AC30CC??

[fermfs]

Hey everyone,

I want to buy an AC30CC but I don't know which one. I know that what seems reasonable is to just to the store, try em out, listen and choose. However, I live in a musically challenged country where it is Not ****ing Possible.

I have found the AC30CC2 in a store and loved it.

Problem is that I can not try the AC30CC1 or AC30CC2X unless I purchase it. Only then, the store will order it for me.

So far, I have figured out from reading that the Celestion Blue speakers are great, but that I can buy the AC30CC2 and then the Celestion Blue speakers on the side and it will come out to be cheaper.

As a result, my real question is, should I buy the AC30CC1 or the AC30CC2 (and buy the speakers on the side)?

I HAVE 2 QUESTION:

1. Importance of having 1 speaker or 2 in the amp.

2. The AC30CC1, comes Celestion neodymium
NeoDog speaker. How do these compare to the BlUE? I have looked everywhere to see if I can buy it on the side but I can not find them. DO they have another name?


I wish I didn;t have to bother you with these question and just go to a store and try them out, but I can not.

Please help. Thank you,

Fermfs

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by fermfs

I can buy the AC30CC2 and then the Celestion Blue speakers on the side and it will come out to be cheaper.

I think you will find you are very much mistaken there. Price the Cel. Blue speakers and you may be in for a shock.

[fermfs]

Originally Posted by Scotland

I think you will find you are very much mistaken there. Price the Cel. Blue speakers and you may be in for a shock.

I have...it comes out 150 Euros cheaper.

Regardless, I am more worried about finding out the real difference between having 1 speaker or 2 (if they are the same). Is it a volume difference?
Am I gonna miss the other speaker at any point?

[Telelicious]

I bought a CC1 last month and installed a Celestion Gold. It has turned out to be the best amp Ive owned or ever played thru. Its got the tone thats in my head. I got rid of two other amps after I bought it.
Excellent reverb, Excellent Trem, Ohm switchable, 1/2 power switch, gets the tube sound early on the dial and on and on and on. I love it.
The CC1 of course has the one Neo Speaker. The Neo speaker weighs 3.5lbs so the whole amp weighs 54 I think. A CC2 weighs 20 lbs more. I like the size and weight of my CC1. I like to carry my own stuff and be able to move it around without it moving me around.
Mine used, had the Neo replaced and I thought about getting another and switching it back to stock. The Neo Speakers are supposed to be "do it all" speakers but I found a Celestion Century Neo to listen to and wasnt so impressed. (same speaker). Im REAL GLAD I went with the Gold. I guess its the same difference between the CC2 wharfdales and the Blues.
I can definately recommend the CC1 but they are discontinued for sale here in the US. Can you still buy one new over there?

Theres my .2c

[beep.click]

I vote for 2 speakers; here's why.

When I finally got the CC2, I got the Vox tone I had wanted for years. (The Blues may be better, but the Wharfdales sound awful good to me.)

One day, after an all-day band rehearsal, I went to a music store. For fun, I played a CC1. The sound and feel of the CC2 were obviously completely fresh in my brain, and the CC1 was DIFFERENT. It wasn't just a smaller version of the same amp; it reacted and sounded like a whole different amp.

With 2 speakers, I get the ring and chime I'm after. Somehow, one speaker doesn't quite nail it.

I've noticed the same issue with the AC15. Other Vox amps have a "family resemblance" to the AC30CC2, but only the CC2 sounds like a CC2.

[LOTF]

I am the proud owner of an AC30CC2 and love it dearly. However, keep the following two things in mind:

(1) The tone will break your heart.

(2) The weight will break your back.

I was all set to buy a Fender Vibrolux until I tried out the CC2. I knew that was the sound I needed to be satisfied so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

Problem is, the bloody thing weighs 70 lbs! This means it spends most of its time sitting on my bass player's living room floor. If we want to go out to play anything other than a full-scale gig, it's just too much of a hassle to take the CC2 along. I recently bought a Fender Blues Jr. for stuff like that. No way does it have the tone of the VOX but we can take it places without incurring chiropractor bills.

Given the kind of venues we usually play (smallish clubs and bars), an AC15 would probably have been quite sufficient. I certainly would've been interested in the CC1 had they not discontinued it here in the States. The sound on the CC2 most probably is better but how much difference is that going to make if you end up leaving it at home most of the time?

If I were you, I'd try to find a CC1 and give it a careful listen. If you can live with the sound, your back will thank you for sparing it the additional 20 lbs. And you can always replace the speaker with something better.

[fermfs]

Originally Posted by LOTF

I am the proud owner of an AC30CC2 and love it dearly. However, keep the following two things in mind:

(1) The tone will break your heart.

(2) The weight will break your back.

hahahah...I guess I should really pay attention to the weight then. Never really cared to considere it but EVERYONE mentions it.

So here is my main concern now. When is 1 speaker not enough? I play gigs twice a week for 50-250 people, sometimes more.

Is it a matter of speakers or Watts?

[LOTF]

For the size of the gigs you say you're playing, I think 15 watts through a single Celestion Blue (e.g., AC15CCX) would be quite sufficient. If I had it to do over, that's what I'd buy. Fifteen watts of tube power is a lot louder than you might think it would be. If it isn't quite enough for the larger end of the scale, you can always mike the amp through the PA, which is what most people do for larger gigs anyway.

Both wattage and speakers are important. The sound comes from the speakers and two speakers indisputably move more air than one does. But the power needs to be there to drive them. If you run an AC15 through twin Marshall cabs loaded with 4x12s, it isn't going to sound the same as running a 100-watt Marshall head through those bad boys.

The other thing about speakers is tone. The reason real VOXheads prefer the Celestion Blues is the authentic tone. In fact, that speaker won't take as much power as the Wharfedales that come in the cheaper version (like I've got). Thus, though they'll start breaking up earlier, which is good, they'll also blow earlier, which most certainly isn't. If I ever decide to upgrade the speakers in my AC30, I'll most likely go for Celestion Vintage 30s, not the Blues. Furthermore, all these amps (or at least the AC30s) have a remote speaker output. If you find that a single speaker isn't enough for your sound, it's an easy enough matter to add a 1x12 cab to get that extra air moving.

Another thing to consider in the equation is the rectifier. The AC30 uses a GZ34 tube rectifier while the AC15 has a solid-state one. Tube rectification will improve your sound, no doubt. But you say you come from a "musically challenged" country and a GZ34 is not necessarily the easiest tube to obtain, even in places where such things are more readily available. If you have the misfortune to blow your GZ34 right before or during a gig, you'll be SOL unless you have a backup amp available. This isn't a worry with the AC15's solid-state rectifier. Just something else for you to consider.

[Telelicious]

The different speakers in these things makes such a difference that they seem like completely different amps.
When I got my CC1, the Neo had been replaced with a V30. I struggled with the speaker issue for a week or two because the sound had the ghost of what I knew was there but the V30 was to brash and the sound didnt relax until it was loud. I read up on the Neo speakers both from Celestion and a industrial magnetics supplier. The Noe magnets are much lighter while delivering 5 times the strength of any other magnets. In a speaker application this translates to wide range and faster response. Celestion says that they are the fastest responding speakers ever made. Alnico's are almost an opposite in that they have a lower power to weight ratio. I used a freinds Celestion Century 12 for a day. He's trying to sell it. It is the exact same speaker as the Vox Neodog and to me the Neo sounded better than the V30. good but still no feeling. Actually more mechanical than the V30 but much more range.
I ended up trading a guy off Craigs list my V30 and $100 for his 4 month old Celestion gold 50w (Alnico).
Its like butter at all levels in the CC1. You can define the different levels between tube sat and speaker breakup.
Its crazy satisfying. I found that at half power and clean I can even play my acoustic thru it and it sounds great after some fiddling.

You know what though? Its all in my head. Its my perception of what I want as a cumulation of experiences throughout my life. I grew up on the sounds this thing makes. Children of the 80's define their perfect sound in a different way.

[fermfs]

Thanks LOFT. Very much appreciate your advice. It has been very helpfull. I'm pretty much sold on buying 1 speaker and having a lighter amp.

Why do you say that " If I ever decide to upgrade the speakers in my AC30, I'll most likely go for Celestion Vintage 30s, not the Blues. "

You don't think the price difference is justifiable?

Also, how often do speakers and tubes break?

[fermfs]

[quote=Telelicious;1032621]The different speakers in these things makes such a difference that they seem like completely different amps.QUOTE]

Hey Tele,
thanks for replying man. So you think that it is not about loudness or power, that it just sounds different....**** man, here is when I wish I could just go to the store and choose...

I'm glad to hear that the CC1 is great though, with the Alnico speaker. If I buy it new, it will come with the NEODOG. What you think of this one?

[Telelicious]

The difference between the Neo and an Alnico is like Black and white to me.
If you get a CC1 and want to switch to the Alnico, The blue is not the speaker for the CC1. The blues are rated at 15w. They are ok in the CC2 since there are 2 to take the load but as stated earlier they do break up early on the CC2 because of their lower wattage capability. You would need to step up to the Gold for the CC1 which is rated at 50w or get a custom from Webber.

The CC1 and CC2 are both 30w rated amps. They have all the same features except for 2 speakers or 1. And thus 54 lbs vs. 75lbs.
Loudness is going to be pretty close to the same. Clarity and tone shape are changable with a speaker swap.

On the bathroom scale my CC1 weighs 65lbs. Thats with the Celestion Gold swap, footswitch and 3 cables stuffed inside and the cover on. Still manageable. Just.

[fermfs]

Originally Posted by Telelicious

. You would need to step up to the Gold for the CC1 which is rated at 50w or get a custom from Webber.

Ok. great to know. I would have to go for the Gold. What is yuor opinion on the NeoDog. Is it a good speaker?

Also, is it a problem that a speaker is 50 W but the amp only supplies 30w?

[Telelicious]

Well like I said above, The NEO speaker is great but for me lacked the depth and character I was looking for. It has terrific range and response and is a good speaker for a stock CC1.

Im no speaker or amp tech but Ive found that the closer the speakers rated wattage is to the amps rated wattage, the faster it breaks up.
For instance:\
A 15w speaker in a 15w amp may start to break up at 7 on the volume dial. wheras a 30w speaker in the same amp may not break up till 10. And a 50w speaker may not break up at all and stay clean and crisp to full power.
Sometimes speaker breakup is part of the sound people like. Not me. I just ordered a 30w speaker to replace the 20w that came stock in my small 12w practice Amp because I did a few mods to the amp and now the stock 20w speaker breaks up real bad at upper and lower end.
Its really never ending.

By the way, The Celestion Neodog is a 80w rated speaker in a 30w rated amp.

[Wayne Alexander]

I've got several Vox amps and have owned several others. For an AC15 or AC30 to sound "right," it has to have Celestion Blue or Gold speakers. Other speakers may sound good to you but they aren't the classic voice of the amp. The CC1 with a Celestion Gold and the CC2 with two Celestion Blues are pretty similar as to headroom, volume, coverage, etc. Though there's probably some coverage differences and extra three dimensionality with two Blues over one Gold, it's not a big difference. If weight and size is a concern the CC1, though still HEAVY, is less so than the CC2. And as to whether an AC15 is enough, they're great amps for the dirtier sonic ranges, they've got substantially less headroom than an AC30. If you want it for live playing and you're not going to need loud clean sounds, an AC15 is great. But the AC30CC1 with a Gold is a vastly more versatile amp, and if you ever need "clean or semi-cleanish with authority" type sounds you won't get them from an AC15 in anything other than small rooms.

[beep.click]

Weight of the CC2 just isn't a deal-breaker for me. I weigh 125 pounds, and I carry this amp to my car by myself.

For longer distances, I have a miniature version of a furniture dolly.

I'm not fond of compromise in music, and I'll put up with a lot to get a tone I want. I used to lug around a silverface Twin, and I had changed both speakers to EVM12s. That was the bottom HALF of my rig; the top was a Pro Reverb. The combination was quite nice.

[fermfs]

Well, it's not only a weight difference. It is mainly a 600 Euros difference for what most people seem to say that it is practically the same sound.

Some people do say the total opposite however, that the 2 speakers make a huge difference and that the 1 speaker sounds boxy.

[Wayne Alexander]

fermfs, if the one speaker is a Celestion Gold, in the stock cc1 cabinet, it's pretty close to two Celestion Blues in the stock cc2 cab. If you've got the room and can handle the weight, I'd go for the CC2 with Blues, but if you want a slightly more portable amp, the CC1 with a Gold is not a step down.

[beep.click]

I did a search on YouTube and found 2 videos for Vox AC30CC1 -- maybe that helps... Really tough, to buy an amp sight-unseen!

[52/62]

Ever thought of buying an AC 15 CC ? Just the right Vol. for Clubs, not too
heavy (21 kilo),very pure tone,perfect with Teles and Strats (Neck Pup).
I did some modifications to my one: JJ 12AX 7 (V1), Sovtec 12 AX 7 (V2),
a matched pair of TAD EL 84 (sit down for price). I Ad/Bd the original Wharfedale Speaker with a Celestion from around 1971. Perfect for the livingroom,but live i'd prefer the wharfedale,because of it's plus in clearence.

[rileymaher]

Thaught of buying the VOX AC30CCH

i own the head and matching 4x12" cabinet.

its very versatile and then you can interchange cabinets. much easier to move around, the combo's are flippin' heavy. wheare you can carry around 20 kilos for each, seperatly...

my 2c