Anything better than vox ad15?

[jclogston]

Hi everyone -

I guess i have gas or something, or maybe just time to re-evaluate your gear. Anyways, i have been using a vox ad15 for maybe 2 years now. I only practice at home (apartment), no playing out.
So question is, what else is out there?
I have tried/owned in the last six months a podxt, korg ax3g, and zoom g2. Played these thru computer speakers but the vox always sounded better (should b/c playing thru a larger speaker, though the zoom came very close to the vox but in the long run sold it cause i couldn't get a good "single" sound (good distorted sound for both rhythm and lead like on my vox). Would the zoom g7 or tonelab (both with tubes) offer any improvement over my existing vox ad15?

How about a small tube amp? I had a peavey bravo and mesa nomad back in the day but sold b/c of various reasons. I would prefer to get an amp that covers both clean and distortion to get away from pedals, so thinking maybe a mesa rocket, or f-30, or express. Though these are pricey options.
Or thinking maybe a single channel low watt tube amp and getting a pedal for distortion. Maybe something like a peavey royal 8 or epiphone valve jr? Would it again be any improvement over the vox ad15?

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

Tube amps need to be cranked to give up the goods. You can go ultra low power, 5-8 watt single power tube and you'll get some nice grind at low volumes. But, not good clean headroom whcih you might need at times. Most higher wattage amps will get pretty darn loud to get good gain.

In my opinion, master volume amps are okay, but they have to be done right. A good attenuator can often sound better than a master volume set up since the master volume (high gain, low volume) will be mostly preamp distortion. There are always going to be exceptions to the rule, but an attenuator will scale back a firebreathing amp. Still it's not going to sound as good as a full blown tube amp at high volumes.

There are some middle of the road amps that combine moderate power and a workable master volume. 15-20 watts with a good mv circuit should set up can do both small club gigs and get you decent grind at bedroom levels.

Dr. Z makes some amps that will do that for you. A marshall 18 watt clone willl do it. A matchless lightning and bad cat cub 2 will get you there as will my Celtic Franklin.

Stick to something that uses two power tubes and hovers in that 15-22 watt range. A Fender Deluxe Reverb is another wonderful option, but no master volume.

 

[baritone]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

There are so many directions you can go when upgrading from the Vox AD15. First of all, what do you feel you need to improve the most? Are you content with volume but looking for different tone characteristics? Are you looking to cut back on bells and whistles in order to push more air? Or do you want volume, tone, and lots of features? My personal preferences include an amp with few features and no more than 50 watts tube or 100 watts solid state output. To that I like to get most of my tone tweaking from pedals.

 

[jclogston]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

Hi -

Thanks for the responses. I guess what i am looking for really is that "spongy" feel that tube amps have. I remember back when i had my nomad and the bravo, playing felt soo good, you felt every note (if that makes sense). My vox ad15 gets close to it compared to ss amps, but is still not the same.
I have no intention of ever playing in clubs, just jamming at home and maybe some friends. Not really looking for all the bells and whistles as i only use the reverb on my vox currently; dont care much for effects.
Hopefully this info will help with more suggestions...

Thanks again

Jeff

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

A matchless lightning and bad cat cub 2 will get you there as will my Celtic Franklin.

You mean like this one?

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

In fairness (yeah, right, after INCREASING your GAS ), I've played the AD30. It's a :cool3: amp, ESPECIALLY considering the price. You can pick up one used for $100-150.

 

[jclogston]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

Anyone try the royal 8? How are the cleans on it?

Jeff

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

I spoke to the guy who bought the AD30 off the guy who let me play it tonight (confused yet?). He LOVES that amp.

 

[baritone]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

My recommendation would be a real tube amp with no more than 50 or even 30 watts output. From here it depends on which features you prefer and how much you are willing to spend. Lower-power tube amps are a real thrill to play, and they range from the Epiphone Valve Jr. you mentioned to Top Hats and Bogners. A few months ago, I bought the head version of the Epiphone Valve Jr. with the intention of gettind some modifications. Since getting it, I have been really satisfied with the stock tone, so I am putting off the possibility of modification for now. I use the amp with a couple different cabs, and one of those cabs is a 4x10 which handles up to 300 watts. When run through this cab, the little 5 watt amp can shake the whole house, but the volume can be controlled. The tone is really satisfying to me, and I would recommend that anyone try it out if they have the chance.

 

[jclogston]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

My recommendation would be a real tube amp with no more than 50 or even 30 watts output. From here it depends on which features you prefer and how much you are willing to spend. Lower-power tube amps are a real thrill to play, and they range from the Epiphone Valve Jr. you mentioned to Top Hats and Bogners. A few months ago, I bought the head version of the Epiphone Valve Jr. with the intention of gettind some modifications. Since getting it, I have been really satisfied with the stock tone, so I am putting off the possibility of modification for now. I use the amp with a couple different cabs, and one of those cabs is a 4x10 which handles up to 300 watts. When run through this cab, the little 5 watt amp can shake the whole house, but the volume can be controlled. The tone is really satisfying to me, and I would recommend that anyone try it out if they have the chance.

Thanks baritone -
I was thinking something like the valve jr or the peavey royal 8, something in the 1-5 W range. I really don't need the volume as i play in my apartment only (don't want to get evicted) but really want that spongy feel when playing. Would you recommend the valve jr combo version? I like the royal 8 alittle more just b/c it has more controls versus just the volume on the valve jr.

Jeff

 

[ErikH]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

If want a large palette of tones (cleans to peel your face off overdrive), then stick with modellers in the low wattage range. Even a 1-5 watt tube amp will be too loud for an apartment most of the time when pushed. That's just the reality of it.

 

[baritone]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

A combo version of such a small amp would be more appropriate for an apartment. The smaller speaker would allow you to keep the volume down and still get the satisfying tube tone. The Royal 8 may be more of what you are looking for, but I have no experience with that amp. The single knob of the Valve Jr. is one of the features that attracted me to it. For those who are interested, some of the Valve Jr. mods (available for both the combo and head) include adding tone controls and a standby switch, among others.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

Replace the speaker with a nice 8" Weber and swap out the tube for any number of real good 12AX7's out there, I've had luck with the GT12AX7M but if you search there was a thread about tweaking these amps last year that gave opinions on a number of different tubes and the effect they had.

 

[jclogston]

Re: Anything better than vox ad15?

Thanks. I'll check out the valve jr and the royal 8. The valve jr might be fun just to mod as i have starting doing my own soldering (tired of paying guitar stores for pickup swaps). A new project - joy!

Thanks

Jeff