Hey everyone, new poster here, but I've been creeping for a while and know that you guys can help me with my AC-related needs. I've worked my a** off to graduate college without debt, I've decided to reward myself by making an investment and upgrading to a grownup, man-amp. I've done some serious shopping and played countless amps, and decided a handwired, 15 watt, AC-styled combo is perfect for my needs. I haven't played an unmic'd gig in years, I'm looking for power tube breakup at relatively low volume levels, and looking for a full-spectrum response and definition. I play rock and even poppy stuff, but I play with a variety of groups and appreciate versatility. I'm chopping with a Parker Fly Deluxe as my main axe, but use my G&L Legacy and a guitar I built that is essentially a PRS Mira with mods.

However, I'm not concerned with chasing a Beatles-esque jangle or vintage tone from yesteryear; I want a more tonally-modern amp capable of medium amounts of gain and a nice Matchless-esque overdrive bloom. The nice overdrive bloom is key. The AC15s look and sound so damn pretty, but from what I've listened to, I'm concerned that the AC15HW1 or (1X) might have too much high end and a weak low-mid/bass response and a little less gain than I'd like on tap. Then again, all the demos I've seen with this model are blues, country, or just badly EQ'd gain monkeys, so I don't have a point of reference for this model's tonal range. Is this accurate? I'm leaning in this direction but have reservations.

1) I've had my eye on the AC15HW1X for some time now, but I haven't had the chance to play or even hear this particular model live myself (but I'm very familiar with AC's in general), and I'm wondering if you guys think it would suit my needs.

2) What alternate amps would you recommend that I look at that fit this description?

3) Would I be better off spending a bit more and picking up an AC-styled boutique amp like a Matchless Lightning or Top Hat Club Royale, and how would these compare tonally to an AC15HW1 (with either speaker)?

And before you say get a bunch of amps... I'm graduating with a degree in education. I'm not going to make s*** and will definitely not have the funds for a stable of amps for quite some time ;) I know I can always mod, but I'd rather make the right purchase the first time around. Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into those. How much gain does your HW have on tap, and how big is the volume increase when you kick the switch from cool to hot mode on the top boost circuit?

Yeah that helps a lot. I'm not after metal at all and the Radiohead-style gain is pretty close to what I'm going for; I'm just curious about the amp's range.

I also have an AC15HW1 and what sizzlingbadger's been saying is about right. However I play a Strat, so I will naturally get a 'thinner' sound than someone with 'buckers. Please don't read 'thinner' as inferior, because I get nothing but compliments every time I fire my Vox up in a live situation, it completely rips your head off for a small amp!

For extra gain I run a Radial 'Texas Bones' OD pedal (my only pedal, aside from a Vox wah I rarely use) which easily pushes it into a more modern gain sound. Not dual-rectifier sounds obviously, but plenty good enough for AC/DC, G'n'R, etc. The only problem I've found with doing this though, is that pushing the gain (on the pedal) too high takes away the natural crunch of the Vox and it sounds a little sterile, but tweak it right and you really can get some great tones. The advantage of doing it this way of course is that you get the extra gain, AND keep all the lovely, classic Vox goodness when you want it as well. It really is a fantastic amp.

I have tried a couple of humbucker-type guitars through it though, and my favourite is my friends Gibson 345. Oh man, AC15's LOVE those things! It sounds incredibly fat and creamy.

One more amp that I love the sound of (and that may suit your needs) is the Dr.Z Maz18, check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96uXxXXY1yw&feature=g-user-u

they sound VERY nice......you certainly pay for it though :)

They both use EL84's in the power section. The HW uses ECC83's in the preamp. The Heritage uses an EF86 at the input and ECC83's for the rest of the preamp. The EF86 was used by Vox in the very first AC30's but they dropped it quickly due to noise and reliability issues (so the story goes). The EF86 is a Pentode and can offer more gain than a ECC83, there are less brands to choose from these days though.

The HW is a better built built amp than the Heritage in my opinion.