Members steve_man Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Okay, when comparing the AC15 vs. the AC30, what are the biggest differences tonally in the two? I like the portability of the 15, but what do you give up, other than power? Pros and cons of both? Also, does it really make a big difference where they were made? Are the English models really any better than the Chinese made stuff? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I think each has its own sonic qualities, which overlap but which are a bit different. The main difference is that the average AC30 will have more clean headroom, which I think is quite a significant advantage. It is also more likely to have a more flexible tonal pallette, especially if you are talking about the CC range. For example, I definitely wouldn't give up the ability to mix the two channels on my AC30, which can bring more Marshall-like sounds to it. Other than that, I find AC15s to be slightly boxier, but also to have a slightly different quality to its breaking up tone, which some prefer. AC30s move more air, which make them sound more expansive. My understanding is that the components and build of the amp is more likely to be slightly better on the English ones... although to be honest, I think the differences are a bit exaggerated. In the main gear reviews, most are more than happy with the Chinese models. However, I would say that the most important thing to think about swapping/changing if you are going to do anything are speakers and possibly tubes. I bought a 2/3 price Chinese AC30 and used the difference to put in some UK Celestion alnico blues and some JJ tubes. It is now better than the AC30ccx, for about 3/4 of the price. To get some real answers to this question Steve, you should go on the Vox section of the Vintage amps forum. They are really friendly there and knowledgable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lp_junkie Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Yes the English made amps have better components and craftsmanship.....Companies make things in China to cut costs and corners on components. But that goes for any manufacturer the original maker usually does a better job than outsourced production facilities. My England made Marshalls are head and shoulders above any of the recent offerings from elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 211dave112 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 i tend to prefer the AC15's. plenty loud enough for most situations, and are easier (more practical) to turn up loud and push which is where the best vox tones are. AC30's are pretty big awkward things to carry, and cranked up they are pretty much too loud to play in a lot of clubs and small venues without {censored}ing everything up with stage volume issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longhair Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Just keep in mind that most (if not all) the part used in the Made in UK made amp has been Made in China. The term "Made In" has gone from "all parts originating from ___ (country)" to "__ % of parts originating from ___ (country)" to "assembled in ___ (country) using parts from ___ (country)". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Just keep in mind that most (if not all) the part used in the Made in UK made amp has been Made in China.The term "Made In" has gone from "all parts originating from ___ (country)" to "__ % of parts originating from ___ (country)" to "assembled in ___ (country) using parts from ___ (country)". this man speaks the truth. its called globalisation so you can now get good stuff and crap from any country you care to name. Attributing the crap label to an entire nations output is usually a passing fad....remember when Japanese Consumer electronics first appeared? STill if you feel strongly, rule 'em out by all means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lp_junkie Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 True if it's electronic chances are the guts are Chinese anyways, it just boils down to fit and finish sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 As long as the amp is realiable, I don't mind it being made in China. I dislike that they ARE being made in China, but not enough to hunt down a used AC15 made in the UK and I don't know that reliability was ever their strong suit. As for the differences... there ARE difference, but if you are basically going for the Vox vibe, it's mostly just extra headroom with the 30. Not quite the same thing, but compare the 15 to the Deluxe Reverb and the 30 to the Twin. With the 15, you can get some breakup at very reasonable levels and it can play nearly as loudly as I want and stay mostly clean whereas the 30 can stay pretty darn clean up to very loud levels. BUT... when I think of Vox tones, I think of having a little breakup there anyway so the headroom becomes less of a factor - for ME - with Voxes than with Fenders. I think the AC15CC1 with a ceramic Weber Blue Dog is probably the best mainstream value in a tube amp today. The AC15H1TV with the EF86 channel (in addition to the Top Boost channel) is super sexy as well but... it's still made in China. I've pretty much been a Fender guy all my life, but I always wanted a Vox. I wanted a Vox as my very first tube amp, but it didn't happen. I got the 15CC1... loved it. Put the Blue Dog in... loved it even more. Got the H1TV and I almost want to marry it. I actually have it listed for sale, but only to buy a higher end, EF86-based amp. But part of me just wants to keep the H1TV. There's a lot of versatility and switching ability going on there that, while a higher end EF86 only amp might be better for that one or two tricks (maybe three) but I can't imagine a Vox vibe amp that could offer more versatility than the H1TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Thanks for the input guys. I have been tossing around the notion of selling my AC50 and getting a smaller Vox. I used the 30 in my example, as it's the same basic size and more people have experience with them. That being said, I love the clean channel on my 50...I just do not ever take the amp anywhere. It's too big of a pain to move around. I know I could get enough out of it to either buy an AC15, or maybe even do a trade. I just want the same great tone (in the clean to moderate break-up area) in a smaller, more portable package. I like the looks of the hand-wired models...but not sure I wanna swing that kinda cash. If I did come across a UK AC15, I'd think really hard about getting it...as I like the metal toggle switches...and the fact that it was made where the company is located. However, at the end of the day...country of origin isn't that big of an issue to me. My Marshall was made in India...and it's amazing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 3, 2010 Moderators Share Posted March 3, 2010 Though I don't own either, I've used both AC30s and AC15s quite a few times. The AC30 sounds somewhat "bigger" and has more headroom, while the AC15 breaks up sooner. Personally, given the choice, I'd take the 15 in a live setting, because at moderate stage volume you'll get a bit of breakup, while the AC30 is usually too loud once you get to the "sweet spot." Uh, it's also really heavy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 YES...it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fabstrat Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 chinese alnico blues in both right? not happening for me. If i was going to go the vox rout i wouldn't get it from vox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members photon9 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 The Vox AC30cc2 is very big and heavy. If you are gigging it might be worth lugging around. If you are playing at local jams it wouldn't. My AC30 sounds pretty nice clean at bedroom volumes. It can be slightly overdriven at lower volumes since it has a master volume config. I've played AC15s at guitar shops. Probably not the ideal place but I wasn't too impressed with the ones I played. IMO it sounded closer to my Crate Palomino V8 than my AC30. It seemed to break up pretty low and to me it was not a very pleasing overdriven sound. It sounded "boxy" to me, not open and chimey lie I was expecting. I can't resist shamelessly plugging the Bugera V22. I would definitely try one out before making a decision. To me the V22 sounds much closer to the AC30 than the AC15, although I'm not in love with the digital reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I tried a V22...an no offense, but was not impressed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 The Vox AC30cc2 is very big and heavy. If you are gigging it might be worth lugging around. If you are playing at local jams it wouldn't. My AC30 sounds pretty nice clean at bedroom volumes. It can be slightly overdriven at lower volumes since it has a master volume config. I've played AC15s at guitar shops. Probably not the ideal place but I wasn't too impressed with the ones I played. IMO it sounded closer to my Crate Palomino V8 than my AC30. It seemed to break up pretty low and to me it was not a very pleasing overdriven sound. It sounded "boxy" to me, not open and chimey lie I was expecting. I can't resist shamelessly plugging the Bugera V22. I would definitely try one out before making a decision. To me the V22 sounds much closer to the AC30 than the AC15, although I'm not in love with the digital reverb. Also, I'm not locked into a Vox, or an AC15. My Tonelab absolutely nails Vox tones (which is good), so if I went for something else, I wouldn't be giving that up, per say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DonK Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I'm a long-time Fender amp guy (think 30+ years , showing my age), but in the last year or so I've really started thinking about a Vox. It started when I fell in love with the Matchless model on a Line Axsys, and started looking into the Matchless history. That naturally led me to Vox. I REALLY want an AC-30 Heritage, but as a stopgap I just bought an AC-4TV (the one w/ the 10" speaker, not the 8"). That is a beast little amp; IMO, it's closer to the AC-30 (not the vintage "Top Boost" model, but rather the several current incarnations) than the AC-15. Pretty loud when you crank it on the 4W setting. I WILL own an AC-30 Heritage, I WILL. (In fact, I have multiple guitars in the FS/FT thread w/ an AC-30 trade as an option ). I still love Fender amps, but Vox has overtaken them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members photon9 Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 I tried a V22...an no offense, but was not impressed at all. That's cool. I like it quite a bit. I wasn't impressed with the AC15 at all. So looks like if we were keeping score we'd be even Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alex W Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 If I wanted an AC30 I'd get a Valvetech Hayseed. It's the same price as a Chinese Vox, but it's hand wired and built in the U.S. in a small shop. Plus it's customizable. Edit: For the record I don't like AC15's but I love the V22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 +1In my search for that great Vox tone, I found the Hayseed to out-Vox all the Voxes that I tried. Mine has the half power switch, EF86 channel, and master volume options, so it's a pretty versatile amp. It can be an AC15 or 30. You can get it as a head too, and scale the cabinet size to the gig. Very reasonably priced as well. Your best bet is to try to find one used with the options you want, as the wait for a new one can be quite long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fabstrat Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 what transformers do they use in the valvetech? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hooch1 Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 Steve_man, still have the SCXD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alex W Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 what transformers do they use in the valvetech? Not sure but I bet the guy would respond if you emailed him. http://www.valvetechamps.com/theamp.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 4, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 Steve_man, still have the SCXD? no, the one I had had some issues, so I returned it. They didn't have another one, and I ended up buying a guitar with that money. Getting another one has crossed my mind, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cats-o-caster Posted March 4, 2010 Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 AC 30 is LOUD!!! And about "Made in" - just bought Dimarzio PuP - the label says: Country of origin : USA Made in: China Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted March 4, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2010 You think an AC30 is loud...you should hear the AC50... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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