Members sickman Posted May 24, 2010 Members Share Posted May 24, 2010 Just pulled the trigger on a used one, dead mint for $450. Now my question... is what should I expect? Is this going to get loud enough to play with a band and how heavy is it? I pulled the trigger because I've been interested in a Vox for some time and was looking for a lower watt amp I can easily carry in one hand and take to practices and jams. How dirty is it going to get? Can I get into Allman Brothers, AC/DC, Zeppelin type OD? I'm not expecting it to get as dirty as my Boogie, but if it does a good cleanish sound at band level and a decent OD I will be happy. Hopefully the Vox does the trick. If not it was a cool price and I'm sure I will enjoy practicing with it at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idhindsight Posted May 24, 2010 Members Share Posted May 24, 2010 it owns weight wise i'd put it around 45 or so lbs, very manageable i don't know how well it will stack up in a band situation as i don't do that anymore but it does terrific cleans, the dirt is wonderfully midrange crunch. it's not brittle or harsh or whatever term most ac15s get stuck with. as far as gain, yeah, i'd say it can easily do classic rock gain. the gain's a lot higher than i expected actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted May 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted May 24, 2010 Cool... which input do you go in and do you notice a big difference? Is there a way to use both of them like an old Marshall? 45lbs sounds pretty nice. I can carry it on one hand and my guitar in the other for practice and jams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idhindsight Posted May 24, 2010 Members Share Posted May 24, 2010 i sometimes run my m9 stereo into both inputs -- yes you can use them at the same time. it's a little louder and yeah there's a huge tonal difference. i've been meaning to get a y-cable so i can plug my 360 stereo direct into it which would be tits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BradVOX Posted May 24, 2010 Members Share Posted May 24, 2010 The channels will run like this.... Normal is the cleaner of the two. Top Boost has some grit and sparkle. Use and A/B/Y box for optimal performance of both channels in parallel. This will give you increased gain as it uses all of the pre-amp tubes simultaneously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted May 25, 2010 Author Members Share Posted May 25, 2010 The channels will run like this....Normal is the cleaner of the two.Top Boost has some grit and sparkle.Use and A/B/Y box for optimal performance of both channels in parallel. This will give you increased gain as it uses all of the pre-amp tubes simultaneously. So, can I use an A/B/Y box as a channel switcher to turn it into a 3 channel amp? I have a 3 day weekend coming up, so I should have some time to fool around with it. I'll need to get an ABY box though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zanman777 Posted May 25, 2010 Members Share Posted May 25, 2010 Wow, I envy you. A VOX AC15... Gimme that! lol As for your question, I think it will do the trick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PsychWarfare Posted May 25, 2010 Members Share Posted May 25, 2010 I picked up an AC15C1 through JR with the 25% CB through Bing... Extremely well shipped and the amp is of reasonable size/weight... Still trying to get a feel for her...very responsive to the guitar you plug in...and sadly...I can't plug any two guitars into her without significantly changing something... So...I may be left with a this guitar/this amp situation...which is fine since I didn't buy a Vox for its versatility... However...I'm still not 100% sold on her yet... It's a good amp...and I think a fair improvement upon the CCs...once the greenback breaks in a bit...I'm assuming it will be a bit sweeter sounding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted June 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I got the amp this weekend and fooled around with it some. -It's definitely loud enough for what I need it to be.-There is a noticable change in sound when it comes to humbuckers vs. single coils.-I dig the limited options (i.e. knobs)... plug in and play.-I much prefer the "boost" channel, but that was to be expected.-The tremolo is very good and the reverb is very touchy. It's pretty easy for me to get too much reverb. -The clean is nice, especially with a little reverb and tremolo.-It's heavier than I'd like, but no where near as heavy as my Boogie. -I like the tone cut knob in the middle. Too far in either direction seems to deaden the sound. Same thing for the bass and treble controls.. to my ears they sound best at high noon. I prefer it to the Blackstar as far as "practice" amp goes. The Blackstar was probably one of the only impulse purchases I've ever made when it comes to musical equipment. With the Vox it probably won't see much use.... I can get more than enough gain/OD out of the Vox. The Blackstar handles the higher gain stuff a lot better, but that's really not my bag. I haven't tried any pedals through it yet, maybe next weekend. Hopefully we schedule atleast one practice before our next gig, I'd like to take the Vox out. I don't think it will replace my Boogie as my main amp, but I'd like to see how it performs in a live situation. It also came with a Vox pedal with two buttons: "a" and "b". I haven't plugged the pedal in, but I'm assuming it is for reverb and tremolo. Not sure how much actual use the Vox will see as I primarily play acoustic at home, but I definitely don't regret the purchase. The amp came in like "new" condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 Awesome amp. With a treble boost, sounds pretty damned heavy. -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted June 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 A drummer friend came over this weekend for a jam and I decided to crank up the Vox. -I noticed at jam/band levels it's hard to get a good clean sound. I guess this would have to do with it only being 15 watts? -Even the normal channel was pretty dirty when cranked. -As you get louder the tone cut seems to have less of an effect. -It definitely sounds different than my Marshall (JCM 800) and Boogie. The Boogie cuts really nicely, where as The Vox sounded great for chordal work, but not as nice as the Boogie for solos. -Definitely responsive to each guitar, but I'm not sure abotu significantly changing stuff as Psych mentioned.... there's not a lot of knobs to change on this thing. I definetely like it more than the Blackstar. The Blackstar does the hi gain thing better, but that's not really my bag. Plus, the Vox's clean sounds pretty good at low volumes so it works as a great practice amp for me. I'm happy with the purchas and it's definitely lighter than the Boogie.... I can carry my guitar in one hand and the Vox in the other. I need to get a cover for it this week. EDIT: I also noticed a squeel or whistling type sound when the amp was cranked. Any ideas? I've never had this problem or heard anything similar with my other amps. Is it a tube or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 A drummer friend came over this weekend for a jam and I decided to crank up the Vox.-I noticed at jam/band levels it's hard to get a good clean sound. I guess this would have to do with it only being 15 watts?-Even the normal channel was pretty dirty when cranked.-As you get louder the tone cut seems to have less of an effect.-It definitely sounds different than my Marshall (JCM 800) and Boogie. The Boogie cuts really nicely, where as The Vox sounded great for chordal work, but not as nice as the Boogie for solos.-Definitely responsive to each guitar, but I'm not sure abotu significantly changing stuff as Psych mentioned.... there's not a lot of knobs to change on this thing.I definetely like it more than the Blackstar. The Blackstar does the hi gain thing better, but that's not really my bag. Plus, the Vox's clean sounds pretty good at low volumes so it works as a great practice amp for me. I'm happy with the purchas and it's definitely lighter than the Boogie.... I can carry my guitar in one hand and the Vox in the other. I need to get a cover for it this week.EDIT: I also noticed a squeel or whistling type sound when the amp was cranked. Any ideas? I've never had this problem or heard anything similar with my other amps. Is it a tube or something? Yep that sounds like a microphonic tube, you most likely need a new preamp tube... there are 3 in there. Pencil test to find out, tap them with a pencil while the amp is on - damn that might be hard with the new vox design.. lol -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VonBonfire Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 Is this going to get loud enough to play with a band Yes, it will work but will eventually fail. Too small for a loud rock outfit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 Yes, it will work but will eventually fail. Too small for a loud rock outfit. What do you mean "eventually fail"? Yes, you'll need new tubes at some point... but fail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VonBonfire Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 What do you mean "eventually fail"? Yes, you'll need new tubes at some point... but fail? Yeah, run anything at full power, which is what will be required from 15 watts next to a rock drummer, for too long and it will go up in smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 Yeah, run anything at full power, which is what will be required from 15 watts next to a rock drummer, for too long and it will go up in smoke. The specs are meant to handle it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 I doubt beyond having to change the power tubes a bit more frequently there's anything to worry about. If the transformers are similar quality to the CC series they'll hold up just fine. My amp is rarely on anything but full volume and after 2 years it's yet to go up in smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VonBonfire Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 The specs are meant to handle it.. I imagine it will for sometime. I just wouldn't trust it to last though. Not enough clean power. Amp works too hard. Something is bound to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 Yes vonbon... with time, everything fails on this planet... everything but you. :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VonBonfire Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 Yes vonbon... with time, everything fails on this planet... everything but you. No {censored} sherlock. The specs are meant to handle it, but specs are something on paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poltergeist Posted June 7, 2010 Members Share Posted June 7, 2010 do you understand Doom tone? basically, for me - full-on bass, slight mid boost as needed, a bit of treble cut, only as much gain as needed. could you tell me how does it pull off such a tone? i would appreciate alot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.