codamedia
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Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
I have a 4x10 Deville.... MIM from about 2004. It's a good sounding amp, but I'm not attached to it. I tend to lean to my pair of Musicman amps before I take this one out to a gig.
I have been offered a VOX AC-30CC2 from the same era (2004ish).... I love the sound of Vox amps but this one has the stock Wharfedale speakers as opposed to the Celestion Blue's - I'm not sure how that may have an affect on the sound I like. I've also heard horror stories about the reliability of AC30's... but I take "internet chatter" with a grain of salt.
The amps are in great cosmetic condition.... and we have agreed to take a look under the hoods before committing. Both amps are loud.... Both amps are heavy....
What would you do?
Don't fix it in the mix ... Fix it in the take!
Desktop: Win 7 Pro 64 Bit , ASUS MB w/Intel Chipset, INTEL Q9300 Quad Core, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, ATI 5450 Video Laptop: Windows 7 Pro, i5, 8 Gig Ram Hardware: Presonus FP10 (Firepod), FaderPort, M-Audio Axiom 49, Mackie 1202 VLZ, POD X3 Live, Variax 600, etc... etc...
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ampfixer
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Re: Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
2016/02/12 20:51:45
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I have done extensive work on both those amps. In terms of build quality they are about equal when they come out of the factory. If people have work done on them they can be problematic do to bad repairs to the printed circuit boards. I think the Chinese models are actually better than the earlier ones made at the Marshall factory. They are more accurate to the original design. The Deville has more power but in most situations you wouldn't notice.
No problems with the Wharfedale speakers. They are about the same as the Chinese Celestions and they have a real solid bottom end, more so than the Celestion Blue's. They are essentially a G12H-30 clone and can handle more power than the 15 watt Alnico's.
If the Celestion has had a bunch of repairs I'd avoid it, but other than that it's a matter of taste.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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mettelus
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Re: Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
2016/02/12 21:22:30
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John, when you say "repairs" do you mean modifications or actual repairs? I was curious when I saw the PCB reference above so not sure what the common break/modification point would be?
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC), i7-8700k, 16GB RAM, GTX-1070Ti, Win 10 Pro, Saffire PRO 24 DSP, A-300 PRO, plus numerous gadgets and gizmos that make or manipulate sound in some way.
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codamedia
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
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Re: Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
2016/02/13 16:47:29
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Thanks ampfixer... That's the kind of info I'm looking for... EDIT TO ADD: Vox was not well... so no trade.
post edited by codamedia - 2016/02/14 10:13:40
Don't fix it in the mix ... Fix it in the take!
Desktop: Win 7 Pro 64 Bit , ASUS MB w/Intel Chipset, INTEL Q9300 Quad Core, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, ATI 5450 Video Laptop: Windows 7 Pro, i5, 8 Gig Ram Hardware: Presonus FP10 (Firepod), FaderPort, M-Audio Axiom 49, Mackie 1202 VLZ, POD X3 Live, Variax 600, etc... etc...
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ampfixer
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Re: Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
2016/02/15 17:09:04
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mettelus
John, when you say "repairs" do you mean modifications or actual repairs? I was curious when I saw the PCB reference above so not sure what the common break/modification point would be?
Sorry I didn't get back sooner. I meant actual repairs. The current build quality on many amps is pretty low. If parts have been replaced and/or the circuit boards have been removed several times then more problems usually surface. This is a combination of issues stemming from poor quality boards and the computer cables that connect them. The same issue applies to board mounted tube sockets and pots. Poor soldering skills just add to the effect.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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mettelus
Max Output Level: -22 dBFS
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Re: Possible amp trade.... looking for opinions...
2016/02/16 10:11:37
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No worries. Thank you for the feedback. When I read stuff like that I get scared to ever buy anything used anymore without feedback from someone who knows the gear.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC), i7-8700k, 16GB RAM, GTX-1070Ti, Win 10 Pro, Saffire PRO 24 DSP, A-300 PRO, plus numerous gadgets and gizmos that make or manipulate sound in some way.
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