Hey this amp sounds great with all the work you put into it! AND since you are always so super helpful and patient with me and my ingnorance. THE LEAST I can do is tell you how great this sounds!!! I mean COME ON!!!!
MattXScott - Hi there . I find a lot to like about the Vox sound . It’s clean compared favorably with Fender to my ears and it’s edge of beeakuo is amazing but when you start to wind on up man =to me that’s the sounds of rock! I’m looking for the right model to get but I don’t even know where to start
This sounds great! Would love to know what do you think about the current ac30 models--which ones are closest to the original circuit and component values? The current C2 or HW models? Thanks!
Thanks. That was the head version, so it was going into my shop 2x12 with ET65/Veteran 30. Find my Australian tech friends Brad (bradsguitargarage@hotmail.com) or Chris (amptech@teammania.com.au) and tell them Lyle sent you. They're both in Sydney.
You seem like the man to go to for AC30 mods, so I have a question on your mods. I saw on another one of your videos that you moded one of the switches to give that very authentic Beatles tone which was impressive...I won't even ask you about the Brian May tone since much of his tone comes from his unique guitar as well as a trouble booster, but what about The Edge of U2 core tone, and I'm not talking about the chime, but that unique chunky throaty mid quality that complements the chime in his tone. A perfect example is the very end guitar part of the studio version of the song "All I Want is You" about 4 minutes into the song where you can hear his AC30 being pushed into organic overdrive without any fx but delay. That tone is pure Heaven for me! Can you mod a HW AC30 to get VERY close to that tone?
That missing element is the preamp of the Korg SDD3000. I used to make that in a pedal form (the Triad), but I am out of the pedals game. Korg makes something they call an SDD3000 pedal but it sounds nothing like the real preamp.
@@PsionicAudio I see you know your Edge tricks and gear, that's great to know about an amp tech, and I agree with you, but when you have some free time, please listen to the 1981 song "Stranger in a Strange Land" which was long before he had the Korg SDD3K and he has that beautful chunky midrange that's always more or less in his tone. Maybe it's EQing, but it's such a perfect tone both in the open chord and in the muted rhythm at the end part. Such clear and strong mids with no muddiness.
I have a modern AC30 C2X. I love it, but I know it can be better. I'm in New Jersey, If I shipped my Vox to you, would you be able to do some of the mod work?
I cheated - I've serviced and restored a few dozen JMI era AC30s over the years. I have notebooks of all the voltages, and of voltages and actual measured component values in particularly good sounding examples (I have notebooks on Fenders and Marshalls, too). And I put those into the reissue amps, matching the tweaks to the player. The Tight switch on the Normal channel essentially turns that channel into the Brilliant channel of a Normal non-Top Boosted early AC30-6. A little less bass rolloff, a little less brightness, trying to find the balance. Some of the mods are common because I've shared them on various guitar forums - the "Lyle Caldwell mods." On the amps I do myself I go beyond the basic mods.
Really interesting! I have a very early head version of this amp, serial number 000161. I haven’t really had any problems with the amp, but it does have the factory defect that makes it tricky to find tubes that will work, but luckily the tubes I happen to like most work fine with it. I have had a hard time finding anyone that knows these amps well enough for me to trust them to work on it, but I was very impressed with your video and Facebook walkthrough pics. Is there any way I could maybe price out some of the work you did in this video?
Thinking of putting in/out loop between tone stack and phase inverter. Won’t be ultimate buffered loop but think it’s fairly common, minimal parts. If anyone knows effects loop wiring that’s better (with a low parts count for ac15/30hw style amp) plz let me know.
You can, but this model doesn't really have a "rear panel" so the ergonomics would be tricky. You'd pretty much have to cut a square hole in the rear weird panel and put a loop on a metal plate, like the old add-on Top Boost circuit. So it would be fairly expensive and intrusive. I don't recommend it because the amp is very "pedal friendly".
Oh, I get it. The HW would just be really difficult due to the physical space available. The Custom and Custom classics can be made to sound the same (see my more recent AC30 videos for proof) and they do have very good effects loops.
Just a wonderful example of what an AC30 SHOULD BE! and you made it that way!! kudo's to tone and your work sir!!!
Thanks Curran!
Hey this amp sounds great with all the work you put into it! AND since you are always so super helpful and patient with me and my ingnorance. THE LEAST I can do is tell you how great this sounds!!! I mean COME ON!!!!
Love your playing ❤ 🎸 love your videos so informative you do great work 👍
Sounds great! Wish I wouldn't of bought this amp but happy to learn it can sound good.
MattXScott - Hi there . I find a lot to like about the Vox sound . It’s clean compared favorably with Fender to my ears and it’s edge of beeakuo is amazing but when you start to wind on up man =to me that’s the sounds of rock! I’m looking for the right model to get but I don’t even know where to start
@@donovanweber6059 I love the Vox sound. Just not my model. Hoping to get it modded
Sounds fantastic!
This sounds great! Would love to know what do you think about the current ac30 models--which ones are closest to the original circuit and component values? The current C2 or HW models? Thanks!
Neither in stock form. See my "which AC30 is right for you?" video and the others in that series.
@@PsionicAudio which ac30 is right for you
Sounds great, ....which speakers are in this amp, the blues or the greens? I'm in Australia, so can't get you to do the mods,....any suggestions?
Thanks. That was the head version, so it was going into my shop 2x12 with ET65/Veteran 30.
Find my Australian tech friends Brad (bradsguitargarage@hotmail.com) or Chris (amptech@teammania.com.au) and tell them Lyle sent you. They're both in Sydney.
You seem like the man to go to for AC30 mods, so I have a question on your mods. I saw on another one of your videos that you moded one of the switches to give that very authentic Beatles tone which was impressive...I won't even ask you about the Brian May tone since much of his tone comes from his unique guitar as well as a trouble booster, but what about The Edge of U2 core tone, and I'm not talking about the chime, but that unique chunky throaty mid quality that complements the chime in his tone. A perfect example is the very end guitar part of the studio version of the song "All I Want is You" about 4 minutes into the song where you can hear his AC30 being pushed into organic overdrive without any fx but delay. That tone is pure Heaven for me! Can you mod a HW AC30 to get VERY close to that tone?
That missing element is the preamp of the Korg SDD3000. I used to make that in a pedal form (the Triad), but I am out of the pedals game. Korg makes something they call an SDD3000 pedal but it sounds nothing like the real preamp.
@@PsionicAudio I see you know your Edge tricks and gear, that's great to know about an amp tech, and I agree with you, but when you have some free time, please listen to the 1981 song "Stranger in a Strange Land" which was long before he had the Korg SDD3K and he has that beautful chunky midrange that's always more or less in his tone. Maybe it's EQing, but it's such a perfect tone both in the open chord and in the muted rhythm at the end part. Such clear and strong mids with no muddiness.
The earlier stuff was the Memory Man preamp.
And for all his stuff, a backwards Herdim blue pick is key (I used one for those parts of this video).
@@PsionicAudio Interesting, I didn't know the Memory Man had much of a "preamp." Thanks for the info, keep of the great work Lyle.
Holy shit, that's cool! That's all I can say.
Need to find someone in the UK who can do this to mine!! Sounds great!!
cool stuff! i have a ac15hw1x i like to do this mods with, any links or description how to? Kudos!
Sounds great! Do you have a preference between the Woden or Haddon OT from MM?
I have a modern AC30 C2X. I love it, but I know it can be better. I'm in New Jersey, If I shipped my Vox to you, would you be able to do some of the mod work?
I'd be delighted to. Shoot me an email - info@psionicaudio.com. Thanks!
Are these common mods or did you tweak around until you found what worked?
I cheated - I've serviced and restored a few dozen JMI era AC30s over the years. I have notebooks of all the voltages, and of voltages and actual measured component values in particularly good sounding examples (I have notebooks on Fenders and Marshalls, too). And I put those into the reissue amps, matching the tweaks to the player. The Tight switch on the Normal channel essentially turns that channel into the Brilliant channel of a Normal non-Top Boosted early AC30-6. A little less bass rolloff, a little less brightness, trying to find the balance. Some of the mods are common because I've shared them on various guitar forums - the "Lyle Caldwell mods." On the amps I do myself I go beyond the basic mods.
Really interesting! I have a very early head version of this amp, serial number 000161. I haven’t really had any problems with the amp, but it does have the factory defect that makes it tricky to find tubes that will work, but luckily the tubes I happen to like most work fine with it. I have had a hard time finding anyone that knows these amps well enough for me to trust them to work on it, but I was very impressed with your video and Facebook walkthrough pics. Is there any way I could maybe price out some of the work you did in this video?
👍🔥🎸🦅
pickinpop approves
Can these be fitted with an fx loop?
Thinking of putting in/out loop between tone stack and phase inverter. Won’t be ultimate buffered loop but think it’s fairly common, minimal parts. If anyone knows effects loop wiring that’s better (with a low parts count for ac15/30hw style amp) plz let me know.
You can, but this model doesn't really have a "rear panel" so the ergonomics would be tricky. You'd pretty much have to cut a square hole in the rear weird panel and put a loop on a metal plate, like the old add-on Top Boost circuit. So it would be fairly expensive and intrusive.
I don't recommend it because the amp is very "pedal friendly".
The reason I asked was because I love the dirt on this amp but you need a loop for time based effects unless you get another AC and go wet/dry.
Oh, I get it. The HW would just be really difficult due to the physical space available. The Custom and Custom classics can be made to sound the same (see my more recent AC30 videos for proof) and they do have very good effects loops.
Thanks. By the way my old TBX was still better :-)