NAD: Vox AC10C1

[lppier]

This is my first tube amp - now I know what I was missing. All that time spent using amp emulators. There’s just something - feel I think when you’re playing through a tube amp, like I can dig in more? Not sure how to describe it. It just makes me wanna play more. This amp definitely has all the vox tones you could want, takes pedals pretty well too. Happy purchase!

[Chickee]

What a great amp that AC10 is. Congratulations. A real workhorse combo. You will enjoy it for many years.

[Steve DeRosa]

I've played through a few of these, and while I really don't need another amp there's something about this one - and the big-brother AC30S1 1x12" combo (same preamp, full AC30 power section, 20 pounds lighter than the Beatle-approved original) - that just draws you in; BTW if you anticipate playing larger gigs, the AC30 version just got what appears to be a factory-authorized $200 price drop - well worth checking out, especially during Cyber/Christmas/New Year's coupon days...

Maybe I'm a bit partial, but if you don't already own a Gretsch with one of these amps, you should - every classic pre-Rubber Soul tone you've ever heard is in there. FWIW the last AC10 I checked out was with a Korean-made 5622 like this one; FYI they've been discontinued in favor of a Chinese version (note the Super Hi-lo'Trons and cream-colored guard/surrounds on the MIK - Chinese has full-size humbuckers and silver plasticware, pickups and QC aren't even close IME) so if you're interested you might want to take the plunge now - if you're an early Beatles fan as I am, pull out your best King George licks and this combination will bring tears to your eyes:



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...ay-with-bigsby

[Dru Edwards]

Fantastic! A great tube amp can do wonders ... as long as it's not 100w and you have to crank it, lol. It also depends on the quality of the modeler/digital amp you're comparing it to.

[Chickee]

If you are a tinkerer and like to hotrod your gear now and then, these AC10’s take well to speaker and tube upgrades.
Speaker choices are limited to total depth of 4.25”. There is just no room to spare in the cabinet. But Greenbacks and Creambacks fit beautifully. For tubes, the world is your oyster. Ultimately, I went with a Celestion 10” Creamback 45w, 16ohm replacement for some extra clean headroom and a full set of Russian made Genalex Gold Lion tubes. The end result is a sub thirty pound combo that holds up well to a med/soft level playing rock format. Great for cool jazz and Texas blues on small stages(if we ever get back to that). You are going to love your amp as you break it in. Have fun!

[DukeX]

Those are very popular over at the Telecaster forum. Players of all experience levels love them...and for a great price.

[lppier]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

I've played through a few of these, and while I really don't need another amp there's something about this one - and the big-brother AC30S1 1x12" combo (same preamp, full AC30 power section, 20 pounds lighter than the Beatle-approved original) - that just draws you in; BTW if you anticipate playing larger gigs, the AC30 version just got what appears to be a factory-authorized $200 price drop - well worth checking out, especially during Cyber/Christmas/New Year's coupon days...

Maybe I'm a bit partial, but if you don't already own a Gretsch with one of these amps, you should - every classic pre-Rubber Soul tone you've ever heard is in there. FWIW the last AC10 I checked out was with a Korean-made 5622 like this one; FYI they've been discontinued in favor of a Chinese version (note the Super Hi-lo'Trons and cream-colored guard/surrounds on the MIK - Chinese has full-size humbuckers and silver plasticware, pickups and QC aren't even close IME) so if you're interested you might want to take the plunge now - if you're an early Beatles fan as I am, pull out your best King George licks and this combination will bring tears to your eyes:



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...ay-with-bigsby

Haha .. nonono .. told myself this amp is the last gear purchase this year [emoji28]
Don’t put ideas in my head!

[lppier]

Originally Posted by Chickee

If you are a tinkerer and like to hotrod your gear now and then, these AC10’s take well to speaker and tube upgrades.
Speaker choices are limited to total depth of 4.25”. There is just no room to spare in the cabinet. But Greenbacks and Creambacks fit beautifully. For tubes, the world is your oyster. Ultimately, I went with a Celestion 10” Creamback 45w, 16ohm replacement for some extra clean headroom and a full set of Russian made Genalex Gold Lion tubes. The end result is a sub thirty pound combo that holds up well to a med/soft level playing rock format. Great for cool jazz and Texas blues on small stages(if we ever get back to that). You are going to love your amp as you break it in. Have fun!

Thanks for the tip, think I’ll leave it stock for now, already love the sound as it is right now!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Chickee

If you are a tinkerer and like to hotrod your gear now and then, these AC10’s take well to speaker and tube upgrades...Ultimately, I went with a Celestion 10” Creamback 45w, 16ohm replacement for some extra clean headroom and a full set of Russian made Genalex Gold Lion tubes. The end result is a sub thirty pound combo that holds up well to a med/soft level playing rock format. Great for cool jazz and Texas blues on small stages...

Looks like great minds think alike - seems Vox produces a factory hot-rodded version of the AC10 with a Creamback and upgraded tubes (they use JJ's) for a $100 upcharge:



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampl...r-and-jj-tubes

[lppier]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Fantastic! A great tube amp can do wonders ... as long as it's not 100w and you have to crank it, lol. It also depends on the quality of the modeler/digital amp you're comparing it to.

Curious, what modeler do you think captures the feel of the tube amp?

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Looks like great minds think alike - seems Vox produces a factory hot-rodded version of the AC10 with a Creamback and upgraded tubes (they use JJ's) for a $100 upcharge:



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampl...r-and-jj-tubes

Wow. Who knew?

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by lppier

Curious, what modeler do you think captures the feel of the tube amp?

Great question but one I can't answer. I have a bunch of tube amps and that's all I play. I have read about Kemper, Fractal Axe FX, and Line 6 Helix systems and they all seem to be fantastic, albeit with different interfaces. They're also very $$$ so you can't compare them to the Katana / Mustang amps.