1961 RCA 12" Speaker Cabinet & Vox AC4TV Tube Amp
Update 2018: Since initially posting about this, I've modified the amp and cab a little bit more, so I've added new photos, a video featuring the amp with a Gibson ES-125 jacked into it, and updated the description.
This little amp is just about perfect for a low-volume and recording players in many ways. It has that classic Vox voice with plenty of chime and cut, though because it has a power attenuator built-in you can drop the volume for recording and still get it to break-up beautifully. I mean, really, that's its strong suit -- delicious break-up at non-ear-shredding volume.
I've made-it-up from the guts of a 2010s Vox AC4TV and a 1961 RCA plywood "projector speaker" cabinet. Originally it had a '61 Jensen 10" ceramic speaker, but I've replaced that with a slightly-earlier, Alnico-magnet, 12" Rola speaker that adds a creamy openness to the sound, if slightly less power turned-up. Of course, it's a 16-ohm speaker to match the amp's output.
The back panel still has a speaker-out jack and detachable-cord power outlet. Inside I've swapped tubes to an early '60s Telefunken 12AT7 in the preamp position (it gives a little sweeter tone and lets you get more useful clean volume before break-up vs. the normal 12AX7) and a JJ power tube. There's a spare set of Chinese-made (perfectly useful) tubes taped in the cab for mid-gig emergencies.
Plenty of venting there!
The handles are interesting -- there's the main one on top and then two others... one on the front panel and one on the rear.
Note that the old rubber gasket that was installed at the edge of the metal grill is missing. It was cracked-up and rattling so I removed it and used a bunch of tiny screws to keep the grill on instead. It works a lot better -- and no rattles.
The latches for internal access work great and don't rattle, either.
This little amp is just about perfect for a low-volume and recording players in many ways. It has that classic Vox voice with plenty of chime and cut, though because it has a power attenuator built-in you can drop the volume for recording and still get it to break-up beautifully. I mean, really, that's its strong suit -- delicious break-up at non-ear-shredding volume.
I've made-it-up from the guts of a 2010s Vox AC4TV and a 1961 RCA plywood "projector speaker" cabinet. Originally it had a '61 Jensen 10" ceramic speaker, but I've replaced that with a slightly-earlier, Alnico-magnet, 12" Rola speaker that adds a creamy openness to the sound, if slightly less power turned-up. Of course, it's a 16-ohm speaker to match the amp's output.
The back panel still has a speaker-out jack and detachable-cord power outlet. Inside I've swapped tubes to an early '60s Telefunken 12AT7 in the preamp position (it gives a little sweeter tone and lets you get more useful clean volume before break-up vs. the normal 12AX7) and a JJ power tube. There's a spare set of Chinese-made (perfectly useful) tubes taped in the cab for mid-gig emergencies.
Plenty of venting there!
The handles are interesting -- there's the main one on top and then two others... one on the front panel and one on the rear.
Note that the old rubber gasket that was installed at the edge of the metal grill is missing. It was cracked-up and rattling so I removed it and used a bunch of tiny screws to keep the grill on instead. It works a lot better -- and no rattles.
The latches for internal access work great and don't rattle, either.
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