NAD — Vox AC50 (Mk III)

Quantum Strummer

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This thing is a freakin' leadweight! And I thought Hiwatts were heavy.

Wrestling the chassis out of the cabinet and checking out (& maybe replacing) the tubes will be a day project down the line. For now here's some pics:

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-Dave-
 

shihan

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It’s gonna be LOUD, but glorious! Looking forward to a further report. Great get!
 

gilded

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Gorg, it even looks heavy! What are you gonna use for speakers/cabinet(s)?

I have a 1995 AC30tbxt- 'TB' is for Top Boost, 'X' is for Celestion Blues speakers, 'T' is for Tan tolex.

The Tolex is from the very last of the prior owner's (Rose Morris) supplies. What's funny is that Vox only made 61 Fawn AC30s in '95. Back then, Fawn was very much a custom color. Now it's everywhere.

It has a black face plate instead of the usual red plate, for what that's worth. Fancy!

Bill Webb, an amp builder and tech in Austin, replaced the original, lower-voltage transformers with some kickin' trannies that were designed by a fabricator named John Cerniak in Dallas. Bill brought everything back to 1965 specs, including the original amount of voltage from the new power transformer, etc. It's a pretty cool amp. Now if I could just carry it...

Did I mention I have one of those chrome stands that lifts the amp off the stage, a la Fab Four? Extra Fancy!!
 

Zelja

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I had a slightly older one, serial no. 2069. Heavy alright! IME, quite a different beast to an AC30, didn't have the same type of breakup.

Hope you enjoy yours!
 

jp

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Super cool! I have an AC15-TBX, but I've never played one from the Jennings era. What are the hunks of wood inside?
 

Quantum Strummer

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It’s gonna be LOUD, but glorious! Looking forward to a further report. Great get!

It's loud alright! I fired it up last night and ran my old Tele through it and out to a Hi-Tone 2x12" cab. Used a Fryette Power Station attenuator to avoid sudden onset deafness, though I did briefly bypass it to confirm the danger. 😄 The Normal channel has a lotta bass, and was intended for bass as well as guitar. The Brilliant channel has much less bass and is also a little brighter, though not really Top Boost bright. But it's still got the essential mid-rich Vox voice. Next time I'm gonna jumper the channels together, bringing up the Normal channel volume just enough to fill out the low end. Think it's gonna make a killer clean platform. It's a '65, BTW.

-Dave-
 

Quantum Strummer

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Gorg, it even looks heavy! What are you gonna use for speakers/cabinet(s)?

Right now it's hooked up to a Hi-Tone 2x12" cabinet, a replica of a Hiwatt 2x12 cab with Fane-style purpleback speakers. I'll also try it out at low volume with the (fawn!) cab from my AC15 Twin…it's got Celestion G12 Alnicos from the mid 1990s.
Did I mention I have one of those chrome stands that lifts the amp off the stage, a la Fab Four? Extra Fancy!!

I have one of those for my AC15 Twin too. It's got that look for sure. Got it from North Coast Music at the same time as the speakers.

-Dave-
 

Nuuska

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Methinks the wooden cabinet is about 50% of the total weight
 

Quantum Strummer

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Super cool! I have an AC15-TBX, but I've never played one from the Jennings era. What are the hunks of wood inside?

The wood blocks are there to help support the chassis. It's attached to a wooden base, though not the original one. The base slides in on narrow rails built into the cabinet. The original bases have ventilation holes near the corners that compromise strength. (The holes were also used to run wire between the chassis and a spring reverb Vox offered as an add-on.) Because of this they often crack in those areas…which probably happened with this amp. Anyway the chassis is so heavy that it can use the extra help.

-Dave-
 
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jp

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Ah. I figured they were there for support of some kind.

I also have a chrome North Coast Music stand that came with my AC15, and I found some of the original hooded casters on eBay that are pretty cool.
 

GAD

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Wow - that thing is enormous! My back hurts just looking at it. :)

I had no idea they ever made an AC50.
 

AcornHouse

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Wow - that thing is enormous! My back hurts just looking at it. :)

I had no idea they ever made an AC50.
They even made AC100s. The Beatles needed to be louder on stage (when they still went on stage), so I believe they were first to use the AC50s.
 

Quantum Strummer

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They even made AC100s. The Beatles needed to be louder on stage (when they still went on stage), so I believe they were first to use the AC50s.

Yup! Both the AC50 and AC100 were created to drown out screaming Fab-Four-obsessed teenage girls. ☺ The Beatles' 1964 concert in Washington, D.C. (it was filmed and is available on YouTube) is an early document of them playing through AC50s. They were using the single-channel "small box" version at the time. (Edit: Paul was using an early AC100, aka AC80-100.)

-Dave-
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Quantum Strummer

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I ran my JV Strat into the AC50 last night with the channels bridged. I think this is the ticket! (Same with Hiwatts, BTW.) Turned down both the Normal channel treble and Brilliant channel bass to 9:00, then put the other treble & bass at Noon, volumes at ~10:00. Big tone, a little heavy on the bottom. Brought the Bril volume up to ~10:45, then bumped up its treble and dropped down the Normal bass both by a small amount. Sounds killer now, clean but with some lovely compression and just a hint of breakup when I strum the guitar hard. As Mick of That Pedal Show would say, "Happy days."

-Dave-
 

Bill Ashton

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Funny how amps rated at about half what the Fenders were, were at least as loud it not more!

Which is heavier, a Vox AC30 or a Fender Twin-Reverb? :);)

Years ago I walked by an AC100 (maybe it was a small box AC50) at a guitar show, guy couldn't give it away! Ah, the shoulda-coulda-woulda...
 

gilded

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Funny how amps rated at about half what the Fenders were, were at least as loud it not more!

Which is heavier, a Vox AC30 or a Fender Twin-Reverb? :);)

Years ago I walked by an AC100 (maybe it was a small box AC50) at a guitar show, guy couldn't give it away! Ah, the shoulda-coulda-woulda...

Vox amps are class A amps (usually). Fender amps are not (usually), Somebody will be along to tell ya' the story!
 
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