ac15c1 vs '68 fender prri amps

i own the vox, and love it, but am wondering if anyone has hand's on experience with both. i did a full tube roll on the vox, but still have the greenback in it. it does very well with both fenders, and gibsons, but there's a prri somewhat close to me that i might be able to score for a decent price. not having one at my local stores to try, i'm just curious if there are any bugaboos about them that i should be aware of.

no, i'm not expecting it to sound anything like an original, but just checking to see what the general consensus is.

thanks

 

well, i went ahead and got the '68 prri. i knew it was darker sounding (and it is), but i'm going to play around with it, before offloading it. i really see no way to get the high frequencies up to normal fender snuff, unless i get an eq pedal..which i really don't want to do.

this one had a speaker "upgrade" to a naylor 10/40. it definitely has a very tight low end (even on 0), but the low to upper mids are way pronounced on this amp. my teles (which sing like angels through my ac15c1) just don't snap as much through this amp. they do get the benefit of the tight bottom end, but at a cost.

i'll either go ahead and dive into some kind of modding, or just move it along. i'll give it a couple days before deciding. you guys were all correct, and i heard it before buying. sometimes i'm just a glutton for a challenge.

one thing though...this amp is pretty effing loud. it packs a pretty good wallop from 6 until total compression, and is very spikey even at 5 or so. folks who think they can't gig with this amp must be playing with some seriously loud dudes.

 

i just recorded this. no added eq, just as it came through the mic, with a slight limiter to tame any transient spikes. the first guitar is my r0 les paul, first clean (all three positions), then with a little dirt from my lovepdeal od11. then i moved onto my '59 tele build, same scenario.

the amp volume was only on 2 (which is funny that the end of the lp phase, i was getting feedback). the eq was set at 0 on bass, and 10 on treble, for both. somehow there has to be a solution to the mids growl on this amp.

i will say it records better than it sounds in the room. the mic (sm57) was pointed right at the center of the cone, trying to milk as much high end as i could.

sorry, it's a long clip, but i wanted to be as thorough as i could (bad playing aside).

https://app.box.com/s/3ue1wdsfy59dxtjt8h1a3agnr776m0cm

 

i saw that thread, and may try that. thanks.

 

Yes, I got it used. The owner swapped out the celestion for the Naylor 10/40. Otherwise, it's stock, and only a few months old.

From many accounts (here and elsewhere), this is just a darker amp.

 

so i went to naylor's web page, and this is how they describe the 1040 speaker.

The 1040 is a Hot-rodded vintage design. The speaker is a classic Jensen-style cone with a beefed-up magnet and voice coil. This will give you the great snap, chime and transparency of a 10'' speaker with the added benefit of extended lo-end reproduction and power handling.

• 10'' - 40 watt speaker
• 1 1/2'' voice coil
• 30 oz. ceramic magnet
  
• Efficiency 98db at 1 watt
• Available in 8 ohms

this doesn't sound like a good match for this amp, especially considering it's prolific bass in the tone stack. maybe i'll try throwing in the original celestion, but i doubt i'd end up with that speaker long term anyway.

i'm probably just going to move this amp along. it has some nice features, but it sounds nothing like any sf princeton i've ever heard. too many mids and no way to eq them out, without resorting to pedals. maybe i'll see if someone wants to swap this for a '65 version, which it sounds like i'd probably like better.

 

just curious. what are the original power tubes that came with his amp? since this is a class a/b amp, maybe a tube swap was done, without a proper bias adjustment.

having said that, most (there aren't many) videos i see of this amp, the tone is more or less the same as my results.

i'm not missing the vox tone. i still (and will keep) own the ac15. i just wanted a classic fender tone to go with it. this current amp setup ain't getting me there, that's all.

i see (and hear) good things about the pro junior. maybe i'll sell this one and get one of them. my primary objective is recording, not gigging.

 

pulled the tube cover. the power tubes are fender branded groove tubes, as well as the preamp and other 12aXx tubes. the previous owner did kind of bs me, though, unless this model sat on the floor for a couple years.

 

last post, as this is now beating a dead horse, long after it has been turned to glue. swapped the original speaker back in. it is less efficient, but this amp still lacks the fender "sparkle". it just doesn't have it. hell, i plugged in my old '77 sf champ, and it has the sound i'm after, albeit at seriously reduced volume.

this amp will just have to be moved on. i'm sure there are folks who will love this tone stack, but it just ain't for me.

i still kick myself for selling a late '70s (mv) pro reverb i had years ago. i fell for the whole "it isn't real" thing, even though the tone was to die for.

thanks for all the suggestions and responses. it's just obvious now that this isn't what my ears wanted. no harm, no foul. i can probably recoup most (if not all) what i paid for it.