Electric Guitars

[gatogordo]

I like the looks and idea of this amp. I assume the blue and the green are the same.

Looking to use as practice/church amp. We mic everything at church. My only fear is how loud it is to breakup the amp. I think these have a gain knob and not an attenator??

What's your opinoion??

[gatogordo]

Link:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...itar-combo-amp

[Meowy]

I have a blue on order (back order, actually) so I can tell you I am intrigued to find out. Yes they are the same.

There are a couple guys here who have them and say they do a nice scaled down AC15 tone without blowing out your eardrums. I've read other opinions saying they can be boxy, but that is resolved with an ext. cab. Lots of mixed opinions on TDPRI

[honeyiscool]

They have a gain knob. It's very easy to get a driven sound at a low volume.

They can sound a bit boxy when at a volume competing with a drummer but if you're micing, it will be quite good for that.

[NinjaModder]

Just got my green one yesterday to match my green AC15. One of the best amps I have played out of. Can get loud, but also sounds very nice quiet. Either color is fine, I just love British Racing Green. They are the same. It has a gain knob and a master volume knob. So just set your gain at how much breakup you want, and then adjust the volume of the amp from there. Just be warned, if you buy the green one, it comes in the box for the blue one. I was about to flip when I saw it! But I guess they are just too lazy to make a new box for the green ones!

As far as being the same as the AC15, the chimey cleans are similar, but the distortion you get with the AC4 is more fuzzy.

[sg79]

Neither, had a AC4C1 blue for awhile. Returned it after a few days. In my opinion, it's a toy, not really a vox sound at all. You open it up and it's hard to switch tubes and all the components are really cheap low end. It has no bass, even with an external cab, mostly treble. Doesn't look like it's built to last. The sound is okay but don't think it's going to sound like an ac30 or even close.

For the price you are better off with a VHT special 6 1x10 w/ EL84, and cheaper too. Those are overbuilt, handwired and easy to upgrade with incredible sound.

[Tone Deaf]

It's a nice little amp at the $300 price point. It doesn't dial in that true top boost sound, but it is fairly identifiable as a chimey Vox sound. It can sound a bit boxy at full volume as others have said, but an extension cab solves that. If you don't already have an extension cab laying around, I don't know that buying one of these and an extra cab is gonna be worth it. Your money would be better spent on a better amp altogether.

I've run mine through a Marshall 4x12 and it sounds decidedly better than through the stock speaker. I plan to give it a go through the Alnico blues in my AC30, but have to do some rearranging first. It makes a nice practice amp, or is good for other low volume applications, but I can't see myself ever attempting to gig with it.

For comparison's sake, I got an AC4C1 (green), a Marshall Class 5 combo, and a Marshall 50th anniversary JMP-1 1-watt head all within a two month period. In order of play time/preference, the JMP-1 is the clear winner, then the Class 5, followed by the AC4C1 (which, oddly enough, follows the order of most to least expensive as well). I will say the AC4C1 will dial in the best clean tone of the three, but that shouldn't be surprising.

[honeyiscool]

Originally Posted by sg79

Neither, had a AC4C1 blue for awhile. Returned it after a few days. In my opinion, it's a toy, not really a vox sound at all. You open it up and it's hard to switch tubes and all the components are really cheap low end. It has no bass, even with an external cab, mostly treble. Doesn't look like it's built to last. The sound is okay but don't think it's going to sound like an ac30 or even close.

For the price you are better off with a VHT special 6 1x10 w/ EL84, and cheaper too. Those are overbuilt, handwired and easy to upgrade with incredible sound.

I'm not going to debate the part where you hate the sound and think it doesn't sound like a Vox.

However, it was hard to replace the tubes? Really? That's a weird thing to say about this amp, considering how easy it is to remove the chassis, you only have to remove the two screws on the top and a few screws in the back, you don't have to take the amp off the back plate.

[theManfromAlab…]

I tried my best to like the AC4C1, I hated it so much that I felt guitly when I sold it to a kid for $200.

It sounds like a VOX in a little cheap MDF box...a coffee table amp at best, no low end unless you use an extension cab with vintage 30 type speakers.

It would be worth having for around $80-$100.

[sg79]

Originally Posted by honeyiscool

I'm not going to debate the part where you hate the sound and think it doesn't sound like a Vox.

However, it was hard to replace the tubes? Really? That's a weird thing to say about this amp, considering how easy it is to remove the chassis, you only have to remove the two screws on the top and a few screws in the back, you don't have to take the amp off the back plate.

By difficult I mean trying to change a tube without breaking the cheapo chinese board and other subpar components. It's much more user friendly if the tubes are accessible from the outside, like most other amps.

I just got a micro terror as a practice amp and it is much more fun than this Vox was. But if you love the Vox logo, then I guess it may be good for you.

[bluesnapper]

Love mine. It's small, it's light and it sounds great at rehearsal volume and miked up at gigs.

It can get very boxy, fuzzy and tinny trebleyish when you turn it up full but if you want something that loud you should be buying a more powerful amp. If you want to mike it up it does a good job. I bought it because I wanted something that sounded good at lower volumes, not really for gigging (but I have gigged with it).

Mine was £300 (UK) - I thought this was a bit expensive but it's a lot better than the AC4TV which comes in much cheaper. Buying it from a bricks/mortar store with a 3 year warranty outweighed all of my worries about cheap components. If it breaks, I'll take it back. If it breaks after 3 years then I'll get it fixed myself or throw it away.

I would be a bit worried about playing with a large group of musicians as you could get drowned out a bit on stage - if you're miked up and you've got good monitoring then you'll be fine though.

[MorganB]

Nice colors but sounds not too hot to my ears the Vox lil night train sounds much better .

[gatogordo]

Thanks guys.

So let's say I go with a head like the Vox lil train or the Night train 15 train. I don't have a cab, but my DRRI looks easy to become one. Opinions????

[Tone Deaf]

Originally Posted by gatogordo

Thanks guys.

So let's say I go with a head like the Vox lil train or the Night train 15 train. I don't have a cab, but my DRRI looks easy to become one. Opinions????

Opinion? Seems blasphemous to relegate one of the most distinctive sounding, historic, workhorse of an amp as nothing more than an extension cab for what's essentially a lackluster amp that just happens to have a Vox logo on it.

Just use your DRRI and add a pedal for your dirt. The options you've mentioned seem like a downgrade in my opinion.

DRRI + quality dirt pedal > any of the Vox amps you're considering.

[chrisjnyc]

I have the white AC4TV... its a decent low watt amp, but doesn't sound anything like an AC30. My biggest issue, is that you don't have a lot of clean headroom. It gets dirty very quick, and not the best tube distortion.

I played the new green one, and it sounded pretty much the same.

Have you tried the Vox Pathfinder? Its a great solid state amp.

[gatogordo]

Originally Posted by Tone Deaf

Opinion? Seems blasphemous to relegate one of the most distinctive sounding, historic, workhorse of an amp as nothing more than an extension cab for what's essentially a lackluster amp that just happens to have a Vox logo on it.

Just use your DRRI and add a pedal for your dirt. The options you've mentioned seem like a downgrade in my opinion.

DRRI + quality dirt pedal > any of the Vox amps you're considering.

Point well taken!!!

[GilmourD]

Originally Posted by chrisjnyc

I have the white AC4TV... its a decent low watt amp, but doesn't sound anything like an AC30. My biggest issue, is that you don't have a lot of clean headroom. It gets dirty very quick, and not the best tube distortion.

I played the new green one, and it sounded pretty much the same.

Have you tried the Vox Pathfinder? Its a great solid state amp.

The AC4TV is a tad farty with the stock tube.

That's what inspired this post from my past.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/...1#post38620487

[gatogordo1]

Well I spent $40 and got a Joyo AC Tone pedal.  The best $40 I have ever spent.  It give me a AC30ish gain channel.  I used it in practice last night and our acoustic guitarist loved my sound.  It actually fit well by itself, but it also worked well with the tube screamer on my HD500 kicked in as a boost to cutt through the mix.  Will probably get the OCD Joyo sound alike.

I also couldnt log in and had to start all over.

[steve_man]

I had a white one. Loved it at first, but quickly tired of it. I had both an AC15, and an AC50cp2. Honestly, it sounded "Voxish" but it seriously lacked low-end. IMO, the Valvetronix line are far better amps for the same money.