Hey friends!

I was thinking about AC-30s yesterday and a quick online search shows me that there are a whole bunch of different ones out there - from cheaper ones made in China to some 4x as much hand-wired deals. Do we have any AC-30 aficionados on here that can school me on what's what?

I also know our resident physician Dr. Tony Balls has built a few Vox-style heads, so any insight he can offer would be much appreciated!

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Sun May 30, 2021 11:14 am Hey friends!

I was thinking about AC-30s yesterday and a quick online search shows me that there are a whole bunch of different ones out there - from cheaper ones made in China to some 4x as much hand-wired deals. Do we have any AC-30 aficionados on here that can school me on what's what?

I also know our resident physician Dr. Tony Balls has built a few Vox-style heads, so any insight he can offer would be much appreciated!

There's a lot of modern AC30s out there. The standard stuff will go by names like "AC30C2" and "AC30CC2" and those are the ones made in China. They're not bad, but they're not quite the same as the OG circuit AND they're built like a modern amp (which is to say not so tank-like). I cant comment on the hand-wired deals such as the "AC30HW2" but they look well-built and I dont see any reason why they wouldnt be the original circuit. They certainly dont look like they have any solid state components or anything.

And yeah i've built a number of AC30 derivatives from standard, half power, one with the EF86 channel of a AC15/Matchless DC-30, one in a gutted Carvin combo. Its a GREAT circuit and one of my favorites to build and play. Its kind of a high-ish gain amp for it's time, just a little more so than your standard plexi, but not quite as much as a 2204/2203.

I have one of the cc2's, and it's a good amp. I think it sounds better than all of the modern Fender combos I've played, in that it's clearer and more articulate - I've found the modern Fenders to be muddier, which can be good or bad depending on your tastes and goals. The AC30 has more treble available without sounding shrill - the tone cut (which I assume is similar to presence in Fender amps) can really help take some of that harsh treble out if you want it out. Again, can be a matter of taste.

You can do a lot with it, but it's not going to do anything outside of the range it was designed for unless your fuss with a fair amount of pedals. If you want to sound reasonably like someone playing through an AC30, this will do that.

The oddball in the current AC30 line looks to be the AC30S1. One 12" speaker, single channel (Top Boost-ish with T+B controls), no Cut control, digital reverb...it's basically the AC10 with a beefed-up power section. It's not really an AC30 at all, but sounds like it cops a pretty good Voxy tone. There's a video out there somewhere of John Reis demoing one, which might give a good idea of how it sounds.

I've got the current head version of the AC15 which suits me fine, but it's no AC30. Like the C2 and CC2 '30s, it's Chinese-built. I've had it a few years now, and had no issues with it at all.

On the maybe cheaper side, the Laney VC30 is essentially the same circuit as the AC30, but with a solid-state effects loop added. I had one for a while and it got me like 90% of the way to AC30 tonez.

I commissioned one of those Balls AC30s (the one based on the Matchless DC30) and love it. I mostly use the EF86 channel. If you're going to get a Vox branded and want it to sound more like the classic circuit, I'd strongly recommend either an older 6-hole TB model or one of the newer HW ones. The CC2 I tried sounded a bit more Fendery to my ears.

I regret not trying an AC30 20 years ago. I would have stopped chasing amps then.

If you want to audition one locally, Rich Fessler has a 6TB model and Tony Ash I still think has an HW. Hit one of them up.

Not an amp scholar so this will be mostly personal/anecdotal:

I loved the AC15C1 I owned. You need to replace the tubes right away if you buy new, not with anything fancy just different from what Korg ships them with. Then they're beautiful amps. Certainly the best mass production amp of its size, like vs. your Hot Rods Deluxe.
I sold mine when I moved away years ago, partly for the space/money but partly because I felt that it wasn't loud enough/didn't have enough headroom. That said, that was one of my first live-capable guitar amps and I imagine I had the gain staging all wrong.

I don't know the pedigree or reputation of the Vox Handwired AC30s/15s. Like I don't know if they're overpriced pseudo-"boutique" items or if they're a good deal. I do know from firsthand experience that they sound great.

I've coincidentally been thinking about Vox ACs again since falling in love with the '50s Gibson GA6 combo I'm babysitting. I've realized that the Gibson and the AC15 are the only amps I've owned/"owned" that I've truly liked. So I'm trying to think (being optimistic about societal recovery etc.) about live-volume solutions for getting this sound. AC30 is probably the simplest way, but they're really quite heavy and definitely overkill output-wise. On the other hand I worry that a 15 would be just a little too weak.

Vox had issued a version of the AC30, a decade back or so, that had just one speaker in more of an AC15-sized cab. (I think they're doing a new version right now, but that has digital reverb and is a different amp.) I've definitely wondered if I should seek one out. I've also wondered a little about Matchless amps, which I know nothing about currently but apparently they do a similar thing. I'm not as interested in the rando boutique amps I see mentioned that are all called the CrazyCat TopGuy and look like ass. But I'm wondering, I guess, if it's best to get a true AC30 and just live with how cumbersome and loud it is (I could get a power brake or whatever I'm sure), or if a Vox/Matchless/Balls rendition of a 1x12" AC30 would be cool too.

Nate Dort wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 2:53 pm On the maybe cheaper side, the Laney VC30 is essentially the same circuit as the AC30, but with a solid-state effects loop added. I had one for a while and it got me like 90% of the way to AC30 tonez.

I owned one of these in the late 90s, and the preamp is drastically different. The tone stack is basically Fender, and it comes after the first gain stand and before the volume knob.

However, the power amp is a cathode biased, four EL84 type with no negative feedback, so that is total AC30 style.

For the record, I really liked this amp. It was a pleasant blend of both Fender and Vox aspects, without really sounding like either one. I ran it in two amp rigs, and I also ran it on its own. I had the 2-10 version and I'd sometimes run it on top of a 2-12 cabinet. Two 10 + two 12 was really cool. I sold it to pay for the restoration of my Pro Reverb.

Schematic for reference.

benadrian wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:25 ampreamp is drastically different.

Ah, yeah, it's been a while since I looked at that Laney schematic.

The 210 version was the one to have, as I think those Jensens sounded better than the HH speaker in the 112 version. They were a bit more chimey. The HH was kinda dark from what I remember.

I've been in the lucky position of being able to play a number of old Vox amps; 1960 ish Fawn AC15 and Fawn AC30 (non top boost), and a '63(?) Top Boost. I've also played a number of modern Voxes, Matchless amps, and other AC style clones/variations. In my experience, these vintage Voxes sound the most different from their modern counterparts. A reissue twin and a '65 twin don't sound that different. The same goes for a classic Plexi and a reissue/clone made with high end parts. However, the real old Vox amps have a looseness and aliveness that I've just not heard in any modern version or clone. Don't get me wrong, the Matchless DC30 is an AMAZING amp. It just doesn't have the feel of a 60 year old Vox made in the U.K.

Why is this? I'm not 100% sure. My best guess is it's just the components are so under-built compared to today's stuff. The speakers are truly low wattage. The cabinets aren't super robust. The transformers can just about handle what they're meant to do, but not much more. The tubes are biased really hot. The amps always feel like they're on their limit and notes just jump out from them. The way these old amps were built also make them a pain in the dick to work on.

So, with anything Voxy, just try to find something you like. Many will be pretty close, and even the exact clones can sound as different to an old Vox amp and the Vox-inspired amps do.

Cheers!