Vox ac15 1x12 with greenback

[Sly Fox]

Greetings,

I have an ac15 I'm borrowing for a week or so as I recall having some good tones from vox in the past...

It appears it was a new model off the floor at the music shop, seems like after it gets powered on theres a lot of static noise, like a bad cable or something. I swapped out cables and the issue presists...does seem to subside after a little playing.

I also find the reverb to be unusable more than 9:00...

The cleans are decent but theres a lot of background swooshing even at moderate settings when using the tremelo functions.

With a drive and or distortion in front and using either channel the tone has a lot of ice pick highs very difficult to dial out. Difficult to achieve a warm, fat, saturated singing lead tone.

I ran the external speaker out into attenuator and into a v30 cab and started to get somewhere but what am I missing with these amps that sell so well?

Seems the gain comes out really thin and bottom end has no thickness.

 

[PelliX]

Greetings,

Howdy!

It appears it was a new model off the floor at the music shop, seems like after it gets powered on theres a lot of static noise, like a bad cable or something. I swapped out cables and the issue presists...does seem to subside after a little playing.

Re-seated and maybe swapped out preamp valves? Given the pots a good few twists? Floor models get some stick...

I also find the reverb to be unusable more than 9:00...

What do you mean, exactly? It's too much? Is the reverb tank loose by any chance?

The cleans are decent but theres a lot of background swooshing even at moderate settings when using the tremelo functions.

Hmmmm, does it add more 'noise' than you're already getting, or does it just become more apparent with the tremolo engaged?

With a drive and or distortion in front and using either channel the tone has a lot of ice pick highs very difficult to dial out. Difficult to achieve a warm, fat, saturated singing lead tone.

I've never found that kicking the preamp harder does much for it, I rely on the pre- and power amp for the drive, warmth, etc. Does the Tone Cut control reduce this a bit, maybe?

I ran the external speaker out into attenuator and into a v30 cab and started to get somewhere but what am I missing with these amps that sell so well?

Perhaps not what most people, myself included, would run off of it. The stock Greenback is not bad, a Blue would be my first choice, tried a Creamback - wasn't chuffed with that. It's mainly the harmonics and the chimeyness even when breaking up - that the VOX tone for me, at least...

Seems the gain comes out really thin and bottom end has no thickness.

Sounds like you really want to check those valves. Maybe even the EL84's in the output stage, too. Sidenote, the EQ on those are VERY 'interactive' or parametric, so adjusting the treble will have an impact on the bass and vice versa. I've never encountered amps that have this as pronounced as those VOX's, I think. Takes some getting used to.

 

[Sly Fox]

Howdy!



Re-seated and maybe swapped out preamp valves? Given the pots a good few twists? Floor models get some stick...



What do you mean, exactly? It's too much? Is the reverb tank loose by any chance?



Hmmmm, does it add more 'noise' than you're already getting, or does it just become more apparent with the tremolo engaged?



I've never found that kicking the preamp harder does much for it, I rely on the pre- and power amp for the drive, warmth, etc. Does the Tone Cut control reduce this a bit, maybe?



Perhaps not what most people, myself included, would run off of it. The stock Greenback is not bad, a Blue would be my first choice, tried a Creamback - wasn't chuffed with that. It's mainly the harmonics and the chimeyness even when breaking up - that the VOX tone for me, at least...



Sounds like you really want to check those valves. Maybe even the EL84's in the output stage, too. Sidenote, the EQ on those are VERY 'interactive' or parametric, so adjusting the treble will have an impact on the bass and vice versa. I've never encountered amps that have this as pronounced as those VOX's, I think. Takes some getting used to.

The reverb leaves too much reverb...or echo...noise at the end of it. Maybe it's more desirable playing clean, but for a lead tone with a touch of reverb you have to literally just use a touch.

The swooshing on tremelo is similar to that of having a phase 90 pedal engaged and guitar volume off
..noticable swooshing in the background. I suppose its common with that effect, too bad its built into the amp and good thing I'm borrowing it and not laying out cash for it. The reverb and tremelo on this amp I dont think are very good.

I'm only using the v30 ext cab since it enables me to use the attenuator. Overall I've found the v30 to be a benchmark speaker for me, agreeable with most amps. Didnt mind the greenback, but i cant really crank the MV at home.

I find with the high MV the tone cut spectrum of usability opens up a lot...at low volumes it basically has to be all the way up to have some smoothness.

I find the knobs to be very interactive and have dialed in and around some decent tones but cant help but think the ac15hw would be more tone for me without the other features like tremelo and reverb I dont use. With drive or od pedals, I seem to favor the normal channel. Kind of funny to look down and see all the knobs all the way off other than tone cut and volume.

I will open up the back and see how the tubes are sitting in there. Although was hoping not to have to do that on basically a brand new amp newly put into rental rotation.

 

[PelliX]

The reverb leaves too much reverb...or echo...noise at the end of it. Maybe it's more desirable playing clean, but for a lead tone with a touch of reverb you have to literally just use a touch.

I guess when I play through my VOX, I'm already after jangly sparkly tone. I'd say this is probably working correctly. The reverb is quite serious that amp. Nice full size tank, too.

The swooshing on tremelo is similar to that of having a phase 90 pedal engaged and guitar volume off

Hmmm, no, that doesn't sound right. It's probably accentuating whatever is causing the noise in the first place.

I find with the high MV the tone cut spectrum of usability opens up a lot...at low volumes it basically has to be all the way up to have some smoothness.

Yes, off the top of my head it's dosing negative feedback in the output stage, so it will become more pronounced as you push that stage more.

I will open up the back and see how the tubes are sitting in there. Although was hoping not to have to do that on basically a brand new amp newly put into rental rotation.

Well, valve amps, eh. If it's just a re-seat that's fair game. Only V4 and V5 have retainers. If they need replacing, well... showroom model, you said... I guess that's the risk.

By the sounds of it, though; you have a lot of noise/static coming from somewhere. Apart from that, I think it's working correctly, just you two aren't quite getting along (yet).

 

[paul-e-mann]

Greetings,

I have an ac15 I'm borrowing for a week or so as I recall having some good tones from vox in the past...

It appears it was a new model off the floor at the music shop, seems like after it gets powered on theres a lot of static noise, like a bad cable or something. I swapped out cables and the issue presists...does seem to subside after a little playing.

I also find the reverb to be unusable more than 9:00...

The cleans are decent but theres a lot of background swooshing even at moderate settings when using the tremelo functions.

With a drive and or distortion in front and using either channel the tone has a lot of ice pick highs very difficult to dial out. Difficult to achieve a warm, fat, saturated singing lead tone.

I ran the external speaker out into attenuator and into a v30 cab and started to get somewhere but what am I missing with these amps that sell so well?

Seems the gain comes out really thin and bottom end has no thickness.

I had one for a bunch of years and they are good, just not as good as a Marshall. I eventually sold it.

I did have an AC30 head too but only for a short while cuz the effects loop sucked, but otherwise tonally it had a good classic tone like my AC15.