*drools*

How are you with a soldering iron ?

Nowhere near good enough. I don't really have the time right now to put into learning and executing all that either. I would rather pay someone else to do it, which I imagine would be cheaper than buying the real thing.

hmm you're making me GAS for one of these again

http://www.ampmaker.com/store/N5X-5W-Br ... -AK01.html

What's your budget, anyhoo? Ceriatone makes Trainwreck clones, though those might be a bit more gainy than you're looking for.

Basically, you need loud and clean. Prefer limited controls. Smaller box is better. Correct? Damn, if the Reeves Custom 12 head was higher wattage (it's just 2xEL84) that would be awesome. Under eight bills new; it's basically a little Hiwatt. Alas, the Reeves stuff starts to get really expensive as the wattage goes up. Even the 18-watt head is more than twice that. A damn shame.

I haven't thought about a figure much yet, but I wouldn't mind spending a grand or a little more if I could find something that I really loved. Luckily, I have a bunch of silly shit around here that I could offload to fund it, but I feel like spending 2 grand on a Dr. Z is mega brutal.

I wouldn't think it would be impossible to get something like that for that sort of price? Which is essentially: Single channel, EL34 Vox-y/british voicing, non-MV, minimal controls, tinyass headshell. I don't know why, but I am into the idea of having something like this custom built.

It is kind of odd justifying to myself this idea of going this route, because I could realistically just play my 5150 and call it a day, ya know? But I know what I like and at this point sort of what it takes to get there, and I feel like what I have stated is what it is. I play really fucking hard and don't really want or need the preamp gain or voicing of a super saturated "metal" amp. I feel my clean tone will be much better for it and my dirty tone will be just as good if not better/more clear.

Also, I really have never been more happy with my guitar tone. My solidbody tele with the new BK Piledriver in the bridge sounds fucking killer. It does exactly what I want. It's super clear and has that round sort of quality to it on the lower strings. Shit chugs like a beast, as well. The thinline tele's new pickup is equally gnar. Very happy with both guitars.

A-ha! Not perfect, but pretty close. Also, much bigger than I originally was thinking..

http://www.ceriatone.net/british-style/ ... tt-ef86_93

After thinking about it, I think I am just gonna go for the Stray Cat once my tax return comes through.

There's a Deluxe with 2x the wattage here. They have a head version:
http://www.ceriatone.net/american-classics/5x3-big-deluxe

Different flavor than the Voxy stuff, but may still be worth investigating. Smaller form factor, but a 2x6L6 power section.

I don't know how much a used Dr. Z would run you.

Planning on running this with the Fender cab, or do you have another cabinet in mind? You could knock the cab down to a 1x12 with the right speaker, and there are plenty of options out there for speakers. Including higher-wattage Blue clones (Weber) that sound really fantastic.

I was thinking I would acquire another cab and maybe off the Fender, depending. I have a lot of stuff here, it is getting sort of silly.

That Deluxe does look cool, but I am thinking I might not agree so much with the voicing. I have a Fender Blues Jr. that I really love the sound of for cleans, but maybe lacks a little midrange bark.

The more that I think about it, the more the Stray Cat 30 makes sense. If I don't like that drive channel as much as my pedal into the clean channel then I will just use the clean channel. But really, I am sure both will sound killer so I could use both when I so wished to, really. That would give me a lot of switching options granted I got an A/B box to switch between channels. It also fulfills the size goal.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND.. Why don't I just swap out the speaker in my AC15 with one of these high efficiency Webers and see if that doesn't do the trick? How much louder do you think that would get me if I went for something like a 75 watter?

This looks quite interesting.. The "Gray Wolf" in the British series. A punchier, meaner Blue sounds like a fine idea to me.

https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/

Do it

Depends on the dB/1w rating compared to what you have in there now. You currently have a Greenback in the AC15, no? IIRC the Greenback is rated at 97 dB or thereabouts and an Alnico Blue is 100 dB- given the same amount of power, the Blue is going to be louder than the Greenback- which can be surprising, as a normal Blue handles even less power than a Greenie, but it's significantly louder- you're a guitarist, you've been on the forums (fora? I know that's the proper Latin ending, but it never sounds quite right in this context) long enough to know that's a pretty significant difference.

The Weber stuff doesn't seem to have anything listed on the site re: efficiency, only power handling. You don't need the higher wattage rating for more efficiency, just for potential use with more powerful amps. The downside, though, is later speaker breakup if that's your bag. Now, Blues break up nicely, as do Greenbacks. It's totally possible to blow a Blue in an AC30 with two of 'em, so I assume the same is true with a single one in a 15. It's just about their limit, and those amps push a bit more than their rated wattage when the power section is doin' its thang- which, of course, is the whole point unless you want cleany clean cleans. I'd go with the 30 watter just in case though, if you plan on driving the amp hard. (But that's just me- you could always give the folks at Weber a call and ask them what they'd recommend. Also, ask for efficiency specs.)

I can tell you the Alnico Blue Dogs and Silver Bells are damnfine sounding speakers, the 50 watters. The clip of the Grey Wolf sounds ballsy as a really ballsy thing.

The Stray Cat is a beast! I'm 100% sure you will like the clean, and I find the gain very versatile. I can get mine close to anything I want it to be. To get the "amp about to explode" i would use the clean channel though. Maybe the gain channel with low gain, low level turned way up? Matchless clone instead?

Speaker swaps are always cheaper though... And an AC30, while it wouldn't be cheaper would be easier to flip if you don't like it.

I had practice today with Landon, and I've concluded I really just need a new amp. I am loud enough to jam comfortably and whatnot, but we are trying to be a loud ass band and when I try to crank it up, it really shits the bed when I try to hit it with heavy distortion and play hard. I can tell the poweramp is just not having it, it sounds pretty awful. When I jam it quieter, the bass is fuller and it's clear. Cranked it's just a goddamn splatty mess. And ya know, even then it's still not nearly loud enough. Being audible is one thing, but I am trying to be mildly oppressive.

I was hoping I was overthinking it, but I really do need to get something with more power. And I am thinking, I will probably get rid of this guy to fund a new amp. I mean, it would be sort of a redundancy.

And good to know you really love the thing, Tony. As for the real AC30 bit, you're probably right but I don't think I would sell it. I am sort of married to the sound of that particular distortion character, and I really want a head and not an AC30 combo.

AC30 heads exist. They're snazzy looking, as are Vox cabs. Vox 4x12s are exceptionally snazzy looking. And yes, they're proper turn-that-fucker-down loud, being for all practical porpoises a 50-watter.

A 2xEL34 power section may be more to your liking though WRT splattiness. You can still get power tube breakup at band volumes if you're a loudass band. I managed with a JCM 2000 and Mesa Stiletto set to half power playing teh metals. My old JMP was a bit much as it was preposterously loud. Maybe I just needed a louder drummer?

Marshall Superlead.

Or, JCM800 2203/2204.

Personally, i would avoid EF86s in a live amp. I would also avoid EL84s, but if you have the money to replace them every few months, and really like them that much, go for it. EF86s are harder/more expensive to find in a non-microphonic form, and even more fragile.

The badcat is, imo a nice choice, EL34s in the power section are solid. You can get pretty loud with a pair of them.

If you really want to be loud as a very loud thing though, look into 50w or even 100w marshalls, especially the JCM800s. They have some similarities in behavior actually, to Vox circuits, the way they borderline break up. Vox/Matchless/Badcat circuits are going to get messier faster though. The explodiness of the PI section on vox-likes, accentuates that clean-to-notclean transition aslo. But the olde standard JCM can very much do some of that shit. Back before the voxes were quite as ubiquitous as they are now, most of the older bands you like probably made their noises with them. They can totally make the noise. Small, they are not. Relatively cheap though, they can be. And reliable.

If you didn't live on the wrong godamned end of this country, i would build you something. But the things i like to do to these circuits, like everything else i do/build/record, i don't know if anyone else would actually like it. The more time i spend with the last amp i built, the weirder i feel it is, frequency-wise. That would be an expensive disappointment for you.

OH, and one thing to note with Ceriatone.

I blew up two of their output transformers before i switched to a IIRC heyboer that i got from Allen amps. Not a problem since.

When i switched, the amp got a LOT louder and clearer.

I am still using the Ceriatone power transformer. But, i suspect that the amp would work better still, with a 'nicer' one.

This is worth noting in vox-like amps, because normally, their transformers are well oversized for what is needed. This is IMO why they can be "30 watts" and seem loud as christ, really.

It may very well be, that Ceriatone has adjusted their tranny specifications to reflect this for these style transformers, but, there is also a reason that they offer a kit that is complete, minus transformers. And the reason is more than saving on shipping weight from Malaysia. Proper transformers can be pretty pricy. A couple/few options exist. Like the OE West Labs/Matchless ones at like $400 for the 30w set. Or like Heyboer at maybe half that. A Heyboer "Trainwreck" set (the ones for a Liverpool or Rocket for EL84s, the ones for an Express for EL34s) for would work pretty awesome too, spec-wise, though the format would be different(vox-likes generally use a PT that lays flat versus the Wrecks which stand up tall-wise).

Alllllso, head options exist for vox and vox-like amps. As snaxo says, there is a proper ac30 head.

Also, makers like Valvtech, Morgan, and probably a bunch more now, do ACs of various flavors in head form.