JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Nov 30 2015 11:20 PM
I was fortunate to just pick up this Vox AC15 Handwired with the blue Celestion. And I have to say, I am incredibly impressed by everything about this amp. It was a three month wait to get this one, as it was built to order from the factory. No complaints, I have a one-off amp.
Volume
This thing is loud. We are in Tremolux range with about the same amount of breakup. The breakup is different though, less warm but also not as overwhelming.
Does it Surf?
Since we are a forum dedicated to surf music... "Does that thing surf?". Yes, it does. However, you should never use surf as a verb to describe the act of getting tone that is recreating the tone some guitarists created some great music with in the 60s. More importantly, can I gig with this amp? Yes, you can. It wouldn't be able to do an outdoor gig without being mic'd. And it probably couldn't do a large club without being mic'd. But then again, you shouldn't be playing a large club un mic'd and while people often play un mic'd outdoors... Should be mic'd if you want the audience to enjoy.
The construction...
Um... oh my. Solid pine cabinet and what appears to be a solid wood baffle(painted black). It looks different than the one pictured below which is clearly a plywood. This thing is very heavy, not Super Reverb heavy, but not far away. Not as tall, so easier to carry. The tolex job is the nicest I've ever seen, and there are no corner protectors to hide sloppy tolex jobs. The grille cloth is really nice stuff, I've seen cheaper Vox grille cloth before. They stepped their game up.
I haven't cracked it open yet, but see the picture below of the wiring. That's some nice turret board construction is what that is. Clean wiring, heavy wire, really nice looking components.
The Sound
It's a Vox! Getting some good stuff out of it so far, just different sounding. My reverb unit isn't at home right now, so I didn't get to play through that.
This thing can be 15W or 7.5W, not a huge difference between the two. I feared the 7.5W would sound weaker than the 15. It does, but just barely.
It has the top boost circuit, which I either don't like or haven't dialed in well. I'm use the normal channel right now and bypassing the master volume. Lots of options for getting different sounds out of it. I'm also bypassing the bright switching and using some of the tone shaping knob.
The Verdict
Good stuff, if you can procure one on a Korg employee discount then you really need to get into one of these. Paying retail... You could get a vintage Fender Piggyback instead. So maybe do that, but this is a great amp to beg, borrow, or steal for.
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ElBirkerio
Joined: Dec 17, 2012
Posts: 519
Vienna
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 12:49 AM
hi!
nice one! although i have to admit that for me I always had rhe feeling that i have to crank up the 15 to too large an extent - that's why i am sticking with the 30 ...
have fun!
wolfi
— http://www.surfgrammeln-san.org
https://www.facebook.com/BaluUndSurfgrammeln
http://greencookierecords.bandcamp.com/album/coming-out-soon-los-chicharrones-del-surf-10
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stratdancer
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 2537
Akron, Ohio
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 05:17 AM
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4537
Wisconsin
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 05:40 AM
Sweet! I just played an AC15 with the Blue the other day in the shop against the Greenback in same amp and the Alnico sounds phenomenal.* The construction, as well as sound, is a wonderful thing. The inside layout is a tech's dream. The exterior finishing is elegantly cool. Congratulations to you sir!
(*) Ended up with the relatively new AC10c1, but that's a separate deal which I'll post about when my Gomez tank gets here.
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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Mark2Bra
Joined: Sep 01, 2013
Posts: 248
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 06:18 AM
Congratulations Jake! What a sweet amp.
Would be interesting to hear some sound samples of it with your pink Jag 
Is the 7.5W option only on the hand wires versions?
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 07:48 AM
Yes, the half-wattage is only available on the handwires.
I would like to take some samples! The pink Jag isn't at the house right now. Will think of something fun to do after our gig on Saturday.
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 07:49 AM
Badger wrote:
(*) Ended up with the relatively new AC10c1, but that's a separate deal which I'll post about when my Gomez tank gets here.
I'm intrigued!
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 07:49 AM
Badger wrote:
(*) Ended up with the relatively new AC10c1, but that's a separate deal which I'll post about when my Gomez tank gets here.
I'm intrigued!
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4054
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 08:32 AM
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Pihabeach82
Joined: Sep 29, 2015
Posts: 479
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 09:17 AM
Playing an ac15 as my main amp at the moment.
It surfs a treat!
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 09:20 AM
JakeDobner wrote:
Does it Surf?
Since we are a forum dedicated to surf music... "Does that thing surf?". Yes, it does. However, you should never use surf as a verb to describe the act of getting tone that is recreating the tone some guitarists created some great music with in the 60s.
 Speak the truth, brother! 
GORGEOUS amp, Jake, congratulations! BTW, this is basically the amp that Hank Marvin used to record Apache, Man of Mystery, FBI, all the very early Shadows hits. The Shadows didn't start using AC-30s until some time in '61. Anyway, I'm sure it sounds absolutely amazing.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: Dec 01, 2015 09:21:27
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 12:16 PM
I'll take any tips/lessons learned you have from playing a Vox! I just can't wait to really sit down with it. I've got a Catalinbread Belle Epoch that is going to pair nicely with it.
FYI, if you ever get the chance to try out the Belle Epoch, I would suggest taking a spin. Good stuff, and I hope it will impress you as you are a man who knows how to use delay.
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 12:17 PM
IvanP wrote:
GORGEOUS amp, Jake, congratulations! BTW, this is basically the amp that Hank Marvin used to record Apache, Man of Mystery, FBI, all the very early Shadows hits. The Shadows didn't start using AC-30s until some time in '61. Anyway, I'm sure it sounds absolutely amazing.
And this is cool news, regardless of my having a Vox amp at all. Always cool to hear stuff like this.
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RobbieReverb
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2388
San Jose, Ca.
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 01:06 PM
Congratulations, Jake! Nice acquisition! Great amp, with a VERY loud 15 watts. That photo of the open back, showing the hand-wiring, is a thing of beauty! The fawn covering is pretty boss, too! I'm happy for you.
— Bob
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Kawentzmann
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1062
Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 01:19 PM
JakeDobner wrote:
IvanP wrote:
GORGEOUS amp, Jake, congratulations! BTW, this is basically the amp that Hank Marvin used to record Apache, Man of Mystery, FBI, all the very early Shadows hits. The Shadows didn't start using AC-30s until some time in '61. Anyway, I'm sure it sounds absolutely amazing.
And this is cool news, regardless of my having a Vox amp at all. Always cool to hear stuff like this.
Early on there were several variations in the AC-15, the earliest had a different speaker for example.
— The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann
You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy.
Last edited: Dec 01, 2015 13:28:39
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 01 2015 01:23 PM
There are an obscene amount of variation in Vox's amps.
My buddy has this book, highly suggested: http://www.amazon.com/Vox-Amplifiers-The-JMI-Years/dp/142431769X
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Dec 02 2015 11:19 AM
Kawentzmann wrote:
JakeDobner wrote:
IvanP wrote:
GORGEOUS amp, Jake, congratulations! BTW, this is basically the amp that Hank Marvin used to record Apache, Man of Mystery, FBI, all the very early Shadows hits. The Shadows didn't start using AC-30s until some time in '61. Anyway, I'm sure it sounds absolutely amazing.
And this is cool news, regardless of my having a Vox amp at all. Always cool to hear stuff like this.
Early on there were several variations in the AC-15, the earliest had a different speaker for example.
Very true, KK, and another key difference between those very early AC-15s (as well as the very first version of the AC-30) was that they used an EF86 tube in the preamp, which is supposed to be an incredible sounding tube, but also unstable and prone to going microphonic easily which is why it was replaced by a 12ax7 in later versions (such as Jake's above). So, yes, there are some key differences between Hank's AC-15 and the one above.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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derekirving
Joined: Nov 03, 2011
Posts: 660
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Posted on Dec 02 2015 05:27 PM
All you cats with your Vox's, now I'm wanting a Vox AC15
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derekirving
Joined: Nov 03, 2011
Posts: 660
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Posted on Dec 02 2015 05:29 PM
The Story of Dick Denney and the AC30
https://youtu.be/oQud4emaSek
Last edited: Dec 02, 2015 17:30:05
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