VOX AC30 primer

This is from one of my reviews and the comments section below it. I thought I would throw this in the forum for folks to find easily, add to, etc...

As a die-hard Vox amplifier enthusiast I feel compelled to answer d_foster14's question, "Is the Price justified?"

Yes.

Yes the price is justified for the right model from the right year. While there are a variety of AC30 variants vintage and modern that do different spins on the vox tone (and I really dig some of the variants I've played more than the amps people view as quintessential Voxes), the AC30s to have to get 'THE top-boost sound' are (in order of tastiness) the following:

1) coppertop (AKA candy panel) JMI, early 60s (I plan to be buried with mine if my son doesn't take up the guitar)

2) grey panel JMI, mid-to-late 60s (if you are looking at a coppertop with the treb and bass controls on the faceplate then its pretty much the same amp as a grey panel so save a few beans and scout out a grey panel because only crazy collectors will care about what color the control plate is... even the grey painted speakers are pretty much the same as the blue painted ones from the coppertop period (some will argue) and even the RI blue alnicos sound fab once they break in... if the tone controls were added to the back of the amp, then your coppertop will be a little different and I have a definite preference in this regard)

3) black panel AC30HW2x Korg, current production (I would not sell mine to you, you would have to trade me something better and I already have a coppertop and don't really need a grey panel)

4) candy panel AC30/6TBx Korg, 90s (this is really a tie for 3, I only give the HW2x the edge for its reliably repairable turret contruction and spiffy 'hot mode', but if a PCB doesn't worry you and you want closer accuracy to a JMI for features and voicing get a 90s RI)

5) grey panel Dallas Arbiter, 70s (no tube rectifier, but that's why Brian May likes them, can Brian May be wrong? that's its own forum topic, right there)

6) grey panel Rose Morris, 80s (multiple PCB facsimile of the Arbiter version... these AC30s can sound quite good and seem to be pretty reliable)

But we're talking about serious scratch even for a reissue, Jim! Do I have other options if I am on a tight budget. I like Ramen noodles and all, but....

So you want the ac30 thing but you need to keep it under a grand. What is a poor guitarist to do?

1) Ceriatone Dizzy 30 - made in Malaysia, these clones of the matchless C30 amps of 90s fame are built on turrets instead of being true point-to-point, but JMI built the original voxes on turrets and terminal strips, so this isn't a bad thing. This has the matchless TB channel which is a little gainier and a little more complex due to it using a parallel triode input (Mark Samson couldn't stand wasting the second half of V1 but couldn't squeeze a 3rd channel to cop the 60s normal channel Brian May favors I guess). Channel 2 is the mighty EF86 pentode channel, a hot-rod, super-tweakable version of the original AC30/4 black panel brilliant channel. I could go on and on about how you'll never touch the TB channel, but find out for yourself! These amps are very well built, but have mediocre transformers and a weak chassis. You have to weld aluminum all over guys. However, Nik's prices reflect these downgrades and his customer service is A#1. He's a true enthusiast who will chat you up. Mine has seen a lot of gigs and sessions and I love her.

2) Orange double terror - Okay, it doesn't have the top boost active tone circuit really, but it IS very much in the ac30 camp and sounds great for the scratch. Add an open-back 2x12 with blues? You're the Queen of May! Though this is a PCB amp it is extremely well ventilated (voxes get really hot, so PCBs in this circuit are scary). Anyway, over some of the other maintenance whores in this rundown I will trust a current production orange with a good warranty any day of the week and twice on sunday.

3) AC30 custom classic 1st series - The original Custom Classics were better amps than the current ones. They were voiced a little better and the cabinets were built better. Add a pair of blue alnico speakers (or mix a blue with the stock wharfdale G12H30 clone) and you can get in the right ballpark. These seem to be built adequately well, especially for a Chinese product, but the traditional Vox lack of ventilation scares the bejeezus outta me. The bigger vents are nice, but they only make me feel better on the HW series. A PCB vox needs more air flow guys. I've seen 60s JMI AC30s burst into flames. Straight up, dude... smoke, then fire.

4) Gibson Goldtone GA30RVT 90s - these are Trace Elliots by a different name. There's an equivalent Trace model with a simple tonestack that this amp is based on (the Trace Elliot Velocet is their ac15/matchless spitfire interpretation and it sounds pretty good and the 30 watt Trace may also be a Velocet but it has a fender deluxe style tone knob like the orange terror so I'll stick to the Gibson version with the full cathode follower tone section that's closer to a top-boost circuit). The Trace made Gibbies are pretty well made, really voxy and only fall down in their oddball 12"+10" speaker cab which is a nod to the original GA20s and 30s of the 50s that had a 12" and an 8"... but those amps had little to do with a vox apart from cathode bias. Okay, they maybe had some influence on vox in later series like the 2 tones, but by then the speaker configuration had changed and.... I digress. Sorry. This amp will get you close if you put a blue in the 12" slot. I hear they made a head version, but I've never seen one. This amp is a good bet as I've never seen a broken one. Just a heads up, around the time Gibson bought Trace they also bought Orange. Many of you will not recall Gibson's attempt to revive the Orange brand in the early 90s because they rapidly switched dears to rebranding Trace amps as Gibson Goldtones, but I think the current Orange staff with their many Vox influenced offerings might containin more than a few former Trace engineers since the whole Trace line was super Voxy. So yeah, this one is a good start.

5) 90s Laney VC30 - It has too many of the wrong features, but under the hood its still basically an AC30. It sounds like Ken Bran of 60s Marshall's take on the vox thing. Once again, add the right speakers and you are getting in the right territory. These are PCB but well ventilated and I thin they were built in the UK by people who sort of care. They're from the period of the GH50L so they're not as bullet-proof as an 80s Marshall, but better than a lot of the far east dreck out there today.

6) Crate Vintage Club 30 90s - These sound REALLY AC30ish. The cabs are crappy, the PCBs are flimsy, they need more ventilation and pretty much everything is under-spec in typical St Louis Music fashion (hell, these are the folks who resurrected Ampeg by making bastardized reissues that crap out every week and putting out a ton of solid state 'SVT' amps... WHAT?! humph)... all that said, the Crate will get you there with a good pair of speakers installed (good=blue). Don't rely on this as your main gig amp unless you have 2... or 3. If you can find more than 1 that still works....

7) Bugera V22 current production - this amp was just brought to my attention by another EB member.... she appears to be a PCB based Chinese knockoff of a modern classic, Bad Cat's Hot Cat 30R. That's a good circuit! A little true top-boost, a cascaded triode hi-gain channel and a matchless power amp. I have no personal experience of this amp, but on paper it should do a pretty good vox impression with proper speakers installed. Its made in china, but so is the dual terror and the Custom Classic. If you're on a budget you're stuck with china sadly. And if you don't care about your amp having a famous British name badge (the thing ain't made in the UK, you may fool some, but not me)... well, if you don't want brand recognition, this Is probably a good bang for buck Chinese voxer.

That's my whole jam, right there. Please Add-to, debate or whatever. This is by no means a comprehensive history of vox or a complete guide to all the budget wanna-be-AC's and its all one man's opinion. But its based on extensive experience with the amps referenced, historical knowledge and (for the most part) electronics expertise. But YMMV!

EXCELSIOR!