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Fender DRRI vs Vox AC30C2

Axelorox

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I'm getting back into electric guitar after a few years off and would really appreciate help with amp selection. My previous amp is still at my parents' place half the country away, so I need a new one. I'm playing a Gibson R7 (all stock except Grover locking tuners).


I spent two hours trying out amps at a store today, and settled on the two I like best. But now I'm stuck in deciding between them.


Price is around the same. It was a small shop so I only tested out the amps at low volume (no more than 2 on the Fender, around a quarter of the way up the master for the Vox).



1. Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue


Pros:
- Absolutely gorgeous, crsip, rich clean sounds. It has a special 'chime' to it that really sings and warms the heart.


Cons:
- The upper strings can get trebly or a bit harsh sounding if I'm not very careful about the knob settings on my guitar. This is even when the treble on the amp is very low (around 2-3).
- No master volume, relatively simple EQ board



2. Vox AC30C2

Pros:
- More advanced EQ board, including master volume. Can get some overdrive without blowing my ears out.
- Clean sounds are also very crisp and clear. It doesn't have the issue with upper strings potentially sounding harsh or trebly.


Cons:
- Doesn't have the special Fender 'chime'

_________________________________________________________________________


As for my needs from an amp:


- What I play: Anything from jazz to blues to classic rock. This song is about as distorted as a sound I would normally play. My biggest musical influences are Paul McCartney and The Beatles in general, though I am also a big fan of Hendrix and Gilmour.


Currently I'm into electric guitar as a backing for vocals as a songwriter. Stuff that could technically be played on an acoustic but benefits from the extra tonality and sustain of an electric guitar. Hence my emphasis on good clean sounds.


- Performance needs: Practicing at home for now. I do want to get back into performing, but at present the likely venues would be small/medium outdoor spaces. I may play medium/larger venues in the future but it's not on the radar for now.


- Additional pedals: I'm open to using them but am not a gear head by any means, and prefer to keep things minimalist.


- Considering a smaller amp: Technically I could probably buy a practice or other small amp and be fine in terms of volume for what I need, but I hate wasting money on stuff I ultimately don't really want and won't be content with down the line. Plus the smaller amps I tried (like the Fender Super Champ) just don't have the oomph or fullness of sound that I want.
_________________________________________________________________________


Any input is much appreciated. Thanks!







 

Ken Fortunato

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Welcome to the forum... :salude

I kind of went through this thought process of "minimum required gear" over the last few years. Meaning, the "grab and go", "guitar in one hand, amp in the other" scenario. I originally set out to buy a Vox AC-30, but ended up buying an AC-15. For me, it does it all. I've gotten to a point where plugging the guitar directly into the amp is all I need, and what I want. It's got enough juice for small venues, and for larger venues, I can simply toss a Shure SM57 in front of it and I'm good to go...

Ultimately, you have to buy what your ears tell you to... It sounds like you're leaning toward the AC-30, and you certainly can't go wrong with that, BUT... Do you really want to carry that extra 22lbs??? On top of which, you'd also save roughly $600.00, if you could live with the AC-15... I'm just sayin'... :peace2


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fakejake

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Depending on the music and the venues you want to play eventually, both amps might not have enough headroom to give you nice clean sounds.
Since you can mic up in many situations anyway, I would consider a Princeton Reverb RI for you purposes (as you mentioned maybe looking into smaller amps as well). In my experience they are a usually darker sounding than DRRI, smaller, lighter, and better for home practicing. They are really warm and full sounding, and will most certainly not be a waste of money. Every guitar player should own a Princeton imo, aruably the most beautiful clean sound and reverb out there :jim
 

Dimitri92

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I have a DRRI, love it! I find it interesting to see people running their settings so low. I play it with my 58ri, treble way up(8/9), bass a tad lower(6/7). On high volumes (read band setting + attenuator + fully cranked) just lower the bass(5) a bit. My situation changed quite a bit and I have the drri at home now. Clipping the brightcap helped a lot for me. Since I can't ran as high volume. *on higher volumers the brightcap effect isnt noticable anymore. Must say, they really sound their best LOUD, the ac30 won't be different I assume.

Btw, a DRRI gave me quite the headroom. An ac30 has even more. So I would disagree with fakejake on the possible headroom problems.
 

P.Walker

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DRRI no contest, any day, especially with Vox reissues not really sounding like their vintage counterparts.

Don't fear the strident extra treble- it's what makes it sound good and you will become a better player because of it.

Then when you do, do the celestion external cab or whatever- but keep the jensens.

I use a PRRI/marshall 2061x at home. All very strident and trebly amps.

Trust me on this.
 

E.M.

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DRRI hands down. Or you could just buy a Tone King Imperial II. The ultimate grab and go amp.
 

Axelorox

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Don't fear the strident extra treble- it's what makes it sound good and you will become a better player because of it.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this quoted portion?


Honestly the treble is the main thing holding me back from the DRRI. Lesser EQ control is a gripe too, but I guess there are other ways around that.



KennyF - thanks for the welcome! You raise a good point about grab and go, and the extra weight of the AC30. I'll have to go back and try out the AC15. What kind of venues have you been able to use it in without an extra mic?

Dimitri92 - what does clipping the brightcap do?

fakejake - I did try a Princeton but wasn't impressed with it. Something about the lower ends sounded 'off'. Not sure if it was just a bum unit (they only had one at the store).
 

Wilko

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DRRI is a much more versatile amp. Once the you learn the Fender EQ, it really does work as a three-way eq. I play small fenders mainly and I very rarely set treble past 5.

IMNSHO, the EL 84 just can't give you full punchy bottom like a DR with the 6v6. The Vox really shnies cranked a bit and the mids are the strong suit. The DRRI is way better a warm clean almost scoooped mid thing with that lovely Fender clean.

If you are liking the Vox thing, AC 15 is the way to go for the type of uses you're talking about. Bright cap needs to go, and if you didn't get those amps turned up a bit, you didn't hear them. DRRI sounds great 3-4. If you want any dirt, you'll need a pedal. The master volume dirt from the vox is ok if even a bit "fizzy"

There's a reason that the DR is more commonly referred to as THE desert island amp.
 
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Ken Fortunato

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KennyF - thanks for the welcome! You raise a good point about grab and go, and the extra weight of the AC30. I'll have to go back and try out the AC15. What kind of venues have you been able to use it in without an extra mic?

Well... Bearing in mind, that I generally play with a quartet of bass, drums, keys and guitar. We don't play at ear deafening levels. Having said that... The AC15, or the PRRI for that matter, will certainly be able to handle any tavern gig. A larger venue, like a resort/casino hall, would require a mic.

I'm a big fan of low wattage amps. Actually, the only two amps I own these days, are the AC15 in the post above, and the Reinhardt 18 below...

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Axelorox

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DRRI is a much more versatile amp. Once the you learn the Fender EQ, it really does work as a three-way eq. I play small fenders mainly and I very rarely set treble past 5.
.

Do you have links to any more information on best using the Fender EQ? The control knob options on various Fender reverb amps like the DR have long seemed pretty minimalist to me, compared to most other brands.
 

Wilko

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for many of the best players, simple is almost always better. IIRC, the manual that comes with the amp explains how in conjuntion with the volume control you have in efffect a three way.

more volume, less bass, less treble = more mids, etc.

Here's a good link with real advice: https://sonicscoop.com/2018/04/18/real-producers-engineers-know-use-amp-eq/


BTW, I was answering for the two amps you listed. For what you listed a Princeton Reverb is probably best. Most of my gigs I use an early 70s Princeton Reverb with a 12" speaker added in place of the stock 10.
 

Black58

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Getting back to the original post, you mention Hendrix, Gilmour, The Beatles and Paul McCartney (with a clip of The Wings' guitarist). .. Not for nothing, but I would go with the Vox. Reason being, that a very large chunk of those artists' most popular stuff is run through the EL34/84 family of amps. The DRRI is a fine amp, and I'm certain that those artists have used them or something like them (usually in the studio), but it doesn't fit the profile you stated; Not without having to fuck with it. :ganz
 

Dimitri92

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I'm not quite sure what you mean by this quoted portion?


Honestly the treble is the main thing holding me back from the DRRI. Lesser EQ control is a gripe too, but I guess there are other ways around that.



KennyF - thanks for the welcome! You raise a good point about grab and go, and the extra weight of the AC30. I'll have to go back and try out the AC15. What kind of venues have you been able to use it in without an extra mic?

Dimitri92 - what does clipping the brightcap do?

fakejake - I did try a Princeton but wasn't impressed with it. Something about the lower ends sounded 'off'. Not sure if it was just a bum unit (they only had one at the store).

Where for example the Twin and Super Reverb have brightswitches, de Deluxe does not. The bright cap acts as a bright switch with fixed value. If you run the Deluxe on higher volumes its not really perceivable annymore. But on lower volumes it gives you a clear boost in trebles. I found out that on lower volumes I don't like it. Also I hear a lot of people clipping them to make it more pedal friendly(specially for drive pedals)
 

Triburst

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This is easy.

Find a good used Silverface Deluxe Reverb, or if you just HAVE to have a master volume, a Twin Reverb. You'll save money, have a "boutique" quality point-to-point wired amp, and THEY SOUND GREAT. In my opinion, these are the best bang for the buck currently available in amps.

Done.
 

fakejake

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This is easy.

Find a good used Silverface Deluxe Reverb, or if you just HAVE to have a master volume, a Twin Reverb. You'll save money, have a "boutique" quality point-to-point wired amp, and THEY SOUND GREAT. In my opinion, these are the best bang for the buck currently available in amps.

Done.


IMO, I'd stay away from Twin Reverbs for your purposes. They are not great for home practice, because even if play clean or get your OD from predals, you'll need a bit of volume on any amp to get a nice sound. With 2 12 inch speakers that would definitely be too loud for where I live. Also, they are really bright sounding in my experience. Not to mention they are ridiculously heavy.
I played a Twin in my rehearsal studio for quite a while, before switching to a non-reverb Princeton. The Princeton sounds so much better there was no comparison. Everyone in my band was glad I ditched the Twin Reverb....
 

Axelorox

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Thanks for all the great information. I definitely learned a lot about how Fender amps work.

Getting back to the original post, you mention Hendrix, Gilmour, The Beatles and Paul McCartney (with a clip of The Wings' guitarist). .. Not for nothing, but I would go with the Vox. Reason being, that a very large chunk of those artists' most popular stuff is run through the EL34/84 family of amps. The DRRI is a fine amp, and I'm certain that those artists have used them or something like them (usually in the studio), but it doesn't fit the profile you stated; Not without having to fuck with it. :ganz

Yeah, as I think about it more this is the direction I'm leaning. Even today Paul still uses AC30s on stage for guitar. The DRRI and Fender amps are really nice, but probably not versatile enough to have as my only amp (especially if no master volume).
 

Wilko

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Thanks for all the great information. I definitely learned a lot about how Fender amps work.



Yeah, as I think about it more this is the direction I'm leaning. Even today Paul still uses AC30s on stage for guitar. The DRRI and Fender amps are really nice, but probably not versatile enough to have as my only amp (especially if no master volume).

The AC-15 is a great option. Smaller, very similar sound. Master Volume, etc.
 

Andrew

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I own both these amps a DRRI and an AC30CC2X.

The DRRI gets more action because of the weight. I only use the AC30 for bigger gigs.
Tone wise the DRRI is more focused in the mids.
The AC30 is more of an open "blank slate" kind of tone

*disclaimer: I use a celestion v30 in the DRRI*

You will probably end up owning one of each in your lifetime. Both great amps just a matter of taste and transportation.

*Edit - I whipped up a video today demoing some Hendrix stuff through the vox. It definitely covers clean marshall plexi territory. To my ears, EL84 has a broader spectrum when it comes to the frequency range
 
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