hayseed 30 vs vox CC// head vs combo

[gregovertone]

so in the next month, im getting a vox amp. im gassing soo hard.
unfortunately, the models im looking at aren't available by me, so i gotta go sight unseen. im looking at
-vox ac30cc
-hayseed 30

they both look great. the reverb and trem aren't too important to me. just the tone of the amp.

is the combo the safe move? i have some good cabs, but no blues.

i really value your opinions!
thanks!

 

[QuickDraw]

Personally, i would go with the hayseed, why go for something run of the mill when you can have something custom made, the build quality looks excellent.

i'm sure wordsonyou will chime in on this one.

btw i made a ac30 head, that i use with a matchless cab and it sounds AWESOME!!! the ac30 does not need the blues to sound great, but they don't hurt either

 

[IPlayHamers]

A second vote for the Hayseed. While I hear the AC30CC sounds really good, I'd be a little concerned when it comes to repairs. They are very close in price, so I would go with the Hayseed because of it's PTP wiring and also for the level of personal service that is hard to get from a big company.

As far as speakers, I bet a blue and a G12H-30 would sound great together with either of these amps.

 

[WrapAround]

I don't think you can go wrong either way. They are both great sounding amps. PTP doesn't always mean trouble-free and PCB doesn't necessarily mean trouble-prone, either. Get both and keep the one you like better.

 

[QuickDraw]

good point on the pcb vs. ptp, but if i had 2 amps that were the same circuit and both of them had the same problem, the PTP would most likely be the easiest/cheapest to service.

 

[ericb]

I very rarely think of serviceability when buying an amp and never ever have let pcp vs ptp be any selling point. If an amp needs much in the way of serviceability it either is built like crud, or someone didn't use it correctly, or it was caused by bad tubes,etc.. Like tube shorting out , taking out resisters with it. Amps should last.. . 99% of the amps are built to survive shipping, potholes, beerspills, bad voltage and whatever. I DO think of "RELIABILITY" heavily though when I've heard repeated reports of problems with a certain amp.. I've never heard of any reports of problems with ac30's built in the KORG era.. .(maybe I'm wrong , but I've never heard of any repetitive problems) .. Everyone knows about 60's Ac30 problems.... Surely haven't heard of the CC problems yet ,nor have I heard a Hayseed.

I'd love to own 1 of each.. I"d love a Hayseed, a CC , a RI and a JMI... BUT the #1 thing that should count to you , unless of course you tour and these are constantly on buses, airplanes, up and down stairs, on trucks cross-country is SOUND........... If anyone's actually worried about a guitar amp breaking down carrying it from 1 end of a house to another , man I'm a worry-wart about lots of things but that ain't one of them!!! I would never ever buy an amp , worrying about what would happen when it breaks. I'd hope it doesn't. I have amps from the 70's and 80's that have never broken and they were very abused. Of course everyone's mileage will vary . Also newer stuff tends not to be built as well, so perhaps the Hayseed would be more durable! I kick myself for not buying that blue glitter Hayseed a few weeks ago
ERIC

 

[QuickDraw]

PTP is a selling point to me, pcb is great if you like the stock circuit but you're stuck with it. with PtP you can tweak and tune the amp to your liking, and add features easily.

but i know this isn't as important to everyone, just my $.02

 

[IPlayHamers]

Originally posted by QuickDraw
PTP is a selling point to me, pcb is great if you like the stock circuit but you're stuck with it. with PtP you can tweak and tune the amp to your liking, and add features easily.

but i know this isn't as important to everyone, just my $.02

Thats a good point. I few resistor or cap changes and you can tailor the amp to your liking.

I'm in no way trying to put down PCB based amps, I even own a few, but in this instance and since the prices are simular, I'd go with the Hayseed.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Mark C]

I agree with the hayseed since trem and verb aren't that important to you. Plus, you could conceivably get some blues from Avatar and have a combo with two blues for less than the price of a Custom Classic with blues.

 

[IPlayHamers]

Originally posted by Mark C
I agree with the hayseed since trem and verb aren't that important to you. Plus, you could conceivably get some blues from Avatar and have a combo with two blues for less than the price of a Custom Classic with blues.

Another very good reason to go with the Hayseed IMHO.

 

[ericb]

Originally posted by QuickDraw
PTP is a selling point to me, pcb is great if you like the stock circuit but you're stuck with it. with PtP you can tweak and tune the amp to your liking, and add features easily.

but i know this isn't as important to everyone, just my $.02

That's a great point , as long as you know how to do that stuff yourself! But if you're constantly tweaking and paying 40-80.00 /hour bench charge and waiting 2 weeks to 2 months to get your amp back , you'll never play with it and enjoy it!! BUT, I fully agree if you're a tweaker yourself and don't know how to alter pcb work it's MUCH ezier for the ptp.. Hell even I mangled my Twin (all alone!) .. .Just kidding I blackfaced it and fixed a few problems with it.

ERIC

 

[wordsonyou]

Both great amps!! Really the CC and the Hayseed both sound fabulous, and now that you can get a hayseed with a master volume and reverb it would really just come down to how important the pcb vs. ptp thing is to you. The Hayseed is wired superbly btw, like a matchless lightning in terms of neatness and style using turrets.

I've been a/b ing them like mad over the last weeks. The Hayseed is brighter and more aggressive out of the gates and you can manually bridge the channels. The CC is plenty bright if you want it to be but is less aggressive - you have to start getting the volume to 11-12 O'clock to get break up, with the hayseed this happens at about 9 o'clock (using single coils). Also with the CC you can internally link the channels and select whether the normal channel is a regular normal channel or a brilliant channel in a Vox AC30T model which is a new sound unto itself. The CC's bridgeable channels are in phase, the hayseeds are out of phase as like all 60's tb models. The master on the CC is incredibly useable.

To get classic chime on the cc you would have bass and treble at 12 O'clock with some minor adjustments, on the hayseed equivalent chime happens at treble 9-10 O'clock and bass at 12 O'clock.

They are both awesome. If you want a more aggressive package get the hayseed, if you want something less aggressive than that but more aggressive than the Vox HW model (sort of a medium agression thing) then the CC is your ticket.

For tone, I will alternate depending on which guitar I use. Eventually I will sell one or the other because they are a bit duplicative, but I will take my time on making that assessment.

You get a serviceable trem and verb on the CC but they ain't a brown fender trem nor a 3 knob fender verb if you get my drift.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[GMo]

Where does one buy a hayseed?

 

[wordsonyou]

Originally posted by GMo
Where does one buy a hayseed?

www.valvetechamps.com
The hayseed is not listed on the site but you can contact Rob for details.

 

[propska]

I just got a hayseed that I'm running through a weber alnico silver and blue. In my opinion, if you want that AC30 tone, you need to run through blues type speakers. I remeber A/Bing a greenback and blues loaded AC30 Reissue a few months back and the blues made a world of a difference.

I can't really comment on the CC, but comparing the hayseed to my friend's reissue, the hayseed is brighter and in the upper mids and has more of a chime. The reissue is smoother. Overall, though, they sound pretty similar.

One more thing to consider. The Hayseed design has better ventilation for the tubes than the ac30s. I'm not sure how much this affects tube life, tone, etc., but it worries me when a tube amp gets so hot that you can't touch the front panel.

 

[gregovertone]

wow--
this is some really insightful stuff. its really a tough call.

i just found out that a store about an hour from me will soon have the CC's.
im going to bring my friends korg RI, and compare.

and of course i just found a korg RI for $1000, which makes all decisions harder.

BUT, i really want a master volume.

i still can't decide between a head vs' a combo. i could always just get a pair of blues, and throw them in a 2x12, so i don't know.

can anyone persuade me for a combo or a head????

thanks again!

 

[IPlayHamers]

Personally I'd go with the head, because of the weight issue. Also, it would be easier to try the head with different cabs.

I love the Top Boost Vox circuit through a V30 loaded 412 at full bore. Sounds amazing.

 

[gregovertone]

good call......
im just afraid im gonna regret getting one or the other!

the head is the logical choice---im just afraid it wont have that ac30 magic---
whenever i think of the ac30---- i just think of a comob.....

although.....
ac30 head, on an orange 2x12, loaded with blues....

i think that would look pretty sharp

 

[morgan]

Well, you need blues in any case to really nail the vox tone IMO.

As a hayseed owner (and an ac15, and former ac30HW owner), the hayseed is a great choice. You can get reverb on them now, the master vol works great, and you get great service and price for a handbuilt amp.

OTOH, you can try a CC at the store and it's got a ton of features. My hayseed 2x12 and blues (from avatar) did cost less than a similiar CC though, so if that's a concern. Either way, you can't make a bad choice though.

 

[WrapAround]

Does anyone know if Hayseed has a post-PI master?

i don't know if you gig much but changing tubes in the CC is a pain. I usually have a spare amp on stage, though.