So I took my Mesa Back

[brack]

I stopped fighting with the Mesa. I brought my guitar to git-center and tried to plug into every amp I would remotely be interested in.

Started with the vox ac30, I almost just stopped right there, but I'm impulsive by nature, and made myself try other amps lol. The Vox was beautiful. It had a nice throaty, horn-like crunch and mild driven tone that was amazing. My guitar sounded almost vocal. I would hit single notes and suspended chords and stop and just listen to that sound... I felt like my guitar and that amp just melted together and sounded like a stressed out soul singer's vocal chords. Mixed with a trumpet :) The clean sounds were rich and full, at this point I was thinking there'd be no contest.

I made myself move on... Fender next, I tried the blues deville and hot rod deville, and nice blues sounds, but not the warm crunchy distortion I was looking for there. There was something wrong with the twin reverb in the store, I wanted to try that one. No contest with the vox.

Marshall boxes (going for a box, not a head, I figure my crate stack would suck against a nice combo) had really nice metal distortion and I smiled chunking and screaching for a few minutes before I moved on.

I saw the Peavey's and I remembered a guitar tone on the sounding board where the guy DI's the mini-colossal, and I loved his tone. So I decided to plug into the JSX 212 combo (not the mini) and after a few minutes I was lost in crunch heaven. I could hear harmonics showering over the chords, the soul singer of the Vox turned into the scream of the scarred vocal chords of an all night concert goer. I was inspired. Elsewhere in the store I was listening to the amp, but on the JSX, all the sudden I felt like I was at home, in that happy place where creativity happens, jamming with myself as if I were a one-man-band. Hitting weird chord voicings and making them work in a chord sequence, rocking to my internal beat.

So if you've stuck with me thus far... I found a rival to the ac30. My wife was holding my jacket, her mp3 player out of songs hehe, and saying get it or go. I asked her to hang for just a few minutes I need to compare that thing with the vox. I just went from saltine to steak, and I NEED to compare steak to steak while the taste is still fresh!

I got lost in the vox again.. guitar and amp singing away. Just beautiful. I hated the clean sounds of the JSX, they sounded tinny and small, and when I heard the Vox clean sounds again whoa, it was like a tube crapped itself onto a glass floor (thats good). I asked the wife what I should do. She's smart and stuff :) She's a visual artist but not a musician.. anyway, she said "well, you have those pedals and you can make that vox sound even better. If it sounds this good in the store, you can make it sound like the JSX with all the pedals, right?"

Goddamit! now its even harder! Because she was right. I could probably make that vox a sweet comparable JSX like tone with the tools and the alone-time tweaking. But that JSX was pretty freaking good too! Against my tried-and-true method - impulse buy, I decided to write this instead of committing to another amp on the spot lol.

Well, I'm asking you guys to help me on this one. Voice versus inspiration. Will I find inspiration in beauty, or should I jump on inspiration. Am I silly and is the JSX or Vox clearly better and I'm blinded by the store environment? You guys have had a lot more experience with amps and looser-musician-types than me, so, help!

[Tim Halligan]

I hated the clean sounds of the JSX, they sounded tinny and small, and when I heard the Vox clean sounds again whoa...

I think you've found your winner.

And...as if you need any more convincing...Vox AC30's have been appearing on stage and on record with artists whose styles span almost the entire gamut of rock music since the 60's.

Versatility...the AC30 still has it in spades. Your style may change...hell it will change...and an AC30 will accommodate this.

An amp's clean sound IMHO is what seperates the wheat from the chaff...

Cheers,
Tim

[Strat+AC30]

I think you should get the Crate.



:lol:
I think you've found your winner.

And...as if you need any more convincing...Vox AC30's have been appearing on stage and on record with artists whose styles span almost the entire gamut of rock music since the 60's.

Versatility...the AC30 still has it in spades. Your style may change...hell it will change...and an AC30 will accommodate this.

An amp's clean sound IMHO is what seperates the wheat from the chaff...

Cheers,
Tim+1

[brack]

I think you should get the Crate.



:lol:

I skipped all the crates in my quest for tone :D

For some reason I'm keeping the crate cabs... maybe because they look cool in my basement studio.

Hey I was poor at the time, and they're big, with speaker thingies.

I think I just figured it out, the Crate logo looks so cool. Did I tell you I have a BLACK lava lamp? :lol:

Just kidding I figured YOU'd go for the ac30 :)

[mousdrvr]

SOOOOO get the Vox :Thumbsup:



-mous

[Brendo]

the recent voxes supposedly have this weird oscillation thing where you play certain notes and it sounds like other notes are playing underneath. my crate did this. try.... around 7th fret on the low E string.

[Tim Armstrong]

Vox.

Cheers, Tim

[eagan]

I brought my guitar to git-center


Eeek.



There was something wrong with the twin reverb in the store


Yet, there it was, still out on the floor.

Welcome to Banjo Center.

I guess maybe they figured people could still look at it, so they can see what a Twin looks like, and decide if it goes with their curtains and new couch and all.


My wife was holding my jacket, her mp3 player out of songs hehe, and saying get it or go. I asked her to hang for just a few minutes I need to compare that thing with the vox. ....... I asked the wife what I should do. She's smart and stuff :) She's a visual artist but not a musician.. anyway, she said "well, you have those pedals and you can make that vox sound even better. If it sounds this good in the store, you can make it sound like the JSX with all the pedals, right?"


Well, I'm asking you guys to help me on this one.

OK. Never take the lady type womanperson of high importance in your life with you to shop for gear. This can never be good.

Glad I could help.

Me, I will never tell anybody what they should get when it comes to this kind of stuff. What you should buy is the thing that says "take me home, I'm it!" to you. What anybody else thinks of it is not so important.

However, among the stuff on the list of "stuff I have never heard anyone say" is "oh my god, what was I thinking when I bought an AC30! What junk, and this thing is sooo, like, totally flavor of the month!"


JLE

[Bob Olhsson]

To be honest, I never really "got" Mesas.

[Fulcrum]

Man, you already know the answer.

Really, you do.

Do I have to say it?

Get the Vox and don't look back.

[brack]

I went back today and got the ac30. I heard some kid on a bc rich jamming on the JSX, man it's got nice distortion. (and he knew some slayer, perfect for a bc rich hehe)

OK. Never take the lady type womanperson of high importance in your life with you to shop for gear. This can never be good.
yeah, but she's a trooper.

Me, I will never tell anybody what they should get when it comes to this kind of stuff. What you should buy is the thing that says "take me home, I'm it!" to you. What anybody else thinks of it is not so important.
Yeah, but it was pretty even between the two, and a lot of the people in this forum know a whole lot more about music gear than I do. I'm an expert at my day job, but not with guitar amps and mics. The answers were all good, even yours "ive never heard anyone complain about an ac30" was info I wanted.

I know what you mean though, tone is subjective, but I did fall in love with both. Man, I never thought a pevey would blow me away either, but it did.

[omikl]

Get the Vox. You know it makes sense.

You can always add distortion from pedals on top of a great clean sound. You can't get a great clean sound out of an average clean sound the same way.

[OzNimbus]

To be honest, I never really "got" Mesas.

That's probably because you've never been in a mosh pit, either!:very happy:

[Bob Olhsson]

You'd be surprised...:icon_eek:

[weedywet]

except for that tizzy Mesa "modern rock" (god help us) thing... there's NOTHING else that an AC30 doesn't do brilliantly


I'm not As big a fan of the new CC models, but they're still awfully good, especially for the price.

I HOPE you got the model with the celestion blue speakers.

[otek]

I HOPE you got the model with the celestion blue speakers.

Amen to that.

Weedy, not that I think your supply of original AC30's will ever run out :D but if it does, there is a British boutique manufacturer called Matamp (http://www.matamp.co.uk/) (they built the original Orange amps in the 60's before Orange branched off on their own).

Matamp make a model (I believe it's a sort of "not on the menu" type item) which is supposedly identical to the original AC30 Top Boost, and reportedly sounds amazing.

On a side note, a friend of mine recently flew to England to inspect and approve his custom Matamp, the company picked him up at the airport and put him up in a hotel on their dime for the weekend, while he supervised the final setup of his amp.


Talk about giving a shit about your customers.... :icon_eek:



otek

[weedywet]

interesting, thanks


I DO have two original AC30's (a head and a combo)... I've off loaded all the rest
(I still have an AC100 head as well)

but nice to know about Matamp.
although I'm NOT an Orange fan.

(I like the fruit, but not the amps... just to be clear)

[bunnerabb]

To be honest, I never really "got" Mesas.

Consider of the tonal aspects of the amp in correlation with the volume.

p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o
p0o...

"OMG THAT IS SO FRIKKIN METALLY COOL AND LOUD!"

That's Mesa.

[Tim Armstrong]

Hey, don't be raggin' on Mesa amps! Chiropractors LOVE 'em!!!

:Twisted:

Cheers, Tim

[Tim Halligan]

I own and love a Mesa Boogie Mk IV combo.

Yes...it's stupidly heavy.

No...it doesn't sound like the Rectumfryer...er, Rectifier.

Yes...it is possible to get a good sound out of it at a reasonable volume...and by that I mean reasonably quietly.

Yes...it can be a real head-scratcher of an amp in terms of the number of tweaks possible, and the interplay of one parameter against all of the others.

Cheers,
Tim

PS. Re-read Bunner's post...and substitute the word "Marshall" for "Mesa".


The adjusted post is still accurate. :D

[Strat+AC30]

I HOPE you got the model with the celestion blue speakers.The alternative (which I took) is to buy an AC30CC2 with the Wharfedale speakers (which is $600US cheaper) and do the speaker refit yourself. Options to consider include Weber Blue Dog speakers and Eminance Red Fang speakers.

According to the good folks at the Plexi Palace forums (my go-to place for guitar amp info/opinions), the Weber Blue Dogs (alnico, 30W, light dope) are the closest modern speaker to the original silver/blue Vox speakers. The new Celestions are somewhat brighter than the originals. And...if you'd prefer the brighter speaker, you can still talk to Ted about it and he'll be able to give you something that's almost exactly the same as the Celestion reissues, but at half the cost.

FWIW I like Weber speakers better than just about any other manufacturer. He's a dude who's life's work is building guitar speakers, and there's something to be said about that commitment.

[weedywet]

you can certainly play with speakers yourself after the fact...

the cc isn't as bright an amp as the JMIs, so brighter stock speakers might be a part of their cunning plan

[Strat+AC30]

you can certainly play with speakers yourself after the fact...

the cc isn't as bright an amp as the JMIs, so brighter stock speakers might be a part of their cunning planI've actually never played any JMI AC30s, but IIRC there's tons of variances in them: you have the old JMIs with the ef86 preamp tube and no top boost, and then various top boost models (some aftermarket additions, some built-in), then there's also different preamp voicings - AC30 treble, AC30 normal, AC30 bass. I know the first Korg reissue (AC30TB and AC30TBX) were voiced somewhere between "normal" and "treble"; I'm not sure what the CCs are, though there's a lot of changes in the circuit to take into account (no seperate vibrato channel, normal/top boost switch isntead of seperate channels, normal/top boost blend, etc). And with speakers, there's always the "40-50 years of use" factor that can change the sound dramatically.

All that said...I've never met an AC30 that I didn't like. Mostly different flavors of awesome to my ears. And when you consider that I got my AC30+Weber blue speakers for $1250 brand new, I can't complain about saving $$$ compared to a vintage model.

[Comte de St Germain]

I'm an Ac-30 addict.

[Spock]

Funny this thread has come up.

The wife plays guitar, just for fun. However her amp she has had for a long time is utter crap. She hada chance to play some real amps about a month ago and now she wants something else.

I ran across the Weber site and he has what he calls a 6V30 amp kit. Complete kit with 2 12" Blue Dogs for $845. The only trick is you'd better know what you are doing, no instructions.

The lack of detailed build instructions doesn't scare me off at all.

Opinions?

[brack]

I actually got the regular speakers. I played both the regular speakers and the Celestian Blue's and I liked the wharfedale ones better. Now, I have to admit, it could have been the Blue Speaker amp they had, it looked a like it got kicked around a few times. I'm no golden ear, but seemed to be more what I was looking for.

[Strat+AC30]

I actually got the regular speakers. I played both the regular speakers and the Celestian Blue's and I liked the wharfedale ones better. Now, I have to admit, it could have been the Blue Speaker amp they had, it looked a like it got kicked around a few times. I'm no golden ear, but seemed to be more what I was looking for.I've read MANY reports that the Celestion Blues take a good while to break in, and out of the box are unusually ice-picky. No first hand experience in a while, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Strat+AC30]

I ran across the Weber site and he has what he calls a 6V30 amp kit. Complete kit with 2 12" Blue Dogs for $845.I didn't even realize that Weber sold amp kits. I'm curious what tubes/transformers he uses...I'm guessing it's not the highest of quality considering the price options (save $40 with no transformer, $30 with no tubes). Then again...most DIY kits I know of use better parts than mass production companies. The 2 12" Blue Dogs by themselves are $350 of the cost.

I'd bet that those kits are for people who primarily want to build cool stuff and just happen to need a guitar amp. After all, I got my Vox AC30CC2 (with wharfedale speakers) new in the box for $900 from Banjo Mart...which, assuming tax and shipping even out, is a mere $55 more. Nicer speakers in the Weber, though.

I know that, even though I'm an EE, I wouldn't particular want to build something like that (I'm the least technically-minded engineer that I know...and my day job is in the software realm so my soldering and PCB skills are lacking). Yes, I'm probably a disgrace to EE's everywhere.

The lack of detailed build instructions doesn't scare me off at all.:lol:

:Thumbsup: awesome.

[brack]

I've read MANY reports that the Celestion Blues take a good while to break in, and out of the box are unusually ice-picky. No first hand experience in a while, so take it with a grain of salt.

Yeah, exactly. I was thinking the blue speakers sounded like, bright and snappy. I thought maybe I wanted today's ac30 not yesterday's. More Foghat, less Beatles :) But I didn't know they'd break in. I've got some sovtek tubes laying around to put in there too, I hear it comes with pretty cheap Chinese ones. Shit if its gonna sound even better, I cant wait.

I threw in a DBX compressor in the loop and the gain makeup on that really pushes the gain to a nice overdrive, or pulls it back like a trim control. Plus it makes it nice and quiet in between my silky, creamy riffing. Yeah, the AC-30 is like a dessert.

[amopae]

Yesterday me and the guitar players I play with had the chance to record some solos and we did some of them on an AC30 and boy, I was already a fan of that sound and the players had never played on one of those before...now they all love it and are having wet dreams with one of those...

[Strat+AC30]

Yeah, exactly. I was thinking the blue speakers sounded like, bright and snappy. I thought maybe I wanted today's ac30 not yesterday's. More Foghat, less Beatles :) But I didn't know they'd break in. I've got some sovtek tubes laying around to put in there too, I hear it comes with pretty cheap Chinese ones. Shit if its gonna sound even better, I cant wait.

I threw in a DBX compressor in the loop and the gain makeup on that really pushes the gain to a nice overdrive, or pulls it back like a trim control. Plus it makes it nice and quiet in between my silky, creamy riffing. Yeah, the AC-30 is like a desert.Yeah, I think the Wharfedales are good speakers. It's not like they're some cheap afterthought...AC30s with them still sound better than just about anything out there. But there is something about the blues...

Check out JJ Tubes (www.eurotubes.com). They're on the inexpensive side of things and the quality is among the best for currently produced tubes. Or, if you're feeling gearslutty, grab some NOS mullards. I'm poor, so I have JJs in my Vox and my Deluxe Reverb. Oh - btw the tubes that come out of the box are cheap Chinese (preamp tubes) and the power amp are Sovtek.

Here's the tube layout for the AC30CC2:
V1 - ECC83/12ax7 - Normal Channel Preamp (1/2), Top Boost Channel Preamp (1/2)
V2 - ECC83/12ax7 - Top Boost Channel Preamp
V3 - ECC83/12ax7 - Phase Inverter
V4 - EL84 - Power Amp
V5 - EL84 - Power Amp
V6 - EL84 - Power Amp
V7 - EL84 - Power Amp
V8 - GZ34 - Rectifier

[Spock]

I'm curious what tubes/transformers he uses...I'm guessing it's not the highest of quality considering the price options (save $40 with no transformer, $30 with no tubes). Then again...most DIY kits I know of use better parts than mass production companies. The 2 12" Blue Dogs by themselves are $350 of the cost.

I've been doing a little reading. Some people have said the jacks could be better. I've not heard seen any major bitches about the parts yet.

Just wondering if anyone has heard one.

[weedywet]

I've read MANY reports that the Celestion Blues take a good while to break in, and out of the box are unusually ice-picky. No first hand experience in a while, so take it with a grain of salt.

not at all my experience.
we bought one last spring for a tour and it sounded great out of the box.

in fact, sounded surprisingly "like an AC30" to our wizened old ears.

[weedywet]

And with speakers, there's always the "40-50 years of use" factor that can change the sound dramatically.


that part, i don;t buy


Recordings made of my amp 30 years ago sound the same as recordings of it made today.
it's basic character was ALWAYS there.

I never buy the "aging" thing as regards guitars or amps.

but this will become a religious war, usually fought by people who bought crappy "reissues" they want to believe will someday be valuable 'aged" classics.:Twisted:

You can wait FOREVER... your 70's Fender will never "age" to sound as good as the 60's ones did in 1969 when brand new.

[bbkong]

I didn't even realize that Weber sold amp kits.


You mean they sell assembled amps too?

Now you tell me.

I just ordered the 5e3 kit with the FTDO-59 transformer. I wanted the Red Fang speaker, but they don't have those any more.

I don't solder much, but I figgered I could wing it with wire nuts and some duct tape.

[Strat+AC30]

that part, i don;t buy

Recordings made of my amp 30 years ago sound the same as recordings of it made today.
it's basic character was ALWAYS there.

I never buy the "aging" thing as regards guitars or amps.

Question: Tell me about speaker fatigue. I've heard that it has to do perhaps with heat buildup in the voice coil after heavy use (i.e. after a 4 hour gig at volume). Also, does an older speaker that's been used alot at volume necessarily see speaker fatigue and need replacing? Bill
Answer: Bill, speakers have always been quite resilient and forgiving considering the beating they take in the way of cone flexing and vibrations. The weakest mechanical links in the chain are the corrugations in the surround at the periphery of the cone. At this point, the cone is the thinnest, yet takes alot of vibration. So, like bending a wire until it breaks, the corrugations will often begin to tear after long term use. Since the cone is made from paper pulp, other considerations such as temperature and humidity play a part in weakening the cone.
Many speakers are a little tight when new, and seem a little sterile. After being driven at high levels for awhile, they change character slightly as the surround corrugations begin to loosen up. The spider also loosens from the constant flexing, so the net result is a little more low end and the cone breakup characteristics change. Most people acknowledge that this change is for the better as far as enhancing the desired tone for guitar work.
Heat buildup in the voice coil is definitely a problem, because it will eventually cause the shellac (or other chemical used to hold the wires in place) to soften and allow the voice coil former to deform. We can't afford to have the former deform much, because the gap between the outside of the former and the plate hole (called 'ring') is somewhere in the neighborhood of .010 to .012 inch. Many attempts have been made over the years to get the heat out of the voice coils, including the use of large aluminum dustcaps or regular dustcaps with vent holes. Several different former materials have been used also, including aluminum and Kapton.
One of the big problems I've seen with vintage speakers is with the spider shifting in position. This shifting will allow the voice coil to shift, causing a voice coil rub. Many vintage baskets were painted, so the glue holding the spider down wasn't applied directly to the metal. Over time and with alot of vibration, the glue would actually pull up the paint.
Vintage speakers used various forms of glue, from animal based to other chemical concoctions.

[snip]

Your question about using vintage speakers and the resulting fatigue is a tough one for me to answer. Because of the vintage glue and pulp cone ageing problems, the chances of failure when used regularly at high average volumes is considerable.That said I have never been interested in the vintage vs. reissue debate. I don't really care how new or old something is...I just care how it sounds and how reliable it is (and I believe some vintage amps beat some modern amps in this category). No reissue will ever sound 100% like the original simply because the parts/circuits are different, but then again only rarely do originals sound exactly alike.

[Tim Armstrong]

You mean they sell assembled amps too?

Nope, they're known for their handmade speakers. They just added the amp kits in the last few years...

Cheers, Tim

ps- now that you've had it for a while, how's that bass cab working for you?

[bbkong]

Reeeeaal spiffy. I'm gettin another one just like it.

My Weber is coming with snakeskin to match too.


Now I need a belt, a hatband, boots and one of those Porter Wagoner style suits with sequins. Yeeha!

[EyreSpace]

Now I need one of those Porter Wagoner style suits with sequins. Yeeha!

I'll wear one if you do.... (I already have a couple of shirts!)

[brack]

I ripped the stock 12ax7's out, and they were tungsol Russians, not Chinese like I read on other places like some of the Harmony Central users.

Pulling the amp out of the cab was BRUTAL, it took me about 1.5 hours. But one screw took more time than the others and that bitch is laying on my counter, and I may melt it. Now I think I can get in and out in 20 mins, now that I know where the screws and tubes are. The tubes have rubber gromets around them to make them more stable... After figuring all that out, I can replace them within 20 mins, but the first time was hard.

Once I noticed that they were Russian, and I was going to replace them with Russian Electro-Harmonix, I went ahead, I mean I did all that work lol. Afterward, I thought the distortion sounded better, but wtf, after all that work it's probably in my mind. Ever listen to Eddie Murphey talk about having to wait for sex? That distortion sounded like a saltine... Is that a Ritz? Goddam!

[Strat+AC30]

I ripped the stock 12ax7's out, and they were tungsol Russians, not Chinese like I read on other places like some of the Harmony Central users.

Pulling the amp out of the cab was BRUTAL, it took me about 1.5 hours. But one screw took more time than the others and that bitch is laying on my counter, and I may melt it. Now I think I can get in and out in 20 mins, now that I know where the screws and tubes are. The tubes have rubber gromets around them to make them more stable... After figuring all that out, I can replace them within 20 mins, but the first time was hard.

Once I noticed that they were Russian, and I was going to replace them with Russian Electro-Harmonix, I went ahead, I mean I did all that work lol. Afterward, I thought the distortion sounded better, but wtf, after all that work it's probably in my mind. Ever listen to Eddie Murphey talk about having to wait for sex? That distortion sounded like a saltine... Is that a Ritz? Goddam!Haha man I hear ya. I've taken mine apart a couple of times...just wait until you decide to replace the speakers (if you so choose). Another couple of layers beyond the tubes.

Too bad I hadn't known you were doing this tonight, I could've sent you some pics documenting the process to make things easier.

FWIW I believe Electro Harmonix tubes are Sovteks that have gone through a more stringent selection process, so it's very possible that the quality improved somewhat.

[otek]

but nice to know about Matamp.
although I'm NOT an Orange fan.

Nor are they, apparently..... :Roll eyes:

Orange is quite the corporation these days, milking the "retro" tit for all it's worth.

Matamp are a tiny shop, with a handful of inspired nerds who totally give a shit about their product.


otek

[brack]

Too bad I hadn't known you were doing this tonight, I could've sent you some pics documenting the process to make things easier.

Funny, I was going to ask, but I figured I'd find something on the internet, but I couldn't find anything. So I just sat down and reverse engineered it. I like how they have all the power tubes strapped down and the preamp tubes snugged in with rubber grommets. The mesa had them just plugged in, upside down with nothing holding them.

The tone does SEEM a little better with the Electro's and the amp seems to have a little more idle hum than it did before.

Originally Posted by weedywet View Post
but nice to know about Matamp.
although I'm NOT an Orange fan.

A lot of the stoner rock bands I go see (Baltimore) use Orange amps. They sound pretty muddy to me... I figure its a retro thing, and for those bands it's cool. I mean Men of Porn are SUPPOSED to sound nasty, muddy, loose, drunk, low... They put on the best live show I've ever seen.

But ya, I'm not running to the Orange store either :)

[otek]

Orange amps. They sound pretty muddy to me... I figure its a retro thing, and for those bands it's cool.

Let's be pretty clear on this.... the new Orange amps don't sound much like the old ones. The Matamps sound nothing like either - they also have a bunch of different models. The reason I brought that up was only to spill the beans about Matamp's AC-30 clone, which is reportedly pretty amazing.


otek

[weedywet]

I'll definitely check one out (if I can GET one to check out) (I don't actually see it on their website, or any EL84 amp)



although i must admit I have become suspicious of AC30 "clones" as they always seem to end up sounding too "boutique-y" and not as rock and roll-y as the REAL ones (meaning the 60's JMI ones)


I never liked Orange amps originally... and I think the new ones are VERY unexceptional.
but you're right... they've oddly become "cool" in the indier-than-thou and EMO circles.

so have Hiwatts, recently, but they really always WERE terrific.

[pootkao]

Count me in among the masses of AC-30 lovers.
I don't know what I was thinking with anything else before.

On the Mesa front, I'm not much of a fan myself. Though I must admit that the Roadster/RoadKing models are pretty damn insane with all the options. There are good tones to be had there, but for a gazillion dollars. And well, frankly, I don't want to tweak forever either... the AC30 is easy-peasy to just set and run.

[otek]

I'll definitely check one out (if I can GET one to check out) (I don't actually see it on their website, or any EL84 amp)

Exactly. It's an "off the menu" item, perhaps because of patent issues.

although i must admit I have become suspicious of AC30 "clones" as they always seem to end up sounding too "boutique-y" and not as rock and roll-y as the REAL ones (meaning the 60's JMI ones)

That's reportedly the thing about the Matamp version - it's supposed to be virtually identical to the old JMI AC-30 in both construction and sound.

Much like the Victoria amp company are building some pretty damn convincing Fender clones.

I never liked Orange amps originally... and I think the new ones are VERY unexceptional.
but you're right... they've oddly become "cool" in the indier-than-thou and EMO circles.

I hope my disdain for the new Orange amps came through properly in my post. I think Orange has gotten all corporate and are milking the romantic "retro" factor, with some pretty mediocre product to back it up. Similarly, I don't find the latter-day Mesas to be even close to what they did in the past. I used to own a 1993 Recto and it sounded way better than the new "solo master" heads.


otek

[lambro]

I had a collection that would make Aspen Pittman wet himself

my 64 AC-30TB, was tuned up by Sal T...if you have a vintage AC-30 and you dont know who Sal is, chances are you are only hearing a small part of the potential of that amp...very few techs really can get an AC-30 to where it should be, Blackie being another one.

when done right the Vibrato circuit will kill you.

I also used to religiously use bulldogs in all my cabinets & combos, even my fender stuff...

I'm currently using a Dr Z Maz 18 and Budda Twinmaster, one of the very first, both have a vox like vibe, ultimately the more recording I do the happier I am will lower wattage stuff.

I dont miss my AC-30, I really miss it. But not as much as my old 69 Park. On the other hand I got enough $ to keep me in funions and jolts for multiple years

[ATTICus Finch]

Not a big fan of orange amps either but they build one hell of a cab though. Sturdy as they come.
-R

[Bonnybilly]

Hey I'm not a fan of mesa's in general...i usually use an old Marshall Artiste combo from 1970. I needed a new amp that was reliable for gigging and I wanted some awesome tube overdrive from the amp too. I tried lots and ended up buying a Mesa f50...what a fucking amp. It sounds open, warm and rich and has such a variety of tones from such a small amount of controls, I may even go as a far as to call it a classic. Seriously check this amp out, it is not like a mesa at all.

I think they started calling it the express 50 recently

best

[touji-za-nai]

The peavey family is always looking for new members bro

[Dave Perry]

the recent voxes supposedly have this weird oscillation thing where you play certain notes and it sounds like other notes are playing underneath. my crate did this. try.... around 7th fret on the low E string.

If you are talking about the "ghost notes", to my knowledge that's nothing new. I've been told the technical explanation and I can't remember it now, but I believe it's always been present in AC30's and there are other amps that also do it (like your Crate). I don't think it can be heard in a mix.

BTW, get the AC30, then get some Mullard EL-84's for it. :grin: