Members metal0822 Posted January 29, 2011 Members Share Posted January 29, 2011 I waited patiently all week to check out this tiny little store around here for a new low wattage amp for my new apartment, 100 tube watts is too much. Anyways, this place had a 1966 Gibson GA-5T, which is pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Long story short, I get there and it doesnt work, offer to buy it as is, but he can do those repairs himself so he declined. Anyway, this was a tiny basement shop with about 25 electrics, 20 acoustics and maybe 20 amps...all extremely cool stuff though. Old fenders, gibsons, rics, martins, etc. Anyhow, he had a NOS vox ac15 that he never sold so I figured I would try that out since I made the trip. My first tube vox experience. I am a happy camper, and 500 clams for a new ac15 didnt seem unreasonable so i bit. I just finished playing it for about 3 and a half hours. Any other AC15 fans? What speakers do you like in them? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 Did you get the AC15CC1 with the Wharfdale speaker or the AC15C1 with the Greenback? There are more differences than just the speaker of course... I love the Vox vibe and the AC15 in particular. I have an AC15H1TV which has a Top Boost side and an EF86 side. I absolutely LOVE the EF86 side of that amp, esp with single coils. Had an AC15CC1 with the Wharfdale and I put a Weber Blue Dog in it. Amazing difference. It sounds pretty damn good with the stock speaker, but the Blue Dog takes it to the next level. I just bought a used ceramic Blue Dog for $50 and put it in there. That's a TREMENDOUS $50 difference. And I put a pair of JJs power tubes in mine because I had no idea how old the other ones were since I bought the CC1 used. It's funny though. I got my first new electric when I was 10 years old and was looking to get an amp about a year later. I'd tried a bunch of amps at a small shops. The closest store which I'd been in probably 15 times, the guy sort of took me under his wing and showed me the differences between the major kinds of amps and really suggested an old AC15 (keep in mind this was 1983 and the amp was old then). I kept playing it quietly and he kept making me turn it up, telling me how much better it would sound at a certain volume level. I finally got to that level and I've been hooked ever since, even though I've mostly played Fender amps for most of those years in between. But I've come full circle. I really like the AC15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks for all the input. i have the cc1 model with the wharfdale speaker in it. i was just watching a before and after from someone who did a bright cap mod...im probably gonna do that tomorrow...or maybe right now. what kind of tones would a blue dog be good for? im not sure what route i wanna go with this amp, so i dont really have much in the ways of what kind of sound i want. i do know that it is a bit harsh/trebly and the bright cap mod seems to solve it. and in case you are wondering, i have replaced filter caps, and built my own pedal before, so clipping a bright cap is nothing new/dangerous for me. thanks again for the detailed response. i am definitely satisfied with my purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 The Blue Dog is pretty much Weber's take on the Celestion Blue which is THE speaker for use with Vox amps. It has much more chime than the Wharfdale. It also has a more dimensional quality... The difference between the Wharfdale and a real Celestion Blue is so obvious, my daughter who was maybe 11 or 12 years old at the time could EASILY hear it. You will be amazed at how much more Voxy it sounds with the Blue Dog. The Celestion Blue is Alnico and they are about $300 new. The ceramic Weber Blue Dog is $105, I think and you can usually find them for around $50 used. I've bought three of them used for $50 each. I never did the bright cap mod on mine, but if I get another one, I will. I think that is supposed to make the amp more pedal friendly as well. The main thing I didn't like about my CC1 was with the Wharfdale, the Blue Dog or an older Celestion G12H30, I was never able to get close to a Marshall tone out of it. I know that's asking a lot, but I've done OK with the AC15H1TV. I wonder how much of that is due to that bright cap. I know the bright cap on the Fender DRRI also plays havoc on dirt pedals going into the Reverb channel. I'd like to pickup one of the new C1s if I ever see one for around $350 used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 Congrats on the cool new amp. So it's old then? When is it from? Either way, I got a new British tube based amp today. No proper NAD yet, but it is a good feelin' Spectacular cleans with the EL type tubes. Just the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks again cratz. im guessing you believe the differences between the blue dog and the celestion blue are negligible since you are not suggesting i look into them...or im reading your posts wrong. either way, sounds like a new speaker and the bright cap mod will really make this thing a keeper. i just fooled around on it for another couple of hours, really digging it so far. noah, i have no idea how old it is. im pretty sure its post 2000 though. what did you wind up getting?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 For me... if it was my money on the line and I was upgrading an AC15CC1, I would be disinclined to pop for the Celestion Blue. I tried both the ceramic Blue Dog and the Celestion Blue in both the CC1 and the H1TV. To my ears, there was a considerable difference between them in the H1TV, but not enough of a difference in the CC1. Can't really explain it, but that's what my ears told me. Plus the Celestion Blue is pretty easily blown. I personally wouldn't be too inclined to buy a used Celestion Blue from eBay or a forum while I've bought three used Blue Dogs and have had no problems with any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks again cratz. im guessing you believe the differences between the blue dog and the celestion blue are negligible since you are not suggesting i look into them...or im reading your posts wrong. either way, sounds like a new speaker and the bright cap mod will really make this thing a keeper. i just fooled around on it for another couple of hours, really digging it so far. noah, i have no idea how old it is. im pretty sure its post 2000 though. what did you wind up getting?? The Custom Classic series (CC suffix) anywhere from 2005 to 2009 (2010?). It's been replaced with the more recent Custom series (C suffix). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks again cratz, looks like ill be looking past the celestion. dont a lot of people also like greenbacks in these? any significant tonal differences? i have definitely heard that the blues are a great match though, so it will be high up on my list.thanks for the little piece of info wyatt, good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idhindsight Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks again cratz, looks like ill be looking past the celestion. dont a lot of people also like greenbacks in these? any significant tonal differences? i have definitely heard that the blues are a great match though, so it will be high up on my list.thanks for the little piece of info wyatt, good to know. My AC15C1 (new model, 2010) comes with a Greenback. It also has a tone cut knob ... which I think is unique to the latest models. Love the greenback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 noah, i have no idea how old it is. im pretty sure its post 2000 though. what did you wind up getting?? Ah, ok. I thought I read NOS somewhere and assumed like vintage. Either way, little Vox's rock. Got to play through a lil night train the other day and damn. An amazing little thing. I got a Stiletto, but just haven't taken pics yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 The Greenback is also associated with the Voxes. Not sure on the history of that, but I know the Celestion Blues were prone to getting blown so as a wild guess, maybe there was a time when all/most Voxes came with the Blue and when they blew (sad pun, I know) they started getting replaced with the Greenbacks. The Greenback is a fatter sounding speaker... not better or worse than the Blues, but definitely different. I very much like the Celestion Blues/Blue Dog in Vox amps. Having said that, I have no doubt that if you popped a Greenback in your Vox and broke it in for a couple weeks, it would be an improvement over the Wharfdale but for me and mine, I'd definitely go for a Blue Dog. For tubes, JJs might not be the best EL84s on the market, but they seem pretty robust. I tried a few cheap-ish NOS preamp tubes in my CC1 and I didn't notice much of a difference as long as they were all the same types. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, I might grab a few $10 - $15 NOS preamp tubes, but my priority would be speaker first, then power tubes then preamp tubes a distant third. Or hell man... just enjoy your new amp. Sorry if I distracted you from your new toy. I thoroughly enjoyed my CC1 in stock form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deadbeat Son Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 HNAD!!! AC15C1 owner here, I really like the Greenback in my Vox. I'm satisfied enough with it, I have no desire to swap it out. I do have a 212 cab with a Weber Blue Dog and a Weber Silver Bell in it; one of these days I'll lug it down to the rehearsal space and see what difference it makes with the little Vox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 haha, i am enjoying it. but its potential is just screaming at me.deadbeat, if you do that test, please let me know your findings, would love to get the full report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks again cratz, looks like ill be looking past the celestion. dont a lot of people also like greenbacks in these? any significant tonal differences? i have definitely heard that the blues are a great match though, so it will be high up on my list.thanks for the little piece of info wyatt, good to know. Greenback is the total opposite of a Blue. The Greenback RI is heavy in the mids/lower-mids and darker sounding and it's a very inefficient speaker (sensitivity=96db) and it's known for it's warm speaker breakup when pushed to distortion (something a AC15 probably won't do), the over-driven Greenback tone is a lmajor, but often overlooked, piece of that classic cranked Marshall sound of the '60's and '70's. The Blue RI by contrast is tight and bright, much more so tan a real vintage Blue ever was. The Blue has always add a big upper-midrange emphasis (the so called "Chime" but rolls off before it because too piercing) When Celestion reissued this speaker, they really tweaked it to modern tastes (research show that a person will almost always gravitate to a louder, brighter speaker as "better," in total disregard for side-effects such as ear fatigue). It's very efficient (sensitivity=100db). But the tighter and brighter modern Blue RI has a downside, it gets harsh when pushed much beyond 15 watts. The difference in sensitivity equals the same boost in output you would get moving from a 15-watt poweramp to a 30-watt poweramp. Weber's original 30-watt Bluedog is a little more vintage than the Blue RI, which I prefer, it's easier on the ears, but as noted above, it kept losing taste tests to the bright, louder Blue RI, so Weber offered a 15-watt Bluedog that pretty much nails the Blue RI tone. For even more warmth, one can opt for the Celestion Gold Alnico or the Weber 50-watt Bluedog which are pretty equivalent as well. I really haven't done enough comparison to know if there is any difference between the Chinese-made Blue RI's and Greenbacks that came in the Vox amps and other amps or the UK-made versions that Celestion still sells aftermarket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 Weber's original 30-watt Bluedog is a little more vintage than the Blue RI, which I prefer, it's easier on the ears, but as noted above, it kept losing taste tests to the bright, louder Blue RI, so Weber offered a 15-watt Bluedog that pretty much nails the Blue RI tone. For even more warmth, one can opt for the Celestion Gold Alnico or the Weber 50-watt Bluedog which are pretty equivalent as well. I really haven't done enough comparison to know if there is any difference between the Chinese-made Blue RI's and Greenbacks that came in the Vox amps and other amps or the UK-made versions that Celestion still sells aftermarket. I was hoping you'd chime in... Get it... chime in. That probably accounts for the difference I heard between the Celestion Blue (Reissue in my case) vs my 50W ceramic Blue Dog. On the CC1, I tended to run it bright ish, so I probably liked that the 50W ceramic Blue Dog knocked some of that brightness off. On the H1TV, I almost always play on the EF86 channel which certainly isn't as bright as the Top Boost side of the amp. On that amp, I absolutely feel the Celestion Blue is better and would be worth the extra money.And the Celestion Blue certainly makes that H1TV seem louder than any 15W amp has a right to sound.I've never played through a Celestion Gold in my own rig, but I have an 100W Alnico Silver Bell in my 5E3 clone. I tried a lot of speakers in that and overall, for cleans and dirt, for raunch and smooth Jazzy tones, I like the Silver Bell the best. It certainly makes the amp a hair less responsive, probably because of it being the 100W version, but it's already so damn responsive, I don't feel it's lacking compared to what I want out of the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 My amp also has speakers. Well, actually it doesn't, they're in this other box that I have to hook up to the amp. I was told they were good. {censored}'s crazy. I don't even understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 wow thanks again for the tips...now im overwhelmed. ill look into it some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deadbeat Son Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 deadbeat, if you do that test, please let me know your findings, would love to get the full report. Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 My amp also has speakers. Well, actually it doesn't, they're in this other box that I have to hook up to the amp. I was told they were good. {censored}'s crazy. I don't even understand. Wait a tick... you bought an amp that doesn't even have speakers? What a marroon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 Metal - Pics are mandatory. Also - I love the Vox sound. I have not specificially played the AC15, but I love the Vox tone in general, and the AD30 comes closest to what I consider the perfect tone I am after. I was very seriously looking at a AC15, but the weight issue was a deal breaker (I have back problems). I like the Mustang II (after much tweaking), and will be getting a Kustom HV30 (30 watt hybrid) tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 i didnt realize people liked amp pics. ive been trying to record a good vid, but every time i play it back i realize my mic just plain sucks. weird cause when i use it for just audio recordings its decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted January 30, 2011 Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 I'll to it for ya... and show you what the back of yours will look like after a call to Weber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 30, 2011 i really gotta make some room here for my traynor, it looks so lonely in the corner. figured this would be a good time to test out the new camera...lets see how these look full size... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted January 31, 2011 Members Share Posted January 31, 2011 i really gotta make some room here for my traynor, it looks so lonely in the corner. figured this would be a good time to test out the new camera...lets see how these look full size... Dude, I didn't realize we had the same guitar! Or maybe I knew and forgot... either way, TWINSIES! (What's that robin's egg blue pedal... something drvie... sicko?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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