I use the top boost channel. I get it out about once every 6 months when the kids aren’t home screaming or telling me “it’s too loud.” The man holding me down. I pull out my telecaster and spent about a half hour trying to remember that one song by that band I like, where he does that one cool thing, you know the one? I used to know how that song went. Then I pull out the Les Paul, get distracted by something else, and take a nap on the couch. All on the top boost channel. That’s my tone.
I hope you were able to salvage those pants my friend, nothing worse than a mishap like that. ;) Have you tried this technique yet? If so, what did you think of it?
The reason why the Top Boost tone stack affects the Normal channel when you bring the Top Bost volume up is because the first 12AX7 tube is used for both channels, and it has both triodes sharing a cathode connection, so some of the sound from one channel is sent to the other. This is an exclusive thing on the AC15C1, as the original AC15 amps used a separate pentode tube (EF86) for the Normal channel.
I have had an AC15h1TV Handwired for many years. I nearly only use the Channel 1 (EF86) for its warmth and noiseless advantage. However, the treble was every so slightly blunt or dull and switching the brightness on would be too harsh to my taste. While using the channel 1, I always used the Channel 2 volume off but this video really opened up a world of possibilities. I just went to my original setting (Channel 1, no brightness, bass shift 1, pentode mode) and opened up slightly the volume of the channel 2 while adjusting the bass and treble... WOW!!! Amazing! The sound is much more defined, mainly in the treble. It keeps the warmth of the Channel 1 but the eq seems much more balanced and sweet!! Thank you so much for these tips!!!
You are most welcome. You are the first to confirm that it works with the hand-wired amps. These amps sound different compared to the AC15C1, but they still have enough similarities that permit this hack to work. I am happy to hear this. If you have not watched my new Tone Hacks video, I have even more tips in there for you. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
Why not a foodswitch A/B and use both channels ? And when already a foodswitch A/B 2 Times onto 2 Amps für Stereo. And why not 2 Times onto 2 Amps with stereo combined with the Chase Bliss Audio Dark World Dual Channel Reverb And why not 2 Amps with stereo and an digital out of the pedal to an Dolby Atmos ... Ah Shut up you ! Ah OK sorry. Someone send me 2 Twin deluxe reverbs Tubies ? Because twins should never be seperated.
Cool. But if I've learned one thing after more than 30 years playing, don't fight the tone. Simply, don't waist your time making for example a Fender sound like a Vox or vice versa. Learn to work with the tone of an element and you'll grow more as a musician. Cheers.
That is very true. If the initial tone doesn't work for you after trying everything you could, then perhaps it isn't the right fit. What is you amp of choice?
If this were a digital amp, you'd never be able to profit from this 'slip-up.' I love the sound of both channels, but the EQ of the TB channel confuses me. In a way it seems like some Fender amps that only have Bass/Treble; the Mids are preset.
Is that bass (eq in general ) trick with top boost volume and eq across every ac 15 or is it a quirk with just your amp ? I need to know lol iam curently awaiting delivery of my new ac15 greenback😬
i love the VOX AC15C1 and the VOX AC30.. Though these far eastern made Vox uses some sort of MDF in the cabinet that needs to be rather thick and this makes the amps heavy.. The VOX AC15 with a greenback (3.5kg).. weighs in a hefty 22kg. With lightweight thinner plywood they could get down to maybe 19kg and a more resonant cab..
Excellent choice of amp Vox for me all the way. The AC 15 is fantastic - I tend to use pedals for a lot of swooshy delays and reverbs with the amp reverb mid way. (tuner - Comp - boost - tone/klon & Chorus - reverb - delay - delay short - volume/expression). I turn up my amp and down the guitar, I can always add as I require from the volume knob or pedal etc. The amp is more likely to be some metres behind me on stage I can't keep popping backward to set it, once it's done it's done. I used to use 2 AC 15's one clean one dirty. I play for fun now and i'm retired I did most of my career behind a huge Premiere or Ludwig kit.
Hey Mark, I'm a huge fan of Vox amplifiers as well. Sounds like you and I do something similar, as I ride my volume on the guitar as well. I just changed the pots on my LP Junior and I'm way more satisfied with the results when playing with the guitar pots. I think the AC line is a fantastic choice for pedals, I'm getting great results with a TC Electronic G-System. Your idea of using two AC15's has crossed my mind as well. I love the dirty tone and clean tone, but sadly can't toggle between them. I'm still searching for an overdrive pedal that might be less expensive and gets me closer to the drive tone I want. By the way, did you see my new tone hacks video? I have even more tips in that one. Cheers
I just tried this with my amp, the bleedover from top boost is actually alot, i turned "Normal" channel volume all the way down, and the top boost channel was loud. It does sound fat when the two channels are mixed though, and I actually liked it. thanks for the tip!
@@TheToneLounge mine came with the green and I was content to keep it. I was surprised at how wonderful and musical it is. But... I had a blue and just had to try it and yes, it was badass with that speaker. I tried several others, just to see what effect it would produce. The G12H30 wasn't as good as the green, which surprised me. Then I bought a Weber Blue Dog alnico with pre rola dope and that badboy has become a permanent fixture. It is WAY righteous. It obviously sounds like the Celestion Blue, but it has a little something that gives it that little boost and I love it. Most of the time I run it with the Weber and a 2x12 cab with a G12T-75 and a Vintage 30. The three speakers sound so full and wonderful together. I can say this with absolute certainly, there isn't a better amp out there that doesn't cost at least twice what this one costs. Thanks for the tips!
I use an AB pedal plugged in both channels and then switch both channels on.The controls and the Top boost seem to boost overall output. Great tips ,but with the pedal you get much more out of it.
Waitjng for my ac15 to be delivered and this one video and comment section will keep me busy for awhile ….never occured to me to have an aby pedal used like this …ithunk i heard two guitars could plug i. At the same time, so was gonna possibly have a humbucker and single coil in at all times but this seems a better option to try .ty
I knew this from experimenting with my AC30 but it's nice to see someone else doing it. Thanks. And BTW, love your rhythm playing. Usually everyone plays every note possible.
Hi there from Australia I was playing my guitar the other night I have a a C 15 it’s the white Bronco with a cream back speaker and I stumbled across this I was wondering why is this working when I’m going through the clean channel and then I stumbled across your video yeah just adds a little bit more hey 👍🏼🇦🇺👍🏼🇦🇺👍🏼
Thanks for sharing this info. I'm a new Vox Ac15 owner and find all this stuff helpful. When I tried out maxxing the tb channel while plugged into the normal channel, I get a high pitched ringing in addition to the hiss. Is that normal?
It might be a microphonic tube. That high whistle sounds like that might be the issue. The way to know is to remove the back panel, turn the amp on and lightly tap each tube one by one. Use something to tap it with, not with your hands. If one of the tubes that you tap starts to emit that whistle frequency, you now know the culprit. It's a simple as changing that specific tube.
Damn I bought a Tiny Terror instead because thought the vox was sounding thin a low volume. Makes me wish I had known about this trick when comparing amps.
The Tiny Terror is a great little amp too. Very different than an AC but still a cool little amp. If you ever get a Vox, check back on my channel as I have series on the Mini Superbeetle, the AC10 as well as the AC15.
I got the ac15c1 today. I couldn’t deal with the Marshall dsl 20hr popping when I change channels and effects loop issues . I’m happier now I finally have a clean tone and reverb that sounds like I wanted. I will try these tricks thanks for the thorough review.
Right on! I'll be posting a new video soon where I'll be giving a bunch of useful tips for the AC15. Be sure to pop by and watch it. In the mean time you can watch this playlist to help you along. Let me know if you have any specific questions that I can help you with. Cheers AC15 series: th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
What about telling us: 1) UK or Chinese (Which I find appallingly put together); 2) Why did you not compare Top Boost to what you were doing on Normal block? And, FYI, I own and use a 1993/4 ‘63 Top Boost Re-Issue model (UK Build) without a master volume/ volume. Is there a great way to lower volume (VERY LOUD) without the Attenuators?
1) If I can manage to get my hands on a UK build Vox I'll be happy to make a video comparison. 2) It was my first video and forgot to make the same comparison on both channel's, hence why I stated at the end of the video that it worked on both channels. 3) As far as attenuation is concerned, it depends by how much you want to attenuate and for what application. If you can give me more details I'll do the best I can to help.
you have to avail yourself of the aural beauty of the UK-built Vox AC 15 and AC 30 top boost! Just inspecting them visually shows their superiority to the Chinese built models. Thank you for your extremely swift response to my query. Best wishes on your site ! God bless you and keep you healthy and safe.
Normal FTW. but this amp has frustrated me. had to replace it once it was blowing hard to get (for me) power fuse then when I got the new one, it sounded SO good for one day. Never got that tone back.. I'm careful with warming it up and using standby.. ijdk wth is up! Now it makes farts and fizzes like its about to short out. I may have to just chalk it up to being a POS.. But your video is great its true; pushing that main volume warms it up and I noticed that cross talk too! thanks!
+LeMTails sounds like a very specific issue with your amplifier. Did you bring it to a tech? Could be a very simple problem to fix. I hope you can get that amp up and running smoothly, AC15’s are a treat to play! Cheers
DUDE THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS. I use a fender classic player series and it has some hot pickups. I get that hiss from it but whatever. I also noticed it has A LOT of high end, so this helps. Thanks man!😁
Hi, I own a AC15 twin. Until yesterday I was using top boost channel as my main entry. Then I tried this new setting! And I have to say that it changes everything. The tone gets fatter without loosing the clearness of the sound. I was already in love with my vox but I think we gonna start to sleep together by now!!!! By the way sorry for my english, I'm french!!!!!
I'm glad this tip helped you. En passant, je parle français. Mon français écrit est pitoyable, mais bon. I find it easier to write in English (the curse of being bilingual). Be sure to check out the other videos in the AC15 series. I just dropped a new video today, where I do a shootout between the AC15 and a Mini Superbeetle. Cheers
Normal channel all the way, i’ve changed the chinese stock tubes for Tung-Sol gold and now the Vox has more headroom, i can’t cranky all the volume. I’m using King of Tone , morning Glory, mini TS and Hall of fame 2 aswell. Telecaster CS , its such an amazing tone
Sounds like an awesome rig! I’m waiting for the tubes in mine to start acting up before changing the tubes. Is there a particular reason why you chose Tung-Sol? I know many people suggest JJs. Cheers
That's interesting thanks. I like my AC15C1 but it is a frustrating amp in a lot of ways. I'll have to try this. This amp is my sole remaining tube amp and I would like to get more out of it. I usually use top boost normally. I never understood the speaker selection for this amp. But I suck as a player so who am I to critique. Thanks again for the great video.
Thanks for the info! I will try these tricks tomorrow. I have an AC15C1 with a Greenback in it. Was thinking of buying the Alnico Blue and putting different tubes in it.
I left the tone cut open wider to get a more neutral tone. I tend to cut a lot of highs since I use single coils, but I compensated for the brighter tone with my off-axis mic placement.
@@TheToneLounge Please complete the song, and publish it here on the channel, it's very good. Believe me, I already recorded the sound of your riff and passed it on to people I know and everyone asked what it is, and they also said it's very good
Funny thing. Got rid of the Ac15 only to buy another one a year later. Checking your videos again and I find my original post, with your response. I Never saw the notification for your response. 😂
Interesting. I have an AC15 but it`s a H1TV. Wonder if this top boost trick works the same way on that one. Only use the normal channel. No reverb or master volume though. Need to go to my rehersal space and try. Thanks for the tip!
Wow. I’m late to watch this video. Great video by the way. I love my ac15 and wanted to add..there is like 538 comments,, ok that’s accounting for the reply’s fair enough, but still you replied to each and every one wow. That is amazing and just shows your dedication to this channel this amp playing and most Important, helping people. That’s amazing brother. Thank you. SUBSCRIBED'!!!
Hi Chris, Thanks for joining the TTL community. I appreciate when people leave comments, so I love answering questions and comments. Let me know if you are looking for anything specific, I most likely have video on the topic. Cheers
Worth the watch folks. He has quite a bit of Vox videos that are very useful;. Helped me when I got mine. I dried up his videos. I would like to see a deep dive of the PRS horse meat in comparison with some little pricier klones. Not the crazy upper 'KTR' priced ones. Maybe like $500 and under comparison as no od should cost that much lol.
I have only just come across this and the beauty of it is that it makes a massive improvement to this channel. I feel a bit of a clown for not having spent the time to experiment but then the changes in tone are incremental and they only really become obvious when one maxes out the various controls. Really great suggestion so thank you.
@@TheToneLounge I already am. I have a band rehearsal tomorrow night and I will be interested to see if the fuller sound is detectable in that context. It was certainly a noticeable difference in my practice room. I now need to spend a bit more time with your channel. Thanks again.
I thought I noticed this crosstalk effect on my AC15 as well, but I didn't explore the tone possibilities it created. I'm fairly new to electric guitar and the massive rabbit hole that is "tone" has been rather overwhelming.
+Mark O chasing tone is one of my favourite parts of this whole thing. I love digging into the different elements that contribute to what makes tone great/bad. If you want to know more about how to get the best out of your AC15, I invite you to subscribe to the channel, or at least check out my other videos. Cheers
Hey Arksolva thanks for the vid but here's my opinion. Well first I never had a Vox amp, but I very recently bought a Marshall DSL20 CR and the clean channel is unbelievably bright, now I can dial in more bottom end but here's the thing, I don't think I should have to be working out a way for my amp to sound good. The Marshall has a 3 band EQ and a Presence and Resonance but I should be plugging in and voilá, it sounds great, okay maybe add or take away some bass or treble but if you have to do handstands to make the amp sound good than I don't think it's an amp worth owning. That's my 2 cents.
+Purple Haze thank you for your reply. You have a great point and to answer your question, here are my thoughts. Your amp is a very different beast compared to an AC15. First, the Vox does not have two truly independent channels. So both inputs share the same tube topology and yet, react differently to one another. The Top Boost has the EQ section which is very useful and has more gain on tap. The Normal channel has far less output and cleaner headroom, but no EQ. For someone who loves the Vox tone, and prefers the Normal channel, not having an EQ means inconsistent frequency response between guitars, such as swapping between single coils and humbuckers. Using this “hack” gives you the option to keep using the Normal channel and get a bit of extra low-end in case you need it. One might argue that you could just plug into the TB channel and get it over with, but isn’t nice to know we have other options if we need them? 😉
Cool stuff man. Subscribed 👍🏻 Recently I got a ac15cc1 from 2006 to 2010 era. I like the amp as a little back up amp and today I put a Greenback in it and took out the nasty Vox Wharfdale speaker that came in it originally back in the day. Only thing I don't like is it only has top boost channel, and I have Treble on zero and it's still way too bright 😂. Greenback has made it sound miles better though for sure. Now I want the ac15c1 so I can run my board all through the normal channel and forget the top boost channel tbh, its cool but too bright for my liking. Apart from mine being the older one with top boost channel I love the little thing. It does sound pretty cool cranked.
Awesome! Glad to have you in the TTL community. Your version of the AC15 is cool. I prefer the AC15c1 because it has the Normal channel. If you get a chance, go to a music store and try one out. It's such a killer little amp. If you haven't had a chance to, here is a series well worth watching to get you started with these amps: th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
You can also use this to connect to both channels at the same time. reverb.com/item/21495927-gob-instruments-channel-selector-blender-aby-switch-splitter-mixer-guitar-bass
I did notice that when I put 10’s on my strat, it really made a difference taming some of the spiky tones I would sometimes run into. I would love to chat with you
@@TheToneLounge Getting a tone like you have takes talent... but do you enjoy creating teaching videos? I believe you have too much to share to just do gear videos.
@@TheToneLounge I have the AC15C1. I've found one speaker to be fine, but wonder what I'm missing out on w/ an AC30. It would be unnecessarily LOUD, but what are the perks that drive people towards an AC30 over the 15? If you don't mind imparting a little bit o' insight. :)
Hello. I'll be very thankfull if you'd answer me a question. If you crank up the volume knob, in any of the two inputs, but keep a low master volume, would you still get a full distorted sound? Thanks!
You have a Master volume on this amp, which means that if you crank the channel volume, either that of the Top Boost or Normal channel, you will get distortion at lower volumes. I hope that helps.
There are some easy mods to lower the noise floor - mainly increasing filter cap sizes. Best of both worlds... The normal and top boost couple by sharing the cathode bias resistor on the first gain stage. There’s a capacitor across it which rolls off coupling for the highs - which I’ve reduced a bit to decrease gain at low frequencies. However, this increases coupling between gain stages.
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I do not have the technical know-how to express the affect of the hack, but what you have shared, sheds more light on why this works. Plus, knowing that you can reduce the noise by changing the capacitors is a great bit of info. Thank you so much for sharing this bit of knowledge. Cheers
What's your email address? I can send across the as modified circuit diagrams for my AC30C2 with comments explaining what the mods do. The tone mods aren't all that straightforward but the noise floor ones are pretty simple. Quite convinced the whole lot cost less than £5 to do and it's made a huge improvement in noise with a slight but pleasant tweek to the tone too. Anyone with a soldering iron, a bag of components and a couple hours could implement this. And since nothing is cut - it's reversible. Saying that, I did pull the legs off 1 original capacitor, so care is needed to keep the original components. Totally possible though :O)
I was looking for this video because I wasn’t sure if this was how it supposed to work. My top boost channel was almost dead, read on the internet and it was the v2 tube. Swapped with a tung sol and it came back to life. Then my reverb started to act weird, I swapped RCA cables, Problem solve. Started to mess with controls and notice this. It’s a game changer. This amp is a beast!
Hi I bought a Joyo Hot Plexi amp to get some AC/DC British overdrive happening on my VOX AC15C1 and nothing happened the pedal did nothing whatsoever. I generally play single coil Stratocasters. Do I need something with humbuckers to get this pedal to work? cheers Michael - Thornton NSW Australia
The way I am understanding this, it looks like your pedal is none-functional. The pedal will take single coils, humbuckers or active pickups. As long as it is receiving a high impedance signal from the guitar it should work. If there is no sound coming out of the pedal, make sure it's not the battery, power supply or a bad cable.If it is still under warranty then send it back for repair or reimbursement. I hope you get this sorted out. Nothing worse than getting excited for a piece of gear only for it not to work. Best of luck! Cheers
Err... Just put an EQ pedal from Boss in front of it... professional gigging musicians do it all the time, fine tuning the EQ from the amp to room/hall acoustics, where they are playing. Its not so complicated and it's not "cheating" either. I use them all the time.
👇𝙉𝙀𝙒: 𝙏𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙎 2019 👇
th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
I use the top boost channel. I get it out about once every 6 months when the kids aren’t home screaming or telling me “it’s too loud.” The man holding me down. I pull out my telecaster and spent about a half hour trying to remember that one song by that band I like, where he does that one cool thing, you know the one? I used to know how that song went. Then I pull out the Les Paul, get distracted by something else, and take a nap on the couch. All on the top boost channel. That’s my tone.
you are the man
Challis Venstra Man I relate!! Same here brother.
You are me in 10 years
Cheers mate...this comment made my day
"The man holding me down." 😅😅😅 always.
Crapped my pants when you first messed with the Top Boost volume and it affected the normal channel. That is a game changer.
I hope you were able to salvage those pants my friend, nothing worse than a mishap like that. ;) Have you tried this technique yet? If so, what did you think of it?
SAME. I was like 😳
The reason why the Top Boost tone stack affects the Normal channel when you bring the Top Bost volume up is because the first 12AX7 tube is used for both channels, and it has both triodes sharing a cathode connection, so some of the sound from one channel is sent to the other. This is an exclusive thing on the AC15C1, as the original AC15 amps used a separate pentode tube (EF86) for the Normal channel.
Great video man 👌👏 loving the AC15c1 more every day.
I have had an AC15h1TV Handwired for many years. I nearly only use the Channel 1 (EF86) for its warmth and noiseless advantage. However, the treble was every so slightly blunt or dull and switching the brightness on would be too harsh to my taste. While using the channel 1, I always used the Channel 2 volume off but this video really opened up a world of possibilities.
I just went to my original setting (Channel 1, no brightness, bass shift 1, pentode mode) and opened up slightly the volume of the channel 2 while adjusting the bass and treble... WOW!!! Amazing! The sound is much more defined, mainly in the treble. It keeps the warmth of the Channel 1 but the eq seems much more balanced and sweet!!
Thank you so much for these tips!!!
You are most welcome. You are the first to confirm that it works with the hand-wired amps. These amps sound different compared to the AC15C1, but they still have enough similarities that permit this hack to work. I am happy to hear this. If you have not watched my new Tone Hacks video, I have even more tips in there for you. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
Why not a foodswitch A/B and use both channels ?
And when already a foodswitch A/B 2 Times onto 2 Amps für Stereo.
And why not 2 Times onto 2 Amps with stereo combined with the Chase Bliss Audio Dark World Dual Channel Reverb
And why not 2 Amps with stereo and an digital out of the pedal to an Dolby Atmos ... Ah Shut up you ! Ah OK sorry.
Someone send me 2 Twin deluxe reverbs Tubies ? Because twins should never be seperated.
Eu combino os dois canais do vox... mas, vou testar dessa forma também para ver o resultado, bacana o video... Legal!
Cool. But if I've learned one thing after more than 30 years playing, don't fight the tone. Simply, don't waist your time making for example a Fender sound like a Vox or vice versa. Learn to work with the tone of an element and you'll grow more as a musician. Cheers.
That is very true. If the initial tone doesn't work for you after trying everything you could, then perhaps it isn't the right fit. What is you amp of choice?
If this were a digital amp, you'd never be able to profit from this 'slip-up.'
I love the sound of both channels, but the EQ of the TB channel confuses me.
In a way it seems like some Fender amps that only have Bass/Treble; the Mids are preset.
The EQ is more like a tilt EQ. Moving the Bass and Treble is shifting the high and low mids. It's really a balancing act.
Any tips for the AC30 ? I already jump my high low inputs, but what other magical sonic tricks do you have ?
Got more for you right here!
th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
Just use a y-cable and use/mix both channels as you like.
+Bonanzabilly I’m using the L and R output of my TC Electronic G-System and experimenting with this concept. I’m liking the results.
I'm actually using the Boss TU-3 tuner which has two outputs. Both channels at the same time sounds great!
Great tip! Thank you 🙏
What speakers does your AC15 have? the celestion greenback or celestion blue Alnico?
Mine has the Greenback
Is that bass (eq in general ) trick with top boost volume and eq across every ac 15 or is it a quirk with just your amp ? I need to know lol iam curently awaiting delivery of my new ac15 greenback😬
It will work with yours too
i love the VOX AC15C1 and the VOX AC30.. Though these far eastern made Vox uses some sort of MDF in the cabinet that needs to be rather thick and this makes the amps heavy.. The VOX AC15 with a greenback (3.5kg).. weighs in a hefty 22kg. With lightweight thinner plywood they could get down to maybe 19kg and a more resonant cab..
Yeah, they are surprisingly heavy amps. I know it's more than likely a cost thing, but it does make moving the amp around rather unpleasant. lol
Picked my amp up from repairs and re-valve this morning and tried it ... do believe the tone had more meat on the bone! thankyou
+gerry stevenson that’s great! More hours of play time and enjoyment. Rock on!
Wouldn't it be better to use a mono Y cable to connect TOP BOOST and NORAMAL in parallel?
You would achieve similar results.
Excellent choice of amp Vox for me all the way. The AC 15 is fantastic - I tend to use pedals for a lot of swooshy delays and reverbs with the amp reverb mid way. (tuner - Comp - boost - tone/klon & Chorus - reverb - delay - delay short - volume/expression). I turn up my amp and down the guitar, I can always add as I require from the volume knob or pedal etc. The amp is more likely to be some metres behind me on stage I can't keep popping backward to set it, once it's done it's done. I used to use 2 AC 15's one clean one dirty.
I play for fun now and i'm retired I did most of my career behind a huge Premiere or Ludwig kit.
Hey Mark, I'm a huge fan of Vox amplifiers as well. Sounds like you and I do something similar, as I ride my volume on the guitar as well. I just changed the pots on my LP Junior and I'm way more satisfied with the results when playing with the guitar pots. I think the AC line is a fantastic choice for pedals, I'm getting great results with a TC Electronic G-System. Your idea of using two AC15's has crossed my mind as well. I love the dirty tone and clean tone, but sadly can't toggle between them. I'm still searching for an overdrive pedal that might be less expensive and gets me closer to the drive tone I want.
By the way, did you see my new tone hacks video? I have even more tips in that one. Cheers
this is crazy. I thought the title was clickbait, but these are actually really great tricks
+stenyxx nope, no clickbait. Just looking to help people get the best out of their amp. Thanks for watching.
I use my AC15 with an ABY pedal to be able to switch between normal and top boost channels.
That's the best way to do it.
I just tried this with my amp, the bleedover from top boost is actually alot, i turned "Normal" channel volume all the way down, and the top boost channel was loud. It does sound fat when the two channels are mixed though, and I actually liked it. thanks for the tip!
Hope it was helpful. In vase you missed it, I have more tips just like this in the video below. Cheers
th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
Any chance of a more in depth look at ho w you mic up an AC15? Sounds great with a single mic and I’d love to be able to do the same!
That sounds like a fun idea. Let me see what I can do.
both channels do use the same, and yes you can.
good video, but am I the only one who thinks his face is too close to the camera at the beginning.
Yeah, it was my first real video. Mistakes were made.
I prefer the normal channel most of the time. It’s more musical.
But for rockin-the-f__-outTop boost.
I love the top boost with my Strat. They just pair so well. Are you rocking a Blue or Greenback?
@@TheToneLounge mine came with the green and I was content to keep it. I was surprised at how wonderful and musical it is. But... I had a blue and just had to try it and yes, it was badass with that speaker. I tried several others, just to see what effect it would produce. The G12H30 wasn't as good as the green, which surprised me.
Then I bought a Weber Blue Dog alnico with pre rola dope and that badboy has become a permanent fixture. It is WAY righteous. It obviously sounds like the Celestion Blue, but it has a little something that gives it that little boost and I love it.
Most of the time I run it with the Weber and a 2x12 cab with a G12T-75 and a Vintage 30.
The three speakers sound so full and wonderful together.
I can say this with absolute certainly, there isn't a better amp out there that doesn't cost at least twice what this one costs.
Thanks for the tips!
cool, but i dont know how you play with master pegged. mine blows the doors off
You adjust the channel volume accordingly 😊
I use an AB pedal plugged in both channels and then switch both channels on.The controls and the Top boost seem to boost overall output. Great tips ,but with the pedal you get much more out of it.
Oh, I have a video all about the ABY pedal:
th-cam.com/video/GcBJoqCS5zU/w-d-xo.html
I heard about this. Have to try it.
Waitjng for my ac15 to be delivered and this one video and comment section will keep me busy for awhile ….never occured to me to have an aby pedal used like this …ithunk i heard two guitars could plug i. At the same time, so was gonna possibly have a humbucker and single coil in at all times but this seems a better option to try .ty
I knew this from experimenting with my AC30 but it's nice to see someone else doing it. Thanks. And BTW, love your rhythm playing. Usually everyone plays every note possible.
I was wondering why I can control the eq section while running on the normal channel.
Yeah, it's a weird thing, but it can be useful.
Hi there from Australia I was playing my guitar the other night I have a a C 15 it’s the white Bronco with a cream back speaker and I stumbled across this I was wondering why is this working when I’m going through the clean channel and then I stumbled across your video yeah just adds a little bit more hey
👍🏼🇦🇺👍🏼🇦🇺👍🏼
Yeah, it’s a cool quirk. How are you using it? With the TB or Normal channel?
@@TheToneLounge
Hi there
On the clean channel
This was an awesome video! I prefer the Normal channel, and you just made me LOVE IT A LOT MORE.
+Omar Jauhari LOL awesome dude! Normal channel for the win! Cheers
Thanks for sharing this info. I'm a new Vox Ac15 owner and find all this stuff helpful.
When I tried out maxxing the tb channel while plugged into the normal channel, I get a high pitched ringing in addition to the hiss. Is that normal?
It might be a microphonic tube. That high whistle sounds like that might be the issue. The way to know is to remove the back panel, turn the amp on and lightly tap each tube one by one. Use something to tap it with, not with your hands. If one of the tubes that you tap starts to emit that whistle frequency, you now know the culprit. It's a simple as changing that specific tube.
@@TheToneLounge Thanks. I thought that might be the case after I typed my comment. I had some tubes on order already so we will see.
Great video bud! Do you reckon you will ever do something like this for the VoxAC10C1. Thanks!!!
+arp sav I would love too. When I get access to an AC10, then I will do a series for sure.
I like to use both inputs at the same time, with a stereo chorus pedal
That's an interesting approach. How does this differ from sending it to two different amps?
Damn I bought a Tiny Terror instead because thought the vox was sounding thin a low volume. Makes me wish I had known about this trick when comparing amps.
The Tiny Terror is a great little amp too. Very different than an AC but still a cool little amp. If you ever get a Vox, check back on my channel as I have series on the Mini Superbeetle, the AC10 as well as the AC15.
I do this too but the other way around. I use the Top Boost and add some Normal channel volume for extra bassp
That's cool! Are you finding this technique too noisy? Or did you find a way to reduce the hiss?
I Love my AC15C2. Thanks for share this usefull trick
Hey Omar, you are most welcomed. The AC15C2 is killer! Cheers
Can you use ac15c2 in lives? Is enough for watts?
Absolutely! Keep in mind that it depends on the style of music and how loud your band is.
I got the ac15c1 today. I couldn’t deal with the Marshall dsl 20hr popping when I change channels and effects loop issues . I’m happier now I finally have a clean tone and reverb that sounds like I wanted. I will try these tricks thanks for the thorough review.
Right on! I'll be posting a new video soon where I'll be giving a bunch of useful tips for the AC15. Be sure to pop by and watch it. In the mean time you can watch this playlist to help you along. Let me know if you have any specific questions that I can help you with. Cheers
AC15 series:
th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
Love to see you rocking that 2015 Gibson without Shame. Wave on
Yeah, it's a great little guitar. Nothing to be ashamed of :)
You lied to me with that les paul
How so?
What about telling us: 1) UK or Chinese (Which I find appallingly put together); 2) Why did you not compare Top Boost to what you were doing on Normal block? And, FYI, I own and use a 1993/4 ‘63 Top Boost Re-Issue model (UK Build) without a master volume/ volume. Is there a great way to lower volume (VERY LOUD) without the Attenuators?
1) If I can manage to get my hands on a UK build Vox I'll be happy to make a video comparison.
2) It was my first video and forgot to make the same comparison on both channel's, hence why I stated at the end of the video that it worked on both channels. 3) As far as attenuation is concerned, it depends by how much you want to attenuate and for what application.
If you can give me more details I'll do the best I can to help.
you have to avail yourself of the aural beauty of the UK-built Vox AC 15 and AC 30 top boost! Just inspecting them visually shows their superiority to the Chinese built models.
Thank you for your extremely swift response to my query. Best wishes on your site ! God bless you and keep you healthy and safe.
Normal FTW. but this amp has frustrated me. had to replace it once it was blowing hard to get (for me) power fuse then when I got the new one, it sounded SO good for one day. Never got that tone back.. I'm careful with warming it up and using standby.. ijdk wth is up! Now it makes farts and fizzes like its about to short out. I may have to just chalk it up to being a POS.. But your video is great its true; pushing that main volume warms it up and I noticed that cross talk too! thanks!
+LeMTails sounds like a very specific issue with your amplifier. Did you bring it to a tech? Could be a very simple problem to fix.
I hope you can get that amp up and running smoothly, AC15’s are a treat to play! Cheers
DUDE THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS. I use a fender classic player series and it has some hot pickups. I get that hiss from it but whatever. I also noticed it has A LOT of high end, so this helps. Thanks man!😁
Paulo, you are most welcomed! Glad this works for you. The hiss is normal, but not too loud, so you’ll learn to tune it out lol. Cheers
Luv both guitars and the amp.
It’s a great combination! Cheers
Tip with cranking up master volume really helped me :)
I’m glad to hear that. Did you check out this other video? th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
Great vid! What guitar are you playing?
Details at 0:27
@@TheToneLounge that’s what I get for trying to multitask. The Tele sounds awesome!
Always plugged into TB, never really gave normal a go. I'll give this hack a shot on my AC15 and see what this is all about!!
+Clayton Glore of course. Drop me a line, let me know if it working for you. Cheers
Hi,
I own a AC15 twin. Until yesterday I was using top boost channel as my main entry. Then I tried this new setting! And I have to say that it changes everything. The tone gets fatter without loosing the clearness of the sound. I was already in love with my vox but I think we gonna start to sleep together by now!!!! By the way sorry for my english, I'm french!!!!!
I'm glad this tip helped you. En passant, je parle français. Mon français écrit est pitoyable, mais bon. I find it easier to write in English (the curse of being bilingual). Be sure to check out the other videos in the AC15 series. I just dropped a new video today, where I do a shootout between the AC15 and a Mini Superbeetle. Cheers
Great video man! Thanks for this tip. Also I want to know what type of song you play on 1:50 I love that intro. Thanks again!
Glad you liked it! That’s one of my songs. I should probably do something with it.
@@TheToneLounge Great song man. That intro gets me so much. I should wait for that.
At some point I'll make the time to record my own solo album. :)
Normal channel all the way, i’ve changed the chinese stock tubes for Tung-Sol gold and now the Vox has more headroom, i can’t cranky all the volume. I’m using King of Tone , morning Glory, mini TS and Hall of fame 2 aswell.
Telecaster CS , its such an amazing tone
Sounds like an awesome rig! I’m waiting for the tubes in mine to start acting up before changing the tubes. Is there a particular reason why you chose Tung-Sol? I know many people suggest JJs. Cheers
Great tone and amazing playing! Fucking top review, man! 👍
Thanks Nikki! Did you check out the new Tone Hacks I did? If not, here it is. Cheers
th-cam.com/video/qRFBYM0r7R4/w-d-xo.html
this was hell of a helpful video! Thank you so much.
Have you seen this one too?
That's interesting thanks. I like my AC15C1 but it is a frustrating amp in a lot of ways. I'll have to try this. This amp is my sole remaining tube amp and I would like to get more out of it. I usually use top boost normally. I never understood the speaker selection for this amp. But I suck as a player so who am I to critique. Thanks again for the great video.
Let me know if you have any further questions, I most likely have a video on the topic! Cheers
that was good, nice tips, thx!
My pleasure.
Thanks for the info! I will try these tricks tomorrow. I have an AC15C1 with a Greenback in it. Was thinking of buying the Alnico Blue and putting different tubes in it.
really helpful video! I think I‘m gonna get one :)
let me know if you do. Would you go Greenback or Blue for the speaker?
Great hack and it actually works! I can’t stand the extra noise though unfortunately. 😐
At the volume that I record at, the noise is negligible. Of course, it might not be negligible for everyone 😉
Wait how come you didn't mess with tone cut? Esp since its all the way to left. I thought counter clockwise turns will cut out the highs?
I left the tone cut open wider to get a more neutral tone. I tend to cut a lot of highs since I use single coils, but I compensated for the brighter tone with my off-axis mic placement.
Smart guy. Thank you.
Glad it helped
Best Vox Ac 15 video
Thanks a lot.......
Just ordered the VOX AC15C1 ! Will use this tip! Cheers!
Here is a pretty extensive playlist I created all about the AC15. I hope it helps.
th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
I have a Vox ac30 c2 and I didn't now this you have explained. The sound is totally different now, thanks!!!
My pleasure.
There's a guitar riff in your video at 1:50 I love it but I can't find the song, tell me what it is?
It's one of my own compositions. I have the demo somewhere, but never finished the song.
@@TheToneLounge Please complete the song, and publish it here on the channel, it's very good. Believe me, I already recorded the sound of your riff and passed it on to people I know and everyone asked what it is, and they also said it's very good
I'll see what I can do! ;)
Just subscribed. The AC-15c1 is the GOAT modern amplifier for less than $1k. 🎸🇺🇸
I could not agree more. Best darn sub 1k amp that I've ever bought.
I’m a little late to the game, but I just got an AC 15 and I’m finding your videos very helpful. Thank you!
Glad you like them! Is there any specific info that you are looking for?
Funny thing.
Got rid of the Ac15 only to buy another one a year later. Checking your videos again and I find my original post, with your response. I Never saw the notification for your response. 😂
Interesting. I have an AC15 but it`s a H1TV. Wonder if this top boost trick works the same way on that one. Only use the normal channel. No reverb or master volume though. Need to go to my rehersal space and try. Thanks for the tip!
I'm curious to hear if it works on that model as well. Will you drop by and let us all know? That would be very cool.
AC15 is classic awesome amp. Your tips were really usefull. :)
+JayAlexFin thanks for your feedback, glad that the tips were useful. Cheers
Wow. I’m late to watch this video. Great video by the way. I love my ac15 and wanted to add..there is like 538 comments,, ok that’s accounting for the reply’s fair enough, but still you replied to each and every one wow. That is amazing and just shows your dedication to this channel this amp playing and most Important, helping people. That’s amazing brother. Thank you. SUBSCRIBED'!!!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for joining the TTL community. I appreciate when people leave comments, so I love answering questions and comments.
Let me know if you are looking for anything specific, I most likely have video on the topic. Cheers
That’s why I like the AC30 & combining the TB + normal channels. But I agree with you on everything you said in this vid.👍
Right on!
Worth the watch folks. He has quite a bit of Vox videos that are very useful;. Helped me when I got mine. I dried up his videos. I would like to see a deep dive of the PRS horse meat in comparison with some little pricier klones. Not the crazy upper 'KTR' priced ones. Maybe like $500 and under comparison as no od should cost that much lol.
If I can manage to get one, you can expect a video for sure.
I have only just come across this and the beauty of it is that it makes a massive improvement to this channel. I feel a bit of a clown for not having spent the time to experiment but then the changes in tone are incremental and they only really become obvious when one maxes out the various controls. Really great suggestion so thank you.
Not many people knew about this when I published this video, so no need to feel silly. 😉
Can you see yourself using this from now on?
@@TheToneLounge I already am. I have a band rehearsal tomorrow night and I will be interested to see if the fuller sound is detectable in that context. It was certainly a noticeable difference in my practice room. I now need to spend a bit more time with your channel. Thanks again.
Let me know how that goes, curious to hear your thoughts.
I thought I noticed this crosstalk effect on my AC15 as well, but I didn't explore the tone possibilities it created. I'm fairly new to electric guitar and the massive rabbit hole that is "tone" has been rather overwhelming.
+Mark O chasing tone is one of my favourite parts of this whole thing. I love digging into the different elements that contribute to what makes tone great/bad.
If you want to know more about how to get the best out of your AC15, I invite you to subscribe to the channel, or at least check out my other videos. Cheers
I wish i saw this video when i had a ac15. Great tip, thanks.
Hey Arksolva thanks for the vid but here's my opinion. Well first I never had a Vox amp, but I very recently bought a Marshall DSL20 CR and the clean channel is unbelievably bright, now I can dial in more bottom end but here's the thing, I don't think I should have to be working out a way for my amp to sound good. The Marshall has a 3 band EQ and a Presence and Resonance but I should be plugging in and voilá, it sounds great, okay maybe add or take away some bass or treble but if you have to do handstands to make the amp sound good than I don't think it's an amp worth owning. That's my 2 cents.
+Purple Haze thank you for your reply. You have a great point and to answer your question, here are my thoughts.
Your amp is a very different beast compared to an AC15. First, the Vox does not have two truly independent channels. So both inputs share the same tube topology and yet, react differently to one another.
The Top Boost has the EQ section which is very useful and has more gain on tap. The Normal channel has far less output and cleaner headroom, but no EQ.
For someone who loves the Vox tone, and prefers the Normal channel, not having an EQ means inconsistent frequency response between guitars, such as swapping between single coils and humbuckers.
Using this “hack” gives you the option to keep using the Normal channel and get a bit of extra low-end in case you need it.
One might argue that you could just plug into the TB channel and get it over with, but isn’t nice to know we have other options if we need them? 😉
Put a cream back in it
Where was this video a few years ago when I sold my AC15 out of frustration..? Never could get a tone that suited me.
+Michael Willard it’s never to late to get another one 😉
swap tubes....doh too late!
Excellent, thanks for that - I've just bought an AC15C1 - really useful!!
Glad it was helpful. Which speaker came with yours?
Cool stuff man. Subscribed 👍🏻
Recently I got a ac15cc1 from 2006 to 2010 era. I like the amp as a little back up amp and today I put a Greenback in it and took out the nasty Vox Wharfdale speaker that came in it originally back in the day.
Only thing I don't like is it only has top boost channel, and I have Treble on zero and it's still way too bright 😂. Greenback has made it sound miles better though for sure.
Now I want the ac15c1 so I can run my board all through the normal channel and forget the top boost channel tbh, its cool but too bright for my liking.
Apart from mine being the older one with top boost channel I love the little thing. It does sound pretty cool cranked.
Awesome! Glad to have you in the TTL community. Your version of the AC15 is cool. I prefer the AC15c1 because it has the Normal channel.
If you get a chance, go to a music store and try one out. It's such a killer little amp.
If you haven't had a chance to, here is a series well worth watching to get you started with these amps:
th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
Hey how do you get a smooth clean round tone out of it on the normal channel? You know like a smooth jazz tone.
Use the Tone Cut and the tone knob on your guitar. Strike the right balance and you’ll be rewarded with a great tone.
Thanks for this video. Yeah, I know it’s 4 years old. I’m picking up one of these amps tomorrow.
The video is old, but the information is still relevant. At least I hope it is lol. Let me know what you think of the amp once you have it. Cheers
This video helped me immensely! It's like having a whole new amp!
You can also use this to connect to both channels at the same time.
reverb.com/item/21495927-gob-instruments-channel-selector-blender-aby-switch-splitter-mixer-guitar-bass
Thanks for the tip
I did notice that when I put 10’s on my strat, it really made a difference taming some of the spiky tones I would sometimes run into. I would love to chat with you
I’m curious to try flatwound strings on my Strat. That may tame the spikiness too.
Les Paul deluxe, spikeless and buzz free. 😁👍
You got a pretty tight rhythm technique there!
Thanks. I'm mainly a rhythm player, so I focus more on picking.
@@TheToneLounge Getting a tone like you have takes talent... but do you enjoy creating teaching videos? I believe you have too much to share to just do gear videos.
You gotta love the AV15 C1 great amp. And yes I prefer the normal channel but this I must try.
+Keith Carter let me know how you like it, and if you look at the first comment on this video, you’ll see a link to my new tone hacks video.
Got my AC15 today. I’m glad I found this video early 😂
Hope you enjoyed it!
A-ha! That's why the Reverb on a Vox sounds so good! You nailed it!
Thanks Terry! What’s your amp of choice? AC15 or AC30?
@@TheToneLounge I have the AC15C1. I've found one speaker to be fine, but wonder what I'm missing out on w/ an AC30.
It would be unnecessarily LOUD, but what are the perks that drive people towards an AC30 over the 15?
If you don't mind imparting a little bit o' insight. :)
Thanks for the link, dudes! There's some other good vids that I may have lost in the pile. as well. Much appreciated. :)
One of the best demos I have seen. I am always experimenting cuz curiosity so I appreciate your effort!
Thanks autodivision, I love to experiment as well. I got other videos such as this coming real soon. Stay tuned, cheers!
god bless you🙌
You are most welcome.
Perfect..👌
Thanks a lot 😊
Hello. I'll be very thankfull if you'd answer me a question. If you crank up the volume knob, in any of the two inputs, but keep a low master volume, would you still get a full distorted sound? Thanks!
You have a Master volume on this amp, which means that if you crank the channel volume, either that of the Top Boost or Normal channel, you will get distortion at lower volumes. I hope that helps.
Great Demo! I Do Like Top Boast With My RIC 350v63 Plugged In; Think I Get The John Lennon/Beatle Sound
I would love to get my hands on a RIC and hear it with my AC15 and AC10. It's the only guitar I have not tried yet with this amp.
C O O L ! 😎
Cheers!
There are some easy mods to lower the noise floor - mainly increasing filter cap sizes. Best of both worlds...
The normal and top boost couple by sharing the cathode bias resistor on the first gain stage. There’s a capacitor across it which rolls off coupling for the highs - which I’ve reduced a bit to decrease gain at low frequencies. However, this increases coupling between gain stages.
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I do not have the technical know-how to express the affect of the hack, but what you have shared, sheds more light on why this works. Plus, knowing that you can reduce the noise by changing the capacitors is a great bit of info. Thank you so much for sharing this bit of knowledge. Cheers
What's your email address? I can send across the as modified circuit diagrams for my AC30C2 with comments explaining what the mods do. The tone mods aren't all that straightforward but the noise floor ones are pretty simple. Quite convinced the whole lot cost less than £5 to do and it's made a huge improvement in noise with a slight but pleasant tweek to the tone too.
Anyone with a soldering iron, a bag of components and a couple hours could implement this. And since nothing is cut - it's reversible.
Saying that, I did pull the legs off 1 original capacitor, so care is needed to keep the original components. Totally possible though :O)
You should be able to find my contact info on the “about” section of my YT channel page. Thank you for all the awesome info. Cheers
I was looking for this video because I wasn’t sure if this was how it supposed to work. My top boost channel was almost dead, read on the internet and it was the v2 tube. Swapped with a tung sol and it came back to life. Then my reverb started to act weird, I swapped RCA cables, Problem solve. Started to mess with controls and notice this. It’s a game changer. This amp is a beast!
It sure is! I love the Vox sound. When dialled in correctly, there are some awesome tones in that amp.
You are genius! I just fixed my amp :))) Thank you, this is unique information I never met before
I'm no genius, I assure you! I just got lucky stumbling on this little happy accident!
DUDE, AWSOME HACK!!!!! I own a Vox AC 15 C1 < a year. As a big slide player you just gave me the voice I was looking for. Love the amp even more now!!
I love hearing this Michael! I’m glad that the video served it’s purpose. Be sure to check out more videos on here, I am all about the AC15! Cheers
Hi I bought a Joyo Hot Plexi amp to get some AC/DC British overdrive happening on my VOX AC15C1 and nothing happened the pedal did nothing whatsoever. I generally play single coil Stratocasters. Do I need something with humbuckers to get this pedal to work? cheers Michael - Thornton NSW Australia
The way I am understanding this, it looks like your pedal is none-functional. The pedal will take single coils, humbuckers or active pickups. As long as it is receiving a high impedance signal from the guitar it should work. If there is no sound coming out of the pedal, make sure it's not the battery, power supply or a bad cable.If it is still under warranty then send it back for repair or reimbursement. I hope you get this sorted out. Nothing worse than getting excited for a piece of gear only for it not to work. Best of luck! Cheers
Err... Just put an EQ pedal from Boss in front of it... professional gigging musicians do it all the time, fine tuning the EQ from the amp to room/hall acoustics, where they are playing. Its not so complicated and it's not "cheating" either. I use them all the time.
EQ's are always a handy tool. I have the GE-7 and an FFX All You Can Boost. Great tools for sure.
Great playing and tone dude, cheers
+Tomy Sabbath thanks buddy! Cheers