Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:47 am

Despot wrote:
doctorock78 wrote:4k for the AC30 and 3K for the AC15....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAd4p8Tm1CY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
At that price I'd highly recommend that you try to get your hands on a JMI reissue instead. They'll work out cheaper than those prices and having owned an AC4 of theirs (as well as having played their AC30 and AC10) I can say that they stack up very well against vintage models. JMI used the original circuits with only modernisation where required for safety reasons (i.e. no death caps and proper three prong plugs etc).

I've long lusted after a JMI AC10 - but they're just too loud for my uses so I stick with the Princeton.
Used JMIs are pretty expensive here in the states. I'm not so sure these VOX amps would cost much more on the used market in a few years (for an apples to apples comparison).

AFAIK the VOX amps are also modernized versions of the circuits (AC15 = 1960, AC30 = 1964 AC30 TB). The VOX amps appear to be better-built than the JMIs. I've not seen JMI guts in person. By no means bad amps and a great suggestion for people who would prefer to buy used today, but I suspect that once broken in well the 60th Anni will be considered the better amp. Time will tell.

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by doctorock78 » Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:31 pm

Bump ! How are they??? I ended up cancelling my order... not enough info and I couldn't imagine a better sounding Vox then my AC15HW... Still curious ! Vids? Recordings? Pics?

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Tue Mar 20, 2018 4:26 am

TL; DR I don't regret buying mine. They are pricy but they are among the best amps VOX has ever made.

I have one of each. VOX did great on these IMO. They sound great and are built well. I put vintage tubes in mine -- they come with Rubys and JJs.

I also have an AC30HW2X with English Celestion Blues and Mercury Magnetics OT and Choke. And I have a 62 AC30 B +Top Boost. The 60th Anniversary sounds more like the upgraded AC30HW2X. Compared to the vintage AC30, the newer ones are louder and have a beefier sound (which I attribute to the output transformer).

All four sound great. I have a hard time choosing a favorite.

I do know of a few people that returned theirs. I really don't know why, other than feeling they paid too much. Most people enjoy theirs. They aren't cheap. They are built better than any VOX I have seen and they should last a very long time.

VOX wound up upping the production counts from 150 to 300. I'm glad they have enjoyed some popularity.

Here are my NAD threads at TGP:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... 5.1870897/

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... 0.1911142/

What else do you want to know about them?

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by 46346 » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:31 pm

cool. i'm a fan of all the handwired vox amps i've played lately. hard to believe my 50th anniversary AC15 w/mahogany cab is now 10 years old! been a real workhorse, my main amp of the last five years especially on rock gigs. on my third set of power tubes since 2013, no other service needed.
Cat Museum, ACME, Malcolm Mooney, Dream Apes, The Cooling Time, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Quarks

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:45 am

I've given mine nice (old) tubes and they sound heavenly to my ears.

I bet the Mahogany AC15 sounds great. Gotta have some EF86! 8)

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by 46346 » Thu Apr 19, 2018 2:57 am

yeah!! i really do lean on that EF86 channel! and usually jumper in just a bit of Top Boost.

thankfully the stock EF86 has held up well. it's the EL84's that i burn through. yeah - eventually i found a nice set of Amperexes. a thicker, dynamic sound, but even they only lasted two years. i've played that amp A LOT.

my little taste of the 60th was pretty special. i was considering trading up, but mine has proven to be a trusted, loyal, righteous friend!
Cat Museum, ACME, Malcolm Mooney, Dream Apes, The Cooling Time, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Quarks

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Fri Apr 20, 2018 6:59 am

EF86 tubes have been fairly unreliable for me. Glad yours worked out. The quietest one I have develops an occasional hum and is microphonic. Still, really cool circuit and tube.

I definitely use the EF86 channel most on the AC15.

Are you saying you bought a 60th Anniversary and returned it or just tried it in store and decided not to upgrade?

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by Srellim1 » Thu May 10, 2018 5:21 pm

I realize that this thread is a month or two back, however, I also have an AC30HW2X. Im curious how the upgraded MM transformer has affected the sound with yours?

Truly appreciated!

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Fri May 11, 2018 6:50 am

I upgraded the Choke at the same time as the Output Transformer. Mercury offers several Output Transformers for AC30s. I chose their Haddon clone. The Haddon was the "Biggest Iron" of the three classic JMI suppliers (Albion, Haddon, Woden). My '62 has real Haddons BTW.

I have also installed UK-made Celestion Blues in the amp and some nice, older tubes.

I made comparison recordings using a reamper (sending the same signal to the amp before and after the operation). The difference in the recordings was apparent. The difference may not be so obvious to somebody who tries to go off of memory without the recording. Speakers and tubes were not exchanged during the tests.

The first thing I noticed was the volume. The amp with the Mercury Magnetics (MM) was around 1.5-2 dB louder. That may not seem significant, but remember that a 3 dB change is equivalent to doubling the power. So you might feel like the amp went from 30W to 50W.

Second, the tonality was different. The amp with the MM had more lows and mids. Additionally, the highs were not as harsh. I welcomed this tonal change, but I figure not everyone would. A player who likes more 'bark' may favor the stock transformer.

Third, the MM amp had lower idle hum/noise. I attribute this to the choke.

Fourth, there was a different quality to the tone. Notes had more harmonic richness and depth. Chords had better note separation. There was less harshness when driven. The sound was truer; eg the differences are more apparent when selecting a different pickup.

Considering the price paid, the MM upgrade was more bang for the buck than the speaker swap.

I also have a player grade '62 AC30 and an AC30HW60. Although they are clearly in the same family when played, they all sound different. I honestly have no favorite (or least favorite) among the three. They all sound great and have different tones/strengths. They all get used. The AC30HW2X is the obvious choice for something with a Master -- great for gigging, higher gain parts, and practicing at home when you need drive.

Considering the price I paid for the transformer and speaker upgrades, if an upgraded AC30HW2X and a stock AC30HW60 were the two choices and if the feature sets of both suited your needs equally, I'd recommend the stock AC30HW60. I'd upgraded my AC30HW2X before the AC30HW60 was announced. The AC30HW60 already has UK-made Celestions and the transformers are from Demeter Windings in England. I don't feel the need to upgrade these, although I did put old tubes in my AC30HW60. The Vib-Trem channel is nice, but I really don't use it much so you're basically looking at upgrades where you won't get much of your money back when you sell vs a stock amp that (I feel) needs no speaker or transformer upgrade.

If you really love an amp, you intend to keep it for years, and want a tonal upgrade for it, I recommend considering upgrading the output transformer and choke to Mercury. I have MMs in a few other amps. They sound great. I think MM gets a bad rap by some simply for their prices. Their transformers are as good as any I've owned. IMO and all.

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by Srellim1 » Mon May 14, 2018 6:11 am

Hey, thank you for the detailed response. This is good information for me. I love my 2 year old AC30HW2X and feel that it is probably a ‘lifer’ amp, however, at times I do wish that I were able get it to sound a bit more open for lack of a more definitive adjective... so I have eyes on the transformers and choke. I don’t know that this is a move that I would like to make just yet as I enjoy the amp a great deal as it is. At this stage it is the germ of an idea and I am attempting to collect as much information as is possible. It would be a drag to go through the cost and hassle if the modification only to find that the difference is negligible.
The 60th Anniversary model is not in my future at this point though the AC15 version is very tempting.
I followed your threads about these amps here and on TGP and appreciate the input. I’m glad that it ultimately worked out for you. That was a serious worst buying nightmare read.
Last edited by Srellim1 on Mon May 14, 2018 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by Srellim1 » Mon May 14, 2018 6:36 am

Curious- what tubes you are loving in your HW2X?

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Mon May 14, 2018 7:37 am

Srellim1 wrote:
Mon May 14, 2018 6:11 am
Hey, thank you for the detailed response. This is good information for me. I love my 2 year old AC30HW2X and feel that it is probably a ‘lifer’ amp, however, at times I do wish that I were able get it to sound a bit more open for lack of a more definitive adjective, so I have eyes on the transformers and choke. I don’t know that this is a move that I would like to make just yet as I enjoy the amp a great deal as it is. At this stage it is the germ of an idea and I am attempting to collect as much information as is possible. It would be a drag to go through the cost and hassle if the modification only to find that the difference is negligible.
The 60th Anniversary model is not in my future at this point though the AC15 version is very tempting.
I followed your threads about these amps here and on TGP and appreciate the input. I’m glad that it ultimately worked out for you. That was a serious worst buying nightmare read.
Thanks and you're welcome, Srellim1.

As you know, I've upgraded my AC30HW2X. I've upgraded the speakers, output transformer, choke, and tubes.

Our idea of "open" will likely be different. That said, if I had a completely stock AC30HW2X and I wanted it to be more "open" (by my definition), I would start with the tubes. The AC30HW2X is relatively inexpensive to re-tube, compared to the ones with 6 inputs and Vib/Trem.

At minimum, I'd put nice old tubes in the preamp positions and the Phase Inverter (PI). I also recommend you try a 5751 in the PI and then in V1 for a more open sound. A 5751 is a low gain (70%) substitute for a 12AX7. The AC30HW2X is capable of more gain/drive and volume than I really need from it. I find AC30s more sensitive to tube changes than a lot of amps. If you can get by with less drive and volume, then it's a change worth trying. One 5751 is (typically) enough. I just recommend you try one and find the position that it works best in to your ears. There is no harm in trying.

To put it into simple terms (IMO)… ACs push tubes pretty hard. They are fairly compressed, even when "clean". When that tube compression kicks in, it robs lows and then highs. Meanwhile, distortion adds and increases harmonics. Well, a different set of harmonics form the input. With less gain, there is less compression. With less compression, you have more dynamic range and the frequency response of the input is preserved better. This gives you more punch in the lows and more detail in the highs. It's also harder to play for many people -- it can be more detailed and less forgiving. Of course, you can still get dirt and more volume, they just happen at different parts on the dial and you don't get quite as much distortion/compression/volume at full tilt. But again, an AC30HW2X has more of that than I (typically) want.

Nice old tubes will result in a better tone and the lower gain tube will result in less compression and drive, which will give you a more open sound with more of the input's low and high harmonics.


So, start with 3 good old 12AX7s and a 5751. Then experiment changing them up and find the best combination of tubes to your ears.

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Mon May 14, 2018 7:45 am

Srellim1 wrote:
Mon May 14, 2018 6:36 am
Curious- what tubes you are loving in your HW2X?
I have Russian "6P14P-EV" (anglicized) tubes in the power section and IIRC a mix of old 12AX7s in the preamp and PI. I don't remember which 12AX7s are currently in there. I don't believe I have a 5751 in mine right now.

Those power tubes are pretty bold and rugged. They run hot but they have caused no problems with my AC30.

I have three AC30s. The AC30HW2X is the one I use for higher gain tones most often (eg leads).

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by Srellim1 » Tue May 15, 2018 10:58 am

Hey, thank you so much. I’m definitely going to pick up a couple of 5751s to try out. Currently, I’m just using standard modern Tung-Sols across the board. They are a marked improvement over JJs (to my ears anyway) in the AC30 and in my Super Reverb. I think that it may be time to have some fun playing with tubes in the Vox.

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Re: Vox 60th Anniversary AC15 and AC30 Handwired ... GO!

Post by eigentone » Tue May 15, 2018 3:10 pm

Srellim1 wrote:
Tue May 15, 2018 10:58 am
Hey, thank you so much. I’m definitely going to pick up a couple of 5751s to try out. Currently, I’m just using standard modern Tung-Sols across the board. They are a marked improvement over JJs (to my ears anyway) in the AC30 and in my Super Reverb. I think that it may be time to have some fun playing with tubes in the Vox.
You're welcome.

I think one 5751 is going to be enough for this AC30. I also recommend getting a good (old) 12AX7 or two. Try the tubes in different combinations and see what works best; to your ears, with your guitar etc. I'm not very familiar with the modern Tung-Sols. I am familiar with the modern JJs. I'm not a fan. In particular, I find the distortion quite harsh. Of course, you'll have no problem finishing a gig with one and they are cheap and readily available. They just don't sound great to me.

If you really really like the effect of the 5751, then sure, it never hurts to try a second. The only amp I own which I use two 5751s in is the Mark V. It has a ton of gain in some of the Modes.

Good luck and happy tube rolling!

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