http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...Amplifier.htmlThe VOX AC4TV 4-Watt Class A Tube Amplifier will be available in February 2009 with a U.S. MSRP of $400. AC4TVH and V112TV cabinet pricing and availability are TBA.
Gil![]()
Pretty dang cool, just what I wanted:
http://www.dv247.com/news/VOX%20AC4T...0%20Amp/132014
I have no idea about the price
I pick a moon dog.
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...Amplifier.htmlThe VOX AC4TV 4-Watt Class A Tube Amplifier will be available in February 2009 with a U.S. MSRP of $400. AC4TVH and V112TV cabinet pricing and availability are TBA.
Gil![]()
Where ever you go, there you are
a 1973 Léro Model 58 Dreadnought; a 1998 Ovation 1861 Standard Balladeer Natural; Taka - a 2005 Squier '51 Black
Yume - a 2006 Squier Standard Strat Cherryburst; Houbi - a 2008 Fender VG Strat Blizzard Pearl won via fender.com
Pedals: Home made board; Visual Sound 1 Spot Power; Danelectro Chicken Salad, Fab Chorus, Echo & Flange; DVM Phasers To STUN; EHX LPB-1; Fender PT-100 Tuner
Amps: Fender Super Champ XD; Vox DA-5 in Camo
Computer: Apple MacBook Pro, PowerMac G4; Line6 Toneport KB37; M-Audio Black Box Pedal Board, Trigger Finger & DX4 Monitors
Software: Ableton Live Lite; Apple Garageband; Cockos Reaper; Line6 Gearbox/POD Farm with Model Packs
GAS: Squier Classic Vibe '50s Tele; Barber Tone Press Pedal; DigiTech Bad Monkey Pedal
WayOriginally Posted by Gil Janus
. Thanks Gil.
I pick a moon dog.
Hey, I made my first demo using an AC4 in 1979. I expect they're more expensive now.
Electric: Fat strat > Korg PB > TS7 > DS1 > DD-20 > Cube 60 (Fender model)
Acoustic: Guitar > microphone > audience
Do you still have the demo? If so could you post it here? Please?Originally Posted by markb
The official VOX AC4TV site
http://www.voxamps.com/modernclassic/ac4tv/
& the head AC4TVH & cab version
http://www.voxamps.com/us/modernclassic/ac4tvh-v112tv/
I pick a moon dog.
It looks like Vox is jumping on the Valve Junior/Blackheart bandwagon. The orignal AC4 used an EF86 preamp tube and a 12AX7. The output tube was an EL84 and it had an EZ80 tube rectifier. I believe the 12AX7 was for tremolo. The EF86 would have been a voltage amplifier/preamp to drive the EL84.
Looks like a cool amp, but I wonder how much different it is going to sound vs. a VJ or BH amp.
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
Yeah, I'm interested in hearing that one.
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
I think I have a cassette somewhere...Originally Posted by tot_Ou_tard
Electric: Fat strat > Korg PB > TS7 > DS1 > DD-20 > Cube 60 (Fender model)
Acoustic: Guitar > microphone > audience
GAS!!!:
:
Oh, the top of the ampf has the following from left to right.....input jack, tone, volume and varied power (4, 1 and 1/4 watt) knob and on/off switch.
What I like about this amp........10" Celestion speaker.....a bigger speaker (over the 5-8" speakers) seems to be better tone.......the power attenuator negates the need for a headphone jack which ALL (save one, the Peavey Royal 8) tube amps don't have.....it has a line out to hook onto a larger cab........small and lightweight (20 lbs), therfore very portable!!
GAS!!!
Last edited by piebaldpython; January 17th, 2009 at 06:01 PM. Reason: add
OK, maybe this is a stupid question...but why is there never reverb on a smaller (tube) amp such as this one (or maybe there is and I don't know it)?
As to why NO reverb.........well, to keep costs down for one.......a reverb tank takes up room and the idea with these little tube amps is to be as small and lightweight as possible....and lastly, with the plethora of multi-effect pedals/processors around, the manufacturers probably figure (in conjunction with points 1 and 2 above) that players will get their reverb from those units.
I could care less about the reverb as I have an RPS-250 for that. Give me either a headphone jack or a power attenuator with a tube amp. Give me a line out that I can use to hook up to an ext cab if I want to gig or jam with others. Small and lightweight rules the day. Tubey sweetness in a lil package.
Last edited by piebaldpython; January 18th, 2009 at 08:13 AM. Reason: add
Python pretty much hit the nail on the head. These modern low-watt amps are the decendents of student and practice amps. They were meant to be inexpensive for beginners. Adding reverb entails a tank as Python said and also the supporting tube circuitry which includes at leas 1 or 2 extra tubes and a power transformer that can handle the extra current draw. This also makes the amp more complex, and heavier. Ultimately it makes the amp more expensive to manufacture. This takes money out of the pockets of the execs at the top.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
So, a question for you amp aficionados, what is your take on this amp as its primary use as a bedroom amp? Not being knowledgeable in the amp area, I was wondering if this amp takes some of the Vjr mods into the design? I was wondering the same about the Night Train, but I will post that in the appropriate thread.
Last edited by just strum; January 18th, 2009 at 01:55 PM.
Mark
* Loud is good, good is better!
It's purely conjecture at this point, but I'd guess that it is aimed at the bedroom crowd. It does have the 1w and quarter watt settings.
My guess is that it is voiced like a Vox: chimey with a medium amount of breakup when pushed.
tung
Originally Posted by just strum
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
OK Strum........here ya go.......take what I say with a grain of salt because I'm not a player, not an amp tech.....that being said.......per your question of being "bedroom" amp.
The Vox AC4TV most certainly is as it is a max of 4 tube watts with an attentuator down to !/4 watt.....The Night Train is just a head, 15W with a pentode/triode switch down to 7 watts......so emulating the Blackheart Little Giant with it's 3/5W pentode switch.
My question.....is an attentuator better than pentode/triode switching? Which gives better "true" sound? From what I've read, while most like the Blackheart Little Giant, they are less than thrilled with the triode switch, some saying that it seems to robs the tone. Attenuator amps don't seem to suffer that same criticism. Hence my thought that you get better "bedroom" music with the AC4TV than the Night Train.
The AC4TV has a 10" Speaker which many seem to think is the "break-even" point for speaker size. If the Celestion is no good, just switch to a Rajin" Cajun as all of the Fender Super Champ XD owners just gush about.
Re speakers....as Andy said in another post....if it's strictly for "bedroom" playing, do you need stage quality speakers?? Isn't the idea just to make really nice music with something that is sized (wattage wise) for the room?
My gut says that anything over 5 tube watts might be a bit large for a bedroom (unless you play Pro Sports and then your bedroom is larger than most of our houses). If higher wattage tube amps could faithfully give "good" sound at LOW volumes, there wouldn't be a need for low watt amps and Attenuators, right?
Also, if an amp has a headphone jack, that is a big help.
My $02, but I think the AC4TV combo amp seems perfect for "bedroom" playing. The Night Train sounds great, but it's just a head and so you need a cab and it just goes on and on and on.
Serious GAS over in Philly for the AC4TV, Peavey Royal 8, Firefly and Little Lanilei (1/4 watt tube amp).
Last edited by piebaldpython; January 18th, 2009 at 03:59 PM. Reason: spelling
Python brings up some good points here:
Well, that puts you way ahead of me, I'm not even a player. I'm just a hacker who has experimented with tube circuits enough to know a little bit.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
I never use the 3w triode setting on my BH head. In fact, I hate triode switches. They don't cut the volume that much and they always sound like there is a blanket over the amp. For my money attenuation is better. But attenuation has limits too. Too much and the amp sounds lifeless. A lot of the cranked tone that most players want to emulate is the amp pushing lots of power through speakers, which are moving a lot of air. You don't get this with attenuation.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
I wish amp manufacturers would put at least a 10" speaker in all their amps. I've never heard a smaller speaker that I thought sounded good. Most of the 6" and 8" speakers are only there to save cost and make noise.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
I think the worse the amp sounds, the less likely it is to be played. Having a good-sounding speaker is just as important to practice as it is to performing.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
5W in a small room is deafening when you crank it up.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
IMHO, the best headphone amps are the modeler/emulators, like the Digitech RP series. Headphones are basically hifi speakers, so unless there is frequency compensation circuitry built into the amp, the headphone out on a tube amp doesn't sound that good.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
I'm a big fan of head amps. I have a couple of speaker cabs that I can plug my various heads into, and it works fine for me.Originally Posted by piebaldpython
There are lots of cool, little, low watt amp right now. I'm glad manufacturers are jumping in the bandwagon.
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
Lots of good points there, Tung. As you say, 5w is far too loud for a small room or jamming with the stereo. I've played small gigs with a Fender Champ (no drums of course). A Princeton or a Blues Junior allow more headroom for clean tones. I've mentioned elsewhere that I once recorded (live, no close miking) with an old VOX AC4 (I'm still looking for that cassette, Tot!).
Triode switches suck, use a smaller amp for lower volumes or, if you need overdrive, use a pedal. So many of the "classic" tones we all long for come from a driving power amp and speaker. Preamp gain doesn't get it. The best way to get that at low volumes is to use a modeller IMO. Low volume playing will always be a bit of a compromise.
I can't see me replacing my VOX DA5 with a low-watt tube amp any time in the future. A 1/2 watt (1/4 power switch position) modelling amp with useful effects is much more like it for practice. About the only time I used the DA5 at full power was playing behind a singer at an open mic night. No, I didn't have to mike it up.
Electric: Fat strat > Korg PB > TS7 > DS1 > DD-20 > Cube 60 (Fender model)
Acoustic: Guitar > microphone > audience
Thanks for the education guys!My git room has so much furniture in it that there is no room for a cab.
so, it's gotta be small or bust for me.
You can pre-order your Vox AC4TV combo ($250) or head ($200)
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=Ac4tv
DROOL!!!: