Vox AC30CC question

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jonnyc

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I'm letting one of the bands I record rent my Vox off me for a show they're doing Saturday. He's coming over to check out the amp Thursday but the only problem is how is he going to switch from clean to dirty? I don't play guitar and know very little about amps other than what I want it to sound like. He's the type of player that just plays, I'm not sure he's ever worked the controls on his guitar to get tones like other much more experienced guitar players do. So is there a way to go from clean to dirty on stage with this amp?
 
Nevermind, I was sitting here thinking and just remembered that this amp has in input jack for clean and a seperate one for dirty so I'll just an a/b footswitch and use it like that.
 
jonnyc said:
Nevermind, I was sitting here thinking and just remembered that this amp has in input jack for clean and a seperate one for dirty so I'll just an a/b footswitch and use it like that.
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Does it not have a footswitch ?
 
Ac30

Thats because it is a single channel Class-A amp. It only has one channel. A clean signal would probably be best attained by reducing the volume on the guitar or through a volume pedal BEFORE the amp.

Adam
 
marshall409 said:
Thats because it is a single channel Class-A amp. It only has one channel. A clean signal would probably be best attained by reducing the volume on the guitar or through a volume pedal BEFORE the amp.

Adam
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Dunno about this one my young Padawan! I'm pretty sure its two channels, with the option to blend em.
 
marshall409 said:
Thats because it is a single channel Class-A amp. It only has one channel. A clean signal would probably be best attained by reducing the volume on the guitar or through a volume pedal BEFORE the amp.

Adam
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It's actually 2 channels (top boost and normal) that are blendable. However, there is no footswitch capability for the channels (just trem and reverb). Kinda strange, but a good overdrive pedal in front of it would work. Not my way of doing things but definitely usable. The ability to effectively use the volume knob approach will depend on the amount of overdrive used vs how clean of a sound is needed. Should get most guys through the night.
 
marshall409 said:
Thats because it is a single channel Class-A amp. It only has one channel. A clean signal would probably be best attained by reducing the volume on the guitar or through a volume pedal BEFORE the amp.

Adam
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You know I do own the amp right? If it was a single channel amp I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have asked the question I did. On a different note do you guys think the a/b switch thing will work? I've seen people review it and claim this is how they footswitch the channels. As far as working the volume knob, I'm not really sure the kid is even aware of that, not sure he'd really know how to work it properly before Saturday night.
 
jonnyc said:
You know I do own the amp right? If it was a single channel amp I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have asked the question I did. On a different note do you guys think the a/b switch thing will work? I've seen people review it and claim this is how they footswitch the channels. As far as working the volume knob, I'm not really sure the kid is even aware of that, not sure he'd really know how to work it properly before Saturday night.
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be cool, Adams just trying to help. And yeah, I'd say the AB will work so long as theres twon inputs. Personally, I even find it strange that theres 2 inputs.
 
TelePaul said:
be cool, Adams just trying to help. And yeah, I'd say the AB will work so long as theres twon inputs. Personally, I even find it strange that theres 2 inputs.
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Yeah the amp is strange, all backwards, when you flip the standby switch on it actually switches the standby off and I'm also not used to having to get behind the amp to read the knobs rightside up. Sounds freakin great though, really does AC/DC well.
 
Kind of a random question, but hows the AC30 handle tom petty or the Clash? Im buying one soon, and from what Ive played through it I loved, but when I cranked it one of the guitar center guys yelled at me because they were having an "Event" in the drum room
 
my bad

sorry to cause a ruckus. i took a look at it on MF. to me, i still think i'd call it a single channel amp. its still not really a true two channel amp with independent controls. but who cares. i can see how some people consider it a two channel amp and that makes sense to me too.

Adam
 
Its technically 2 channels, but its hardly what modern guitar players would consider a 2 channel amp.

I don't know about that A/B thing, you might want to test it out before sending him away with it. A lot of amps that have two inputs like that will accept one input, but if cords are plugged into both, will only accept the signal from one. It wouldn't matter what the A/B box is on since it the inputs have disconnects usually. Its hard to explain without a physically demostrating, but try it before first because you never know, it might work.
 
marshall409 said:
sorry to cause a ruckus. i took a look at it on MF. to me, i still think i'd call it a single channel amp. its still not really a true two channel amp with independent controls. but who cares. i can see how some people consider it a two channel amp and that makes sense to me too.

Adam
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Actually is has seperate controls for the dirty or top boost channel and the normal or clean channel. It is in fact a two channel amp with two seperate sets of controls.
 
Outlaws said:
Its technically 2 channels, but its hardly what modern guitar players would consider a 2 channel amp.

I don't know about that A/B thing, you might want to test it out before sending him away with it. A lot of amps that have two inputs like that will accept one input, but if cords are plugged into both, will only accept the signal from one. It wouldn't matter what the A/B box is on since it the inputs have disconnects usually. Its hard to explain without a physically demostrating, but try it before first because you never know, it might work.
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I got the idea from reading reviews on Harmony Central, one guy claims this is how he operates his amp for live situations, so lets hope.
 
guitarguy1012 said:
Kind of a random question, but hows the AC30 handle tom petty or the Clash? Im buying one soon, and from what Ive played through it I loved, but when I cranked it one of the guitar center guys yelled at me because they were having an "Event" in the drum room
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IMO it would do Tom Petty or the Clash quite well. In fact after extensively testing it I'd say just about the only thing it doesn't do well is harder rock to heavy metal.
 
jonnyc said:
Actually is has seperate controls for the dirty or top boost channel and the normal or clean channel. It is in fact a two channel amp with two seperate sets of controls.
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It has seperate controls, but its more of a 1.5 channel amp. You have the top boost section and the normal channel. The top boost section isn't a full channel, its an extra stage the preamp. You can blend them, but its blending the top boost section in and out of the normal signal path (the normal channel).

I know its spitting hairs to some degree.
 
Outlaws said:
It has seperate controls, but its more of a 1.5 channel amp. You have the top boost section and the normal channel. The top boost section isn't a full channel, its an extra stage the preamp. You can blend them, but its blending the top boost section in and out of the normal signal path (the normal channel).

I know its spitting hairs to some degree.
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I'll give you that, although you can operate both channels seperate from each other Top Boost, Normal, or Blend. Either way it's a fantastic sounding amp. Now there is the ac30hw(brian may special). It has just one knob, heard it sounds amazing too.
 
jonnyc said:
I'll give you that, although you can operate both channels seperate from each other Top Boost, Normal, or Blend. Either way it's a fantastic sounding amp. Now there is the ac30hw(brian may special). It has just one knob, heard it sounds amazing too.
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One input goes into the circuit before the TopBoost, the other input goes in after the TopBoost (which normally has a special input jack that causes the signal coming from the other input to be broken...which is why I was suggesting that the A/B swich with two cords may not work).

But it does look like a very nice amp.
 
Outlaws said:
One input goes into the circuit before the TopBoost, the other input goes in after the TopBoost (which normally has a special input jack that causes the signal coming from the other input to be broken...which is why I was suggesting that the A/B swich with two cords may not work).

But it does look like a very nice amp.
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A/B switch works just fine, just to let you know. I thought you were right at first but it was just a dead battery in the pedal. Works beautifully.
 
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