Vox AC15 vs. Fender Blues Jr

[Codmate]

If you're after a Fender amp I can vouch for the Custom Vibrolux Reverb.

You won't get loud cleans out of it though. It's a very 'gainy' amp

 

[Zaphod B]

Cool, thanks!

 

[Zaphod B]

That Fender Super-Sonic is an intriguing amp.

If it really does what it claims (Vibrolux + Bassman + more modern high-gain channel) it could really be sweet.

 

[ggunn]

Ah pissing at each other is fun, Outlaws knows his stuff and I honest to God enjoy arguing amplifiers with him although I don't think he likes the Chinese very much.

The world today seems absolutely crackers,
With nuclear bombs to blow us all sky high.
There's fools and idiots sitting on the trigger.
It's depressing and it's senseless, and that's why...
I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees,
Yet they're always friendly, and they're ready to please.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
There's nine hundred million of them in the world today.
You'd better learn to like them; that's what I say.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They come from a long way overseas,
But they're cute and they're cuddly, and they're ready to please.

I like Chinese food.
The waiters never are rude.
Think of the many things they've done to impress.
There's Maoism, Taoism, I Ching, and Chess.

So I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
I like their tiny little trees,
Their Zen, their ping-pong, their yin, and yang-ese.

I like Chinese thought,
The wisdom that Confucious taught.
If Darwin is anything to shout about,
The Chinese will survive us all without any doubt.

So, I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees,
Yet they're wise and they're witty, and they're ready to please.

All together.

[verse in Chinese]
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Ni hao ma; ni hao ma; ni hao ma; zaijien! (How are you; how are you; how are you; goodbye!)

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
Their food is guaranteed to please,
A fourteen, a seven, a nine, and lychees.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
I like their tiny little trees,
Their Zen, their ping-pong, their yin, and yang-ese.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees...

-Monty Python (of course)

mp3 at http://www.mwscomp.com/sound.html

 

[soundchaser59]

Why is everyone calling the Blues Junior a "reissue"? When has it ever gone out of out of production?

That's what Guitar Center calls it. At least, that's what they were calling it 2 or 3 months ago......but now they are calling something else, but it's the same amp that they were calling a "reissue"...


GC Blues Jr "reissue"

Far as I can tell the only difference is the tolex color and the "original spec" Jensen speaker they stick in there, which is probably(?) a renamed C12N...rumor was that Fender made this "trim line" exclusively for sale at GC.

 

[gvarko]

What about the BJ did you like more than the Vox? Just curious, I'd like to add a Fender to my collection.

Hard to describe the difference in tone, but to my ears the Blues Jr. had a warmer, creamier sound than the Vox. That sounded a bit thin to me. Of course it's only an opinion..

 

[therage!]

You didn't think you'd get by with that, did you?

I'm in a timewarp!

That wasn't suppose to be posted in this thread.

 

[jonnyc]

I'm in a timewarp!

That wasn't suppose to be posted in this thread.

I was trying to figure out what the fuck you were talking about and how it related at all to this thread.

 

[Zaphod B]

I think therage! was just checking to see if anyone was paying attention.

.

 

[laststartoshine]

I have a blues Jr.

it's a heck of a blues amp, it does the blues thing really well. it's small, and super portable. i use it for church gigs, and places where they want low volume.

i've plugged it into my 4x12 and recorded with it, and it sound amazing.
it's not really a "high gain" amp.

for what it's worth.

 

[robin watson]

Have you played one? You don't think you'll like its the tonal range? How do you know if you haven't played it? I haven't played it, but the one thing I learned is that you have to play everything before you judge anything.

...except by the time you've played everything currently available, a whole new line of products is out and waiting to be auditioned. Damned hard to know if you have THE one - rather like women. Oh, alright, I'm speaking for myself with the last point.

 

[chestwick91]

i agree...simply put, if your recording....the vox is more usefull, and it's pretty powerfull (myfriend has one) but if your the blusey guy...hands down that blues jr. its for sure on my wish list

 

[kid klash]

I did side by side with a Blues Jr Reissue (Jensen C12N speaker) and a Vox AC15. No contest, the Vox was waaaaaaay more useful and smoother. The Fender BJ does only one thing, but it does it really well.

I'd save an extra couple three hundred bucks and get the AC30.

Actually, the AC30CC1 is only $100 more ($699) now than the AC15CC ($599) at Bananas At Large. The black Blues Junior is $399 at most places these days, with the tweed version running around $530 if you want it.

 

[pikingrin]

Zaphod, what kind of sound are you going for? You mentioned bedroom practice and recording, but what kind of tone are you looking for? I just recently got a blues junior (last weekend ), and I bought it after comparing it to a crate combo and a peavey combo (both tube amps). I bought it A)because it was the last black model (only $399.00) and B)because to my ears it sounded great compared to the other ones in it's price range. However upon bringing it home, I plugged some of my overdrive pedals in and it sang. So, IMO, for the money, this too (despite the Vox amps sounding nice ) is great bang for the buck versatility.

 

[TragikRemix]

i have a hot rod deluxe (1 12, 40w) and its too loud..

interesting thread, i was considering the two of these as choices in replacement of the bigger fender. i like blues jr, ive played thru it alot, my boss has one.

 

[CoolCat]

in my experience, its rare the amps can be cranked up (apartments, neighbors, room size etc...)

i was checking out some really nice amps at a friends, and all we could do was like volume 1...and that was too loud.

i really thought about that, i mean, the amp is a total different sound per volume. Example, Stevie Ray Vaughn played a Twin, but he didn't play it at 1.
...kind of misses the tone and tube sound. Ted Nugent was LOUD, he often used Twins too...but not at 1.

so it was like I never "really" heard the amps, right?
They were classics too, the real deal...beautiful pieces of engineering and Rock-Royalty amps.

but for sound and recordings though...
whats the point of a 100Watt Marshall stack when the volume is at 1?
or a Twin with the volume at 1....

it may as well been a Mexi Blues Jr. and even then that maybe too loud?
or a POD thru a Peavy imo.

personally I think the speaker is 50% of the tone. it can make a huge difference by itself too.

maybe none of this is relevant. how about the Power Soak things?

 

[soundchaser59]

My Twin is switchable between 25w or 100w. 25w is way loud. So I got a Weber Mini Mass and hooked it up.

The Twin is awesome sounding now, with the post gain cranked and the pre gain on 3 or 4, and the Mini Mass sets the speaker volume. At louder settings it changes the tone very little. But it definitely sounds a lot better than playing the Twin with the post gain on 1 and the pre gain cranked out......

I am curious now how the Weber Mass products compare to the THD Hot Plates....

 

[Rickson Gracie]

ive owned two blues Jrs and two AC15CCs, one AC30CC and an AC30 Brian May amp and compared them extensively.

i ended up selling off everything except one AC15CC and the Brian May AC30.

The AC15CC is a way more useful amp then the Blues Jr IMO. The Blues Jr has a cool boxy blues sound but not much more. i get jangly cleans and dirty vintage sounds from the AC15CC. i actually get way more beatlesy tones from the AC15CC (w/ a gretsch tenny) over the AC30CC and with a single coil strat the AC15CC sings like hendrix's rig.

the ac30 Brian May is a whole other deal.

 

[Zaphod B]

Zaphod, what kind of sound are you going for? You mentioned bedroom practice and recording, but what kind of tone are you looking for?

That's really a tough question to answer.

It's not important for me to have a super-clean, unflavored jazzy tone. Most everything I do uses at least a little crunch, mostly something beyond that, and often into "fully-cranked Marshall" territory. (I can get that last part from my Matamp, but again, it's a 100W amp. )

I'm not a big fan of the dark, thick, Bassman-type tone - I prefer something with a bit of bite.

I used to play through a Fender Super Six (a Twin Reverb amp in a 6 X 10 combo cabinet) and that wasn't quite thick enough.

My Matamp can get me a good range of stuff from clean and bright, to a good blues crunch, to full wail. (But again, it's too damn big.)

I'm not sure where all that leaves me...