Does Vox make any bigger?

Diminished Triad

Diminished Triad

New member
I'm looking for an additional guitar amp for large gigs often outdoors.
My friends have recommended the Vox Hand-Wired AC30HW2X 30W 2x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp.
Looks really good to me and has some nice reviews online, but I would prefer an amp just a little larger if possible.
This is the AC30:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampl...-30w-2x12-tube-guitar-combo-amp#productDetail

I'd like something a little bigger than 30w...but if not, I'll probably get this one.
If anyone has personal info or experience with this amp I'd really appreciate your sharing your views and recommendations.
I was about to look into the new Mesa amp but a couple guitar players in my band really want to add a Vox to our set of amps.

Thanks for anything you can share.
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

by bigger do you mean louder?
bear in mind that doubling the wattage of an amp will only give a nominal +3db to your volume.
If you were to higher use efficiency speakers (ie 100db vs 97db) you will have effectively had the same result.
An ac30 with celestion blues regardless of the wattage rating of the amp (and speakers) can produce prodigious volume compared to one that uses say greenbacks. Also, due to the nature of the amps inherent eq and harmonic presence, coupled with the aggressive treble bite and harmonic clarity of the blues, you will have no trouble cutting through and above pretty much any band and being able to hear yourself clearly enough to have plenty of touch sensitivity. Indeed, you may even find that it is "too much" amp.
The other thing about wattage in amps is that it is a rating for a clean unclipped signal. All tube amps can go well above their wattage rating, it just comes down to how far. Fender amps for example have a lot of low end, so when they start distorting the fat low end (which uses more power to drive a speaker than treble) means that the amp gets to its limit pretty fast once it is distorting and becomes quite flabby. Voxes on the other hand are much leaner in the low end so that the tubes push up to their limit in a different fashion and just get meaner and more biting as they go. Add a treble booster (more an extension of the same principle) and you will be blisteringly loud. Being cathode biased, they tend to run a lot hotter tho too, which is why the older ones were prone to breaking down, but the advantage was that they have a richer, more open and complex high end. Anyways, what i'm saying in a nutshell is that wattage alone does not tell the story. I reckon the vox will make you happy.
 
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Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

I think the AC50 was discontinued before I was born, but they may have reissued it @some point.
The AC30 is one of my favorite amps of all time, but it's too loud for me.
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

I think the AC-30HW in your link is the one to get. Don't worry about volume. Look up a youtube clip of AC-30 vs. Marshall if you don't believe me. The Vox won the volume war with a DB meter.....yep, 30W Class A beat Marshall 100W Class AB.
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

Anyone who ever thinks an AC30 won't be loud enough for a gig has never played an actual AC30. You could play Wembley Stadium with the AC30 - Brian May did, although he had mainly three (mainly for stereo chorus and delays - only one main amp was dry). By the time you have to play a stage where a sole AC30 isn't loud enough, you're getting miked up anyways because you're playing a LARGE venue.
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

an ac30 with two alnico blues is a beautiful thing. and LOUD when you turn it up.
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

So, yeah, the AC30 is plenty loud but there's a more important question. Do you like the sound of Vox amps?
 
Re: Does Vox make any bigger?

I can't imagine an AC-30 not being loud enough. Any louder, you should invest in a better PA system.
 
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