I have used a WEM Dominator MKII and an AC 30 all my life, I now have a Vox modeling amp for practising at home and don't really like the Fender amp models.
My Top setting for Stratocasters on the Vox AC15: Master Volume at 5 o‘clock (max), Tone Cut at 12 o‘clock, Vibrato & Reverb (Off), Bass at 5 o‘clock (max), Treble at 2 o‘clock and Top Boost at 10 o‘clock. Sounds very nice. Edit: Now it’s Tone Cut off, Master Volume at half and Top boost at half. Treble at 11 o‘clock and Bass at 1 o’clock. Great for live gigs!
Vox amps are their own thing, and a very good thing at that, while the Princeton is going to faithfully represent whatever guitar (and effects) you've got plugged into it. That's why, despite it not necessarily being the "best sounding" amp of all, the Princeton will always be much sought-after, especially by studio professionals.
The Princeton's power amp+speaker lops off the extremes and colors the midrange like nobody's business -resulting in a massive, wavy bump spanning from about 150 Hz-2 kHz. It is a very long way from 'faithful' (i.e. linear) amplification, m8!
For sheer versatility it's the vox. Clean to dirty and everything between .I've always had a soft spot for fender amps though... Mainly the deluxe reverb. It's incredibly hard to get a bad tone from a fender but vox can be brutal if not dialed in right.
love my ac15.the guitarist in my band owns the princeton.and his tele, ts7 pedal and a carbon copy through the thing sounds amazing.id own both for sure.plus the fender is way lighter if weight is an issue
I used to use my WEM Dominator MKII and an AC 30 when I played live and a DIY switching unit a mate made for me, the WEM was used whenever I had a delay or a chorus patch, I used the boards FX loop as the amp didn't have one, I just preferred that amp for those type of sounds. The Tokai was my favorite guitar used in the video.
Both great amps they’ve stood the test of time. People say the alnico blue version of the vox has the more authentic vox sound I have the greenback version and absolutely love it. I love how you can play it at a reasonably low volume and get that grumbly tone you just can’t do that on a lot of fender amps. That’s not to say the vox is better but I play at home a lot I don’t have an army of pedals so that works for me. What you have to do when using gain pedals for vox is dial in the clean to by using volume. You bring it down set where you like the clean(ish) then use the volume on the pedal and it boosts it then but yea no ideal. Another I find when using humbuckers I don’t engage the tone cut dial nearly as much as I do for single coil strat, tele or even p90. I really like the built in reverb and tremolo on the vox. I’ve not yet watched the last couple of vids you did but as soon as saw this weeks I just had to watch this first. I love some other amp vids in the future geez so if you’re ever at a loss of what to do an amp vid always works and saves you having to buy a guitar or 3 😂
Both combos sounded incredible on their own and were absolutely amazing as a duo, some great playing today Colin and enough tones to satisfy any guitar player, fun and enjoyable video 🎸😄
In the early seventies had a sixties fender that I traded for a vox... Haven't regretted it... Great episode... And enjoyed the tone comparison, along with confirmation in my mind tgat i made the right decision long ago.
Once you’ve played with a two amp setup it’s hard to ever be satisfied with one again. It’s just fuller and more fine tuned. Even though I use fairly inexpensive little amps at home, I still run them wet/dry, and always will. Of course, if I had the dosh, there would be a Fender (vibrochamp) added, as a Princeton is louder than I need, but still my favourite amp ever.
I have that exact princeton tweed amp, it sounds great but did require a few repairs early on to replace some junky caps that Fender put in. For $5 more expensive caps, Fender could've saved me $200 in electronics repairs, kinda disappointing management decision. The amp itself sounds fantastic though.
For balance, same with a Marshall DSL40 - had to replace the valves within 12 months as two were failing. Now its gold (and we still have it 6 years later), happy although left feeling disappointed with it out of the box, at the original cost £600 in 2016
I run a Fender Blues Deluxe 50 watt combined with a Vox Valvetronics AD-50 and vary back & forth using my splitter pedal to get some seriously glorious tunes in my home studio. I generally set the Vox to the AC-30 position & on Reverb /delay and use it to drive the Fender ( slave ) amp . There’s just something about the two different ways their circuits are designed & wired that when paired sounds like magic , to my ears & my neighbors 😏😉. Thanks for posting this one.👍
As i'm a Fender guy, i loved how the Princeton sounded both with humbuckers and p90s, it sounds like the perfect choice for the 60's psychedelic thing i'm looking for, maybe i will end buying (in the future) the "68 Custom" version that has a modified ab763 circuit to make it crunch more on lower volumes, acting more like an early Mesa Boogie.
Great video. As a Marshall fan, I think I lean more towards the VOX. However I totally agree the Fender should be excellent for pedals. In the 90s I had a Boss ME6 which had a stereo output. I put two Marshall Valvestate 8080 connected and wow. Once you try two amps you don’t want to go back. It is a huge difference in the perceived sound. Here the same happens , both together are just WOW.
I love both amps,especially when used together,sounds huge. If I had to pick one I'm going with the Fender because of its ability to handle pedals. Great video
That's similar to what I do. I play both an AC15 (the hand wired 60th) and a Tweed Deluxe (Clark amps) clone split to a stereo set up or wet/dry. Sounds killer and way bigger than each individually. It's amazing how huge it sounds with both amps.
Two amps is the way to go! I run the wet/dry thing with an AC30 and a Roland JC77. Its awesome (if you like that sort of thing). Just picked up a used Fender HR Deville 212. Have been getting to know that amp on its own for the last few days. If I pair it with the AC30 I think I'll be heard in the next town over.
The Vox AC15C1(X) there has a single channel, so the normal and TB volumes work on the same line into the EL84's, a good mod is to put a switch in the TB tone stack across the 12AX7 tubes' top boost tone stack which sucks the gain (volume out of the normal (and) TB "channel tunnels" so to speak. Owed my favourite bands guitarist a Vox AC so that ABY stereo amp idea is a great one, that AC15C1 with an amp detonator (that phase switch is cool) routing his effects to his Fender 40W Hot Rod. And gig with them both together. Why does the Vox not work great with drive pedals! Pop a low effect level fuzz pedal or Boss CS2 at the end of the pedal chain. Would that maybe tame the overblown distortion a bit (like what Dave Gilmour does?). I like the greenback in the AC15 once its run in proper, better than the chinese alnico blue celestion. The green's 75 Hz resonance cut off tames the distortion of all the bass frequencies muddying up in the mix like it does in your setup there. The vox AC is a mid boost distortion Classic Rock Classic, you only want 15 watts in most situations whereas the 30 watt VOX overpowers the rest of the bands tone. The master volume and tone cut pot on the Vox AC C1's is a great addition, great designer from Marshall, mic' it up through a PA fill the room with that 60's sound. An idea for such powerful amps in your basement is to put them in a cupboard or a large enough solid air tight wooden boxes, and mic them out to your PA
👍👍 some good stuff thanks… I found AC30 when driven a bit on top boost channel lacks enough headroom fit most drive pedals to raise the volume and cut through band mix.
I really enjoyed that! I thought for sure that the play-out would be with the Coronet. While it might not be your favorite, it sure puts a smile on your face when you're playing it. I have a Blues Jr. that I love one day and not so much the next. I just have to play around with it more and get more familiar wit it. It can get loud! Until next week, cheers!
Thats what im like in general with tube amps haha. Trouble is they really do sound different every day. Thats why serious people recording etc use power conditioners etc with them i guess.
Here's a few things I've found out in my 56 years. I've spent fortunes on amps, pedals and guitars. We all have a idea of what we want and spend fortunes and tears 😭 trying to get it. All of it I've found means nothing to the audience when you are playing a gig. Some of our biggest nights we had, I played thru a Peavey Roadmaster vintage tube head thru a ported 4/12 cabinet with only a tuner, delay pedal, noise gate, and a booster. Just plug and play. Compared to nights with top notch gear that we just ok. The point is, just have fun and play music. Get what you need and nothing more
Good evening Colin, viewing late again tonight mate. Really enjoyed this one, although both amps aren't my normal bag I appreciate what they represent and what a great tone is achievable with them. Well demonstrated, I've learned something a little out of my comfort zone tonight. Cheer's bud see ya next Friday
Hello Colin! Always so good to see you. You played some tasty bits on that Eastman guitar of yours. Really enjoyed between 5:00 and 6:30 or so. I dug on the darker chords you played. Shoot, might have just been an Em but they sounded so cool! Thanks for today's video. I really don't know much about Vox amps and today you let me hear the AC15 and you revealed its characteristics and quirks. I like this amp comparison. Shoot, maybe you'll even do some pedal reviews! Cheers! Look forward to seeing you next week of course.
Back in the day (for most) I bought an AC15 CC1. Needed an amp quick: the deal was going as the C1 was just out. Mine was Wharfedale spkr, but exchange rates were good and I swapped in a Ted Weber Blue Dog (cos I could LOL). I was also privileged to speak to the great man.........Kept it simple, NO pedals, a bit of onboard reverb usually on and Trem, built-in, used as and when....................Needed to get knife sharp - well that's what that bridge pickup does on a strat...........Loads of fun.....Super video and playing, Sir!
I think the Princeton with the Ox has been a great 'litmus test' for all the guitars you profile, Colin. I've used Fenders for decades so also my 'standard' - an old Blues Junior in the studio these days altho I mostly go into the desk with the Effectrode Blackbird, which has a nice Fender / Dumblish thing going on. I've also always loved the Vox sound - don't own an amp but bought The Victory Copper pedal which is a pretty good approximation and loved it till it stopped working a week ago . . . deafening silence, so will need to get that sorted. The Aclam Dr. Robert is not bad - it'll do as a fill in while I get the Victory one fixed (hopefully!) Look forward to what's to come. The Eastman Juliet really shines in this vid! Cheers.
I have both of those amps. I really love the Princeton! On the Vox you must really use that tone cut knob (as I see that you do) That Eastman Juliet is awesome!! Great playing today, I really enjoyed the video! I'm looking forward to some more amp videos.
I have had both amps. After years of gigging with an AC30 that I never was able to turn above 4 and nearly broke my back. I traded it for an Ac 15 which I could actually play at home snd hear something besides ringing ears. I have a Princeton 65 now. It gets me the Fender clean reverb sound that no other amp does and I have various overdrive pedals if I want a Marshall type sound. I also have the Strymon Iridium which I admit to using half the time. Especially for recording.
It would be interesting if you used the alnico blue speaker in the Vox (AC15c1x) as that gives you more of the classic Vox sound and has more headroom. The price is also a bit closer to the fender to make it a fairer comparison. Keep up the good videos. Been waiting for these amp videos for a while so thanks for sharing 👍
I wish fender and Marshall would collaborate and make a half Marshall and half fender in one amp. Lol. I’m a British amp guy . I’m a Marshall lover. Les paul through a blues breaker or jmp or plexi . I had a dual reverb jcm 900 was my favorite amp of all time. That amp recorded so good.
As someone who doesn't use pedals I'd go for the AC 15 but it does 'grunt' a bit. Like you say Colin, you'd have to push the Princeton to such a level to get it to break up that you're rattling the windows - and that's why I like Blues Juniors! 😅 Great job again 👏
Cheers Russ, I reckon the blues junior is a bit in between these two wouldn't you say?... and still loud enough to do the windows in when you need it to be! 😆👍
G'Day... Thanks muchly... Enjoyed the interesting comparisons and comments... Yup... Tubes/Valves have a richness of their own... Mine are a little 10w Vox... and a 15w Blues Jnr... Both punch above their weight ! Bring on more ! 🤠...
This is public service broadcasting for the guitar community Colin! And the answer to which I would choose is definitely both. I’ve got an AC10 that I like to get some drive from but even with the master only just on it’s something I can only do when there is no one in the house! Also the lack of effects loop means delays and reverbs in the front which sounds a bit weird with the preamp driving.
Love them together. I used to run a 1966 blackface super reverb that has 4 x 10” speakers with my dad’s old peavey 100 bass amp that has sweepable mids with a single 15” speaker. Sounded huge. Too loud too heavy now. I need a small amp with that clean sparkly thing on the edge of breakup. Seems either of these would do the trick. Vox has advantage of not needing the OX.
I'm a Fender man. I'm in the Princeton camp. I have a Princeton 112 plus. Love that little amp. However, the Vox sounds awesome. Love them together as well. Thx Colin. Cheers my friend tone.
Friday Cheers, Colin!🍻 Two OG’s there! Got a Pile of pedals on my Fender, but only a TB, AB/Y and Delay on my alnico blue AC. You nailed it with the AB/Y. That and a looper in all my chains. Horses for Courses 🏁
Really enjoyed the video Colin. I spent several years teaming a Fender Blues Junior with a Vox AC15 and I thought it was a magnificent combination. My favourite guitar sound was the Epiphone on your video. Thanks again.
Ty for all the effort to make this clip, but I have to say, using an attenuator on one and not the other changes the playing field, I would have gone even up and used an ab pedal, for quick changes between amps for would differences.....
Great video!!!! You did a wonderful job of explaining the differences that each one has! For me, the Chris Stapleton (with a Boing Rockett reverb pedal)....hand wired and a 12" speaker does the job!
I started singing "Sisteeeeeeer" at about 15:14 haha sounding great and another banger of a video Colin! I've got a few Vox amps and have thought for a while that my next amp and first non-Vox might need to be a Fender and the Princeton has always interested me. You might very well have just helped me make a decision! Cheers as always man!
From my musical tastes i would probably prefer the Vox , but as a player i'm more a Fender (pedals) guy (but i use a H&K Statesman 20 watt.. one channel Fendery , the other higher gain à la JCM 800). I was surprised to learn that Vox AC 30 and 15 are well liked by Nashville Telecaster players. Zack Childs (who runs AsK Zack youtube channel, a very cool one in quite another style than Colins..) made me discover that.. In this vid clearly the better sound comes from the amps together, the Fender bringing some more body to the mean but slim VoX. I won the mini challenge. ..
I practice with the Vox; it sounds full on most of my material against looped rhythm and vocals. Gigging with the band, I use the Fender...it sits in the mix better, more versatile, gets those bell-like clean tones and can be shaped better with pedals. Of course, I have to reset overdrive, compressor, fuzz and volume pedals for gig. They're great together, but that's more gear than I usually take to gig.
Yes, amazing how you have to reset pedal levels when swapping these kind of amps, and how thing like delay sound so different. I should try and do something on that sometime 🤔
I had a Vox AC15 that I couldn't bond with. Even with the tone cut, it was way too ice-picky for my tastes. I replaced it with a Fender Hot Rox Deluxe, which suited my needs better. I do miss the punchiness of the Vox, but I guess Fender cleans are more my thing.
Love both amps together with the Les Paul. I use a 4th gen blues junior for gigs. Great pedal platform and easily fits in the car. Would love to use 2amps for gigs. But will set up 2 at home for practice.
I made sure that my wife heard your estimated guitar collection count. I have a not unreasonable 13. I am in a 'one in one out' holding pattern at the moment. She gave me that look!😉Nice one Colin.
I think it is all subjective. Personally I prefer the sound of a Fender. I play a Fender Supersonic 22 Combo very versatile, does everything really, has an FX loop so can fit a volume box/pedal.
Nice, but i can't decide between them. I've got a Peavy Classic 50 that does beautiful cleans and comes with a pedal to switch to the dirty. I'm really happy with it.
What a fine way this was to enjoy my Friday morning coffee & cig at the start of the weekend. Made me want to stick in to my 10w Vox tonight, prolly with my Tele. They like each other a lot. Btw, sold an Epiphone Special this week to a young enthusiast, to help him out and raise some cash for me and make room on the wall. Saw the old 'Cool Wall' in the background of your studio, maybe it's time for a revisit soon? Thanks Colin for a happy morning and Cheers all from Dallas, where the long heat wave has finally broken.
I have a Peavey Classic 30- American made from the late 90s/Early 2000s. I'll take the Pepsi Challenge w/ the Vox & Fender equivalents any day. Anyway- Brilliant show as ever Colin- thank you!
Yet another interesting video. I am definitely interested in seeing the amps on the back ground. My favorite pairing was the 2 amps with the epiphone it just had that sound I like. Cheers
My AC15C2 works great with a Friedman OD going into the normal channel, with the master at noon or higher, and using channel volume to set overall level. Very Marshall like with the Greenbacks. It doesn't like them all though. It seem to prefer "amp-in-a-box" gain pedals more than traditional overdrive or distortion... at least that has been my experience.
I'll take the Vox all day long
I have used a WEM Dominator MKII and an AC 30 all my life, I now have a Vox modeling amp for practising at home and don't really like the Fender amp models.
The Vox is the amp for me.
I love that distinctive Vox tone.
It's incredible how instrumental Fender has been in creating both great electric instruments and amplifiers.
My Top setting for Stratocasters on the Vox AC15: Master Volume at 5 o‘clock (max), Tone Cut at 12 o‘clock, Vibrato & Reverb (Off), Bass at 5 o‘clock (max), Treble at 2 o‘clock and Top Boost at 10 o‘clock.
Sounds very nice.
Edit: Now it’s Tone Cut off, Master Volume at half and Top boost at half. Treble at 11 o‘clock and Bass at 1 o’clock. Great for live gigs!
Vox amps are their own thing, and a very good thing at that, while the Princeton is going to faithfully represent whatever guitar (and effects) you've got plugged into it. That's why, despite it not necessarily being the "best sounding" amp of all, the Princeton will always be much sought-after, especially by studio professionals.
faithfully represent whaaaat? lmao that's a bunch of bs
The Princeton's power amp+speaker lops off the extremes and colors the midrange like nobody's business -resulting in a massive, wavy bump spanning from about 150 Hz-2 kHz.
It is a very long way from 'faithful' (i.e. linear) amplification, m8!
Had a old vox ac15 back in the day very much a 'the who' vibe to it then ended up with a peavey..then ended up married with headphones 😂
🤣👍 Have a great weekend mate! 🍺
@@theguitaristas cheers 🍻
For sheer versatility it's the vox. Clean to dirty and everything between .I've always had a soft spot for fender amps though... Mainly the deluxe reverb. It's incredibly hard to get a bad tone from a fender but vox can be brutal if not dialed in right.
I use the VoxAC10 and a Fender Champ in my aprtment studio. Love pairing the two amps. Great versatility of sounds. Thank you for this video.
On their own, the vox for me wins it but together they're on another level. Great playing.
I have a version of each and love them both. The Fender with a bit of reverb is fantastic and the Vox with the gain up is also incredible.
The combo of the two is sublime, you killed it with that Eastman, looks incredibly cool too in your hands.
love my ac15.the guitarist in my band owns the princeton.and his tele, ts7 pedal and a carbon copy through the thing sounds amazing.id own both for sure.plus the fender is way lighter if weight is an issue
yes some more amps in the coming weeks? I'm all for it!
0600 in middle Tennessee on my way to work. listening to your show.gonna be a good day.
I use my Princeton 65 and AC15 in stereo, they compliment each other so very well. Cheers and thanks for another great video!
Been thinking about doing that.
look forward to these videos every week, thanks for all the work you put in!
I used to use my WEM Dominator MKII and an AC 30 when I played live and a DIY switching unit a mate made for me, the WEM was used whenever I had a delay or a chorus patch, I used the boards FX loop as the amp didn't have one, I just preferred that amp for those type of sounds. The Tokai was my favorite guitar used in the video.
Both great amps they’ve stood the test of time.
People say the alnico blue version of the vox has the more authentic vox sound I have the greenback version and absolutely love it.
I love how you can play it at a reasonably low volume and get that grumbly tone you just can’t do that on a lot of fender amps.
That’s not to say the vox is better but I play at home a lot I don’t have an army of pedals so that works for me.
What you have to do when using gain pedals for vox is dial in the clean to by using volume.
You bring it down set where you like the clean(ish) then use the volume on the pedal and it boosts it then but yea no ideal.
Another I find when using humbuckers I don’t engage the tone cut dial nearly as much as I do for single coil strat, tele or even p90.
I really like the built in reverb and tremolo on the vox.
I’ve not yet watched the last couple of vids you did but as soon as saw this weeks I just had to watch this first.
I love some other amp vids in the future geez so if you’re ever at a loss of what to do an amp vid always works and saves you having to buy a guitar or 3 😂
Cheers man! 😎👍
Both combos sounded incredible on their own and were absolutely amazing as a duo, some great playing today Colin and enough tones to satisfy any guitar player, fun and enjoyable video 🎸😄
Thanks mate that's appreciated! 😁🙏
Thanks Colin. I can't chose one when the combination is so sublime, and I can't afford both. Back to square one ;)
A nice change up, Colin. Amp vs amp instead of guitar vs guitar
It’s a rainy day here in VA, enjoying listening to you playing away, wishing that is how I could play.
In the early seventies had a sixties fender that I traded for a vox... Haven't regretted it... Great episode... And enjoyed the tone comparison, along with confirmation in my mind tgat i made the right decision long ago.
Once you’ve played with a two amp setup it’s hard to ever be satisfied with one again. It’s just fuller and more fine tuned. Even though I use fairly inexpensive little amps at home, I still run them wet/dry, and always will. Of course, if I had the dosh, there would be a Fender (vibrochamp) added, as a Princeton is louder than I need, but still my favourite amp ever.
I have that exact princeton tweed amp, it sounds great but did require a few repairs early on to replace some junky caps that Fender put in. For $5 more expensive caps, Fender could've saved me $200 in electronics repairs, kinda disappointing management decision. The amp itself sounds fantastic though.
For balance, same with a Marshall DSL40 - had to replace the valves within 12 months as two were failing. Now its gold (and we still have it 6 years later), happy although left feeling disappointed with it out of the box, at the original cost £600 in 2016
To my ears, the Vox sounds more bluesy, whilst the fender sound reminds me of a kind of folk-rock style, like the Byrds did it.
A good Fender with a good Vox is sublime! I used to run a Fender 65 Deluxe reissue with a Vox AC 15 reissue. Tonal bliss!
Fender, Vox and that Tokai ❤wanted a Gibson but now I want a Tokai! always throwing something into the mix Colin!
Vox ACs have great crunch and distortion on their own.
I run a Fender Blues Deluxe 50 watt combined with a Vox Valvetronics AD-50 and vary back & forth using my splitter pedal to get some seriously glorious tunes in my home studio. I generally set the Vox to the AC-30 position & on Reverb /delay and use it to drive the Fender ( slave ) amp . There’s just something about the two different ways their circuits are designed & wired that when paired sounds like magic , to my ears & my neighbors 😏😉. Thanks for posting this one.👍
As i'm a Fender guy, i loved how the Princeton sounded both with humbuckers and p90s, it sounds like the perfect choice for the 60's psychedelic thing i'm looking for, maybe i will end buying (in the future) the "68 Custom" version that has a modified ab763 circuit to make it crunch more on lower volumes, acting more like an early Mesa Boogie.
Super Videos die du machst Schaue mir sie alle an bin begeistert mach weiter so grüße von Edde aus Deutschland
Love the video! Both great choices of amps. I use the Vox and Junior Pro IV myself.
Great video. As a Marshall fan, I think I lean more towards the VOX. However I totally agree the Fender should be excellent for pedals.
In the 90s I had a Boss ME6 which had a stereo output. I put two Marshall Valvestate 8080 connected and wow. Once you try two amps you don’t want to go back. It is a huge difference in the perceived sound. Here the same happens , both together are just WOW.
I love both amps,especially when used together,sounds huge. If I had to pick one I'm going with the Fender because of its ability to handle pedals. Great video
I have the vox ac10c1, and I run a friedman pedal through it. I can't get it pass level 1 without being too loud. Great amp!
I hear you... I had one a while back but got rid as it was just too loud! The AC15 is actually easier to control believe it or not.
@@theguitaristas oh wow.
That's similar to what I do. I play both an AC15 (the hand wired 60th) and a Tweed Deluxe (Clark amps) clone split to a stereo set up or wet/dry. Sounds killer and way bigger than each individually. It's amazing how huge it sounds with both amps.
love that eastman.
Two amps is the way to go! I run the wet/dry thing with an AC30 and a Roland JC77. Its awesome (if you like that sort of thing). Just picked up a used Fender HR Deville 212. Have been getting to know that amp on its own for the last few days. If I pair it with the AC30 I think I'll be heard in the next town over.
You sure will... the HR Deville is Evil loud!!
Vox just sounds SO much better to me. More open, less boxy. And it has that magical British Invasion chime.
The Vox AC15C1(X) there has a single channel, so the normal and TB volumes work on the same line into the EL84's, a good mod is to put a switch in the TB tone stack across the 12AX7 tubes' top boost tone stack which sucks the gain (volume out of the normal (and) TB "channel tunnels" so to speak.
Owed my favourite bands guitarist a Vox AC so that ABY stereo amp idea is a great one, that AC15C1 with an amp detonator (that phase switch is cool) routing his effects to his Fender 40W Hot Rod. And gig with them both together.
Why does the Vox not work great with drive pedals! Pop a low effect level fuzz pedal or Boss CS2 at the end of the pedal chain.
Would that maybe tame the overblown distortion a bit (like what Dave Gilmour does?).
I like the greenback in the AC15 once its run in proper, better than the chinese alnico blue celestion. The green's 75 Hz resonance cut off tames the distortion of all the bass frequencies muddying up in the mix like it does in your setup there.
The vox AC is a mid boost distortion Classic Rock Classic, you only want 15 watts in most situations whereas the 30 watt VOX overpowers the rest of the bands tone. The master volume and tone cut pot on the Vox AC C1's is a great addition, great designer from Marshall, mic' it up through a PA fill the room with that 60's sound.
An idea for such powerful amps in your basement is to put them in a cupboard or a large enough solid air tight wooden boxes, and mic them out to your PA
👍👍 some good stuff thanks… I found AC30 when driven a bit on top boost channel lacks enough headroom fit most drive pedals to raise the volume and cut through band mix.
Vox everytime. Cranked sounds amazing and some of the sweetest cleans you can get.
I really enjoyed that! I thought for sure that the play-out would be with the Coronet. While it might not be your favorite, it sure puts a smile on your face when you're playing it. I have a Blues Jr. that I love one day and not so much the next. I just have to play around with it more and get more familiar wit it. It can get loud! Until next week, cheers!
Thats what im like in general with tube amps haha.
Trouble is they really do sound different every day. Thats why serious people recording etc use power conditioners etc with them i guess.
The Blues Jr is loud for it's size! Takes most pedals very well.
I always like the sound of an open backed speaker cab for guitar. it has a more jangly presence and is less directional, fills the room with sound
Here's a few things I've found out in my 56 years. I've spent fortunes on amps, pedals and guitars. We all have a idea of what we want and spend fortunes and tears 😭 trying to get it. All of it I've found means nothing to the audience when you are playing a gig. Some of our biggest nights we had, I played thru a Peavey Roadmaster vintage tube head thru a ported 4/12 cabinet with only a tuner, delay pedal, noise gate, and a booster. Just plug and play. Compared to nights with top notch gear that we just ok. The point is, just have fun and play music. Get what you need and nothing more
Good evening Colin, viewing late again tonight mate. Really enjoyed this one, although both amps aren't my normal bag I appreciate what they represent and what a great tone is achievable with them. Well demonstrated, I've learned something a little out of my comfort zone tonight. Cheer's bud see ya next Friday
Thank you for your insights on these two amps. That was informative and highly entertaining!
Hello Colin! Always so good to see you. You played some tasty bits on that Eastman guitar of yours. Really enjoyed between 5:00 and 6:30 or so. I dug on the darker chords you played. Shoot, might have just been an Em but they sounded so cool!
Thanks for today's video. I really don't know much about Vox amps and today you let me hear the AC15 and you revealed its characteristics and quirks. I like this amp comparison. Shoot, maybe you'll even do some pedal reviews! Cheers! Look forward to seeing you next week of course.
Both amps together does sound badass
I really love your kind of story telling, thanks for the interresting insights for the VOX-lover in me.
Back in the day (for most) I bought an AC15 CC1. Needed an amp quick: the deal was going as the C1 was just out. Mine was Wharfedale spkr, but exchange rates were good and I swapped in a Ted Weber Blue Dog (cos I could LOL). I was also privileged to speak to the great man.........Kept it simple, NO pedals, a bit of onboard reverb usually on and Trem, built-in, used as and when....................Needed to get knife sharp - well that's what that bridge pickup does on a strat...........Loads of fun.....Super video and playing, Sir!
Hi Colin great video again my favourite is the love rock and the Princeton,
I have never understood why the Vox is so popular. It colors everything.
I think the Princeton with the Ox has been a great 'litmus test' for all the guitars you profile, Colin. I've used Fenders for decades so also my 'standard' - an old Blues Junior in the studio these days altho I mostly go into the desk with the Effectrode Blackbird, which has a nice Fender / Dumblish thing going on. I've also always loved the Vox sound - don't own an amp but bought The Victory Copper pedal which is a pretty good approximation and loved it till it stopped working a week ago . . . deafening silence, so will need to get that sorted. The Aclam Dr. Robert is not bad - it'll do as a fill in while I get the Victory one fixed (hopefully!) Look forward to what's to come. The Eastman Juliet really shines in this vid! Cheers.
Nice amps lookin forward to other amps you got there 😊
I have both of those amps. I really love the Princeton! On the Vox you must really use that tone cut knob (as I see that you do) That Eastman Juliet is awesome!! Great playing today, I really enjoyed the video! I'm looking forward to some more amp videos.
I have had both amps. After years of gigging with an AC30 that I never was able to turn above 4 and nearly broke my back. I traded it for an Ac 15 which I could actually play at home snd hear something besides ringing ears. I have a Princeton 65 now. It gets me the Fender clean reverb sound that no other amp does and I have various overdrive pedals if I want a Marshall type sound. I also have the Strymon Iridium which I admit to using half the time. Especially for recording.
It would be interesting if you used the alnico blue speaker in the Vox (AC15c1x) as that gives you more of the classic Vox sound and has more headroom. The price is also a bit closer to the fender to make it a fairer comparison.
Keep up the good videos. Been waiting for these amp videos for a while so thanks for sharing 👍
I wish fender and Marshall would collaborate and make a half Marshall and half fender in one amp. Lol. I’m a British amp guy . I’m a Marshall lover. Les paul through a blues breaker or jmp or plexi . I had a dual reverb jcm 900 was my favorite amp of all time. That amp recorded so good.
As someone who doesn't use pedals I'd go for the AC 15 but it does 'grunt' a bit. Like you say Colin, you'd have to push the Princeton to such a level to get it to break up that you're rattling the windows - and that's why I like Blues Juniors! 😅 Great job again 👏
Cheers Russ, I reckon the blues junior is a bit in between these two wouldn't you say?... and still loud enough to do the windows in when you need it to be! 😆👍
G'Day... Thanks muchly... Enjoyed the interesting comparisons and comments... Yup... Tubes/Valves have a richness of their own... Mine are a little 10w Vox... and a 15w Blues Jnr... Both punch above their weight ! Bring on more ! 🤠...
This is public service broadcasting for the guitar community Colin! And the answer to which I would choose is definitely both. I’ve got an AC10 that I like to get some drive from but even with the master only just on it’s something I can only do when there is no one in the house! Also the lack of effects loop means delays and reverbs in the front which sounds a bit weird with the preamp driving.
Yes... I have experienced the AC10 it is a very loud amp!
Thanks Col, the sun's always shining on your channel pal.
😁🙏
I think I generally prefer the Fender, but with the single coil guitars the Vox seems to add something special.
Someone with a Rickenbacker would probably agree on that.
Love them together. I used to run a 1966 blackface super reverb that has 4 x 10” speakers with my dad’s old peavey 100 bass amp that has sweepable mids with a single 15” speaker. Sounded huge. Too loud too heavy now. I need a small amp with that clean sparkly thing on the edge of breakup. Seems either of these would do the trick. Vox has advantage of not needing the OX.
I'm a Fender man. I'm in the Princeton camp. I have a Princeton 112 plus. Love that little amp. However, the Vox sounds awesome. Love them together as well. Thx Colin. Cheers my friend tone.
Your Vox can take pedals well. Just turn the master all the way up it bypasses the Bright Cap. Turn channel volume to taste
I do use a boss sd1 with a vox ac 15 no problem. On the high output.
Vox for me, mainly because I have an AC10C1, although I have upgraded the valves. Sound great with the Epi P90.
Friday Cheers, Colin!🍻
Two OG’s there! Got a Pile of pedals on my Fender, but only a TB, AB/Y and Delay on my alnico blue AC.
You nailed it with the AB/Y.
That and a looper in all my chains.
Horses for Courses 🏁
I have the same Princeton , with pedals I can do anything I need to do .. it’s great base to start from for any style of music
Really enjoyed the video Colin. I spent several years teaming a Fender Blues Junior with a Vox AC15 and I thought it was a magnificent combination. My favourite guitar sound was the Epiphone on your video. Thanks again.
Ty for all the effort to make this clip, but I have to say, using an attenuator on one and not the other changes the playing field, I would have gone even up and used an ab pedal, for quick changes between amps for would differences.....
Tele and Vox AC30. Can't be beaten. Never played through AC15 (?)
Love the Eastman!
More amp videos please, really enjoyed this one 👏👏
Great video!!!! You did a wonderful job of explaining the differences that each one has! For me, the Chris Stapleton (with a Boing Rockett reverb pedal)....hand wired and a 12" speaker does the job!
I started singing "Sisteeeeeeer" at about 15:14 haha sounding great and another banger of a video Colin! I've got a few Vox amps and have thought for a while that my next amp and first non-Vox might need to be a Fender and the Princeton has always interested me. You might very well have just helped me make a decision! Cheers as always man!
They're so different. It's like your testing out two different pedals. I honestly had no idea Vox sounded so different.
From my musical tastes i would probably prefer the Vox , but as a player i'm more a Fender (pedals) guy (but i use a H&K Statesman 20 watt.. one channel Fendery , the other higher gain à la JCM 800).
I was surprised to learn that Vox AC 30 and 15 are well liked by Nashville Telecaster players. Zack Childs (who runs AsK Zack youtube channel, a very cool one in quite another style than Colins..) made me discover that..
In this vid clearly the better sound comes from the amps together, the Fender bringing some more body to the mean but slim VoX.
I won the mini challenge. ..
I’ll take the Vox. Brilliant.
Only way to be happy, is to have both 🤣😎
Both sound legendary
Great comparison. Some iconic tone coming from both amps. thanks for the video.
My all time fav sound is that of 6v6 and EL84 based amps played together. They’re like peanut butter and jelly.
I practice with the Vox; it sounds full on most of my material against looped rhythm and vocals. Gigging with the band, I use the Fender...it sits in the mix better, more versatile, gets those bell-like clean tones and can be shaped better with pedals. Of course, I have to reset overdrive, compressor, fuzz and volume pedals for gig. They're great together, but that's more gear than I usually take to gig.
Yes, amazing how you have to reset pedal levels when swapping these kind of amps, and how thing like delay sound so different. I should try and do something on that sometime 🤔
I had a Vox AC15 that I couldn't bond with. Even with the tone cut, it was way too ice-picky for my tastes. I replaced it with a Fender Hot Rox Deluxe, which suited my needs better. I do miss the punchiness of the Vox, but I guess Fender cleans are more my thing.
I love my ac15.
Love both amps together with the Les Paul. I use a 4th gen blues junior for gigs. Great pedal platform and easily fits in the car. Would love to use 2amps for gigs. But will set up 2 at home for practice.
I made sure that my wife heard your estimated guitar collection count. I have a not unreasonable 13. I am in a 'one in one out' holding pattern at the moment. She gave me that look!😉Nice one Colin.
Tell her 13 is an unlucky number so you should really get another one to balance that out... good luck! 🤣👍
I think it is all subjective. Personally I prefer the sound of a Fender. I play a Fender Supersonic 22 Combo very versatile, does everything really, has an FX loop so can fit a volume box/pedal.
Nice, but i can't decide between them. I've got a Peavy Classic 50 that does beautiful cleans and comes with a pedal to switch to the dirty. I'm really happy with it.
You did a great comparison and your playing was inspired. Cheers mate!
What a fine way this was to enjoy my Friday morning coffee & cig at the start of the weekend. Made me want to stick in to my 10w Vox tonight, prolly with my Tele. They like each other a lot. Btw, sold an Epiphone Special this week to a young enthusiast, to help him out and raise some cash for me and make room on the wall. Saw the old 'Cool Wall' in the background of your studio, maybe it's time for a revisit soon? Thanks Colin for a happy morning and Cheers all from Dallas, where the long heat wave has finally broken.
Cheers Mark... maybe a cool wall digital version at 100K subs? 😁👍
@@theguitaristas You know I will be here. Carry on, brother.
I have a Peavey Classic 30- American made from the late 90s/Early 2000s. I'll take the Pepsi Challenge w/ the Vox & Fender equivalents any day. Anyway- Brilliant show as ever Colin- thank you!
Yet another interesting video. I am definitely interested in seeing the amps on the back ground. My favorite pairing was the 2 amps with the epiphone it just had that sound I like. Cheers
…another great video Col; the two amps together should incredible! I’ll definitely be experimenting with that!
My AC15C2 works great with a Friedman OD going into the normal channel, with the master at noon or higher, and using channel volume to set overall level.
Very Marshall like with the Greenbacks. It doesn't like them all though. It seem to prefer "amp-in-a-box" gain pedals more than traditional overdrive or distortion... at least that has been my experience.
Another great clip. I’m always looking forward to your content. You’re just great
Thanks I appreciate that! 😊🙏
Thanks Colin! Good to see the amp combinations, great idea. My vote is for the Tokai :)
I Drive a Vox, Original, English, sublime instrument 👊😎