Conference napalm::guitar

    
    Basically there are two types of Vox amps, the real ones form the
    UK and the US made ones that were built by Thomas Organ (who had
    the US franchise).  The US ones were mostly solid-state and include
    the dreaded Super Beatle model. The UK ones included the revered
    AC-30 which was *the* amp in the UK until Marshall cmae along.
    
    I used to own a US made Essex bass amp, and it was a nice sounding
    little box though hardly the sort of thing bassists would drool
    over.  I paid $90 second-hand, cleaned it up and sold it to a friend
    for $110.  Then a year later I saw one in Daddy's where they were
    asking $300 !!!!!  
    
    I recently saw an ad for an AC-30....$750 !!!!
    
    Gulp....
    
    

    "The" Vox amp to own is the AC30. These are demanding a high
    price on the vintage amp market. The "Beatle Vox" does not
    have the sound of the AC30. 
    
    I would call around to vintage instrument shops in your area
    and ask if anyone has an AC30 in stock. Mr. C's music in Marlboro
    often gets them in, but gets top dollar for them. The Want Ads
    often has a few listed. 
         
    Good luck,
    Mark

    I think the Vox amp to own is the AC30T.  It has an extra gain stage in
    it, as well as strappable input channels to get a vicious distortion! 

    
    If you were to find and AC30 or AC30T, I assume this would have
    been made in the UK. Would you then encounter any problems because
    of the differences in voltages (220V 50Hz) that the amp was supposed
    to be powered by (not to mention the completely different AC plug)??
    
    Mike D

    
    Just because AC30s were made in the UK doesn't mean they didn't
    make models for sale in the US!!!  I don't see too many Mardhalls
    around with UK power cords on them  8^)  8^)  8^)
           
    There also was a VOX reissue series made (in the UK) a few years back
    (early eighties)and distributed by a company called Primo, located
    right here in sunny Marlboro, MA. Unfortunately they went under!!!  But
    you may come across some relatively new tube Voxes as a result. 

    My AC30 (all those years ago) used to have a knob with different
    voltages marked on it (eg 120, 240). I remember hearing that you
    could get a killer distortion by setting it to 220V (which was the
    setting below the UK's 240V). I never had the guts to try it out
    though...
    
    Nick

    VOX enthusiasts will tell you an original is the only way to go,
    especially with the "top boost" option (AC30T).  I know a few places
    that import and restore original VOX AC30s and do stuff like add
    top boost mods to standard AC30s.  There's a real cult following
    for these amps.  Send mail if you're serious about exploring this
    avenue; be prepared to spend $500+.

    trivia:  one of the guys from the Hooters uses vintage AC30s on stage,
    Jeff Beck used an AC30 on "Beck's Bolero".

    /rick

    While the old AC30s are certainly the most desirable amps, don't
    overlook the "dreaded" super-beatles, buckinghams, etc.  I owned
    a SB briefly, long ago, and didnt't like cause it didn't scream
    like a marshall.  But my recolection is that, as solid-state amps
    go, it wasn't all that bad, and seemed to be pretty solidly built
    (looked kind of strange, though).  The thing is, don't overlook
    anything just because lots of people don't like them - it might
    be just what you want, at a price that reflects its lack of popularity
    more than it's lack of utility or quality.  I recall a time when
    you could pick up Jazzmasters, Mosrites, and just about any Gretsch
    for next to nothing, and look what they're going for now.
    
    						jb

    Hey, I'm sorry, but if A VOX Royal Guardsman was good enough for the
    rock band who did 'Snoopy Versus the Red Baron' (by strange coincidence
    they were the 'Royal Guardsmen'), it's good enough for me. But, back to
    reality (& my Twin reverb). The Transistor VOX amps happen to use
    germanium power transistors, and the output transformers happen to be
    biased specifically for these impossible to get output transistors,
    such that you would need an electrical engineer to reverse engineer the
    amp & correct for the output stage, if you ever had a failure. Why do
    I bring this up?? Those of us who are EE's remember that Germanium
    Power Transistors had this minor problem called thermal runaway. Once
    the transistor overheated, it automatically boosted it's gain, and
    immediately made itself warmer, which in turn boosted it's gain. As you
    can well imagine, this sometimes only took a fraction of a second to
    bring total distruction to the output transistors, and a very unique
    and pungent yellow cloud from the back of your VOX transistor
    amplifier. I repaired a few of these back in the late 1960's & at that
    time, Silcon and Germanium power transistors were used about evenly.
    Nowadays, nobody uses High Power germanium anything (except maybe
    Tunnel Diodes, since - if I remember correctly - these worked on the
    principal of negative resistance & never over heated, or something like
    that).

    If you get an old VOX transistor amplifier NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER
    short circuit the output stage, or EVER try a different impeadance
    speaker cabinet, as the results are likely to cause irreparable damage
    and yellow smoke.

    However, I thought that the Super Beatle sounded pretty good, and that
    the AC30 was sort of a Twin Reverb Clone (at least that's how I've
    heard it described in Guitar Player magazine).

			Jens_who's_been_playing_guitar_since_1964

    I just came from Liberty Music (1613 Concord St., Framingham -
    508-877-5272), and they have an AC30 marked down from $495.00 to
    $395.00.  I didn't try it, but cosmetically, at least, it appeared
    pretty clean.
    

    More useless trivia:  The Edge of U2 and Brian May of Queen both
    use (or used to use) VOX AC30s.  
    
    I believe that VOX quit building them for awhile, as I seem to remember
    an ad campain a couple of years ago or so talking about the AC30
    reissue modes. 
    
    Greg

    
    When the VOX AC30s were "reissued", did they keep them the same
    as the old ones (tubes, etc.)??
    
    Mike D

    I don't remember this real clearly, but my impression was that they
    were copies of the "vintage" amp. 
    
    Greg

    
    The early 80s reissue AC30s used tubes, whether or not there were
    circuit changes since the 60s, who knows.  
    
    

    
    Well, we went down and tried the amp last night. My friend bought
    it. There wasn't a scratch on it! The tubes in it sounded good to
    me. That typical warm tube distortion sound. The amp has 2  12"
    Celestions in it, and sounds great!  Pretty good deal for $395 I'd
    say. Thanks Joe Befumo for letting me know about it. Also thanks
    to everyone else in here for all the information on Vox amps. Now
    I have a couple more questions...
    
    First, are there any UK noters out there that could get their hands
    on an owner's manual for the AC30? There are a couple of questions
    on the features that I need answers for.. Like what is that CUT
    knob for? (It's in the "tone" section)
    
    Also, my friend Mark seems to remember that some studio guy he knew
    used to use short patch cords to jumper from one set of inputs to
    the others in such a way that some incredible sounds were achieved.
    I know it sounds kinda weird, patching input jacks to other input
    jacks, but the guy that did it runs a 24-track studio, and used
    to be a crack keyboard technician. He knows what he's doing,
    apparently. Anybody hear of a trick like that?
    
    Also there may be a problem with reverb in this amp. When switched
    on, using the footswitch, all you get is a loud (60 Hz) hum--no
    reverb. This could be a bad footswitch, or the reverb tank could
    be disconnected for some reason, or the reverb could just be fried
    (seems unlikely given the pristine condition of the rest of the
    amp). Anybody know? Have any clues? Does anybody know if the reverbs
    are prone to failure on these amps?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mike D
    

    if you have 2 inputs to the channels you can plug into one channel,
    run a cord from the other input (in that channel) to the other channel
    and use both simultaniously if the channels are not switched.
    
    dbii

    works great on old Fenders, too.
    
    Danny W

    
    But what does it do? Does it make it sound louder, or make it overdrive
    easier (more distortion) or what?  There are six inputs on the Vox
    (3 channel x a High and Low input on each) set up this way:
    
    Brilliant  Normal  Vibrato  <---Channels
    
       o         o        o     <----High inputs
    
       o         o        o     <----Low inputs
    
    
    What would be the most effective combination(s) to use?
    
    Mike D
    

    > What would be the most effective combination(s) to use?

    I'd do this:
        
    Guitar  Brilliant  Normal  Vibrato  <---Channels
      | 
      |---------o  /-------o        o     <----High inputs
                | /        |
                o/         o        o     <----Low inputs

    I'd do this at least.  This is like the common Marshall strapping
    technique.  If I could get more gain by strapping from the normal/low
    input to the vibrato/high input without the vibrato actually on I'd do
    that as well. 
    
    What strapping channels does is allow you to EQ your tube distortion.
    it doesn't make it any louder, however, you'd have a bright channel
    distortion, then a (bass) normal channel tone, etc.  You can mix them
    together to get a tone.  Strap them all together and turn it all
    to 10...should sound good.
    
    :^>

    
    Just looked over my reply.  Note that the High and Low sensitivity
    inputs are parallel, so you don't need a patch cord from the high to
    the low input (as my picture kind of implied -- sorry).  So, you'd plug
    the guitar into bright/high, then a short cord from bright/low to
    normal/high, then a short cord from normal/low to vib/high. At this
    point all three channels should be active. 

    
    re .19
    
    I remember that in the control section for the vibrato channel,
    there was an On/Off switch as well as a speed and intensity knobs.
    So it is possible to use the vibrato channel without the vibrato
    actually being on.
     
    Thanks for all the suggestions. Will try these combinations.
    
    Mike D

    
    Does anybody know what the list price was/is for a VOX AC30? 
    The guy at Liberty Music said $900, but I don't believe him.
    
    Mike D

    
    Actually, I believe the last officially imported AC30s were about
    that.  Remember, all tube and UK made means big bucks.
    
    

    I saw that Vox amp in Liberty music. They told me it is American
    made.
    
    

    
    It says "Made in England" on the back of it.
    
    Mike D

    
    Does anybody have the address or phone number of the closest Vox
    distributor here in the US?
    
    Mike D

    Re: .25
    
    The US made Voxes said "Made by Thomas Organ Co.", making it pretty
    obvious!!!
    
    

    FWIW my first amp was a VOX AC30 and I picked it up used (great
    condition) from a store in Oldham (U.K.) for 45pounds (about $60).
    I must admit that it was about 14 years ago, but that's some
    inflation!!
    
    Anybody else remember these prices?
    
    Ken
    

    Ken,
    
    I remember something close to those prices! I think I paid eighty
    quid for my AC30 about ten or twelve years ago... sold it for forty
    a few years later. Ho hum...
    
    Nick

    Nick, I'm living in Toronto now, so I have to make do with inflated
    North American prices for U.K. stuff (at least I think they're
    inflated). What would one go for now? The next time I'm over it
    might be worth picking one up used, if you can still get them that
    is. It seems to me that the prices are not determined by what it
    costs to build, but by what the unsuspecting public is prepared
    to fork out. I also remember paying 200 quid for a '64 S.G. and
    a 50W marshall stack around the same time. I'd hate to think what
    they would cost me now!
    
    Ken
    

    Ken,
    
    I've no idea what AC30s go for these days. I'll try to look out
    a copy of Melody Maker tonight, and see if any are advertised...
    
>    I also remember paying 200 quid for a '64 S.G. and
>    a 50W marshall stack around the same time. I'd hate to think what
>    they would cost me now!
     
    Don't even ask!!!!!!
    
    Nick

    
    Hey Nick,
    
    can I ask a favor (favour)? I 'd like to get an owner's manual for
    the AC30, but I can't locate a VOX distributor over here (Maynard
    MA, USA). Is there any way you could either get a manual or find
    a phone number for a VOX distributor over here? There used to be
    one in Marlboro MA, but they aren't there anymore, and they left
    no forwarding address or phone number. I'm trying to avoid making
    a long distance phone call to the UK if possible.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mike D'Iorio

    Yo Mike,
    	Real glad to hear things worked out!  See ya.
    
    						joe b

    Hi,
    
    Just a quick note to say I haven't forgotten about Vox - I've found
    their address, which for those who are interested is:
    
    Vox Ltd,
    8-9 Crystal Way,
    The Crystal Centre,
    Elmgrove Rd,
    Harrow
    Middlesex HA1 2YR
    
    I haven't found their phone number yet, but once I have, I'll contact
    them to see if they've got old manuals...
    
    Oh, and by the way, I've looked at ads for AC30s, and they seem
    to go for between 250 and 350 pounds...
    
    Nick

    
    Thanks Nick. I guess my friend got a good deal at $395 American
    for the AC30! I'm glad you haven't forgotten about getting the phone
    number.
    
    Mike D

    With the exchange rate being about 2-1 at the moment, $395 is a
    good deal! We have a slight problem with the phone number - directory
    enquiries haven't got a number for them... I've had this problem
    before with other musical suppliers. Perhaps you'd care to drop
    them a line. With a US postmark, it'd probably impress them enough
    to send you a photocopy of the relevant manual, if they've got it...
    
    Sorry I can't be more help.
    
    Nick

    when i played with the joe perry project, i used two super beatles and
    two royal guardsmen.  i played through a coloursound overdrive pedal
    and always had the "MRB" circut ON.(mid range boost).  I thought those
    amps sounded great!!! i also had an english ac-50 powering two berkley
    cabinets.  the super beatles had 4-12 s and two horns, the royal
    guardsmen has 2-12s and one horn and the berkley had two tens.  
    the horns always blew out but i thought it sounded better disconnecting
    the horns and passive crossovers and going through speakers only.
    the amps were very old and fell apart on the road.  i could never find
    anone to work on them and they finally had to all be laid to rest.
    i still have a one ten vox CAMBRIDGE that needs to be repaired.  anyone
    know anyone who can fix these things?  I'd love to get this up and
    running!...i also have a vox 12 string that is so great that i sold my
    fender electric 12 and my rickenbacker 12 because it sounded better and
    stayed in tune better....and i know that most vox guitars are
    interesting looking but not very good guitars..this one is a gem!!

    I also have a VOX Cambridge that needs a footswitch.  It doesn't look
    like it has any other way of switching channels on it and it is stuck
    on clean.
    
    The jack looks like a DIN connector.  Anyone know where VOX parts can
    be bought in the U.S.?  I'll probably end up selling it once I get it
    set up.
    
    Mike

      I had a chance to pick up a VOX AC-40 amp head about eight years
    ago for $400. It had new tubes and capacitors in it. The guy that
    had gutted it and made it fly was Doc Stillwell who used to do
    Ritchie Blackmore's boosted Marshalls back in the big DP days. 
    I played it through a power soak (I know, I know) and a 4 X 12
    cab and it was awesome. In retrospect I think $400 was reasonable.
    
    							-BoOm-

    Apparently the VOX AC-30 is being reissued, in the UK at least (the
    press release I saw didn't give a US distibutor).  They didn't mention
    the top boost option, though they would be crazy not to have it, since
    that is the most prized version.  Available in black or brown
    coverings, no prices listed.
    
    							Brian

    I finally received some info from VOX on my amp today.  They don't have
    any of the parts in stock, but sent me the schematics for it.  If
    anyone else has a VOX Cambridge Reverb amp, let me know and I'll send
    you a copy.
    
    They also sent me a brochure on the new AC30 reissue and a booklet
    telling the history of the AC30.
    
    BTW - They're now owned by Rose Morris & Co., Ltd.
    
    Mike

    Just for the record, I worked for Pr1mo who was the VOX dist in the 
    US, in Marlboro.  The new Vox AC30's are not the best made, although
    Rose Morris is trying hard.  Try to find a older (pre-75) unit and have
    it fixed up.
    
    If anyone needs any Vox fixed, I have complete schematics of ALL 
    US/UK (USUK?) items.  I've been fixing these things for over 15
    years, and will help ya get the pig running.  I also re-furbished
    the Edge's 2 units on their last U2 tour.
    
    Jay Tashjian
    

    I noticed something in the new Guitar Player about a company called
    Matchless Amplifiers who are making an amp line that's supposed to be
    faithful to the design of the AC30.  
    
    Two channels, one with Top Boost, one without.  List ranges from about
    $1500 - $2400.  Seems like a lot to me...
    
    Greg

      ...and check this out - Matchless makes a rack-mount version of its
    AC-30 TB clone!!!! I expected these to be pricey, just like an AC-30.
    I SHOULDA bought that AC-40 for $400 when I had a chance 8 years ago.
    They are real rare and this one was a Jennings manufactured amp. 
      FWIW - the Matchless combo amps look Fugly. Finally the M-1000
    has some competition in that department!!
    
    							-B()()M-

    I'd agree on the cosmetics, really bland lookin in the photo in GP.
    
    gh

    I read somewhere that the Peavey copy of the Fender 4x10 Bassman is
    actually more like an AC30 than a Bassman. Suppossedly, the Peavey
    uses the same tubes as an AC30. I doubt they are setup like an AC30
    though, as far as running class A with heat shrouds over the power
    tubes.
    
    Mark

    My friend just traded his Marshall JTM 45 2x12 combo ( expertly
    modified ) and his Midiverb II for a Peavey Classic 4x10 combo.
    He said the thing sounds more like a Marshall than his Marshall does.
    These are supposedly really hot amps for the money. I have yet to hear
    it however.
    
    BK

     Now THAT sounds like a GREAT TRADE!!!!!!
    -next thing you know, old Coop will be trading his puke-rack for one!
    -Bill  B^) x1000

    >-next thing you know, old Coop will be trading his puke-rack for one!
    
    While this is a very good idea, it'll never happen!

    So, uh, has anybody seen any AC-30Ts around for sale lately here in 
    the Boston area?

    
    
      If that's a new one, then that's a CHEAP price. List on the new
    AC-30 TB that Korg is distributing is $1,999!!!! Oh, you want the 
    "Bulldog" speaker option? That'll be $2,499!! Maybe the dealer
    markup is 300% so they can either gouge you or dicount the he!! out of
    it!
    							-BOOM-

    That price might not be out of line. I saw a new one at a guitar show
    with a $1000 price tag on it.
    
    How many watts are those??

   >> Oh, you want the "Bulldog" speaker option?
    
    
    B{0}{0}Mer,
    
    That's *Bull d a w g*, thank you very much......
    
    8^}

    >>  How many watts are those??
    
    Assuming they are more or less faithful to the original design, that
    would be spec'd at about 33 watts.... 33 VERY VERY LOUD watts.
    
    As mentioned previously, vintage AC-30 TB's from the mid-60s go for 
    about $1600 or so in very good condition and are built quite nicely.  
    I can't understand why anyone would pay a huge amount more for a new 
    one.
    
    							Marc

    AC30's may have limited bells and whistles, but who needs bells and
    whistles in an amp, anyways. AC30's are one of the best sounding
    guitar amps around, bar none. 
    
    The older AC30's had a tendency to perform smoke shows without
    warning. It was thought that this was because of the class A 
    operation and the high temp they run at. I heard that the real
    reason is because when they designed the US version to run on
    110vac, they chose the wrong transformer. For years, the US
    amps have been running with bogus power supplies.
    
    One of the owners of "Matchless" has a repair shop in Boston
    and specializes in repairing AC30's. He does a mod to US
    AC30's that makes them run right. A friend of mine had the 
    mod done on his AC30 last time it smoked. The amp ran great
    after he got it back. Unfortunately, someone stole it out of
    his truck. Major bummer. The mod consists of replacing the 
    power supply with a British supply that is made to run on the
    British power standard (220vac??). He supplies you with a
    power convertor that converts the 110vac(60hz)  to 220vac (50hz).
    The jerk that stole my buddies amp doesn't know this. Chances
    are he smoked it right away.
    
    Mark

>    So, uh, has anybody seen any AC-30Ts around for sale lately here in 
>    the Boston area?

     Re - .50

     So Marc, you ended up getting an AC30 Reissue right? How about
     a review? Are the EQ controls real funtional? How's the tremolo?
     What about Celestions vs the VOX Bulldogs? And whatsit sound like
     on 11? %^)

     Inquiring-GTS-sufferer
     Neal     

    >> So Marc, you ended up getting an AC30 Reissue right? How about
    >> a review? Are the EQ controls real funtional? How's the tremolo?
    >> What about Celestions vs the VOX Bulldogs? And whatsit sound like
    >> on 11? %^)
    
    No, I ended up getting the real thing... circa 1965 gray panel TB.
    
    When I was shopping, I tried a late 70s model I saw in the want ads. 
    Don't recall whether this was a British or US-made model.  Had reverb,
    which really sucked.  This is the amp that caused me to post the
    previous note asking if it was normal for AC30s to be underpowered and
    not very trebly.  Not a bad amp, but nothing special.
    
    The eq on my '65 are _quite_ functional.  There's a brilliant channel
    which can shatter teeth with its high end.  This channel has bass and
    treble eq which make quite a difference.  There's a normal channel
    with a single "cut" eq control.  This channel sounds muffled and
    useless by itself, but brings up the bottom and midrange beautifully
    when paralleled with the bright channel.
    
    The tremolo sucks.  I've tried outboard trem effects and I think they
    suck too, so maybe it's just me.
    
    I have no idea what the amp sounds like on 11... never been there.  For
    big clubs, I run it at about 4 on the brilliant and normal in parallel,
    and it is VERY loud.
    
    Overall, I've been ecstatic about this amp every time I've plugged in.
    
    As an aside, I did have a chance to try out the new reissue about two
    months ago, only for a short time, but I had a very positive
    impression.  Seemed to be pretty much like mine... maybe a little bit
    less natural compression.  But the price for the reissue was the same 
    as the price for the genuine article.  Don't know how well the reissue
    is built.  The old ones are very rugged in my experience.
    

    But does it make you sound like Brian May?

    There's a full review of the Vox AC30 TB reissue in a recent edition of
    the UK "Guitarist" magazine. I'll bring it in and try to paraphrase
    what the reviewer said.
    
    From what I remember, he waxed lyrical about everything but the price
    ("way beyond the means of the average working class guitarist, who'd be
    better advised to look for a vintage AC30 - considerably cheaper,
    ironically!"). I think the only other negative comment concerned
    misleading labels on the tremolo and reverb knobs, but I could be
    wrong.
    
    Dom

     Re - .59

     Thanks Marc. That's what I was looking for.

     Neal

    I was lucky enough to play thru a Vox AC30T (Vintage) at a local
    pawn joint - It RIPPED!!!
    
    Then I play thru a re-issue of a AC30T at a local "new gear" joint...
    In comparison, it sucked.  Lacking in  gain and tone.  If I had an
    extra $1K, I'd pick up the vintage for a practice amp...
    
    jc

    Coop, if it was only $1K, and it was in good shape, buy it. You can
    easily make a cool profit on it. They regularly sell for $2k in
    the Boston area.
    
    Mark
    
     

    
    
    A friend of mine was also disappointed with the AC30 reissue, at least in
comparison to an original AC30 Top Boost from the sixties that he'd played
through.

However, I had another glance at the review that I mentioned in .61 and it was
overwhelmingly positive. This isn't always the case in "Guitarist" either. I've
seen them nail some items in their equipment reviews - they certainly seem more
immune to backhanders than most specialist magazines! 

The reviewer stressed that, with regard to the reissue, Vox have made a
sensible  compromise between total authenticity and safety/reliability. New
features include a standby switch to protect the valves and larger ventilation
grilles to ensure a better supply of cool air. 

His only qualms, apart from the exorbitant retail price of �1050 (with
Celestions), were:

 - Re. the "vib-trem" channel, Vox seem to have got the "vibrato" (alternation 
   in pitch) and "tremolo" (alternation in volume) indicators the wrong way 
   round!

 - The reissue does not offer an intensity control for the tremolo, so the
   effect is rather "jagged".

   

    Dom

> - Re. the "vib-trem" channel, Vox seem to have got the "vibrato" (alternation 
>   in pitch) and "tremolo" (alternation in volume) indicators the wrong way 
>   round!
    
    That's OK, Fender has insisted on mislabeling the two since the fifties!
    
    Dave

    My vintage AC30T does not have an intensity control for the tremolo.  
    Only the selector between vib and trem and a speed control.  By
    paralleling this channel in with the normal and brilliant, you can mix
    the amount of effect, which accomplishes the "depth" function.  BTW -
    the trem channel shares the single CUT eq control with the normal
    channel and sounds like the normal channel (kinda dull) by itself. I
    don't recall whether the vib/trem selector is backwards or not.  I just
    put it on the setting that sounds less bad.
    
    I am surprised to hear Coop say the reissue sucked compared to a
    vintage.  As I mentioned, I thought it was fairly close... definitely
    didn't come anywhere near sucking.  Maybe this wasn't the latest
    reissue, but an earlier one???  As for price, the reissue I saw had a
    tag of $1500, which is about what vintage units in very good condition 
    are going for.  I would agree that a true vintage unit (red panel or 
    grey panel) in good condition for $1000 is a steal.
    
    

    Hi,
    
    Well I own two Vintage AC-30's, one from the late fifties and one from
    the mid-sixties. The younger one is with original blue speakers.
    
    Having read the previous notes on their supposed worth in $$, I think I
    may up my insurance cover!
    
    I use one for rehearsal and two live. I don't bother too much with any
    of the knobs except for the volume. I equalize using a 2x15 band
    graphic, one channel for each amp.
    
    The noise they make is frightening. I can't really stand in front of
    them after about volume level 4 without feeling dizzy! I did find it
    hard to believe they only produced 33 Watts so a few years back when I
    was having one overhauled, I got the guy to check that power to the
    speakers. He recorded 180 Watts peak! 
    
    To me, they are the only guitar amp worth playing through. I've tried
    numerous other makes (Marshall stacks, Fenders Twins, Roland Jazz,
    Peavey's) and they don't come near. If you really need to penetrate
    through the rest of the band for a solo, this is it! My only worry is
    that everytime I plug them in, there will be a blue flash and a
    burning smell, but it hasn't happened yet!
    
    Dave Pegg 

    
    Well, I'm off to try out an original AC30 this evening - it's s/hand, but 
    could be mine for the incredible price of $420 (approx. conversion from
    Italian lire)!
    
    It all came about because I happened to pop round to my local music
    store a couple of days ago (correction: the *only* music store in the
    vicinity) to buy some fluid for cleaning my guitar strings. As I left
    the shop, I happened to glance back in through the window...and there
    it was staring at me! I was back in in a flash, and the dealer, who I
    know a little (I always buy my guitar accessories there) explained that
    it was his old amp, and that he'd just decided to fit new valves and
    sell it. And it was on sale at 700,000 lire!
    
    The apparent advantages of the deal are countless: 
    
    a) It's the amp I've always wanted, but hadn't dared to dream about!
    b) AC30s in Italy are few and far between
    c) The price would be mouth-watering even back in Britain
    d) It's got brand new valves
    e) I know and trust the seller (always important)
    f) The music shop where I can test it is no more than a minute's drive 
       from home.
    g) The wife seems to have no real objections (well, I've spent little
       or nothing for a few months now, and I *did* paint the garage last
       Saturday!)
    
    Only snag (and the wife's only possible objection): where do I put it? 
    Space in our flat is really at a premium now - I really am struggling
    to think where I can stuff it.
    
    Anyone know the exact measurements (yes, every millimetre is precious!)
    and weight of an AC30 TB?
    
    I'll let you know how it goes.
    
    Dom  
    
    
    Only snag

    Given the conditions you list, I don't think I'd have even left the
    shop without having the thing in my hand.  As far as space, if it was
    something I needed that bad, I'd keep it in my car, under my kitchen
    table, use it as a coffee table, or whatever!
    
    Greg

Current Lark Street flyer lists a 1964 AC30 Top Boost for $1800.

    I don't have any good ideas for where to stash it, but if you do go for
    it and it's somewhat underfoot think about getting a cover for it. 
    There's a U.S. firm called Tuki that makes nice padded cordura covers for
    vintage amps; they'll do everything, even custom shapes, but I'm sure
    they've already done bunches of AC30s.  
    
    btw, nice hunting.  Congratulations!
    
    /rick

    you can store it at my house for a while if you want.

    Either the dealer has no clue what the amp is worth, there's no market
    for AC30s around your way, there's something very wrong with the amp,
    it's not an original AC30... whatever, because that price is WAY low.
    Upwards of $2K is the going rate in the USA for vintage AC30s in very
    good condition.
    
    But crank it a little and if it grabs you, grab it.

    Interestingly enough, I was at a local shop today picking up a repair
    item and they'd just gotten a little Cambridge Reverb combo in on
    trade.  It's a single channel 1x12 solid state combo with reverb and
    tremelo.  This one was in mint condition and had a pretty cool sound.
    
    Anyone know what these things typically sell for?
    
    Greg

    re: last few

Thanks, all of you, for your advice and encouragement.

Well, I went for it (as if there was ever going to be any doubt!). I still
can't offer any real explanation as to why the guy was prepared to sell at such
a low price. To give you an idea of the sort of deal I got, I paid 700,000 
Italian lire; the Vox AC30 TB Reissue lists here at an astounding 2,950,000 
lire!

I played through it for about an hour last night, and it totally lived up to
expectations. The owner told me that he had gigged solidly over the last 7/8
years with it and pushed it pretty hard too. However, he's always taken good
care of it (the only sign of wear is the white taping around the speaker grille
which is coming loose at one point), especially when transporting it to and
from gigs. Even the footswitch for the vibrato/tremolo channel has the real
vintage look to it. 

Incidentally, the guy did make one modification: one of the inputs to the
vibrato/tremolo channel has been replaced by a tone control. Apparently, in
normal circumstances, the bass, treble and cut controls can only be used on the
brilliant channel (anyone like to confirm/deny that?)

Anyway, I'll be round to pick it up at the weekend. I've left it with the owner
for a couple more days while we create space for it in the house (it's
touch-and-go whether we sell the washing machine, the fridge or the cooker
;-)).

Dom 

P.S. I shall certainly be taking up the advice about buying a cover -
    although it'll take more than that to protect it from my two-year old
    daughter!

    >>  Even the footswitch for the vibrato/tremolo channel has the real
    >>  vintage look to it.
    
    Sorta-breast-shaped grey metal thing with rubber bottom, right? 
    Charming, isn't it?  How about other details... what color grille? 
    Greenish, reddish, tan?  What coler control panel?  Grey?
    
    >>  Apparently, in normal circumstances, the bass, treble and cut 
    >>  controls can only be used on the brilliant channel (anyone like 
    >>  to confirm/deny that?)

    The bass and treble affect the brilliant channel, the cut affects the
    normal and trem/vib channels.  Try driving the brilliant and normal
    channels in parallel.  First get a nice trebly sound on the brilliant
    channel with the normal volume off, then raise the normal volume to
    give it more mid and low punch.  You can get a very wide variety of
    sounds this way.

    
    >Sorta-breast-shaped grey metal thing with rubber bottom, right? 
    >Charming, isn't it?  
    
    That's the one - nothing like any other footswitch I've ever seen!
    
    >How about other details... what color grille? Greenish, reddish, tan?  
    >What coler control panel?  Grey?
    
    Well, I'll try and post some sort of review next week; I still haven't
    brought the beast home so I'm mainly going on memory here! I think the
    grille was black or dark grey (or maybe just needed cleaning!). The
    control panel was dark grey.

    >The bass and treble affect the brilliant channel, the cut affects the
    >normal and trem/vib channels.  Try driving the brilliant and normal
    >channels in parallel.  First get a nice trebly sound on the brilliant
    >channel with the normal volume off, then raise the normal volume to
    >give it more mid and low punch.  You can get a very wide variety of
    >sounds this way.

    Any more advice of this sort would be much appreciated. I only played
    through it for about 40 mins; call me ignorant, but I was under the
    impression that each channel was totally autonomous/separate...hence
    the individual volume controls. So I'm a bit confused by this talk of
    operating the amp in parallel.
    
    Do you have any tips about maintenance? I've played through valve amps
    before (Soldano and Carvin, mainly), but never actually owned one. The
    owner said that he replaced the valves a couple of months ago, but he
    only did it for the hell of it, i.e. the amp showed no signs of needing
    revalving! I know the AC30 TB reissue has a standby switch, which the
    original doesn't have. Is there anything basic I should do to avoid
    sending it up in smoke?
    
    Even hints about transporting it would be helpful too. It's lighter
    than I expected (though I'm glad my block of flats has got a lift!),
    but I really want to look after this amp right from the start. God
    knows, s/he's probably as old as I am!
    
    Thanks a lot,
      Dom
    

    Cool snarf, Dom. Congrats.

    --Ron

    Grey panels are mid-60s, I think.
    
    Then channels are separate... I'm suggesting driving them in parallel
    (e.g., with a Y-cable).  You can also try plugging into the brillint
    high and running a short cord from brilliant low to normal high (or
    other combinations).  I found this to be noisy.  Since I use 
    an effects processor with stereo outputs (but never use any stereo
    effects on stage), I just run the left output to the brilliant channel 
    and the right output to the normal channel.  After setting up the
    brilliant channel to sound nice, bring up the normal channel volume
    and listen to the effect.  The sound changes quite a bit as you vary
    the mix between the two channels.  Then again, this is how I use it...
    you may prefer just running the brilliant channel.  I think you'll
    agree that the normal channel is useless by itself, though.
    
    Another thing to try is to feed the amp a pretty hot signal.  You
    can overload the input stages just a bit and it can sound good
    that way.  Again, this is easy for me because I can jack up the output
    of my effect processor.  I once played a friend's Les Paul direct into 
    it which had very hot pickups, and it sounded great.
    
    I haven't maintained my AC30 at all other than cosmetic and mechanical
    (gluing vinyl, replacing rubber feet, etc.).  But I've only had it
    about two years, gig only about twice a month, and don't use it in
    rehearsals (we rehearse using headphones... everything direct to a
    mixing board).  At a gig I turn it on early and leave it on all night. 
    Don't put anything blocking the three heat vents on top.  Don't spill
    drinks or pancake batter down the vents either.
    
    I own a padded amp cover... cost about $60.  I always carry
    the amp by the two outside handles... never by the single middle
    handle.  I learned to do this when the middle handle broke and the 
    amp fell down a flight of stairs after putting a hole in the wall.  
    The handle was probably defective, but I'll never risk it again.

    
    
      I have the Vox Book and it has a lot of AC30 info as well as the 
    whole line of amps through the years. It really is a fairly interesting
    book since the company went through so many changes over the years.
    There's plenty of pictures of their endorsees as well. 
      One of the more interesting pieces was regarding the best known
    Vox endorsees, the Beatles. Brian Epstein had Vox replace the old AC15's
    that the Beatles used in their early days (Cavern CLub) with new
    AC30's. The only payment was the AC15's in trade and a verbal agreement 
    that the Beatles would ALWAYS use Vox amps.
    
    								-JohnR-

    >>  The only payment was ... a verbal agreement that the Beatles 
    >>  would ALWAYS use Vox amps.
    
    Which they didn't, of course.  Unclear when the switch happened. 
    Probably in 1967 or later, they were using fender amps.  Still, I
    think Vox got a reasonable deal on that one.
    
    On a similar note, I doubt Rickenbacker regrets supplying the Beatles
    with instruments.

>    On a similar note, I doubt Rickenbacker regrets supplying the Beatles
>    with instruments.

    Nor Ludwig. Bill Ludwig III told me that Ludwig sold umpteen thousand
    million of those gray pearloid kits. Of course if you were paying
    attention back then you didn't need a Ludwig to tell you that to figure
    it out. All you needed was a drummer friend that was trying to order
    one in '65 or '66. "Backordered how many months?"

    --Ron

    This month's edition of the Guitarist magazine has a superb series of
    articles (about 30 pages) dedicated to Vox. Sure, most of them deal
    with  the Vox AC30, but there are some interetsing snippets of
    information about  the "other" Vox amps (AC15, Cambridge, the AC30s
    made by the Thomas Organ Co. in the U.S.), Vox foot pedals, and Vox
    guitars (including the infamous Vox organ guitar).
    
    There's a full interview with the bloke who developed the AC30 (name
    escapes me at the moment), quotes from famous users (everyone from Hank
    Marvin to George Harrison to Bryan Adams to Brian May), an article
    about the legendary blue speakers, and loads of anecdotes and pictures.
    
    If you are already the proud owner of an AC30, or you are interested in 
    buying one, I'd say this edition is a must.
                                     
    Dom
    

    Although a new note was recently created concerning AC30 valves (note 
    3060), I thought I'd better enter this in here (the stock Vox AC30
    note!).
    
    I thought it was about time I had a crack at the parallel channel
    mixing trick (using patch cords) that most AC30 owners seem to try sooner 
    or later. It's very well described in here (notes .19, .20, .77, and
    .80), but I've still got a couple of queries:
    
    1) Can anyone confirm that there are no damaging side-effects to the
       amp?
    2) Are patch cords commercially available for doing the job, or am I
       best advised to ask someone to make me some? (Before you mention 
       it, I don't think *I'm* up to the job!)
    
    Thanks for your help,
    
    		Dom

    There's nothing magical about the chords; just use spare guitar chords
    to try the effect out.  If it's something you think you'll want to do
    all the time, or onstage, etc. then you may want to invest in some
    shorter chords just to keep the clutter down.  There are commercially
    available ones, commonly used for chaining effects boxes together.
    Music Emporium, for example, sells a pack of 6 for $10.
    
    I've never tried this on a Vox, but I have done it on old 4-input
    Marshalls and dual channel Fenders with no ill effects.  
    
    /rick

    Same here.I sometimes run a patch from my 'bright' channel to my 'bass'
    channel on my Bassman.Sounds pretty neat,kinda throws in a little more
    mid's.
    
    -kev

    I've been paralleling channels in every way imaginable for quite some
    time and have never had any problem whatsoever.  Right now I happen to
    have a Korg A4 with stereo outputs... I send one output to the
    brilliant channel and the other to the normal channel.  As mentioned,
    there's nothing special about the cables, regular or "Y", which you'd
    used to parallel channels.
    
    Since my last posting, I've broken _another_ handle.  This time, I was
    carrying the amp by the two outside handles and one of them still
    broke.  At least the amp didn't take a trip down the stairs this time,
    as I was still holding it by the other handle.  I've completely lost
    faith in the plastic reissue handles.  I've recently learned that Vox
    offers leather reissue handles... I may check these out soon.  Wouldn't
    be at all surprised to find a set of three costing over $100.
    
    							Marc
                                                            

    Marc,
    
    If the Vox price for handles is high try checking out the Crate Vintage
    Club or the Peavey Clasic series handles.  They are leather and I bet
    they will fit right on your Vox amp.
    
    Mark

    Personally, I think $100 for three leather handles is a bit steep; this
    reissue business is really getting ridiculous.
    
    To think that back in the sixties, the Vox AC30 was considered to be
    *the* working man's amp. Practically every '60s beat group used either
    Vox or Selmer (which were cheaper still).
    
    So I wonder what Vox would now charge for an amp cover (with the Vox
    logo sprayed all over it)...
    
    Dom

    I haven't actually priced the handles... just guessing based on about
    $20 each for the plastic ones.  What I _should_ do is complain. 
    Handles breaking even when I'm carrying using two handles is BS.

    
    
      North Coast Music in MN sells AC30T re-issues for $1285 with 
    "greenback" speakers and ~$1585 with the Vox "blues". A used
    AC50 can be had for around $675. This place also carries a full
    line of Vox spares including the famous inflated $ leather handles.
    
      In some ways I think the price is high, but Voxes do hold their 
    valuse better than most amps.
    

    
    
      I'm getting real close on picking one of these up. I'm interested in 
    having one amp that's "different" from the rack and whatever other
    piece of gear I happen to not sell. 
      I tried an AC30TB at the House of Guitars a litte over a year ago.
    I loved the amp, hated the >$2000 price. Now that I know I can get one 
    in the $1200 range, I've got my GTS again. 
      It does seem that a few other manufacturers have gone after this
    AC30 image thing recently. Bedrock tried it a while back. Of course 
    there's Matchless at the real high-end. And I notied a Laney at 
    Acton Music that was very VOXish. And now Marshall (shudder) has 
    a 30 watt tube combo that even though it doesn't look the part is
    right in the same power/size ratio. 
      I say - take a 30 watter and CRANK IT!

  This was originally a short memo to Buckmeister since he mentioned to me that 
he never really checked into VOX. Given that the AC30 has been around for 
35 years (!) and that my "short" memo turned into a quick history lesson
I figured I'd post it here.

From:	DABEAN::REAUME        2-MAY-1995 09:40:26.33
To:	REAUME       ! FILE COPY
CC:	
Subj:	vox

  You've lived a sheltered life Buck! VOX defined the British guitar sound in
the sixties and still has a lot of viability today. The book I showed you gives
a lot of insight into the ups and downs of VOX. Of course the Beatles were the 
most visible endorsee for VOX, but numerous other bands made use of their gear.
In more recent years it's been U2, Tom Petty, and Bryan Adams that have been
Vox users. The VOX book also gives a lot of credit to Brian May of Queen
that has been a steadfast AC30 user (he typically has about nine of them set up.
on stage).
  The reason the Vox amps originally died out in the early seventies were:
1) hard rock bands started using higher power amps. Bands like Cream,
Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix experience were extolling virtues of
the Marshall stack. Bands in those days played off the stage and PA systems
were mostly used exclusively for vocals (a soundman's nightmare). Anyone
with a 30 watt AC30 just couldn't "keep up" with a Marshall stack.
2) VOX was one of the purveyors of solid state. These assumed that musicians
would appreciate the lighter weight, lower maintenance, and lower cost of a 
solid state amp. In fact they risked their reputation on it. All at a time
when the AC30 tube amp was considered one of the better sounding amps. It is
the only VOX model to withstand the test of time!
3) VOX made an agreement with Thomas Organ company in the US to manufacture
and market VOX amps. The US models bore NO resemblance to the British AC30's
and many American VOX buyers were perplexed as to why their VOX amps didn't
sound that great. They were TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AMPS built on different
sides of the Atlantic. The only thing in common was the NAME! Any of the books 
from Groove Tubes (the tube amp book) point this out. As a matter of fact,
Aspen Pittman wrote that the AC30TB was possibly the best amp ever made!

  I'll have more to say after the acid test (like about a month gigging with 
the AC30). Since I've made my first retro move, it might as well a big one!

CC: BVILLE::REAUME

    Excellent choice!   ;^)
    
    Did you get a vintage unit or a reissue?
    
    							Marc

    
      Mine is the re-issue from Korg - even though there probably is more 
    appeal to a pre-'64  "JMI" built VOX, the re-issues that Korg is
    distributing is the most faithful re-issue in terms of quality and 
    staying with the original design. They are using the GZ34 rectifier
    tube. The re-issues for the eighties used bridge rectifiers and 
    that affects the tonal character. They offer the choice of Celestion
    greenbacks or big bucks for the Vox "blue" speakers (~$300 more!).
    I went with the greenbacks.
      Marc - where do you normally have your volume. I'm excited about
    having a 30 watt amp instead of a fire-breathing 100 watter, just
    to get the power tube overdrive. I might end up with a Korg A4 like
    you have. In any case whatever I use for effects will have a built in
    tuner and possibly the ext control outs so I can still use it with 
    my REXX gear. 

    My usual setup is to drive both the brilliant and normal channels from
    the stereo outputs of the A4.  I then set the volume of the brilliant
    channel to about what the particular club/stage will take.  Normally
    pretty low... about 3-5.  Tone on the brillint channel has bass at
    about 3 and treble at about 8.  [At least I think the bass is on 3. 
    Can't remember if this knob is "backwards" or not.  I know the treble
    is on 8 as in "almost maximum treble setting" and I also know that the
    bass and treble knobs point away from each other in my setup, so that
    should nail it.] 
    
    Then I bring up the normal channel volume to boost the mids and lows 
    to taste.  Tone, er... "cut" on the normal channel varies from almost
    full bass (1.0001) to some treble added (3).  I use the A4's output 
    level control afterwards to adjust overall level.  Usually keep it 
    pretty low or else the Vox is screaming if I move the volume controls 
    off 1 at all.
    
    Using this setup, the amp is incredibly sensitive to the settings of
    the normal channel, both volume and cut.  Changing either just a bit
    takes it through a variety of tones.  My overall tone probably isn't
    terribly consistent because of this... I get a "tone for the night" but
    it always sound great for my needs.
    
    My setup is completely clean.  I never get the amp loud enough or drive 
    it hard enough to overdrive either the input or output stages. Getting 
    loud enough to overdrive the output is out of the question with my band's 
    stage volume.  I've been thinking of ways to overdrive the input but 
    without channel switching, I'd be adjusting the knobs all night to switch 
    sounds... or else think of some external thing to do the equivalent.
    
    By the way, I've demoed the Korg reissue and found it very faithful to 
    my '65.  Congrats!  Don't forget to carry it by the two outside
    handles!                            
    
    								Marc

    
      Well - I'll be a VOXman this weekend! The amp is in and I got about
    20 minutes to mess with it during lunch today (had to eat quick!). 
    WOW - It's really a FULL sounding amp, as good as I remember! Which
    is nice not to be dissapointed. I did manage to break over into a 
    nice distortion just past 12 o'clock on the normal channel volume,
    I think the brilliant channel starts earlier. 
      The music store crew were pretty much as excited about this amp as I
    was. This is the first one they sold, they are considering stocking one
    after hearing this one! I'm actually surprised at how loud 33 watts can
    be. More to come, but I think this is going to be a positive
    experience overall.

  After doing my initial experimentation with the VOX AC30TB Friday evening
and Saturday afternoon I decided it was worth bringing the new amp out on 
Saturday's gig. After playing straight into the amp for awhile and really
getting some impressive overdrive but at fairly loud levels, I then tried 
feeding the signal direct from my MIDI rack (sans power amp) into the 
normal channel of the AC30. WOW ! Not only does it work, but it sounds
incredible! I wasn't sure how the ACCESS would work with the AC30, or if
it would "kill" the character of a vintage amp. I'm not talking subtle sound
difference from when I use the Rocktron Velocity power amp and EV speakers
(not that they sound bad at all), but a major tonal change with a LOT of 
responsiveness and power tube crunch. Screw the DI on the ACCESS, I want the
sound coming out of the VOX to be what comes out the house system. 
  It actually saves on my set-up time with the rack feeding the AC30. 
I thought I might need something like the H & K Tubeman plus that has a 
specific "to guitar amp" jack, but I can't see changing anything since the 
ACCESS works so well. I tried a few of the various $300 t0 $600 effects units
that are all integrated into foot controller, but absolutely none of them
matched the ACCESS/Intellifex (although I will admit some are good deals since
you get a lot of features like built in tuners and headphone outs).
  I've tried the channel patching (brilliant/normal) and it works well. 
I messed with the tremelo and vibrato and was impressed with its true to
vintage sounds although I don't see myself using it much. Other observations 
after my first two days with the AC30TB, it is a little bigger than I 
remembered from before, but then again I didn't pick it up and move it back
then. It is not light, the shipping carton said 84 lbs (reminds me of all the 
Fender Twin jokes). It is built very well with particular attention to detail.
As a matter of fact my documentation states that the only changes to the
original 1963 AC30/6-TB design is larger ventilation slots on the top and
an improved mains transformer section that cuts down on 60 cycle hum that some
the 1960's models had. All the tubes including the GZ34 rectifier are original.
  So now my main performance rig is a combination of the 90's meets the 60's.
The only addition I can see is a nice road case on wheels to keep the amp in 
like new condition and to raise it a little higher off the floor for better
projection on stage. All in all I'm happy with my trip into a time warp with
this amp.

     
    
      Oh Yeah - .100! - Don't expect the thousands though since I don't
    think there's going to be a fire sale on VOX gear (If there is, I'll be
    there!) At least the AC30 has 35 years of history backing it up!
    
      FWIW - the designer of these amps was Dick Denney who worked with
    Jennings Musical Instruments. He did something right!

    Out of curiosity, would you say that the normal channel has adequate
    high-end when used by itself?
    
    On my amp, if I run into the normal channel, I need to boost the highs
    with an external EQ.  It just doesn't have enough sparkle if I run
    straight in.  The brilliant channel has screaming treble all alone.
    
    							Marc

    
    
      It seems to me (so far) that the brilliant channel really has the
    extra gain built in, which is why I defaulted to the normal channel
    from the line out of the ACCESS. When using the normal channel I
    believe the only tone control that's active is the cut knob. I didn't
    have any problem getting the high-end tones using the normal channel
    in my add-on configuration, but I'll admit that when I was doing the 
    guitar right into the amp I preferred the brilliant channel. 
      I'll have to experiment some more. I was happy with what I got out
    the set-up I used on a gig last night, so much so that I decided not to
    mess with anything. 
    

    I'm tellin' ya BooM, plug that ACCESS into a Marshall or Boogie
    all-tube power amp, and you'll be in nirvana...
    :-)

    
    
       Here's another (keep trying this one on the wife) cost justification
    scenario. A decent tube power will run me anywhere from $500 on the low
    end (Peavey, Carvin) up to $1000-1500 on the high-end (Marshall,Boogie,
    VHT). Then you need quality speakers. And you can't use the power amp and
    speakers without a preamp (already got a few of those, but if I didn't
    I'd have to buy one). So the AC30TB covers the power amp/speakers area
    quite well AND sounds great with just using straight guitar (OK, maybe 
    a chorus stomp). 
       I don't deny that a lot of the re-issues from Fender and Peavey 
    sound very good and cover the retro thing real well. The AC30TB has
    just enough difference in it's circuitry to justify (in my mind anyway)
    the additional cost. 

      I went out to check out a local act last night and the guitar player
    used (drum roll) an AC30. I got a chance to chat with him before they
    started adn got some neat info. The guitar player, Mark Doyle, has TWO
    AC30TB's and to make it even more interesting they are both original
    1963! He had the vinyl replaced so they look brand new. I told him I 
    have a reissue and he mentioned that the latest reissues are pretty
    true to the original. He mentioned playing some from ten years ago that 
    weren't that great.
      I checked out the top of the amp - yup it's a JMI amp (where mine
    says "a VOX" product) and has the original thin plastic vents. I
    mentioned that mine has wider vents. He front ends the amp with a 
    Digitech GSP-21 but I really didn't hear a lot of effects in his
    sounds, definitely not factory presets!
    

    	Just picked up an AC30T from my mate and am trying it out with a
    view to buying it. Problem is I plugged it in last night and there must
    be something wrong with it cos it looks and sounds awful.
    	Here's a summary of my problems with this amp , any advice on any
    of these points would be much appreciated....
    
    1) I was told that this is an original 1964 AC30t ,it has the blue
    speakers and a browny red speaker cover but it doesnt look like any of
    the photo's I have of the amp. The vents ( 3 very thin ) have metal
    trims not plastic . The corners of the amp have metal chrome covers and
    not black. The black covering is very shabby and is not the same style
    all over the amp. I know this thing is old but it looks awful.
    
    2) Where should the input be for the footswitch , on this one its right
    in the middle of a wooden panel on the back of the amp. This may be an
    add on but again its very shoddy looking. 
    
    3) Is the back panel supposed to come off to get access to the guts of
    the machine ,cos it wont ,all the screws are goosed ,is there another
    way in.
    
    4) Its got the 2 side handles but no middle handle.
    
    5) When its on its got this awful hum ,now I know these old amps tend
    to hum but is there any kind of modification to stop this.
    
    6) finally , I dont think the brilliant channel works , its just far
    too quiet and distorted , the vibrato doesnt seem to work either.
    
    	Is there anything I can do about these problems ,what am I looking
    for to check if the tubes are bust.
    	I thought this was a good deal at first , only 400 quid , and it
    still could be if its gonna be cheap to repair , but I could do with
    some help befors I haul it into somewhere decent to check it out.
    
    	J..

    
      I'm not exactly sure what version of AC30T you've got there. Does it
    say "a JMI product" on the control panel. Early 60's original AC30's 
    should say that as well as have plastic vents with VOX lettered on
    them. 
      The blue speakers are usually a good sign, but I can't be sure since 
    you mentioned a few things have been modified. Can you see inside,
    along with (4-5) ECC83 preamp tubes (small) there should be four EL84
    power tubes (medium) and one big GZ34 rectifier tube. 
      Also the chassis is connected to the outer frame by four screws on
    the outer sides of the amp. Be sure of the chassis position before 
    popping out the mounting screws. 
      If you know a qualified amp tech, it might be nice to have a check
    out done on the amp, the only downside is that could change the price!

    Sounds beat up, but that's just cosmetic.  Your description also makes
    it sound like lots of non-original parts, but that will just lower the
    price for you!  You do, however, care very much whether it's working
    properly or not.
    
>>  Where should the input be for the footswitch...
    
    On mine, it's hardwired in.  No input.

>>  Is the back panel supposed to come off to get access to the guts of
>>  the machine ,cos it wont ,all the screws are goosed...
    
    No sure what you mean by goosed... The "back panel" is actually the
    back panel of a shelf which holds the entirety of the amplifier, minus
    the case and speakers.  On mine, it is held in by six screws, I
    believe. Four at the corners and two along the top.  That's the way in
    to the guts.
    
>>  When its on its got this awful hum ,now I know these old amps tend
>>  to hum but is there any kind of modification to stop this.
    
    Mine is pretty much original to the best of my knowledge.  It isn't
    whisper quiet... you can tell it's on without playing.  But it is by no
    means awful or anything close.  Sounds like there's something wrong
    electrically, as opposed to needing a mod.
    
>>  finally , I dont think the brilliant channel works , its just far
>>  too quiet and distorted...
    
    Something is definitely wrong here.  That brilliant channel should make
    you smile real wide.

    I second the recommendation to get it checked out by a good amp tech.
    
    							Marc

    	Thanks....
    
    	I'll try and get inside tonite and have a look , what I mean by
    goosed is that 2 of the screws wont actually come out ,the thread on 2
    of them which is straight into the wood is falling apart and the other
    2 screws just seem to turn half way round each way and then stop ,just
    cant work out how to get in without breaking the back piece of wood.
    	The spakers are definetely original and it does say JMI Produst on
    the control panel but even the panel seems very shoddy.

       The good news is that you CAN get parts for these amps. The new 
    VOX AC30TB amps are being built right in the Marshall factory! Here 
    in the US there are a few specialty shops that handle vintage as well
    as reissue VOX amps. Those blue speakers are worth an extra $500 US to
    the list price of the reissue amps, so keep that in mind! 
       I would use any deficiencies to help with haggling on the price!
    

    	Well , I cant buy the AC30 but I still need some info for the guy
    whose selling it. When he brought the amp round to mine he said the
    brilliant chanel was working ok. Now the brill chanel is not working ,
    he said the amp might have taken a bump cos in the past he,s had to
    replace the same tube when he dropped the amp (the brill channel has a
    severe drop in volume).
    	Personnaly I think it must be something else causing this problem ,
    has anyone got any suggestions.
    	jzm

      
    
      OK - After one weekend of using the old rack for a couple gigs,
    I went back to the AC30TB. Even though I couldn't crank it past 
    about 10:00 on the vol dial, it still sounded real good to me. 
    It's been over three months since I cleared out the KH gear and 
    went for a true vintage re-issue amp. I really am happy with the 
    VOX and my guess is that I'm relatively equipment stable. 
      The only thing that would have changed things happened after I
    already had my mind and money set on the AC30 was that AMPEG jumped on
    the re-issue bandwagon and brought back the JET and REVERB-O-ROCKET.
    I wouldn't have minded trying one of these since I used to be a 
    Ampeg die hard. But, what's done is done.

    
      The recent issue of Vintage Guitar magazine has an article titled
    Vintage Vox tune-up.It covers many of the early sixties amps such as
    AC10, AC15, and of course AC30's. The article is written by Ken Fisher
    of Trainwreck amps. He has been working on Voxes for years and builds
    his own line of amps which have a lot of Vox traits. 
      He mentions that original AC30's are prone to overheating problems
    due to the size of the top vents, later AC30's doubled up on the vents
    and the Korg re-issue (such as the one I have) use a whole new vent
    design so it's not a problem. 
      This magazine has tons of ads for vintage guitars and amps. Some of
    the prices are astronomical!

    
      One of the better prices I've seen on a Vox AC30TB re-issue (Korg)
    is in one of my local stores. They have one on sale for $1199. Most of
    the prices I've seen have been $1350-1500. Still not cheap, but this is 
    a new amp. 
      
    								

    
      OK - here's a somewhat informative VOX homepage:
    
    		http://www.pacific.net/~xibalba/vox/vox.html
    
      It has info on the British and Americaan VOX amps as well guitars,
    effects, and organs. There is also a VOX 7140 homepage, but that is 
    dedicated to just one model, I'll have to dig out the URL.
    
      							--
    

    	>http://www.pacific.net/~xibalba/vox/vox.html
    
    Is this page already active? I've tried accessing it
    several times in the last couple of days, without success.
    
    Dom

    
      Sorry about that, I had no problem connecting. The problem is that
    I missed a small segment of the URL. TRY:
    
    	http://www.pacificnet.net/~xibalba/vox/vox.html
    
      I double checked this one before re-entering it. ENJOY!
    

    What if you look in the Vox pages, but don't see your model?
    Does that make it rare - or just junk.....
    /=\
    

    
    
      What model are you talking? I have the VOX book which has a really 
    thorough listing of various models both British and American. 
    BTW - I have the URL for the other homepage (VOX 7120) is:
    
    	http://www.microweb.com/dwayne/beat.html
    
      Apparently the 7120 (tube power/transistor preamp) is one of the 
    rarer models that VOX ever produced. Tonal quality is not as good as
    AC30's or even AC50's. It was built in 1966 when the transition was
    being made to a total solid state design. The total production was
    around 100 units and they ran $1,500 at the time (a lot of dough in
    '66).
    

    Thanks a lot for these web pages, DABEAN::REAUME (I don't know your
    name). I'll certainly have a butcher's just as soon as I get time.
    
    Dom

    
    His name is B{}{}M, aka John, formerly Orville.  :-)
    
    /Wilbur
    

    It was actually one of the guitars that I couldn't find in the detailed
    listing.  The picture of the guitar on the main page is the one I have,
    but not listed under "hollowbody teardrops".   It's the 12 string
    3-pickup model with whammy..  Bizarre setup.
    /=\
    

    
      I am amazed at how many guitars VOX offered over the years. There is
    quite an assortment of both hollow body and solid body electrics. 
    If I remember right, I think Brian Jones (the original lead guitarist
    of the Rolling Stones) used a VOX Phantom which was a abstract teardrop
    shape. 
      
      Of course, if you want to see some more VOX amps, tune into the ABC
    Beatles special tonight and tomorrow. The first night they ran the
    mini-series was when the Beatles were using (in order) AC15's, AC30's,
    then AC50's/AC100's and possibly a T.60 bass amp. The later episodes 
    will have VOX defiants and 7120's but there may still be AC30's
    scattered in there since they were considered among the better sounding
    of all VOX amps (hence the re-issues!).
    

     
    
      NEWS from NAMM show-
    
      VOX has introduced the AC15-TBR. It is a all-tube single 12 combo 
    w/reverb. It actually utilizes a tube rectifier and as the name
    implies, puts out 15 watts. It supposedly uses the top boost preamp
    from the AC-30 and also incorporates a master volume. Pretty
    interesting amp for those who want something like the AC30 but small
    and lighter.
      GTS this year? We'll see!
    

   Did they list a price?  Do you have a pointer to the page?

   Thanks,

   -- Sam
   

    Yeah!! How much?????
    

    
      The new AC15-TBR is also featured in the new amps section of the
    latest GUITAR SHOP magazine. They have some more info. Apparently it is 
    available in either a 2 X 10 or a 1 X 12 speaker configuration and the 
    VOX blue speakers are an option. List price is from $999 to $1199 (the
    $1199 must be the blue speaker).
      Looks a lot like the "son of AC30-TB".

> List price is from $999 to $1199 (the
>    $1199 must be the blue speaker).
For a 15 Watt amp?

    
    	Maybe they go to "11".
    

    BTW,  Matchless (the company that made it's name cloning the 
    VOX AC30-TB) has several models of 15 watt amps which sell
    for close to $2000. Makes the Vox AC13 look like a bargain.
    
    Mark