Fender or Vox ?

[JTurbide]

I know... not another vox or fender thread ? yup!

I have a limited edition (Fudge brownie with P12Q) Fender DRRI and I'm thinking of trading it for a Vox AC15 with Alnico Blue speaker.
I'm only looking for C1X or TBX, I think I could get some money in compensation for my DRRI. As much as I love my DRRI it's a little overkill since I mostly play in my appartment. No gigs and rarely in a studio. So I can barely put the volume at 2 Yeah I know... get a princeton or AC4 ! ..nah.. haha
I know it's a matter of taste but I never had the chance to play a Vox amp. I play mostly Brian Jonestown Massacre, Black Market Karma, The Spyrals, VU, Feelies..etc kind of stuff.
So yeah what do you guys think? Keep the fender or get a Vox with potentially some money?

[hotknife]

Vox! It will still be loud, even at 15watts. I much prefer their character these days to the typical Fender sound. Plus, I also like how they take pedals in comparison.

[repoman]

I had one of the burgundy DRRIs before the AC15C1 I have now as my main amp. They are both quite loud, the AC15 might even be a bit louder than the DRRI.
How I would compare- DRRI rounder, larger sound, more even EQ. AC15, more scooped, more punchy. Obviously a lot more gain from the AC15 with master. Both have great tremolo. DRRI reverb far better than the reverb in the AC15. AC15 takes pedals better, my DRRIs have always been very picky with things like delays and modulation.
They both sound good at low volume, but the DRRI sounds like iconic DRRI sounds at low volumes, the AC15 really only starts doing its iconic thing of chimey, high compressed sparkly highs when cranking. DRRI saggier, AC15 more stiff and brittle.
I really like both, I think I like the AC15 more...but reliability with these Vox are pretty shit. Mine is less than a year old and its started having some issues. Weird buzzes that come and go, volume pot is already scratchy as hell, other strange noises.

I liked playing the DRRI straight up with no effects a lot more than the AC15, like the AC15 more when using effects.

[waltdogg]

15 watts is still a lot for yer apartment. maybe look at the ac10.

[JTurbide]

15 watts is still a lot for yer apartment. maybe look at the ac10.

I've already thought about it but it has no tremolo and I want my amp to have one. (and no, I don't want to buy a tremolo pedal )

[waltdogg]

fair enough

[Casavettes]

I had an AC30 and thought it sounded like butt with fuzz

[popvulture]

I love Deluxes but I'd say the AC15 would win in terms of versatility.

If you ever see one of the 2x10 models that I believe came out in the late 90s... buy one. They sound fucking fantastic.

[JTurbide]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your comments. I'm still thinking about if it's a good idea since I love my Deluxe Reverb but curious about Voxes.
Also, I mostly love to play with a clean sound but sometimes like to add some dirt (not much of a classic rock player, much more of a neopsychedelic/folk rock guy.
Any opinions on Fender vs Vox clean sound, and wich one takes pedals better? Thanks

[Ev_O)))]

Man I live for that vox grind. The breakup out of a vox is otherworldly.

[popvulture]

I feel like Fender clean sound is pretty hard to beat, especially considering the reverb. I've been chasing the dragon for so long with reverb pedals because I can't find anything (spring-wise) that sounds as great as my Twin (finally settled on Space, which comes close).

Twins and Deluxes can have a little bit of a hard time with pedals—dirt/fuzz can sound a little glassy and harsh. You'll run into this problem less with the Deluxe because of the lower headroom. It really depends on the pedal, though. I've found that putting another gain pedal in front of your dirt with just a little bit of hair on it will help cut this harshness. I've used an EQD Speaker Cranker to good effect.

The sound of a driven Vox amp is pretty fantastic though. Both?

[JTurbide]

I feel like Fender clean sound is pretty hard to beat, especially considering the reverb. I've been chasing the dragon for so long with reverb pedals because I can't find anything (spring-wise) that sounds as great as my Twin (finally settled on Space, which comes close).

Twins and Deluxes can have a little bit of a hard time with pedals—dirt/fuzz can sound a little glassy and harsh. You'll run into this problem less with the Deluxe because of the lower headroom. It really depends on the pedal, though. I've found that putting another gain pedal in front of your dirt with just a little bit of hair on it will help cut this harshness. I've used an EQD Speaker Cranker to good effect.

The sound of a driven Vox amp is pretty fantastic though. Both?

Haha both would be great but there's no way.. I'm studying full time, pretty much broke, girlfriend would probably dump me cause I'm an idiot hahaha.
For dirt I have a RAT, a EQD Bows(rangemaster-like treble boost) and a RM-1N(also use for reverb).

[frigid midget]

I had an AC30 and thought it sounded like butt with fuzz

Dis.

Threw all the dirt at it I could get a hold of at my AC30, I SO wanted to like that damn amp. It looked rad, and so many awesome bands use it...So I stuck to my guns, and got an AC15C2 instead, also to solve the volume/power overkill issue. Still too loud, but what's worse: Still sounded god aweful with fuzz

[JTurbide]

I had an AC30 and thought it sounded like butt with fuzz

Dis.

Threw all the dirt at it I could get a hold of at my AC30, I SO wanted to like that damn amp. It looked rad, and so many awesome bands use it...So I stuck to my guns, and got an AC15C2 instead, also to solve the volume/power overkill issue. Still too loud, but what's worse: Still sounded god aweful with fuzz

anybody else agree or disagree ?

[frigid midget]

I had an AC30 and thought it sounded like butt with fuzz

Dis.

Threw all the dirt at it I could get a hold of at my AC30, I SO wanted to like that damn amp. It looked rad, and so many awesome bands use it...So I stuck to my guns, and got an AC15C2 instead, also to solve the volume/power overkill issue. Still too loud, but what's worse: Still sounded god aweful with fuzz

anybody else agree or disagree ?

Fwiw...

I've been complaining about the inability of vox amps to sound good with fuzz since I've been a member here...And roughly half of the guys who post their opinion on the subject firmly disagree with me...So yeah, I guess the best way to be sure is to try it yourself

But even though it's obviously a matter of taste, and the particular style of music/fuzz you're into...I kinda doubt most people who disagree with me have tried their fuzz peds with a vintage Marshall Superbass, a Plexi, Orange OR120, vintage twin reverb, fender tonemaster, several vintage fender combos...Not to be a whise-ass douche who boasts with his amp experience, but I've just always been more of an amp hoarder than a pedal hoarder, untill a couple years ago. I know it's probably not fair to compair a vintage 120watt Orange head to a chinese build AC30, but good fuzz-compatible amps don't *have* to cost more than $500 imo

Kinda rambling here, so...In short: Fender