Vox AC15VR

[Old Mother Hell]

The AC15vr has been mentioned a lot but so far no club, so here goes. Tips, ideas, opinions and praise all welcome!!

[LesCanard]

Why not - count me in. Happy owner and I love it!

[gndboy]

Count me in, if y'all please. I got my AC15VR new a bit less than two years ago in my rather humorous quest for a decent studio guitar amp. Also, I haven't played it for almost two months while messing with tubes and making accidental discoveries in a quest to turn an Orange TT into a useful amp at which I succeeded.

One of my accidental discoveries is the increase in clean audible headroom available by replacing OEM Celestion speakers with 65-watt Weber Legacy 12L speakers. My AC15VR is next up for this speaker switch. Another issue with my 'VR is a thin yet perceptible hum that goes away when either I touch the strings on any of my guitars, or remove the guitar cord from the amp input. This hum does not occur with other amps under identical circumstances. I suspect my 'VR is responding to RF energy entering the amp via the guitar cord, as my wireless router is in the same room and causes similar minor interference to a few other devices in close proximity. The easiest fix would be to install ferrite beads at the input jack.

Other than the headroom and hum issues (not major, really), I just love the way this amp sounds. Maybe we can scare up a few more users to help one another along the path to tonal bliss!

[LesCanard]

Nice to hear from you gndboy. I've found my self going through a lot of transition with my amp setup (incl AV15VR). In a nutshell - was running the 15VR as my main home amp - pedals etc. and have a Pathfinder 15R as my 2ndary amp. I play mostly a 2011 American Std tele and a 2010 MIM Tele with upgraded D Allen pickups. I decided that the AC15VR really sounded best clean to my ear, and if I needed a little dirt the 2nd Channel was very good I thought. I ended up buying a 1x12 extension for the PF, and switched the amps. Basically - my Pathfinder with Cab functions as the main amp with my pedals etc., and my AC15VR is my 2nd "clean" amp.

It wasn't as much a slight of the VR, rather I just found it sounded best to me clean. I play through it a lot - it has a great crisp tone, sounds fantastic at low volumes, and IMO - really doesn't need pedals or anything to make it sound excellent (although admittedly the reverb is quite weak). I heard a lot of negativity (particularly vs the Pathfinder), but I'm really pleased with it.

Settings Preferences? - Channel 1 - I keep the Volume high (i.e. 2 or 3 o'clock) and use the Master almost as the volume - about 9 to 10. It gives it some more depth on the low end I think but keeps that nice clean tone. Channel 2 - similar as 1 - it's really gritty when I engage it (I like OD2 for now).

[gndboy]

LC nice to meet you! I agree the VR has some fantastic cleans, which is why I really like it. Seems to me that most low-wattage amps these days are voiced for grind, even the 'VR to some extent, but not nearly like some others. The AC15VR is my best amp for big full cleans at fairly low volume. The better speaker should be all it needs. It's just my opinion, but I don't much care for the OEM Celestions these days. I use my controls exactly as you do. One of my favorite sounds is the bridge PU on a straight Tele with the tone control opened just a bit. With a touch of outboard compression it can almost make chords sound organ-like. Too cool!

[gndboy]

I ordered a Weber 12L for my AC15VR. That is a good stiff dark speaker with the 50 oz. magnet and the 65-watt voice coil. I have yet to encounter the amp a Legacy 12L won't improve. Current Celestions I do not like much.

So while I'm waiting a few weeks the 'VR is getting played hard. Most folks have no idea how good this amp sounds. It needs no excuses, just a better speaker.

[gndboy]

Y'all are great! These amps rock.

[gndboy]

I think the AC15VR is beautiful. What I expect from the Weber speaker upgrade is an amp a touch louder and two touches darker at all levels, a vast improvement in clean headroom, and an overall increased focus in textural clarity. I realize my opinion is not popular, but I truly think Celestion speakers are an impediment to the tone of most amps, never mind they are stupid expensive. In the case of the AC15VR I must say the stock Celestion driver is the least offensive of my recent experience, but it's still spikey and blurry and seems to swallow itself on certain notes. Even with these shortcomings, the 'VR has such a sweet manageable tone at almost all levels. This amp works well from sleazy dives to a tuxedo gig, and that is some ground to cover. I wish Vox made a 300-watt 2x10 version voiced for bass.

[gndboy]

Since I've been taken by the tres wonderful Jan Phillips ECG 5751 dual triode, I have a drawer-full of good 12AX7 types doing nothing. Installing the Weber 12L will require disassembly of the amp, at which time it'll be easy to pop in a new tube for the amp's namesake. It's difficult to get hard information from Vox USA, and the nearest I can sorta figure is the 12AX7 is used P-P with an output of a few milliwatts high impedance driving the final solid-state amplifier, which I want to believe operates in Class D. Who knows? I'm wondering if a high-quality 12AX7 will have a positive effect on the amp's overall sound. Why not? I have a really good '70's RCA red label 12AX7 I'm willing to take a chance on in that position. It's pretty stiff with regard to headroom, and has a darker sound. Of the JAN Phillips ECG tubes, the 12AX7WA is my least fave, mostly because of it's very bright tone, even to my scorched ears. So, we'll see.

Do any of y'all have experience swapping the Valve Reactor device?

[gndboy]

The Weber speaker arrived and was installed. While the amp was apart I changed the tube to a Svetlana 12AX7. This AC15VR will do unbelievable loud cleans now. With chime, and all that subjective drek. To hear is to believe. See above. I do not make this stuff up.

[Bulldog87]

Anybody else us one of these? I'm thinking about adding one to my collection. I'd like to hear some more feedback! I'm either going to pick one of these up or wait and get a full tube ac15. The Fact that its not full tube doesnt really bother me. Everything i do is indoors and mostly at home. Thoughts?

[Old Mother Hell]

Vox amps are known for their clean sound, but these VR units sound awesome with pedals - I can vouch that. I'll be hooking up a Fuzz Lord pedal to it and let it melt...

[barney77]

I'm quite keen on one of these.

Does it have enough volume to gig?

I'm looking for something more portable, that I can tilt at my ugly head, that takes pedals well.

Cheers.

[Old Mother Hell]

Dunno if it's loud enough for large venues - a club gig ought to be fine; I only use it at home. However, there's an input for external speakers (and you can always mic it).

[barney77]

Originally Posted by Old Mother Hell

Dunno if it's loud enough for large venues - a club gig ought to be fine; I only use it at home. However, there's an input for external speakers (and you can always mic it).

Cheers thanks for that.