Vox AC15CC ? ? ?

Big Smokey · April 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM

I played one of these at a local guitar store and was very impressed by the tone. I am concerned that the build quality is not as good as the 90's Korg British built models. (I had one of these but foolishly sold it.) Any TDPRI'ers own one of these? The price is right at $599...

tiktok · April 5th, 2006, 12:41 PM

I was really excited by the idea, but when I tried one out it seemed that the reverb control only varied the loudness of a grand canyon's worth of reverb which never properly blended with the dry signal.

Also, having played one of the AC-30CC2's, I'd definitely spring the extra money for the one speaker version instead of an AC-15.

Big Smokey · April 5th, 2006, 12:46 PM

I did not like the reverb and found it only workable with it barely on. My guess is that the reverb pan could be tweaked or changed to a shorter pan...
Did the AC30CC sound better?

tiktok · April 5th, 2006, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Smokey

I did not like the reverb and found it only workable with it barely on. My guess is that the reverb pan could be tweaked or changed to a shorter pan...
Did the AC30CC sound better?

I only had ten minutes with it, but yes, it sounded not only much better but even quite desirable were it not for the weight. At this point I'm committed to amps I can carry with one hand in relative comfort. I really wish they made an AC15-CC2--just like the AC30 but half powered and a 10".

Dan R · April 5th, 2006, 03:08 PM

I almost bought the Korg British-made AC15TBX a few years ago. It was $900.00 or so as memory serves me. I've always loved the Vox sound. The AC-30 is about 85 lbs. I have to admit, I am intrigued by the new AC-15CC, but I have always been wary of the reliability of a Vox amp. They seem to have a spotty reputation in this regard. I have always been a Fender amp kind of guy. They are so simple and relatively easy to work on. I would like to give the new AC-15CC a try. I don't need another amp, but to have that Vox sound would be a nice change of pace from my Fenders.

Dan R

JamonHamon · April 5th, 2006, 06:36 PM

I have the Ac30cc head with alnico cabinet and love it. It definitely has its own voice a cross between a Twin & a Marshall Amp great cleans and smooth distortion, With my Esquire its the best, But the amp head weights a ton!!!, And I have a Champ like amp called a Bluesboy TVL5 for only 5 WATTS and a Jensen P12Q Alnico speaker this amp is loud rude at full volume and Very SWEET at low volume !!!!

LuthierTom · April 6th, 2006, 06:56 AM

I have the AC15CC with the Blue speaker, and have been quite pleased with it. As usual, I have made a few mods: replacing the Belden reverb pan with an Accutronics unit (HUGE improvement) and NOS tubes (Teslas from Mike Kropotkin). I use it almost every weekend and it seems to be doing fine.

BB · April 6th, 2006, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Smokey

I did not like the reverb and found it only workable with it barely on. My guess is that the reverb pan could be tweaked or changed to a shorter pan...
Did the AC30CC sound better?

I haven't tried the AC15CC yet, but have spent some time with the AC30CC. The reverb is certainly not the stong point of this amp. I found the best ( if one can call it that! ) reverb tones came with it barely cracked. Sounds like the AC15 has the same thing going on.

As a side note, both AC-30CCs were gone from store I tried them at. One had the blue speakers. Turns out,
they sold the one with blues, but had to send the other one back as ( according the the fella I spoke with ) the springs were sticking out of the reverb pan and had gone throught the bag. They had a replacement to the store pronto......and this one does not have that problem....although it still has the weak, very non-F'ish sounding verb.

I'd still take one in a heartbeat though!!

jonzer · April 6th, 2006, 01:50 PM

I have a DRRI so I'm not going to be happy with anybody's reverb unless it's a Fender. You fellow Fender guys won't ever be happy with anyone else's reverb.
I like the 15. It's as simple as a DRRI. I wouldn't pass it up because of shallow verb. I'd get a good pedal or use it in conjunction with my DRRI.
It's light and it's simple. If I wasn't eyeing the Randall Vox copy I'd mentioned in another thread I'd seriously consider this amp.

Teleman · April 6th, 2006, 08:05 PM

I feel in love with the AC15CC I demoed. Great tone in a very protable package! I don't use alot of reverb so that was not an issue with me. I went back to GC to buy one today and they were sold out! There were two on the floor there on Tuesday.
The reliability issues that were encountered with the first run of AC30 CC were primarily tube issues. Vox as taken care of the early issues these amp had and they are now quite reliable.. A good friend of mine has been gigging 3 to 5 times a week with an AC30CC 2-12 for just about a year with no issues at all. And he is rough on gear!

evanjackson · April 6th, 2006, 08:43 PM

I've seen a pic of the guts of the new AC-15CC's and the build quality seems to actually be pretty good...tubes NOT mounted directly to the PCB, I read a comment from a tech who did some mods that it was the smarted PCB layout he's seen.
I think Vox's tend to be a little more problem prone...they run pretty hot and the tubes are tucked away deep in the amp, but it seems to be pretty good!

Big Smokey · April 7th, 2006, 04:14 PM

Where can one purchase the accountronics spring reverb that will work in the AC15CC?

VoodooVox · April 7th, 2006, 06:02 PM

I bought my replacement from Antique Electronics.

zombywoof · April 7th, 2006, 06:52 PM

one of the things which gave the Vox AC-30 its sound were its cathode biased output tubes. If you want the Vox sound this is what you need to look for.

hearmytrain · April 8th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Just this week I pickeed up a new AC15CC. I am very impressed. The build quality is surprisingly good. The PCB uses decent quality components and all tube sockets are chassis mounted ceramics with very good hand-wired lead dress to the sockets. The cabinet is of excellent fit and finish for this price point. The reverb isn't very good but I never use 'verb on an amp so it is not a concern of mine. The tremolo is very good in my opinion. Both 'verb and trem are IC driven (NBD to me). I bought mine with the ceramic Warfdale speaker but swapped it out with an Emi Red Fang and it is a huge improvement. This little guy is LOUD with the Alnico with excellent clean headroom for a 2X EL84 amp. I also snipped the bright cap on the volume control which smooths it out a bit and gets rid of the brittleness on top. You have to pull the pot PCB to get to the cap, but it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. A Great amp IMO.

Big Smokey · April 9th, 2006, 12:11 PM

I am going back to the store today with my tele to check this amp out again...
I am loving the tone of this amp out of the box and the accutronics reverb pan is a cheap upgrade....
I might come home with one...

telefunk1 · April 27th, 2006, 12:34 PM

I borrowed a new AC15 CC (regular speaker, not the blue) last night for a gig (with Elvis) when my 72 Pro Reverb decided to act up. I was looking forward to using the Pro - it would have been the first time out at a gig since I got it back from an extensive overhaul. Anyway, the Vox sounded good, from what I could tell over the bass rig next to me. I did not have much time to play with it - more like set up and go - but I will make some time soon to really play with it. Used my 95 am standard tele with a lace in the neck and a Fralin blues in the bridge. They both sounded very bright with the Vox; I had to really roll off the treble. First impression was positive - seemed like sturdy little amp.

VoodooVox · April 27th, 2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan R

I almost bought the Korg British-made AC15TBX a few years ago. It was $900.00 or so ...

Dan R

Dan, I sold my AC15TBX ($1000.00) a couple years ago. In December I purchased an AC15CC from North Coast - I prefer the AC15CC over the TBX.

GUITARmole · May 1st, 2006, 12:18 AM

I had the opportunity to A/B the AC15CC and AC30CC side by side and chose the AC15. FWIW, after researching both the build quality is actually better on the cheaper AC15CC as the tubes aren't PCB mounted. Also the reverb (awful in stock form) can be fixed by swapping it out with an Accutronics tank.

FMA · May 4th, 2006, 01:17 PM

Stopped by a music store over lunch and they had one of these on the floor. Checked it out and got to play with it for , well, longer than I should have because I was late getting back from lunch...
My question is, can somebody tell me why I shouldn't go back and get it?

hearmytrain · May 5th, 2006, 06:57 AM

I thought I would update. I was so impressed with the AC15CC that I got that I ordered an AC30CC 1X12. It came in yesterday and I got it home last night. It is going back. For tone and feel, the AC15CC decimates the AC30CC IMO. No contest. The AC15 is a monster deal for such a great amp.

FMA · May 5th, 2006, 11:39 AM

You're not helping...
I think one of these is going to follow me home...

barnaclebill · May 9th, 2008, 05:02 AM

I bought one of these amps recently. The sound with my Strat just took me back to the days of Hank B and the more I played the more captivated I was - until the plastic jack input came loose. Back to the shop.
The amp came back and I played some more and started to experiment, as you do. I remembered the comments I read about pushing both volume controls to max and controlling the sound on the guitar volume so I gave it a go. Once the volume controls get past half way the hum kicks in big time. Then the power decided to stop. Fixed the hum though! Back to the shop.
I'm looking forward to getting the amp back because this is the best sounding amp I have played through, ever.
The reverb is a bit splashy and I would be delighted if someone could suggest the model number of a suitable replacement.
Did I say it sounds brilliant?

chabby · May 9th, 2008, 10:44 AM

I bought one kept it for about 2 weeks as I couldnt live with the reverb it had. I couldnt seem to dial in a tone that made my nerve center twitch in the right way.

As it turned out, there are just too many amps I'd rather have, so I sold it and built the 5E3 I should have had in the first place.

FMA · May 9th, 2008, 10:46 AM

Old thread. I did buy one two years ago and have gigged with it regularly since then with zero problems.
Great amp. And great sounding amp.

Big Smokey · May 9th, 2008, 10:50 AM

I owned one but traded up to an AC30CC2.

klast · May 9th, 2008, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnaclebill

I bought one of these amps recently. The sound with my Strat just took me back to the days of Hank B and the more I played the more captivated I was - until the plastic jack input came loose. Back to the shop.
The amp came back and I played some more and started to experiment, as you do. I remembered the comments I read about pushing both volume controls to max and controlling the sound on the guitar volume so I gave it a go. Once the volume controls get past half way the hum kicks in big time. Then the power decided to stop. Fixed the hum though! Back to the shop.
I'm looking forward to getting the amp back because this is the best sounding amp I have played through, ever.
The reverb is a bit splashy and I would be delighted if someone could suggest the model number of a suitable replacement.
Did I say it sounds brilliant?

There's a thread about replacing the tank at the Plexi Palace, under Vox (obviously).

I have a tank on order and hope to have it replaced soon.

Klas

April 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
Big Smokey Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 485	Vox AC15CC ? ? ? I played one of these at a local guitar store and was very impressed by the tone. I am concerned that the build quality is not as good as the 90's Korg British built models. (I had one of these but foolishly sold it.) Any TDPRI'ers own one of these? The price is right at $599... __________________ www.bigsmokey.com

April 5th, 2006, 12:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
tiktok Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,912	I was really excited by the idea, but when I tried one out it seemed that the reverb control only varied the loudness of a grand canyon's worth of reverb which never properly blended with the dry signal. Also, having played one of the AC-30CC2's, I'd definitely spring the extra money for the one speaker version instead of an AC-15. __________________ ----* http://www.myspace.com/travishartnett http://www.myspace.com/sugarcanemutiny http://www.myspace.com/davidbavas ----*

April 5th, 2006, 12:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
Big Smokey Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 485	I did not like the reverb and found it only workable with it barely on. My guess is that the reverb pan could be tweaked or changed to a shorter pan... Did the AC30CC sound better? __________________ www.bigsmokey.com

April 5th, 2006, 06:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
JamonHamon Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,196	Vox Ac30cc I have the Ac30cc head with alnico cabinet and love it. It definitely has its own voice a cross between a Twin & a Marshall Amp great cleans and smooth distortion, With my Esquire its the best, But the amp head weights a ton!!!, And I have a Champ like amp called a Bluesboy TVL5 for only 5 WATTS and a Jensen P12Q Alnico speaker this amp is loud rude at full volume and Very SWEET at low volume !!!!

April 6th, 2006, 06:56 AM	#7 (permalink)
LuthierTom TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Beavercreek, Ohio Posts: 73	I like mine! I have the AC15CC with the Blue speaker, and have been quite pleased with it. As usual, I have made a few mods: replacing the Belden reverb pan with an Accutronics unit (HUGE improvement) and NOS tubes (Teslas from Mike Kropotkin). I use it almost every weekend and it seems to be doing fine. __________________ As a matter of fact, I am a rocket scientist.

April 5th, 2006, 03:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dan R Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Charleston, SC Age: 50 Posts: 771	I almost bought the Korg British-made AC15TBX a few years ago. It was $900.00 or so as memory serves me. I've always loved the Vox sound. The AC-30 is about 85 lbs. I have to admit, I am intrigued by the new AC-15CC, but I have always been wary of the reliability of a Vox amp. They seem to have a spotty reputation in this regard. I have always been a Fender amp kind of guy. They are so simple and relatively easy to work on. I would like to give the new AC-15CC a try. I don't need another amp, but to have that Vox sound would be a nice change of pace from my Fenders. Dan R

April 6th, 2006, 01:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
jonzer Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 927	I have a DRRI so I'm not going to be happy with anybody's reverb unless it's a Fender. You fellow Fender guys won't ever be happy with anyone else's reverb. I like the 15. It's as simple as a DRRI. I wouldn't pass it up because of shallow verb. I'd get a good pedal or use it in conjunction with my DRRI. It's light and it's simple. If I wasn't eyeing the Randall Vox copy I'd mentioned in another thread I'd seriously consider this amp. __________________ http://816rocks.com/

April 6th, 2006, 08:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
Teleman Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 384	I feel in love with the AC15CC I demoed. Great tone in a very protable package! I don't use alot of reverb so that was not an issue with me. I went back to GC to buy one today and they were sold out! There were two on the floor there on Tuesday. The reliability issues that were encountered with the first run of AC30 CC were primarily tube issues. Vox as taken care of the early issues these amp had and they are now quite reliable.. A good friend of mine has been gigging 3 to 5 times a week with an AC30CC 2-12 for just about a year with no issues at all. And he is rough on gear!

April 6th, 2006, 08:43 PM	#11 (permalink)
evanjackson TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 12	I've seen a pic of the guts of the new AC-15CC's and the build quality seems to actually be pretty good...tubes NOT mounted directly to the PCB, I read a comment from a tech who did some mods that it was the smarted PCB layout he's seen. I think Vox's tend to be a little more problem prone...they run pretty hot and the tubes are tucked away deep in the amp, but it seems to be pretty good!

April 7th, 2006, 04:14 PM	#12 (permalink)
Big Smokey Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 485	Where can one purchase the accountronics spring reverb that will work in the AC15CC? __________________ www.bigsmokey.com

April 7th, 2006, 06:02 PM	#13 (permalink)
VoodooVox TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South of Door Posts: 93	I bought my replacement from Antique Electronics.

April 7th, 2006, 06:52 PM	#14 (permalink)
zombywoof Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 2,720 17 Photos	one of the things which gave the Vox AC-30 its sound were its cathode biased output tubes. If you want the Vox sound this is what you need to look for. __________________ "I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks." John Lee Hooker

April 8th, 2006, 07:44 AM	#15 (permalink)
hearmytrain Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Marietta Ga Posts: 188	Just this week I pickeed up a new AC15CC. I am very impressed. The build quality is surprisingly good. The PCB uses decent quality components and all tube sockets are chassis mounted ceramics with very good hand-wired lead dress to the sockets. The cabinet is of excellent fit and finish for this price point. The reverb isn't very good but I never use 'verb on an amp so it is not a concern of mine. The tremolo is very good in my opinion. Both 'verb and trem are IC driven (NBD to me). I bought mine with the ceramic Warfdale speaker but swapped it out with an Emi Red Fang and it is a huge improvement. This little guy is LOUD with the Alnico with excellent clean headroom for a 2X EL84 amp. I also snipped the bright cap on the volume control which smooths it out a bit and gets rid of the brittleness on top. You have to pull the pot PCB to get to the cap, but it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. A Great amp IMO.

April 9th, 2006, 12:11 PM	#16 (permalink)
Big Smokey Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 485	I am going back to the store today with my tele to check this amp out again... I am loving the tone of this amp out of the box and the accutronics reverb pan is a cheap upgrade.... I might come home with one... __________________ www.bigsmokey.com

April 27th, 2006, 12:34 PM	#17 (permalink)
telefunk1 NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 5	I borrowed a new AC15 CC (regular speaker, not the blue) last night for a gig (with Elvis) when my 72 Pro Reverb decided to act up. I was looking forward to using the Pro - it would have been the first time out at a gig since I got it back from an extensive overhaul. Anyway, the Vox sounded good, from what I could tell over the bass rig next to me. I did not have much time to play with it - more like set up and go - but I will make some time soon to really play with it. Used my 95 am standard tele with a lace in the neck and a Fralin blues in the bridge. They both sounded very bright with the Vox; I had to really roll off the treble. First impression was positive - seemed like sturdy little amp.

May 1st, 2006, 12:18 AM	#19 (permalink)
GUITARmole Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,087 47 Photos	I had the opportunity to A/B the AC15CC and AC30CC side by side and chose the AC15. FWIW, after researching both the build quality is actually better on the cheaper AC15CC as the tubes aren't PCB mounted. Also the reverb (awful in stock form) can be fixed by swapping it out with an Accutronics tank.

May 4th, 2006, 01:17 PM	#20 (permalink)
FMA Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 967	OK, help me out here... Stopped by a music store over lunch and they had one of these on the floor. Checked it out and got to play with it for , well, longer than I should have because I was late getting back from lunch... My question is, can somebody tell me why I shouldn't go back and get it?

May 5th, 2006, 06:57 AM	#21 (permalink)
hearmytrain Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Marietta Ga Posts: 188	I thought I would update. I was so impressed with the AC15CC that I got that I ordered an AC30CC 1X12. It came in yesterday and I got it home last night. It is going back. For tone and feel, the AC15CC decimates the AC30CC IMO. No contest. The AC15 is a monster deal for such a great amp.

May 5th, 2006, 11:39 AM	#22 (permalink)
FMA Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 967	Hearmytrain, You're not helping... I think one of these is going to follow me home...

May 9th, 2008, 05:02 AM	#23 (permalink)
barnaclebill NEW MEMBER! Join Date: May 2008 Location: Auckland Posts: 2	AC15CC1 I bought one of these amps recently. The sound with my Strat just took me back to the days of Hank B and the more I played the more captivated I was - until the plastic jack input came loose. Back to the shop. The amp came back and I played some more and started to experiment, as you do. I remembered the comments I read about pushing both volume controls to max and controlling the sound on the guitar volume so I gave it a go. Once the volume controls get past half way the hum kicks in big time. Then the power decided to stop. Fixed the hum though! Back to the shop. I'm looking forward to getting the amp back because this is the best sounding amp I have played through, ever. The reverb is a bit splashy and I would be delighted if someone could suggest the model number of a suitable replacement. Did I say it sounds brilliant?

May 9th, 2008, 10:44 AM	#24 (permalink)
chabby Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 988	I bought one kept it for about 2 weeks as I couldnt live with the reverb it had. I couldnt seem to dial in a tone that made my nerve center twitch in the right way. As it turned out, there are just too many amps I'd rather have, so I sold it and built the 5E3 I should have had in the first place.

May 9th, 2008, 10:46 AM	#25 (permalink)
FMA Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 967	Old thread. I did buy one two years ago and have gigged with it regularly since then with zero problems. Great amp. And great sounding amp.

May 9th, 2008, 10:50 AM	#26 (permalink)
Big Smokey Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 485	wow old thread! I owned one but traded up to an AC30CC2. __________________ www.bigsmokey.com