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I have a Vox AC4HW that I’ve owned for a handful of years now. I always thought it sounded good but for some reason I don’t use it very much. Last week I fired it up and have been using it for a couple of hours every day since. It sounds fantastic. I’m running the bass near full and the treble down low, with the output on the cool setting, but plugged into the high input. My Telecaster with a slight boost from either a Lehle Sunday Driver or a Plumes is so chunky and clear, but not harsh or ice picky. There’s some serious heft to the tones. My unconventional tone settings (for this amp) really make all the difference for me.

Yep. Also a Vox. My 66 Cambridge Reverb. I was a dumbass for decades and just accepted the not-right-for it aftermarket speaker the previous owner put in it. Put a Celestion Gold 10” in it and now I love it.

I have an AC4HW and agree it’s a brilliant little amp. It has a ton of character.

I’ve mostly been playing the Marshall recently, but seeing this thread has prompted me to fire up the Vox again. Thanks!

These have been on 'the list' for quite some time. I really should pick one up when I have some funds, I love small combos.

Love the fawn tolex and brown cloth of the handwired Voxes. I had an AC15HW with Celestion Blue years ago. Gave it a couple of mods that gave it just a little more low end and tamed its slight tendency to fizziness – turned an already excellent amp into an even better one. Ended up selling it stupid cheap when my confidence in my playing took a dive and I gave up for a bit. Anyway, I found one of the current AC10s for next to nothing and it's on its way to me at the moment. Been keen to hear how my Jazzmaster sounds through something Voxy.

I did have a brief flirtation with Friedman amps last year, where I put my Matchless Lightning aside...I even considered selling it , but after a few months, I fired it back up and it blew me away...that old familiar sound was there. I am back to normal!

yes. my own beloved fender bassman. basically, i was between bands living in the homeless shelter for a while so couldn't use it (not that i had a cab for it) so it sat in my friend's house for a while. i had mainly used it as a bass amp all my life and remember not liking it with guitar which was what i was pivoting to for a while. then i got a cheap 2x12 cab and i'll be damned if i didn't fall in love with the thing all over again.

i will definetly admit, it's one of those amps you have to get past 4 on the master volume before it really starts sounding good. i now think of it like owning a classic car. not something i can use every day but you enjoy way more when you can use it.

This isn’t classy, and definitely not re-fallen in love, but I feel I want to give some love to the 5150.

It’s true when people say they’ve never come across a bad one. Super consistent amp, no matter the version or brand.

First used one to record an ep as the producer liked to use the amp he knew best. It sounded great, but I was really anti the drop-tuned metal scene that loved them so I carried on trying to get Marshall tones to work. Then writing a new album, the practice studio we used had a 5150 in the room. I still can’t admit it to mysef, but they are really, really good amps. Way easier to dial in a great tone than any Marshall I’ve owned, and even sound good when only lightly driven.

It sounds like Vox is a pretty common target

s_mcsleazy wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 17, 2024 3:06 am

i will definetly admit, it's one of those amps you have to get past 4 on the master volume before it really starts sounding good. i now think of it like owning a classic car. not something i can use every day but you enjoy way more when you can use it.

You are definitely right. That circuit really comes to life further up the dial. They sound great.

i love sharin foo wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:51 am

s_mcsleazy wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 17, 2024 3:06 am

i will definetly admit, it's one of those amps you have to get past 4 on the master volume before it really starts sounding good. i now think of it like owning a classic car. not something i can use every day but you enjoy way more when you can use it.

You are definitely right. That circuit really comes to life further up the dial. They sound great.

Yep, agree wholeheartedly. Sounds ok at home, but gets fizzy with drives and fuzz. Out of the house it's huge, open and not fizzy in the slightest.

I fixed my old 74 OR120 recently for the friend who bought it from me. Man, I missed that very specific roar those have.

He wont sell it back

JSett wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:14 am

I fixed my old 74 OR120 recently for the friend who bought it from me. Man, I missed that very specific roar those have.

He wont sell it back

Was recently discussing with a friend about how much he loves his 3 Monkeys "Orangutan Jr" amp. Did a little research and it turns out these are essentially 15W versions of OR80/OR120 circuits with a single tube reverb. He was surprised because he never figured he was much of an Orange guy.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:28 am

Was recently discussing with a friend about how much he loves his 3 Monkeys "Orangutan Jr" amp. Did a little research and it turns out these are essentially 15W versions of OR80/OR120 circuits with a single tube reverb. He was surprised because he never figured he was much of an Orange guy.

Probably because most peoples experience with Orange amps is the modern ones, which you and me both well know have very little in common with the original OR circuits.

Yes, my 76 deluxe reverb. I'm keeping it now. I changed the speaker from a Jupiter 12C to a Celestion G12H Creamback (75w). It's way better now. It was just too scooped and bright with the Jupiter. Now I have some mids that really cut through without sounding too bright.

The Jupiter is a great high-powered Jensen type speaker though. It'd probably sound great in a Tweed Deluxe to increase frequency range.