need more volume! (new amp, cab or other?)

[kboman]

Greetings o learned fellows.

I have warm, strong feelings for my AC15 but there is something that has started to bother me. It's not a huge deal and it's an intrinsic part what the amp is, but - I have a lack of headroom. Noodling at home this is obviously not an issue, but at rehearsal it simply starts clipping in the power section too soon. It's a wonderful, wonderful sound in itself, but quite simply not right for the occasion.

The Captain Obvious answer is to get an amp with more clean headroom, say an AC30. But I'm intrigued by the idea of adding speakers instead, because I feel this would give my sound more oomph. So I'm thinking maybe add a 1x12" extension cab, say the one Orange offers, or maybe another amp, specifically a Blues Jr which would also give me stereo options.

What do you think?

 

[reinhold]

As an AC30 user, I can say that you would not be disappointed with one if you want more headroom.  In order for me to get mine to break up it needs to be loud enough to be heard throughout the house (it's in the basement).  I have it set just below the edge of breaking up when I hit a power chord and use pedals for any dirt I may want to add and it sounds perfectly natural.  Having the ability to get really clean is worth it though.

 

[Tonar8352]

If I’m using a small amp I put it right in front of me with my monitor and use it as an additional monitor them mic it.  It really is the best way to go since audiences ears are spared, the sound man can get a way better mix and the whole band sounds much more professional.

What do vocalists do? They can’t have wattage increase implants but a great voice through a killer P/A can sing to a stadium. Your AC15 is no different. If it has a killer voice let the world know it with a good mic.

 

[kboman]

If I’m using a small amp I put it right in front of me with my monitor and use it as an additional monitor them mic it.  It really is the best way to go since audiences ears are spared, the sound man can get a way better mix and the whole band sounds much more professional.

What do vocalists do? They can’t have wattage increase implants but a great voice through a killer P/A can sing to a stadium. Your AC15 is no different. If it has a killer voice let the world know it with a good mic.

I should probably clarify that this is so far only in a rehearsal situation, when we get to gigs I will definitely mic the amp. Right now I just want to hear myself properly over the drummer

Edit: this is not our own private rehearsal room so micing during rehearsal would feel like overkill and take forever. The room has a Peavey amp with plenty of headroom but it is, alas, less plentiful in enjoyable tone (it physically hurt my ears the one time I tried it).

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I would hit up the friends to try a 4 x 12 and/or a 2 x 12.  It might work, I have an 8 watt thing that goes through a 4 x 12 and it shakes things up.  More importantly, see what it does so you know to pursue the idea.  I also have recently gone through a number of speakers in one of my amps, and the speaker itself will really change the headroom.  Surprising how an early break up speaker will make a small amp into a dirt machine.  That speaker didn't work for me, but it opened my eyes to how much of the distortion can be from the driver itself.  I know that the Vox sound is tied to the AlNiCo speaker, but the Ceramic Signature Series 12B from Weber really worked out nicely for me.
Patrick

 

[mayfly]

The main thing that will make you louder with your existing amp is a more efficient speaker.  Not sure what comes in an AC15 these days, but you may consider swapping it with a speaker with the highest efficiency rating that you can find.  My favorite speaker, the Eminance GB12 has an efficiency rating of 101db.  In contrast, a modern "rock" speaker can have efficiency ratings as low as 96db.  The GB12 has great tone and lots of volume.  I would try that first.

Having said all that, I have some bad news for you.  I never found a 15 watt VOX style amp to be loud enough with a drummer.  I always ended up gigging with the equivalent to an AC30.  And now I just go into the PA that usually has several hundred watts 

 

[kboman]

As always, thanks for everyone's input!

The main thing that will make you louder with your existing amp is a more efficient speaker.  Not sure what comes in an AC15 these days, but you may consider swapping it with a speaker with the highest efficiency rating that you can find.  My favorite speaker, the Eminance GB12 has an efficiency rating of 101db.  In contrast, a modern "rock" speaker can have efficiency ratings as low as 96db.  The GB12 has great tone and lots of volume.  I would try that first.

It's a Celestion Greenback, G12M, "sensitivity" of 98dB according to celestion.com. A V30 for example has a sensitivity of 100dB.
I wonder how Weber's Thames or Fane Crescendo speakers would sound, hmmm... no help from the Weber site regarding efficiency.

How much would adding another 12" cab help would you say?

Having said all that, I have some bad news for you.  I never found a 15 watt VOX style amp to be loud enough with a drummer.  I always ended up gigging with the equivalent to an AC30.  And now I just go into the PA that usually has several hundred watts 

I know, and I will probably have to bite this particular bullet and get one of the new AC30s with an effects loop and solve that headache too. Helluva time to lose my job :sad1: Lugging that to and from rehearsal will be a total and utter bitch though and will NOT make me a popular person.

A guy on a Swedish forum is selling an Egnater Mod50 with buyer's choice preamp modules. So I could, for example, have a Vox+Dumble 50W 4 channel head. Did I mention I'm annoyed I lost my job?!

 

[thebutcher85]

personally, I'd get this:

 

[stubhead]

If the Vox has a line-level output, and the Peavey has an effects loop, you can take the Vox output and plug it into the "Effects Return" on the Peavey. That would bypass the Peavey's preamp, and it would be a slave power amp and speaker. I know this works on the pedal steel Peaveys, the Nashville 400, Session 400, Vegas 400... their power amp section is a dead-clean 210 watt "PA" typed of SS amp. Of course the speakers in there make a difference. If you can make those connections in the first place, it wouldn't hurt to try it, just start with EVERYTHING AT ZERO!!!


ZERO!!!

 

[kboman]

Lol! Well at 210 watts, I'd definitely be starting at zero! But it's one of these things I'm afraid :-\

I'm eyeing the Bugera BC30 speculatively right now. Also a '65 AC50 that's halfway across the country but reasonably priced. Just not reasonably enough

 

[bagman67]

Lol! Well at 210 watts, I'd definitely be starting at zero! But it's one of these things I'm afraid :-\

I'm eyeing the Bugera BC30 speculatively right now. Also a '65 AC50 that's halfway across the country but reasonably priced. Just not reasonably enough

Where are you? I have a Yamaha T100C I'm thinking of selling.

 

[thebutcher85]

Lol! Well at 210 watts, I'd definitely be starting at zero! But it's one of these things I'm afraid :-\

I'm eyeing the Bugera BC30 speculatively right now. Also a '65 AC50 that's halfway across the country but reasonably priced. Just not reasonably enough

Haha, yeah I hear that, there's a lot of stuff that's "reasonably priced", it's just not reasonable enough with my bank account balance! lol! AC50's are sweet though. AND, I've played the BC30 a bit, I liked it!

 

[kboman]

Where are you? I have a Yamaha T100C I'm thinking of selling.

Malmö, Sweden! Thanks for the considered offer, but shipping would cost more than the amp... :tard:

Haha, yeah I hear that, there's a lot of stuff that's "reasonably priced", it's just not reasonable enough with my bank account balance! lol! AC50's are sweet though. AND, I've played the BC30 a bit, I liked it!

It's actually unbelievably cheap for a vintage Vox, but since it's not an AC30 it's been sitting there for months.

Re the BC30, I found this interesting vid:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGAHG4OujFY[/youtube]

Seems like the Bugera speakers have more headroom, the BC30 doesn't compress as much. As far as that can be judged from a non-HD Youtube vid...

 

[thebutcher85]

yeah I really liked it, I used my tubescreamer clone in front of the BC30 with a LP clone with P90's, it had some serious mojo! Haha, now you've got me GAS'ing for it! haha

 

[bagman67]

yeah I really liked it, I used my tubescreamer clone in front of the BC30 with a LP clone with P90's, it had some serious mojo! Haha, now you've got me GAS'ing for it! haha

Ain't that just the way?  YOu get to GAS'ing for a piece of gear you let get away...

 

[thebutcher85]

yeah I really liked it, I used my tubescreamer clone in front of the BC30 with a LP clone with P90's, it had some serious mojo! Haha, now you've got me GAS'ing for it! haha

Ain't that just the way?  YOu get to GAS'ing for a piece of gear you let get away...

Haha, *sigh* yeah... that's always how it goes

 

[Strat Avenger]

Does your amp have a line-out jack? I'm guessing no, but if it does, you could plug it into a power-amp, and into a guitar speaker cab, and have all the volume you need. It's either that or a new guitar amp (like the AC30). I wouldn't mess with adding more speakers.
15 watts is 15 watts. It is what it is.

 

[kboman]

An update here: After fiddling a bit with the controls I have no problem hearing myself or having too little clean headroom. I don't have much headroom, but it's good enough. If I were to change anything, I'd probably get another speaker. This amp sounds too fantastic at the moment to change to another.

By the way, power section overdrive sounds amazing. Grrrrowrrrr.