There was a time in the mid to late 1970s when Vox AC30s were out of fashion and most players wanted a Marshall stack but when some pals and I were starting a band I suggested AC30s would be ideal for the pub gigs we were likely to be playing. We went to a second hand store in the Westgate Road in Newcastle and bought three for £95, £85 and £60 plus a huge 4x12 cab for me as bassist to use. I had to borrow an amp for a while longer until I could afford one. The battered £60 AC30 had been stripped of all its covering and had the wrong knobs on plus one channel not working but it was bought for another guitarist pal of mine as I didn't have the money to get one myself. He used it for about 10 years but it was way too loud for home use and eventually he let me have it back for the £60 paid. Eventually it died due to a duff repairers using a wrong crappy valve socket and I got it properly fixed and restored to the original circuitry by a really good amp tech, John Chambers. Then I got a new cab built by Matamp to the proper 1963 spec. as Matamp confirmed it was a 1963 model. It still sounds wonderful with its original speakers, transformers and Mullard valves and it no longer looks like a post-apocalypse wreck. The JMI AC30 is one of the greatest amps ever made.
Still got my late 1963 one bought in 1976 for £50. I was a huge fan of Rory Gallagher (and Brian May) but managed to persuade my dad to lend me the £50 largely by 'casually' dropping into the conversation the fact that the AC30 was the appliance of choice of the Shadows, an ensemble whose attention to tunefulness, strict adherence to choreographic symmetry and well-pressed stagewear, along with the origins of their key members in the northeast of England, had earned his cautious approbation.
To Mr. Pentium: This is the perks of the job, being a reporter and interviewing the classic stars. It is good to do what one loves. Fascination often comes from the studious and aware.
I worked on VOX amps all my life and can add a few bits to this video. Hank Marvin came into the shop where I worked with a faulty VOX amp, when we stripped it down we found that the tone circuits were modified and it turned out that Hank took it to VOX after hearing Fender amps because he wanted more treble and this inspired the "Top Boost" model which uses a tone stack similar to the Fender Bassman funnily enough. The other thing is I believe that when VOX had amps made in America the contract was flawed and the American company started making VOX themselves and changed the circuitry so they were cheaper to make. I worked on an AC30 that I was told was from America and it was hybrid with a transistor preamp and a valve output stage. It actually sounded very good and in fact some of the best guitar amps I have heard were hybrid including Music Man by Leo Fender. One more thing VOX amps had a bias resister and capacitor in the op valve cathodes whereas most other amps had negative bias on the op valve grids
I read that the Gibson GA-77 Vanguard high-gain channel inspired Denny's top boost mod (link above)..? The top-boost is more of a boost than solely a treble booster, similar to how the high-gain channel on the GA-77 boosts the signal, which boosts the treble of course. As for the hybrid Music Man amps: when I saw Eric Clapton in the early 1980's at the LA Forum, he had Albert Lee on guitar too, and let me tell you - Clapton has never played that good before! I think the fact that the Forum wasn't even half full, because Clapton had been out of the light for almost a decade at the time, "Money and Cigarettes" (I love that record) was his latest recording. Having Albert Lee on second guitar, that really helped too, and Lee played brilliantly too - they got each other going, and took it to the stratosphere, so to speak. ANYways, my point is that they were using a combination of Music Man heads, and Fender cabinets. Johnny Winter loved the Music Man amps too - the one with 4 x 10" speakers. Excellent amps indeed....!
@@pharmerdavid1432 Most guitar amps have the Fender tone stack or something similar because it sounds so good, when the tone controls are in the middle position there is still a massive top and bottom boost either side if 400 Hz so the amps sound good "out of the box" so to speak. I've worked on amps since I was 15 and I'm 71 now electronics, music and performing have been my life's work,so I've made a living doing my hobbies is that to be envied or am I just a sad old bastard ?
I purchased a Vox Essex Bass amp in 1966. It was my second amp & a real upgrade for me at the time. As amazing as it sounds, I was in hot demand simply because I was playing a Vox amp! The Beatles had made the Vox "Super Beatle" amp popular a year or so earlier, but not many American "garage" bands (as they're known today) had a Vox on stage. It seemed to immediately give your band an air of respectability in those early days & I got a ton of gigs just because of my amp, lol.
Host: "It was Rock 'n' Roll that brought us the electric guitar." Charlie Christian, T-Bone Walker, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Oscar Moore, Muddy Waters and B.B. King: "Are we a joke to you?"
Many years ago, one of my buddies who was a key performer in one of history's all-time greatest Supergroups played me some early recordings of the band done for the BBC's Top of the Pops radio show. They were unbelieveable on many levels, and he had hours of them. One of the most amazing things was the extremely high quality of the recordings, and the unadulterated shimmering crystal clear sound of the band's guitars through early Vox AC30 amps. He made copies on CDs for me, and I believe no one knows to this day (besides him and me) that copies of those recordings still exist.
This is the most underrated comment on rock and roll I’ve read on RU-vid. Would LOVE to know more- fantastic!!! You’re so lucky to have heard them. 👍🏻👍🏻
robert ovens in 1989, someone offered me a genuine 60s AC30 for £20 cash as seen - and it was completely battered with a dirty great coffee stain down the front so I walked away, and I regret it to this day. If I had known what it meant, I would have bought it on the spot. I would have had it restored as the electronics all worked perfectly and sounded amazing - it was only the case and cosmetics that were battered. And it was on sale for £20. I'm gutted. Of course I did eventually find a mint original '65 Grey Bullet, but it cost me £1700 in 2004. I had a guitarist come in the studio once and offered me three grand for it and I said no. Not selling it for any price.
@@RB747domme I sold an AC30 twin (had since 1967) for £10 in 1975 as a student, thinking it was too big to cart around from flat to flat and could easily get another... :-(
@@RB747domme isn't hindsight always 20 20..sorry brother..but I also have similar regrets ...we learned didn't we...cool story ...thanks for sharing .keep playing friend.
Sadly, a film about the Vox AC30 and not one mention of the greatest guitarist who ever plugged into one, the late great Rory Gallagher. He used his treble boosted AC30 and occasionally a Fender Bassman right to the very end. I'll never forget seeing him playing live on several occasions.
Cliff W.. I read an interview with Rory where he states on one night he was in the middle of his set & whatever song he was playing when he began to smell something burning. Turns out as he turned around his AC30 was in flames. They managed to get the amp off & put out the flames but the amp was history. Fortunately he had a back up & the show went on. Still one of Rory's favorite amps he was the ultimate pro. I used to see him in the early 70s when he was opening for i believe Deep Purple & he played here many times in Washington DC at this small club called My Mother's Place . Some of the best acts went through that club like Roy Buchanan & Link Wray. That's how Rory was ,on his days off he would find somewhere to play instead of lounging around. Saw him several more times when he was here in the mid 70s & he was always the ultimate showman & one of the greatest players in Rock.
Not only WAS Mick born in a crossfire hurricane (World War II), he and Keith also DIDN´T form the Rolling Stones. Brian Jones and Ian Stewart did, and they joined afterwards. Otherwise, great documentary.
Brian May's tone is one of the sweetest sounds ever created on earth. The live recording they did of Brighton Rock will literally make your ears bleed in pure joy.
Very cool... So awesome to see Brian May playing the solo. My reaction was the same as the interviewer. Just made me smile... My first amp was a Vox Pathfinder that I bought for $25 in the late 60's. I wish I realized what I had and wouldn't have sold it!
Scott, rest easy if you can.. we are always forgetting the future : I sold my 72 Les Paul Custom in 81, I think. American made, white w/ chrome finishes. a sound that would put birds asleep - or wake 'em with a start! On a beautiful Orange. Gone too. oh great woe!!!
One thing they don't mention is the Vox AC 30s sound better when they running on 230 Volts than they do at 115 Volts. They also had these bizarre three position tone switches that would boost or emphasize different mid-range frequencies. You can hear it on the Piano they put through it on the tune Birthday from The Beatles White Album.
The interviewer's awe-struck look starting at 19:00, and then his turn to the camera man ("are you freakin' getting this??") at 19:04 is THE best thing on You Tube.
I have never seen this program before today...Wow Brilliant. I played lead guitar with Shades of Grey in 1980's I had three VOX AC 30 1 x 1982 Rose Morris made Vox AC 30 and 2x 1960's Jennings made VOX AC 30's (with Blue speakers) a great lovely warm sound. Very good work horses...Sadly sold them all a few years ago now.
First gig I ever played, in a very large school hall in Southport, there was pretty much an empty stage apart from - a 4 piece drum kit, an Orange valve amp + Marshall 4x4 cab and me with a Vox AC30 on full volume! Blasting out 'Sheena is a Punk Rocker' felt like I could conquer the world!
As an aside [although I didn't know it at the time] the valves use in the AC30 where also made in Southport www.effectrode.com/knowledge-base/mullards-empire-of-rust/
@@cpcnw Not exactly. Blackburn was the valve factory. As the author says in his intro "Although the Crossens works didn’t manufacture vacuum tubes, it did produce ferrite pot cores and magnets for loudspeakers..."
Vox amps. Without any doubt are TheMost Versatile sounding device! It truly responds to the way you approach playing it ! Softly, and she will sparkle clear and transparent! Hit her hard and she will bark right back at you like a scorned woman! And this is without Any pedals. Sick an overdrive device in your chain and look out creamy compressed sonic Marvelment! The Vox will sound like any Thing you wish it to! I've owned Marshalls,Fenders,Laney,...and they All have fell short of what these wonderful tone monsters can and will deliver!
absolutely. every other amp is just a repackaged Fender in some way, nothing sounds like Vox. my epiphone casino, into my ernie ball mvp, into my AC15 is the sound I've always heard in my ears
I play a recently made Vox AC15. The name is owned by Korg now. The high-end amps are very well made in Vietnam. Very simple upgrades like the speaker change to the Blueback, custom valve set will give you that same 1960's sound. The Korg amps are well made from decent wood, weigh a ton! They really have but very faithful to the Dartford made amps! I would not fancy gigging with an AC30 due to the weight. Those early amps are amazing. The Beatles cab being wonderful. The vox wah-wah was a total gem! The AC50 didn't get a mention, but it was a great valve head amp. They forgot to mention key components such as the Mullard tubes use. They were killer tubes. We made the best tubes in the world. They were amazing, plus the speakers being Celestion blue/greenbacks. Both were British made. They could have written in 20 minutes on those two key parts!
I had a Vox Pathfinder 15R amp. Great amp. Sold to a girl in Sacramento CA. She loves it. I bought a Marshall. Love it. Then bought a few Fender amps. Champ and Super Lead. Was lucky to get them. Then bought a Marshall Valvestate 80. After that it was all over for other amps. sold everything and kept the Marshall Valvestate 80
Great documentary on one of the most iconic amps of all time. From the Beatles and the Stones to Queen and many bands of today, an AC-30 is the real deal!
I am witness of everything shown and said in this documentary except Brian May words on VOX AC 30 problems. In my band during 1970-ies both guitarists had VOX, two models , one quite new at the time, second "TOP BOOST". And to one happened exactly the same case: We were playing in one theatre lower ground than the entrance. And guitarist had frozen hands so AC 30 fall off from quite high steps. We expected that's "THE END". But it played perfect and there was no scratches. I played bass (Sometimes 100W Fender Bass Master, or 100W Hiwatt both with 200W Celestion Box) and FULL POWER, otherwise I can't be loud enough. VOXes gave great sound with Italian ECO and Fender and Gibson guitars. Changing Tubes regularly, and in just one case a resistor,...That's all.
Just for the record -- Brian Jones recruited Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for a band he, Brian Jones, was putting together and which he, Brian Jones, named the Rolling Stones.
0:16 Drovers (from the side) 0:17 Drovers (from the front) The Drovers “Today Magazine” Competition Cavern, Liverpool Third place in a country wide competition . AC30 Mike Hooper Singer Terry Parker Lead Guitar Ron Baker Bass Guitar Ray Maher Rhythm Guitar Chris Gutsell Drums
im actually a bigger marshall fan to be honest but there is no denying Vox amps. I own a Vox AD50VT and though it is solid state with a 12AX7 in the pre amp section it happens to be one of my favorite SS amps next to the marshall lead 12. the AD50VT sings with warmth for an SS. I love it.
chuck jones I like both kinds of amps for different instruments. Marshall for HB guitars and Vox for the telecaster and my ukulele. Marshall growls but the Vox cries and sings.
What a great video. Grew up in the ' 60s but never saw a Vox amp in person until '82 when a neighbor had a Buckingham. Far cry from the real deal but apparently good enough for The Heartbreakers. Saw Tom during the '97 Fillmore 'marathon' and a wall of Vintage AC30s were there. Me, just owned a ss Pathfinder that i ran out of room for. Great little amp.
sad story, sometimes it's good to just stay where you are. you want an amp. wait for it. lol WE will make it when your order comes up. Sad story in the end. thanks for posting. I never knew.
Good documentary. The Beatles, a little inaccurate that they would never use anything else besides vox. By the time the later part of the mid sixties came about many of they're hits were recorded on Fender amps. The Vox is definitely the voice of the early Beatles for sure though.
They said that the Beatles would never use anything other than Vox while Brian Epstein was manager of the Beatles which they didn't since Brian died in 1967 anything like let it be was when he wasn't their manager. However on the odd occasion I believe that in the studio they may have begun to use other makes like Selmer and Fender before Brian died.
Selmer! My old man had a Selmer amp in the mid 60's... I have a '71 Fender Twin Reverb, but have always wanted a Vox AC15/30- whenever I get to choose a backline hire amp, it's always a Vox!
@@RoyceLerwick None of the Beatles played Vox guitars or toured with a different amp. However, the rooftop show from "Let it Be" you can see the glowing red power light of George's Twin Reverb and his Telecaster guitar.
I can remember the first AC 30 I had in my university days it set me back 50 quid 25 odd years ago it was a 1964! Unfortunately it bit the dust or rather the tarmac. I was coming home from playing and driving my rot box mini which was 70% rust 20% isopon and 10%metal! I drove it over a humped back bridge and the sub frame half the floor and the vox ended up on the road at 60mph. The vox was wrecked and the mini went for scrap. I couldn't of cared less for the mini but the vox was a different story!
One of my guitar players had a Russian amp...or so he said it was. Wish I could remember it's name. He gave it a very unique sound. Loudest amp of it's size I ever played beside. My right ear still rings as proof!
@@japhygoldman8856 That's it Japhy! I went to bed that nite and thought about it an that name popped into my head. Then found a bunch of Soviets on YT, but none like it. I think the head mighta been built-in. Maybe even a bass rig for all I know. Anit was old. Looked early '70s, an was a industrial looking bluish covering. Cloth/vinyl sorta texture. Any clues???
Wonderful doc. Great fun and perhaps has introduced the Vox legacy to new fans. A couple of mild mistakes (The Beatles indeed did use other amps i.e. Fender, but late in their career) hardly dampens the tribute here. And I have owned a few recent Vox products including my current AC15C1 and that came from auditioning several different amps. There is a Vox sound, but even a single model number will have a variety of different sounds based on year of manufacture, manufacturer, components used and design changes. They are all approximates and you find the sound you like best and go with it. It's a tool and the player really makes the difference. But Vox gives you a great platform to launch. Thanks for uploading this video. Nice to see the heritage.
Brian May seems like a real gentleman. Love the VOX; the history, the sound. Not so happy when on stage and my amp is not working... Can't afford a back up, so I'm on a thight rope with no security net.
Nothing to do with made in China. Vox amps are inherently unreliable do to the circuit, even the British made stuff had problems. The original purpose of Matchless was to design a reliable AC30.
My Vox AC50CPH (the recent classic plus) doesn´t have a fan. Maybe it should. But I also don´t think it gets as hot as the old Voxes. I had an Ashdown Peacemeker 60w a few years ago that had a fan. I think every tube amp should have 1 or 2 PC fans. Some of them are very silent and don´t even suck tone :-)
At 12:20, Mick Jagger sings "I was born in a crossfire hurricane..." then the BBC presenter says, "No you weren't Mick. You were born in Dartford." Well, being born in the middle of WW2 in Dartford, Kent with R.A.F. "Hurricane" aircraft flying overhead sure sounds like being born in a "crossfire hurricane" to me. Somebody tell this guy and Terry Doolittle (Whoopi Goldberg's character in the film "Jumpin' Jack Flash") that is what Mick's on about... but it's all right now. In fact it's a gas!!!
Who is "Jack Flash"? His name is Jack Dyer, and he was Keith Richards' gardener. Richards explained to Rolling Stone in 2010: "The lyrics came from a gray dawn at Redlands. Mick and I had been up all night, it was raining outside, and there was the sound of these boots near the window, belonging to my gardener, Jack Dyer. It woke Mick up. He said, 'What's that?' I said, 'Oh, that's Jack. That's jumping Jack.' I started to work around the phrase on the guitar, which was in open tuning, singing the phrase 'Jumping Jack.' Mick said, 'Flash,' and suddenly we had this phrase with a great rhythm and ring to it." reprint kindly songfacts.com
Cool. I noticed that too. We built our amps in the early sixties. Dual parallel push-pull means UNRELIABLE. But you can't beat valves for warm harmonic tones.
Dartford is on the border of London/Kent. The battle of Britain was fought a bit further on down the same railway line, towards Dover. It was probably bombed just like anywhere else in the south east,but nowhere near as much as say,Chatham Dockyard,or the east end of London.
I'm farming your comments for ideas, so thank you all so very much and Merry Christmas! I'm about to undertake a rebuild on a Peavey Austin 400 to make it sound a bit more Fenderish. Not a bad sounding amp already but I've had it since 1983 or so when I bought it used from a guy at work and I think it's due for a restoration. Tips are appreciated, by the way. Blessings!
I really enjoyed this. The Vox Continental was my dream back in the 60's. It's black keys were white and white keys were black. It audaciously had drawbars as if it were a Hammond. It was actually a Thomas Organ like Lawrence Welk used to advertise - but no one made that association. It was just very cool. -but I survived with my farfisa.
8:53 The Fender sound is all _clean?_ Maybe at low volumes. Put any guts to 'em at all and they break-up like gravel, especially in the low end. That was why I switched to Music Man amps (112 RD, and 112 RP) back in the '80s. Loud & solid-edged clean like hitting an anvil. I actually couldn't give f***all about Vox amplifiers, but the Continental II (and arguably their wah pedal) practically defined the sound of the '60s.
In addition to how great the music was, I always loved the *sound* of the Beatles. And the Shadows as well, when I was turned on to them (I'm a Yank). Appreciate the story of a key part of what made the *guitars* sound so great.
I can't confirm any word on "AC30 low reliability". During the seventies, both guitarist in my band had this amplifiers. We travelled frequently by no mean of luxury. Once, happened exactly the same shown on TV. Carrying AC30 down the stairs, guitarist slipped and amplifier rolled down. We were astonished of the fact we could not use amp for his guitar and PA (we didn't had separate PA). But, he switched on VOX and,...Worked fine. During this six-seven years history, only one ECC 83 was replaced and one resistor. Amazing reliability!
Remember, boys and girls, removing the negative feedback loop from your Marshall wont make it a Vox amp, it makes an unstable circuit prone to oscillation.
15 to 30 watt amps are now the rage due to a sea change in playing local smaller clubs. The days are long gone when you could dime up a ear splitting Marshall Plexi half stack in a smaller venue. After using Fenders and Marshalls for years, I now use amps based on the AC15 and AC30 circuits, but with effects loop and reverb. There is something about that circuit design along with EL84 tubes that is just amazing. VOX really NAILED it. Chimey with great upper mid's but sounds amazing when driven with a really good distortion pedal and not deafening either like a Plexi. This is why high end boutique amp makers usually try to emulate the VOX circuit for their EL84 based amps.
What most modern players don't understand is...... LOOK at ANY old 50's and 60's concert footage. The Guitar Amp was NOT being bolstered by the PA system. Those amps had to fill an arena on their own. Bigger bands used huge amps when they played big venues. The big amp was the answer to a big concert hall with minimal PA. Most players nowadays can get by with a more modest amp due to monitor speakers, and mics on the amps. That said, I LOVE big amps too.
the old ones r a nightmare to keep running..... the chinesd re-issues sound fantastic n last alot longer...... Vox ac-30's modern offerig are true to the old sound n much easier to own.....( m just don't get fooled n buy the sngle12 ac-30... who thought that was a good idea???!!!!!!!)........ that is not my opinion, it is billy duffy's comment on his new ac-30.... he bought the chinese model n uses it on-stage..... if it's good enough for the Cult it's ok 4me as well :)
I've had nothing but Vox Amps & now even more Appealing than ever.1st amp I owned was Line 6, Didn't have that for long,Bought a Vox & never looked back.
AP...Alan Pyne...an legend. He took over the front of the old Vox factory and did amp and instrument repairs. He rewound a pickup on my mates guitar. If you took something in to him he'd put it on the "GoodNews" or "BadNews" list. A real character.
I put myself thru undergrad college in the 60s playing music. I remember some good guitarists who had the AC 30. Good sound! I had, and still have, a Vox Essex bass amp. Going to a Fender Showman was a definite upgrade. And as for the Vox Superbeatle, as one lead player put it, "100 knobs, each one sounding worse than the last". Vox wasn't the only manufacturer of radical guitars. I had (and wish I'd kept)a 66 Gibson Thunderbird, had a lead player with a Gibson Arrow and another with a Firebird.
Hmmm a friend of mine has two original Super Beatles. I've played through both of them with my 59 Les Paul Junior and they sounded great! Would love to see and hear your Essex bass amp.
The Essex and the Super Beatle were not genuine Jennings Musical Industries (a.k.a. Jennings Musical Instruments) amps. They are solid-state amps that were designed and manufactured by the Thomas Organ Company. Whereas the Jennings Musical Industries VOX amps were based on tube technology, the Thomas Organ Company quickly discontinued tube technology in favor of solid-state technology. Most of the early solid-state designs could not hold a candle to their tube-type brethren from a performance point of view and had reliability issues. There is a reason why tube technology still dominates analog guitar amp designs. Most of what has come to be known as good guitar tone is the result of the inherent flaws in tube designs and the non-linearity of the technology, non-linearities that were difficult to duplicate with more modern technology until the advent of digital modeling.
I made a sordid living with a nightclub band for the first year after high school, then got a communique from Department of Defense... my ass had had been drafted. End of my musical career --- always joked that the Army ruined my chances to be a rock star!
