AC30's What Do You Like ?

[AlvisX]

For many years now, I've had a Vox AC30 as my 1st choice / request for a festival backline amp. I figured with the proliferation of MIC Voxes out there , I was more likely to get one of them than a tweed bassman reissue.
What I didn't do was specify which incarnation of AC30 ....there are lots . So I left myself open to whatever. One time in Scotland , I got a fawn Early 60s amp that was just KILLER .I think that was one with 6 inputs
For a few years ,I would get the Korg versions ,which were not bad at all. Then the MIC CC2 started to creep in . I REALLY liked this one
I was able to dial it in fairly quick ,without a buch of knob twiddlin during a festival changeover

So at some point ,a decade or so ago, I bought an AC30 CC2 (a two input version with top boost & normal in's) off a guy from Craigslist
It was blowin heater fuses ,so I got it for about 300 bucks. I fixed the fuse issue and it was good to go
The only problem with this amp was it weighed a TON ,TONNE, TONELADA....right at a time when I had injured my right knee
The Dr. had ordered me to lighten my loads , SO after just a few great gigs , that AC30 had to go





Ive come to find that they stopped making the CC2 quite awhle ago .....but they did make LOTS of 'em
Last fall as I set out on the road , I was talkin with a buddy , gearhead / truck driver . He said he was lookin for an AC30 ,and if I would keep an eye out . Not 2 days later, I found an AC30 C2 on Pittsburg Craigs for $400. I snagged it and hauled it around for about a month ,playing it all the while . The C2 was a 4 input version with 2x12 .... the bright & normal basically set up like a marshall ....somethin I could easily relate to , it also has master vol, trem & reverb .I liked it quite a bit

I guess the "C" version is the proletarian version these days .It comes in a head as well a 1x12 and 2x12

So meanwhile ,Im flyin across the ocean again to do some festivals .At two festivals they brought me the AC30HW (hand wired)
So you think this is gonna be cool .....cuz it's "hand wired" . But twice , Ive found that amp a big disappointment
It has somethin like , a freq you cant dial in AND a freq you can't dial out ....The amp sounded like a BIG Tube Screamer
LUCKILY ,I had my Pro Junior on one of these gigs and wound up using IT for guitar and the AC for harmonica .
AND ,it wasn't just me . Some friends have had that same experience with the Hand Wired

That was really a case of , Gimme the MIC amps

I just found a used AC30 CCH (head) .I think I'll enjoy it as I have a few marshall 1965/1966 cabs that should go great with it

Any AC30 opinions ? Love to hear 'em

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

One of the first amps I encountered when first starting out was a Vox. When I was in high school the school had a Vox. I didn't know anything about guitar amps back then. But I thought it sounded better than my buddy's Silver Face Fender. Years later I found out the silver framed speakers were the Celestion Alnicos. When I went back to inquire about that amp I found out they had sent the amp to the dump.

I seem to remember that former Marshall design engineer Steve Grindrod was the brains behind the Korg version and the CC and C models. (A google search confirms this.) I think he left Vox before the HW.

 

[AlvisX]

One of the first amps I encountered when first starting out was a Vox. When I was in high school the school had a Vox. I didn't know anything about guitar amps back then. But I thought it sounded better than my buddy's Silver Face Fender. Years later I found out the silver framed speakers were the Celestion Alnicos. When I went back to inquire about that amp I found out they had sent the amp to the dump.

I seem to remember that former Marshall design engineer Steve Grindrod was the brains behind the Korg version and the CC and C models. (A google search confirms this.) I think he left Vox before the HW.

Oh nooooooooo

Ed King said the AC30 he recorded Incense & Peppermints with, caught on fire and they threw it in the dumpster because they knew no one who could fix amps back in them days

 

[Ufoscorpion]

Great sounding amps but need to be played loud like a plexi , no master volume . Well not on the two I’ve owned ( still have one of them ) both being 1962 copper tops with factory retro fitted top boosts . They do the most convincing early deep purple I’ve ever heard plugged straight in and with a treble booster , well everyone knows what they’re capable of .

 

[Gutch220]

I've been using a AC30CC with the Alnico Blues for many years and couldn't be more satisfied. It works & sounds great. It's like 80 pounds though, so it definitely weighs enough to be an issue when traveling a lot.

AlvisX​

I would highly recommend -since you like using AC30's and travel and have a bad knee- you should check out the recently released Universal Audio Ruby. It emulates an AC30 and can send the signal to a cabinet/PA/mixing console. And it weighs as much as a Boss pedal.

 

[AlvisX]

They do the most convincing early deep purple I’ve ever heard plugged straight in and with a treble booster , well everyone knows what they’re capable of .

Perhaps because early Deep Purple was an AC30
That is a killer tone

I have had the good fortune to play a couple of super vintage ones .They are indeed something special
I think most Marshall people overlook what a great ROCK amp it is . They sort of associate the AC30 with Brit Invasion and jangly American power pop

My personal AC30 references (aside from the Beatles) were Rory Gallagher ....who went back n forth between the ACs and Marshalls , The Stooges Raw Power ...pretty much a Les Paul Custom and AC30 and early TP & The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell used AC30s live for a good bit of their breakthrough years

I don't know how the Asian ACs compare to real ones. I do know that they produce some workable tones.It's the kind of amp that once you plug in , you just want to keep playing for awhile ....that's a good sign

 

[PelliX]

I'll probably get tarred and feathered for this, but there used to be a solid state AC30 in the early 80's or thereabouts, I believe. It was obviously a lot lighter and while one would assume it to be a failure, some people including Brian May himself really got on well with it and used it. Coming from him, a guy who used the 'real' valve AC30's all his career I value his opinion. He later moved back to valve AC30's (maybe because the solid state offerings were few in numbers and he would use 6 or 9 at a show with probably a couple more spare behind the backline), but with solid state rectifiers. He claimed not to be able to tell the difference in the rectifier, though I've never him say anything about the valve vs solid state models.

If you can find one, it might be a little more 'friendly on the limbs'. I've never used one myself, so I can't really comment. I've played a couple of brand spanking new AC30's and was disappointed. Yet another ~15 year old AC30 was lovely. My (MIC) AC15 is probably my desert island amp, FWIW.

 

[AlvisX]

I've been using a AC30CC with the Alnico Blues for many years and couldn't be more satisfied. It works & sounds great. It's like 80 pounds though, so it definitely weighs enough to be an issue when traveling a lot.

AlvisX​

I would highly recommend -since you like using AC30's and travel and have a bad knee- you should check out the recently released Universal Audio Ruby. It emulates an AC30 and can send the signal to a cabinet/PA/mixing console. And it weighs as much as a Boss pedal.

View attachment 141756

Thanks for the tip . Now I see myself building up a collection of floor amps.......

 

[AlvisX]

Cookin up some mischief w/ CCH atop 4010 in the kitchen

 

[neikeel]

I’ve had a few AC30s across the bench and owned.
I’ve kept the dark copper t ‘64 AC30T combo with blue Wodens and Celestion Alnico Blues. It is a beautiful sounding amp but you do have to crank it up to rock out (but it does not sound good with any of my attenuators). I’ve also got a late 64 grey panel top boost head that I really like. It is louder and punchier such that I dare not run it through the blues but I do have some Alnico Golds for it.
How about a JMI AC15 with single blue?

 

[SmokeyDopey]

In a dumpster? What a crime.

 

[Ufoscorpion]

I’ve had a few AC30s across the bench and owned.
I’ve kept the dark copper t ‘64 AC30T combo with blue Wodens and Celestion Alnico Blues. It is a beautiful sounding amp but you do have to crank it up to rock out (but it does not sound good with any of my attenuators). I’ve also got a late 64 grey panel top boost head that I really like. It is louder and punchier such that I dare not run it through the blues but I do have some Alnico Golds for it.
How about a JMI AC15 with single blue?

My 62 doesn’t like being attenuated , it’s really fussy with pedals as well ,

 

[Gutch220]

Thanks for the tip . Now I see myself building up a collection of floor amps.......

No need to get a bunch, just start out with one. If you got the Ruby, you should also get a DI box in order to go directly into an audio interface or PA AND to a speaker cabinet if you wish. It's good to do both. If it helps you decide, the Edge from U2 has switched to using these instead of lugging around a bunch of AC30's, let alone vintage AC30's

 

[paul-e-mann]

I had an AC15 for alot of years and thought it would be cool to step up to an AC30 head to bump up the power and lighten the load at the same time. About 2018 when the new AC30 head came out I bought one. It sounded great but the effects loop didnt provide volume boost only more gain, this was the wrong loop for me. I like to boost the loop for lead volume boost, couldnt do it with this amp. Another downer, the amp has power scaling I was excited about, what the copy failed to mention it only works with 16 ohm cabs, all my cabs are 8 ohm so I couldnt use the feature. The amp went back and I bought a SV20H, end of story...

 

[Ufoscorpion]

I had an AC15 for alot of years and thought it would be cool to step up to an AC30 head to bump up the power and lighten the load at the same time. About 2018 when the new AC30 head came out I bought one. It sounded great but the effects loop didnt provide volume boost only more gain, this was the wrong loop for me. I like to boost the loop for lead volume boost, couldnt do it with this amp. Another downer, the amp has power scaling I was excited about, what the copy failed to mention it only works with 16 ohm cabs, all my cabs are 8 ohm so I couldnt use the feature. The amp went back and I bought a SV20H, end of story...

I know it’s changing the subject slightly but something I initially thought ‘ what’s the point in that ‘ when it came out was the Friedman twin sister and its two identical channels. But having now got synergy pre amps with the same setup it now makes total sense, you’ve got your desired base rhythm sound and one channel and the other can be set louder and dirtier etc for leads , it’s great .

 

[jmp45]

I picked up an AC30CC2 in 2007. First got sent back and replaced, it had issues. I didn't switch the stock Warfs, they just fine for me. Supposedly their take on a greenie. I don't have any other experiences with ACs so I can't comment. I think I got it for around $800 bills at zzounds.com. No plans on selling it. Alvin is right, amp weighs a ton.

 

[paul-e-mann]

I picked up an AC30CC2 in 2007. First got sent back and replaced, it had issues. I didn't switch the stock Warfs, they just fine for me. Supposedly their take on a greenie. I don't have any other experiences with ACs so I can't comment. I think I got it for around $800 bills at zzounds.com. No plans on selling it. Alvin is right, amp weighs a ton.

The Warfs are good speakers, I bought a couple second hand to make a 2x12 for my AC15 when I had it.

 

[Crikey]

For many years now, I've had a Vox AC30 as my 1st choice / request for a festival backline amp. I figured with the proliferation of MIC Voxes out there , I was more likely to get one of them than a tweed bassman reissue.
What I didn't do was specify which incarnation of AC30 ....there are lots . So I left myself open to whatever. One time in Scotland , I got a fawn Early 60s amp that was just KILLER .I think that was one with 6 inputs
For a few years ,I would get the Korg versions ,which were not bad at all. Then the MIC CC2 started to creep in . I REALLY liked this one
I was able to dial it in fairly quick ,without a buch of knob twiddlin during a festival changeover

So at some point ,a decade or so ago, I bought an AC30 CC2 (a two input version with top boost & normal in's) off a guy from Craigslist
It was blowin heater fuses ,so I got it for about 300 bucks. I fixed the fuse issue and it was good to go
The only problem with this amp was it weighed a TON ,TONNE, TONELADA....right at a time when I had injured my right knee
The Dr. had ordered me to lighten my loads , SO after just a few great gigs , that AC30 had to go





Ive come to find that they stopped making the CC2 quite awhle ago .....but they did make LOTS of 'em
Last fall as I set out on the road , I was talkin with a buddy , gearhead / truck driver . He said he was lookin for an AC30 ,and if I would keep an eye out . Not 2 days later, I found an AC30 C2 on Pittsburg Craigs for $400. I snagged it and hauled it around for about a month ,playing it all the while . The C2 was a 4 input version with 2x12 .... the bright & normal basically set up like a marshall ....somethin I could easily relate to , it also has master vol, trem & reverb .I liked it quite a bit

I guess the "C" version is the proletarian version these days .It comes in a head as well a 1x12 and 2x12

So meanwhile ,Im flyin across the ocean again to do some festivals .At two festivals they brought me the AC30HW (hand wired)
So you think this is gonna be cool .....cuz it's "hand wired" . But twice , Ive found that amp a big disappointment
It has somethin like , a freq you cant dial in AND a freq you can't dial out ....The amp sounded like a BIG Tube Screamer
LUCKILY ,I had my Pro Junior on one of these gigs and wound up using IT for guitar and the AC for harmonica .
AND ,it wasn't just me . Some friends have had that same experience with the Hand Wired

That was really a case of , Gimme the MIC amps

I just found a used AC30 CCH (head) .I think I'll enjoy it as I have a few marshall 1965/1966 cabs that should go great with it

Any AC30 opinions ? Love to hear 'em

Interesting timing was thinking about what backline amps i would want. Jcm 900 4100, fender twin and ac30
Vox- Ive got the mic accc2 version. Love it
Only issue was the standby and my tech just by passed it.
It is a heavy amp but gets awesome tones. China rocked it on the amp.
Tons of gain and chimy like church bells.
Its a keeper

 

[Crikey]

The Warfs are good speakers, I bought a couple second hand to make a 2x12 for my AC15 when I had it.

They do sound good.

 

[Crikey]

I picked up an AC30CC2 in 2007. First got sent back and replaced, it had issues. I didn't switch the stock Warfs, they just fine for me. Supposedly their take on a greenie. I don't have any other experiences with ACs so I can't comment. I think I got it for around $800 bills at zzounds.com. No plans on selling it. Alvin is right, amp weighs a ton.

Ive gigged with it and the beast will come fn roar if you need it