Help!! Blues Jr. vs Vox ac30 hw1x

Hi guys! i know these thread is sort of repetitive. But i will expose my personal case.

I have a telecaster baja 50's, a Gibson les paul and a fender american strat with custom fat 50's

For pedals i use the line 6 helix. I use the helix live also, but i want the amp in the room thing for the house.

Ok! so i've been a Marshall user for years. My latest amp was a jvm 210c. Great amp but way to loud and way to heavy.. 76 lbs. So i went ahead and sold it

I had decided to go for a blues jr IV. Brand new. Witch only weights 31 lbs, less than half than the jvm. Has a great clean, a good overdrive and nice reverb. Went and tested the amp several times, takes the helix pedals great. And it is a decent price. I speacially like it with the tele


Then a guy offers me a ac15 hw with the alnico blue. 400$ more. I thought no way, the amp weights 48.9 lbs. A bit more than the blues jr, but still nowhere near the jvm. And 15 watss also, but sounds fuller and louder.


So i tried the amp, and DAAAAAMN the amps natural overdrive is great, the cleans are very harmonic to. Quite diferent from the blues jr, i wouldn't say better. But the od just kills the blues jr's.

Tried it with od the pedals. And it's way more picky, it's not that it sounds bad. But you definetly have to tweack the amp for each pedal you activate. Also a detail! no reverb. So i would have to take at least a reverb if i want to gig with it.

So is there any good advice you guys can offer me? Are the 400$ more for an used amp worth it, just for that od. Also more weight of course

For a reference. I'm not i profesional musician, i do gig from time to time. But mostly with the helix.

Styles i play: Hard rock, blues, some country, british pop, punk

Main influences: Oasis, foo f, guns n roses, pink floyd

800xm said:

Hi guys! i know these thread is sort of repetitive. But i will expose my personal case.

I have a telecaster baja 50's, a Gibson les paul and a fender american strat with custom fat 50's

For pedals i use the line 6 helix. I use the helix live also, but i want the amp in the room thing for the house.

Ok! so i've been a Marshall user for years. My latest amp was a jvm 210c. Great amp but way to loud and way to heavy.. 76 lbs. So i went ahead and sold it

I had decided to go for a blues jr IV. Brand new. Witch only weights 31 lbs, less than half than the jvm. Has a great clean, a good overdrive and nice reverb. Went and tested the amp several times, takes the helix pedals great. And it is a decent price. I speacially like it with the tele


Then a guy offers me a ac15 hw with the alnico blue. 400$ more. I thought no way, the amp weights 48.9 lbs. A bit more than the blues jr, but still nowhere near the jvm. And 15 watss also, but sounds fuller and louder.

So i tried the amp, and DAAAAAMN the amps natural overdrive is great, the cleans are very harmonic to. Quite diferent from the blues jr, i wouldn't say better. But the od just kills the blues jr's.

Tried it with od the pedals. And it's way more picky, it's not that it sounds bad. But you definetly have to tweack the amp for each pedal you activate. Also a detail! no reverb. So i would have to take at least a reverb if i want to gig with it.

So is there any good advice you guys can offer me? Are the 400$ more for an used amp worth it, just for that od. Also more weight of course

For a reference. I'm not i profesional musician, i do gig from time to time. But mostly with the helix.

Styles i play: Hard rock, blues, some country, british pop, punk

Main influences: Oasis, foo f, guns n roses, pink floyd

Click to expand...

Only you can judge the worth for your personal application, but consider the Vox is 2x the Fender when offered at retail pricing...

You are paying for hand wiring labor, the speaker quality, and other areas like construction (birch ply on the Vox, versus particle board on the Fender).

There are good reverb pedals out there, you have to ask if real spring reverb found in the Jr is integral to your sound, or if you can dial in what you need via the pedal route.

Weight: well, how much are you going to move this, how often and how far? Personally, 50 lbs is weighty but not a deterrent like 100 lbs, to me. It's not quite 'grab n' go' but do you really need it to be...?

I'd steer you to the Vox, but only your ears and taste can decide. :hmm

Sounds like a fun proposition to decide!

Good luck :salude

Before buying a used tube amp, get someone to measure the gm on the power tubes. Ask the seller how many hours the amp has been used, and how many on/off cycles it has gone through. The warranty period could be non-existent, and you don't even have the opportunity to buy an extended warranty. This baby is also heavy, and if you do not get the original cardboard box, then you have to think about where to get it serviced, or shipped. My AC30 non-hardwired model is still chugging along, but outside its 3 yr extended warranty. If it broke, the best choice would be to buy the hard-wired head, using my existing speakers. I could also fix it myself since I have a lot of test equipment, but this is a hassle at my age. Thus, think ahead and try to figure out a game plan for the most common eventualities.