Thank you for your great work ! I' m not a tech but I love these videos. So much to learn. I found the cabinet screws lesson very helpful. I have a 2016 limited edition AC 15 C1 in Tan Bronco and I love the sounds and the reverb. I also have a 1974 Pro Reverb and so I can compare the reverb quality.
Just traded in my Fender BJ that had Bill M mods and a new speaker for an AC15. Thank you so much for all the info you provided that helped steer me in that direction.
I have the big brother of this amp briefly mentioned here, the AC15C2. Which comes with 2x 12 inch speakers, has served me for hundreds of shows from small clubs (100-300 cap) to large venues (1000-3000 cap). Interesting to note the normal channel voicing, thanks for the info and great video.
I have a Vox AC30C2 reissue after they worked out some of the kinks and it is a great amp just replaced the tubes and I love it.Vox tremolo sounds really good to my ears.Different than a Fender tremolo .Very infomative channel my friend.I use JJ tubes.Great Advice on using proper hardware
Hi congrats on the 25k just wanted to say I really enjoy the channel and your no nonsense slow key style. I have no interest in fixing an amp myself as I like being alive but find the shows informative and fun. Cheers, Neil, Manchester, UK
Once you drain the caps your life is safe while poking around inside, but if you do NOT drain the caps - watch out! An amp tech told me about touching a live amp with a screwdriver which subsequently shot out of his hand and embedded itself in the all behind him!
Good stuff, Lyle. As the happy owner of one of these fine amps, it's great to see you take a deep dive into it. While I prefer the clean tones of my Fenders, this is the amp I usually bring along, simply because it's so much more versatile and capable of many styles of music without needing pedals.
Great video! I just bought a brand new Vox AC15C1 at Sweetwater because of this video. I’m happy to report that mine came with a Ruby Tubes Reverb tank like this one.
These are very nice amps for the price. One mod I like with these and the 30, is to fit a mini toggle in allowing me to switch between the normal and bright coupling cap value. The more compact ac10 is also a great value, but with one HUGE caveat- they replace the first gain stage triode with a FET. Most will never notice the difference, EXCEPT for people who like to boost the front end with an overdrive pedal+ here is where the FET does rear its head
Well great to see your expert knowledge on this Amp,i used to own many 60s AC30s sadly they all burnt up while playing ,my AC50 never had a problem rock solid, used an 100 w ACOUSTIC amp that blew the buildings down ,then later moved back to an AC15 c1 for the house ,at first i did miss the twin BLUE ALNICO speakers, but apart from that was very pleased with it, and found it very controllable unlike the vintage ones ,neither was i disappointed when it was cranked up full it did miss the blue twins then ,sounds great at lowish levels meaning amp working above half but not full guitar on half,it seems ok with pedals too,going to change tubes for JJs ,get a cab with Alnico twin blues perfect, They are great for any Amp , nice to see you had no major problems with this amp,keep up the good work
Awesome Video, you. I always wanted a vox but couldn’t afford the tag on a hand wired non PCB. So I built one, those of you who that have the ability to I highly recommend this amp. I built mine(non reverb) AC-15 using Hoffman’s Board based off of Sluckey’s 1960’s vox. I was the Guinea pig building this when it was first designed. Check it out, Hoffman, el34 world and Sluckey amps. You’re going to dig Sluckeys designs.
Just wana say thanks for making these videos. Just recently found your channel and you really know your stuff. Videos are a bit long but long for a purpose and you inform your viewers on every relevant aspect of the amps you break down.
I had the ac15c1x for 3,5 years, played it every day at home and rehersal with not even a hickup during those 3,5 years, in my opinion it is a superior amp to lets say a Blues Junior in every way.I only sold it because i got a H&K Puretone so the Vox didn't get much attention anymore😕,still sad about it.Thank you for the video, I love this channel.
Love the custom colors. Looks great in red. Purple would look cool next to it if you had two. ;) I had a purple AC30 TBX I regret selling. These AC15's are good little amps for the money if you find one used. Nice video....Thanks again!
I own this in head + 2x12 cab format. The extra 12" gives it a bit more body and low end, and it doesn't hurt that they are Greenbacks too. If I want the classic chimey sound, I'll play my AC4 with a 1x12 Celestion Blue. Best of all worlds!
Great amp! I use mine in the pit with a semi-hollow and of course a Ric 660/12. Nice clean tones with the semi-hollow, and the Ric was made to be run through a Vox. Find it takes pedals really well if done in moderation. Run a bit of compression chorus and reverb to taste. Mikes well to the house.
I bought an AC30CC head a number of years ago. I got it for a great price because the reverb wasn’t working. When I got it and opened it up the problem was very obvious. The tanks RCA plugs weren’t plugged in! Plugged them in and…glorious Vox reverb.
I haven't finished the video yet, but as an aside, I believe all Vox amps from the Dallas Arbiter era to when Korg made the AC15/30TB amps were solid state rectified. My AC30 has a solid state rectifier and no standby switch and one of the last of the old hand-wired models. According to North Coast Music these AC30s put out closer to 40 watts than 30. I've currently got Electro Harmonix 7025s in the preamp and they've held up fine, tho my amp only sees bedroom use.
i have the blue and cream version, almost the same month as your red one. i like using an aby pedal in the top boost input as well as the normal. i've changed the tubes and reverb tank and it sounds much better. great amp! thanks for the great review!
I’ve got one of these with the creambacks paired with a 5F6a clone as a wet/dry rig and it’s the BEST tone I’ve gotten in the past 20 years… I’ve had the boutique Morgan’s, Badcat’s etc, and those are great amps… But I personally don’t hear a difference tone-wise and I can tote my AC15 anywhere to any gig and I’m not constantly worried about it getting damaged. These are workhorse amps for real working musicians.
I am starting to like my AC15C1X after damping my stock chinese tubes with some cork pieces I am cutting and experimenting. Also the main pcb has to have somethin damping it in the middle, close to the power tubes connector socket. I still got some ringing, maybe a tube filament (EL84). The main power transformer has a thin metal cover that rings on some frequency, so I stuck a piece of styrofoam that dampens it. I suspect the pcb tube sockets rub against the chassis, will investigate. I got a more defined tone, and it is ringing nice at high gain as guitar combos should. You got to really crank it with some overdrive (I like he treble booster) then explore the weird resonances. I also removed all of those cheap tube retainers, since the sockets hold those tubes so well, and they also introduce weird resonances. Awesome channel with tons of info!
The only advantage of a tube rectifier is that the B+ voltage rises softly when tube rectifier warms up. If the tube recifier voltage sag is what you want, it can be quite accurately achieved just by using in series with a solid state rectifier a series resistor which roughly matches the inner resistance of the tube rectifier (which is of course not constant, but quite close) at normal operating point. And if you have original unused NOS Mullard/Miniwatt GZ34 rectifiers, you probably will notice that they give full B+ voltage so quickly that the cold start max B+ will be at the same level as by using SS rectifier without preheating, only for a bit shorter time. SS rectifier allows using much much higher B+ filter caps as well because for example 1 amp rectifier diodes of today can handle huge short time surge currents without problem.
I have a Vox AC30C2X...gotta love the blue speakers. They knock off a tiny amount of top end which is good because the Vox has heaps... An amazing amp.
Unlike a Fender combo or a dual input Marshall, both input jacks work at the same time (at least, in the one I tried 10 years ago or so). I was able to hook up an ABY box and footswitch between both channels. Takes some tweaking of the channel eq's (tone ctls and top cut) to balance it out, but the salesman was intrigued that it was able to be set up that way.
I am enjoying your content and appreciate the information you provide. Have you had any dealings with Hughes & Kettner amps, specifically the the GM40. Would like to see the guts on that picked apart.
Ended up returning my ac10 to grab a used ac15 because of your insight, i have a good feeling this is going to be my holy grail amp! I loved the ac10 didnt stop playing it for the month i had it. The thing i liked ab it is that it basically plays itself!
@@lauratanner8475 yep! I have zero regrets trading up. I actually got lucky and the one i got looked barely used inside and out. Also the previous owner had already did the reverb tank swap that Mr. Psonic did. Looking for a nice delay pedal now to round off my rig
@@brendanjames8818 hey that's awesome 👍. I missed whether or not this amp has an fx loop. Delays, especially digital ones, sound much better in the loop than in front of the amp. It's usually not too bad with clean tones but definitely beneficial for dirty tones.
@@lauratanner8475 it does not sadly but i mainly use it very clean, only breaks up ever slightly when i really dig in on the strings. Its more of a squish sound than a break. My main source of dirt is a JPTR FX pedal (katastrophe)
Amazing videos! Thanks so much! I am surprised by your dislike of the Traynor YGM 3. You mentioned in another video that they are cheaply made and sound crappy (paraphrasing here) I have had quite a few over the years and found no cheapness at all. AFAIK similar resistors and caps to the YBA. OF course, replace the dynamite stick power caps, The weak point IMHO is the terrible Marsland speaker. The Reverb is also too much even at modest settings. There are good mods available to channel more signal to the next stage and remove the excessive reverb. Also i tend to slow the trem down and rearrange the bright cap setup I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this
Had mine for 10 years, all original (except for the tubes). Been with me on a lot of gigs and rehearsals. Never failed me once. Great pedal platform too. Love this amp!
Absolutely awesome video. There's a drop out happening on my clean boost so it gave me the confidence up open it up and check the input jack. Also super big question! Is it possible to add an FX loop to these amps?? Thank you!!
Great Video. Hugely informative. I only wish you had a camera (or a mirror?) on the control panel of the amp so we could constantly see the settings as you play.
Great series of videos. Thanks! Question, If I buy a AC 15 used, for say, $500, What is my worst case scenario for professional repairs if I get a lemon? Is there anything which is completely unavailable? I am good with tools, but I know almost mothing about solid state electronics. If it was a '72 Cadillac, I could re-wire it from scratch (that is what I used to do for a living - automotive electrical, pre computers) I am not going to play it 2000 hours a year, more like 250 - 300 hours.
I enjoy your videos and information which has saved me a lot of money and headaches. Most of the amps I like that would be a stable option have no effects loop. I use a delay a lot and this is a problem for me. Hopefully I can find a good tube amp with an effects loop under $1000. Thanks for your info.
Thanks. I would point out that Edge, Radiohead, Gilmour, Page, and May have all done very well for themselves running delays in front of the amp. And it offers the neat trick where trailing repeats get clean but initial repeats can break up. Loops are really only really needed with higher gain amps where time based effects would fall apart with the distortion and compression. That said, the AC30C2 has a good effects loop.
@@PsionicAudio Thank you. I use clean, bluesy and high gain which is why I need the effects loop. Delay and reverb just don't work well with my needs in the front end. The only other solution would be a clean amp and then use pedals, but I prefer good tube overdrive vs pedal circuit gain. Thanks again.
Thank you very much about this valuable info. I have the AC15c2 and I finally got a proper answer to my question - should I bother with the standby switch or not. I have not heard the AC15c1, but my c2 sounds amazing.
my Vox AC 10, the little brother to this guy, has the same amazingly sweet tone thats really unlike any other amp, at least that i've ever tried... my one complaint is; it just seems a little noisier than it maybe should...i don't really know if its me or not, but my other tube amps like my old music man hd 135 is much quieter .... i found it interesting that the problem cited with your amp here is a noisy channel... anyone else have issue this i wonder?.... thanks again, great stuff!
My ac10 was quiet when I first got it, then I switched the tubes to sovteks and the speaker to a creamback, and now it has noticable white noise in the background, wish I'd never even toyed with it
Hey Lyle. Thanks for the wealth of information. Ever had one of the Tony Bruno designed Voxes on your workbench? Wondering what’s your take on ‘em. Cheers and looking forward to more of these pirate’s parrot’s views of whatever you’re working on.
I bought an ac15 c1 white bronco. It is the best amp! The issue is i started building a two 6l6gc amp. I have to compare it to the Vox, so I am forever unhappy with my build. One day, hopefully, one day.🙂
Thank you for your technical input/evaluation of AC10. I have Fender Blues Jr. and a friend told me a Vox is tone I'm looking for and he was right. but, Should I get an AC15 or an AC30 for an extra C-Note? What is your input/evaluation of a Marshall DSL20 compared to DSL40 Or the best Marshall tone Amp for a non gigging guitar enthusiast?
That direct coupled cathode follower design causes stress to that 12AX7/ECC83 in two different ways: One is the cold startup situation with cold heaters which causes too high grid to cathode voltage to the cathode follower. The other problem is that in many amps the cathode to heater voltage of the cathode follower of DCCF is around 180 VDC or even more and it is often too much for some tubes and the high cathode to heater voltage causes heater to cathode insulation to fail. To make that risk lower, I sometimes use on purpose a clearly mismatched double triode where the cathode follower is lower current triode and the first triode is higher current triode at same bias voltage. The first higher current triode causes larger voltage drop at plate resistor (100k usually) which then gives lower DC voltage to the CF grid. If the plate voltage driven to the CF grid is less than 150V even those bad reputation russian tubes can often, according to my experience, handle it without problems. Well perhaps the sound of that mismatched triode DCCF is a bit different but it still sounds DCCF because it still is a DCCF. 😁
For under $ 10 , Harbor Freight Tools has plastic trim removal tools that you should be able to slip in there and not damage anything . Once a L shape tool is hooked behind it , you can pull it forward .
I'm only 13 minutes in to the video but seeing all that threw board components would make me happy, No microscope needed, probably simple to follow traces and bog standard two legged caps. Easy working.
And you can pull the boards separately. And it only takes 10 minutes to pull. And no morass of cables to detach. Different sized connectors, all well labeled. It's like whoever did the board spent time in the trenches.
I loved my ac15cc. I only sold it because I got a matchless DC 30 on a killer deal, and a buddy sold me a heritage handwired ac30head at a steal. I wanted a vox head to put on a head shelves in the studio, and combos just take up space for me.
I've had one of these for 8 years now. Dragged on countless miles, thrown in many cars and it now resides in a friends studio being used on records small and large. For the money I don't think you're going to find anything much better. Now... If Vox could start making a Fender style amp of the same quality and rough pricing of the AC15.
I have an early unit from 2010, got it new for 500 bucks back then, and that's what I've been using since then, AC15C1 and AC30C2X for bigger venues, never failed once, funny how they tried to emulate the Treble normal channel of the AC30, it always sounded too boomy on me especially with Gibson guitars, not as boomy as the one on the TBX but boomy enough to get muddy with lack of clarity on single notes, especially if pushed with a thick treble booster like the Cornish TB83.
Hi. Very informative channel you have here. Thanks for the work. I have a question that I haven't heard you address; what about the fact that the powertubes are directly mounted to the board? Wouldn't you suspect that to cause some problems down the road?
May i add that if you can move the reverb away from any replacement speaker, or test it first. The anount of draw on the cheap springs in the area of the magnet can be a noise issue when your pushing the amp
Great video. The overdrive sounded harsh in the high end to my ears. I think I'd rather play a Princeton style circuit and get overdrive from a pedal. I did like the warm cleans though.
@Psionic Audio What are your thoughts about the bias? These come with a 120r cathode resistor that runs the el84s quite hot. I have seen one running at 130% dissipation. All that heat ends up going into the tube sockets and board above the tubes!
Great video Lyle! I'd love to know if you measured the tube bias and where it was set. I'm going to try and measure mine this weekend before my EL84s melt.
do these ones have the ef86 preamp? ef86s are really great with pedals, they got a ton of gain to accommodate the losses of using effects and the cabling in between. I wish some company would start making really good modern ef86s. I love them, and they have certain advantages, but of course can be temperamental.
@@Rau1S You can’t get good overdrive sound at low volume with any 15 watt tube amp without pedals. You have to rely on good overdrive pedals into clean sound on the AC15. I use a BB preamp or a Wampler pantheon but there’s lots of options. Transistor amps or digital amps can get you quite good overdrive sound at low volume. Boss Katana is a good option then.
Just received a used one yesterday. Annoying high speed woodpecker noise changing in sync with reverb knob. It was caused by Ethernet powerline homeplug adapters on my house mains circuit.
You could try tire levers to remove the back panel. They’re plastic so they’d be less likely to damage the vinyl. Pedros levers would likely be work well.
I’d like to know your thoughts on victory amps. I personally own the v40 deluxe combo. I love it and made the purchase because it’s lifer amp imo. But would love your opinion
A couple things that keep me from wanting and gigging this amp. I don't like that you have to take off that whole back panel just to change tubes. I also don't like that there is no access to the speaker cable to the greenback, I keep a quilter guitar head in my gig back in case my amp fails and in this case I would have no way to quickly plug the speaker in to the quilter head in case of emergency.
I'm between this and a Blues Jr. After watching your BJr videos seems the Vox is way superior in quality. Fender cut so many corners with bleeding cheap caps, etc, that scared me off. I'm skeptical about being able to tame the Vox high freqs. Will watch more vids. Thanks for all nice work 🤠
I used to be a vox fanboy, but nowadays I dig my silverface fenders more than ever, no amount of features can make up for that warm clean tone that takes pedals so well
I got a AC30 Custom Classic with tube rectifier it had bad wiring from the factory and blew tubes every week till a found a tech who found the problem, I said my amp is the second best AC30 he’s heard and worked on the best being one owned by crowded house
I have one of these and it's been a real headache to get good sounds out of it. I usually play a fairly bright Strat, and this amp can get pretty harsh on the high end. Especially at low volumes you just can't turn down the treble. I resisted the urge to cut the treble bypass caps, like a lot of people do. The greenback speaker also doesn't help because it sounds weak in an open-backed cabinet. So in the end I bought a 1x12 extension cab with an Alnico blue in it (the box cost more than the Vox). I put the Blue in the Vox and the Greenback in the closed back extension cabinet. They blend really well now. I also put in a 1" wide piece of paint stirrer in front of the speaker like the original Voxes. It helps. Yours sounds better with the Les Paul. but I still hear some of that harsh high end. Using it as a pedal platform set clean on the Normal channel works pretty well. I haven't replaced the reverb, but at low settings it sounds OK.
I get good results using EH Russian tubes in my AC15C1. 12ax7 tubes last forever. Power amp tubes were dying on me, but with EH I get a couple years out of them. The only real problem I had with mine, first year of the C1, was the reverb RCA cable failing. I swapped it out and carried on trouble since then. I'd recommend this amp. The reverb is great. Though these days I build my own :D
Great to see Lyle having a goodtime. Keep up the great content!
An absolute gem of a channel! So much knowledge and curiosity are exchanged here. It's fantastic!
It IS as good as I changed course from a HRD and bought tbe green version of that exact model only because of your channel. I could not be happier.
Ten Years Gone? You stirred up some old memories chief! Thanks for all that you do.
Thank you for your great work ! I' m not a tech but I love these videos. So much to learn. I found the cabinet screws lesson very helpful. I have a 2016 limited edition AC 15 C1 in Tan Bronco and I love the sounds and the reverb. I also have a 1974 Pro Reverb and so I can compare the reverb quality.
Just traded in my Fender BJ that had Bill M mods and a new speaker for an AC15. Thank you so much for all the info you provided that helped steer me in that direction.
I watched all of your Vox videos, and at some point I realize I know what you're gonna say about a certain part of an amp. Always a joy, Lyle.
You’re on a roll Lyle! Thank you!
I have the big brother of this amp briefly mentioned here, the AC15C2. Which comes with 2x 12 inch speakers, has served me for hundreds of shows from small clubs (100-300 cap) to large venues (1000-3000 cap). Interesting to note the normal channel voicing, thanks for the info and great video.
I had the same issue with my input jack. Easy fix. Sounds beautiful and very reliable
I have a Vox AC30C2 reissue after they worked out some of the kinks and it is a great amp just replaced the tubes and I love it.Vox tremolo sounds really good to my ears.Different than a Fender tremolo .Very infomative channel my friend.I use JJ tubes.Great Advice on using proper hardware
Hi congrats on the 25k just wanted to say I really enjoy the channel and your no nonsense slow key style. I have no interest in fixing an amp myself as I like being alive but find the shows informative and fun. Cheers, Neil, Manchester, UK
Once you drain the caps your life is safe while poking around inside, but if you do NOT drain the caps - watch out! An amp tech told me about touching a live amp with a screwdriver which subsequently shot out of his hand and embedded itself in the all behind him!
Good stuff, Lyle. As the happy owner of one of these fine amps, it's great to see you take a deep dive into it. While I prefer the clean tones of my Fenders, this is the amp I usually bring along, simply because it's so much more versatile and capable of many styles of music without needing pedals.
Great video! I just bought a brand new Vox AC15C1 at Sweetwater because of this video. I’m happy to report that mine came with a Ruby Tubes Reverb tank like this one.
20:36 Oh!!! Classic repair tech moment! It can happen to the best. Thanks for this channel, btw, I'm learning a lot! :)
Great channel
you have a lovely melifluous voice
I went through many affordable amps before returning to an AC15C1. It such a great amp.
good to know these amps are loved and respected, i’m planning on grabbing a pair of these for a shoegaze setup
These are very nice amps for the price.
One mod I like with these and the 30, is to fit a mini toggle in allowing me to switch between the normal and bright coupling cap value.
The more compact ac10 is also a great value, but with one HUGE caveat- they replace the first gain stage triode with a FET. Most will never notice the difference, EXCEPT for people who like to boost the front end with an overdrive pedal+ here is where the FET does rear its head
Well great to see your expert knowledge on this Amp,i used to own many 60s AC30s sadly they all burnt up while playing ,my AC50 never had a problem rock solid, used an 100 w ACOUSTIC amp that blew the buildings down ,then later moved back to an AC15 c1 for the house ,at first i did miss the twin BLUE ALNICO speakers, but apart from that was very pleased with it, and found it very controllable unlike the vintage ones ,neither was i disappointed when it was cranked up full it did miss the blue twins then ,sounds great at lowish levels meaning amp working above half but not full guitar on half,it seems ok with pedals too,going to change tubes for JJs ,get a cab with Alnico twin blues perfect, They are great for any Amp , nice to see you had no major problems with this amp,keep up the good work
I have a Red 2016 that has never been out of my place . Love it.
Awesome Video, you. I always wanted a vox but couldn’t afford the tag on a hand wired non PCB. So I built one, those of you who that have the ability to I highly recommend this amp. I built mine(non reverb) AC-15 using Hoffman’s Board based off of Sluckey’s 1960’s vox. I was the Guinea pig building this when it was first designed. Check it out, Hoffman, el34 world and Sluckey amps. You’re going to dig Sluckeys designs.
I literally just bought a Vox AC15C1 but with the Celestion Creamback Speaker and that is exactly the speaker I perfer. It sounds amazing!
great channel, just found it love to watch the electronic work and obviously your great voice heheh
Just wana say thanks for making these videos. Just recently found your channel and you really know your stuff. Videos are a bit long but long for a purpose and you inform your viewers on every relevant aspect of the amps you break down.
I had the ac15c1x for 3,5 years, played it every day at home and rehersal with not even a hickup during those 3,5 years, in my opinion it is a superior amp to lets say a Blues Junior in every way.I only sold it because i got a H&K Puretone so the Vox didn't get much attention anymore😕,still sad about it.Thank you for the video, I love this channel.
Really great informative videos. Many tks for sharing your experience and knowledge. 👍👍
Love the custom colors. Looks great in red. Purple would look cool next to it if you had two. ;) I had a purple AC30 TBX I regret selling. These AC15's are good little amps for the money if you find one used. Nice video....Thanks again!
Yeah I have this Ac15c1 in Purple, bought it 11y ago cause I liked the color of it 😆
I own this in head + 2x12 cab format. The extra 12" gives it a bit more body and low end, and it doesn't hurt that they are Greenbacks too. If I want the classic chimey sound, I'll play my AC4 with a 1x12 Celestion Blue. Best of all worlds!
Got mine preloaded with a Creamback and upgraded tubes for $799. Worth every penny.
Amazing video. Thanks. Very informative!!!
Bought an AC15C1X new, retubed it with nos Reflektor 6p14p power tubes and a Ruby 5751 in V1. Love it.
The AC15 cc was my first tube amp. I build amps now but still find myself comparing every new one to my old ac15.
Great instructional video! thank you so much
Great amp! I use mine in the pit with a semi-hollow and of course a Ric 660/12. Nice clean tones with the semi-hollow, and the Ric was made to be run through a Vox. Find it takes pedals really well if done in moderation. Run a bit of compression chorus and reverb to taste. Mikes well to the house.
"In The Light" is the most underrated Zeppelin riff in my opinion.
And on some days I remember how to play it. ;)
It’s amazing how little people talk about that amazing song
@@hittinskinz24 🏴☠Amazing Guitar overdubs in The last 30 seconds or so...are simply Majestic sounds Ethereal.
@@hittinskinz24 I've never heard little person mention that song.
Much agreed!
I bought an AC30CC head a number of years ago. I got it for a great price because the reverb wasn’t working. When I got it and opened it up the problem was very obvious. The tanks RCA plugs weren’t plugged in! Plugged them in and…glorious Vox reverb.
I really like your videos....Thanks.
I haven't finished the video yet, but as an aside, I believe all Vox amps from the Dallas Arbiter era to when Korg made the AC15/30TB amps were solid state rectified. My AC30 has a solid state rectifier and no standby switch and one of the last of the old hand-wired models. According to North Coast Music these AC30s put out closer to 40 watts than 30.
I've currently got Electro Harmonix 7025s in the preamp and they've held up fine, tho my amp only sees bedroom use.
Always good to hear Ten Years Gone...
i have the blue and cream version, almost the same month as your red one. i like using an aby pedal in the top boost input as well as the normal. i've changed the tubes and reverb tank and it sounds much better. great amp! thanks for the great review!
What tubes and tank are you going with?
@@afterstars jj tubes. i don't remember the reverb tank but it is a shorter decay which i do like better. i believe it is the accutronics.
I have one of these. It's absolutely awesome!
I actually use my stock AC15C2 with two SG's , humbuckers and P90s and love it.Strats and Teles too.
No problem.
Your Zeppelin sounds fine.
Cheers Lyle! You’re one of the good ones! Hope you are safe and happy!
I’ve got one of these with the creambacks paired with a 5F6a clone as a wet/dry rig and it’s the BEST tone I’ve gotten in the past 20 years… I’ve had the boutique Morgan’s, Badcat’s etc, and those are great amps… But I personally don’t hear a difference tone-wise and I can tote my AC15 anywhere to any gig and I’m not constantly worried about it getting damaged. These are workhorse amps for real working musicians.
1st though customer had a cutout cord as well...?
Very cool looking amp😉😎👍
Great information...thanks😎👍❤🖖
I am starting to like my AC15C1X after damping my stock chinese tubes with some cork pieces I am cutting and experimenting. Also the main pcb has to have somethin damping it in the middle, close to the power tubes connector socket. I still got some ringing, maybe a tube filament (EL84). The main power transformer has a thin metal cover that rings on some frequency, so I stuck a piece of styrofoam that dampens it. I suspect the pcb tube sockets rub against the chassis, will investigate. I got a more defined tone, and it is ringing nice at high gain as guitar combos should. You got to really crank it with some overdrive (I like he treble booster) then explore the weird resonances. I also removed all of those cheap tube retainers, since the sockets hold those tubes so well, and they also introduce weird resonances. Awesome channel with tons of info!
Fantastic review. Thanks.
The only advantage of a tube rectifier is that the B+ voltage rises softly when tube rectifier warms up.
If the tube recifier voltage sag is what you want, it can be quite accurately achieved just by using in series with a solid state rectifier a series resistor which roughly matches the inner resistance of the tube rectifier (which is of course not constant, but quite close) at normal operating point.
And if you have original unused NOS Mullard/Miniwatt GZ34 rectifiers, you probably will notice that they give full B+ voltage so quickly that the cold start max B+ will be at the same level as by using SS rectifier without preheating, only for a bit shorter time.
SS rectifier allows using much much higher B+ filter caps as well because for example 1 amp rectifier diodes of today can handle huge short time surge currents without problem.
I have a Vox AC30C2X...gotta love the blue speakers. They knock off a tiny amount of top end which is good because the Vox has heaps... An amazing amp.
Unlike a Fender combo or a dual input Marshall, both input jacks work at the same time (at least, in the one I tried 10 years ago or so). I was able to hook up an ABY box and footswitch between both channels. Takes some tweaking of the channel eq's (tone ctls and top cut) to balance it out, but the salesman was intrigued that it was able to be set up that way.
Holy crap that is awesome
I am enjoying your content and appreciate the information you provide. Have you had any dealings with Hughes & Kettner amps, specifically the the GM40. Would like to see the guts on that picked apart.
Makes a big difference to find a set of nos u.s made tubes.
I have the hand wired AC15C1 cream colored .
I used to have the AC15c2, great amp.
Ended up returning my ac10 to grab a used ac15 because of your insight, i have a good feeling this is going to be my holy grail amp! I loved the ac10 didnt stop playing it for the month i had it. The thing i liked ab it is that it basically plays itself!
the notes seem to jump out faster than you can play them on class A amps!
@@lauratanner8475 yep! I have zero regrets trading up. I actually got lucky and the one i got looked barely used inside and out. Also the previous owner had already did the reverb tank swap that Mr. Psonic did. Looking for a nice delay pedal now to round off my rig
@@brendanjames8818 hey that's awesome 👍. I missed whether or not this amp has an fx loop. Delays, especially digital ones, sound much better in the loop than in front of the amp. It's usually not too bad with clean tones but definitely beneficial for dirty tones.
@@lauratanner8475 it does not sadly but i mainly use it very clean, only breaks up ever slightly when i really dig in on the strings. Its more of a squish sound than a break. My main source of dirt is a JPTR FX pedal (katastrophe)
Amazing videos! Thanks so much!
I am surprised by your dislike of the Traynor YGM 3. You mentioned in another video that they are cheaply made and sound crappy (paraphrasing here)
I have had quite a few over the years and found no cheapness at all. AFAIK similar resistors and caps to the YBA. OF course, replace the dynamite stick power caps,
The weak point IMHO is the terrible Marsland speaker. The Reverb is also too much even at modest settings. There are good mods available to channel more signal to the next stage and remove the excessive reverb. Also i tend to slow the trem down and rearrange the bright cap setup
I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this
Had mine for 10 years, all original (except for the tubes). Been with me on a lot of gigs and rehearsals. Never failed me once. Great pedal platform too. Love this amp!
At some point we could see a Tone master AC15 ... ,then all your tech. troubles will be over...
@@vincentl.9469 Tonemaster is Fender - no?
@@pharmerdavid1432 what I meant was a solid state replica of the 15 model just as the Tone master is a replica of the Deluxe Reverb ...
@@vincentl.9469They tried doing a hybrid version, the "valve reactor" series...they were not well recieved
@@vincentl.9469sent they make the AC15VR which is their solid state version
Absolutely awesome video. There's a drop out happening on my clean boost so it gave me the confidence up open it up and check the input jack.
Also super big question! Is it possible to add an FX loop to these amps?? Thank you!!
Great Video. Hugely informative. I only wish you had a camera (or a mirror?) on the control panel of the amp so we could constantly see the settings as you play.
Thanks. That’s in the works soon. Still paying off my most recent video equipment upgrades. ;)
@@PsionicAudio haha! Fair enough. Any chance of your going over some of the more popular / useful mods to the AC15?
Great series of videos. Thanks! Question, If I buy a AC 15 used, for say, $500, What is my worst case scenario for professional repairs if I get a lemon? Is there anything which is completely unavailable? I am good with tools, but I know almost mothing about solid state electronics. If it was a '72 Cadillac, I could re-wire it from scratch (that is what I used to do for a living - automotive electrical, pre computers) I am not going to play it 2000 hours a year, more like 250 - 300 hours.
I enjoy your videos and information which has saved me a lot of money and headaches. Most of the amps I like that would be a stable option have no effects loop. I use a delay a lot and this is a problem for me. Hopefully I can find a good tube amp with an effects loop under $1000. Thanks for your info.
Thanks.
I would point out that Edge, Radiohead, Gilmour, Page, and May have all done very well for themselves running delays in front of the amp. And it offers the neat trick where trailing repeats get clean but initial repeats can break up.
Loops are really only really needed with higher gain amps where time based effects would fall apart with the distortion and compression.
That said, the AC30C2 has a good effects loop.
@@PsionicAudio Thank you. I use clean, bluesy and high gain which is why I need the effects loop. Delay and reverb just don't work well with my needs in the front end. The only other solution would be a clean amp and then use pedals, but I prefer good tube overdrive vs pedal circuit gain. Thanks again.
@@Bret_Sanor You can get that Good tube Overdrive Sound at very low volume with this amp ? Thanks 🎸🤘🏽
Thanks for letting me in on the secret, I have now removed the back panel from my bass combo.
It sounds good. And I'm glad it doesn't have the early dark voicing. Also the Zeppelin stuff sounded good on there.
Thank you very much about this valuable info. I have the AC15c2 and I finally got a proper answer to my question - should I bother with the standby switch or not.
I have not heard the AC15c1, but my c2 sounds amazing.
my Vox AC 10, the little brother to this guy, has the same amazingly sweet tone thats really unlike any other amp, at least that i've ever tried... my one complaint is; it just seems a little noisier than it maybe should...i don't really know if its me or not, but my other tube amps like my old music man hd 135 is much quieter .... i found it interesting that the problem cited with your amp here is a noisy channel... anyone else have issue this i wonder?....
thanks again, great stuff!
My ac10 was quiet when I first got it, then I switched the tubes to sovteks and the speaker to a creamback, and now it has noticable white noise in the background, wish I'd never even toyed with it
Hey Lyle. Thanks for the wealth of information. Ever had one of the Tony Bruno designed Voxes on your workbench? Wondering what’s your take on ‘em. Cheers and looking forward to more of these pirate’s parrot’s views of whatever you’re working on.
I,too, take an interest in any amp that has a designer name on it. Is it really any better? What changed?
I bought an ac15 c1 white bronco. It is the best amp! The issue is i started building a two 6l6gc amp. I have to compare it to the Vox, so I am forever unhappy with my build. One day, hopefully, one day.🙂
Thank you for your technical input/evaluation of AC10. I have Fender Blues Jr. and a friend told me a Vox is tone I'm looking for and he was right. but, Should I get an AC15 or an AC30 for an extra C-Note? What is your input/evaluation of a Marshall DSL20 compared to DSL40 Or the best Marshall tone Amp for a non gigging guitar enthusiast?
Oh Goooooddddd it sounds glorious!!!. Sooo baaddd that I live in Mexico and can't afford an Alnico Blue with your mods.
That direct coupled cathode follower design causes stress to that 12AX7/ECC83 in two different ways:
One is the cold startup situation with cold heaters which causes too high grid to cathode voltage to the cathode follower.
The other problem is that in many amps the cathode to heater voltage of the cathode follower of DCCF is around 180 VDC or even more and it is often too much for some tubes and the high cathode to heater voltage causes heater to cathode insulation to fail.
To make that risk lower, I sometimes use on purpose a clearly mismatched double triode where the cathode follower is lower current triode and the first triode is higher current triode at same bias voltage. The first higher current triode causes larger voltage drop at plate resistor (100k usually) which then gives lower DC voltage to the CF grid. If the plate voltage driven to the CF grid is less than 150V even those bad reputation russian tubes can often, according to my experience, handle it without problems. Well perhaps the sound of that mismatched triode DCCF is a bit different but it still sounds DCCF because it still is a DCCF. 😁
The AC15C1 is a great sounding amp.
Nice 10yrs gone! That’s my fave - testing my tone song! Cool amp too.
For under $ 10 , Harbor Freight Tools has plastic trim removal tools that you should be able to slip in there and not damage anything . Once a L shape tool is hooked behind it , you can pull it forward .
I'm only 13 minutes in to the video but seeing all that threw board components would make me happy, No microscope needed, probably simple to follow traces and bog standard two legged caps. Easy working.
And you can pull the boards separately. And it only takes 10 minutes to pull. And no morass of cables to detach. Different sized connectors, all well labeled. It's like whoever did the board spent time in the trenches.
I loved my ac15cc. I only sold it because I got a matchless DC 30 on a killer deal, and a buddy sold me a heritage handwired ac30head at a steal. I wanted a vox head to put on a head shelves in the studio, and combos just take up space for me.
I've had one of these for 8 years now. Dragged on countless miles, thrown in many cars and it now resides in a friends studio being used on records small and large.
For the money I don't think you're going to find anything much better. Now... If Vox could start making a Fender style amp of the same quality and rough pricing of the AC15.
I have an early unit from 2010, got it new for 500 bucks back then, and that's what I've been using since then, AC15C1 and AC30C2X for bigger venues, never failed once, funny how they tried to emulate the Treble normal channel of the AC30, it always sounded too boomy on me especially with Gibson guitars, not as boomy as the one on the TBX but boomy enough to get muddy with lack of clarity on single notes, especially if pushed with a thick treble booster like the Cornish TB83.
Good thermal design and pcb selection with thicker traces and good solder goes a long way towards quality
Hi. Very informative channel you have here. Thanks for the work. I have a question that I haven't heard you address; what about the fact that the powertubes are directly mounted to the board? Wouldn't you suspect that to cause some problems down the road?
May i add that if you can move the reverb away from any replacement speaker, or test it first. The anount of draw on the cheap springs in the area of the magnet can be a noise issue when your pushing the amp
Great video. The overdrive sounded harsh in the high end to my ears. I think I'd rather play a Princeton style circuit and get overdrive from a pedal. I did like the warm cleans though.
@Psionic Audio What are your thoughts about the bias? These come with a 120r cathode resistor that runs the el84s quite hot. I have seen one running at 130% dissipation. All that heat ends up going into the tube sockets and board above the tubes!
I love mine. I have the one with blue tolex, but that red looks gorgeous and now I need one to run in stereo 💸💸💸💸💸😂
Great video Lyle! I'd love to know if you measured the tube bias and where it was set. I'm going to try and measure mine this weekend before my EL84s melt.
Cathode bias?
Love my AC15C1. Very clear and dynamic even at low volume and great with pedals. Many tube amps are dead at low volume.
do these ones have the ef86 preamp? ef86s are really great with pedals, they got a ton of gain to accommodate the losses of using effects and the cabling in between. I wish some company would start making really good modern ef86s. I love them, and they have certain advantages, but of course can be temperamental.
@@lauratanner8475 no. Its 12ax7
It's really that goog at very low volume?.. this is a priority for me.
@@Rau1S I think so
@@Rau1S You can’t get good overdrive sound at low volume with any 15 watt tube amp without pedals. You have to rely on good overdrive pedals into clean sound on the AC15. I use a BB preamp or a Wampler pantheon but there’s lots of options.
Transistor amps or digital amps can get you quite good overdrive sound at low volume. Boss Katana is a good option then.
Got my ac15c1 for around 400 bucks and I like it.
Just received a used one yesterday. Annoying high speed woodpecker noise changing in sync with reverb knob. It was caused by Ethernet powerline homeplug adapters on my house mains circuit.
I play it when I have the right sound and guitar in hand, just for the pure pleasure.
Jimmy Page is the man. The solo in Black Dog is Epic, so good.
You could try tire levers to remove the back panel. They’re plastic so they’d be less likely to damage the vinyl. Pedros levers would likely be work well.
I’d like to know your thoughts on victory amps. I personally own the v40 deluxe combo. I love it and made the purchase because it’s lifer amp imo. But would love your opinion
A couple things that keep me from wanting and gigging this amp. I don't like that you have to take off that whole back panel just to change tubes. I also don't like that there is no access to the speaker cable to the greenback, I keep a quilter guitar head in my gig back in case my amp fails and in this case I would have no way to quickly plug the speaker in to the quilter head in case of emergency.
I'm between this and a Blues Jr. After watching your BJr videos seems the Vox is way superior in quality. Fender cut so many corners with bleeding cheap caps, etc, that scared me off. I'm skeptical about being able to tame the Vox high freqs. Will watch more vids. Thanks for all nice work 🤠
People don't seem to explore the Cut knob on the Vox.
@@PsionicAudioI agree, the cut knob is your friend, a very good friend at that.
Try the greenback or v30 for less top end to start. Second as mentioned, the high cut.
Got rid of it and got a dsl40cr which I am very happy with.
Sounds exactly like an AC30 I bought a while ago. I brought it back faster than I got it. Just not my sound. Love the fenders.
I used to be a vox fanboy, but nowadays I dig my silverface fenders more than ever, no amount of features can make up for that warm clean tone that takes pedals so well
@@jasondorsey7110 I have an old silver face vibrolux and an ac15. Two different animals for sure. Both have a place for me
I got a AC30 Custom Classic with tube rectifier it had bad wiring from the factory and blew tubes every week till a found a tech who found the problem, I said my amp is the second best AC30 he’s heard and worked on the best being one owned by crowded house
I have a 2x12" vox Bruno amp and it weighs 70 lbs. It rarely gets moved but it was relatively inexpensive.
There’s a reason the AC30s have three handles.
I have one of these and it's been a real headache to get good sounds out of it. I usually play a fairly bright Strat, and this amp can get pretty harsh on the high end. Especially at low volumes you just can't turn down the treble. I resisted the urge to cut the treble bypass caps, like a lot of people do. The greenback speaker also doesn't help because it sounds weak in an open-backed cabinet. So in the end I bought a 1x12 extension cab with an Alnico blue in it (the box cost more than the Vox). I put the Blue in the Vox and the Greenback in the closed back extension cabinet. They blend really well now. I also put in a 1" wide piece of paint stirrer in front of the speaker like the original Voxes. It helps. Yours sounds better with the Les Paul. but I still hear some of that harsh high end. Using it as a pedal platform set clean on the Normal channel works pretty well. I haven't replaced the reverb, but at low settings it sounds OK.
Yea Fender Stratocasters do kind of suck. My AC15C1 sounds great with my Les Paul.
Ymmv but I always keep the Tone Cut knob around 2-3 o'clock and roll the guitar's Tone knob down to ~6-7 and that usually does the trick.
I get good results using EH Russian tubes in my AC15C1. 12ax7 tubes last forever. Power amp tubes were dying on me, but with EH I get a couple years out of them.
The only real problem I had with mine, first year of the C1, was the reverb RCA cable failing. I swapped it out and carried on trouble since then.
I'd recommend this amp. The reverb is great. Though these days I build my own :D
I too really like the reverb, I was surprised the first time I opened it and saw that short little tank.
Freaking hilarious. I build amps as a hobbyist. I love this.