# NAD AC15HW



## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Digging the amp, wish it was an EF86 circuit. Swapped the Alnico Blue for a Neo Creamback. I know some people love Alnico Celestions, but I don’t play at stadium volumes, so to me they feel a bit muffled and are physically heavy.

Also, decided to pop some Sozo’s and a nice old Astron in and replace the IC’s. I know some of you feel that a $5 capacitor is the same as a $0.57 capacitor, sure, they both do the same thing, but the $5 ones sound better to me as far as the signal caps are concerned.

I am not an amp technician and I don’t actually know what I’m talking about when it comes to electricity, so if you ever see me comment on or hear me talk about circuitry, I am either lying or relying on you to know even less in order to value my input. I am good at soldering.

It matches my bonercaster really well.

AC15HW








Before








After









Update after 1 week:
went a head and upgraded the filter caps and bright caps on the volume pots as well.

Picked up an NOS Tesla EZ81 for the rectifier and a set of JJ EL844’s.. no, not a typo.. 44’s.. 25 less volume, 25% more natural gain.. very pleased. No loss in clarity or punch.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

This a well built amp.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Latole said:


> This a well built amp.


It’s been a long time for me since I’ve had an EL84 based amp. I’d love a lighter cabinet although I think that the size and construction of it seems to be geared towards the projection of a very loud 15 watts pushing a Greenback or Alnico blue to the limit.

I’m always finding ways to try to brighten and lighten up amps so that they can have clarity at lower volumes.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Man, that’s a beauty. I’ve been dancing around a Vox HW for a while. I’d probably go for the AC4 if I did, although the 15 is tempting. I have the AC4-c1 and it’s a fun little amp.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

jdto said:


> Man, that’s a beauty. I’ve been dancing around a Vox HW for a while. I’d probably go for the AC4 if I did, although the 15 is tempting. I have the AC4-c1 and it’s a fun little amp.


It’s a tough call because the 4 and 15 are usually on kijiji for similar prices. The main difference being the normal and top boost duality.

I think the 4 would be really fun as well.


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## Jackvulcan9000 (Sep 4, 2021)

What a gorgeous box. 

What's the single biggest difference in performance, if you had to pick, over the PCB?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Nice amp. Specs for those who are nosy.









Vox - AC15HW1X - Hand-wired Combo Amp with Celestion Alnico Blue speaker


Vox - AC15HW1X - Hand-wired Combo Amp with Celestion Alnico Blue speaker




www.long-mcquade.com


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Jackvulcan9000 said:


> What a gorgeous box.
> 
> What's the single biggest difference in performance, if you had to pick, over the PCB?


Simple answer:

The handwired version does genuinely have a slightly more textured feel and sound. I highly recommend buying a used handwired amp whenever possible over paying as much or more for the PCB version brand new.. that being said, for live purposes or in a very busy or high gain mix / band scenario or for someone who is not able to afford either, there is nothing wrong with the PCB version, they still sound very nice. I guarantee that you could get some very nice AC15 ish tones with a Roland Cube and a BigMuff Russian Deluxe pedal. I know this because the BugMuff Russian Deluxe turns all of my amps into an AC15 under the right settings.

Elaborate and completely off the top of my ass answer:

I’m not very familiar with Vox amps. I’ve owned an AC4TV combo and stack at one point, loved them both at the time but truly didn’t understand what Vox was in relation to American style amps or what I was supposed to be looking for.

Having since had a chance to noodle with a couple of EL84 based Dr.Z amps (M12, highly recommend) and (Carmen Ghia, not my cup of tea at all), I can see what people mean when they say “chimey”. To me it means a sort of brutal high definition but beautiful sound which has allowed me to appreciate what it is this Vox is traditionally prized for. Jazzmaster lovers will know exactly what i’m talking about when I say brutal but beautiful.

I think that the PCB version likely will sound the same on stage or under high gain recording situations. To me the biggest difference that I can detect is the feel of the amp. Seems like handwired circuits have a bit more sag and touch sensitivity. As far as sound, I feel that there is a lot more at play when it comes down to pickups, speaker and tubes and most of all VOLUME. I own one guitar and it is a single coil strat wired with a 3 way, so I can definitely hear more texture when playing clean than the PCB version. I don’t think this would be as apparent with humbuckers or if the amp itself is being placed into a complex mix.

What I can refer to is the difference between a PCB ‘65 DRRI and a ‘64 Custom handwired Deluxe Reverb: The biggest difference I notice is the feel. The touch sensitivity and dynamics of playing simply feels different. The PCB feels nice and juicy and fat but more punchy VS the sound of the rich and more textured handwired. The taper on the knobs is much better on the handwired version to my observation and I strongly prefer the much weaker P12Q speaker that comes with the handwired VS the heavier and louder C12K. The cabinet on the handwired is also pine which is softer and lighter than the birch ply.

Back to the AC15, one of the fundamental characteristics from what I understand about the original AC15 was the EF86 preamp tube. Which this does not employ. That being said, there are 12AX7’s that are glassy and hifi in nature which can come close to my ears. I have an early Great Britain made Phillips Miniwatt in the normal channel preamp (which is one hell of a tube but cost more 
and a Tungsol gold pin 12AX7 in the top boost preamp which in combination with the creamy Neo Creamback gets really nice detailed thick overdrive.


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## Jackvulcan9000 (Sep 4, 2021)

Always12AM said:


> Simple answer:
> 
> The handwired version does genuinely have a slightly more textured feel and sound. I highly recommend buying a used handwired amp whenever possible over paying as much or more for the PCB version brand new.. that being said, for live purposes or in a very busy or high gain mix / band scenario or for someone who is not able to afford either, there is nothing wrong with the PCB version, they still sound very nice. I guarantee that you could get some very nice AC15 ish tones with a Roland Cube and a BigMuff Russian Deluxe pedal. I know this because the BugMuff Russian Deluxe turns all of my amps into an AC15 under the right settings.
> 
> ...


Very informative. Thank you sir!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Bruno Underground 30 amps are Vox based and are beautiful sounding chimers.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> Bruno Underground 30 amps are Vox based and are beautiful sounding chimers.


Those things look beautiful,
You ever see any around? Are they still in production?


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Jackvulcan9000 said:


> Very informative. Thank you sir!


No problem,
I like to refer to this guy for insight on Fender and Vox related stuff.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> Those things look beautiful,
> You ever see any around? Are they still in production?


I have 2 of them. One is more Vox based, the other is more blackface. Both sound amazing, but really like to cook ears for 30 watts.

They do come up every now and then. There is a Facebook page that sometime people will post one for sale as well.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> Those things look beautiful,
> You ever see any around? Are they still in production?


If you are serious about getting one, Ultrasound Studio in NY sells them.





__





Welcome to Ultra Sound Rehearsal Studios - Sell&Rent






www.ultrasoundrehearsal.com








__





Bruno Underground 30 — Ultra Sound Amp Sales & Rental


Bruno Underground 30




www.ultrasoundampsales.com








__





Tony Bruno Custom Amps - The Amps






www.brunoamps.com





Tony may or may not still make a few amps...


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

player99 said:


> Bruno Underground 30 amps are Vox based and are beautiful sounding chimers.


I had one of those limited Vox AC30 hand wired amps that were built by Tony Bruno (‘03 maybe). It was one amp I regret selling. I still have a newer AC30HWL which is great, but the Bruno one was just a notch better.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Always12AM said:


> Back to the AC15, one of the fundamental characteristics from what I understand about the original AC15 was the EF86 preamp tube. Which this does not employ. That being said, there are 12AX7’s that are glassy and hifi in nature which can come close to my ears. I have an early Great Britain made Phillips Miniwatt in the normal channel preamp (which is one hell of a tube but cost more
> and a Tungsol gold pin 12AX7 in the top boost preamp which in combination with the creamy Neo Creamback gets really nice detailed thick overdrive.


If I were to clone an AC15, it would be the 1959 production version; it uses 2 small signal pentodes in the preamp stages. The vibrovox, tremolo circuit uses a pentode for the Low Frequency Oscillator, one of the few to do so. Of course it's a personal taste but I like the way pentodes compress at the rail; triodes tend to hit the rail rather abruptly...similar to BJTs. The 59 version uses an indirectly heated rectifier with a bit more sag than a 5Y3. Here's the schematic for the 1959 AC15 (excuse the clarity, it's a copy of an original:


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## jaydubz (Jan 17, 2021)

Nice. I would love the alnico blue version in the future!


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

jaydubz said:


> Nice. I would love the alnico blue version in the future!


I believe they are the same amp just with different speakers. The Alnico blue is a very popular speaker.


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## miloski99 (Dec 27, 2020)




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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Very cool.

I’ve been on a big el84, ef86, hand wired amp kick for about a year now. Super fun stuff


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Hopefully I'm not going start messing around and trying different tubes after reading this thread...lol


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Wardo said:


> Hopefully I'm not going start messing around and trying different tubes after reading this thread...lol


Just don’t drop kick an EF86 in a 12AX7 slot.
I think the EF86 has a gain factor of about 180 and definitely will do something bad. It will fuck up your flux capacitor and the Delorean Transformer.

But I highly recommend trying some 12AT7’s in the tweed. I had a rough year trying to get the ‘62 Princeton to sound the way I want. Tried about 8 speakers and a bunch of 12AX7’s in V1.. alas it was an NOS Mullard 12AT7 that brought down the unwanted gain factor and brought out the intended chime.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

miloski99 said:


> View attachment 381108


I’ve gotta say man, this trio does look really good together.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

tdotrob said:


> Very cool.
> 
> I’ve been on a big el84, ef86, hand wired amp kick for about a year now. Super fun stuff


Ya, this AC15 has got me jonesing for another Dr.Z down the road.

I think the M12 bug got me and @Alan Small pretty good.

Also, I know @skeetz has been getting some really nice tones from his Maz.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> Ya, this AC15 has got me jonesing for another Dr.Z down the road.
> 
> I think the M12 bug got me and @Alan Small pretty good.
> 
> Also, I know @skeetz has been getting some really nice tones from his Maz.


I ended up keeping a matchless HC-30 and a black cat 30. Both are just killer killer amps. Don’t think I’ll ever need anything else


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

tdotrob said:


> I ended up keeping a matchless HC-30 and a black cat 30. Both are just killer killer amps. Don’t think I’ll ever need anything else


Mr. Sampson's designs are very solid and reliable.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

miloski99 said:


> View attachment 381108


I told myself that I would reduce my supply of amps down to just the little 5 watt National. So what I did is the complete opposite and now I have this fleet (there is an Ampeg Portaflex 20 with a 1x15 flip top cabinet downstairs that I don’t even count as an amp because it’s for a bass).

my point is, when the universe tells you that it’s time to reduce your load and simplify things, go out and spend back to back to back student cerb cheques on hand wired amps instead of paying down student loan.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Always12AM said:


> I told myself that I would reduce my supply of amps down to just the little 5 watt National. So what I did is the complete opposite and now I have this fleet (there is an Ampeg Portaflex 20 with a 1x15 flip top cabinet downstairs that I don’t even count as an amp because it’s for a bass).
> 
> my point is, when the universe tells you that it’s time to reduce your load and simplify things, go out and spend back to back to back student cerb cheques on hand wired amps instead of paying down student loan.
> 
> View attachment 381220


This is a really good play at home set up, I’d like to pair mine down to something reasonable like this at some point.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

RBlakeney said:


> This is a really good play at home set up, I’d like to pair mine down to something reasonable like this at some point.


I could definitely get by with just the Deluxe Reverb, the others are just too damn cute to part with lol.

How many do you have right now in total?
Rig pic!?


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Always12AM said:


> I could definitely get by with just the Deluxe Reverb, the others are just too damn cute to part with lol.
> 
> How many do you have right now in total?
> Rig pic!?


Ummmm 13 I think.. let’s sesame street count it.

music room
1. 1965 pro reverb
2. Orange 2x10 Tweed Princeton clone
3. 1963 concert
4.1966 deluxe
5.tweed champ clone chassis (Beside The orange head.)
6 orange something or other head.
7.65 amps soho
8.Marshall something
9. Mojave coyote
10.seafoam tweed deluxe clone.

office
11. Tone king royalist
12.1964ish tuxedo Princeton

living room
13 1960 tremolux


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## jaydubz (Jan 17, 2021)

Someone's into creamish colour amps


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

RBlakeney said:


> Ummmm 13 I think.. let’s sesame street count it.
> 
> music room
> 1. 1965 pro reverb
> ...


THIS! I’ve said this a few times but I am a big fan of that blackface deluxe!

What if instead of downsizing, you doubled the collection building a second tower of amps?

Can I get an amen?


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Always12AM said:


> THIS! I’ve said this a few times but I am a big fan of that blackface deluxe!
> 
> What if instead of downsizing, you doubled the collection building a second tower of amps?
> 
> Can I get an amen?


Let’s be honest. It’s probably equally as likely.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Always12AM said:


> I told myself that I would reduce my supply of amps down to just the little 5 watt National. So what I did is the complete opposite and now I have this fleet (there is an Ampeg Portaflex 20 with a 1x15 flip top cabinet downstairs that I don’t even count as an amp because it’s for a bass).
> 
> my point is, when the universe tells you that it’s time to reduce your load and simplify things, go out and spend back to back to back student cerb cheques on hand wired amps instead of paying down student loan.
> 
> View attachment 381220


Sweet collection. What happened to the Tone Master DR?


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

jdto said:


> Sweet collection. What happened to the Tone Master DR?


Short answer:
GAS

Extended ADHD anthology:
I started a relationship with a nurse last September and as our bond solidified and we started spending more and more time on top of one another, her post night shift day sleeping ruined my Deluxe Reverb time. So I bought the Tone Master for a DI and bedroom level option.

Once I swapped my Swart AST for the AST Jr, I had the bedroom level amp situation sorted out and decided that it makes more sense for me to simply look into an OX Box for DI recording down the road. This way, I can DI all of my amps!

It was at this moment that I noticed Miloski99’s first AC15 for sale….

From there the only logical decision was to inquire about a trade and leave the financial burden of buying an entire OX Box to my future self instead of trading the tone master directly for one.

Now I have no Ox Box and an even bigger and louder amp that forces me to choose between having a beautiful curvy Dominican woman naked in my bed sleeping or spending an additional $1200-1600 on an OX Box this year so that I may live out my dream of being able to record music at home.

If you ask me, spending $1,450 on a tonemaster and then an additional $350 on a trade for an AC15 and then an additional $1200 on a used Ox Box and then millions of additional dollars violently reproducing with a Dominican woman and then having to shoulder the financial burden on buying a house for the future family is going to be a good decision when 7/8 of my future sons are professional baseball players and I am the next Kim Mitchell.


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## Tom T (May 3, 2016)

Beautiful amp. I have an AC30HW head with one of the 2004 Limited Addition HW series cabs with the blue speakers. These Vox HW’s are exceptionally good amps. I recommend trying one out if you can find a used one - you won’t be disappointed.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> Short answer:
> GAS
> 
> Extended ADHD anthology:
> ...


I vote "having a beautiful curvy Dominican woman naked in (your) bed sleeping"

That's what the final end game for playing guitar is all about. Cut out the middle man. Go straight the the payoff. You can even quit guitar and never look back.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> I vote "having a beautiful curvy Dominican woman naked in (your) bed sleeping"
> 
> That's what the final end game for playing guitar is all about. Cut out the middle man. Go straight the the payoff. You can even quit guitar and never look back.


Mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger my friend.
The end goal of guitar for me is an entire cult of Dominican women braiding each other’s hair and raising cattle on a mega ranch.

Start my own baseball league lol.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Update added to the orignal post for anyone interested.


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## Mikev7305 (Jan 6, 2020)

Always12AM said:


> Update added to the orignal post for anyone interested.


Don't tell Miloski what you did or he'll be knocking on your door wanting it back. I bet it sounds SWEET!


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## miloski99 (Dec 27, 2020)

Damn Straight!!! Already decided to hold off on selling my other one! Lol


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Always12AM said:


> Update added to the orignal post for anyone interested.


Man, that is killer. GAS is hitting me hard lol.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Mikev7305 said:


> Don't tell Miloski what you did or he'll be knocking on your door wanting it back. I bet it sounds SWEET!


The biggest improvement thag can be had for $40 is trying the EL844’s they are a really nice way to get some more break up at lower volumes.

This amp sounded really nice bone stock, I just had some higher end signal caps laying around so I figured I start there and then the itch got me and I had to swap out the filter caps and snag some new tubes.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> The biggest improvement thag can be had for $40 is trying the EL844’s they are a really nice way to get some more break up at lower volumes.
> 
> This amp sounded really nice bone stock, I just had some higher end signal caps laying around so I figured I start there and then the itch got me and I had to swap out the filter caps and snag some new tubes.


How much were all the parts that you installed?


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> How much were all the parts that you installed?


The F&T filter caps are the biggest expense, I think they are $12 a pop (Not at all mandatory) but I like to do it all at once just for fun. I think it was $168 for the recent parts. The older parts are the blue and yellow sozos are around $3-5 each, the orange drop was probably a couple bucks and the blue Astron was a negative feedback cap on a 1964 blackface amp.

The NOS Tesla EZ81 was a no brainer at $29 as it will probably outlast me. The Phillips Miniwatt 12AX7 is probably $200. Got it from a Carmen Ghia that I bought from Fogdart who bought it from Bluehugh.

The main difference is that the normal channel has a little less rigid filtering and a really nice open sounding high end. The top boost sounds a bit creamier and the amp overall is much quieter. This could just be from going over the solder points.

The Neo Creamback is not as fat at high volumes, but for recording and bedroom volumes it’s much more chimney and detailed. The Alnico blue is a beautiful speaker on stage as it screams. The beautiful Alnico cone cry comes at a price in decibels.

I have to emphasize that this amp does sound beautiful bone stock. I simply enjoy soldering and tinkering with values a bit and knowing that the parts are all really high quality.

I highly suggest trying the EL844’s as a starting point , read the reviews on the tube store website. Apparently they don’t jive well with Traynor YGM’s.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> The F&T filter caps are the biggest expense, I think they are $12 a pop (Not at all mandatory) but I like to do it all at once just for fun. I think it was $168 for the recent parts. The older parts are the blue and yellow sozos are around $3-5 each, the orange drop was probably a couple bucks and the blue Astron was a negative feedback cap on a 1964 blackface amp.
> 
> The NOS Tesla EZ81 was a no brainer at $29 as it will probably outlast me. The Phillips Miniwatt 12AX7 is probably $200. Got it from a Carmen Ghia that I bought from Fogdart who bought it from Bluehugh.
> 
> ...


Both my Bruno Underground 30's use a matched quad of el84s. I want less (way less) volume, but not the breakup... I put a passive 500k pot in a pedal as last in my chain and drop the volume a bit. The amps really get loud if the input signal is loud. My Fuches Overdrive Supreme has a input volume knob that woks the same.
I also have a Weber Mass Attenuator but I don't use it much.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> Both my Bruno Underground 30's use a matched quad of el84s. I want less (way less) volume, but not the breakup... I put a passive 500k pot in a pedal as last in my chain and drop the volume a bit. The amps really get loud if the input signal is loud. My Fuches Overdrive Supreme has a input volume knob that woks the same.
> I also have a Weber Mass Attenuator but I don't use it much.


I’m not getting any super early breakup. It still acts and behaves as if it has normal EL84’s but when I use the top boost channel and MV it’s very fun.

I’ve read that they are great in a pro jr. Using a volume pedal / attenuator is a really good idea.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> I’m not getting any super early breakup. It still acts and behaves as if it has normal EL84’s but when I use the top boost channel and MV it’s very fun.
> 
> I’ve read that they are great in a pro jr. Using a volume pedal / attenuator is a really good idea.


Ya my ears are not handling volume anymore. If I want to keep playing I can't have volume without earplugs, so for practice and recording it's under 80db or earplugs. Once ears break they can get better, but they are potentially one loud noise away from getting worse than ever before. They don't heal like other injuries.

The Bruno amps become gloriously loud very easily.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> Ya my ears are not handling volume anymore. If I want to keep playing I can't have volume without earplugs, so for practice and recording it's under 80db or earplugs. Once ears break they can get better, but they are potentially one loud noise away from getting worse than ever before. They don't heal like other injuries.
> 
> The Bruno amps become gloriously loud very easily.


I started guitar in an apartment and with a nylon string to boot. I don’t have any guitar idols, but I always did like Willie who loved Django, I’m nowhere near that skill level, but I tend to enjoy the natural acoustic sound of a guitar and I like playing amps at volumes that lend themselves at least partially to the natural sound of single coils.

You’ve got me watching videos on those Bruno’s. I love the sound. I’ve been solely using 6V6 amps for so long now that I forgot how nice it is to have an EL84 / Vox type amp.

As for the volume. Even when I am overdriving the hell out of it, I’m going it at modest volumes and using the volume and tone on the guitar to manipulate the high end detail. I also have a treble bleed on the strat so it’s pretty easy to find the goldilocks areas at different volumes.

There is no shame in going with less decibels. I don’t think high gain and volume lend themselves to dynamics or touch as much beyond a certain point.

It is fun to wail into a dimed amp though lol. I’m also not a highly skilled lead player, so I’m happy to remain less loud.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

miloski99 said:


> Damn Straight!!! Already decided to hold off on selling my other one! Lol


This guy did some cool stuff to his AC15,
I didn’t play around with the values too much, but I did find this useful for sorting out which caps are priorities and it definitely sold me on upgrading some of the smaller caps to silver mica.









AC15HW1 Modifications


I recently made a couple of simple mods to my AC15HW1 amp. The amp sounds fantastic out of the box but with a couple of simple changes it...




www.nikplayer.com


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> I started guitar in an apartment and with a nylon string to boot. I don’t have any guitar idols, but I always did like Willie who loved Django, I’m nowhere near that skill level, but I tend to enjoy the natural acoustic sound of a guitar and I like playing amps at volumes that lend themselves at least partially to the natural sound of single coils.
> 
> You’ve got me watching videos on those Bruno’s. I love the sound. I’ve been solely using 6V6 amps for so long now that I forgot how nice it is to have an EL84 / Vox type amp.
> 
> ...


The difference between 78db and 92db is easy to slip. I bought a sound meter with big leds. Without it to keep me in check I would be playing at 90db+ all the time. I was recording with a vocalist last week and she hit some notes that I really felt. I won't get caught without ear plugs around her again. Some people have ringing in their ears all the time as loud as your head in an ambulance siren 24/7. Get a good meter and some good plugs. Your future self will thank you.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> The difference between 78db and 92db is easy to slip. I bought a sound meter with big leds. Without it to keep me in check I would be playing at 90db+ all the time. I was recording with a vocalist last week and she hit some notes that I really felt. I won't get caught without ear plugs around her again. Some people have ringing in their ears all the time as loud as your head in an ambulance siren 24/7. Get a good meter and some good plugs. Your future self will thank you.


My hearing is a burden to me. I have ADHD and I can hear like a German Shepherd. I have always been averse to loud or busy noises. My dad was a guy who would build 200 watt stereo systems in the kitchen and blast Aerosmith. So my entire childhood was me wanting to punch my dad in the face lol.

I love recording and “engineering” because it’s the only time I can use my auditory sensitivity to my advantage and organize and control sounds. If I had better meter and perfect pitch or had been exposed to music theory as a child I honestly think that I’d have an advantage.

I can’t even come close to 90db instinctively. But I do want to look into a DB meter. And if I am ever in a live environment with amplified sound, I would definitely need ear monitors in order to bare it.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> My hearing is a burden to me. I have ADHD and I can hear like a German Shepherd. I have always been averse to loud or busy noises. My dad was a guy who would build 200 watt stereo systems in the kitchen and blast Aerosmith. So my entire childhood was me wanting to punch my dad in the face lol.
> 
> I love recording and “engineering” because it’s the only time I can use my auditory sensitivity to my advantage and organize and control sounds. If I had better meter and perfect pitch or had been exposed to music theory as a child I honestly think that I’d have an advantage.
> 
> I can’t even come close to 90db instinctively. But I do want to look into a DB meter. And if I am ever in a live environment with amplified sound, I would definitely need ear monitors in order to bare it.


You can get a meter like I did which is the same style as they have on The Pedal Show. It's a rectangle shape about 5" x 8" and has large LED numbers. I have mine sitting on my desk on a tablet stand I got at Dollarama. The issue with it for me is I don't 100% trust it. Do they accurately calibrate it in China?

I will be investing more into a unit that is handheld and has a calibration function. Then I will need a calibration unit. These are usually cylindrical and fit over the mic. They generate a tone at a specific dB and then you check what the unit is registering and adjust accordingly. The calibration units are at least $200+ and the good meter will be between $150 - $500? I have seen some units that have the tone generator built in. I am not sure if they are any good or not.

The better unit will be a good investment to help preserve my hearing.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> My hearing is a burden to me. I have ADHD and I can hear like a German Shepherd. I have always been averse to loud or busy noises. My dad was a guy who would build 200 watt stereo systems in the kitchen and blast Aerosmith. So my entire childhood was me wanting to punch my dad in the face lol.
> 
> I love recording and “engineering” because it’s the only time I can use my auditory sensitivity to my advantage and organize and control sounds. If I had better meter and perfect pitch or had been exposed to music theory as a child I honestly think that I’d have an advantage.
> 
> I can’t even come close to 90db instinctively. But I do want to look into a DB meter. And if I am ever in a live environment with amplified sound, I would definitely need ear monitors in order to bare it.


Free app on iPhones for dBA readings, not calibrated but close?


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

MarkM said:


> Free app on iPhones for dBA readings, not calibrated but close?


I’m always flying way below the DB danger zone. But I am going to download a DB app in the mean time!


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