Dissatisfied w Vox AC15CC--ideas?

[jellodog]

I used to own one of those and to put it bluntly, the cheapo stock tubes were rubbish. It definitely improved its tone with a tube swap.

UPDATE

Have just realised that the "CC" suggests that this is an older model from 10 years ago (?). The crappy tubes were in a recent AC15 model, so please disregard my comment.

[Despot]

Some good advice there regarding headroom if what you want is a cleaner amp at stage volumes.

I'm not sure that a DRRI will achieve that - while it'll be a better option than an AC15 for sure, it'll still start to give mild break up over 4. If you want loud/clean (getting your drive from pedals etc) then unfortunately you're looking at amps that are bigger/heavier, though the Deville might be a good compromise as others mentioned. Depends how loud you play I guess. And what you want - a DRRI at 'just breaking up' is my kind of sound, but I found they were too loud for me in a home/apartment setting. I now use Princetons - I can get the same sound at a lower volume. I wouldn't gig a Princeton ... but then again I can't see myself ever playing a gig again so I've stopped lusting after impractical things like AC30s, or the Marshall Lead & Bass I lusted after for the longest time...

Amps all have their own tone and colour - and it's good to go into 'test' mode for your replacement. Try loads - ignore what brand it is and just listen...

I always thought of Blackstar as high gain/metal amps. I tried out one of Artisan models (I think it was the 15) and it was a very different beast - lots of treble/bright tone and plenty loud before it started to drive (for home use though). It forced me to reconsider things and challenge my wired-in views on amp manufacturers.

The funny thing is I've landed at Princeton-ville (which is what everyone told me was the solution to my amp woes about four years ago on OSG!!) through trial and error. I've tried AC4s, Bluesbreakers, Marshall 1974x (which I thought was the 'manageable' Bluesbreaker - but it's still bloody loud!), Blackstars, Dr Z, DRRI, Bassman, Vibrolux (though I've kept this as my back up amp) and settled on two different things - a Swart AST Master combo (which is a giggable amp if I ever needed to) and two Princetons - a reverb and non-reverb which I use in tandem.

The Swart and Princetons are leagues apart in terms of how they sound - very different beasts to learn how to use. I guess what I'm saying is trust your ears - and don't be afraid of transistor amps or hybrid amps either. Go with what sounds good for what you want. Ignore 'what everyone knows' ... and settle for what works.

[Jestapali]

After reading through everything I think one of the problems is that, yeah, I really just wanted an AC30 but in a smaller box. That said, it is not feasible for me to start lugging an AC30 around--the AC15 is bad enough at 50 pounds.

It looks like a Vox Ac30 CC1, at 54 pounds, can be a decent option. Have a look:

http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ac30cc1.html

[mgeek]

If you want treble and chime, there's no shame in getting a transistor amp. Roland Jazz chorus or something perhaps? It's easier to warm those up when you want than get treble out of something that doesn't want to give it to you


I did a tour where there was limited space so picked up some Fender 15 watt transistor thing, got used to that sound- really clear, useful tone controls, took pedals well, then at one gig there was a Fender Blues Jr so I was like 'haha oh cool, finally I get to use a proper amp' and it sounded like shit by comparison. None of the presence I'd been enjoying, just kinda wooly. Great if you want that kind of creamy, slightly overdriven guitar solo tone, but really, the complete opposite of chime

The general assumption that valves are the only serious way forward comes from a pretty 'dadrock' perspective imo...Hendrix, Page, Clapton.

[borntohang]

I really disliked my AC15C1 and eventually traded it out for a Fender Musicmaster amp, but I've had a lot more experience with Voxes since then and think I could effectively neutralise the things I didn't like. My current box is an AC30CC1 and it's fantastic, but here's my tips for setting up a vox:

Step 1 is treat them like a non-MV amp. Crank the master all the way up and use the channel volume to control how loud you want it.

Step 2 is the EQ controls are very interactive and also control how much perceived gain you can get from the amp. ACs are a pretty mid-heavy amp, but if you push the treble and bass controls north of 12 o'clock on the dial there will be a bit more of a scoop effect. If you push the treble hard and leave the bass slightly above halfway the amp will clean up a bit and then you can use the cut control to dial back some of the really ear-bleeding high end. I usually have mine at 3 o'clock or even higher and then the Cut control all the way up; this is a really percussive jangle/breakup sound that cuts through nearly anything.

Step 3 is the 'quick' version of the bright cap mod which everyone recommends for the 30CCs (this only works if you aren't linking channels). Crank the output of the channel you aren't using/plugged into, and the amp cuts out the bright caps and you will lose the harsh high-end you can get when using pedals.

[dffny]

Crazy talk! Thanks for the radical setting advice--I will give that a shot before beginning the maximum hassle of selling and buying used gear!

[Larsongs]

If it doesn't have a Celestion Alnico Blue Speaker you'll never get the Sound. With one it's the real deal!

[ElephantDNA]

I love the AC30 and hate the AC15 for the exact reasons you stated. The AC15 has always had a really cheesy tone to it to me. I think it's the headroom problem. I have an AC30 from the CC series and I like it quite a bit. I'm not currently using it because it's just too loud for my current setup (synth/drum machine), but if I start playing with a drummer again I would definitely bring it out.

Personally, I prefer the clean channel with the "brilliance" switch, though the gain channel has its uses. Trem also sounds awesome on these. I do wish the build quality was a little better, but I've A/Bed the CCs against vintage AC series amps and I think the tone is pretty close.