Love the woodwork!  And the cat!  Haha!!!  How do you get on with the Gold and the G12H?  I used to use that combination in a closed back 2x12 but got fed up with the volume difference between the two speakers.  How are you finding it?  Have you tried other speakers?  And also, as you've already mentioned...why not opt for either a ceriatone or perhaps your own design badge?

I really love my Rock-It!  I've put it in a 1x12" combo, bbut for about a year and a half used it as a head with a closed back 2x12". 

My one wish?  I REALLY wish Nik would put his actual JMI AC30 clone into production 

Just like the Vox AC30 (and others)...just take the old EL84s out and pop new EL84s in.  Best to use a set of four matched valves, but basically you won't need to worry about bias adjustments. 

Nik's layouts do look good though, and I find them handy for quick reference...I'm not an expert so the layout helps me understand schematics when I have them.

Anyone know what program Nik uses to draw the layouts?

I've wondered for some time what the wattage of the Rock-It is.  I've had one for about two years now and love it...I wanted an AC30 type amp I could build into a 1x12" combo (with a Weber and make an AC30 in a smaller size package.  I also liked the idea of the half power switch for band prac' etc.  I've got to say, the Rock-It is one of my main amps I use...I'm a real AC30 man at heart.  I'd reckon it must be about 30 watts by comparison with my AC30 and other amps...but it might be pushing 40w!

Also, for band practice (60 Mod sounds through to a bit of pop-rock, with drums and bass etc) I can get away with running the amp on it's half power setting and using my vol on the guitar and picking dyamics for clean, crunch, and wind it up for solos.  Suits me just fine!  Full power copes well with full band gigs...although at really loud gigs you might need to use more speakers (I use just a 1x12" so don't push as much air as a 2 or 2 x 12") or mic up to a PA etc.  We don't mic the amps currently.

All good points here...now here's my little lot:

I own the following amps, and play them all in my bedroom at my parents place (i know...I'm sad and live at home still, despite being a bit old for that!):

Vox AC30 (original 1962)
18 watt Ceriatone clone
JTM 45 Ceriatone clone

I have a THD hotplate, and a Weber Mass, and a Koch Loadbox.  I use all these amps at home with the attenuators.  You get used to doing that, and it's a good compromise when you consider that you have all thes eamps at your disposal to take to gigs, practice, or use when the neighbours/parents are out!!!

I recently got a little Torres 1.5 watt amp, as I was looking into a home use amp with no attenuator.  Great amp, but far too loud to use again dimed when it's not through an attenutator.

My conclusion?  Gat any amp you love...then use an attenuator or master vol if it has one...and live with the compromise.  It's seeming ly the only way...amps and speakers will always sounds best when louder really!

What did you go for in the end?!  I've got an 18w which I use for most gigs etc (I play similar stuff to you), but I also have a JTM45 too.  The latter I most ofthen have yo use a power soak with, or I get arrested by the noise police!  Haha!!!

Exactly the same thing happened to me in the summer at a gig...I spoke to Nik etc about getting a replacement, which of course he wa shappy to do, but I thought I'd try an alternative just to see from a tone comparison point of view...no other reason really.  I'm in the UK, and got old of a little UK made 18 watt out put tranny off Ebay.  Wired it, now the amp sounds great and works again.  Not really any difference in tone form the ceriatone unit.  I think I blew the old one as i run the amp with the volume up full all the time I'm using it.  I'd like to find a robust tranny that won't do this, but running the amp flat out is bound ot get some slight issues from time to time I'd guess?

I own a couple of Ceriatone amps (18 watter and a JTM 45), and both I tend to run flat out, for home and gigging use.  Absolutely no problems what so ever, although i did once blow the output tranny in the 18 watter.  My fault though there, as that was an amp that was kit built, so probably dodgy wiring there!  Haha!!!  I fixed that no problems though, and have found Nik's customer service to literally the be best I've ever encountered in any walk of life, and the most reliable amps to boot.  Certainly no less reliable than the Fender, Marshall, Vox and others that I've owned...and a million miles better than all the Crate, Peavey etc that I've tried.  Oh, and I NEVER go by country of origin for determining reliability or quality...I reserve judgement until I inspect the thing myself.  I've got to say, Nik's amps are a work of art inside, and neater than almost all I've seen.  In fact some of the worst birds nest and cheap component amps I've ever seen have been Fender, Peavey and Crate, to name a few.  For quality, service, reliability, tone and value for money, Ceriatone has it...I actually sold off my vintage Fender Bassman (1967...blackfaced), Marshall JMP 50 (1973, point to point, very clean), Selmer Treble n Bass (please make one of these Nik!!!) and Marshall 18 watt head as I prefered the Ceriatone 18 watt and JTM 45 that I have.  Kept the 1962 Vox AC30 I have though, as Nik won't make an AC30 clone (hint, hint!).

Nice looking amp...what speakers are you using in there?

I spoke to Nik last year about this...I'd love a Ceriatone AC30, so I can retire my original Vox one!  Nik's designed the layout, but I think it's too complicated and time-consuming for him to bother putting into production at the mo.  Mind you, if enough people wanted it...?!

Come on..the only other viable AC30 maker out there is the UK made JMI...and they're about £2000 a go!!!  I'm sure there's a great niche in the market for Ceriatone there!  The DC 30 is great, but it's just not quite the same as a Vox...it's got its own thing going on.  Except for the JMI I don't know of any other reasonably available maker of classic Vox circuits.  Not here in the UK, anyway!

I'm going to ask Santa for it!!! :-)

The Bluesbreaker (JTM-45 combo) amps first came with AlNiCo speakers in them, same as the Vox AC30.  However later blue4s and rock players would have used them with whaever speakers were available at the time (G12M and G12H mostly during the classic era). 

With my Ceriatone JTM 45 I like to use a combination of a G12M (greenback) and one of those lovely new Celestion Gold AlNiCo speakers...you get the perfect mix of AlNiCo bite and smooth chime, efficiency and quick response, tight bass etc, plus the mellow woody woof of the G12M greenback.  And I've found the amps sound a lot better and have more definition with open back cabs as opposed to closed back.