO.

PM'ed.....

Yep. I'm going for the AC30 Heritage head with a custom made cab.

I'm just mulling over what speakers to use. I could just have 1 in there. 2 is probably pretty excessive for my needs, heavier & more expensive.

The Alnico Blues are pricey so I'm probably gonna go with something cheaper.

My friend (who seems to be doing all the research for me....cheers Simon!!) has suggested 12" Celestion Vintage Neo's or Vintage 30's (ceramic).

Has anyone any experience with these??

There's also the possibility of 2 x 10" speakers rather than 1 x 12". I'm conscious of the weight so I may go with 1 x 12" Neo.

I'm really starting to get excited about this. Not only cos I'm gonna have a new amp but also cos its gonna be a great addition to the living room - kinda like a beautiful piece of furniture!!

JazzBlaster · Post by **JazzBlaster** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:15 am

The Neo comes in the Ac30CC1 I've played one and it sounded pretty good. The only reason I didn't buy that one is it was $100 more.

PorkyPrimeCut · Post by **PorkyPrimeCut** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:28 am

JazzBlaster wrote: The Neo comes in the Ac30CC1 I've played one and it sounded pretty good. The only reason I didn't buy that one is it was $100 more.

Good news. Thanks.

Slow-Pop · Post by **Slow-Pop** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:38 pm

awesome! I'm sure it will sound killer. Maybe a single speaker cab would help to keep the volume to your liking? :-\

PorkyPrimeCut · Post by **PorkyPrimeCut** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:29 pm

This is what I'm gonna go for. No changing my mind this time. I'm well into it....

Its gonna have one 12" Celestion Vintage Neo Speaker. It'll have the same diamond grill-cloth & fawn tolex as the head. I found a supplier for both.

Here's the head I'm getting....

The cabs dimensions will be identical to the official Vox cab. It should cost around £300.

jop · Post by **jop** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:32 pm

That cab is beautiful!

Chip Korea · Post by **Chip Korea** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:23 pm

Re the loud vox debate, I can honestly say the 3 loudest experiences of my life (in no particular order).

My Bloody Valentine Live.
Watching a hero of mine (Mark Keds FWIW) in a 20' square studio completely drown out the rest of his band with 2 AC30s he'd just bought.
Pissing around on an airfield, lost... we realised we were at the end of the runway when the noisy engines we could hear in the distance suddenly became 2 jet fighters 50 foot above our heads.

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