Looking for a good (low price) practice amp

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by terrapin

Both amps are local to you. Go play them both and make your decision. Steve and I obviously have different tastes in amps. Neither of us are wrong. The amp will be yours, not ours.

What Russ says. I'd be leaning Vox, but your ears have to be the final judge.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by terrapin

...Steve and I obviously have different tastes in amps...The amp will be yours, not ours.

Not as different as you think, Russ - I was around to hear the American debut of Vox on the night of February 9, 1964, and I can (and do) pull up "Shea '65" AC100 tones from my V22 when the material requires. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I've been playing CCM/P&W for my entire adult life and I've worked with the instrumentation the OP is using, in the style that he describes thus: "...a little bit unique for Worship music, it is very organic with acoustics, djembes, darboukas and congas along with piano and cello so I have been hesitant to add the electric thus far (my emphasis)." If he was doing some harder-edged stuff (for what I presume would be a younger congregation overall than his present ministry) with bass and a full drum kit, I'd have recommended the AC15 in a minute, especially at the price (comparable to a new V22) and with the mods already in place; thing is, crunch, chime, and drive are exactly what he doesn't need - and based on my own experience as both a secular and church musician (and our PM's) a more-characteristically "American" tone would be better-suited to both his style of music and the congregation's needs. As you stated, the amp - and the ultimate decision - will be his, not ours...

"Praise the Lord, utter thanks;
Jehovah's praise forever shall endure, amen!"
Franz Joseph Haydn, The Creation

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Not as different as you think, Russ - I was around to hear the American debut of Vox on the night of February 9, 1964, and I can (and do) pull up "Shea '65" AC100 tones from my V22 when the material requires. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I've been playing CCM/P&W for my entire adult life and I've worked with the instrumentation the OP is using, in the style that he describes thus: "...a little bit unique for Worship music, it is very organic with acoustics, djembes, darboukas and congas along with piano and cello so I have been hesitant to add the electric thus far (my emphasis)." If he was doing some harder-edged stuff (for what I presume would be a younger congregation overall than his present ministry) with bass and a full drum kit, I'd have recommended the AC15 in a minute, especially at the price (comparable to a new V22) and with the mods already in place; thing is, crunch, chime, and drive are exactly what he doesn't need - and based on my own experience as both a secular and church musician (and our PM's) a more-characteristically "American" tone would be better-suited to both his style of music and the congregation's needs. As you stated, the amp - and the ultimate decision - will be his, not ours...

"Praise the Lord, utter thanks;
Jehovah's praise forever shall endure, amen!"
Franz Joseph Haydn, The Creation

Your points are well taken, and I should have read the OP better. I agree that the Fender sound will probably serve his needs much better. I play P&W and mostly use a Fargen Ac15 and it is perfect, but my situation is very different (less organic). BTW, I was around and watched that same N. American debut of the AC! My AC15 is a clone of a '59 (EF86 preamp).

[LewisBrookshire]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Not as different as you think, Russ - I was around to hear the American debut of Vox on the night of February 9, 1964, and I can (and do) pull up "Shea '65" AC100 tones from my V22 when the material requires. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I've been playing CCM/P&W for my entire adult life and I've worked with the instrumentation the OP is using, in the style that he describes thus: "...a little bit unique for Worship music, it is very organic with acoustics, djembes, darboukas and congas along with piano and cello so I have been hesitant to add the electric thus far (my emphasis)." If he was doing some harder-edged stuff (for what I presume would be a younger congregation overall than his present ministry) with bass and a full drum kit, I'd have recommended the AC15 in a minute, especially at the price (comparable to a new V22) and with the mods already in place; thing is, crunch, chime, and drive are exactly what he doesn't need - and based on my own experience as both a secular and church musician (and our PM's) a more-characteristically "American" tone would be better-suited to both his style of music and the congregation's needs. As you stated, the amp - and the ultimate decision - will be his, not ours...

"Praise the Lord, utter thanks;
Jehovah's praise forever shall endure, amen!"
Franz Joseph Haydn, The Creation

Surprisingly enough (or maybe not) our congregation is fairly young (with the average being around 30-35, though we have some as old as 70 and as young as infants).

I myself am the oldest member of our band and I am only 35. The influence of music I have listened to before and after my conversion ( Pink Floyd, The Dead, Moody Blues, Rusted Root, Water Deep, Burlap to Cashmere, etc) has directly influenced our style of Worship. I would liken it to the first three "Enter the Worship Circle" albums or "Lion of Judah" if you are familiar. I will post a link below to youtube to give you a representation......and maybe this will solidify or possibly change your suggestion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnGlAzmHxTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T3jU_4f4m8


But in the end the amp will be used at home in my office 99.9% of the time with the slight, very minor chance I will use it at church (Some day....maybe.). So I don't know if the style of our Worship music should be the deciding factor. In my office it will be used to play the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dave Mathews, The Dead, Moody Blues, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, John Scofield, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, etc.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by terrapin

...I play P&W and mostly use a Fargen Ac15 and it is perfect, but my situation is very different (less organic)...

Seems they've been around longer than most people realize - the first time we played electric back in the mid/late-60's "folk" days some of the ushers mumbled something about "those Fargen amplifiers"...

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Reviveourhomes

Surprisingly enough (or maybe not) our congregation is fairly young (with the average being around 30-35, though we have some as old as 70 and as young as infants).

I myself am the oldest member of our band and I am only 35. The influence of music I have listened to before and after my conversion ( Pink Floyd, The Dead, Moody Blues, Rusted Root, Water Deep, Burlap to Cashmere, etc) has directly influenced our style of Worship. I would liken it to the first three "Enter the Worship Circle" albums or "Lion of Judah" if you are familiar. I will post a link below to youtube to give you a representation......and maybe this will solidify or possibly change your suggestion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnGlAzmHxTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T3jU_4f4m8


But in the end the amp will be used at home in my office 99.9% of the time with the slight, very minor chance I will use it at church (Some day....maybe.). So I don't know if the style of our Worship music should be the deciding factor. In my office it will be used to play the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dave Mathews, The Dead, Moody Blues, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, John Scofield, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, etc.

Buy the HRD and the Vox, run them in stereo and you will be set for any and all situations!!!

[LewisBrookshire]

Annnnnnnnnnnddddddddd...........



I ended up getting the Fender and I am very pleased. Amp sound Amazing!! It is dead mint came with the foot switch and has all new tubes.

[terrapin]

Congratulations! Nothing better than a amp that makes you smile when you play! BTW, I love that Dano! I have a Strat with lipstick pickups.....very fun!

[LewisBrookshire]

Originally Posted by terrapin

Congratulations! Nothing better than a amp that makes you smile when you play! BTW, I love that Dano! I have a Strat with lipstick pickups.....very fun!

Thanks, i just replaced the stock bridge with a bridge from a U3 that you can intonate. Plus its not a "Floating" bridge and can be screwed down firm to the body and it helped the Sustain tremendously!

[David Eastwood]

I think you got a super deal - that's a lot of amplifier for $290.

And your Dano makes me wish I still had my Hodad

[ahorsewithnonam]

You should be arrested! You stole that amp!

That amp loves pedals.....enjoy.

My newest board......Thru my HotRod..

[LewisBrookshire]

Originally Posted by ahorsewithnonam

You should be arrested! You stole that amp!

That amp loves pedals.....enjoy.

My newest board......Thru my HotRod..

I had actually decided to go with the Vox AC15c1 and when I texted the Fender guy to let Him know He offered to sell it to me at a discounted price If i bought it today. At $290 it was an offer I couldnt refuse......lol.


I really like the clean sound with this Fender but the overdrive channel leaves a little bit to be desired. Now I need to find a find a good overdrive pedal......(any suggestions based on the music styles I mentioned earlier??)



.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Reviveourhomes

...I really like the clean sound with this Fender but the overdrive channel leaves a little bit to be desired...

First off, congratulations - and you would have been crazy not to take it at that price...

As far as the OD channel is concerned, in what way does it leave something to be desired? You mention in one of your posts that the amp has all new tubes; as a long-time tube amp junkie, I'm thinking that may have a lot to do with it. As I'm sure you've begun to learn from this thread tube amps can be wonderful beasts if properly fed, and in this case that means finding the right tubes to give you the sound you're after - IMO one of the benefits of tube equipment. What many players don't know (especially those who have come up with solid-state and/or modeling amps) is that supposedly electronically-identical tubes can produce radically different tones depending on manufacturer, vintage, and (in the case of preamp tubes) position in the amp circuit; in other words, a 12AX7 (the most common type of preamp tube - these are the three small tubes in your Deluxe) made by Mullard will sound different from one made for the U.S. military by RCA (also known as JAN - for Joint Army-Navy - these are considered the Holy Grail for owners of pre-silverface Fender amps), and savvy pickers will use these characteristics to good advantage. It's not unusual for some players to have three or four different makers' tubes in different positions in the preamp stage - and changing their respective positions will dramatically alter the tone and response; similarly, changing the power tubes (the two large ones) will increase or decrease the headroom at the power stage, affecting the onset of power-tube distortion...

I know it's a lot to handle at one sitting, so I'm posting some links below that'll help you understand how to build your signature sound with simple tube swaps:

http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...um-Tube-Basics
http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...fo/Gain-Factor
http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...nfo/Bias-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/12AX7-ECC83-Tube-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/6L6-5881-Tube-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/12AX7-Tube-Review
http://www.thetubestore.com/6L6-Tube-Review
http://www.thetubestore.com/Shop-by-Amp/Hot-Rod-Amps

The last link will hook you up with some tried-&-true tube packages for your amp; should you not find exactly what you're after, don't hesitate to give these guys a call - they know their stuff, and their customer service is first-rate - they'll be more than glad to point you in the right direction...

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Reviveourhomes

I had actually decided to go with the Vox AC15c1 and when I texted the Fender guy to let Him know He offered to sell it to me at a discounted price If i bought it today. At $290 it was an offer I couldnt refuse......lol.


I really like the clean sound with this Fender but the overdrive channel leaves a little bit to be desired. Now I need to find a find a good overdrive pedal......(any suggestions based on the music styles I mentioned earlier??)



.

That's exactly how I feel about the HRD. Great clean channel, but I did not like the OD channel. No matter, a good clean channel and a few pedals is all a man needs!

[LewisBrookshire]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

First off, congratulations - and you would have been crazy not to take it at that price...

As far as the OD channel is concerned, in what way does it leave something to be desired? You mention in one of your posts that the amp has all new tubes; as a long-time tube amp junkie, I'm thinking that may have a lot to do with it. As I'm sure you've begun to learn from this thread tube amps can be wonderful beasts if properly fed, and in this case that means finding the right tubes to give you the sound you're after - IMO one of the benefits of tube equipment. What many players don't know (especially those who have come up with solid-state and/or modeling amps) is that supposedly electronically-identical tubes can produce radically different tones depending on manufacturer, vintage, and (in the case of preamp tubes) position in the amp circuit; in other words, a 12AX7 (the most common type of preamp tube - these are the three small tubes in your Deluxe) made by Mullard will sound different from one made for the U.S. military by RCA (also known as JAN - for Joint Army-Navy - these are considered the Holy Grail for owners of pre-silverface Fender amps), and savvy pickers will use these characteristics to good advantage. It's not unusual for some players to have three or four different makers' tubes in different positions in the preamp stage - and changing their respective positions will dramatically alter the tone and response; similarly, changing the power tubes (the two large ones) will increase or decrease the headroom at the power stage, affecting the onset of power-tube distortion...

I know it's a lot to handle at one sitting, so I'm posting some links below that'll help you understand how to build your signature sound with simple tube swaps:

http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...um-Tube-Basics
http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...fo/Gain-Factor
http://www.thetubestore.com/Resource...nfo/Bias-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/12AX7-ECC83-Tube-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/6L6-5881-Tube-Types
http://www.thetubestore.com/12AX7-Tube-Review
http://www.thetubestore.com/6L6-Tube-Review
http://www.thetubestore.com/Shop-by-Amp/Hot-Rod-Amps

The last link will hook you up with some tried-&-true tube packages for your amp; should you not find exactly what you're after, don't hesitate to give these guys a call - they know their stuff, and their customer service is first-rate - they'll be more than glad to point you in the right direction...

Once again you provide extensive info, thank you!

The new tubes are just stock replacements, nothing special. I think I am going to play with the amp for a while to get comfortable with it before I go replacing things but I can say like I do with all things I am sure I will mod this amp at some point. Any recommendations speakers as well would be appreciated for future reference.

I wanted to thank all you guys again for your patience and help working through this!



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