AC15 Preamp Tube Question

[s360guitarist]

Hey, I posted this over at the gearpages so sorry for the double post.

I am looking for subtle, or not so subtle ways to take some of the bite out of my Vox AC15CC1. I have done the bright cap mod but still find the amp very bright, harsh at times.

I was wondering if anyone had put in 12AT7's or 12AU7's in the preamp stage to warm up the tone a bit. I know some people do this to increase headroom, but that won't be a factor for me as I will just change my master volume and volume settings. (I don't need more headroom or cleans, now I am running the master at 10 o'clock and the volume at 9 o'clock. I have plenty or room left on both those dials.)

I play through Tele's but they are modded. The twang is gone and has been replaced with HB's, P90's and mini's. I use heavy gauge strings as in 12-56's so the tone there is big, it just can get abrasive...at least to me.

Thanks!

[Wayne Alexander]

If you have the stock Wharfedale speaker, that may be what you're hearing. Try a Celestion Blue.

And what tubes do you have in there now- brand and type - all of them?

[s360guitarist]

Thanks Wayne. I have received several recommendations to change out the speaker. While the blue seems obvious based on the Vox/Blue reputation, I could buy a lot of gear for the price of a Blue...maybe even a downpayment on a new amp.

Some have suggested the Cannabis Rex because of the way the hemp cone smooths out the harshness. Thanks for your suggestion...we will see what happens.

[FMA]

For the Blue vibe for fewer bucks, you might want to check out Eminence's Red Fang or Weber's Blue Dog. I have a Red Fang in my AC15 and it sounds great. It's a very efficient speaker.
Also, try maxing the master volume and controlling the overall volume with the regular volume knob. That's how I run mine and I get some pretty decent clean tones up to about 10 or 11 o'clock on the dial. Rolling back the treble, of course.
My amp is running JJ el84s and a Mullard 12AX7 reissue in the pre-amp stage. I use a JJ in the phase inverter. The Mullard just sounded better than the JJ to my ears. I've also had good luck, in other amps, with EH el84s.