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strawman « Really good to be played in an apprtment »
Published on 10/21/12 at 08:594W tube combo amp with 1 HP 10 "Celestion VX in a closed cab
On top:
- 1 input jack
- Gain, Bass, Treble, Volume knobs
- 1 on/off switch + 1 red light
At the rear:
- 1 power supply plug.
- 1 external 16 Ohm speaker output
In short, as on the pictures ... The minimum to run the amp according to its target (Vox Top Boost in a small format) with pretty blue cab and cream coloured bakelite handle and vent : Early 60s revival for those who lived it.
No stand-by: it's a pity
No effects loop: you can live without it for simple uses
No medium setting: do not touch to "traditions"; - too bad for those who like to see it evolve over time - as if this circuit was carved in a marble piece (ultimately, it is not very serious)
UTILIZATION
The use is that of a Vox AC: basic in the positive sense of the term: not too much to think about it..
The gain range is wide enough for my taste that dont go up to extreme saturations (I like from clean to crunch).
Bass / treble settings are efficient and help to adapt the sound and suit to the type of your play or guitar.
The volume range is very suitable for use in apartments: this was my main criterion next to real tube sound.. For the moment I have not really pushed up the volume for this reason (appartment), so for rehearsals I do not know if the volume is really enough (A 15 W amp should be better for that, right?)
The manual is really poor: it explains in a lot of languages that the gain knob is used to adjust the gain, that the bass knob is used to adjust the bass etc..
No explanation for the amp maintenance or care, no explanation on changing tubes, no settings proposals. From my point of view and even if it is not very useful for those who already know, I like, as a customer, to be payed attention to : it contributes to satisfy me and it does not increase the price !
The amp has a tendency to heat: a single vent (in bakelite) helps to ventilate. It is not supposed to be a good point for longevity, but it's only an 'a priori' !
In short, as it is the reissue of an amp designed in the 60s (think how long ago it was !), nothing to notice nor to be particularly amazed.
SOUNDS
The sound of this little amp is really not bad at all (that is rather good):
- With a strat you really feel the typical twang and the gain range of this amp is available at a reasonable volume.
- With Gibson & humbuckers the sound turns faster into crunch (but the strength of strikes on your guitar strings will have a great influence on that point)
The sounds are very good and easy to access with the strat: chimey with low end of a 10" speaker. It's a little bit more difficult with a gibson (it takes a little more time to adjust the gain, the tone of both the amp and the guitar). Noting unmanagable but it is a bit less satisfying than with the strat .
The crunch sounds are very nice : as mentioned in a previous opinion, it's a Vox top boost !
I just did some tests with a Digitech multi-effect, disabling the amp simulations: it responds well and now I feel like having better effects.
In fact, I did not expect so much quality and pleasure with an amp playing at neighborhood-compatible volume .
OVERALL OPINION
This amp fits my criteria: a TRUE tube sound to both play in my apartment AND respect the neighborhood, suited for clean jazz sounds sometimes pushed to blues.
A ride in a Paris shop specialized in guitar amplifiers allowed me to benefit from attentive listening and appropriate advice. The proposed choices:
- Fender Blues Junior III (eminence red coat) - I loved the sound and it was definitely my favorite. However, it is twice the price and my weak playing does not deserve it, Besides, this 15W amp, even if it is really manageable in an apartment, made me imagine the frustration of not being able to push up the volume over neighborhood compatible levels.
- Vox AC4 C1: it filled my expectations and it was also a "reasonable" choice both in terms of price and power, and it appears to fully suit to my use.
This amp correctly handles clean sounds (however, not enough headroom to play loud) and can go up to crunch sounds at low volume. It reflects your guitar personality while providing a broad range of settings provided you intend to stay in the vintage styles;. The rendering is great on guitars with single coils (strat) and seems just a bit below for guitars with humbuckers, at least for clean sounds and jazz.
Lot of qualities without being totally perfect (nothing prohibitive to my eyes or to my ears), a marketted prize : this amp is a real answer to my expectations and I feel I was right to be "reasonable" on the day of purchase ... but this is just a subjective opinion.
- Sorry for the poor translation, I did my best. I hope it's better than the fully automatic translation
On top:
- 1 input jack
- Gain, Bass, Treble, Volume knobs
- 1 on/off switch + 1 red light
At the rear:
- 1 power supply plug.
- 1 external 16 Ohm speaker output
In short, as on the pictures ... The minimum to run the amp according to its target (Vox Top Boost in a small format) with pretty blue cab and cream coloured bakelite handle and vent : Early 60s revival for those who lived it.
No stand-by: it's a pity
No effects loop: you can live without it for simple uses
No medium setting: do not touch to "traditions"; - too bad for those who like to see it evolve over time - as if this circuit was carved in a marble piece (ultimately, it is not very serious)
UTILIZATION
The use is that of a Vox AC: basic in the positive sense of the term: not too much to think about it..
The gain range is wide enough for my taste that dont go up to extreme saturations (I like from clean to crunch).
Bass / treble settings are efficient and help to adapt the sound and suit to the type of your play or guitar.
The volume range is very suitable for use in apartments: this was my main criterion next to real tube sound.. For the moment I have not really pushed up the volume for this reason (appartment), so for rehearsals I do not know if the volume is really enough (A 15 W amp should be better for that, right?)
The manual is really poor: it explains in a lot of languages that the gain knob is used to adjust the gain, that the bass knob is used to adjust the bass etc..
No explanation for the amp maintenance or care, no explanation on changing tubes, no settings proposals. From my point of view and even if it is not very useful for those who already know, I like, as a customer, to be payed attention to : it contributes to satisfy me and it does not increase the price !
The amp has a tendency to heat: a single vent (in bakelite) helps to ventilate. It is not supposed to be a good point for longevity, but it's only an 'a priori' !
In short, as it is the reissue of an amp designed in the 60s (think how long ago it was !), nothing to notice nor to be particularly amazed.
SOUNDS
The sound of this little amp is really not bad at all (that is rather good):
- With a strat you really feel the typical twang and the gain range of this amp is available at a reasonable volume.
- With Gibson & humbuckers the sound turns faster into crunch (but the strength of strikes on your guitar strings will have a great influence on that point)
The sounds are very good and easy to access with the strat: chimey with low end of a 10" speaker. It's a little bit more difficult with a gibson (it takes a little more time to adjust the gain, the tone of both the amp and the guitar). Noting unmanagable but it is a bit less satisfying than with the strat .
The crunch sounds are very nice : as mentioned in a previous opinion, it's a Vox top boost !
I just did some tests with a Digitech multi-effect, disabling the amp simulations: it responds well and now I feel like having better effects.
In fact, I did not expect so much quality and pleasure with an amp playing at neighborhood-compatible volume .
OVERALL OPINION
This amp fits my criteria: a TRUE tube sound to both play in my apartment AND respect the neighborhood, suited for clean jazz sounds sometimes pushed to blues.
A ride in a Paris shop specialized in guitar amplifiers allowed me to benefit from attentive listening and appropriate advice. The proposed choices:
- Fender Blues Junior III (eminence red coat) - I loved the sound and it was definitely my favorite. However, it is twice the price and my weak playing does not deserve it, Besides, this 15W amp, even if it is really manageable in an apartment, made me imagine the frustration of not being able to push up the volume over neighborhood compatible levels.
- Vox AC4 C1: it filled my expectations and it was also a "reasonable" choice both in terms of price and power, and it appears to fully suit to my use.
This amp correctly handles clean sounds (however, not enough headroom to play loud) and can go up to crunch sounds at low volume. It reflects your guitar personality while providing a broad range of settings provided you intend to stay in the vintage styles;. The rendering is great on guitars with single coils (strat) and seems just a bit below for guitars with humbuckers, at least for clean sounds and jazz.
Lot of qualities without being totally perfect (nothing prohibitive to my eyes or to my ears), a marketted prize : this amp is a real answer to my expectations and I feel I was right to be "reasonable" on the day of purchase ... but this is just a subjective opinion.
- Sorry for the poor translation, I did my best. I hope it's better than the fully automatic translation