Favorite AC30 tone ?

[Chuck H]

I'm not even a player that would use an AC30 as my main amp. But they do have some magic tone in the right hands and setting. Iconic really. Always getting the job of "amplifier" done well, but sometimes instantly recognizable with some exceptional qualities. So much so that I'm sure many here, like me, would like to have one just for the fun of it. The song that REALLY makes me want to build or buy one is American Girl (Tom Petty and the Heart breakers). There are others too, but that's really the song that get's my Jones on. So...

Even if you're not an AC30 player I know it's probable that you've heard an AC30 tone you'd love to have. If it's a commonly known tune then I suppose just a mention is good. If it's more obscure then a link would be great.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Since you're posting first thing in the morning, at least for those of us in North & South America, I'll mention my favorite "reveille" tune, "And Your Bird Can Sing." Double tracked, for double the fun. If that isn't an AC30... well it might be an AC15.

An anecdote I heard some years ago: George was being interviewed, he was asked how the Beatles got those glorious guitar tones. Sez George, "We thought our tone was rubbish." HA! Rubbish indeed! Sure, that tone drilled its way into millions of ears, attached to millions of brains that thought "I must buy that record NOW!" then dug into their pockets & did exactly that. Rubbish, ain't nothin' like it.

Have a listen:

[Helmholtz]

I was turned on to the AC30 by Rory Gallagher's strat sound with "The Taste". Had seen the band at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival. Soon after I bought my first AC30 and still have it. While in London I also got me a Hornby-Skewes treble booster somewhere on Shaftesbury Ave because I had heard that Rory uses one.

Another AC30 player having a great (and completely different) sound is Brian May (Queen).
Many UK players (Clapton, Beck, Page, Blackmore...) used AC30s in their early years.

I always thought of the AC30 as a great sounding amp for single coil guitars. For my Gibsons I prefer a BF Fender + Zendrive or TS-9.

[Pedro Vecino]

I always thought of the AC30 as a great sounding amp for single coil guitars. For my Gibsons I prefer a BF Fender + Zendrive or TS-9.

A good SG with an AC30 is also a very classic sound for pop/rock. The hammering highs of the SG combine very well with it.

[nevetslab]

A good SG with an AC30 is also a very classic sound for pop/rock. The hammering highs of the SG combine very well with it.

And a killer amp for mating up with the Rickenbacker 12 string Deluxe Blonde Hollowbody!

[Helmholtz]

As with any amp, the sound of an AC30 strongly depends on its speakers. My 1970 AC30 came with late silver Celestion alnicos. They were incredibly loud/efficient but lacked the sweet highs of the earlier alnicos (I later had a chance to exchange them). Late 60s early 70s AC30s came with a number of different speakers: Celestion alnicos, 20W or 25W Celestion Greenbacks, Goodmans, and probably also Fanes (the AC50 I had before the AC30 used Fanes - didn't like them).
My favorite speakers are the earlier Celestion alnicos and the (less efficient) G12M20 greenbacks.

[The Dude]

......Another AC30 player having a great (and completely different) sound is Brian May (Queen)......

'nuff said!

[Chuck H]

I read an interview with Mike Campbell where he said that American Girl was recorded with the amps that were in the studio. Tom played through a Super Six and he played through a tweed Deluxe. Bah!!! I don't buy it. The rhythm tone is so classic AC30 it's unmistakable. Dialed in just right they do something that I've never heard other production amps do. They "get under the note" in those ringy HF frequencies and lightly compress everything else around them. You can't miss it when you hear it. But it WAS recorded a long time ago so I'll give him a pass

[pdf64]

My fave AC30 recorded tone (sorry Brian May again, though it's a bit different to his 'signature' tone) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZyhS5beQc8

[soundmasterg]

Since you're posting first thing in the morning, at least for those of us in North & South America, I'll mention my favorite "reveille" tune, "And Your Bird Can Sing." Double tracked, for double the fun. If that isn't an AC30... well it might be an AC15.

An anecdote I heard some years ago: George was being interviewed, he was asked how the Beatles got those glorious guitar tones. Sez George, "We thought our tone was rubbish." HA! Rubbish indeed! Sure, that tone drilled its way into millions of ears, attached to millions of brains that thought "I must buy that record NOW!" then dug into their pockets & did exactly that. Rubbish, ain't nothin' like it.

Have a listen:

That wasn't an AC30. It was two Epiphone Casinos through Vox UL 7120 amps, which had a solid state preamp and a tube output section.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/7120.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZaa...&index=76&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtu...Q95fw&index=68

The whole Revolver album used those amps. Very unique tone. Stephen Walsh out of the UK makes clones of these amps, though I think that he is only selling in the UK currently. R.G. Keen sells a preamp board for these amps that you would have to stuff yourself. You would also have to find a solution for the reverb. The last time I talked to R.G. about it that was the case anyway. I haven't talked to Stephen Walsh about the ones he is building much, but they look and sound great from the youtube videos!

Greg

[soundmasterg]

As a side note, an interesting thing about the Beatles and Vox tones is that so many people assume they used AC30's for most of their stuff when the reality is quite different.

They used AC30's on the first album (Please Please Me) with a Quad hifi amp used for bass.

The second album (With the Beatles) was some AC30 for guitar but was mostly AC50 and bass was a mixture of AC50 and Vox T60 solid state. There may have been some AC100 (80100) use for bass also, though the cabinet had a 15 and a 12 in it rather than two 15's like some later cabinets.

The third album (Hard Day's Night) was AC100 for bass and AC50 and AC100 for guitar.

Beatles for Sale, Help, and Rubber Soul were AC100 for the most part, though a piggyback Fender Bassman started to come into use also for both guitar and bass.

Revolver was the Vox UL 7120 and 4120 amps with the Fender Bassman in use too.

Sgt. Pepper used the Vox UL hybrid tube/solid state 430 and 730 amps, along with some solid state Defiants. There was also a Selmer Treble N Bass in use for McCartney's solos on some songs.Recording the Beatles : The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums

Magical Mystery Tour was much the same as Pepper.

After MMT they largely switched to Fender amps for guitar and bass.

The very excellent book Recording the Beatles details a lot of the equipment in use, along with techniques and personnel present. Its expensive but worth it!

Recording the Beatles : The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums

Greg

[soundmasterg]

Here is one of my favorite AC30 tones around...there are MANY others though.

Greg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0kTkxhyWNo

[Pedro Vecino]

Although there appears with makeup this is my favorite. With an AC15, more easily manageable with volume.

https://youtu.be/_5001SDOFHk?t=240

[Leo_Gnardo]

That wasn't an AC30. It was two Epiphone Casinos through Vox UL 7120 amps, which had a solid state preamp and a tube output section.

Well dog my cats... but dam' if that isn't some identifiable VOX tone anyway.

As far as other amps, studio photos do reveal a cream Bassman piggyback rig, and later on a variety of Fenders as you mention.

Also, as an owner of two fine Vox amps, both 60's AC50 and AC100, lots of terrific tone to be had there as well.

Does "Recording The Beatles" show Geoff Emerick's revolutionary method of using a bass speaker as a microphone? Adds some lowdown lows to bass and maybe kick drum tracks too. That guy was full of kool tricks.

[olddawg]

I think there’s a little magic to good EL84 amps in general. The little 5watt Class As scream. My go to club amp for years is a EL84 push/pull open back combo with a single good 12” speaker... basically half an AC30 in general (Ac15, Marshall 18 watt, and variations). To hit that raging sweet spot an AC30 is a bit loud in most clubs anymore for me. I know there are various nuances. But for a single amp that’s very versatile at a sane stage volume in small clubs that you can record and practice with as well as easily haul around.. can’t be beat.