Members Cirrus Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Shut up. I didn't know you could do that. In the olden days people would use a 6 input ac30 for the entire band - guitar, bass, keys, vocals... I bet it sounded like hell. What tends not to work though is using an A/B to make it a clean/ overdrive channel switching amp, because the volume difference between preamp set clean and preamp set properly distorted is usually too great unless you've got the master maxed. GDan, they can be a bit fickle with distortion pedals, depending on the speaker -if it's got blues then some overdrives can make the amp seem to fart out a bit and get too compressed sounding, which can be good as an effect but isn't for everyone. Also Fuzzes can cause problems if you're driving the amp hard, and some midrange boosting overdrives get a bit too honky sounding thanks to the AC series midrangey quality. Then there's the bright cap. I don't know about the c series, but on the cc series the bright cap let through far too much harsh treble on lower preamp volumes. That's why lots of people cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Boltino Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 What tends not to work though is using an A/B to make it a clean/ overdrive channel switching amp, because the volume difference between preamp set clean and preamp set properly distorted is usually too great unless you've got the master maxed. Totally agree. I like to set mine for slightly different levels of breakup and blend to taste. Normal just barely breaking up; TB with a bit more hair when you dig in. There is a cool phase cancellation thing that happens when you blend the channels; it can lead to some really cool sounds. Just wanted to also say thanks to Cirrus for all of his contributions to this and many other AC threads. Tons of great info based on personal experience (a rare thing on teh intarwebz); very valuable perspective for folks reading these threads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hugbot Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 GDan, they can be a bit fickle with distortion pedals, depending on the speaker -if it's got blues then some overdrives can make the amp seem to fart out a bit and get too compressed sounding, which can be good as an effect but isn't for everyone. Also Fuzzes can cause problems if you're driving the amp hard, and some midrange boosting overdrives get a bit too honky sounding thanks to the AC series midrangey quality. I was messing around in the store the other way buying my new guitar and I tried an AC30, and it sounded badass then a Plextortion, which was also badass, but was played into a hot rod deluxe which is very clean and not like an ac30 at all. So I guess I cant use the two badass things together really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Just wanted to also say thanks to Cirrus for all of his contributions to this and many other AC threads. Tons of great info based on personal experience (a rare thing on teh intarwebz); very valuable perspective for folks reading these threads!Wow thanks man, really appreciate it! To be honest it mostly comes from being bored at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stratocaster202 Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do any of you guys using an ABY box also use distortion pedals? If so before or after the ABY? And to echo Boltino, thanks Cirrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Songwriter Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Hi there, I'm not really an FX forum regular, but I recently bought one of the new (2010) Handwired AC30 Heads and I'm very happy with it so far, as far as speakers go I've only tried it with a G12 Century so far though I might be putting a 2 x 12" together for it at some point. Pedals that I've found that work well with it are: Voodoo Labs Sparkle drive and tremolo and (obviously) Memory Man Deluxe (the analog version) Still not sure about the Master Volume - I think I'd rather they'd put a trem or a reverb unit instead, but other than that it's a fantastic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Boltino Posted March 10, 2011 Members Share Posted March 10, 2011 Do any of you guys using an ABY box also use distortion pedals? If so before or after the ABY? And to echo Boltino, thanks Cirrus I've used a bunch of different setups with mine, here are a few examples:1) guitar to full pedalboard to ABY split to TB and Normal2) guitar to ABY split one side to an OD then to Normal; other side of ABY goes directly to TB3) guitar to pedalboard to ABY split one side to a delay then to TB; other side of ABY goes to normalSetup 1 is generally what I do, setup 2 is a great way to make it into more of a traditional clean/dirty setup, setup 3 is a cool way to blend in delays. My AC30 is a 6 input so a lot of times I just jump the channels; with any 2 input AC you do need an ABY to accomplish this. I generally just put everything up front and blend to taste though unless I'm going for something really specific. In summary, there are tons of ways to set these amps up; and there's no right or wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Expressway to yr Skull Posted March 10, 2011 Members Share Posted March 10, 2011 Just come back from band practice and played my Gretsch 6120 JR through my vintage AC 50 for the first time. All I can say is :love: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stratocaster202 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 Note to self, never crank AC15s in enclosed spaces. My ears are not happy with me mm/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taylor. Posted March 23, 2011 Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 My AC15's tubes got a workout this weekend. Played it unmiced with a loud drummer and had to put the volume around 3:00. Headroom is for losers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crybaby530 Posted March 24, 2011 Members Share Posted March 24, 2011 I have had a voxac30cc2 for a few months now and I found a trick that works for me. I get all of my dirt from pedals, so I only use the amp for its clean sounds. What I found works amazing is jumping the normal and top boost channels for my clean sound. I have the bright switch off (i think?) and i have the normal volume at about 9 and the top boost volume at about 9-10. I have found that this gives me a really clear, solid, punchy clean tone and the amp seems to handle my pedals better this way. I was wondering if anyone else does this with their ac30/15 and if not, I would give it a try, it really works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted March 24, 2011 Members Share Posted March 24, 2011 I have had a voxac30cc2 for a few months now and I found a trick that works for me. I get all of my dirt from pedals, so I only use the amp for its clean sounds. What I found works amazing is jumping the normal and top boost channels for my clean sound. I have the bright switch off (i think?) and i have the normal volume at about 9 and the top boost volume at about 9-10. I have found that this gives me a really clear, solid, punchy clean tone and the amp seems to handle my pedals better this way. I was wondering if anyone else does this with their ac30/15 and if not, I would give it a try, it really works for me! Yeah, this is a great sound! I have the bright switch off when I do it that way, too, because you get all the treble and cut you need from the TB channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stratocaster202 Posted March 25, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 When you say jumping, are these 4 input amps? Or are you using A/B/Y boxes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted March 25, 2011 Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 When you say jumping, are these 4 input amps? Or are you using A/B/Y boxes? No, the CC series has two inputs - one for normal channel, one for top boost, but it's got a switch that jumpers them together so you just have to plug into the top boost and it goes to both channels. For this reason, I facepalmed a little when the C series came out and everyone was going "wow - this is so much better, 4 inputs so we can jumper the channels!". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members schecterc1lh Posted March 25, 2011 Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 Ive been playing my ac15 for a while, and it sounds great, but i got an idea yesterday that made it sound even better. Its no big mystery or anything, and a lot of you probably already do this, but it is the first time for me. Basically, I always run a LP into the TB channel, but it was always missing a little in the mids, so i split off out of a delay pedal, and now i run the TB channel how i like it, and then mix in the normal channel to give it a good midrange. Sounds great. I highly recommend trying it if you havnt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taylor. Posted April 20, 2011 Members Share Posted April 20, 2011 Bumping. What are you guys using for tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted April 20, 2011 Members Share Posted April 20, 2011 I'm being corksniffy here. But please don't judge me harshly! For GZ34s I recon NOS is almost a must - they're more reliable. I've got a Bel and a Hitachi in each of my ac30's. Not overpriced desireable brands, but likely to prove more reliable that anything I could get new stock. Based on the reading I've done, it seems these are a particularly weak tube in modern production, and if they don't go wrong in a violent and amp damaging way they still only last a couple of years, especially in a hot amp like a vox. But if you're using an ac15c1, I guess that's not a problem!I don't know if NOS is worth it for EL84's unless you can find a good deal. At the moment I'm trying 60's Teslas in one amp and Tungsrams in another, and yeah, they sound great, but so do JJ's (as long as you get a set that work!). Then again, I got both these sets for not much more than the cost of JJ's, and they should last longer.For modern production, the consensus seems to be that JJ's are a good vox el84 - they've got a nice midrange and chime, and aren't harsh. I enjoyed the quad I used last year, though after 6 months they started to sound a bit flat.You have got to try some old 12ax7s. You can get some brands cheap, especially if you settle for slightly used, which often makes no difference. NOS 12ax7s can last for 20 years, so if you find a good one it's deffo good value. Brimars are great for sweet sounds that thicken up when pushed - they get quite raw sounding. I've got 2 RFT's in my main vox just now and they're really gainy but smooth. It's a wierd sound, quite cool but maybe not for everyone. I had some Telefunkens which were really clear, maybe too much so for a vox. But you can really make some changes with different preamp valves, especially in an amp like a vox where the circuit isn't too complicated - it lets the character of the valves shine through.WIth new production stuff I've tried JJ, Sovtek and Golden Dragon. I preferred Golden Dragon the best, was quite lively but not harsh. The Sovteks were a bit harsh and high gain, and the JJs were smooth but sounded a bit dull rather than sweet.Hope that helps. I know talking about NOS stuff is a bit TGP, but you can get some sweet valves for cheap and form your own opinions. On an amp like a vox which has a vintage sound, I recon it's worth a punt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mirrorball Posted April 26, 2011 Members Share Posted April 26, 2011 Been wondering how these three models compare tone-wise: AC15HW1X, AC15H1TV and AC15TBX. I'm thinking of getting one to use for gigs. I've owned an AC30CC2X for a few years now, but want something a little easier to bring to gigs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Gallo Negro Posted April 26, 2011 Members Share Posted April 26, 2011 I have had a voxac30cc2 for a few months now and I found a trick that works for me. I get all of my dirt from pedals, so I only use the amp for its clean sounds. What I found works amazing is jumping the normal and top boost channels for my clean sound. I have the bright switch off (i think?) and i have the normal volume at about 9 and the top boost volume at about 9-10. I have found that this gives me a really clear, solid, punchy clean tone and the amp seems to handle my pedals better this way. I was wondering if anyone else does this with their ac30/15 and if not, I would give it a try, it really works for me! That's pretty much what I do all the time, with the Master Volume set for the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ken361 Posted May 2, 2011 Members Share Posted May 2, 2011 I bought a Ac15 HW1 last week, sweet clear sounding amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ken361 Posted May 3, 2011 Members Share Posted May 3, 2011 ' alt='>'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mirrorball Posted May 7, 2011 Members Share Posted May 7, 2011 My AC15H1TV arrived yesterday. Finally plugged in a few minutes ago. Love it. Just too bad I can't turn it up much more without seriously annoying any neighbors (the joys of apartment living). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jordannott Posted May 7, 2011 Members Share Posted May 7, 2011 that thing is just straight up sexy. so jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ken361 Posted May 7, 2011 Members Share Posted May 7, 2011 My AC15H1TV arrived yesterday. Finally plugged in a few minutes ago. Love it. Just too bad I can't turn it up much more without seriously annoying any neighbors (the joys of apartment living). put some JJ power tubes in there, more smoother bro! congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mirrorball Posted May 7, 2011 Members Share Posted May 7, 2011 put some JJ power tubes in there, more smoother bro! congrats That would normally be my first move, but the guy I bought it from had put in Mullard power and rectifier tubes (ANOS, he says). Though not sure what's in there for pre-amp tubes. Guess I'll crack it open at some point this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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