Vox AC30 30th Anniversary

Rose Morris 30th aniversary model.No 110 of 1000 built.1990 Fawn Tolex. Features same as most AC30s.I play mostly country and some blues.Mainly use brilliant channel.I use small amount of reverb along with a graphic EQ and a biyang overdrive pedal which is brilliant.All units have true bypass and the amp reacts very well to these pedals.I don,t use the vib/trem.Would have been better with a accutronics reverb pan.I play gigs between 100/500 and don,t have any problem with volume.Amp has solid state rectifier,but there seems very little difference in sound quality.This one has the blue alnico,s fitted.I think these were produced by fane for vox.Never the less they sound pretty good to me.I have used the celestion blues in the past and these come pretty close.I use a range of guitars including Fender Custom shop player strat,Fender tele custom shop relic.Gretsch 6121. Rickenbacker 660/12. I also use a 1965 Gibson SG Junior,mainly for blues.

All my guitars use single coils,which the amp reacts well too.Play mostly country,plus some blues.I use the amp for a clean sound.Sometimes use overdrive.Amp is reasonably quiet for a valve amp.Not as noisey as some voxs i have used.Only use volume at around 5.Amp does start to compress nicely at 7 though.

No Problems. I revalved amp after i bought it with JJs.Seems to be reliable so far. Not too bothered as i can repair amps.

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Been playing 40 years.I own many guitars,some listed above.Have used Music Man Fender Marshall Roland and previous Vox 30s.Started off with a vox 30,probably end up with one as well.Yes i would buy another one.Not the chinese ones though.I really look after my equipment so reliability and service issues are not a problem.Good tone and simplicity are the key to good played music.

Early 90's 30th anniversary. Mine is number 0775 of a 1000. Greenbacks.
Basic AC30 features, no fx loop or nothing.
The lack of features or tone shaping options can be intimidating if you are used to having multi channel amps with plenty of eq sculpting but ultimately it can be quite refreshing once you find the right settings. I only really touch the volume and the cut now.
The other inputs are only really any use for jumpering with the bright channel.
A point to bear in mind with this model is that it isnt a true VOX AC30. It has the looks sure but internally it has differences. The later korg re-issues were far more faithfull than these models.
So even with the limited edition factor these arent the most collectable AC30's.

Internal differences from 'true' AC30 models aside this still has the VOX sound in spades.
Straight in with my strat to the bright ch and crank the volume and you have instant crunch heaven. With just a boost pedal and a nice guitar you can cover a lot of tonal territory. From warm cleans up to creamy distortion.
In my band I cover chiming, delayed cleans and mid to heavy distortion using a few different pedals. Within limits it seems to work perfectly with almost any pedals I throw at it. I have been mainly using an old RAT and an MXR and they both sound great through it.
One thing I must say is that I quite like the sound of the greens in it. I have played through a few voxes with blues and I admit that they do sound amazing but there is a certain quality to the greens that I like.
Another factor with this amp is how it works in a band situation. Previously I was using a HIWATT 100w half stack mainly and since switching to the vox I find it a lot easier to get the tone I want and make it cut through with more definition.
Solo's especially cut through a lot clearer. And when you have it cranked I find there is an appealing aggresiveness to the sound. It will colour your sound in the sense that it will mostly be a recognizable VOX sound but if you like the sound that is a very good thing.
A very expressive and enjoyable amp to play.

I have tried a few digital modellers through it also and while it does make them sound good they are still far short of its own natural overdrive and decent analog pedals. I wouldnt recomend it for that sort of usage.

Well it now has a replacement output transformer. It was very erratic and cut out and made wierd noises previously to the transformer going. I suspect the transformer had been on its way out for years. I bought it from another band who had used it live for a few years untill they got sick of it not working properly and stored it untill I got it off them. I think this amp is from the roland years where quality control was not up to the standard of the later korg re-issues.
But apart from the lack of a standby switch I dont think it will make too much of a difference if you look after them.
I had it looked over and repaired by a good tube amp tech as soon as I obtained it and will try to make sure I get it checked over as regular as i can afford.
But I am very carefull about it as I do feel it needs care. Not an amp for throwing around. And as much as I love it I would be cautious about gigging without a backup.

I didnt bother contacting VOX as I doubt they would help with a 10 year old amp made by a different company.
I did have a little trouble at first with a repair company who claimed to be experienced with vox's but obviously didnt. A friend recommended a guy in manchester who does some tech work for some big name manchester bands. He was excellent and repaired it in a day.

I suggest making sure that any tech you take it to does have experience with VOX's.

Been playing for 15 years and used plenty of amps including AC30's over the years. My other amp is a HIWATT 100w half stack that I still use with the VOX.
I do love my AC30 for its feel/looks and top tone. Now it has really become my main amp if it were lost/stolen I would replace it with another AC30. I wouldnt go for exactly the same model and I would think about one of the newer custom classics as an option.

I would like to get hold of some blues for it if I have the cash but I can live with the greens for now.

The Vox AC30 30th Anniversary Edition was produced in 1990, to celebrate 30 years of Vox amplification. Although only 30W in power, it's an all-valve amp, which means it can knock the socks off most 100W transistor amps. Mine has two 12-inch 'Greenback' speakers in it, which are apparenltly not quite as good as the 'Blue Alnico' ones (although I've never heard these). This amp is simple. No effects loop/headphone jack/channel switching. If you like all these little extras, this amp's not for you, but if killer tone is what your after, look no further cause the AC30's got this in spades!

I mostly use the 'normal' channel jumpered sometimes with the vib/trem channel, i find the 'brilliant' channel a bit too trebley for my liking. For practice and gig use, the AC30 sustains great tone at any volume, but you do have to let the valves warm up for about 20 mins, before you use it, as all sorts of strange, not very musical noises occur (although saying that it could just be my amp!). This Anniversary Edition was produced in a limited batch of 1000, mine is number 0085.

My main guitar is a Fender Jazzmaster (Japanese), so it's standard single coils all round! The amp, surprisingly, is not that noisy, no hum or buzz, even though I use quite a lot of stompboxes. The only time it gets noisy is when I use the 'Brilliant' channel (but again, this may just be my amp).

Using a lot of effects (ranging from Boss Overdrive-Digitech Whammy) is how I get my different sounds, the amp on it's own is quite limited, you can get a lovely, warm, clean sound, and when pushed to higher volumes, you can get a really chunky, overdriven sound.

So far the amp has caused no problems, (aside from the time I hadn't let the valves warm up!), and in gig situations it's great. The only thing wrong with it is that the speed knob for the tremelo doesn't work properly (again, just mine). Im not that fussed about that, but I'll probably take it in for a service soon.

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This amp is great, I've not had it long, but I have a friend who has the normal AC30, and I bought one after hearing his. I've been playing for about 5 years and have had a couple of other amps (a Laney, and a Fender Performer 1000), and the Vox beats both hands down. This amp is TONE KING.

The Vox AC30 30th anniversary is a 1990 re-issue from the 1960 era VOX AC30TB. Mine has 2- 25 watt celestion greenbacks. It has been my main amp for on and off gigging for the last 4 years. The AC30 is a beautiful amp with the best tone I could ever ask for. I mostly use the briliant channel jumpered with the vibrato channel. It is an old school amp that doesn't have channel switching, effects loops, headphone jacks,etc. If you like these features don't buy an old (or re-issue) amp. If you are after great tone I would highly recommend this amp. I get many compliments on my tone from all of the musicians I have played with, and I can't imagine using any other amp other than a wildly modified 410 Bassman I use as a backup...not that I have needed it. The AC30 has performed quite well, and I have had no problems at all. Although the amp is 30 watts it has plently of power for club gigs, outdoor events, etc.

My main guitar is a 1989 PRS classic (custom made by Paul and crew). Pickups are Duncan JB 59 PAF (bridge) and a stock PRS deep dish at the neck. I also play a 80's American Strat plus with David White Old Glory vintage pickups. I play a wide variety of rock, blues, and alternative styles in a working cover band, and the AC30 works equally well with humbuckers or single coils. The amp isn't noisy unless you use it with another tube amp...for some reason there is a ground loop noise that is prevalent. On mine the pots are a little scratchy as well, but this doesn't bother me since I usually set-it and-forget-it. The amps sounds range from shimmering clean rhythms to over the top growl that the amp is famous for, and I control volume and gain stages using my guitars volume, rotary tone pot, or with kicking in one of 2 tube screamers for different rhythm and lead gains. The TS robs a bit of the amps natural tone and depth but it is acceptable and still lets the amp breathe in the lower registers. The AC30 has a tone that is more marshall that fender, with more of a compressed midrange howl that is very dynamic. It doesn't have quite the low end whump of a marshall/412 setup, but I think it handles the low end power chords quite well. It also feedsback very nicely with a touch of the guitar volume pot. If you max the volume on the amp with no pedals, the distortion isn't quite enough for my taste, therefore I would recommend putting an overdriver on the front-end to get heavy distortion.

I don't gig alot but I have probably played out with this amp about 50 times for club gigs and private parties, and the amp has never broken and I have never replaced the tubes. I am tempted to replace the tubes but the amp sounds so damn good I don't even want to mess with it.

I bought the amp used and I have never made contact with the manufacturer.

I have been playing more than 20 years, and the AC30 is by far the best amp I have owned. I also have a Fender Bassman re-issue 410 combo that I use, which is reworked with a Hoffman hand wired circuit board and EL-34 output tubes (changed from the stock 6L6) which sounds awesome also. I own an old Ampeg V4 head which has been modified as well. I prefer a direct guitar-to-amp sound and the Vox AC30 fits this profile very well. I might look at a Matchless or some boutique amp if my AC30 were lost or stolen, but I certainly would try to get another AC30.