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  #16  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:11 PM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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IF you are deadset on a vox amp, the ac10 is a great one. great vox sound and the wattage can get quite loud other than a gigging non-miced situation. digital reverb that some people like and some don't. no tremolo which you either like or don't. 10" speaker that gives a real nice sound. not as much b*** as a 12" tho. note i was mod edited as i put a "y" at the end of the word, "b***". ha! edited twice!

it has the top boost circuit which gives you the choice of it or the normal channel.

i have the ac15 and it has become one of my most favorite amps. i run an aby pedal into it and blend the top and normal channels for a great sound. with the capabilities of the spring reverb and tremolo, i need no further pedals.

even tho buying used is usually a good deal, online stores such as sweetwater and others have special sales now and then.

i would agree with steve that the tubes may need replacing. i did go for the tubestore el84s and i'm glad i did. i had some 12ax7s around so after some tube rolling, i've got my vox sound.

best recommendation i can make is to take your guitar to your local store(s) to play as many different amps as you can just to get some sounds in your head of what you want. then, you can narrow down your list and go from there.

play music!
play music!
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  #17  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:19 PM
Scotso Scotso is offline
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Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post

- and since that puts you into the $350 range, I'll +1 YamahaGuy and suggest that you wait for a coupon day at GC/Sam Ash and pick up a Bugera V22 Infinium for similar money..
SDR loves Bugera
SDR loves Bugera
SDR loves Bugera

Repeating a few more times just in case no one has noticed the other 200 times.
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  #18  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:36 PM
Scotso Scotso is offline
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sounds good to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOigljrgLt4
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  #19  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:45 PM
JStotes JStotes is offline
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I have an AC10 and really like it. I did change the tubes to the Tubestore premium upgrade and that makes a big difference. Works well with my Tele, Gretsch 6119, and my Lollar upgraded Casino Elite.
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  #20  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:56 PM
jrs146 jrs146 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muscmp View Post
IF you are deadset on a vox amp, the ac10 is a great one. great vox sound and the wattage can get quite loud other than a gigging non-miced situation. digital reverb that some people like and some don't. no tremolo which you either like or don't. 10" speaker that gives a real nice sound. not as much b*** as a 12" tho. note i was mod edited as i put a "y" at the end of the word, "b***". ha! edited twice!

it has the top boost circuit which gives you the choice of it or the normal channel.

i have the ac15 and it has become one of my most favorite amps. i run an aby pedal into it and blend the top and normal channels for a great sound. with the capabilities of the spring reverb and tremolo, i need no further pedals.

even tho buying used is usually a good deal, online stores such as sweetwater and others have special sales now and then.

i would agree with steve that the tubes may need replacing. i did go for the tubestore el84s and i'm glad i did. i had some 12ax7s around so after some tube rolling, i've got my vox sound.

best recommendation i can make is to take your guitar to your local store(s) to play as many different amps as you can just to get some sounds in your head of what you want. then, you can narrow down your list and go from there.

play music!
play music!


I've been looking at the AC15 on YouTube and it's so nice. Certainly an upgrade from the AC10. Prob way more amp than I need. But the Spring Reverb and tremolo would be nice features to have. Decisions decisions.
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  #21  
Old 04-24-2017, 06:58 PM
Sixstring Scott Sixstring Scott is offline
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For 240 I'd be all over it. It's a great sounding amp. Buy a couple new power tubes for 20 bucks and it's awesome.


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  #22  
Old 04-24-2017, 07:32 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by Sixstring Scott View Post
...Buy a couple new power tubes for 20 bucks and it's awesome.
If I were troubleshooting this amp for low-frequency rattle, the absolute first thing I'd look for is microphonic OEM power tubes - which cost just about $20/pair at your local big-box store...

There's Soviet-era mil-spec stuff out there for about $70/pair - I'm running them in my V5 and V22 - which, considering their intended use in front-line Cold War applications, should last a bedroom player the rest of his/her life with nary a rattle...

Now that's awesome - and a bigger bargain in the long run IME...
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  #23  
Old 04-24-2017, 07:38 PM
Sixstring Scott Sixstring Scott is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
If I were troubleshooting this amp for low-frequency rattle, the absolute first thing I'd look for is microphonic OEM power tubes - which cost just about $20/pair at your local big-box store...



There's Soviet-era mil-spec stuff out there for about $70/pair - I'm running them in my V5 and V22 - which, considering their intended use in front-line Cold War applications, should last a bedroom player the rest of his/her life with nary a rattle...



Now that's awesome - and a bigger bargain in the long run IME...


To each there own. The sovteks el84s in mine are doing the job well and leaving 50 bucks in my pocket. People have had good success with the JJs too.


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  #24  
Old 04-25-2017, 06:19 AM
jrs146 jrs146 is offline
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Default Vox AC10 thoughts

So I have it narrowed down to:

-Bugera V22
-Vox AC15
-Fender Blues Jr tweed.

There are pros cons to all which makes it hard. All are probably way more amp than I need also!

AC15 I think has my top choice for tone. It's also the most expensive and the heaviest. The trem feature is nice which none of th others have.

But it's also more than double what I was originally considering spending. That makes the V22 very appealing because it's absolutely a lot of amp for the money. I don't want to rule out the Blues Jr though.

I haven't actually played through any of these yet. All my research has come from YouTube and here. I know I should really get out and play some. I'm in no rush but you know how it is... Start looking at something and it's hard to stop until you pull the trigger lol.
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  #25  
Old 04-25-2017, 07:47 AM
Steely Glen Steely Glen is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrs146 View Post
So I have it narrowed down to:

-Bugera V22
-Vox AC15
-Fender Blues Jr tweed.

There are pros cons to all which makes it hard. All are probably way more amp than I need also!
I think you'll be happy with any one of these three. My choice would be between the AC15 and Blues Jr. I would only add none of these amps are "bedroom" amps. No, the universe isn't going to collapse if there are played in a bedroom, but you will not be able to open them up in a bedroom without disturbing those around you. So you'll need pedals or an attenuator to drive the amps. Also, consider inboard vs outboard reverb. Most people don't like a totally dry sounding amp (especially clean) in a small space, so you'll want to figure out where reverb sits in your decision-making. If the amp doesn't have a reverb, you'll need a pedal for that also.
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  #26  
Old 04-25-2017, 07:58 AM
jrs146 jrs146 is offline
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You bring up a good point. Most of my playing is on my "man room" which is on the first floor of my house. I have big dreams for a basement studio but that's a longtime work in progress.

Right now I have a Roland Cube. It's a lot of fun and for what you get it's nice. But it doesn't have that sweet tone that these amps seem to have. Maybe I should find something smaller that's more in the middle. A lot of folks have recommended the AC4. Maybe I should take another look at that or stick with the AC10 and just pick it up new instead of used.
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  #27  
Old 04-25-2017, 08:25 AM
Sixstring Scott Sixstring Scott is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrs146 View Post
You bring up a good point. Most of my playing is on my "man room" which is on the first floor of my house. I have big dreams for a basement studio but that's a longtime work in progress.

Right now I have a Roland Cube. It's a lot of fun and for what you get it's nice. But it doesn't have that sweet tone that these amps seem to have. Maybe I should find something smaller that's more in the middle. A lot of folks have recommended the AC4. Maybe I should take another look at that or stick with the AC10 and just pick it up new instead of used.


I own both the ac10 and the ac15 and like them both. If tremolo and two channels are important go with the 15. If portability is go with the ac10. Both sound great. In fact in someways I like the ac10 sound better, but be prepared to buy new tubes for the ac10 regardless of whether you buy it new or used.


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  #28  
Old 04-25-2017, 10:12 AM
Steely Glen Steely Glen is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrs146 View Post
You bring up a good point. Most of my playing is on my "man room" which is on the first floor of my house. I have big dreams for a basement studio but that's a longtime work in progress.

Right now I have a Roland Cube. It's a lot of fun and for what you get it's nice. But it doesn't have that sweet tone that these amps seem to have. Maybe I should find something smaller that's more in the middle. A lot of folks have recommended the AC4. Maybe I should take another look at that or stick with the AC10 and just pick it up new instead of used.
If you look at the AC4 platform, do yourself a favor and checkout models with a 12" speaker. I had an AC4TV with a 10" speaker and a tiny little cab. It sounded, well, tiny. I sold it....fast.

The AC4HW1 has a 12" speaker. It's still in a smaller cabinet than an AC10 or AC15, but does a much better job than the 10" AC4 at creating full tone. Also, the AC4HW1 has a "Cool" mode switch that attenuates the wattage. That plus the Volume and Gain knobs and you can get real tube breakup at "less than marriage breakup" volumes.
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  #29  
Old 04-25-2017, 10:53 AM
jrs146 jrs146 is offline
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And to make things worse musicians Friends gave me a coupon code for 15% off pretty much everything. It's good for 2 days...
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  #30  
Old 04-25-2017, 11:02 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrs146 View Post
...AC15 I think has my top choice for tone. It's also the most expensive and the heaviest. The trem feature is nice which none of the others have.

But it's also more than double what I was originally considering spending. That makes the V22 very appealing because it's absolutely a lot of amp for the money. I don't want to rule out the Blues Jr though...
Bought a $29 Cool Cat pedal to cover the trem duties - and I can use it with any amp that doesn't have it built in...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Glen View Post
I think you'll be happy with any one of these three. My choice would be between the AC15 and Blues Jr. I would only add none of these amps are "bedroom" amps. No, the universe isn't going to collapse if there are played in a bedroom, but you will not be able to open them up in a bedroom without disturbing those around you. So you'll need pedals or an attenuator to drive the amps...
In case you're not aware the V22 has a low-power switch on the rear panel, that not only drops the volume to more bedroom-friendly levels but also gives it a pre-Top Boost Vox AC-type tonality with the stock tubes/speaker - kind of a best-of-both-worlds scenario IMO...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Glen View Post
...do yourself a favor and checkout models with a 12" speaker. I had an AC4TV with a 10" speaker and a tiny little cab. It sounded, well, tiny. I sold it...fast...
A big +1 on the 12" speaker - there's a reason Everett Hull refused to install anything smaller in those old blue-check Ampegs...
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