Old 07-14-2009, 08:43 AM   #1
mrelwood
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Default Vox AC15 -decendants?

I am finally planning on building a tube amp. I've fixed a few dozen amps along the way so I am familiar on the design and the dangers.

My current main amp is a modified AC15CC1. That is definitely the enviroment I'm after, be it 2x EL84 or Class A or both.

For finding the right schematic, the question is:
Which brands make AC15 -style amps?

I know Matchless does. Some say Bad Cat does, but that's not what I thought when trying out one.

I built a solo boost for my AC15, and might also do a gain boost and combine them to make a "two channel" amp. Actually, overriding the gain knob (to 10) and lowering the master would do fine. The same design might go for the DIY amp.

My DYI amp will have:
- footswitchable channels or "channels"
- solo boost
- reverb or fx loop
- 15W is plenty enough
- 1x12" (I love my Weber Blue Dog)


Which schematics should I look for? Let your ideas blossom as mine does!
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Old 07-19-2009, 02:53 AM   #2
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I'm surprised, no DIY guitarists here I guess.

I took a single-end 5W Blackstar HT5 head for a test. While the volume would've been okay for a gig, I found it sounding very cold compared to my AC15. I then got the idea of building a single-ended EL84 amp.

AX84 P1, heavily modded DIY Valve Junior, etc. Anyone gone down that road?
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Old 07-19-2009, 03:01 AM   #3
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I've got a Laney LC15 that sounds very AC 15ish to me - although it's been a long time since I heard one.

Cheap as chips though and PC board mounted so maybe completely off track.

I would like to see how you get on with the build though
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Old 07-19-2009, 12:35 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedwood View Post
I've got a Laney LC15 that sounds very AC 15ish to me - although it's been a long time since I heard one.
Thanks for participating!

I must say I felt that both LC15 and VC15 were very cold sounding to my tastes. Could've been better with a 12" (blue) speaker, but I just didn't feel any warmth or chime so didn't feel a need to bother.

Laney Lionheart 5W is something I must test though.
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Old 07-19-2009, 02:19 PM   #5
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Laney Lionheart 5W
Best amp i ever bought .
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Old 07-19-2009, 10:40 PM   #6
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ode biased.
For warm.

I built a Fender deluxe 5E3 clone and am now selling all my other amps.

The sound I had remembered from my youth and never found up until this amp.
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Old 07-20-2009, 01:14 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrelwood View Post
I'm surprised, no DIY guitarists here I guess.
No, not me. It's hard, but I resist the urge. I do my own repairs only because it's the quickest and easiest way to get it done.

DYIing usually falls into what I refer to as "seductive process," something that (to oversimplify somewhat) amounts to an unprofitable distraction from what one knows he's supposed to be doing to achieve his real goal.

If your real goal is to build amps, then rock out, of course.

Seductive process ruins 99%+ of musicians as effective pros.

It took me decades to figure this out and why it's so.

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Old 07-20-2009, 02:04 AM   #8
Gerry G
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Default Great topic

Hey IvanSC?

Ivan r u there?

Did you build the clone from a kit and if so which kit? I am looking at gutting and rebuilding a valve inside an old solid state amp that I have. I felt the best way was to get a kit of a decent head and just build it into my combo being aware of the dimensions etc.

As the solid state is a Fender 35 watter it should be good enough for a decent tone given a good speaker.

BTW there are so many variables on getting a tone that I would not just give up on an amp without swapping out speakers, valves and various combinations of components such as transformers etc.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:49 AM   #9
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Default cathode biassed as hell

One of Nik`s deluxe kits would do you just right.
www.ceriatone.com and tell him Ivan in the UK sent you.

I built the 5e3 but have also gotten others into building watkins/marshall 18 watt clones, a trainwreck and a jtm45 - all good and way cheaper than the US kits....
buy as little or as much of the kit as you need, too.
Nik is very approachable and answers emails very quickly.

In the UK www.theampmaker.com also does some nice kits.
and is also a top bloke.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:59 AM   #10
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FWIW, the guitarist in my old band had a laney vc30 1x12 that got a lot more voxy when he put a Weber Blue Dog Alnico speaker in it. Unfortunately, he had to move the tubes for it to fit, no easy task.
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Old 07-20-2009, 08:18 AM   #11
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don't really understand the point of the original question. if you want to build an ac15 type amp, then perhaps build an ac15. the schematic is out there.
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Old 07-20-2009, 05:47 PM   #12
Gerry G
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Default Thanks IvanSc I owe you a beer

The CeriaTone site looks great for all sorts of combinations and just what the OP asked about.

I think the trouble with beautiful old classic amps is that they were designed in a time of very limited sonic and connectivity options. While this is great musically as you plugged-in-and-played, it does little for what we have to do today. We have to deal with a demand for stacks of effects and just fundamentals like balancing volume where one guitarist has a double stack and another a 5 watt tube amp.

In these situations you may get it worked out on a sound stage then go into somebody's garage and it is nothing like the venues you play at. Additionally we all want to get a sound at home that approximates what we want to hear in a crowded room.

We know we can do it so we spend so much time getting the right sound that the 'rehearsal time' is all used up on gear and engineering and very little on playing.
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Old 07-21-2009, 09:12 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jet View Post
Laney Lionheart 5W
Best amp i ever bought .
Finally tried it out yesterday. Sounded and felt cold and dead to my tastes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik View Post
DYIing usually falls into what I refer to as "seductive process," something that (to oversimplify somewhat) amounts to an unprofitable distraction from what one knows he's supposed to be doing to achieve his real goal.
Bezmo, I'm afraid I don't quite get you. Do you mean that one should not have hobbies, or do "fun stuff"? If I have the opportunity to achieve experiences and propably even get a great amp at the process, it's a trip worthwhile. Building an amp is something I really do want to do. Not a real goal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by d. gauss View Post
don't really understand the point of the original question. if you want to build an ac15 type amp, then perhaps build an ac15. the schematic is out there.
There are a lot of AC15 type amps with different approaches, even from Vox. What I wanted to find out is which of these has the nature I like the most. What I know now is that AC15HTV (Handwired) is much closer than Bad Cat Cub II. What I don't know is if Matchless has a design that I would like even more. Or an AC15 from the 60's or 80's.

At the moment it seems that AC15HTV with a single-ended poweramp would be the one I'm building. I do realize that a SE poweramp will sound totally different from the HTV, but that's the "fun" chance I have to and want to make.
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