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iamqman
Published on 04/11/11 at 16:45
The major difference in this amp to the regular production Vox Ac30 is that is is all hand wired components. There are no PCB boards and everything is hooked up via turret boards. This makes the construction of the unit a lot stronger and easier to fix if you ever run into any problems with the amp.
The combination of this hand wired amp and the Celestion Alnico Blue Dog speakers give a sparkling and a sweet warm classic Vox tone. There are a few different features to this particular amp then the latest reissues that came out a few years ago. One of those being the Hot/Cold switch which changes the treble in the top boost channel. And also the wattage selector from 30 to 15 watts.
UTILIZATION
Vox AC30HW2X Combo Guitar Amplifier Features at a Glance:
* 30-watt power output (8 and 16 ohms)
* Hand-wired turret board construction
* Birch-ply cabinet features solid bracing and a natural high-frequency diffuser
* All-tube design
* 2 x 12" Celestion Alnico Blue speakers
* 3 x ECC83/12AX7 preamp tubes
* 4 x EL84 power tubes
* 1 x GZ34 rectifier tube
* Fitted with matched Ruby Tubes for extended dynamic range
* Traditional VOX 2-channel design
* Top Boost and Normal
* High and Low inputs for each channel
* The Normal channel provides an additional BRIGHT switch
* The top boost channel provides a HOT/COOL switch to achieve even more gain
* Master Volume/BYPASS switch completely bypasses the Master Volume section
* OP mode switch cuts the output power level in half
* Vintage fawn-colored vinyl, reminiscent of the 1960 classic AC30
* 2 x 1/4" output jacks for extension cabinets
* Dimensions: 27.76" x 10.24" x 21.65"
* Weight: 70.6 lbs.
* Included VFS1 footswitch controlls the Top Boost channel's HOT/COOL switch
SOUNDS
This amp is more used for country, blues, and mild rock tones. The biggest users of the amp is the Edge and Brian May. Not this particular amp model but the Vox AC30 in general. The best thing about Vox Ac30 is their ability to take pedal extremely well. You can throw just about any pedal in front of the amp and it just accepts the tone from the pedal and blends it with the Vox darker amp character that is present in its voicing.
A Les Paul works quite well with this amp. You get a great blues rock tone that is extremely warm and smooth in tone. I like to use a Strat with this amp as I'm a big fan of the Edge and his Strat is very recognizable in the songs I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Bullet The Blue Sky.
OVERALL OPINION
If you need a well built combo amp and are playing anything from country to mild rock then this might be an amp for you. If you use overdrive or effects pedals frequently then this is just about the best amp you could use effects with.
At new they come in at around $2000. That might be a little high for a combo amp but it is hand wired and that price is recognized in that feature. For the regular production Vox AC30 then you would look at about a few hundred dollars cheaper than this. I would recommend this amp to anyone who needs a Vox tone which is very unique and distinct from all other amplifiers.
The combination of this hand wired amp and the Celestion Alnico Blue Dog speakers give a sparkling and a sweet warm classic Vox tone. There are a few different features to this particular amp then the latest reissues that came out a few years ago. One of those being the Hot/Cold switch which changes the treble in the top boost channel. And also the wattage selector from 30 to 15 watts.
UTILIZATION
Vox AC30HW2X Combo Guitar Amplifier Features at a Glance:
* 30-watt power output (8 and 16 ohms)
* Hand-wired turret board construction
* Birch-ply cabinet features solid bracing and a natural high-frequency diffuser
* All-tube design
* 2 x 12" Celestion Alnico Blue speakers
* 3 x ECC83/12AX7 preamp tubes
* 4 x EL84 power tubes
* 1 x GZ34 rectifier tube
* Fitted with matched Ruby Tubes for extended dynamic range
* Traditional VOX 2-channel design
* Top Boost and Normal
* High and Low inputs for each channel
* The Normal channel provides an additional BRIGHT switch
* The top boost channel provides a HOT/COOL switch to achieve even more gain
* Master Volume/BYPASS switch completely bypasses the Master Volume section
* OP mode switch cuts the output power level in half
* Vintage fawn-colored vinyl, reminiscent of the 1960 classic AC30
* 2 x 1/4" output jacks for extension cabinets
* Dimensions: 27.76" x 10.24" x 21.65"
* Weight: 70.6 lbs.
* Included VFS1 footswitch controlls the Top Boost channel's HOT/COOL switch
SOUNDS
This amp is more used for country, blues, and mild rock tones. The biggest users of the amp is the Edge and Brian May. Not this particular amp model but the Vox AC30 in general. The best thing about Vox Ac30 is their ability to take pedal extremely well. You can throw just about any pedal in front of the amp and it just accepts the tone from the pedal and blends it with the Vox darker amp character that is present in its voicing.
A Les Paul works quite well with this amp. You get a great blues rock tone that is extremely warm and smooth in tone. I like to use a Strat with this amp as I'm a big fan of the Edge and his Strat is very recognizable in the songs I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Bullet The Blue Sky.
OVERALL OPINION
If you need a well built combo amp and are playing anything from country to mild rock then this might be an amp for you. If you use overdrive or effects pedals frequently then this is just about the best amp you could use effects with.
At new they come in at around $2000. That might be a little high for a combo amp but it is hand wired and that price is recognized in that feature. For the regular production Vox AC30 then you would look at about a few hundred dollars cheaper than this. I would recommend this amp to anyone who needs a Vox tone which is very unique and distinct from all other amplifiers.