I've had an old 60s or 70s AC30 head that is a complete wreck, stuck in a barn or garage for 20 years, and I love the sound of it played very loud when I get to play it and scare the cows, but it is horrible quiet. So useless to play at home.
So at home I've gone thru most of the low watt thingies and come to the conclusion that my AC15, with a master, sounds better than any of them. Problem solved, or so it should be.
But loving the sound of the 15 as I do, it isn't a 30, so I'm thinking I should get an AC30 with a master volume for home use and an attenuator if that still proves too noisy loud.
But which one to go for - I've read that C1s are better than C2s, Handwired sounds cool, and CC1s (or was it CC2s) are to be avoided. I've read all the specs and ended-up snow blind as to be perfectly frank, I really don't know which bits matter. I just want one that sounds like my old one, but quieter.
The one-in-the-barn is going thru a home built 2 x 12" cab with Celestion blues in it, if that helps. I found an egg in it last time I vacuumed the feathers out too. Not sure if that helps nail the tone I am after.
I thank you for your wisdom to come
Comments
To be fair it had it's first valve change since I've had it (and maybe ever if the guy I got it from in '89 was right) last year, and they totally checked it over and did whatever needed doing to go from bakelite plugs to these new fangled three pin jobbies...
Plus it is in a very dry place and in a flight case. And that chicken is a lock picker extraoridary.
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
It was still pretty loud, though...
An AC30, possibly better, in all but name.
http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/4509/fs-valvetech-hayseed-30-rare-revised-price-1100#latest
Any good to you?
Like this one ( no association to me. )
http://bit.ly/MA59fP
Normally I play quite clean anyway, don't use pedals very often just a bit of reverb and use the guitars volume for a bit of a boost and that funny tone knob thing if I feel jazzy.
So for home I'm not really looking for something that will wail just have the right tone, I guess. Just that bit of 'something'.
It's always that something isn't it?
On the AC15 the master gets me there happily, but isn't quite right tone-wise - I like it, but it is different. I'm never stretching that, but I like the tone and that is fine.
I tried the Night Trains and they were OK, but a bit fizzy and again not quite right, and I tried a couple of Laneys and felt the same with them.
Good point on the old 'un - I could bring it in from the cold, but tbh it is a nice get away every week or two to go into the middle of nowhere and have a blast on it. At volume it is awesome and daft though it probably seems, playing it quiet, even attenuated, would feel like I'm gelding it somehow. Plus I wouldn't ever get to play it flat out, which I can at the mo'
I'll do some picture next time I'm up there, but it looks a wreck just a browny clothed head with a few odd holes drilled in it. I'm not kidding myself it is worth 'owt - I bought a Peavey Deuce to gig for £100 in 1989 and the bloke gave me the 30 and cab as a backup for nowt...and I very nearly didn't bother taking it.
Think the usual 'go and play some' advice is apparent here isn't it?
I carry an AC30 and a Marshall 2x12 amp as well...either my TSL122 or my DSL50 combo (1923C 85th Anniversary Limited edition combo) to every gig...plus my pedal board and 2 guitars. C'mon you wusses!
If it's totally yucky, enjook a cab for it and branch into a new field of endeavour with a 2x12 or separate cab.
pics are required (though I don't need to see one of the egg).
Only probs with the CC2X is the blue speakers have the WRONG cone...and thus sound a lot more fizzy than with the correct Mueller cone. This was pointed out by a Queen trib guitarist and Brian May fan who compared them in this video...then when he posted it on the Vox forum there was a bit of a shit storm stirred up and Vox reacted and told them Chinese to get the correct cones in from the C2X models onwards.....