Local Vox amp prices are ridiculous (ridiculously great!)

matta

Hey Guys,

I just thought I would give you a heads up.

I've been keen on getting an AC-15 for a while, my preference is the AC-15 handwired, separate head and cab (which I know Alan owns) and waiting to hear back from Tuerk Music (Vox Agents) RE stock availability/pricing.

They had a great deal on the combo a few weeks ago during their sale, but I have my heart set on the halfstack.

I've looked at a few other Vox amps like the AC-15 Customs (both models) and AC-30's and right now I think SA must be the CHEAPEST place in the world to buy these Vox amps.

To give you an idea, the USA Street Price on an AC-15CC (the 'cheapest' AC-15) is $599.99 (R5,525.83 at today's conversion) and the UK price is £499.00 (R6,752.37 at today's conversion).

The Soundz on-line price is just under R5200.00, so it is CHEAPER to buy local even BEFORE shipping, import duties and VAT... which are pretty heavy on an amp due to weigh and levied duties. Not to mention, WARRANTY!

Obviously Tuerk bought much of this stock before the downfall of the world economy, which is GREAT for us and yet another fantastic reason to be living in SA (there are MANY more less superficially reasons ?).

Anyways, just wanted to give you a heads up, chat to your local dealers of call Tuerk Music in Joburg if you are interested.

I'm now going back to sit with baited breath on a price and availability for the AC-15 and try to distract myself by not thinking how I'm going to pay for it ?

P.S "I hope this isn't seen as an advertisement, I have no affiliation to Tuerk other than being a customer myself".

AlanRatcliffe

Don't go by the Soundz price - they tend to leave things in their database at the last price they had, and I suspect that was before some major losses in the Rand. Last retail price from Tuerk on the AC15TV and cab was about R17K.

Head and cab are the way to go, as even the NOS EF86 valves are often microphonic (or become so in a combo). I think Mojo JoJoe was considering selling his hand-wired combo at a respectable price. Might be worth looking into buying that and having cabs made and transplanting - I've been considering having hardwood cabs made for mine.

BTW, If you want to stop by some time and try mine, you're welcome. Mine is all NOS valves, but otherwise stock.

matta

Well heard back from Tuerk, seems I'm fresh out of luck on the AC15 Handwired Head :'(

They have one cab left, a couple combos and I believe they have their first shipment of AC4 combos... which from the videos I've seen on YouTube seem VERY cool, this one is the best I've seen, as a Beatles lover, I digged it!

Not as versatile as the AC15, but great for rocking out at low volumes! Like the 'on board' attenuator.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Don't go by the Soundz price - they tend to leave things in their database at the last price they had, and I suspect that was before some major losses in the Rand. Last retail price from Tuerk on the AC15TV and cab was about R17K.

Yeah, it seems that way... just got an updated price on the AC15CC and the dealer price seems to be closer to the price that Soundz has on their site... oh well... still think all things considered the pricing is more inline with overseas prices, which is a rare thing on MOST gear being sold through retail stores in SA.

Alan Ratcliffe wroteHead and cab are the way to go, as even the NOS EF86 valves are often microphonic (or become so in a combo). I think Mojo JoJoe was considering selling his hand-wired combo at a respectable price. Might be worth looking into buying that and having cabs made and transplanting - I've been considering having hardwood cabs made for mine.

Yeah, first prize would be the half stack, if for nothing else, versatility, getting a few heads to use with the cab etc.

I did however chat to a friend to day whose opinion I trust dearly and who makes his living being a total tone monger (he has one of the finest guitar/pedal and amp collections I've ever seen) and he has owned an AC15 HW Combo for over a year and half and said it has been rock solid, he is even using the stock valves, he said he had to break in the speaker for several hours but he is digging it, which gives me hope if I do have to settle. Transplanting is always another option as well.

Alan Ratcliffe wroteBTW, If you want to stop by some time and try mine, you're welcome. Mine is all NOS valves, but otherwise stock.

Thanks Alan, I may well take you up on that, if for no other reason than to just catch up face to face, it has been YEARS!

Cheers

Matt

AlanRatcliffe

Aren't Tuerk going to get any more heads in? Seems silly if there is a demand - even if it's a slow turnaround.

he has owned an AC15 HW Combo for over a year and half and said it has been rock solid, he is even using the stock valves,

The amp did sound great out of the box and initial preamp valve swaps were a bit disappointing - I popped some NOS Philips 12AX7s in, but they weren't much better than the stock valves. However, my EF86 was microphonic from the get-go (Sovtek) and reading up on it it seems that all new production are. I sourced a NOS Philips which is both non-microphonic and has a lot more clarity in the mids. I landed an old Telefunken too, which is a great valve, but too Hi-Fi for me when compared to the Philips.

I later popped in a new set of TAD EL84s to replace the EH ones and a NOS Tesla EZ81 rectifier and that made quite a difference - I immediately noticed a big increase in clarity and tonal quality overall. I also ended up with a NOS JAN GE 5751 in V2, which gives me more headroom on the Top Boost channel, but keeps the chime intact (the same 5751 didn't fare as well in PI).

he said he had to break in the speaker for several hours but he is digging it, which gives me hope if I do have to settle.

Blues do take ages to break in for some reason - I don't think mine is broken in yet, and that's after a year of (admittedly low-volume) use.

MoJo-JoJoe

matta

Alan Ratcliffe wroteAren't Tuerk going to get any more heads in? Seems silly if there is a demand - even if it's a slow turnaround.

They prob will, but it may take 6 months... sometimes guys have waited longer, I think back to to the whole Peavey debacle.

Alan Ratcliffe wroteI later popped in a new set of TAD EL84s to replace the EH ones and a NOS Tesla EZ81 rectifier and that made quite a difference - I immediately noticed a big increase in clarity and tonal quality overall. I also ended up with a NOS JAN GE 5751 in V2, which gives me more headroom on the Top Boost channel, but keeps the chime intact (the same 5751 didn't fare as well in PI).

I have couple NOS Telefunken Diamond Plate EF86's (the most sought after made in the ULM factory) and some NOS Mullards to play with if needed, couple NOS Jan/GE's as well.

Alan Ratcliffe wroteBlues do take ages to break in for some reason - I don't think mine is broken in yet, and that's after a year of (admittedly low-volume) use.

My said friend shared the same, he suggested you run a CD Player/Ipod into it for a couple days at lowish volumes.

Sold last week for R8k (I threw in the Telefunken NOS EF86). Great amp, but I just prefer Fender Blackface. I originally bought the AC-15HW to get the speaker. Weird I know, but the stars aligned in a special way and it made sense to get something that was a great amp in case I didn't see things through. Well I didn't have the heart to pull out the speaker because the amp was better than expected. Then the Turnkey sale came along and I bought the 2x12" cab with blues. With 2 blues I didn't need to hang onto the amp for its speaker so I sold it. Took a heafty loss, but made up for it on the price of the cab with blues.

Ah crap, talk about being late to the party, LOL and a GREAT price too boot! Even on the Turnkey Sale is was R8,200 I think (which I've lost out on as well).

Matta - If you're serious about wanting that Vox tone, I have a '63 AC-30 collecting dust here...

Hey Joe, man I'd love too, but the issue for me is VOLUME.

I own a beautiful early 60's Bandmaster and accompanying 2 x 12, but at 40W is it just TOO loud for home/workshop use and looking for a smaller 5-20 watter.

I tried the Orange you sold Matt, liked the clean tones but the high gain tones were just too bright for my liking.

I currently own a VERY modded Fender Champion 600 that I bought and rebuilt last year but the accompanying 6" speaker is too small for my personal taste (even though I replaced it with a quality Jensen), GREAT for those raunchy blues/rock tones, but I'm looking for something a bit cleaner and more low gain headroom.

I'm thinking of selling it and using some of the cash towards another low wattage one, the Egnater and Vox AC15 are on the short list, but also know of a new Dr. Z combo up for grabs, but quite a bit more in price.

Cheers

Matt

AlanRatcliffe

I won't say anything about the Mullards...

I just hooked up with an old ham in Aus who said he has boxes of NOS valves in storage and has promised to search through sometime to fish out a few Mullard 12AX7s for me.

the Egnater and Vox AC15 are on the short list, but also know of a new Dr. Z combo up for grabs, but quite a bit more in price.

The Dr. Z Carmen Ghia has always intrigued me - from the clips I have heard I would like it. The Z-18 also seems popular.

I've got the new Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue for review at the moment and that is the perfect size and volume for home/studio/practice and even lower powered gigs. Takes pedals better than I expected too. Pure Blackface tonally with scooped mids, lovely reverb and bias-adjust trem, and the 10" gives you less bass than the Deluxe, which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. The only real problem is that at R20K retail it's not much cheaper than a Deluxe R.I. and more than you would pay for a lot of small boutique amps :'( As a result, I've been looking at Princeton clones and kits lately (the Allen Amps Sweet Spot looks nice) ?

matta

Alan Ratcliffe wrote I won't say anything about the Mullards... I just hooked up with an old ham in Aus who said he has boxes of NOS valves in storage and has promised to search through sometime to fish out a few Mullard 12AX7s for me.

I was actaully given them but a nice guy who bought a mic of me from Gumtree, for FREE! He noticed I had my amp and my U67 and asked if I needed any tubes because he had boxes lying around at home and He gave me some Mullards and RCA's, NOS in boxes ?

The Dr. Z Carmen Ghia has always intrigued me - from the clips I have heard I would like it. The Z-18 also seems popular.

The Z-18 is the amp I can get through the SA dealer who si a good friend, a GREAt amp for the price, but a bit higher than I can afford right now... but better value for money than the Mesa Express, at a similar price.

Alan Ratcliffe wroteI've got the new Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue for review at the moment and that is the perfect size and volume for home/studio/practice and even lower powered gigs. Takes pedals better than I expected too. Pure Blackface tonally with scooped mids, lovely reverb and bias-adjust trem, and the 10" gives you less bass than the Deluxe, which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. The only real problem is that at R20K retail it's not much cheaper than a Deluxe R.I. and more than you would pay for a lot of small boutique amps :'( As a result, I've been looking at Princeton clones and kits lately (the Allen Amps Sweet Spot looks nice) ?

Yeah, 20K seems VERY steep, you could get a boutique hand built amp for less than that in many cases... that said, it sounds good on paper, look forward to your review.

Cheers

Matt

MoJo-JoJoe

matta

MoJo JoJoe wrote If you're concerned about volume, steer clear of the AC15HW - as I'm sure you know, half power doesn't nearly equate to half the volume - a loud little amp that AC15Heritage.

Did you try Matt's amp (haha I have a Matamp!) with the blues? If so I can understand that a new set of blues would sound brittle on dirt - I used to used that amp with Laney cabs (Celestion 70/80 and 1x10" Jensens) - sounded great!

I have an '81 VibroChamp that I'd love to try your Jensen in. If you ever want to sell that speaker, drop me a line.

I've also got a very nice NOS Mullard EF86 that spent n hour in the AC-15. That was the best that amp sounded. There was no way I was letting that go with the amp. Still have a Telefunken here also.

As for someone giving you those NOS valves - how do I put this politely - LUCKY BASTARD!!

@Alan : I've got a couple of nice NOS 12AX7's but it never hurts to have a couple more Mullards floating around - I'm well jealous of your deal.

Hey Joe,

Yeah I'm WELL aware that Valve Wattage does not equal to perceivable power and that an AC-15, hand wired of not is not a quiet amp, but it is quieter and lighter than it's AC30 bretheren. Aside from a bedroom/workshop amp I will need to be bale to get something gigable as I REALLY don't like lugging the Bandmaster around... or at least my back doesn't ?

I tried Matt's map into my Fender 2x12, which are well broken in and have a very warm/smooth tone with the Blackface, even the crunch is smooth, the Orange sounded harsh and piercing by comparisons in a high gain setting, but chimed away with the clean tones which were very nice.

RE the Jensen, I don't think I'll sell it as it LEAGUES better than the cheap Chinese cone that was stock, and I'd prob sell it with the amp along with the mods I did and the set of JJ's in there.

Cheers

Matt

AlanRatcliffe

@Alan : I've got a couple of nice NOS 12AX7's but it never hurts to have a couple more Mullards floating around - I'm well jealous of your deal.

I don't have any NOS Mullards or Brimar yet and at the prices they are going for at the moment am not going to buy any. What if I buy some and really like them? What am I going to do when they die? By then they'll be even more expensive...

It's encouraging to know that the new production valves are getting better again. Not quite at the standards of yesteryear yet, but they have reached the point where many models are good enough to use in a working amp.

an AC-15, hand wired of not is not a quiet amp, but it is quieter and lighter than it's AC30 bretheren. Aside from a bedroom/workshop amp I will need to be bale to get something gigable

It is loud enough for a smaller gig, although you might want to do as I did, subbing a 5751 for the V2 12AX7 for more clean headroom as cranked, both channels grind quite a bit. Personally, I prefer an amp that needs miking up at a gig, as it gives you better coverage - so it just needs to be loud enough for personal monitoring purposes.

The AC15HW is not quite quiet enough for a "bedroom amp", but 6 - 9 dB of attenuation would do it admirably in that situation.

Another thing to bear in mind is the AC-15HW is not a channel switching amp - I use an A/B switcher to do that for me.

My said friend shared the same, he suggested you run a CD Player/Ipod into it for a couple days at lowish volumes.

I tried that, but my work room is my music room and hearing mp3s at volume through a vox gets real annoying real quickly ? I can live with it for now and wait until it does break in.

Ray

matta wrote They have one cab left, a couple combos and I believe they have their first shipment of AC4 combos... which from the videos I've seen on YouTube seem VERY cool, this one is the best I've seen, as a Beatles lover, I digged it!
Not as versatile as the AC15, but great for rocking out at low volumes! Like the 'on board' attenuator.

Latest Total Guitar rates the AC4TV highly. Bit of a comparison with Blackstar HT-5, Blackheart Killer Ant and Peavey Valveking. More expensive than the last two but helluva lot cheaper than the Blackstar. Will phone Tuerk for a price to compare with the 6250-00 for Blackheart.