Played an Vox AC30HW2 today

[misterMagoo]

i really missed the amp today.
hate this curse of gas.

i have to say, it's as good as a matamp when it comes to "boutique" tone quality.
i mean the dynamics, the tone quality and so on.
that surprised me the most. i'd love to have one too.

I've got to say, I love the tone of my AC30 and it is so dynamic to that one setting yields clean and distortion with just playing dynamics and a clean boost. Very full and responsive. Boost it up and it gets pretty compressed. There is a wide palette of sounds in there.

Actually the RV50 and AC30 sound awesome together the only trouble is with the disparity in dynamics (the way I play them). The RV50 is quite compressed, and the AC30 is not. Play them biamped and it makes for some interesting results, sometimes desired, sometimes not. I'm working on it...

[Wired]

I don't know why everyone says AC30 can't do metal...

I can get metal like tones out of it (use a Emma Reezafratzitz)
Thrice gets metal tones out of it

It does everything.

[misterMagoo]

I don't know why everyone says AC30 can't do metal...

I can get metal like tones out of it (use a Emma Reezafratzitz)
Thrice gets metal tones out of it

It does everything.

It slices, it dices, it cooked me some pan seared tilapia last night.

Love that amp

[Wired]

I don't know why everyone says AC30 can't do metal...

I can get metal like tones out of it (use a Emma Reezafratzitz)
Thrice gets metal tones out of it

It does everything.

It slices, it dices, it cooked me some pan seared tilapia last night.

Love that amp

Mac-and-cheese over the venting uptop. Almost cooks faster than a college hot plate!

[Randy Bass]

...Almost cooks faster than a college hot plate!

Those are made by THC, right ?

[OU818]

I played one today to see what all the fuss was about and... well, I can see what all the fuss is about

Played beautifully and really brought my Strat to life, somethingt hat the RV50 and R30 have so far failed to do.
I have now put my Hayden Mofo 30 on the local Sale Classifieds and, if it goes, may be grabbing the AC30HW2.

Also, loved the Greenbacks in it. Such an awesome classic rock sound.

[a.hun]

As much as I love Orange amps, the AD30 and RV100 are soft spots in my heart... but the AC30 is where its at. Best amp for me period... for the playing dynamics, the tone, everything. I can do whatever I want with it! You can't go wrong with an AC30.

Well you can - there were also plenty duffers made. Not surprising considering the number of different versions (from different companies) over the years, including one totally crap PCB variant which were so badly designed that most of those actually (literally!) burned up.
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showpo ... stcount=22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good to hear that this one is a real goodie though. Can't beat a great AC30 right enough!


Andy.

[Wired]

This is where I get confused on my amp. I've been told by the local shops it's a 1972 model, but I'm so torn because I can't find any other copy that matches mine. Seems to be a transitional era amp. In fact even the tech's cant find a wiring diagram that matches the soup kitchen thats my amp.

Its not PCB, it is point to point.
Its black tolex
Its a 6 input
brilliant, normal, trem inputs
trem has a vibrato mode
grey control pannel
Thomas Organ serial number plate

[TESLA_EL34]

Yesterday i went to the shop to play it again.
It's as great in "boutique" quality as my matamp. LOVE the response and the dynamics.

It makes me think less about pedals and play more with the amp itself.
The interaction is so great. It's so inspiring and the hot mode is great too.
It boosts that amp into a marshall hot rodded territory.

[OrangePaul]

I've played through a JMI AC15 and that thing sounded like AC/DC on steroids!

[Foef]

I just cant get along with a AC30. Always get stuck in some bluesy noodling and the highs annoy me somehow. No matter where the cut is at. But i do love them when other people play them. Just not my cup of tea.
Last week i tried a AC15 when i was looking for a new amp with a friend. And though it was nice, i totally preferred the '65 Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue.
Love that amp and i'm totally gassing for it now....
Ow... And i love Brian May's tone... So i do want to like AC30's. But it just will not work....
Sad but true....

Grtz, Bert.

[a.hun]

I just cant get along with a AC30. Always get stuck in some bluesy noodling and the highs annoy me somehow. No matter where the cut is at. But i do love them when other people play them. Just not my cup of tea.


Grtz, Bert.

Ironically Bert thats almost exactly how I feel about modern Marshall amps...

My old JMI era AC30 head (a top boost 'bass version' would you believe ) can be amazingly fat sounding though. I always link the 3 channels though as played alone the Normal is too fat with no top end, the Vib / Trem channel is sweet but a bit gutless, and the top boost is just plain fierce. When I link the 3 channels together I can use the channel volumes as extra tone controls. By blending all three can get you an amazing variety of sounds. My main problem is ever to find them again though as the amp never seems to want to sound the same two times running. It is a gloriously pig headed beast of an amp.


Andy.

[Wired]

I just cant get along with a AC30. Always get stuck in some bluesy noodling and the highs annoy me somehow. No matter where the cut is at. But i do love them when other people play them. Just not my cup of tea.


Grtz, Bert.

Ironically Bert thats almost exactly how I feel about modern Marshall amps...

My old JMI era AC30 head (a top boost 'bass version' would you believe ) can be amazingly fat sounding though. I always link the 3 channels though as played alone the Normal is too fat with no top end, the Vib / Trem channel is sweet but a bit gutless, and the top boost is just plain fierce. When I link the 3 channels together I can use the channel volumes as extra tone controls. By blending all three can get you an amazing variety of sounds. My main problem is ever to find them again though as the amp never seems to want to sound the same two times running. It is a gloriously pig headed beast of an amp.


Andy.

Sounds like my AC30 Mine has a solid state rectifier which makes it a lot tighter sounding. But I can use the brilliant on its own withouth ruining ear drums. The normal is too chunky, ,the vib/trem is too flat.. .mix them all together and its heaven!

[TESLA_EL34]

I don't really understand why some people dislike that there's no trem or reverb.
If you need that, there are so many wonderful pedals. I have a tremolo pedal that
sounds better as the trem of my twin. No joke. Okay amp reverb is the best on the fender amps
but i didn't like the vox reverb as much.

What you get is a more PURE singnal path and more tone because of that.
I think about buying one.

[baytamusic]

I don't really understand why some people dislike that there's no trem or reverb.
If you need that, there are so many wonderful pedals. I have a tremolo pedal that
sounds better as the trem of my twin. No joke. Okay amp reverb is the best on the fender amps
but i didn't like the vox reverb as much.

What you get is a more PURE singnal path and more tone because of that.
I think about buying one.

Yeah man, Vox reverb sucks so you aren't missing anything. The reverb on my AC15 sounds like garbage. I think because it's not tube driven like Fender or old Ampeg reverb. I think I need to change the tank to an accutronics too. The reverb on my Pro Reverb was amazing. Miss it sometimes, but not how freaking loud that amp was.