amp & cab

[BLUElightCory]

ya know, it's interesting... i had a vox ac30 and it was never used, so i sold it.

i'm curious, is this a popular amp used in metal? because i have seen/heard it more in "indie/alternative" recordings. it has a funny characteristic in my opinion but every time i attemted to track a guitarist with the ac30, they shared the same distaste i had for the amp.

but, moving forward... it seems interesting that the more i fall into the "metal-pit" i hear people saying that the ac30 is a staple.

is that strange?

He's saying to use the AC30 for clean-ish tones, which is (in my opinion) what the amp excels at. The Celestion Blues-equipped Vox amps in particular can produce some gorgeous clean tones, or you can run it into a larger cab (I like to use a Mesa Traditional 4x12) to make it sound bigger/cleaner if necessary. That glassy/chimey tone can be a beautiful thing.

The AC15/30 can also produce some excellent dirty tones for more chord-based work, but I'd never use one for traditional metal tones, that's just not what the amp is designed for.

There's really no amp that excels at everything, so it's a good strategy to have a selection of great dedicated amps to cover your bases. A Vox-style amp is never a bad thing to have at one's disposal.

P.S. The "Custom Classic" series are terrible excuses for Vox amps and should not be treated as such. The newer "Custom" series are really nice though, as are most pre-"Custom Classic" models.

 

[guitarguru777]

The most versatile amp I feel that's been made in recent years is the HK Switchblades and the Mesa Mark V, but both carry a very very hefty price tag.