Vox AC30-TB Collector's Edition

Price Paid: bought from friend. used

Features: 7
hi... i own the ac30 collector... not only is it beautifull,it sounds as good as it looks.built in 1991.somewhere in the middle of the 100 that was built.i play rock,and it's a very loud amp.i wish it had a standby switch,so you can save the tubes... i rarely take it out...it's a collector for cripes sake! you wouldnt drive your 1964 corvette everyday,would ya?

Sound Quality: 10
i recently bought an OLP guitar,yeah i know it's cheap,but plays,and sounds great..one thing i found,is it has powerfull pickups,so you might want to use the lower power channel,if you have an axe with strong power... the distortion is super sweet.also...i know you vox fans are gonna hate me for this,but yeah,i took out the original speakers,and put in a pair of EV12L'S.yup.thats right...really puts out the sound,and gives you that REAL vox sound.trust me.

Reliability: 4
i hardly ever use this amp,but being what it is,i would want to have a backup amp on a gig...reason is,when you have a class a amp in an unfriendly envirement,bad things could happen.enough said... like i said,i dont use it enough to know it's reliability.sorry.

Customer Support: N/A
i've never asked for costumer support.

Overall Rating: N/A
i,ve been playing for 39 years,and own all kindsa gear,including pc based recording gear,and recently picked up a vox tonelabse,which is very cool,although i havent tried it out with the ac30 yet,but i think it would be a match made in heaven.really,the only thing i dont like about this ac30 is,it weighs a ton and a half,and a lot of that is due to the weight of the EV12'S.but i gotta have that sound.

Submitted by ELLIOT at 03/26/2005 06:02

Price Paid: 1000 (Euro (€)) used

Features: 9
I'm also the owener of an used VOX AC30 COLLECTOR'S EDITION. Actually I'd rate this item with a 4 or 5 but it looks so beautiful with its Mahagoni cabinet and brass plate and gold painted metall grill. It was made in 1991 so it's the latest Edition of the Collector. The S/N is 050 (because of the 3 letters i believe it was a limited production of 100(!) AC's. As all AC's it has got 3 channels but you can't switch them. I play Blues(-Rock)and so it's the perfect amp for me! I use several stomp boxes but it sounds the best without anything. I use the amp with my band and at home wich isn't the best thing but I may have a solution: I ordered an THD HOT PLATE: let's wait how it'll sound! The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is the not handwired PCB. But maybe it is handwired and I just didn't see it right.
The other Features are the same as the usual AC's have. Only the changed Control Panel is a bit different to older and newer AC's.

Sound Quality: 10
I play two Strats, a Les Paul and a PRS CE24. All guitars sound great but with the Strat it really is heaven: I would call it super-dynamic-twang-with-absolutely-great-treble-and-mids. With a booster you can almost make everything: from a clean Peppers-sound to a Van-Halen-Marshall-sound (for the last thing you need a overdrive pedal).
I can't say more because it's too much to say now. You know the sound: Great! I'd rate it at 9.999.999.999 if it would be possible!

Reliability: 8
Sometimes it makes some strange noises but I've already changed the tubes!? When it's warming up there are very very loud noises but they disappear after 10 minutes. The volume knob(?) of the Vib-trem channel is broken (if you have one call me please). That's all. This is actually not very much: the noises are only there within the first 10 minutes and when there's lots of electrizity (Phone, lamps...). The only proper problem is the Volume Poti.

Customer Support: 4
I'm from Germany (please notice my bad English and accept it ;-) )there is no Customer Center near my place. There's no possibility for me to order a Poti Volume knob as mentioned above. That's a very hard thing.
If you can help me contact me please!

Overall Rating: 9
I didn't believe I'd ever get a good conditioned AC30 for 1000€! I tryed the Cambridge the VBM1 and so on... .
The PROS won't end and there is only one CONTRA: The Customer Support!
IT IS GREAT AND NOT ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING AMPS. IT IS THE BEST SOUNDING AMP IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other oweners of the Collector's Edition please contact me and tell me what you know (tricks, history ect.)

Submitted by AC30 COLLECTOR OWENER at 01/26/2005 06:19

Price Paid: # sterling 1000

Features: 9
Mine is the very rare 1991 edition in the mahogany cabinet with brass and leather fittings hence the price. I think that it was released just prior to the reissues and I think it has a solid state rectification although I may be wrong.
The best way to run it is through the brilliant channel but cross link the vib-trem through the input jacks (plug a short patch into normal brilliant and run it to high effects input; perfectly OK, Vox suggest this) and run the effects from the footswitch - then you get the best of both worlds and it's sort of channel switching.

Sound Quality: 10
With a 335 and the amp just clipping, (try a Marshall Powerbrake - although you'll risk more rapid valve burn out) you'll get THAT sound. I managed to duplicate a very earthy '65/'66 Beatles overdrive without really much effort at all. The vib-trem circuit is clean and sweet and at higher settings the vibrato can get quite painful!(How Soon Is Now?) Mind you it's a loud amp, remember that volume and gain are not the same at all - rated at 33W RMS, the AC30 will flatten a 100W transistor amp no trouble. Oh and it's extremely heavy.
As far as my own use, I found that a US Strat or Tele works equally well, there's a gorgeously gritty aspect to the tone and for that reason jangly indie stuff works a treat. The AC30 has the best (no question here) bass response of any amp - use the brilliant channel, set treble on about 5 (guesswork in the absence of any numbers on the dial) and just edge the bass in. It is pointless cranking both bass and treble up as they will cancel each other out. Then off you go, the warmest deepest tone ever.

Reliability: 7
The AC30 is notoriously stroppy, it runs in class A and gets very hot, mine's a little temperamental and doesn't go out much these days - I had it revalved once already. Consequesntly it lives at home and I have bought a Fender Twin for gigging.

Customer Support: 10
Living in the UK maybe makes it a little easier; I have talked to the engineers at Korg UK and they were quite happy to take me through the pros and cons of using a powerbrake, identifying the most alarming factor that I would probably have missed, i.e. that not all attenuators would be compatible with the AC30's ohm rating.

Overall Rating: 9
I have always fancied another AC30 to keep mine company, apparently they work extremely well in cross-linked pairs - I wouldn't mind one of the blonde reissues!
I had thought about a 65 Fender Twin reissue at the time I bought it but the Vox's rarity value won me over. Mind you they aren't cheap even in their home country, although I suppose a standard finish one wouldn't be quite so extortionate.

Submitted by Steve Williams at 07/27/1997 04:02