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Post by JDaveG on Mar 11, 2015 14:50:14 GMT
I just got one of these in a trade. Was not at all in the market for it, and hesitated to pull the trigger on the trade.
Now it might be my favorite amp. Where has this thing been all my life?
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Post by googlywoogly on Mar 11, 2015 23:30:39 GMT
I know the VoxAC30 is known for its distinctive clean sound. Hows does it sound when you add in some Tube Screamer type action or other overdrive type pedals?
Can it work when you are trying to play something with a snarl/crunch?
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Post by JDaveG on Mar 12, 2015 13:21:29 GMT
I know the VoxAC30 is known for its distinctive clean sound. Hows does it sound when you add in some Tube Screamer type action or other overdrive type pedals? Can it work when you are trying to play something with a snarl/crunch? It has an amazing gain pattern when cranked. I turned everything to 10 last night and it was glorious. It doesn't take a tubescreamer as well as a Fender or Marshall (it sounds fine, but it cuts too much bass). My favorite pedal with it right now is a Boss BD-2 that I installed Monte Allums' "Blues Stack" mod on. That, a tuner and this amp can cover a lot of ground. But the coolest thing is how you can dial in just the right amount of warmth vs. sparkle, and then goose it with a pedal. It gets this really liquid high gain that is unlike anything else. It has a "cut" knob that basically cuts the top end a bit. Not too much -- all the way clockwise and it's still chimey, but just much warmer. All the way counter-clockwise (off) and it will tear your head off like an old Fender. I keep it at 1:00-2:00 most of the time, but I'll turn it down with humbuckers and up a bit with single coils. It's not a Marshall, but it can be dialed in like one using that knob. So it's kind of the best of all worlds. You get that great, stinging high end of a good Fender, great reverb, great tremolo, both of which are foot switchable, and you also get that heavy crunch tone that a Marshall gets you, but with a touch more girth. I set it up on the edge of breakup with a Strat, and then when I switch to a Les Paul or Tele it gets more gain. I can control the gain with the volume knob and it cleans up perfectly, with or without a pedal. It's really an amazing amp. My only real complaint is it's too big and heavy. It's enormous, and it also weighs about 75 pounds. Here's a picture of mine with my Marshall 18 Watt head/2x12 vertical cabinet, for reference. I'd much rather carry the Marshall head/cab up a flight of stairs. Even with help. 
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Post by JDaveG on Mar 12, 2015 15:08:24 GMT
I should also note, with everything on 10, it literally rattled the walls. It's easily as loud as the Mesa Express 5:50 (50 watt 1x12) I traded it for. The good news is, unlike the unusable POS master volume on my Marshall 18 Watt, the MV on the Vox works very, very well. Anywhere above 10:00 or so on the master sounds pretty good.
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Post by googlywoogly on Mar 12, 2015 20:00:50 GMT
Awesome. Good score.
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Post by JDaveG on Mar 16, 2015 18:48:02 GMT
This thread is notable for Drake's absence. He must be out blow drying Waylon's now-empty sack.
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Post by mdrake34 on Mar 17, 2015 19:36:58 GMT
This thread is notable for Drake's absence. He must be out blow drying Waylon's now-empty sack. 
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Post by JDaveG on Jul 16, 2015 2:43:05 GMT
So my old firm is having a 50th anniversary alumni party tomorrow, meaning they are celebrating their 50th anniversary, in part, by inviting all the people who used to work there (which is a considerable number of attorneys) to come drink and hang out and reminisce.
And they asked my band to play, since while 3 of us worked there we were the unofficial house band for the firm.
I'm taking the AC30 because they weren't able to get a PA and soundman and I need an open back amp to fill the room a bit. And it's going to be loud as hell. But dang this thing sounds fantastic in a band mix.
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