Question:
Spent four days last week listening to David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall leading worship. All of their guitarists played Vox AC30s. From listening to U2, I was already a fan of the AC30, but hearing their live tones made me a believer. I'm pretty convinced that it is the amp I want to serve as the foundation for my tone.
Question: Has anyone played the AC15? I currently have a single-speaker 15W tube amp, and mic'd/run back through a monitor for me, it is plenty loud for where I'm at. So I wouldn't worry about the reduced wattage or one speaker versus two compared to the AC30. What I would want to know, however, is if the tone is reasonably close to the AC30.
The price difference (with Vox speakers, $599 versus $999 new and cheaper used, of course) is tempting, but if the consensus is that the 15 doesn't match up to the 30 tone-wise, then I guess I will just bite the bullet and save longer to get the AC30.
Answer:
I had a chance to play the AC15 CC this weekend for the first time. I only got to mess around with it for a little while but my initial impression was pretty good. Makes me want to go back and give it a more in-depth test drive.
I'm like you, I really don't need anything more than a 15 watt amp for what I do. Plus I really don't feel like luggin' a bigger amp around with me. I've got a 40 watt combo right now and it's a bit much for what I do.
As far as comparing the two I really can't give you much feedback on that. Just find a local store and do the test yourself. If that's not possible I don't know what to tell ya.
Answer:
Check out valvetechamps.com/theamp.htm. I've been preaching this one for a while, and I personally think it holds up to what it claims. Its a boutique, handwired, PTP, replica of a '63 Vox AC-30. Nails that Edge tone, as well as elimating the unreliability factor of the originals as well as the Chinese Korg Reissues. See what you think.
Answer:
I believe the david crowder lead guitarist plays an orange ad30 and a matchless dc30. I suppose david crowder might play an ac30.
Answer:
Jason Solley does usually play the amps you mentioned. However, when I heard them last week, somehow his guitars and amps got left behind in the previous city he played in and only his pedalboard made it. He was playing with borrowed guitars and a borrowed AC30.
Also, I checked out the Valvetech amp described above. Looks great, but it is still in the same price ballpark as the AC30. My interest in the AC15 is that it is significantly less, so long as the tone is reasonably comparable.
Answer:
Originally Posted by omensixaxe Check out valvetechamps.com/theamp.htm. I've been preaching this one for a while, and I personally think it holds up to what it claims. Its a boutique, handwired, PTP, replica of a '63 Vox AC-30. Nails that Edge tone, as well as elimating the unreliability factor of the originals as well as the Chinese Korg Reissues. See what you think. Friend of mine told about that amp about three weeks ago. I had forgotten about it until just now. With those tones it was nailing on the demos, I really think that that's an amp I could really work with. Great cleans, with a great distorted tone. I'm going to have a hard time deciding which to get first, the AC-30 or this, although I think at this point, this will probably be the better choice for me right now.
Answer:
I tried out an AC15 once, one of the TB reissues I think from the UK. It was a friend of mine's and I was interested in an AC30, so I figured I'd try out his amp to give it a go and see what I thought. Unfortunately, I was rather unfamiliar with the way the EQ worked and couldn't get a sound I liked out of it. So I would want to try it again to really decide. But my friend is in a band named "Berry", and they have several recordings and are relatively big in the St. Louis area. You can listen to some songs at www.myspace.com/berry (I think that's the link, you might have to do a search instead). Most, if not all, of the electric guitar tones on the songs there should be from his AC15.
I say you try one out though before you buy. It's a world of difference to hearing recordings of it. And 15 watts from an AC15 is gonna be plenty loud if the wattage:volume ratio is comparable to the AC30. My AC30 can get insanely loud. The master is never beyond 11 o'clock, and that's when I'm recording really loud. When I'm playing with my band unmiked (we're loud by the way), I usually get by easily at 9 o'clock.