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mooseherman « Interesting update on the AC30 »
Published on 10/15/10 at 13:56This amplifier is a recreation of Vox's celebrated AC30 amplifier, a legendary amp in some circles. There are also a few new features. There is 1/4" input as well as an effects loop, which is a new feature. It is a tube amp with 30 watts (hence the name). There are switches for output biasing and clip controls, which are really new features and can really help problematic amps find their sweet spots. There are two channels, normal and top boost, as well as the ability to blend the channels which is really something. There are also EQs, tremolo and reverb. The tremolo and reverb can be controlled by footswitch.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is easy, however, if you want a truly phenomenal sound, replace the tubes, as they come from China now, and China makes cheap products almost exclusively. The one complaint I would make is the inability to switch channels with the footswitch. This limits the features of the amp, however, I tend to find the sound I like and stick with that and I mostly haven't had too many problems. The manual explains very clearly what each function does and how to use it, it's very useful.
SOUNDS
I like to use this amp with a wide variety of guitars, as they each have their own unique flavor combined with this amp. I think that the sounds that come out of this amp are phenomenal. Both channels have their flavors, but I think that the channel blending feature really gives this amp its best sound, as it combines the high end of the top boost channel with the warmth of the normal. When in this mode, tone is entirely up to the player, as one can go from a clean warm sound to an overdriven bark instantly. The dynamic response of this amp is extraordinary. I think better tubes and pots will help sound a lot, as the cheap chinese parts don't do it much justice, but this is still a fine sounding amp.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the tone of this amp the best, as well as the dynamic response. The reverb isn't quite as good as the old ones, but it's still ok. I don't use tremolo much but I think that this amp has a great tremolo. It's not too expensive and while it's not quite as stellar-sounding as the original AC30s, it's a fraction of the price, so it's possibly a better bargain. This is definitely worth checking out.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is easy, however, if you want a truly phenomenal sound, replace the tubes, as they come from China now, and China makes cheap products almost exclusively. The one complaint I would make is the inability to switch channels with the footswitch. This limits the features of the amp, however, I tend to find the sound I like and stick with that and I mostly haven't had too many problems. The manual explains very clearly what each function does and how to use it, it's very useful.
SOUNDS
I like to use this amp with a wide variety of guitars, as they each have their own unique flavor combined with this amp. I think that the sounds that come out of this amp are phenomenal. Both channels have their flavors, but I think that the channel blending feature really gives this amp its best sound, as it combines the high end of the top boost channel with the warmth of the normal. When in this mode, tone is entirely up to the player, as one can go from a clean warm sound to an overdriven bark instantly. The dynamic response of this amp is extraordinary. I think better tubes and pots will help sound a lot, as the cheap chinese parts don't do it much justice, but this is still a fine sounding amp.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the tone of this amp the best, as well as the dynamic response. The reverb isn't quite as good as the old ones, but it's still ok. I don't use tremolo much but I think that this amp has a great tremolo. It's not too expensive and while it's not quite as stellar-sounding as the original AC30s, it's a fraction of the price, so it's possibly a better bargain. This is definitely worth checking out.