Vox AC4-10 BL or Fender Bass breaker 007?

[pfflyer55]

I am looking for a practice amp to go with my Tele that is a low watt tube for under $500. The Vox AC4-10 BL is probably a front runner at this point for just over $300. The Fender is great for the lows but lacks shimmer like the Vox. Anybody here have experience with these 2 amps? Any advice is appreciated, it's for a small house, small room practice amp.

[rockabilly69]

I would find a mint used AC15CC1, the newest model with the greenback or creamback speaker! They can be found for under a $500. I've had all the amps mentioned and they are my favorite. I think they're one of the best values on the used market, and way bigger sounding (when needed), then the AC4. They also sound great at lower volumes! Vox fixed the reverb in these, put in a greenback, and really worked on the tone!

[muscmp]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I would find a mint used AC15CC1, the newest model with the greenback or creamback speaker! They can be found for under a $500. I've had all the amps mentioned and they are my favorite. I think they're one of the best values on the used market, and way bigger sounding (when needed), then the AC4. They also sound great at lower volumes! Vox fixed the reverb in these, put in a greenback, and really worked on the tone!

i would agree with rockabilly. i have the ac15c1 and a friend has the ac4, 12". while the ac4 does its thing very well, it just can't compete with the ac15 and its spring reverb and tremolo. overall a much better amp. my opinion.

play music!

[pfflyer55]

Also been looking at a Laney Cub-10 or Cub-12R. I know about the AC-15's but do not have the room for them. Again it is a very small house for a 12'X15' room, already packed with guitars, Loudbox amp. and a desk! So small is all I have room for and it's never going to be gigged with.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by pfflyer55

...it's never going to be gigged with.

Famous last words - and this one'll take you from the bedroom to the stage:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/V22InfiCombo

BTW, I keep mine plugged-in and ready-to-play 24/7 in an even smaller room than you have, under similar conditions (mine doubles as our home office: computer, fax. printer, copier, file drawers, stationery rack - I think you get the picture); play a little three-dimensional Tetris and move something(s) - it'll be well worth the effort in the tone department...

[verstft]

I have any AC15C1 and I agree that it's very manageable for your practice room space and will get you good tone.

You didn't mention what tone you are after or a musical style. I would work my way from there.

Don't get a VOX if you don't like bright. Fenders are more mid scooped but great pedal platforms. The Pro Junior for example (not blues junior) is a fantastic pedal platform and it is LOUDDDDDD when cranked up.

[pfflyer55]

Seems a small watt 10 and under are hard to find with any quality of sound. My house is heavily carpeted and the bass is prevalent so a clear toned amp like a Vox AC4 with a 10" speaker would do just fine with pedals, but after the cost of a couple pedals and the rig itself I'm over budget. So I am going used for something that has reverb and a small price tag.

I have a Fishman Loudbox Artist Acoustic amp and my Tele sounds good clean at low volume so I am wondering if I get a pedal like the Fulltone OCD (?111.99 at GC. this week), if it will damage in any way my amps circuits?

[pfflyer55]

Decided to buy the AC4C1-BL and it will be here by Friday pm. Got a killer deal and am really looking forward to the OCD pedal I ordered along with it. After a week or so I am going to add a Reverb/delay pedal and that will be all I need. don't know which FX pedal to buy with good reverb and delay. Need help!

[verstft]

Very cool. Congrats. Give us a full tone report when you get acclimated to the new gear.

[pfflyer55]

Saturday afternoon I bought a Fender champion 600 and took it home and it buzzed and hummed from first time I switched it on, and would not get any overdrive or high gain. Bottom line I took it back and tried another one they had on demo and it sounded marvelous but was all dinged up and dirty and they would not give me a penny off the clearance price. They did however give me 20% off my new Vox AC4-BL so I jumped on it, but wavered on the new in box Fender Bassbreaker they had in stock. Bottom line is the Basebreaker did not have very good clean tone at higher volumes and broke up way to early. They seem to be using cheaper tubes until you get to the Blues Jr and up, they use Groove tubes on those. So I tried a Vox ac4 with the 12 inch speaker and was sold. A 10 inch speaker with the same guts will do just fine for me so I pick it up after work tonight along with my OCD pedal. And now for that Reverb pedal, which way to go, HMMMMMM!

[verstft]

Originally Posted by pfflyer55

And now for that Reverb pedal, which way to go, HMMMMMM!

I've used both a Hall of Fame and a Holy grail with the AC4. Hall of fame has much more flexibility. You can use tone print and craft your reverb sound on your computer or ipad and beam it to your pedal.

The Holy grail comes in a nano version which sound great and is a good set and forget options without all the tweakability...which could be a good thing if your as ocd as I am.

As far as the AC4 goes. I've owned the 10 and 12 inch combo as well as the head/cab version. Don't be fooled by the 4watts. They are loud amps...not quite enough headroom to play clean with a loud drummer but loud none the less. They don't sound good unless the master volume really starts working hard (the tone stack will sound really shrill and lack bass at low volume).

On a side note, the amp doesn't start to compress until it's really cooking, so you might want to consider a compressor to get your dynamics under control a tad. I had it paired with an MXR custom comp, that did the trick for me.


My favorite pedal with the ac4 was the MJM phantom overdrive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXnUZo76vw


Of course this is all just personal preference, but that should get you started.

[pfflyer55]

I have the OCD pedal and am adding an MXR reverb pedal before the 11th. My amp is on back order and will arrive in the next week or so. I have demoed this little gem and it is all I need. I have hope that it will accept pedals well. Can't wait for this amp to arrive and try the pedals. Thanks for the tip on the Phantom OD pedal, if the OCD doesn't work out I may try it!

[Steev]

Another happy AC4BL 10" and Tele guy here.
Sounds great with the 10 but seems to come to life (more boof) with a 12 but this disengages the 10".
I added another extension speaker jack tapped off the 10" so I can run a 16ohm 12" and the 10" at the same time. As far as I can tell it changes the load to 8ohm so that the amp is running at more like 8watts. Apparently the transformer can take it and I've had no problems...sounds huge.

[pieterh]

I bought the TC Hall Of Fame to go with my AC4 TV. I'm very happy with the whole package and even use it for small quiet gigs as well as rehearsals.

My one issue is that it starts to break up at relatively low levels (given that they are all low at only 4w!). One solution is to change the preamp tube to a slightly lower gain 12at7. I haven't gotten around to trying it yet but I'm told it will give me a bit more clean headroom before it starts to break up.

The overdrive tone is great by the way.

[pfflyer55]

I got word a brand new in the box AC4C1 Bl is on the way and I pick it up tomorrow afternoon along with a MXR M300 Reverb pedal, now for the test drive. I am thinking about the 2 OD pedals suggested here, OCD by Fulltone or the Phantom OD suggested in an earlier post. I already have the OCD but can turn it over into a Phantom within a few weeks if necessary.