I don't think it's worth the money changing to MM transformers. THey're just price gouging you on those. You wouldn't be able to hear any difference at all. As for doing circtuit mods? like what you can change the voice a bit but so what, there is nothing to say that makes it sound better. This little amp is just so good right out of the box. It's not like a series one Epiphone Valve Junior. Yes changing transformers makes a difference because the original are small. On the Vox NT they're fine.
You are so right! The cheap VOX transformers they use are amazing!!!!.....until they catch on fire....we have had several on the bench that burned downed in the last year alone!!!... yet another person on You Tube spouting off about something they don't know jack crap about...
@melindagreenjeans After months of obsessive research, I decided I might start modding and building amps myself. When I learned what it took to salvage and rewind transformers, I recognized why MM's, or any exceptional, transformers are so expensive. Its the basis of the signal. I agree that spending $400 to upgrade a $200 amp is silly. I'm going to leave my AC4TV stock and buy a used Fargen off ebay :)
I'm not convinced by this, it sounds just like mine.. except for the harmonic sustain you get at 2:06 for example. But, I'm playing this amp at gigs, band rehearsals etc, it's a workhorse for me. Personally, I don't spend any of my time letting chords ring out and listening to the harmonic overtones the amp produces because I'm too busy playing songs. If I had the cash to spare, would I buy this 'mod'? Probably not. What I would do, is buy an amp that I was happy with in the first place!
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
@gustavosimm dont you mean an "Alnico Pickup " Les Paul . p90 is right to. THe ALnico pickup is tight bro. It rocks. SHi. Iwish my 72 or 79 had alnicos. I got WCR Darkbursts and PAF stock in my 79 which are great but. Try out a alnico vintage les paul and youll undertand what those pickups can do. By the wawya. I play vintage Marshalls man. THis is the first amp that has caught my eye in a long time. It has a tight mid range. Add a clean boost and i think it would be really good.
I was like wow this doesn't sound anything like my Fargen Hot Modded Night train. then i saw he is using Lollar pickups. I'm using an Epiphone les paul stock.
I tried reissue Gold Lions and they sounded abosolutely killler but they didnt last as they arent using the same materials/ metals as in the olden days. The Mullards and JJs sounds pretty good in these amps and hold up pretty good. Experimenting with different preamp tubes is also good in search of the right sounds. If you send me an email addy the I will send you a couple of sound files or songs with the night train. For recording the amp sounds killer for hard rock stuff.
Not sure why anyone would mod this amp as it sounds killer on its own the way it was designed right out of the box...The only thing I did was put some better more musical tubes in mine. I own everything from Plexis to Metal Faced Marshalls and even a couple Fargens and this is my number one amp for recording and mine is bone stock....just like the old saying the saying, "if it works dont fix it!"
@gtrmike So what did you put in place of the stock tubes, and what was the difference tonally? I tried one out when I decided that certain songs just plain require an EL-84 amp, and after saving some cash I played this, the AC15, the blackheart handsome devil, and finally the peavey classic 30 (which is what I bought). I gutted the C30 combo and made the chassis a table-top head and built it a 16-ohm 2x12 with a T-75 and an emi wizard. The NT sounded harsh but so did the C-30 with stock tubes.
@gtrmike hey mate.....i have a night train......what tubes did you put in it then.....it may be worth a punt as i cant see the point of the fargens upgrades
It sounds good but having a direct comparison would have been nice. A switchable sag circuit option(cost peanuts) would have made this amp more complete too.
All non-single ended Vox amps sag when pushed and that was a big part of the Vox sound.
Any amp with more power tubes than output transformers is not true class A. They call anything class A if it's cathode biased these days, but in truth a class A power structure is the same as a single ended amp. It gets all of it's power from a single output tube, so the tube is always running hot, giving that SE pentode overdrive that can't be matched by any push/pull (class A/B) amp. That said, it is still a matter of sound, so let your ears be the judge.
@punkeratheart Not true. SE amps can have multiple power tubes in parallel w/ a single output tranny, and PP amps can be configured to run in pure class a. Both these arrangements are uncommon, and most "Class A" push/pull amps are biased to run class A clean and A/B saturated (very simplified explanation). That's a good thing cuz many folks like class a harmonics clean but think they sound fizzy when overdriven. Also, cathode vs. fixed bias has nothing to do w/ operating class.
@bernzeppi "It's class A in triode mode (7.5W), class B in pentode mode (15W)" -- nothing personal but that's rediculous. It's always class AB just in case anyone gets mislead by your post.
Thanks for the video. But I have to approximate (in my mind) what the amp would sound like through a Shure SM type. I can hear the lovely swirl and chime but the vidcam's mic is over loaded.
Ben is fast becoming the best amp maker out there, take advantage of these mod offers while they are there ... someday he won't be doing custom work anymore. Great tones ...
That thing sounds great compared to stock, if you guys can't tell the difference I don't know what to tell you.
giffy5775 2 weeks ago
You are charging 400 dollars to upgrade a voxac4. An amp I got for 50 bucks at a pawnshop. Get real man.
okamasphere 1 month ago
I don't think it's worth the money changing to MM transformers. THey're just price gouging you on those. You wouldn't be able to hear any difference at all. As for doing circtuit mods? like what you can change the voice a bit but so what, there is nothing to say that makes it sound better. This little amp is just so good right out of the box. It's not like a series one Epiphone Valve Junior. Yes changing transformers makes a difference because the original are small. On the Vox NT they're fine.
melindagreenjeans 3 months ago
@melindagreenjeans
You are so right! The cheap VOX transformers they use are amazing!!!!.....until they catch on fire....we have had several on the bench that burned downed in the last year alone!!!... yet another person on You Tube spouting off about something they don't know jack crap about...
bluesbreaker1 3 months ago 2
@melindagreenjeans After months of obsessive research, I decided I might start modding and building amps myself. When I learned what it took to salvage and rewind transformers, I recognized why MM's, or any exceptional, transformers are so expensive. Its the basis of the signal. I agree that spending $400 to upgrade a $200 amp is silly. I'm going to leave my AC4TV stock and buy a used Fargen off ebay :)
levous2 1 month ago
the sound demo is almost irrelevent since the audio signal is clipping on your mic.
ComedicToast 4 months ago
@ComedicToast
Almost.....
bluesbreaker1 4 months ago
I'm not convinced by this, it sounds just like mine.. except for the harmonic sustain you get at 2:06 for example. But, I'm playing this amp at gigs, band rehearsals etc, it's a workhorse for me. Personally, I don't spend any of my time letting chords ring out and listening to the harmonic overtones the amp produces because I'm too busy playing songs. If I had the cash to spare, would I buy this 'mod'? Probably not. What I would do, is buy an amp that I was happy with in the first place!
Dannyboyee82 4 months ago
What guitar? That would be nice too.
otghgad 4 months ago
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
daneswede2 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
daneswede2 5 months ago
Vox had to set a limit on resitor cost. trannie cost and the sort and still come up with a great sounding amp for a price that most can afford. I get the mod thing and yeah. It sounds great. BUt you guys who are modding it . Do you really think it sounds like a VOX anymore .? I mean. VOX has a super larticular sound ya know. Even they cant get all the components they used to get back in the 60s. But moreto ya,. Sounds good. Just to me . Its all good though.
daneswede2 5 months ago
"pretty cool volume at low tones" hahaha
WorldsJungleGym 6 months ago
is it a P90 les paul?
gustavosimm 8 months ago
@gustavosimm dont you mean an "Alnico Pickup " Les Paul . p90 is right to. THe ALnico pickup is tight bro. It rocks. SHi. Iwish my 72 or 79 had alnicos. I got WCR Darkbursts and PAF stock in my 79 which are great but. Try out a alnico vintage les paul and youll undertand what those pickups can do. By the wawya. I play vintage Marshalls man. THis is the first amp that has caught my eye in a long time. It has a tight mid range. Add a clean boost and i think it would be really good.
daneswede2 5 months ago
I was like wow this doesn't sound anything like my Fargen Hot Modded Night train. then i saw he is using Lollar pickups. I'm using an Epiphone les paul stock.
WorldsJungleGym 9 months ago
I tried reissue Gold Lions and they sounded abosolutely killler but they didnt last as they arent using the same materials/ metals as in the olden days. The Mullards and JJs sounds pretty good in these amps and hold up pretty good. Experimenting with different preamp tubes is also good in search of the right sounds. If you send me an email addy the I will send you a couple of sound files or songs with the night train. For recording the amp sounds killer for hard rock stuff.
gtrmike 1 year ago
Not sure why anyone would mod this amp as it sounds killer on its own the way it was designed right out of the box...The only thing I did was put some better more musical tubes in mine. I own everything from Plexis to Metal Faced Marshalls and even a couple Fargens and this is my number one amp for recording and mine is bone stock....just like the old saying the saying, "if it works dont fix it!"
gtrmike 1 year ago
@gtrmike So what did you put in place of the stock tubes, and what was the difference tonally? I tried one out when I decided that certain songs just plain require an EL-84 amp, and after saving some cash I played this, the AC15, the blackheart handsome devil, and finally the peavey classic 30 (which is what I bought). I gutted the C30 combo and made the chassis a table-top head and built it a 16-ohm 2x12 with a T-75 and an emi wizard. The NT sounded harsh but so did the C-30 with stock tubes.
punkeratheart 1 year ago
@gtrmike hey mate.....i have a night train......what tubes did you put in it then.....it may be worth a punt as i cant see the point of the fargens upgrades
stud1664 8 months ago
It sounds good but having a direct comparison would have been nice. A switchable sag circuit option(cost peanuts) would have made this amp more complete too.
All non-single ended Vox amps sag when pushed and that was a big part of the Vox sound.
bootlegapples 1 year ago
this guy talking sounds like napolean dynomite.
coolguy4sho 1 year ago 10
@coolguy4sho
I am fricken napolean dynomite you bodaggitt!
fargenamps 3 months ago
Sounds nice, but so does the original NT. A "comparison" between the two would have been useful.
g37dude 1 year ago
So what's the difference here with the stock model? i mean besides the parts...
Sergioterol 1 year ago
Which cab/speaker configuration is used?
DavidColledani 1 year ago
It's actually Class A/B 1
tazzboy77 1 year ago
Still no comparison between the stock and modded amp. Mercury also promised a comparison between the ac4tv and stock, is that online yet???
dalraida 1 year ago
hey, so is this CLASS A amp or not?
in the vox forum people have different opinions. a vox guy said it is class a, but still some guy in the forum said it is class AB1, but not class A.
so what is the deal. in 99% this amp gets ADVERTISED (at least in europe) as class a
BlackBalloonGraz 2 years ago
Any amp with more power tubes than output transformers is not true class A. They call anything class A if it's cathode biased these days, but in truth a class A power structure is the same as a single ended amp. It gets all of it's power from a single output tube, so the tube is always running hot, giving that SE pentode overdrive that can't be matched by any push/pull (class A/B) amp. That said, it is still a matter of sound, so let your ears be the judge.
punkeratheart 1 year ago
@punkeratheart Not true. SE amps can have multiple power tubes in parallel w/ a single output tranny, and PP amps can be configured to run in pure class a. Both these arrangements are uncommon, and most "Class A" push/pull amps are biased to run class A clean and A/B saturated (very simplified explanation). That's a good thing cuz many folks like class a harmonics clean but think they sound fizzy when overdriven. Also, cathode vs. fixed bias has nothing to do w/ operating class.
quicklynamed 1 year ago
@BlackBalloonGraz It's class A in triode mode (7.5W), class B in pentode mode (15W)
bernzeppi 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@bernzeppi "It's class A in triode mode (7.5W), class B in pentode mode (15W)" -- nothing personal but that's rediculous. It's always class AB just in case anyone gets mislead by your post.
melindagreenjeans 3 months ago
Nice demo. It would be helpful to compare the modded amp next to an unmodded one, with all settings the same on both amps.
BurkeMtn 2 years ago 10
Thanks for the video. But I have to approximate (in my mind) what the amp would sound like through a Shure SM type. I can hear the lovely swirl and chime but the vidcam's mic is over loaded.
alphatexture 2 years ago
what tubes and speakers are used?
andrewlikesguitar 2 years ago
Comment removed
GeekG 2 years ago
what cabinet was this recorded with?
freddycannonII 2 years ago
sounds great
diminishedlogic 2 years ago
Ben is fast becoming the best amp maker out there, take advantage of these mod offers while they are there ... someday he won't be doing custom work anymore. Great tones ...
donnareedfan 2 years ago
I there.... is it possible to give a VNT a send and effects loop?
MarsNo73 2 years ago
can this guy make a footswitch for this?
777jordan 2 years ago
what model number is the OT transformer to upgrade?
purenectar 2 years ago
What are talking about, moneywise, for these mods?
guitargeezer 2 years ago
you can call or email Ben Fargen for the pricing. I'm planning to get a modded NT myself.
punkcichlid 2 years ago
Yeah, Ben had responded after I had posed my question. Very quickly, in fact.
guitargeezer 2 years ago
On eBay it's $349.
tazzboy77 2 years ago
That's what Ben told me, as well.
guitargeezer 2 years ago
They're $999 for a modded amp on Ebay.
darkknight91 2 years ago