AC15 Handwired

[Tonray's Ghost]

Damn...almost makes me want to build a sound insulated outbuilding just to buy one of these..

[bc rich]

Yes, it is a valid musical instrument in its own right ,along with a guitar of your choice. But down the road when A I can cheaply generate any posible guitar tone you can haul them out, plug them in and rock on till yours hearts content.

[uwmcscott]

That would be fun...and those hand wired recreations sure conjure up visions of grandeur, do they not?

[Tonray's Ghost]

That would be fun...and those hand wired recreations sure conjure up visions of grandeur, do they not?

Unfortunately they also conjure up empty bank balances too. It's why, even in Thailand, I still play the lottery

[BatUtilityBelt]

Yeah. Mine's not hand wired, but my AC15C1 is my favorite amp. It sure can get loud though.

[andrewsrea]

I often get asked what is the difference between a PCB and hand wired (probably once every two months). I typically answer that with "Dumble and Mesa used PCB almost from the beginning." Blasphemy, right?

in my mind there are three types of hand wired: using a form board (turret board, fiber boards, etc.), point-to-point (just linking the components) or a hybrid of the two (Dumble, for example). Pros: typically more rugged, easier to swap components, clarity, sometimes more 3D sound and sometimes lower noise floor. Cons: expensive. Boutique hand wired add to the overall prestige, as individual components are chosen to compliment each other for a specific amp character.

PCB: there basically two types: well thought out and constructed with thick copper traces (Mesa, Dumble, Two Rock, etc.) and crap (not laid out correctly, creating noise and unwanted signal distortions, thin traces which peel off, broken solder joints, etc.). The latter sometimes comes with a bad circuit also, creating the total disaster of an amp. Pros of a well-made PCB: great value, rugged enough, more components per area of allotted space. Cons: typically, not designed for repair or modification. Direct mounted tube sockets eventually break down.

IMHO, the PCB Vox AC15's and A30's (especially with Alnico Blue or Greenback speakers) can nail the Vox tone. My only negative experience comparatively is they don't dissipate the heat as well as the hand wired, which eats the output tubes, cathode resistors and screen grid resistors (expensive repair on the hard to fix PCB models). The Vox design has the EL84s underbiased (idling too hot), to which even the hand wired has a short tube life. I like to increase the cathode resistor value and wattage, to safely add more bias.

[Partscaster]

I'm loving my mid 70's Fender Champ, Silverface. 6 watts.
It was a friends, then it was my brothers, now its my small cranker. Has a weber 8" alnico p8Q125 in it, 20+ watts. I boost it to loud volumes, with drummer and other guitarists.. it keeps up. The 1.25" voice coil lets it crank clean for a loud volume, then it goes into beautiful degrees of breakup. I am pushing it, but it takes it and puts out. We practice in an area about the size of 2 car garage bays.

I see some out there for <600$.
Simple circuit, plenty of kits like Mojotone's: Champ "small parts kit" for 150$.
Weber 8" alnico 1.25" voice coil =100$
Just need a cab. Could be built, or something repurposed.

[url]

[Tonray's Ghost]

I often get asked what is the difference between a PCB and hand wired (probably once every two months). I typically answer that with "Dumble and Mesa used PCB almost from the beginning." Blasphemy, right?

in my mind there are three types of hand wired: using a form board (turret board, fiber boards, etc.), point-to-point (just linking the components) or a hybrid of the two (Dumble, for example). Pros: typically more rugged, easier to swap components, clarity, sometimes more 3D sound and sometimes lower noise floor. Cons: expensive. Boutique hand wired add to the overall prestige, as individual components are chosen to compliment each other for a specific amp character.

PCB: there basically two types: well thought out and constructed with thick copper traces (Mesa, Dumble, Two Rock, etc.) and crap (not laid out correctly, creating noise and unwanted signal distortions, thin traces which peel off, broken solder joints, etc.). The latter sometimes comes with a bad circuit also, creating the total disaster of an amp. Pros of a well-made PCB: great value, rugged enough, more components per area of allotted space. Cons: typically, not designed for repair or modification. Direct mounted tube sockets eventually break down.

IMHO, the PCB Vox AC15's and A30's (especially with Alnico Blue or Greenback speakers) can nail the Vox tone. My only negative experience comparatively is they don't dissipate the heat as well as the hand wired, which eats the output tubes, cathode resistors and screen grid resistors (expensive repair on the hard to fix PCB models). The Vox design has the EL84s underbiased (idling too hot), to which even the hand wired has a short tube life. I like to increase the cathode resistor value and wattage, to safely add more bias.

Excellent explanation for the electronically challenged like myself. Thanks

[Tonray's Ghost]

Here is nice comparison video :