Is your small amp loud enough?

eSGEe said:
Understood.....just a past experience observation......things that sound Great and get great reviews dont always perform as desired in real life. .....
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This truth is the reason I’ve removed pedals from my board after buying because of seeing YouTube videos.
 
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My two “real” amps are what I consider small, both 25 watts (Mark 5:25 and Mini Rectifier). They are both way, way more than loud enough, particulrly through my 4x12. I’ve given up on big-wattage amps, just too stupid loud before you get them into the sweet spot, I can get there much quicker with these and I’m really not giving up much thump at all with the ‘84’s, just headroom, which for me is not a factor.
 
The real VOX AC-4 through AC-30 used an EF86 the new fake VOX 12AX7 So the only way you can achieve the real VOX sound is build one from scratch.
 
I just watched both of the Phil McKnight videos posted by the OP. I think the concept is great, and it reflects a somewhat real live gigging performance. But the recording fidelity was horrible. I have some very decent computer speakers that are extremely capable of great sound reproduction. Not sure what was used to record the videos. The band sounded like they were inside of a garage rehearsal space, and I was standing outside with all the doors closed, trying to listen in. I can't make an honest judgement because of the muffled and extreme compression quality of the recording. Too bad... :cautious:
 
67plexi said:
The real VOX AC-4 through AC-30 used an EF86 the new fake VOX 12AX7 So the only way you can achieve the real VOX sound is build one from scratch.
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There are a lot of smaller builders using EF86’s in Vox-based circuits if you don’t want to build something. Dr. Z, Matchless, Top Hat, Allesandro to name a few. And Vox does the Heritage reissues from time to time.
 
I had a Vox AC 30 that was built in England in 1969. Nothing came close to it. Heavy and very loud.
I sold it and kept buying it back. Nothing comes close to those monsters. I had a Fender Black Face that just could not come close to the ear drum kill of my Vox. I never played one that had it all like mine, it was a good one. I lost track of it on the last sale I made, the guy is out of state and paid cash. The Vox AC 30 was the king until Marshall came of age. The Chinese wired jobs don't even come close to the old British ones. I can come close to the tone with my 2 watt and a Joyo AC pedal.
Only close and I have to choke the devil out of it.
 
I have a 1964 AC-30 TB with a blown PT I know most of the major amp technicians in the world a original power transformer is a hard one to find

The China made VOX amps die in ten years and cost more to fix than you can buy a new one for.

And the hand wired VOX the boards are China made they look like a VOX but don't sound like one.
 
67,,,, Is it a waste or likely to not get the same sound characteristics if you were to get the original 1964 AC30 PT rewound somewhere like Mercury or Marstran etc?
 
My question is usually "is my small amp quiet enough?"

Using a 1x12 cabinet on the floor right behind you isn't a very good use of any amp.

I have gigged with a 1x10 20 watt Solid State Marshall Lead 20. It was barely loud enough. But it worked and we put it up high, like chest to shoulder height so it could be heard. Before that, I had a 40 watt Solid State Crate and it was always on the floor and sounded awful. Probably would have been fine up high.

I have had a pair of 50 watt Marshalls over the years, my main gigging amps, through a 2x12. Even the 2x12 needed to be raised up to project decently (like sat on top of a 4x12) at louder gigs. Used thusly, they were loud enough for outdoor gigs. I usually put the 2x12 on milk crates for normal loud gigs. For quieter very small clubs (we played a lot of those) the 2x12 could go on the floor. But we practiced at home louder than that.

I did lots of jam sessions in my old practice space where someone else used my 50 watt Marshalls. I used my 20 watt SS Marshall or my 5 watt Champ, up high, many times. If things got very loud, they barely hung in there, but they worked. I can remember a couple of very memorable jams using the little amps.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
67,,,, Is it a waste or likely to not get the same sound characteristics if you were to get the original 1964 AC30 PT rewound somewhere like Mercury or Marstran etc?
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VOX used Woden power transformers I think Mercury Magnetic are the worst sounding transformers ever made wound on a plastic bobbin just like the China made transformers

Phil Heyboer transformers are the best made today Next if its a rewind that will devalue the amp. Marstan and Merren Audio are Heyboer made.
 
Yeah 67,,,,, that's why I said "etc" I didn't run through the whole list of makers I knew.

I put a Marstran in my JMP and it works nicely, my only problem is this was before I got educated in more than one way re: amp repairs, restoration and crooked Amp techs that don't return your original parts when asked for them and then act like they threw away a OEM 1972 Marshall tranny. Yeah right.

Live and learn once, and don't trust word of mouth that someone is a good tech. Verify and if possible, learn how to fix yoru own stuff especially if it is not your daily bread and butter and you can wait to get it right and not risk someone hacking up your good stuff.

Also, my ignorance of the process lead me to not know for sure about a rewind,,,,,, I thought maybe the winder would be able to reuse the original bobbins and essentially the wire is the new part. I am sure this is a pie in the sky summary, I am sure the reason and parts affected that cause your PT to fail are likely to be more involved than just the wire.

Sorry if this is confusing or repetitive.
 
And yes, I know a rewind will detract from value., But sometimes a dead item is worth less than a working one afterall. Even a same year, same factory, same brand replacement PT is still a replacement,,,,, the AMP will never be factory new again.
Now what is your advice on Caps and stuff on these vintage pieces? If caps are getting old and folks say to replace them once they get a certain age, or if tested to be leaking,, do you leave them in also to preserve the value of the amp?
 
When I get a guitar or bass amp on my bench first voltage check primary side of the power transformer then secondary side then B+1 high voltage then all the way to the first preamp tube in that order and write out a voltage chart. Next test all capacitors electrolytic and signal Next test the tubes. Replace faulty parts and voltage chart amp and test amp most of the time it's less
than one hour. On my 1960 Fender Concert amp it sucked replacing the leaking Astron capacitors but they were shot and I call this amp the Marshall killer it has the tweed bassman OPT.
I have been told that the Concert amp was the last amp Leo Fender designed then in 1961 Bob Risson started to design the Fender Black Face amps.
My friend Robert was an Engineer for Fender and found a warehouse full of 1959 transformers I'm sure glad I got some of them. As far as transformer design Robert is one of the best.
 
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