Vox AC30-TB

Price Paid: GBP (450) used

Features: 5
The amp doesn't have a huge variety of sounds, but I'll give it half-points, simply because the Cut control really alters your tone beyond recognition depending on its setting. There are Bass, Treble and Cut controls, but they only operate under the Brilliant Channel, which is the only channel I use. The Normal channel is dull, lifeless and employs far too much bass for the sound I look for, and the VibroTrem channel.. well, this has been somewhat confusing. I bought mine second-hand, and although it is perfect condition, the egg-shaped foot pedal did not come with mine, so I can't seem to do anything at all with the 'VibroTrem' effect, although I've heard that it's quite disappointing, anyway.
The Vox AC-30 works excellently with any sort of effects pedal. It gains very high marks here; very functional.

Sound Quality: 9
True, the amp itself does sound fantastic. The all-valve, Class A models have a truly definitive sound that cannot be matched at high volumes, but this is precisely where the amp loses a single point in this category. Its volume. It is insanely loud, and anyone looking for a bedroom-specific amp that is able to be 'cranked' to replicate that famous AC-30 distortion is in for a nasty surprise. Accepting this, the completely clean sounds given-off by this amp are wonderful. I tend to use the Brilliant channel with the volume, Treble and Bass set at 5 with the Cut at 7, which I use for most of my clean lead with a BOSS SD-1 pedal for some artificial overdrive (blasphemy with this amp, but I can't handle the volume in my nice little suburbanite surroundings). You would be a complete fool to buy this amp if that dire metal or punk stuff is your sort of thing; this amp is really only useful for people into soft indie, Britpop or early 60s-70s British music. Excellent for all Radiohead and Beatles plagiarisms.

Reliability: N/A
I have only had mine for a few days thus far, and it has given me no problems, but needless to say, given the other opinions listed here, I'm more than a little concerned.

Customer Support: N/A
Again, I haven't dealt with them, but I've found their website and contact telephone numbers.

Overall Rating: 9
I use this amplifier with an American Fender Stratocaster, a Marshall Shredmaster, a BOSS SD-1 overdrive and DD-3 delay pedal and an Electro Harmonix Smallstone Phaser. All of which were initially bought to plagiarise Radiohead material, but all have come in useful for other projects, and all of which sound absolutely astonishing through the amp. With effects, this amp gains an overall 10, because the way it reacts with them must be heard to be believed, but I'll give it 9, assuming that most people aren't as interested in otherworldly sounds as I am. Excellent sound and an awesome overdrive if you can handle the volume. HUGELY recommended for indie concerts.

Submitted by Alex at 01/03/2002 04:02

Price Paid: US TRADED A mATCH BOX TOY MOTORCYCLE

Features: 1
Amp years - i have spent over 32,000 on Vox amps in past 26 years.
How many channels - huh ??? Each is different !
What features does one wish Vox had ? HuH /? We buy em , do we have a choice ? i.e. Customer service has not been a prime concern of the company's policy !
Where have I used Vox amps ? Everywhere, but ALWAYS with a backup on stage!

Sound Quality: N/A
Professionally until 1988 undersigned utilized typical Fender Strat, Tele, Gibson, Trussart , Anderson, Gretsch Corvette - Falcon, Gibson and Moonstone 335 type excellent tone wood guitars. Now all I use are older 86 thru 1991 PRS Custom 24's Standard and maple tops , which ever sounds best thru amp for thE particular night. Each amplifier's tone is dependant on ax plugged in thaT NIGHT! Older PRS guitars are a God send for players who love perfect intonation! A PRS thru a Vox amp - which happens to function PERFECTLY that enchanted evening - is absolutely a guitar players heaven on earth !!!PS If Vox were a car it would run out of gas every 57 miles..... and the owner would be a walking ....

Reliability: 1
Reliability --- hmmmmm , let me put it this way .... a cross between a 1970 Datsun 240Z and a 1961 Volkswagon Van in the Himalaya mountains 14,000 feet above sea level during the latter part of February !

Customer Support: N/A
Valley girl as a Nobel winner for 2003 !

Overall Rating: N/A
Playining professionally for 29 years, also a BSEE and BSCS engineer aqnd sound engineer for large venues . AMp sounds great but works like an older 1969 Volkswagon in the mountains. If one does not have a hair blow dryer to defrost the VW engine after a cold morning, it most likely would not start . Reliability has been a big issue from DAY ONE !!!

Submitted by James Douglas Jones at 10/09/2001 20:37

Price Paid: US $1300 used

Features: 5
The Vox AC30 Top Boost I recently purchased, was made in 2000. I am into British Invasion stuff like The Who, Hendrix, Yardbirds, Stones from the late 60's and 70's. This Class A all-tube amp has no less than 11 tubes and delivers the goods with a very special roar and a punch, second to none. Since Vox replicated the original 1965 design, it's by no means a modern amp, and it is missing some of the features you might expect from an $1850 amp, such as an effects loop. Two important improvements over the original are a stand-by switch and slightly larger vent grills to dissipate the heat generated by the tubes. So far I've only used the amp for rehearsal, but I'm dying to take it on a gig. Two models of the Vox AC30 TB are available. I read so much about the original Blue Bulldog speakers, that I had to have them in my amp. When I was sixteen, I borrowed one of these amps for gigs and I have always wanted to have that sound again. Before you buy, you really should live with that amp a few weeks and play it a lot. It's such a weird, expensive and "nostalgic" gizmo, that you either fall in love with the sound, or you'll hate it. For my part, I was at first disappointed with the lack of features -but after playing for two weeks again, I feel a lot better. It seems that the VOX AC30 TB is more than an amp: It is so responsive and dynamic, that I call it an instrument, and it somehow became part of myself. Imagine you meet a very plain girl, with a fantastic personality -that's the AC30!

Sound Quality: 10
I am playing Fender American Strats, but own a few other guitars. I prefer the Strats for the VOX, because of their chimey, ringing sustain, and the powerful attack. When the volume is set at only 30%, I can already hear sweet harmonic overtones, and your playing style really translates beautifully into a rich dynamic spectrum. The amp has three sets of dual inputs, but there is no way to switch channels on the fly. Your axe is plugged into one of three channels: The "Brilliant" Channel has a beautiful sparkling clarity, but never sounds thin (It's my favorite). The Vibrato/Tremolo Channel allows for these effects to be added when you step on the footswitch. My amp for some reason lacks power on this channel, and since the effects cannot be modified much (two speeds only), I find them useless. The normal channel is, well -normal and not especially interesting to me. I particularly like using a ZOOM 505II pedal with only very light distortion, or compression. Keep in mind, that it is at times kinda noisy, but that depends a great deal on the pedal and your guitar pickups. This sound takes me right back to the old days, paint peeling from the walls, all kinds of shaking goin' on, and at this age I already lost some of my hearing anyway. The VOX AC30 TB is an instrument with an awesome personality plus a time machine all rolled in one.

Reliability: N/A
My amp has not broken down yet, and I don't expect it to. Prior to buying it, I'd heard of people putting fans on it, because it supposedly creates a lot of heat -not so. I recommend using the standby switch between sets, it just makes good sense. As soon as I can, I do want to purchase a second set of tubes, just in case.

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't dealt with customer support. But since I met this great electronics guru and tube expert in our area, I feel confident that I can call on his support, If I ever have a problem.

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing for 35 years, and own all kinds of stuff. My favorite guitars are American Stratocasters. My favorite is a sunburst 1994 American Standard with a Roland GK2A Hex Pickup added for my VG8 Virtual Guitar system. If the VOX got stolen, I would not buy it again, although I love it very much. I am absolutely in love with the small range of raunchy sounds, but I hate the fact that there is no effects loop. I did compare it to a Mesa Boogie Maverick (which is also Class A), but my emotions told me to buy the VOX.

Submitted by Roger Hausmann at 05/07/2001 09:52

Price Paid: US $1,700.00

Features: 9
This i a reissue of the "legendary" vox ac30, true almost entirely to the original specs, with the exception of 4 conspicuous bolts holding the chassis in, and the top panel being maroon, and of course the added standby switch. The amp can cover any style of music... i personally play rock/blues, but i've heard it played for country, jazz.. it works. It has 3 channels, vibrato, normal, and brilliant. Each have 2 inputs. The channels are not interchangeable with a swithc, however, the switch allows you to turn the tremolo on and off when using the vibrato channel. It's 35 watts on 2 12" celestion alnico blues speakers.. and it sounds more like 80 watts. Very powerful. It needs reverb though, in my opinion... because it's impossible to find a decent reverb effect in a pedal or rackmount. I never use the normal channel.. it sounds identical, except slightly louder, in relation to the vibrato channel.

Sound Quality: 8
I mainly play on it through an EMG with Rio Grande custom pickups. Sounds really great, i use a boss ds-1 which is really transparent, and the amp has a lot of color. Using the treble/bass/cut(tone) controls, you can get any sound of of the brilliant channel. While the cut is the only one that works for normal and vibrato, you still get nice variety. The amp has a real bright sound in general, but can get really dark, and extremely raunchy when you crank it up. Even though there is no distortion channel, using celestion speakers (which are pretty filthy on their own) you can get some hellacious crunch. Only drawback is you have to crank it past 8-9, which is too loud for most practice situations.

Reliability: 1
This amp is THE worst quality i've ever seen. I treat it like a porcelain doll. It's broken down FIVE times in under 8 months, and i've found, through a little research, this is the NORMAL way these amps perform. Total crap.

Customer Support: 1
The company sucks. They honor the warranty, but very slowly. No reimbursement for shipping, and keep in mind, there are about 5 locations in the USA that can service it under warranty. Korg in new york acts like they have nothing to do with vox when you call the number and talk to a person (hah) and IF you can get ahold of vox over in england, they talk down to you for being american. The warranty is 1 year, but good luck finding a service center. It took me a month, and my $1,700 amp was a sitting duck

Overall Rating: 5
I've been playing for 5 years or so, and i use only one amp, one guitar, and a few pedals. I find that i can get more sounds by just being comfortable and familiar with a small amount of gear, and using it correctly. If this amp were stolen, they'd bring it back to me. I love the tone, i love the styling and the look of the amp.. it's beautiful. But i hate the quality. I'd sooner buy a rogue guitar than replace this amp with another of the same kind. If it had 'verb it would help, but without some quality, it's no good. I recommend strongly against buying this amplifier, you're asking for trouble if you do.

Submitted by David at 04/14/2001 13:34

Price Paid: GLD (1600 (800 USD)) used

Features: 9
Mine is from the early 70's and has the grey panel and greenbacks...
I think you all know the faetures of an AC-30TB. I really like the greenback speakers, for me the sound a little less harsh and sharp then the bulldogs, which I like!
But what I like best is the brilliant channel!

Sound Quality: 10
What can I say....it's THE AC-30 sound! There are people who say the the AC-30's from the 60's are better tehn the ones from the 70's, but I don't hear too much difference.... I think the have more value simply because they are harder to find! The important thing is to get yourself a vintage AC-30 (60's, 70's doesn't matter!), and you will have point-to-point wiring! It's this basic wiring that seems to do the trick! Also on the new AC-30 you have crappy circuit boards with the tubes mounted sideways on it...you don't want this!
The good this about AC-30's is that this is one of the few combos which have the tubes poining up of down or sideways!

Anyway, as I said before...I like the brilliant channel best, the typical VOX tone is unique!

Reliability: 9
I had no problems with mine yet (even though it is vintage), but it's build like a brick house!
The amp does get hot though (VERY HOT!), so this micht become a problem in the future....

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with them

Overall Rating: 10
Even though it has limited features, and it does get very hot....the amp is of fantastic value, a true 'must have'!
Just be sure to get a vintage one...the new ones I would rate about 8/9

Submitted by Mr N at 03/12/2001 03:46

Price Paid: 600 (english pounds) used

Features: 9
This Amp is a late sixties, early seventies model I think as it has the dark front grill cloth and the smaller square logo. I'd guess its factory construction date at around 1969 - 1971 but i'm not sure exactly. It's in absolute mint condition and apart from the fact that the little top boost logo is missing (i will replace this as soon as i locate one) you'd seriously think this was a 1990's reissue. Anyone out there can pin point the date for me from the serial - email me! It's got a dark blue control panel and small cooling vents (too damn small - you could heat an apartment with this monster). I think if started to list it's features id be repeating well known historical facts. I havent gigged this amp yet but from all accounts its bulletproof (apart from over heating - and going on fire). The only thing this could have in addition to its features would be a cooling fan for the valves - its like a nuclear reactor inside for heat! It's hot and heavy but this amp is the best there's ever been - only god... and maybe the edge could be critical of this thing.

Sound Quality: 10
I use this thing with a strat, a memory man deluxe, a digitech whammy and an ibanez ts9. This section will be short. It sounds absolutely amazing. The high end is superb as long as you dont bring in too much cut and when you shut the effects off and turn it up the valve distortion is staggering. this is the way an amp should sound - but only the ac30 is capable. Simply Perfect!

Reliability: 9
As far as this goes I havent had it that long. I here that if you keep it cool, dont push all kinds of crap distortions through it and be generous when it comes to regular revalving its a life time amp. There are a lot of stories about them blowing up and catching fire and i can understand that but for that tone most players would kill!

Customer Support: 10
Warranty? I dont think so. It's ancient and its still going well so im not worried. I paid a lot of money for this thing and if your willing to buy one then youd be stupid to abuse it! Mine will be revalved yearly and treated like a baby! As far as customer service goes - i'm not sure really. They were quick to send me a catalogue but when i asked for help on dating the amps origin from its serial number i got no reply. I dont care really to be truthful. I now have an amp that is really unrivaled by anything else and its sounds absolutely superb!

Overall Rating: 10
Ive been playing for 5-6 years. I mainly use an old strat but i have some epiphones as well. If it were stolen...haha - this is insured big time and id just buy another as soon as i could get the right one.I love the tone, the valve overdrive at high volume and generally the privilage of having an old top boost. The only thing i think any ac30 owner should have is a memory man deluxe - these top boost and this were made for each other. Marshalls dont come close and the twin is just a pretender to this thing. I read somewhere that the late sixties - early seventies models like mine with the small logo sound the best and its one of these type that the edge uses for a lot of his live stuff.

Submitted by Ronan Curran at 02/05/2001 08:02

Price Paid: 150 (pounds) used

Features: 9
Made around 73/74 by Vox Sound Ltd, is a very high quality unit that has been reliable for the past 25 years or so (still has the original tubes !!!) Could use a master volume control as the only way to get that famous sound is to play it unbearably LOUD ! Vib/Trem feature (that I used to laugh at) sounds rather cool these days.

Sound Quality: 8
Use it with a 1975 Shergold Masquerader for most stuff & a '95 Washburn HB35S for the more melodic stuff. No effects, usually run through the 'bright' channel. Is generally a warm, clean sound, it has to be run very hard to produce any distortion (then it sounds wonderful)

Reliability: 9
Has been very dependable, doesn't see much action these days, but was gigged relentlessly between '75 & '85. Had a capacitor go bad once, but that's about it.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with the company (I believe it's been several companies), the only repair my father did. Has been bulletproof for more years than is really fair.

Overall Rating: 10
Tried a Peavy Triumph 60 for a while (thought I get up to date), but soon went back to the Vox & they will probably bury me in it !! Was the best choice out there & is probably worth 10 times what I paid for it back in 75.

Submitted by dan at 09/12/2000 19:07

Price Paid: US $1850.00 used

Features: 8
This is a circa '63 AC 30 w/ the top boost circuit on the back of the amp. I use an A/B box to switch between the Brilliant channel (which I use for leads) and the Vib/Trem channel. The Vib/Trem channel has a footswitch to turn the effect on/off, so I have access to three sounds, then add an Overdrive pedal, and the tones are plenty versitile.

Sound Quality: 10
The amp sounds great w/ my strat plus w/ lace sensors and my PRS Std. 22 w/ Dragons. Both the Vib and Trem sounds are fantastic, a la Radiohead, REM, Tom Petty, the list goes on and on. The amp really reacts to different pickups and settings, and is amazingly touch sensitive. My reissue MXR effects (flanger, phase 90) and Crybaby 535 also sound super, the amp seems to interact w/ effects like no other amp I've ever been exposed to.

Reliability: 8
I bought my amp from Plexi Palace (Mason Electronics) and it had been fully serviced. I have had absolutely no problems aside from blown tubes. I was a little concerned before I bought it because of some of the stories I had heard, but I push mine real, REAL hard and I have been completely satisfied, it has never let me down.

Customer Support: 9
I have not dealt w/ vox, but I have called Victor at Plexi Palace several times w/ questions and he has always taken time out of his day to talk w/ me, answer my questions, etc. If you are in the market for a vintage amp, I would suggest buying from them.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 16 years and have been through alot of gear. I've owned newer Marshalls (80's to present), 5150s, Boogies and Fenders. I have recorded through Carr, Matchless, Orange, Music Man and several others, many of which were good amps with good tone, but none of these amps reacted to my touch, technique and feel like this vintage AC 30. Sometimes I think it is alive. The amp is unreal. If I could give it an 11, I would.

Submitted by Jason Borgen at 09/06/2000 16:06

Price Paid: US $340 (dfl. 800) used

Features: 6
Mine is a '68, one of the later JMI AC-30's. I refer to the other submissions for the specs, no real need to repeat it here (3 channels, top-boost and two normal, one with vibrato/tremolo). All channels have a separate volume and the TB channel also some tone controls (hi, low, tone cut (passive high filter)). I could use a better "presence-like" control fot he high-mid range and maybe a reverb on the top-boost channel, I guess. I bought it a few years ago from a guy who had switched to pedal steel and felt that the amp was not suitable for this. In Europe, in the private used market they occasionally pop up for around $500-1000,-. It has a dark grill cloth and one replaced back panel (and silver bulldogs). I also have a '71 AC-30 "Vox product" with the silver Alnico speakers (on the outside virtually the same amp though not on the inside!).
Without some additional pedals and stuff the amp is not very versatile. I added some wheels on the bottom.

Sound Quality: 9
I use it with a strat and sometimes a tele. Styles I play with it are rithm parts for 90ties retro-rock with the TB channel and for recording, lead parts with a very high-gain treble booster in the normal channel. I always have the low set to zero and the hi to about 1 to 5 (of 10) on the TB channel.

The sound is totally unlike 60/70s Fender amps (which are nearly all great amps). The EQ of the TB channel is very different: a deeper low end and much more crisp high end. Many Fenders also have a lot of high end too but on the VOX the frequency is much higher, the "Fender-ish" high-end seems to be lacking on the VOX. There to my opinion very little mid to high-range (I heard that that's the reason why Clapton barely uses them). I think most of this is caused by the characteristics of the EL-84 tubes and especially the voicing of the Alnico speakers. On my '71 this is even more pronounced (has metal film resistors and lower quality other components). There is also very little "punch" (not good for funk).

The tone controls on the TB channel work very drastically, high settings are not usable to my opinion. The TB channel starts breaking up at 5-6 (of 10) resulting a Beatles-Taxman like sound (very nice). The normal channels sound very dull unless pushed into distortion (which adds a little top end). This is a pitty for the beautifull vibrato circuit in the AC-30's normal channel. With a high gain treble booster however and full volume you can get a very typical nice singing hi-gain tone on the normal channels (Queen-like). In this mode you get a really different amp compared to just crankin the TB channel. This is a public secret of the AC-30. The volume in this mode however is probably too loud for a club.

The amp sounds best playing rythm parts with Rickenbacker-like guitars (6 or 12 string). Strats and tele's sound also OK but then the sound is not fat and high/mid-rangy. I think, at least at clean settings, humbuckers may sound dull.

I changed my GZ34 rectifier tube for a smaller one, lowering the power to about 20 Watts without affecting the sound too much (I can recommend this). Since the amp is class A it gets hotter and hotter especially when you don't play. The circuit only accepts very high quality EL84's (others burn out due to the high currents) unless you do the rectifier switch. On the later solid state rectified models this is even worse, you should modify the amp to lower its power. Compared to the solid state rectifiers the GZ34 models sound "softer" and more compressed, better in my opinion.

I have trouble using overdrive pedals for this amp, a TS9 (super pedal on Fenders) sounds not good (harsh and transistory), a RAT a bit better but a good overdrive pedal for this amp I still have to find.

The amp lend itself very good for recording with a mic. It is extremely silent at high volumes but there is a minor, ever present hum.

Reliability: 7
After a thorrow servicing with high quality parts and tubes AND the rectifier swap mine is now very reliable. Contrary to what other people are saying I think the JMI models are well build. They used high quality components and strong cabinets. But its circuit is very complicated which makes it of course more prone to failure. In original setup and especially with a solid state rectifier it gets extremely hot and it is very, very hard on tubes (with all the associated problems). You could install a PC ventilator.

Customer Support: N/A
no experience

Overall Rating: 9
Playing for about 15 years, glad to own a JMI (although the last reissues are supposed to be good as well). It is an amp with a typical sound which is unlike Fender and tends a bit to a Marshall sound. I like using it.

Submitted by Antoon Visschedijk at 08/09/2000 02:48

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
I've already done a review on this great amp... just wanted to let everyone know that I found a master volume mod for this amp...you just use the cut control as the mast.vol so no new holes etc.. it works great.

Sound Quality: N/A

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by hans at 01/27/2000 05:17