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?
 

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. 

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?

Thanks ampfixer...
That's the kind of info I'm looking for...
 
EDIT TO ADD: Vox was not well... so no trade.

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.

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.