Pedals which would go well with a VOX AC30 for versatility

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Genoscidal

New member
Hey guys,
Hope ya'all can help me out. Basically i play for church.. christian rock etc. Quite into the sounds of Hillsong's , U2 and all and yea i also believe they use Voxes. Haha.. I would like to know which pedals you all would recommmend which would go well with a Vox AC30CC. My setup at the moment is an MIJ TL-52, a Budwah, Sansamp TriAC( intending to ditch), Boss SD-1, Boss GE-7, Boss CE-2, Boss DD-6, Boss DD-20 and an Ernie Ball Volume pedal. Would u all recommend another drive pedal like after i dump my TRI-AC? Oh yea.. im intending to set the Vox in clean slightly breaking into overdrive.

Thanks
 
the amp's drive alone is good enough. Well, you can go for clean boosters or tubescreamers to supplement it if u think its necessary.
 
hey Genoscidal, if you're interested you could try posting this query in the guitar4christ forums as well. Lotsa church musos with good experience with guitar gear there. Never used a Vox myself, so I can't help much.
 
Voxes react differently to drive pedals than other amps.

i find that they don't work very well with marshall-y sounding pedals.

i have found that the best way to get U2 tones with a vox is to boost the gain with an RC booster. the transparency of the RC allows the nice complex mids and chime of the vox to come through while adding gain.

your mileage may vary..
 
Look no further... http://vintageamps.com/plexiboard/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=1db8625ad3aa7d19fe3d7a2c67c010ac

I also have a ac30cc, which i initiately was v v v disappointed with. Then when i stumbled on that site, I did some improvements as stated and wala, im loving the ac30cc ALOT...

The amp has too much highs that r too harsh when stock. Also its v unfriendly with dirt pedals!!! U need something thats transparent so the amp retains the integrity as well as ur guitar.

Wat i have heard is so far, XOTIC rocks on this amps, also ocd is gd but ppl run it 18v, also hotcakes is gd but u gotta turn the amp up. BUT seems like everyone's favoured with this amp is the cheap n reliable BAD MONKEY!!!

1 thing i realised is that u gotta turn up the master vol for ur drive pedals to sound nicer in this amp. If not, u may et a v shrill n compressed overdrive that is thin sounding n useless.

What i do it i run an ocd into the amp on the normal channel for dirt, and then i input another cable into the TB channel for cleans(Which i can link with the normal for a blend). I use it both at the same time, so i get a clean n dirty tone together. Its pretty versatile in this manner, as u can have either clean or dirty, or both at the same time.

For starters, u may wanna change the preamp tubes from those stock china ones to EI for nice chimes(They r said to be copy of telefunken). If urs is the tungsol ones, then its ok but u still gotta change that 1 china one. If u can, then put in a matched pair of jjel84, this amp will biase itself.

N if u really wanna make it sound nicer n more voxy, do the bright cap n plate resistor mod!!! Make is to the jmi specs, n sound a whole lot BETTER.

Well, if u like the amp alr then just leave it alone, esp if u r not confident doing it urself.

Btw, r u using the alnico blues??? Its the secret that make the ac30 so popular
 
Tanx for the enquiry earlier in the evening Genoscidal. :)

Hehehe...hopefully you are who I'm hoping yu are... right?

Btw. yours is a a valid and commendable enquiry this one. :)

This is a also great example of a rather common issue that many of us here go through but know not where and how to go about. I make no claims to always provide a foolproof one stop solution for everyone but do take what I share here as just a benevolent guiding hand. The rest is up to the individual.

The Vox AC30CC is a fine fine amp in my opinion. Like the original AC30 that it's modelled after it shares similar strenghts and limitations...mostly strenghts tho. :)

The modern AC30CC like the original Ac30 was pretty much UK's answer to the Fender's Bassman and Twin Reverb designs and then some. Other than some circuitry changes the main difference was the output transformer and speaker design. Vox amps are known for the signature chimey tones without the the strong low end fheard on a Twin Reverb.

With that in mind it is worthy to take note of the amp's characteristics into mind when selecting for the right drive pedals to couple effectively. The one thing that the original AC30 was not designed for is the super heavy and tight low end common in many of the modern super hi gain amps...Like the Mesa eg.

Every versatile player eventually needs an Overdrive and a Distortion for squeezin out toneful versatility from any single amp, combo or stack. My advice is to go sample and experience the most out of basic pedals first before going all out for mods or boutique path. The most basic of Overdrive pedals is either a TS9 or SD1. For Distortion it's usually either a DS1 or RAT. I'm talking stock here. Experiement with all imaginable variations of settings between the pedals and the amp and you'll surprise yourself aplenty.

Hope the above is of any help for you. Email me if you have further enquiries. :)

Regards
 
As a rule of thumb, SD1 sounds good for humbuckers, TS9 for singlecoils. But it may be different for you.

From the previous comments by other users it seems that you should try out low-to medium gain drives (since fenderben pointed out that marshally pedals don't seem to sound good with it). Makes sense to me also, my Hyper Lead sounds good with the Twin Reverb exactly because it can produce tight bass distortion.

It may do you little harm to try out the Danelectro Fab Overdrive or Distortion also, since they are cheap and relatively low-medium gain.
 
Not so sure how you arrived at that but there's definitely no "Rule of Thumb" between SD1 and TS9 and humbuckers versus single coils la. :)

One of the most common mod for TS9 and feature of boutique overdrives out there is to incorporate the Assymetrical clipping diode config thats already in the SD1. :)
 
I find the Wharfdale equipped CC1 a little harsh and noticably thinner, brighter and lacking in sweet mids and round lows compared to the CC2 with Alnico Blues or the older AC30 TBXs i've tried with the Celestion Greenbacks.

When using the CC2 I bridge both channels; channel and master volumes hover modestly at the 9 to 10 o clock mark, and it's just right for live/close miced purposes. I found that the Crowther Audio Hotcake goes really well with it, superb pairing. The OM Sahasrara sounds fantastic on it too. A Keeley TS9 works great for leads especially stacked with the Hotcake. An MI Audio Crunch Box however brings out ridiculous highs and rather different sounding upper mids than I'm used to on this pedal, but I tame it by dialing down the Tone knob a lot - once I get the Tone knob in that elusive spot between muffled and shrill, it works fine for me (nothing outstanding though). i think toying with the internal Presence trim pot - easy if you mod it such that it's on the outside - might be worth a shot too.

A Keeley DS-1 I used to have on a CC1 and an older TBX totally did not agree with me. Other than that I've always found this amp to have some nice clean-on-verge-of-breakup tones with heaps of headroom, that works really well with the pedals I use.
 
Im using the stock ac30cc1 speakers, celestion neo dog, which is modelled after the celestion blues, n they r v gd actually.

I prefered it to my eminence gb128 which are greenback copies. The gb soudn stiffer n doesnt do justice to the chime. But if u dont alr have it, go get the celestion blues or weber blue dogs...

SPEAKERS r VVVVVVV impt, n in this case, an ac30 is onli complete wiht the celection blue.

Pedal wise, dont expect it to be as friendly as a fender amp. Hotcakes r gd, ocd is nice too, bad monkey has v gd response from some vox forum.

If u like U2 or hillsongs, why not find out wat they use with their ac30? But i dont think they are using the sc30cc series. Nigel uses an expandora and sparkle drive, into an ac30 n matchless dc30
 
Hey guys! Thanks a lot for replying! Sadly the amp aint mine and i cannot just mod it like that.. anyway i was thinkin of getting a DS-1.. what do you'all think? Anyway likewise could you all share your settings on ur AC30s (for those who use AC30s)? Hahaha.. im actually very very new to this tube amp thingy.. in fact ive never actually tweaked/used a vox AC30 before.. itll be a erm. "virgin" experience.. hahah tips are much very appreciated! thanks! :)
 
i prefer to raise my master vol to abt 2-3 oclock, n blend both the preamp vol until preferred loudness. Rather than setting the preamp first than raising the master vol to taste lol.

It sounds ballsier n nicer, n u r working ur power tubes harder... Also pedals sound nicer...

For the preamp side, i recommend u to set ur TB channel first since its the chimey channel, then blend the normal channel to make it more full if u like it.

But best wld be preamp abt 11-12 oclock n sound almost breaking up, n master at abt 2 oclock... BUT its TOO LOUD n not practical.... But thats a nice setting lol
 
oh ya.. forgot to add some info.. The place we use is an approximately 500 seater ballroom.. and yea i intend to mic the amp still.. any idea what would be too loud?
 
Best to mic up the amp through the PA for larger venues. If you try to obtain sufficient stage volume by turning up the amp, what you'll get is people being blasted by the amp on one side and people who can't hear on the other side since the amp is essentially directional.
 
"virgin" experience..
Click to expand...

experience more ya ...is the best way to learn !
There are heaps of other amps to try out there buddy ...there are even AC30 clones which are tweaked to take pedals and spit them out getting your audience all wet .....oooooh :lol: oh wait we talkin abt church audience 8O ...rapture maybe ...

almondx >>> good advise but please be reminded that the sound guy needs a job too ya ... :lol:
 
The best thing you can do is actually to talk to the soundman, or the people that own the Vox amp. Since they have a part in the amp itself, I believe they must surely have some knowledge and tips about that particular amp and its performance in the venue.
 
The amp has too much highs that r too harsh when stock. Also its v unfriendly with dirt pedals!!! U need something thats transparent so the amp retains the integrity as well as ur guitar.

Wat i have heard is so far, XOTIC rocks on this amps, also ocd is gd but ppl run it 18v, also hotcakes is gd but u gotta turn the amp up. BUT seems like everyone's favoured with this amp is the cheap n reliable BAD MONKEY!!!

1 thing i realised is that u gotta turn up the master vol for ur drive pedals to sound nicer in this amp. If not, u may et a v shrill n compressed overdrive that is thin sounding n useless.
Click to expand...

i totally agree. was very disappointed with the way it sounded when i used it on stage. i think the rc booster is a good pedal that will work on just about any amp to help shape your sound.

time to get a bad monkey :)
 
ok, finally found the answer to the qns...

I was using my fren's boost pedal while testing me amp again... It makes the expandora sound bad, made the ocd sounds not natural n somehow it seems like the ocd does make the tone loss the highs n doesnt do justice to the amp.

The booster pedal i used was super power. It doesnt colour the tone, doesnt really add any to it, nor does it take anything away. It really boost v nicely, n the overdrive i got from the amp was magical. It really worked the tubes hard, n got that v nice tube overdrive, not so much or gain but more a bigger saturation n some dirt.

Do keep in mind that the ac30 has nv been well known for its drive, its a pure clean amp or at most just at the pt of breakup. When overdriven by itself, alot of ppl hate the way it farts.

But wow, this booster is clearly the best i've tried so far from a very selective amp.

Goose, u build a real kick ass pedal!!!(I borrowed from daniel lol)
 
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