Vintage Amp Gurus ! - Help me with AC30 Value ?

[PapillonIrl]

Hi,

I am coming into some cash shortly and am considering buying my dream rig for the studio and occasional gig.

There is a guy here selling a rig which looks very interesting:

Basically he has a JMI era Vox AC30/6 TB serial number 02425

It doesn't have the original speakers, it has reissue UK celestion blues. He has Harma valves in it at the moment.

The handles and grills have been removed as the previous owner (prominent session player) wanted it to fit in his flight case.

A tech has fitted a wiring harness to the amp to allow a 16ohm THD Hotplate to it, as he recommended this to protect the Woden transformers which he says are not replaceable ? He is including the Hotplate in the price.

He also has a 75 Tele, serial 633843. The Fender serial site seems to put this as a 75 CBS era guitar. All original and in good condition apart from some cosmetic wear.

He is also throwing in a Arbiters Cornell Fuzz Face reissue (no. 438).

He is currently looking for €4000 for the lot.

Any opinions on the items appreciated. I will be travelling to play this rig but would like to get some opinions on value first.

Thanks for reading,

Nathan

[Wally]

The speaker situation hurts the value. So does the absence of the handles and grills.
His asking price is at the top of retail for excellent original condition on the amp and the Tele.....according to my quick research. IF I were you, I would do some more in depth research...ebay completed auctions, gbase.com asking prices and such. The amp is not exc cond., and there are particulars...color of tolex and panel, dates, etc that are important. The Tele's condition is unknown, so ????? Dates and originality of components????
IN short, I don't think it is a bargain, but do some searching.

[jjkrause84]

I would think 3,000 euros would be a lot fairer in my opinion. Maybe even a little less. My "knowledge" is only based on overhearing guys with enough dosh to actually buy vintage so don't take it as gospel!

[PapillonIrl]

Thanks gents.

Some pics:

[lewis]

Is that the original finish on the Tele? Was black a custom color for a standard Tele at that time?
If possible, let your hands and ears decide if the Vox and Tele are worth the asking price.

[imsilly]

That seems like a lot of money for a 70s Telecaster (the cork sniffers seem to hate them and I wouldn't disagree as they aren't that special) and a half original amp.

Fact is there is not a good economic argument to buy the rig. So I wouldn't even consider it on purely monetary grounds. I have to admit I won't buy anything for more then I think it is worth no matter the piece. It just leads down a dark path of being broke.

Realistically you would do better with a modern Custom Shop Telecaster if a Telecaster is what you want. I don't think I have played a 70s Telecaster that is better then a modern Custom Shop guitar. They have horrible finishes and the sound isn't always that great. A second hand Custom Shop Telecaster is cheaper too. If you have the cash a pre-CBS Telecaster will hold it's value better, but they are pricey.

As for the amp, Vox's are as much about the speakers as the chassis. Not being original does hurt it's value. Here in a UK better condition voxs appear for far better prices if you check classifieds and ebay occassionally.

Lets think think the Telecaster is 1500 euros and the hotplate and pedal worth another 300 Euros that leaves you with a 1200 euros for the amp. I am a complete tight ass I payed like £600 for a Blackface Super Reverb I can't see a Vox AC30 being worth twice my Super Reverb. Same with my Telecaster Cunetto Era Nocaster, around £1300 and it destroys the 70s Teles I've played. In fact only today I saw a 1955 Deluxe on sale on ebay for £900+shipping that thing would destroy any Vox AC30 and no surprise it sold, but it just goes to show you in this economy how far a little cash can go. I even picked up a 1956 Les Paul Junior and vintage Gibson amp for around that price and those two are only going to increase in price when people start feeling richer again. Plenty of bargains around at the moment. I would hold out with 4000 euros for a really special rig. 50s Tweed, 60s Blackface with a sweet Custom or Pre-CBS Telecaster.

As far as buying from the vintage market it is easy, you let your ears tell you if you want to buy something and you let the cork sniffers and box tickers teel you the price you should pay. I wouldn't do it the other way around that definately leads to trouble.

[Wally]

The Tele is far from exc cond. I agree with imsilly about '70's Fenders....I can't bellieve that their value has gone so high....but there ya go. IF I played the rig and really liked it, I woudl be looking very hard at everything....and discounting the value as I went.
After seeing the gutiar, imho he is far above top retail.
also, I agree with imsilly about a CS Nocaster being a far superior guitar. Used ones are in the neighborhood of $1700USD, give or take. Short of an old one, they are as close as you get with FEnder wrtiten on it to the old days.

[Mik]

I LIKE that rig!

The price...really not bad...what's the exhchange rate...4,000e=~$5000?

On looks alone the amp and the Tele are winners. too cool.

Retail, I could see a dealer in USA asking $5000 for that set.

This is a private party sale, right?

Knock off at least 1000e. A bit less than $4000.

I'd offer $3500 for the lot. Not my money of course, easy for me to say.

I'll take it. don't bother to wrap it, got a gig tonight.

[Groovey Records]

I'd want to see more pictures of the amp in detail before making any judgement.

Thats what this sale is really about isn't it after all

The asking price on this unrestored all Vox AC30 circa '64 #11757 T is $4500 with the original blues and the foot switch

Another few bucks to have it cleaned and restored and you've got something that can't be beat

It should be easier to find one over there, regardless of Brian May and The Edge buying everyone they see.

Is the iron original, the caps are they the nice blue and gold ones

[Wally]

Originally Posted by Mik

I LIKE that rig!

The price...really not bad...what's the exhchange rate...4,000e=~$5000?

On looks alone the amp and the Tele are winners. too cool.

Retail, I could see a dealer in USA asking $5000 for that set.

This is a private party sale, right?

Knock off at least 1000e. A bit less than $4000.

I'd offer $3500 for the lot. Not my money of course, easy for me to say.

I'll take it. don't bother to wrap it, got a gig tonight.

Today's rate of exchange.....1GBP = 1.65752 USD
Today's rate of exchnage.....1USD = .06GBP

That 4000GBP amounts to $6,630.08. A bit high imho.
$3,500 for the lot = 2,100GBP....now that is time to buy, imho. I doubt if the seller is that motivated, though......he isn't going to come down to almost half of his asking price. IF a propective buyer wants this rig after playing it, soemwhere in the middle is fair to both sides...... HEy, if after playing it the buyer thinks that the amp and the guitar and the rest do 'IT' for him, I guess you have to give what you have to give. Some amps and some guitars are special, and the only way to know if that is the case is to apply one's personall experience to the offerings....and personal pocketbook.
Good luck with your dream rig, Nathan. THis could be it. ONE side note: I don't understand how an attenuator 'protects' the transformers. After all, an attenuator allows one to push an amp to its limits without allowing the speaker/s to receive the full strenghth of the amp's output signal. In other words, all of the amp is working hard except the speakers.

[jjkrause84]

Originally Posted by Wally

Today's rate of exchange.....1GBP = 1.65752 USD
Today's rate of exchnage.....1USD = .06GBP

That 4000GBP amounts to $6,630.08. A bit high imho.
$3,500 for the lot = 2,100GBP....now that is time to buy, imho. I doubt if the seller is that motivated, though......he isn't going to come down to almost half of his asking price. IF a propective buyer wants this rig after playing it, soemwhere in the middle is fair to both sides...... HEy, if after playing it the buyer thinks that the amp and the guitar and the rest do 'IT' for him, I guess you have to give what you have to give. Some amps and some guitars are special, and the only way to know if that is the case is to apply one's personall experience to the offerings....and personal pocketbook.
Good luck with your dream rig, Nathan. THis could be it. ONE side note: I don't understand how an attenuator 'protects' the transformers. After all, an attenuator allows one to push an amp to its limits without allowing the speaker/s to receive the full strenghth of the amp's output signal. In other words, all of the amp is working hard except the speakers.

It's worth pointing out that exchange rates don't tell the whole story. A $6 burger in the US often costs 6 pounds here so....that's worth keeping in mind.

[Wally]

Tahnks for the chuckle, jjkrause84. IF I can't use today's exchange rate to evaluate a guitar and amp value, then why do they use/publish exchange rates. That is an expensive burger you have there. That said, the amp and the guitar that we are discussing do have some relationship to a global market for vintage guitars and amps. This differentiates this situation form a situation that has to take into account the differing markets for meat, buns, real estate and labor that come into play when selling those burgers. Please don't ship me any British burgers. I can obviously get a better buy on a burger locally. (;^) Your cost of beef must be higher than ours. And, I know where you can pay quite a bit more than that for a burger in the U.S., also. SAdly, burgers are not internationally traded items, right?
I don't know where you are going to find someone to pay $6630.08 USD for a Vox AC-30 with no handles, grilles, or original Blues....even if you throw in a raggedy 3-bolt '70's Telen attenuator and a fuzz box..???? IF that amp and the rest go for $6630.08 USD/4,000GBP; then I can also get those cheaper here, too......but for different reasons. IN the case of the amp/guitar rig, it will be because someone has paid above market for what is essentially a globally traded commodity. YMMV