Vox AC15 vs. Fender Blues Jr

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zaphod B
  • Start date Start date
Tadpui said:
Another couple of options to consider:

- Traynor YCV20
- a power attenuator for your 100W head for improved low-volume tone
Thanks for the Traynor suggestion.

And Big Kenny, thanks for the H&K suggestion.

I've considered a power attenuator for quite some time, just for stage use, but have never gotten around to it. The best ones are as expensive as some of the low-wattage amps. :eek:
 
jonnyc said:
The AC30CC is all that and a bag of chips, and it ABSOLUTELY does have a master volume. I'm not sure where you got that info but it isn't accurate. I've recorded my AC30 at very low volumes with great success, I love this amp more than my Mesa. Oh and I almost forgot, it isn't hard AT ALL to drive an AC30, it does hard rock very very well.
Thanks, jonnyc. :)
 
jonnyc said:
The AC30CC is all that and a bag of chips, and it ABSOLUTELY does have a master volume. I'm not sure where you got that info but it isn't accurate. I've recorded my AC30 at very low volumes with great success, I love this amp more than my Mesa. Oh and I almost forgot, it isn't hard AT ALL to drive an AC30, it does hard rock very very well. whowever it was that sound the AC30's distortion is thin and tinny must have not spent much time with it, it's a very fat sounding amp.

If you want to hear an AC30CC in a mix go to www.myspace.com/runnerupmusic and listen to the song with "Popcorn" in the title. It's not the greatest mix but I think I got the guitars sounding pretty nice.


The AC30 I played had a master volume on it. It was the smoothest sounding amp in the whole store, I absolutely loved it! It walked all over the BJ, and all the Crates. Maybe it had something to do with that Blue Alnico speaker it had in it?? :D

The BJ does blues and blues rock really well, not a lot else....imo.... The reissue (yellowish tolex, wheat grill) with the Jensen speaker is definitely a mile above and beyond the standard BJ.... but it cant touch that AC30.
 
I don't think any modeller dramatically stands out over another. I've owned several of them and have played a number of them side by side and there just isn't that much difference in the latest generation units.

The presets in all of them mostly suck so you have to tweak them to get the sound you want.
 
soundchaser59 said:
The AC30 I played had a master volume on it. It was the smoothest sounding amp in the whole store, I absolutely loved it! It walked all over the BJ, and all the Crates. Maybe it had something to do with that Blue Alnico speaker it had in it?? :D

The BJ does blues and blues rock really well, not a lot else....imo.... The reissue (yellowish tolex, wheat grill) with the Jensen speaker is definitely a mile above and beyond the standard BJ.... but it cant touch that AC30.


You know I've heard a lot of people praise that Blue alnico speaker and I never thought that maybe the AC30's without the blue don't sound great, which would be the speaker not the amp. I couldn't tell you what either speaker sound like because I have the head version and run it though a Marshall 1960a cab.
 
therage! said:
I don't think any modeller dramatically stands out over another. I've owned several of them and have played a number of them side by side and there just isn't that much difference in the latest generation units.

The presets in all of them mostly suck so you have to tweak them to get the sound you want.
You didn't think you'd get by with that, did you? :D
 
jonnyc said:
The AC30CC is all that and a bag of chips, and it ABSOLUTELY does have a master volume. I'm not sure where you got that info but it isn't accurate. I've recorded my AC30 at very low volumes with great success, I love this amp more than my Mesa. Oh and I almost forgot, it isn't hard AT ALL to drive an AC30, it does hard rock very very well. whowever it was that said the AC30's distortion is thin and tinny must have not spent much time with it, it's a very fat sounding amp.

If you want to hear an AC30CC in a mix go to www.myspace.com/runnerupmusic and listen to the song with "Popcorn" in the title. It's not the greatest mix but I think I got the guitars sounding pretty nice.

Just to clear things up a bit, an AC30CC is not an AC30. An AC15CC is not an AC15.

They have a CC on the end for a reason lol. But I guess Korg figures confusion is the best way to sell product. :D
 
Yeah Zaphod I agree that attenuators are freaking expensive. I spent $300 on a THD HotPlate, but it was worth every penny for what its done for my tone. They put a lot of thought into its design and it can make a screaming amp sound pretty darn good at moderate attenuation levels.

I think that Weber makes a lower-cost attenuator that some people around here swear by, so that may be worth investigating.
 
I'm planning on visiting the local GC over Xmas break. I'll try not to stink up the place with my playing. :D
 
Tadpui, I've heard good things about the Hot Plate and it sounds like you've had good luck with it, too.

Are you able to maintain your tone and drive at various attenuation settings?
 
Outlaws said:
Just to clear things up a bit, an AC30CC is not an AC30. An AC15CC is not an AC15.

They have a CC on the end for a reason lol. But I guess Korg figures confusion is the best way to sell product. :D

You should do a little research before you assume the amp is shit, it isn't by a long stretch. Also there are many many people that would tell you from year to year AC30's are different, some very different. Also seeing how you know so much about AC30's you should know that there have been several issues that have had master volumes on them. Point is a great amp is a great amp and the CC's are great amps, just built in a not so great part of the world.
 
gvarko said:
I had a chance to demo both and I would go Blues Jr. anyday....


What about the BJ did you like more than the Vox? Just curious, I'd like to add a Fender to my collection.
 
I tried the both vox amps the ac15 and the ac30, also tried a couple devilles and a blues junior. I didn't like any of them I actually bought them took them home played them for a day or 2 then exhanged them for the next model up.

I decided to get a fender supersonic it is the perfect amp if you want a light combo. It will give you any sound you want and has the cleanest smooth tube sound you'll ever hear. The only problem is it must have a dozen tubes in it so when retubeing time comes it won't be cheap.

And the amp is made in the USA or atleast close it might be mexican made but atleast it doesn't say made in China on it.
 
Zaphod B said:
Tadpui, I've heard good things about the Hot Plate and it sounds like you've had good luck with it, too.

Are you able to maintain your tone and drive at various attenuation settings?

Well, the tone is definitely affected, but its way better than the amp sounds by itself but just with the master volume turned down. I guess that you can't expect to be whisper quiet and still sound like you're playing out of a 4x12.

But at -4dB or -8 dB attenuation, I still get the balls of my sound at more moderate volumes. I use an 80W tube combo with the master volume at 7 or 8, and with no attenuation it is deafening in my room. At -8dB attenuation its tolerable, but certainly not quiet by any means. At -16dB attenuation and below, the tone is noticeably affected but like I said is still much better than the amp sounds when its simply turned down to bedroom levels.

I think that you'd definitely want to be able to bring one home and give it a good workout to see if it does what you want. I was on the fence with mine for the first couple of weeks, until I really got used to it.
 
jonnyc said:
You should do a little research before you assume the amp is shit, it isn't by a long stretch. Also there are many many people that would tell you from year to year AC30's are different, some very different. Also seeing how you know so much about AC30's you should know that there have been several issues that have had master volumes on them. Point is a great amp is a great amp and the CC's are great amps, just built in a not so great part of the world.

:D Do a little research because I never said the CC was shit, you are putting words into my nouth. I just said its not the same amp and many who are younger or not familiar with them may or may not understand that. When I started my first post on this thread, I was refering to an AC15...not the CC. Why? Becuase I already forgot about the CC. When I saw "AC15" in the post I based everything on what I experienced with the AC15.
 
Outlaws said:
:D Do a little research because I never said the CC was shit, you are putting words into my nouth. I just said its not the same amp and many who are younger or not familiar with them may or may not understand that. When I started my first post on this thread, I was refering to an AC15...not the CC. Why? Becuase I already forgot about the CC. When I saw "AC15" in the post I based everything on what I experienced with the AC15.


I was just saying to do some research before you make statements about something which you consider factual and in fact aren't. You made several incorrect statements when we had a similar conversation a month ago. I just figured that if the choices were between a BJ and a AC15 you'd just assume it was a CC considering an AC15 built in England probably goes for much more than a Chinese version. Have you ever played a CC?
 
jonnyc said:
You made several incorrect statements when we had a similar conversation a month ago.

Please name one. I made suggestions that I recall to try as to using two inputs at once on the AC30CC work, but I never made a statement. But if you are refering to the AC30CC being two channels, it is not a normal 2 channel amp. It is one channel with a seperate circuit that can be inserted into the channel by using the other input.

The original AC30 was also multiple channels, but it wasn't. It was one channel with a vibrato "channel". But that channel merely used the previous channel and introducted the vibrato into the circuit. Its not the same.
 
My fault. My question referred to the AC15, and what I really meant was the new AC15CC.

Y'all quit pissing at each other, OK? :D
 
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