NAD: Vox AC15C1 Red!

[peterbilt1101]

Initial reaction: love it! Looks sick and sounds really good! It's a very nice amp for the money, but not perfect. Then again nothing is. This is my first non-Fender amp and I just wanted to try something new.

Pros: stunning to look at, limited edition amp w/ COA should hold value really well, great great amp for humbuckers and British invasion tone, top boost channel is definitely all its made out to be, great tremolo is a nice plus especially for this price range, 12" celestion greenback stock speaker, where do I sign?

Cons: hisses like a snake right outta the box (especially with the dyna comp on), not 100% sold on the reverb yet (still a Fender guy at heart. This one sounds kinda "fake" to me), a little ice picky with the single coils so far (but maybe I just need to play around with it more)

All in all a great amp and a steal at $600. I'll be holding onto this guy for a while.

[taxer]

A) you just joined the "I Dig The Fender Reverb Better Than Vox Reverb Club."
Don't worry about your disappointment with the Vox reverb. Everyone finds that out about Vox amps if they are used to Fender reverb. Many Vox owners just swap out the reverb tank for an Accutronics replacement tank. Thirty dollars and a do-it-yourself job. May be worth it if the current Vox reverb bothers you.

B) hiss shouldn't be there. Remember the higher you up the treble on any amp or pedal, the more hiss you will hear. Perhaps you can turn down some treble knobs on your amp, pedals, or guitar.

C) ice picky can also be tamed with some keen knob tweaking, but there is an easier way. I don't know if you can link the Normal channel and Top Boost channel on an AC15 as you can on an AC30, but if you can, linking the two channels definitely tames ice-picky. Whenever I play my single coil Fenders (Strat and Tele) into my VOX I always link Top Boost and Normal channel. Play single coils in Top Boost alone and your ears get stabbed. The linking feature is a wonderful addition and definitely cures ice-pickness.

[Leep Dog]

Originally Posted by taxer

A) you just joined the "I Dig The Fender Reverb Better Than Vox Reverb Club."
Don't worry about your disappointment with the Vox reverb. Everyone finds that out about Vox amps if they are used to Fender reverb. Many Vox owners just swap out the reverb tank for an Accutronics replacement tank. Thirty dollars and a do-it-yourself job. May be worth it if the current Vox reverb bothers you.

B) hiss shouldn't be there. Remember the higher you up the treble on any amp or pedal, the more hiss you will hear. Perhaps you can turn down some treble knobs on your amp, pedals, or guitar.

C) ice picky can also be tamed with some keen knob tweaking, but there is an easier way. I don't know if you can link the Normal channel and Top Boost channel on an AC15 as you can on an AC30, but if you can, linking the two channels definitely tames ice-picky. Whenever I play my single coil Fenders (Strat and Tele) into my VOX I always link Top Boost and Normal channel. Play single coils in Top Boost alone and your ears get stabbed. The linking feature is a wonderful addition and definitely cures ice-pickness.

This is 100% right. I'm not a reverb guy but yes, the Vox reverb isn't like the Fender reverb. I kinda like the Vox reverb, but it's definitely different from Fender 'verb.

My AC15 is super quiet and I've read from others who say theirs is really quiet too. My DRRI and other Fenders I've played are much noisier in my experience.

Finally, crank up the tone cut to tame the highs. I usually keep the tone cut almost all the way up when I play my Telecaster on the Top Boost channel.

I love my AC15 and hope you love yours. Congrats.

[Jakedog]

Hiss is a problem. Mine has none. And I mean NONE. This amp is stupid quiet. By far the quietest amp I own.

The reverb takes some getting used to. Fender and Vox 'verbs are pretty different. I like the Vox 'verb. The Fender is often too much for me, even set low. It seems to overshadow and consume everything. I like that the Vox 'verb kind of "sits behind" the notes and is much more subtle. I do wish it had a shorter tail. I find with mine, that I don't need to run very much of it at all, just a slight touch. You'd never know it was there, until you turn it off, and then the difference is HUGE. It's a subtle thing I'm really starting to dig a lot.

[paratus]

I will pile on here..there shouldn't be any hiss...but you mentioned a dyna- comp pedal...I would look there for starters.

As for the reverb, yes it is different, it may or may not be for you. I am a bit spoiled...I usually lay down tracks dry, then dial in reverb with a Lexicon PCM 92.

You are gonna love your AC15C1....wish I had a red, white and blue one to match my black one.

[sax4blues]

That red is cool. I've had my black AC15C1 for two weeks and commented in the owners forum. Mine does not hiss, very quiet as other have noted, even at full crank. Same reverb experience as others but I will not be changing. I don't find the Vox ice picky per se, but it is a brighter amp than some others.

My other amps have been Fender PRRI, and Mesa Express 5:50. What I'm finding with the Vox is I need to work the controls more than those two. My Mesa and Fender have a narrower range of tones and for me the controls usually sound best between 10-2. With the Vox changing guitars and styles requires a wider range of knob twisting. I don't find this a bad thing, it just takes a little experimenting and thought to find the tone you want for each situation.

[Leep Dog]

I like the way Jakedog described the Vox reverb, I agree with that. It is subtle but you will notice it when its off. Like I said, I usually keep the reverb off but I've tinkered with it recently and it added a little dimension to the sound. When I turned it back to 0 I really noticed the difference.

[taxer]

Originally Posted by sax4blues

With the Vox changing guitars and styles requires a wider range of knob twisting....takes a little experimenting and thought to find the tone you want for each situation.

Oh, man, is that the truth.

With my Vox if I plug in a different guitar, EVERY knob needs an adjustment. Bothered the hell out of me (still does). I have to have very specific settings for all of my guitars. That's the one bad thing I can say about my Vox.

[peterbilt1101]

I guess I should show the whole setup. Pretty damn proud of it right about now. On the second tour of the Vox, I had much less hiss. Not sure what was up the first time around. There is a barely audible hiss with the dyna comp now. Maybe she just needs a good breakin' in :-). Still not in love with the reverb. May have to replace the tank one of these days but doesn't seem to be a deal breaker. Just got done with the perfect Friday celebratory end of the work week jam session in the man cave. Doesn't get much better than this. I love my amps!!! Can't wait to try combining the two channels on the Vox. Not much better than new gear day.

[jipp]

congrats, looks good. red, blue, and white, may as go for the the full monty and get a black too :)

chris.

[purpletele]

Cool.

I've had a red one as my main amp for the past year or so. I love the tones I get out of it. It really shines with my SG, but everything sounds great through it. It's a very versatile amp. I like the reverb, it's not Fender reverb, but it's still cool. As has been said, mine is as quiet as they come. I did get rid of my Dynacomp though because it was noisy in all situations, any amp, any guitar..

[Rich_S]

I've been looking at the AC15C1, and everybody here seems to love theirs. I saw some complaints in online reviews about rattle in the amp though - maybe tube rattle, maybe something in the chassis. The source is a bit questionable, though.

So, brothers... anybody had rattle problems with their AC15C1?

BTW, Andy from proguitarshop.com did a great demo of this amp. If you're on the fence (even after all the love around here) check it out.

[Jakedog]

Originally Posted by Rich_S

I'ce been looking at the AC15C1, and everybody here seems to love theirs. I saw some complaints in online reviews about rattle in the amp though - maybe tube rattle, maybe something in the chassis. The source is a bit questionable, though.

So, brothers... anybody had rattle problems with their AC15C1?

BTW, Andy from proguitarshop.com did a great demo of this amp. If you're on the fence (even after all the love around here) check it out.

No rattle at all in mine. Totally solid. And it gets gigged loudly a couple of times a week, and bounces around in the back of my wagon all the time. It seems to be a really solidly built amp. My only complaint is that the tolex rips and scuffs if you breathe on it. It's really dainty tolex. Other than that, good stuff all around.

The older AC15CC amps were notorious for reverb rattle. I've never tried one that didn't have it. It sucks, and there really no cure for it as far as I know. Could that be what you're thinking of?

[colchar]

Originally Posted by taxer

C) ice picky can also be tamed with some keen knob tweaking, but there is an easier way. I don't know if you can link the Normal channel and Top Boost channel on an AC15 as you can on an AC30

Yes you can.

Play single coils in Top Boost alone and your ears get stabbed. The linking feature is a wonderful addition and definitely cures ice-pickness.

I play my Strat through the Top Boost channel all the time and haven't had any problems.

[colchar]

Originally Posted by Rich_S

I've been looking at the AC15C1, and everybody here seems to love theirs. I saw some complaints in online reviews about rattle in the amp though - maybe tube rattle, maybe something in the chassis. The source is a bit questionable, though.

So, brothers... anybody had rattle problems with their AC15C1?

None whatsoever.

[colchar]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

The older AC15CC amps were notorious for reverb rattle. I've never tried one that didn't have it. It sucks, and there really no cure for it as far as I know. Could that be what you're thinking of?

This is a good point and many people seem not to know the difference between the old AC15CC and the new AC15C1. I'm not saying our member here doesn't know the difference but I am betting the person who put up the review he read didn't and was talking about the older one.

[colchar]

Originally Posted by Rich_S

BTW, Andy from proguitarshop.com did a great demo of this amp. If you're on the fence (even after all the love around here) check it out.

Here it is for anyone who might be interested: