Epiphone Blues Custom 30

I think my BC30 is an '06, possibly '07. The amp covers most of the bases well, from clean to dirty enough for me. The two channels sound pretty evenly voiced, so when you switch them its not like day and night. I got mine on e-bay with the footswitch included, and it is very useful. I tend to use the 15 watt setting more often with the equalizer off of interactive mode. The interactive mode lets you unleas ha whole new range of sounds, but I like the precision of independent eq. I use this amp in my room, and in a big basement as well. It has plenty of power, I can play with my friend, and he was a 50 watt Hiwatt. I don't really think it needs much extra, I'm very grateful for its simplicity and effectiveness.

The sound of this amp is excellent all things considered. I play through a Gibson Les Paul w/Burstbucker Pros and a Fender Strat w/Tex-Mex single coils. This amp really sounds exactly like I want it to, and that is bluesy. I can get good classic rock out of it too with the LP, and with the Strat, I can cover some reggae and funk tones too. It can be a bit noisy at higher volumes, especially when you are closer to the amp. If you attack too hard, the highs give you an "ice-pick" sound at times, and it sort of hurts your ears. The amp can go from super-clean to medium dirt, and everywhere inbetween. The equalizer is very good, especially since it has two operation modes. The clean channel can get pretty crunchy past halfway, the overdrive channel gets really meaty after 4 or 5 o'clock on the volume. The distortion is not for metalheads, but it may suit hard-rockers.

Haven't given it too much abuse, but I have knicked up the tolex a bit. No break downs caused by the amp, haven't had it long enough to have any problems yet.

Haven't dealt with them yet, no repairs or modifications of any kind done. Don't know if there is a warranty, I bought it second hand. I'm sure I would have much trouble finding an amp tech who could work on it, I do live in the live music capital of the world.

I have been playing as a hobby for three years now. I also have an Epiphone Valve Junior Head and Cab, Vintage Epiphone EA-26 RVT Electra, Gibson Les Paul, and a Fender Strat. If this amp were lost or stolen, I would probably replace it, but only if I could find another footswitch. It sounds like they are few and far between. I love the tone and the look, especially the white piping, everyone who sees this thing think I paid a fortune and a half. If only they knew I paid less than $500! I compared this with comparable Fender amps, as well as some Peaveys. This amp just seemed to have the most bang for the buck, plus not everyone and their mama already has one, they're fairly new. The features on this amp allow me a lot of good sounds, and I am happy with the ease of use. I don't think I wish I think it had anything else except a cupholder and an ashtray.

2007 Epiphone Blues Custom. One of the later Black Tolex ones, which is too bad I love the way the navy blue ones looked. I gues Gibson thought that was to close to some of their GA models. For an amp with just a few tone controls, it still seems somehow to have too many(!?).The oddball mid control on the OD channel is a little superfluous, and in my experience it seems to cancel the other one out,rather than add more control and yet, I wouldnt change a thing. All great amps have some weird little quirk like that.Importantly, this is a TRUE all tube amp, in that is has a rectifier tube. Most new amps,including marshalls and oranges, all of which are 3 times the price of this angel can't even say that anymore. I use Groove Tube Gold 6L6 power tubes, Groove gold ECC83 preamp tubes and a REALLY sweet Electro Harmonix 5U4 rectifier. This combination sounds goorgeous in my amp.

I have 2 basic tones. A clean and an overdriven (original huh?)I try to keep my sound as natural as possible by avoiding unessesary sound processing.For effectsI have an older BOSS flanger, a tape echo a freind made and a Leslie cab I made. I use Gibson Pauls With Gibson Humbuckers. I use Gibson, Dean Markley and Ernie Ball Nickel Plated strings.I dont use gates or limiters cause I dont use a compressor. They were made to imitate natural tube amp tones, so i dont need one.This amp is no noisier than most tube amps.To cut down on noise i use good cables and debug as needed. Gibson les pauls and tube amps are going to produce some amount of noise, i like a little anyway.This amp sounds absolutely gorgeous. Warm and rich clean tones and soaring, tortured, magnificent saturated tones.Good tube amps are diesels that work better hot.The distortion is not brutal it is dynamic,harmonic, rich and musical. and loud

The amp is built like a brick house, It hasnt broken down yet. talk to me in twenty years, i have a feeling if im still around it will be too.

Ive owned a bunch of amps over the years.Most of them of the brand name variety we all know.I never been more happy with any of them.In fact,I just passed on an old Blackface Bassman that had finished its tenure with me an moved on.I wasnt going to get another amp for awhile having just picked up this sweet epiphone twin. But it inspired me to try to SoCal 50, and its a peach too. Im sure glad theyare building amps again these days.

It has what you need. All the other stuff would be nice but it's not a deal breaker. 30 watts of tube is like 70 watts of solid state. It's loud enough to cut through any band. We all know the features so lets move on!

I use Gibsons's LP & SG and a frankenstein Strat thingy with Lace Sensor single coil pups. I play classic rock, blues, a little funk. The amp sounds awesome in my basement and at gigs, some of the larger rooms I mic the amp, but we mic everything anyway in large rooms. This amp will give you what you want. It covers all styles of music. I have read people complaining about features and tubes and other stuff... so here's my 2 cents.... sound is subjective... if you like it who cares what somebody else likes.... the average Joe's like us can never sound like the pro's we dont have deep pockets!! but this amp works!and gets you close. The clean is clean and the distortion is distorted...use your knobs on the guitar and the amp and you make nice a nice sounds come out. My humbuckers sound great and the Lace pups sound like they should sound.

So far so good...materials are like every other amp, wood, metal, plastic, electric stuff. Same materials like my other amps but a $1000.00 cheaper! It looks cool, very retro. Holds up well. I gig and practice with this and it's built like a tank. It weighs as much as Fat Bastard though!!! it's a back breaker, but it's worth it. I'll do the falling out of the SUV test, and spilling beer test later and let you guys know how she does!! No noise, pops or whistle's, If all goes well this should be with you for a long time. Its hard to rate this because they are a new amp. But hey I gave it a 10 just because of the over all feel and quality of it.

Never needed them with this amp so.......I plead the 5th! I used customer service once many moons ago.. and it was ok...not one of those people reading from cue cards! that have no clue what you're talking about.

BUY THIS AMP then play around with changing tubes, mess around with different speakers. If this were built with all the best stuff you would pay $1500.00+ for it. Use your guitar Tone and Volume knobs they do have a purpose. Dont just worry about effects. You would be surprised on the tone you can get if your in touch with your guitar and not the effects! Make cheap changes, like tubes and get what you want. I have an vintage 4X12 Cab from Marshall and all I can say is it's sounds amazing with this amp. Trust YOUR ears and not someone else's. I own TWO! BC30's. Caster wheels and foot switch would be nice! but hey it could be worse. I've been playing for 25 years and this is one of the better amp deals in a long time. This thing is a sleeper! There are about 25 things that can effect your sound, buy this and your down to 24. I love everything about the amp, I hate the weight. If it were stolen I would use the other one I own and then go buy a new one so I have two again. THE END

The Custom 30 under review is a late '07 model, bought in early '08. It came with 12AX7EH, Sovtek 6L6WXT+ (not the 5881's advertised for this amp)tubes, and a Shugugang 5AR4 rectifier tube. From what I've gathered, the 12AX7EH's and the 5AR4 are upgrades from the Sovtek's in earlier models. Not sure about the 6L6's, if the repesnet a change in power tube specs or not. The only tonal difference is the 5881's break up sooner than the 6L6's.

I play blues, jazz, and some rock and country. This amp fits all of these styles, especially blues and jazz. So far, I've used this amp for rehearsals and home practice. Should gig well, though, in small to moderate size rooms. It's a straight forward amp, easy to operate; not a plethora of knobs to tweak and fiddle with. It has 2 channels, Clean and Overdrive, and an onboard tube-driven reverb. It features an "interactive" EQ that allows you to dial in the mid range from the OD channel indepedently from the OD channel itself. Nice touch!

The nicest thing about the BC 30 is the 15w/30w option. The 15w triode operation is clear and clean as glass. While it's not a true Class A circut, it sings and provides more than enough power and clean headroom. The 30w AB operation is a little dirtier and very loud.

There's no FX loop, so batt. driven effects are a bit noisy. No headphone jack either, but I'm not sure why that would be a plus. An onboard tremelo would be nice, especially given the overall blues/jazz vibe of the amp. But neither's a show-stopper in my book.

The biggest downside is the amp doesn't come with a footswitch, and it's very hard to find one. Found only one online vendor, and they were back ordered for 3 weeks. This is an almost inexcusable oversight for an amp that requires footswithing to easily access its best onboard features. That's the biggest single reason I've given it a lower rating.

As mentioned, the cleans on this amp are very good. The OD has a good growl and a wide palate of voicings, from sandpapery to crunch. The lows and mids are well rounded, and the tone pots very responsive. The highs are mellow and sing. The overall EQ palate is versitile given the responsivness of the pots.

I run a late '90's Am. Standard Strat, a Custom HH Tele, and a Switch Wild IV through this amp. One thing I've noticed is how well the BC 30 lets each guitar speak. The humbucker come through full and rich, the single coils plunk and twang. I've seen some complaints that this amp doesn't handle single coil PUPS well. I think it handles them very well, by allowing them to sound like single coils.

My main FX are an FBM-1, DD-3, TR-2, and a Tubescreamer TS7. I've also run an OC-2, CH-1, BD-2, and Crybaby though this amp. It handles batt. driven effects well, though there is some hissing.

The reverb is adequate, but not great. It has a kind of spongy feel to it, not tight and bouncy. In general though, this amp sound excellent at low volumes and doesn't loose al lot a higher volumes, especailly on the 15w setting. The 30 w channel distorts much sooner (almost out of the gate) but still sound fine. The onboard fan is a tad noisy, but I plan to mainly use this amp live and not for recording.

I've not giggd with this amp yet, but I'd trust it on the road. The construction and design are superb. The pre-amp tubes are protected by spring-loaded aluminum cases, and the rectifier and power tubes are held firmly in place by tension clamps. The Tolex is rugged, as is the speaker grill. The vent opening on the back panel is covered with heavy-duty wire mesh to protect the speakers.

Haven't had any problems, though it's still pretty new. I did call Gibson and left some messages with their amp tech asking about the power tube switch, but haven't heard back. I suppose it's not in the league of blowing a tranny or frying the circutry, but I'd like to know. Can't say what this bodes for any future interactions with Epiphone/Gibson. Guess I'll find out. It does have a 5 yr. warranty and can be registered online.

I've played professionally and semi-professionally for 35+ years. This is truly one of the best amps I've owned in that time. I've mainly used Peavey's in the past, and looked seriously at a Delta Blues 115 and a Fender Blues Deluxe before getting the BC30. Was looking for a different sound and found it. I'll definitely keep this amp and have it repaired should it break down.

Two channel Vintage Vibe amp. Multiple speaker out for driving cabinets or reloading the speakers. Is there a footswitch option? No FS included. Has power on and stand-by switches on front face. the switch for A/AB conversion is on the back panel and easy to access. power wise this amp is under-rated. It is compareable to 50w Mesa's and 60w Peaveys I've owned. One strange feature is that Red channel has its own mid-boost knob. Red channel is the Achilles heal. The distortion becomes Thin and transistor sounding the more you move it past half way. I've found it better to keep the gain low and raise the volume. The result is a more useable distortion.
Now the cabinet quality deserves a 10. You will ONLY find this type of workmanship on amps that are MESA price and above.

Sound is so subjective....
Green Channel is Awesome in class A. Very nice and punchy in class AB. Red channel is just OK if you don't raise the gain past half way. there isn't much difference between A and AB. It needs help.
Gibson USA designed this amp to have two completely different sounding channels. Unfortunately you have to adjust your tone control settings every time you go back and forth.
What works for me; I use green channel set to 15 watts and drive it with a DigTech Bad Monkey. i get a warm clean and a responsive high gain.

So Far So Good.
This amp is built like a Peavey,,,, I mean a tank...

Never Have Had To Use Customer Service.

I've been playin' for 29 years and have owned almost everthing worth owning. I play a wide array of guitars from a stock Tele, import Les Paul and a high output 80's metal shredder. This amp has preformed well with all of them. The reverb is very deep. Keep it set at 3. if the amp was stolen, I'd probably be able to chase the crook down because the amp weighs 75lbs.. Yes 75lbs!! Why hasn't anyone mentioned this??? I got rid of a lightwight easy to gig Carvin Vintage 16 for this PIG. I'm no small guy, this amp is difficult to lug around. Brothers, You NEED to mention this unfriendly feature. Guess if the nameplate said MESA I'd be proud to bust my back..

This amp is fairly bare-bones. There is no effects loop, only one input, no preamp out, no fat boost, no bright or treble boost. There are two channels that can be switched via toggle on the amp or optional foot switch (which is hard to find).

A unique feature is the interactive-independent EQ controls. In effect it switches the EQ from a passive, traditional EQ to three interactive frequency boost controls. In interactive mode, one can achieve a great variety to tones. It takes time, but can really pay off.

The amp has a switch to toggle between 15W Class A and 30W Class AB. I much prefer the Class A sound but the extra power is there if I need it.

The amp is fan-cooled which means there is marginal noise coming from the fan. I don't use this to record but I could see that being a problem for some.

Out of the box, my score would have been a 4. However, a proper break-in of the speakers brought back some tone. The clean channel became very good. The second channel was horribly bright. It was unusable. I tried different guitars, EQ stomp boxes, sonic maximizers, etc. and I could never get a usable sound. For some time I used just the clean channel with different ODs and distortions from my pedal collection. I considered selling the amp for one that had a usable second channel

Recently I had an itch to see if I could revive the amps second channel. I ordered a compliment of new tubes for the entire amp (save for the rectifier). The power tubes are now Tungsol 6L6 and the preamp tubes are Tungsol 12AX7. Its like a new amp. Gone are the harsh tones in the second channel. The drive goes from mild break up to a very smooth, harmonic, thick overdrive. The clean channel improved as well. I didn't realize how thin the clean channel was until the tube swap. I would like to try a new speaker combination just for fun.

Because the amp was so inexpensive to begin with ($350), I don't mind paying $115 for new tubes. $475 for an amp that sounds this good is a bargain.

I've had this amp for a year with no issues. The grill-covered open back design is very thoughtful. The tubes are well protected.

Gibson has been extremely helpful when it came to this amp. They have willingly provided technical information about this amp to many owners and have made the amp schematics available. The designer of the amp has been gracious enough to dialog with members of many internet discussion groups and provide any help needed.

All things considered???price, reliability, sound quality, customer support???this amp is an incredible deal. There are amps that sound better (not that 98% of your audience members would notice anyway) for a lot more money. Fender Hot Rods don't hold a candle to my slightly modified version. The interactive EQ mode makes this amp very versatile.

I play a 1980s Epiphone Spotlight with some super hot Seymour Duncans. I have also played a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Strat Plus through this amp. My effects chain is: guitar>Ernie Ball volume>Visual Sound Route 66>Fulltone Fulldrive II 10th Ann. w/Mosfet>Keeley DS-1>Line 6 MM-4>Line 6 DL-4>amp. Other pedals that sometimes circulate in are a Ibanez TS9DX (unmodded), Boss CE-5, MXR EVH Phase 90, Boss CS-1, Boss CS-3, Boss TR-2, and a DOD FX17.

If this amp were lost or stolen, I'd buy another along with Tungsols.

I am an active musician and I play a lot. I bought this amp as my first tube amp and I am so pleased. Feature wise, there isn't much. You can switch from pure tube to tube rectifier with an additional 15 watts. There is no effects loop and only a few eq pots. I'm going to be totally honest though, it doesn't need anymore. My other guitarist has a Mesa Lonestar and there are entirely too many things to screw with. You can't tell what you're adjusting. On this amp there are only 8 knobs. There is no headphone jack but you don't need one on this type of amp. It has plenty of power. I haven't even come close to maxing it out. It is a two channel amp and you can purchase a footswitch to change channels on the fly. It looks incredibly vintage and is pure eye candy. The eminence speakers are great as well.

The tone is so beautiful. Imagine everything you would want in a tube amp as far as tone and that is what you get in this amp. This amp is a little noisy with distortion but if you have a noise suppressor you should be fine. The distortion isn't overbearing but you may need an overdrive pedal if you like screaching highs. I play in a modern rock band so sometimes I need a little extra kick in the distortion category. I use an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra w/ Gibson Burstbucker Pro V pickups and a Fender Stratocaster with EMG DG-20 active pickups. My sound is so great.

Let me put it this way. My amp was literally hit by a truck. My guitarist put it behind my truck after a radio show and I backed into it. It was knocked over and pushed on concrete. The tolex is ripped a little but this amp still sounds the same and there was no damage done structurally. This thing is a freakin' tank. It's super heavy but had it not be made by the 11-ply birchwood it might not have made it through the accident. I actually took the time to send Gibson an email after this happened because I was so surprised that it made it. The tubes are protected by metal cases so they didn't even have to be changed.

I haven't tried to get it fixed but I did email the company after I hit it with my truck. They were very timely and offered kind words. I'm going to buy Gibson/Epiphone for the rest of my life.

If something ever happened to this amp I would curl up into the fetal position and cry for 14 months. I love this thing. I have owned several solid state amps including a vintage Hondo and a Fender 210R but they have nothing on this. I love this amp and I will have it as long as it continues to work. I have been playing for 12 years and I own six guitars and 3 amps. This is one of the my favorite pieces of equipment.

This amp was made in 2007. I like Ted Nugent, Bad Co, Bob Seger type rock and roll and Toby keith, Merle Hagard type country and just the sound of blues in general. This amp is able to do it all for me. I origionally passed on it because it did not have a feed back loop, but this thing handles pedals extremely well. It does not ship with a foot switch, but for twenty dollars I was able to get one delivered to my door. I use this amp mostly in my house, it is the perfect amp for me with the 15 watt setting, I am able to turn it all the way up and get the tubes glowing and get that perfect tone I am looking for. Enough to satisfy my need for loud music without have the cops called on me. The perfect volume. This amp is heavily biased towards the treble side, so just start out knowing that and go from there. The weight of this thing is a back breaker, but I think I would rather have it too strong and put together well than the opposite. I just bought a cheap luggage rack from wally world and it moves it around well for me.

Variety is this amps middle name. Between its class A/AB switch and its independent, interactive switch. It has alot of tones I find very useful. Hit the gain and with the extra treble control it opens up whole nother door of tone. It has a fan that runs while in class A but it is quiet. I am truely grateful it has it, because Class A's get really hot. I have a tonelab, marshall guv'nor ll and a digitech rp350 and every one of them get enhanced by this amp. The 2x12 speakers are nice not as much bass as I would like but nice tone never the less. I like to feel the hair on my head move when I hit the bass string. But I think it sounds great. I will probably do a complete tube change in the future, just to get me a backup set. I play a fender strat deluxe, at first it sounded thin and with too much treble. Then I realized that I was in control and played with the amps eq and my guitars pots and WOW this sounds incredible, I usually run pretty heavy on bass on the amp and turn the treble down lower and the mid about mid way and then I set my treble and mid back a little on my fender and it is a beautiful thing. I also have a 335 clone with 57 classic pickups and it sounds totally great, I am absolutely satisfied with this amp. I say buy one, if not at least try one, if you give it a try I don't know how you could not want one expecially if you are like me and you want the tube over drive sound with out the neighbors complaining. This amp don't get much press but I believe it should.

No problem so far, I really don't expect any, this thing is built like a tank and I plan on having it for a long time.

haven't had to use them

I have been playing for 15 years, I own a peavey amp, marshall, kustom kraft, tonelab, digitech rp350 and a few pedal. I would definately buy another if it was stolen, it is a real keeper. It is a very versitile amp, seems like you can adjust anything out of it, not sure exactly how three knobs, treble, mid and bass can adjust so much but they really can,

I play blues and blues rock, band has been described as "dirty blues rockers". This amp has everything I need. The only thing I wish I could find for this amp is a owners manual that says anything about the amp and some wheels as this puppy is pretty heavy.
I bought this amp for two reasons. I have a Traynor YCV80 but everywhere I play I had to yank two of the power tubes to cut it down to a 40 watt amp still to loud when you hit the sweet spot. So I was watching another blues artist play the same venue I had a week prior and noticed he was hitting the sound with a YCV20 effectively an 18 watt amp and he was in the sweet spot and loud as I want to be. So after reading up on a lot of lower wattage amps this one syuck out with high ratings and the lure of the Class A structure.

I learn form other musicians and one thing I learned about EQ is this, When an amp has all of the eq turned up fully then it is 100%. Then if you wish to tweek the tone controls you subtract, turn down, what you don't like and leave what you do like. This makes it a lot easier to get the sound you want out of this or any amp. I did this and found that I liked the way it sounds with all the EQ at 10. That was on the clean channel when I switched it to channel one I got some strange tone and that's when I noticed the Independent / Interactive EQ button. I set mine on Independent I got great tone out of both channels after tweaking channel ones drive / mid / level settings. Once this was done I could get everything from sweet tone to creamy distortion by simply changing pick up selection and or digging in with the pick a bit harder. I did notice a bit more hum than I'm use to when the guitar is idle but not enough to make to big of a deal about.

Have only had it a week now. As I bought it used it looks as though it has been on a few stages, ripped tolex, but still plays sweet.

Never dealt with Epiphone

I've been playing off and on 25 years. If this amp was lost or stolen I'd buy another one. I don't like the fact that it doesn't come with the footswitch. I've seen the footswitch and it has a way to turn the reverb on and off so that's pretty cool. I also would like to see a manual or something on this amp. Even Epiphone's web sight is very vauge. This amp has the tone and versitility that I was looking for in an amp. I will eventually retube this on with JJ's as I have done other amps and I'm sure this amp will sing.

This is a new Epiphone Blues Custom 30 Watt Class AB/15 Watt Class A, all tube 2x12 combo with 2 channels, and switchable independant or interactive EQ. There is no headphone jack and I can't see whay you would want a 30 watt amp with one. It could use an effects loop but to be honest I don't really need it.

Well, with the Independant and Interactive EQ as well as the Class A and Class AB Operation and the extra Mid EQ on the Drive Channel this amp will do almost ANYTHING! I have read that it doesn't do well with Single Coil Pick-ups but I can tell you that my Les Paul Junior with p-90's sound awesome through it! It has a very punchy tube tone that well rounded and tight. The lows could be a little lower but I tend to like my sound a little on the muddy side for what I play.

It weighs a ton! The chaise is all steel and the box is tough. I honestly think the Tolex could be a little tougher but if you don't gouge it with a screwdriver or something it will be fine. It's a tank otherwise.

No need yet.

I have been playing for about 15 years and I have owned Fenders, Marshalls, Sovteks, Crates, and all sorts of other amps. This is by far the nicest and best amp I have ever owned! Bar none, it's simply amazing!