vox ac15....reverb??

[tradrad]

hey there folks....
so, i have this ac15ccx1, kinda my grab and go church/home/etc amp. it WORKS, for what it does.....in fact, it sounds pretty great....until i go to the studio and play through my sommatone roaring 40!!! ouch! the difference, is well, night and day.....i guess they are really 2 different animals.....but the big kicker for me is the incredible realization that the vox reverb is pretty much unusable.
so.....i am taking on the grand endeavor (grand for me....a drummer turned guitarist!) of switching out the reverb tank on the vox....and i have a few questions.
• is just as simple as unplug/plug? is there any kind of biasing thing i'll have to be aware of?
• what are my options for this amp when it comes to tanks....what are the good ones to look for, do i need to think about changing out the tube(s) as well?
i know it's never gonna be as incredibly smooth and creamy as the sommatone verb, but making this aspect of the vox usable would be a real plus!

thanks for your time and obvious expertise....
be blessed.
d#

[gtr777]

I've thought about the same thing. I have a brit made AC15TBX and the reverb is non existant. You have to dime it Just to hear it. I'll have to follow this thread as I'd like some options too.

[wallinbb]

Originally Posted by tradrad

hey there folks....
so, i have this ac15ccx1, kinda my grab and go church/home/etc amp. it WORKS, for what it does.....in fact, it sounds pretty great....until i go to the studio and play through my sommatone roaring 40!!! ouch! the difference, is well, night and day.....i guess they are really 2 different animals.....but the big kicker for me is the incredible realization that the vox reverb is pretty much unusable.
so.....i am taking on the grand endeavor (grand for me....a drummer turned guitarist!) of switching out the reverb tank on the vox....and i have a few questions.
• is just as simple as unplug/plug? is there any kind of biasing thing i'll have to be aware of?
• what are my options for this amp when it comes to tanks....what are the good ones to look for, do i need to think about changing out the tube(s) as well?
i know it's never gonna be as incredibly smooth and creamy as the sommatone verb, but making this aspect of the vox usable would be a real plus!

thanks for your time and obvious expertise....
be blessed.
d#

Excellent first post. Welcome to TGP.

[Rattle&Hum]

Yup - plug & play.

A great option is the Accutronics 8EB2C1B (standard replacement on these amps). Here is a link for it at www.tubedepot.com - they have it (like many others) for $24.95. Very worthy upgrade...

There are some other easy yet highly effective changes you can make to improve the usability of this amp dramatically. A good alnico speaker makes a huge and immediate difference (Celestion Blue/Gold, Weber Blue Dog, Eminence Red Fang, etc). JJ/Tesla tubes are also highly recommended. I'm undertaking a project to do many more mods (some JMI spec mods, choke mod, tone cut, interactive EQ, etc) but those do require a bit of knowledge & experience.

Welcome to TGP and good luck!

[tradrad]

Originally Posted by wallinbb

Excellent first post. Welcome to TGP.

hey there....thanks mate, i think!
yeah, i've lurked forever, then joined in august and bought a stack of gear here but i've always been cautious to listen/read at LEAST twice as much as i post...there is so much knowledge on this forum, opinions as well, and i'm kinda new to high end guitar gear (a drummer by trade turned producer/composer/guitarist)
i have LOTS of opinions and knowledge on drum gear and studio stuff (mics/pre amps/etc) so feel free to utilize me if that's ever a need!!

be blessed

[tradrad]

Originally Posted by Rattle&Hum

Yup - plug & play.

A great option is the Accutronics 8EB2C1B (standard replacement on these amps). Here is a link for it at www.tubedepot.com - they have it (like many others) for $24.95. Very worthy upgrade...

There are some other easy yet highly effective changes you can make to improve the usability of this amp dramatically. A good alnico speaker makes a huge and immediate difference (Celestion Blue/Gold, Weber Blue Dog, Eminence Red Fang, etc). JJ/Tesla tubes are also highly recommended. I'm undertaking a project to do many more mods (some JMI spec mods, choke mod, tone cut, interactive EQ, etc) but those do require a bit of knowledge & experience.

Welcome to TGP and good luck!

hey thanks R and H....yeah, that looks like the ticket. done!
as for speakers, it has an alnico blue in there and it sounds a million times better than the wharfdales i've heard in other newer ac15s....
the tube thing is a great idea....if you don't mind, keep me abreast of how your other mods work out. i found a pretty cool site
http://www.guitarpug.com/2008/06/vox...uide/#more-179
and they run down a litany of useful mods....maybe as i get bolder!

thanks for the welcome all!!
be blessed....
d#

[FenderBigot]

The ACC15CC is a nice little amp even though it's made in China. I had one and got rid of it since the 'verb just sucked. I may hunt another one down and do a swap out to see if I can get it sounding like it should.

[that_brianm_guy]

Originally Posted by Rattle&Hum

Yup - plug & play.

A great option is the Accutronics 8EB2C1B (standard replacement on these amps). Here is a link for it at www.tubedepot.com - they have it (like many others) for $24.95. Very worthy upgrade...

yep, I replaced the reverb tank on mine, with this exact part - a big improvement!

[tradrad]

Originally Posted by FenderBigot

The ACC15CC is a nice little amp even though it's made in China. I had one and got rid of it since the 'verb just sucked. I may hunt another one down and do a swap out to see if I can get it sounding like it should.

HA!!!! i like your moniker! fenderbigot! that's rich!
yeah....i'm ashamed to say that the 'china' thing was a MAJOR issue for me, and i bought it as a 'throw away' amp....not really taking it as seriously as my sommatone roaring 40, 50's vibrolux or tweed bassman....but since the first chord strummed, i'm a believer.....listening with my ears and not my eyes!!
this vox sees way more 'common' play time than any of the others....they are studio bound only!

glad to hear that the reverb tank switch was a positive amongst you all....it's on order along with some JJ el84s and tungsol 12ax7s!

b blessed....d#

[terrapin]

I thought about buying this AC15, but after some playing and thinking I opted for the AC15H1tv. No reverb at all but two GREAT channels. All I have done to it is put in NOS tubes and IMO it is perfect!!

For reverb I got a Boss/Fender '63 Reverb pedal and LOVE it! IMO it works great with this amp............

[tradrad]

Originally Posted by terrapin

I thought about buying this AC15, but after some playing and thinking I opted for the AC15H1tv. No reverb at all but two GREAT channels. All I have done to it is put in NOS tubes and IMO it is perfect!!

For reverb I got a Boss/Fender '63 Reverb pedal and LOVE it! IMO it works great with this amp............

hmmmm....yeah, i actually WANTED to want the better, more expensive piece....it would've stood proudly with the rest of the boutique p2p amp stable.....but i really didn't want a 2 channel amp, and....although in need of a minor upgrade....the reverb on the import was a plus.....a simple $25 fix....
honestly....the reverb on my sommatone is SO spectacular, all else would pale, save maybe the victoria reverb box, or a splendid vintage fender reverb. just more to carry!

reading your post made me re think that amp, and made me glad i ended up where i dd! thanks.....

[Rattle&Hum]

Originally Posted by tradrad

hey thanks R and H....yeah, that looks like the ticket. done!
as for speakers, it has an alnico blue in there and it sounds a million times better than the wharfdales i've heard in other newer ac15s....
the tube thing is a great idea....if you don't mind, keep me abreast of how your other mods work out. i found a pretty cool site
http://www.guitarpug.com/2008/06/vox...uide/#more-179
and they run down a litany of useful mods....maybe as i get bolder!

Yeah, that's pretty much the best compiled list of mods for these amps, but there are a couple others out there (reverb, for example, isn't mentioned on the guitarpug site). When I do finally get around to doing the mods, I plan on posting a thread w/ process & pics.

I've got a Celestion Gold in mine - huge improvement over stock. I've had an AC15H1TV also - killer amp. Perhaps perfect with a usable master volume and/or reverb.

Oh - and the Chinese thing... Vox's factory is completely vertically integrated and they have complete control of design, process & parts - much better than simply outsourcing to an amp-building factory. These amps are solid performers for the price.

[tradrad]

Originally Posted by Rattle&Hum

Yeah, that's pretty much the best compiled list of mods for these amps, but there are a couple others out there (reverb, for example, isn't mentioned on the guitarpug site). When I do finally get around to doing the mods, I plan on posting a thread w/ process & pics.

I've got a Celestion Gold in mine - huge improvement over stock. I've had an AC15H1TV also - killer amp. Perhaps perfect with a usable master volume and/or reverb.

Oh - and the Chinese thing... Vox's factory is completely vertically integrated and they have complete control of design, process & parts - much better than simply outsourcing to an amp-building factory. These amps are solid performers for the price.

thanks bro....i'll keep a look out for that....the guitarpug site is cool, but a little stilted in the pics dept! and REALLY, how could you NOT think to change the verb tank!!! jeepers!

celestian gold?? you don't find it a little harsh/sterile in top end? that's interesting....i have one but have resisted replacing the cele blue in the vox based on how the gold sounded with my sommatone....plus, i kinda dig how the blue sounds!
thanks a ton for the info....and the +1 on the chinese thing....you're a rare breed to be so forthright about this amp being cool. i've taken a lot of 'hits' about that!
be blessed....thanks again for the link.
d#

[Rattle&Hum]

Originally Posted by tradrad

celestian gold?? you don't find it a little harsh/sterile in top end? that's interesting....i have one but have resisted replacing the cele blue in the vox based on how the gold sounded with my sommatone....plus, i kinda dig how the blue sounds!
thanks a ton for the info....and the +1 on the chinese thing....you're a rare breed to be so forthright about this amp being cool. i've taken a lot of 'hits' about that!

Well, the AC15CC is what it is - an inexpensive mass-produced amp. Its not the hand-crafted, point-to-point masterpiece that TGP members gush about, but for what it is its very usable and is about perfect for my purposes. I also think it gets an immediate bum rap just because it says "Made in China". A couple tweaks can give you great JMI-era sounds and many amp techs will tell you that far fewer of these end up on their benches than British-made Voxes. All for well under $1k.

The decision to use a Gold was two-fold: 1) the Gold is typically regarded as a bit mellower and smoother than the Blue (which is a general rule of thumb for similar speakers with different power ratings - lower power means brighter highs and higher power means smoother highs). I've heard quite the opposite about the Gold's high-end. Blues are great - and quite chimey. The Gold captures that, but smooths out the highest frequencies. You might give it a try just for giggles... I'd like to hear about someone's experience A/Bing the two back-to-back. So far, my experience (at this point limited with the Gold) tells me that both Blues & Golds are great with this amp...

[sas62florett]

Originally Posted by Rattle&Hum

Yup - plug & play.

A great option is the Accutronics 8EB2C1B (standard replacement on these amps). Here is a link for it at www.tubedepot.com - they have it (like many others) for $24.95. Very worthy upgrade...

There are some other easy yet highly effective changes you can make to improve the usability of this amp dramatically. A good alnico speaker makes a huge and immediate difference (Celestion Blue/Gold, Weber Blue Dog, Eminence Red Fang, etc). JJ/Tesla tubes are also highly recommended. I'm undertaking a project to do many more mods (some JMI spec mods, choke mod, tone cut, interactive EQ, etc) but those do require a bit of knowledge & experience.

Welcome to TGP and good luck!

Thank you very much, you 're a great help.
Regards, Jos