Something I forgot to mention: those Super Reverb settings are essentially the same as Derek Trucks’ settings, and I wouldn’t have figured them out on my own if I hadn’t researched how he gets such a fantastic cranked sound out of his Supers. Didn’t mean to come across like I came up with them myself. All hail DT!
I saw Johnny Winter use a Super and he always had the bass turned down to zero and the treble at 10. One of my favorite Fender amps was my 1964 Vibrolux with 2 ten inch speakers.
Hey Rhett, at 25:09 you said something about an AC30 and a tele being really special! the way that amp rings out reminds me of Wilko Johnson, have you ever heard of him? He's a fenomenal player who sadly passed not too long ago.
And somehow the Vox would be twice as loud, even though it's got less power and speakers. AC30's almost need something like a Twin Reverb to pair with for cleaner tones at similar volumes.
The thing I keep going back and forth on is that although these are 3 of the most iconic amps of all time, and I need one of each in my collection, they seem afraid to make any modern improvements for fear of pissing off the traditionalists. So other amp makers have stepped in and improved each one. In my opinion, Morgan now makes better AC style amps than Vox does. Friedman makes better Marshall style amps than Marshall does, and Magnatone and ToneKing now make better Fender style amps than Fender. So even though I had to have a Fender, Marshall, and Vox in my collection, I rarely ever choose to play them over my Magnatone, Morgan, Friedman, and ToneKing.
Great video, guys! I own all of those amp types ('67 Super Reverb, '69 Trem, '72, and '73 Super Lead 100's, '00 AC30/6TB with Greenbacks, a Cruz 5e3 clone), and your video has reignited a curiosity in me to go back and examine what made all of them so iconic. Rhett's AC30 is a thing of beauty, and the way you guys controlled the 5e3 was so cool...great tones. Thanks for doing this 🤟
Hey, Dylan. I'm another player from Jacksonville, but just a little bit older. Been at it 62+ years. Love your style! Seems to me you ought to be getting in some time at the Trucks complex! And you might try biasing in some 5881's for less bottom end bloom, but more bottom end punch. I like the new Tung-Sols. Rhett's a fine player, what? He cooks! Great job on the video work, Wifey! And yeh. That AC-3o is probably my top amp choice ... just so expensive. Wow. WHAT a sound!! And very articulate... Mike Campbell. Another great Jacksonville guitar player ...
In the late 90s, early 2000s I played in such a Rockband with 100 watt Marshalls. It was as Rhett described it: awesome, loud and Riffi. I realy miss this stage feeling ❤😢😂🤘🎸 I feel blessed to had that experience 🙏
Great playing as always! And nice comparison! It should be noted that although the hand wired Marshall head and the British made reissue greenback speakers are really good they still sound different than playing a vintage Plexi through vintage greenbacks. The hand wired head is a bit harder and harsher and more fizzy on the top end and the same goes with the reissue greenbacks. The vintage plexi and vintage greenbacks are smoother and sweeter with great harmonic character. And it’s not just because of age and break-in. There’s just no getting around that the quality of the components was better back then. Also, the last time I tried the hand wired head they were using that big bright cap found later than 68 which basically makes the amp just too damn loud even at low volume. Your buddy may know this, but if he just removes one leg of that bright cap which is on the volume pot, it’s gonna make that amp sound a hell of a lot better with more usable volume settings! In any case, nice job!
I love amps. Don't you? Ya.. I love amps. Keep playing amps. Amps are great. Amps with pedals too, that's great. I love pedals and amps. Don't you? Ya, me too.
I love all my amps. My lunch box Feder Pro Jr, my Fender Blues Jr. but my favorite is my Goodsell Super 17 Mark II....it's a one off with a single Jensen 15" and duel spring reverb.
my opinion, but those new Ac30/ac15 reissues are pretty damn good. Psionic Audio gives props to their sound and quality at the price point. Also, the new ones do have a tone cut.
Less snobbish, more dated maybe. He's right in that for at least 10 -15 years, the re-issues were pretty horrible. I think they changed the formula back a little closer to the glory days within the past 5 or so years, though.
100w Marshall unattenuated is just too loud unless you're in an arena. I know a 50 is only 3db quieter but that's significant. 50 is still mostly too loud, but there are times where it isn't, and also if you're using an attenuator you don't have to attenuate as much with a 50.
I mainly played Marshall 2203's since 1983. I believe 5 different 2203's over the years. The best one I had was a '79 JMP, sounded like VH Fair Warning tone. The cab was a 78 with Blackback 55hz cones. Around 2000 I was living with my dad and picked up a used 1959 Plexi Reissue. I was in the basement playing it at full tilt. The lights at the bottom of the stairs started flicking on an off. I was my dad at the top of the stairs flicking the light to let me know to shut it down ;) He was coming home for work and said he could hear it LOUD as soon as he pulled down our street ;) Dad is no fan of the Plexi ;) Both those amps sounds amazing but at the point they make there own wind.....like pants blowing wind ;)
I repaired and modded amps for years before deciding to build something for myself. Thinking that it would be the first of many, I started with a 5E3. Tweaked it to perfection, and that was that. I appreciate other amps and fool around with modelling, but over a decade later, the 5E3 is still my desert island choice.
"Hey, here's our presentation of the classic Fender amp tone, only we've changed the speakers... the single most important factor in your amp's voice." I keep trying to not think of Shull as a tool, but he makes it very hard.
My main band amp is a 66 SR with CTS alnicos. I also own a 73 JMP 50 and the SR cleans up much better with volume rolled back which is why I never bonded so well with the Marshall. The other day I saw Brandon Miller playing with his wife Danielle Nicole (the concert was glorious!) and he had the best cranked sound I ever heard, from hearing it I expected a Marshall and came to find out it was a heavily cranked Deluxe Reverb with a Jensen speaker with aluminum dust cap.
The most characterful sound, for me, is the Vox. The clean tone with single coils is almost acoustic like, just so sweet. It's bit bitey when driven, but not in a nasty way. The Marshall does what it does and, with the Novo, I was reminded of Malcom Young's tone and despite being the 'classic pairing', the Plexi/Humbucker tone was my least favourite. For a show up and play anything, the Super Reverb seems the most flexible. All subject to RU-vid audio compression, of course.
When I was starting out as a guitarist, I bought a 200 watt amp with a 412 speaker cabinet. It was always work bringing it around. It had wheels. Which made it easier to roll to the gigs. If I were to do it again today, it would be a BluGuitar Amp 1 mercury with a 112 Barefaced cabinet and a couple of pedals.
Rhett, I know the Marshall is impractical because it is too loud. I bought years ago a Mojave Ampworks 50W amp head with the idea I wanted Marshall tone in a small box format with power scaling to reduce volume. I put my Mojave Amp head on top of two Mojave 1x12 cabinets, forming a mini-stack, giving a small floor print. Another advantage of this "mini-stack" configuration is that you don't have to bend over to adjust amp settings. 1x12 cabinets are much easier to manage thana 4x12 and the sound is still good. Power Scaling is enough volume reduction to play shows if you ask me. The amp also has a line out with a volume control on it, making adding delays to slave amps plenty possible. It is too bad Mojave went out of business. They just were not marketed correctly if you ask me.
I’ve played quite a few newer vox amps and never understood the allure. There was always a thin bitey treble I couldn’t get past. This makes me understand now. What a great tone this has. Great video!
I only have a Vox AC4TVH, a kit-built 5e3 like the one demo'd here, and a couple of heavily-modified Blackheart Handsome Devil 15/7 Watt tube amps that I have steadily modified for > 10 years, which include 3-way voicing switches. I completely agree, there is something unique and magical about the 50's 5e3 circuit. Couldn't afford even a used one so I bought a tweed 5e3 kit and built it well, wrapped in genuine Fender tweed with a genuine Fender 50's leather handle :o) Everyone I have jammed with heaps praise on it! SO responsive, with complex harmonics that obviate the need for a lot of effects pedals IMO. I use a stripped-down board with just tuner, delay and reverb for that amp, with a subtle overdrive like the Cochrane Timmy - it has a bass cut that could come hand handy with the tweed 5e3 amp.
They are different, but you just proved, It's all in the hands. After few seconds of listening, amp sound doesn't matter anymore, It's all about what and how you play. At least to me.
I love each amp for what they are , icons of guitar tone . The Vox for me is " the one " , that sound takes me back to my high school days in the late 70s , 80, 81 listening to rock radio ......I have 2 Vox amps and love how they sound with my guitars ( Strat / Tele ) , fun video gents !
i've come to the same conclusion. a super reverb is like playing an actual acoustic piano, while all the other amps sound like VSTs... first time i played one i felt like at last the electric guitar sounds like it should, like bendable, pluckable, grand piano. at least that's what i'm looking for...
I also own these amps (actually 1962 Vox AC30, two 1958 Tweed Deluxe’s, many blackface Fenders and a pile of 60’s and early 70’s Marshall’s) and this video is telling the truth, that you can’t get these tones from any modeling amp. It is even more true when you are in the room playing them.
Great video. Just like to mention a couple of small things.... 1. You can patch the channels on the Vox 2. Use an attenuator or pull 2 of the 4 Power tubes in the plexi for less volume. Else a PPIMV mod. Last but not least try Yellow Jackets / ToneBones or similar converters to run the Plexi with EL84's for less volume. Latter option is probably a better option with a 50 watt Plexi, due to the lower Plate voltages etc ....... As I say, an enjoyable video :-)
One thing you didn't mention or demo, is that you can patch the two channels of the Vox together in the same way you can patch the two Marshall channels. That's a useful feature for blending the two EQ/gain curves like you did with the Marshall.
I started with a Marshall, then played Fenders most of my life, but only recently discovered Vox amps as that’s what’s in the space we rehearse (an AC15) in and easier to just plug in instead of lugging my gear for a simple rehearsal or writing session. And I’m consistently amazed at how great it sounds. I get the appeal now. Both warm and bright and probably the best amp to play clean leads on.
I really enjoyed this. My ‘68 SFSR has the alnicos in it and I really think that’s a big part of the super reverb sound. They give a little more compression and sound very musical and organic. I think you’d dig it.
Mine came with the CTS Alnicos and I agree, they are the ultimate speakers for that amp. Sadly I blew two of them on my 2nd or 3rd gig with the amp, still need to get them reconed
At one time in my life I owned a ‘65 Marshall 18 watt 1x12, a ‘64 Vox Ac-15 1x12 and a ‘63 brown deluxe. The deluxe was so frickin loud it was ear piercing. The others were cool, but not worth the hype.
I'd love to hear how those amps would sound like with an attenuator, especially the Plexi. As implied in the video, it's too inflexible and unpractical to play a 100w tube amp in such a "small" space. An attenuator not only can make the volume more manageable, but also allow to crank up the amp to really drive the power tubes, which I believe is a big part of why one'd use a tube amp.
Great point from Dylan: Black and Silver Face Fenders (Supers, Deluxe Reverbs, Twins, etc.) fart out with too much bass. He has his bass set at 3.5. I’ve found with more volume, use less bass. At break up point, Fender amps sound better and cut through a mix more with less bass and more mid. Mids are Fender’s super power.
Great video and GREAT playing from both you guys! Love the comparisons. The Marshall is hilarious as Rhett said. I had an original '69 50 watt for years when I was young but it was too loud to play anywhere. The super sounds amazing, only thing with those is they're backbreakers lol. I ended up scoring a 67 deluxe reverb that's almost as good and half the weight ;-)
One has to admit these are great amps. Helps me understand my early silver face super reverb. And Rhett has been getting better on guitar ever since he started this channel. THANKS !🎉
if you want to tame the super lead a bit i love putting a ge 12ax7wa at v1, the breakup will be later and more gradual and you will have more clean headroom.
Thanks for the great video. I'm long retired from playing and 1970's amps where new when I was actively playing. For full disclosure, clean was king when I was playing. Spent a few years filling in at small clubs/ bars, a few times in the lower Broadway area of Nashville (best learning experience of my life.) For tone, my favorite amps for guitar and pedal steel are still the Fender Twin Reverb with 2 CTS 12" speakers. I did played through a Plexi once and I liked the clean tone you could get with it. Never had the opportunity to play though a Vox but knew a band that used them and I liked the sound. I also have a soft spot for the old tuck and roll Kustoms particularly for bass guitar.
I've settled on these three amps albeit cheaper versions. Everything you guys said was spot on. I watched the TPS video too. So what you made similar videos your take was different enough to be more than valid. If I could make one constructive criticism of both videos, it would be that it would have been nice to hear them in a more musical context.
I have an AC30 Top Boost, but I have a '65 Vox tube Berkely. A pretty much unknown Vox but man, what an amp! The cleans are the opposite of brittle even with chiminess, a Strat sounds amazing. Then plug in a Les Paul, crank it and it sounds very similar to a Marshall Bluesbreaker!
Is that a PRS Archon 50/100 behind you? I had this head a few months back and I created a ToneX capture with a Re-Amp Radial box and a Two Notes load box. It came out great. This was the clean channel. It was huge and warm, and chimey. I though I had saved / uploaded it to ToneNet, but I didn't, all that work wasted.... If you have a Tonex, might you do that capture, thanks...
I've never really been interested in a guitar course, but your style of slide work and having it in standard has me keeping an eye out for when it drops!
It’s unlikely I’ll come across an AC30 like that, I wonder if someone has captured a profile of it and if a Kemper does it justice. That sounds frickin awesome!
I like the versatility of the Vox. That is a killer amp! When I first heard Rhett play the amp, my very first thought was Babe I’m gonna leave you…,for some reason even though Page used a supro. Dylan sounded the best on the Vox IMO.
I started gigging the the early 90s.....loud AF was a thing that happened in bars. My Buddy still gigs with his Marshall...he just turns it around and leans it against the wall. Sounds effing unbelievable. Loud isn't bad, but square is evil. Watch the 'Hush' episode of Buffy. There are monsters trying to make us all boring and stupid. ;)
My favourite amps are also the blackface/silverface Fenders, that's the sound that i loved since i listened for the first time bands like los Dug Dug's, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead, Country Joe & The Fish, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and so on, they all played Gibson or Guild guitars into a blackface or silverface Fender.
A Tweed deluxe with the right speaker in a small club rivals that Marshall. Outdoor gigs, Marshall rules and them Vox amps they are just pretty sounding! Loved that Super Reverb and this video 👍
Years ago I use to fool around with speakers and I always wind up putting back the original speaker in the end. The Jenson C12N is a good speaker. What I did with my Silver face twin reverb Made it adjustable Bias change 6L6s to KT66s the Speaker I used one G12H and one Alnico Tone Tubby. also one Piezo & one Midrange Horn. The amp has a big Image. I think somewhere in the 80s I started seeing guys using different amps switching out via pedal board. Enjoyed your video Thanks for sharing. c]8-)
Just curious, you mentioned that the Vox with the Tele is an iconic sound, and I wondered if this is also in the neighborhood of early Led Zeppelin where JP was recording the reocrds primarily on the Tele. I'm guessing the amps were probably Vox. Thoughts?
Really great video, loved it! One minor thing : whenever you're talking, I suggest you mute the amp mics. We could hear you talk through it, and it was a tiny bit unpleasant. Other than that, great pieces of advice, awesome playing and tones. You guys together is a blessing. Have a great day fellas!
Excellent VID!!! Never played VOX, very cool and interesting, I love my 73' Super Reverb, I loaded mine with Eminence Cannabis Rex 10's and WOW! This thing is on steroids!
I had my Brown Princeton biased to 100v and swapped out the speaker for a 12" Jensen C12Q, hoping to be able to crank it to 10 in a band with no attenuator. It ended up being so quiet in the room that it doesn't even feedback when u hold a note lol. I need to get the bias back up to 120v i think it will be ok then. Cool vid.
