Dave Bryce Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I got my first one last year: a Supro Blues King 8. Surprisingly loud little sucka...great tone. Then, I got a Princeton - always wanted one of those since I was a kid and heard the one my cousin had. Just found out that the Vox AC15C1 I ordered a while ago is on it's way to me - that's the one I've been waiting for. I sprung for the X version with the Alnico Blue speaker. Completely psyched. I spend way more time playing guitar these days than keys. I'm worried my wife is gonna hurt me. She says it's not fair - she married a keyboard player... dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Congrats on the new amps Dave! I'm a Fender kind of guy and I think the Princeton is a great little amp! I love my SS Fender Deluxe Tonemaster that I bought about a year ago and I would have bought that Princeton if Fender hadn't come out with the Tonemasters in time...I had to laugh at the wife thinking she married a keyboard player LoL! Have fun with the new Vox amp when it comes in and report back! Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I got my first one last year: a Supro Blues King 8. Surprisingly loud little sucka...great tone. Then, I got a Princeton - always wanted one of those since I was a kid and heard the one my cousin had. Just found out that the Vox AC15C1 I ordered a while ago is on it's way to me - that's the one I've been waiting for. I sprung for the X version with the Alnico Blue speaker. Completely psyched. I spend way more time playing guitar these days than keys. I'm worried my wife is gonna hurt me. She says it's not fair - she married a keyboard player... dB Nice Amp array you're assembling. I think you'll be very happy with that Vox; British Tube Amps rule, IMHO! As to your last remark - same thing in reverse here. My wife thought she'd married a Prog/Fusion Guitarist, not a Synth addict: at least she didn't divorce me when I came home with a Semi-Modular for my 65th birthday. Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I really like 1-12 Princeton. A guitarist I work with had a Morgan PR12. I should have bought it. But heck I'm not even using amps right now. I'm using the Helix and going through my keyboard rack and going to FOH through the KB submix. I like the Helix when using IEMs. It sounds consistent and the same as what is going to the desk. Real amps through IEMs give me whacky disconnect. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 As to your last remark - same thing in reverse here. My wife thought she'd married a Prog/Fusion Guitarist, not a Synth addict: at least she didn't divorce me when I came home with a Semi-Modular for my 65th birthday. Which one did you get...? I really like 1-12 Princeton. A guitarist I work with had a Morgan PR12. I should have bought it. But heck I'm not even using amps right now. I'm using the Helix and going through my keyboard rack and going to FOH through the KB submix. I like the Helix when using IEMs. It sounds consistent and the same as what is going to the desk. Real amps through IEMs give me whacky disconnect. I went the other way so I could try to learn. I started with the POD XT and then got a Spider III so I could see how the building blocks of the sounds were assembled and used to make all sorts of sounds...then I built a pedal board and started buying amps to try and make them myself. I've also got an Eventide H9 Max - that helped a lot learning guitar effects signal flow as well. At this point I have a rig that feeds any combination of three signal paths via a Morley ABC Pro: ⢠Strymon Iridium to the PA ⢠Direct to the Leslie 145 via the Leslie Preamp pedal ⢠To an amp (currently the Princeton, soon to be the Vox) leaning up against the Leslie. These two sit pretty much dead center between the PA speakers. This audio array is almost definitely a large part of my wife's issue. I do also run my Hammond A100 through it, though...I believe she likes that better dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I still use some pedal with the Helix. It all sits in a single pedal road case. Before the helix I have the Peterson tuner and a wah. Then I run a few pedal that I swap in and out through the effects loops on the helix. Each loop is mapped to a button on the Helix. I prefer my Boogies but it is what it is these days. It is less to carry. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertbluesman Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I got my first one last year: a Supro Blues King 8. Surprisingly loud little sucka...great tone. Then, I got a Princeton - always wanted one of those since I was a kid and heard the one my cousin had. Just found out that the Vox AC15C1 I ordered a while ago is on it's way to me - that's the one I've been waiting for. I sprung for the X version with the Alnico Blue speaker. Completely psyched. I spend way more time playing guitar these days than keys. I'm worried my wife is gonna hurt me. She says it's not fair - she married a keyboard player... dB It is Ok to have G.A.S. if you can financially afford the cost. When you tell your wife you have gas, and acquiring gear is the only way you can cure it. She may not want to hurt you. Quote dbm If it sounds good, it is good !! http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=143231&content=music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 It is Ok to have G.A.S. if you can financially afford the cost. When you tell your wife you have gas, and acquiring gear is the only way you can cure it. She may not want to hurt you. No doubt. It is a good thing to be in the industry where your passion lies - helps defray the costs occasionally....and my wife knows the gear pays the bills so there"s only so much to be said. I will say this - one of the cool things about going from keys to guitar is that the guitar habit is (currently) costing me way less. I know - guitars can get really expensive...but I don"t trust myself to buy one of those. I"d just find a way to break it. Same reason I drive a Subaru Outback. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 It is Ok to have G.A.S. if you can financially afford the cost. When you tell your wife you have gas, and acquiring gear is the only way you can cure it. She may not want to hurt you. No doubt. It is a good thing to be in the industry where your passion lies - helps defray the costs occasionally....and my wife knows the gear pays the bills so there"s only so much to be said. I will say this - one of the cool things about going from keys to guitar is that the guitar habit is (currently) costing me way less. I know - guitars can get really expensive...but I don"t trust myself to buy one of those. I"d just find a way to break it. Same reason I drive a Subaru Outback. dB Huge difference is that modern keyboards become "obsolete" when the new latest and greatest comes out. Although you could buy older boards that have already depreciated, they won't keep their value either, they just have less to lose. Many guitars go up in value and a well chosen used guitar will hold it's value well. I have 2 of the earlier Woodenville Rainsong guitars - 100% graphite with the carefully laid out weave patterns. They've gone up quite a bit, almost impossible to find either for sale at all (OM 1000 and WS 3000). I paid $400 for my Gibson ES-335 Studio back in 1988, they are worth 4x that now. Try that with a Korg Triton!!!! Amps will go up in value or hold their value as well. Except when they burst into flames and produce the yellow smoke. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 As to your last remark - same thing in reverse here. My wife thought she'd married a Prog/Fusion Guitarist, not a Synth addict: at least she didn't divorce me when I came home with a Semi-Modular for my 65th birthday. Which one did you get...? The Neutron, of course. My KB guy at my FLMS gave me a great birthday deal, so it was more than affordable, and it's completely self-contained, two big pluses for anything in the Modular world. Fortunately, I haven't been struck with the urge to expand on it: THAT would be dangerous and expensive . . . Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 Good move going for Alnico on the AC15 (I have the hand-wired version, but the regular one is pretty good too). I prefer greenbacks on the AC30, but recently bought this configuration as an Orange Dual Terror instead. I've never warmed to the Princetons that I've tried in stores, but they've always been "special editions" that are adulterations of the original design intent. I like them on studio recordings. I have the Deluxe Reverb instead. A Supro Black Magick is on my long list as it has a unique sound and an interesting tremolo circuitry (I forget whether that's what they call reverb or if the reverb part is separate and maybe spring/tube tank based). I'd say you're covering a pretty good range with what you have. I have a Mesa Royal Atlantic for something approximating a Marshall or HiWatt sound, but I rarely use it except when recording heavy metal guitarists. If you also do lap steel or other electric or semi-electric instruments, or even some lower-level bass, the '57 Bassman LTD from Fender is a light 4x10 that has a good full-range sound that is versatile for many instruments. Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 I used to gig with a pair of dimed Fender Champ chassis running into a 2-12" cab. Then I helped a friend change the baffle in a Fender Champ to fit a Peavey Scorpion 10" speaker. That was fun to take to a jam, other guitarists would be all "Really?" and then stare in disbelief when it was more than loud enough and sounded glorious. Single ended true Class A tube amp will produce second order harmonics (octave), making a thicker, creamier singing tone than Class AB. And, despite the claim that the Vox AC15 and AC30 are Class A amps, it is only true up to a point. When you turn them way up they are essentially for all practical purposes Class AB and do not produce the second harmonic at a level that is useful. Get an old Silverface one and have a tech go through it. There isn't much in there. Some techs can rewire a Vibro-Champ to use the second tube for a cascading gain section. I don't think you need it, a standard 3 tube Champ bouncing off the chair is a splendid thing and nothing else sounds quite like that sound. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 I find that Orange amps take pedals really well, as does the bare-bone 50's reissue of the Champ, which is a nice 8" box for checking a more transparent representation of your instrument, as well as being great in the studio. You can drive it at low volumes for more crunch than you can usually get away with in close quarters with neighbours. Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 17, 2021 Author Share Posted April 17, 2021 If you also do lap steel or other electric or semi-electric instruments, or even some lower-level bass, the '57 Bassman LTD from Fender is a light 4x10 that has a good full-range sound that is versatile for many instruments. I've been using the Blues King 8 with the lap steel. Sounds pretty damn cool to me...but I can barely play the thing, so what do I know. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 Actually, I've heard others say that is a good one for lap steel, and now that I think of it, it's the full-on pedal steel guitar that really begs for the 4x10 Bassman '57 model! Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 I bet that Supro Blues King 8 is fantastic when close-miked... Quote Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 If you also do lap steel or other electric or semi-electric instruments, or even some lower-level bass, the '57 Bassman LTD from Fender is a light 4x10 that has a good full-range sound that is versatile for many instruments. I've been using the Blues King 8 with the lap steel. Sounds pretty damn cool to me...but I can barely play the thing, so what do I know. dB I just looked that amp up, it sounds like MY kind of tube amp. That is true Class A, no matter how loud you turn it. If you gigged it, you could just bring along a set of spares and be back up and running in no time should a tube fail. AND, I bet it gets louder than anybody thinks it will if you put a high quality cast frame 10" or 12" speaker to service. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 If you also do lap steel or other electric or semi-electric instruments, or even some lower-level bass, the '57 Bassman LTD from Fender is a light 4x10 that has a good full-range sound that is versatile for many instruments. I've been using the Blues King 8 with the lap steel. Sounds pretty damn cool to me...but I can barely play the thing, so what do I know. dB I just looked that amp up, it sounds like MY kind of tube amp. That is true Class A, no matter how loud you turn it. If you gigged it, you could just bring along a set of spares and be back up and running in no time should a tube fail. AND, I bet it gets louder than anybody thinks it will if you put a high quality cast frame 10" or 12" speaker to service. You might dig the Fuchs Lucky 7; one single solitary EL34. I have a Lucky 7 head. I put a NOS late '60s Tesla EL34 in mine, along with a Sovtek 12AX7LPS 'Driver' in V2. (The amp uses all of three tubes, including the Output-Tube.) I also keep a Russian-made Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1 that seems to be "magic", in that it gives up the most BEAUTIFUL blooming harmonic-overtones and musical, harmonic feedback when the amp is cranked (I've tried a number of other excellent 12AX7's and ECC83's in V1- including a particularly low-noise, excellent and warm sounding Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ ("High Grade Plus")- and none quite do the same). That Tung-Sol RI is SWEET. Quote Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 If you also do lap steel or other electric or semi-electric instruments, or even some lower-level bass, the '57 Bassman LTD from Fender is a light 4x10 that has a good full-range sound that is versatile for many instruments. I've been using the Blues King 8 with the lap steel. Sounds pretty damn cool to me...but I can barely play the thing, so what do I know. dB I just looked that amp up, it sounds like MY kind of tube amp. That is true Class A, no matter how loud you turn it. If you gigged it, you could just bring along a set of spares and be back up and running in no time should a tube fail. AND, I bet it gets louder than anybody thinks it will if you put a high quality cast frame 10" or 12" speaker to service. You might dig the Fuchs Lucky 7; one single solitary EL34. I have a Lucky 7 head. I put a NOS late '60s Tesla EL34 in mine, along with a Sovtek 12AX7LPS 'Driver' in V2. (The amp uses all of three tubes, including the Output-Tube.) I also keep a Russian-made Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1 that seems to be "magic", in that it gives up the most BEAUTIFUL blooming harmonic-overtones and musical, harmonic feedback when the amp is cranked (I've tried a number of other excellent 12AX7's and ECC83's in V1- including a particularly low-noise, excellent and warm sounding Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ ("High Grade Plus")- and none quite do the same). That Tung-Sol RI is SWEET. An EL34 in single ended Class A is going to put out a LOT more volume than a 12AU7. My friend's "Prank Champ" with the 10" speaker is WAY louder than I like to play - a 6V6 is more like an EL84 with the EL34 being closer to a 6L6 in output.. I just looked up the Fuchs Lucky 7, it is 7 watts. The Supro is 1 watt. Big difference in total volume, Fuchs will be around twice as loud. That little Supro is using a preamp tube for an output tube - shades of the Hughes and Kettner Cream Machine. It should be loud enough when turned up a bit and get that authentic "amp up loud" tone. Really depends on the output transformer though, if they used a tiny one then it should scream. I've made quite a change from the days of gigging with a Mesa Mk III head on top of a Vox 4-12 cab with 2 EV and 2 jBL speakers. I cannot risk further hearing damage at this point Fuchs makes great stuff though. Unfortunately, I don't have a budget for such goodies if I wanted them. I've been happy going "tubeless" for several years now, it's time to test all my vacuum tube stash and flip out of those and the last 2 tube amps, which sit unused on a shelf in the closet. I won't miss them to be honest. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Just found out that the Vox AC15C1 I ordered a while ago is on it's way to me - that's the one I've been waiting for. I sprung for the X version with the Alnico Blue speaker. Completely psyched. It has arrived. Everything I expected, and more. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Just found out that the Vox AC15C1 I ordered a while ago is on it's way to me - that's the one I've been waiting for. I sprung for the X version with the Alnico Blue speaker. Completely psyched. It has arrived. Everything I expected, and more. dB Nice, rock out!!!! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Congrats Dave! And give us your Vox review real soon! Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 Well, right off, the midrange definition and top end clarity of the Alnico Blue is freakin" magic. Don"t get me wrong - I love my Princeton...but this thing is a whole other world. Also, the way the bass and treble controls on the boost channel work off each other is really cool. Feels like using those with the tone cut is an art form. Does anybody plug into the normal channel? If so, why? dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Yeah, nothing like those Alnico Blues! My Vox AC15 w/ ALnico Blues is the one amp that I have, that EVERY guitar sounds good on! Like you, I also dig how the boost section works regarding bass and treble interplay. It's like the balance self-adjusts for you! Oh, there's a Normal channel on that amp? I keep forgetting! I might have taped over its input jack. :-) Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 OMG Dave, you are hopelessly hooked! (Says the keyboardist/drummer with 7 guitar amps.) Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 24, 2021 Author Share Posted April 24, 2021 OMG Dave, you are hopelessly hooked! (Says the keyboardist/drummer with 7 guitar amps.) I"m not surprised - I have four already (including my Spider III), where there were none a year ago. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I'm a sucker for 12" combos. Trouble is, they are a lot easier to buy than to sell. Too heavy to ship. I've got a Spider III (I think everyone does) and a DT25 that I really like. A Peavey Viper VIP with a huge pedalboard. 2 Fenders, one solid state and one tube. A little Blackstar. And a Mesa Boogie Mark V that cost way more than all the other amps combined, and is also the hardest for an amateur like me to make sound good. Edit - Make that 8. Forgot about my Boss Katana 100 MKII Also got a bunch of small amps. Boss, Spark, and my favorite, a Yamaha THR10. That is a fun little amp that will enhance the look of your music space. One I highly recommend. Top of my wish list is a Vox, or upgrading my THR to a model II. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I just have 2 amps, a Fender Supersonic 22 combo and Vox vt40. I had put the vox away and almost forgot about it till I dragged it out last year and finally realized what a great amp it is. I don't have the footswitch, have to pick one up. Quote Jennifer S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Does anybody plug into the normal channel? If so, why? Brian May uses the Normal channel on his AC30 - through a Treble Booster (various ones over the years). Treble boosters can bring an amp to life. One of my favorite tricks with modelers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Does anybody plug into the normal channel? If so, why? Brian May uses the Normal channel on his AC30 - through a Treble Booster (various ones over the years). Treble boosters can bring an amp to life. One of my favorite tricks with modelers. I've enjoyed putting various favorite octave-fuzz and distortion pedals in front of digital-modelers; VAST improvement, really bringing 'em to life. Quote Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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