James... « Great AC15 inspired amp »
Published on 08/24/11 at 19:45Let's face it, sometimes it's hard for amps to stand out in a sea of AC30 clones. For years Matchless dominated the "boutique el84" market but in the last few years a great few small makers have risen up to compete. Top Hat is one of those companies. The Supreme 16 is their flagship model in a manner of speaking, being that the owner Brian personally builds them all. Mine was number 84. This is all hand wired point to point, old style. Two EL84's. Two channels. One is the typical 12AX7 while the other is a bit of an oddity with the EF86 I believe. This channel is really a clone of the original AC15 circuit, which did actually have an EF86. Simple layout on this channel. Just a volume and a bright switch.
The other channel is a Top Boost clone with an extra mid control and voicing switch. So basically what you are getting here is a handwired version of an original Top Boost and an original AC15 with some tweaks and addons.
UTILIZATION
There's a lot of ways to use this amp. I could go on for days on all the possible uses. But I'll just explain how I use it. There are hi and low inputs for each channel but I just use the low ones. The Top Boost channel is capable of going to from marshall to Fender territory by using the mid knob. Personally I like it on stock top boost settings. I set this channel up for light breakup and use it for cleans/mid gain sounds using pedals. The EF86 channel is surprisingly for all out rocking. Apparently the original AC15 was the same way. All you need to do is crank the volume and go nuts. Rock city. There is actually a manual for this amp and I would recommend you find it. It's quite useful. For people with a lot of vintage Vox knowledge it won't take long to figure this one out.
SOUNDS
In short, this amp does everything it sets out to do. Through a pair of alnico speakers it is magic. The Top Boost channel is THAT sound. You know what I mean. The U2 sparkling cleans and mid gain sounds that you dream of are here. If you want it to be more marshall or fender just twist the mids knob. The EF86 channel has to be played. I can't describe it. It's a lot of gain, yet it's different than any gain you will ever hear. Really. It's killer. If you are a Vox fan, this is THE amp to get. It blows most of the other boutique guys out of the water.
OVERALL OPINION
Matchless has got nothing on this amp. As far as AC15/30 sounds, this is all you ever need. Top Hat knows what they are doing. Instead of doing their take on an old design they just take the original and give it a bit more flexibility. Nothing special. Just do what works. For the money this is a no brainer. Amazing tone at a great price.
The other channel is a Top Boost clone with an extra mid control and voicing switch. So basically what you are getting here is a handwired version of an original Top Boost and an original AC15 with some tweaks and addons.
UTILIZATION
There's a lot of ways to use this amp. I could go on for days on all the possible uses. But I'll just explain how I use it. There are hi and low inputs for each channel but I just use the low ones. The Top Boost channel is capable of going to from marshall to Fender territory by using the mid knob. Personally I like it on stock top boost settings. I set this channel up for light breakup and use it for cleans/mid gain sounds using pedals. The EF86 channel is surprisingly for all out rocking. Apparently the original AC15 was the same way. All you need to do is crank the volume and go nuts. Rock city. There is actually a manual for this amp and I would recommend you find it. It's quite useful. For people with a lot of vintage Vox knowledge it won't take long to figure this one out.
SOUNDS
In short, this amp does everything it sets out to do. Through a pair of alnico speakers it is magic. The Top Boost channel is THAT sound. You know what I mean. The U2 sparkling cleans and mid gain sounds that you dream of are here. If you want it to be more marshall or fender just twist the mids knob. The EF86 channel has to be played. I can't describe it. It's a lot of gain, yet it's different than any gain you will ever hear. Really. It's killer. If you are a Vox fan, this is THE amp to get. It blows most of the other boutique guys out of the water.
OVERALL OPINION
Matchless has got nothing on this amp. As far as AC15/30 sounds, this is all you ever need. Top Hat knows what they are doing. Instead of doing their take on an old design they just take the original and give it a bit more flexibility. Nothing special. Just do what works. For the money this is a no brainer. Amazing tone at a great price.