Vox AC50 vs AC30 - How does Vox's 'Marshall' compare to AC30!!
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2021
- I compare a '66 Vox AC50 to a '63 Vox AC30. I'm playing them through the same '71 Marshall 1960A cab with G12M25 75Hz Pulsonic Greenbacks using a '08 Gibson Les Paul 1959 Standard Reissue, R9. The Vox AC50 is sometimes referred to as Vox's Marshall since it features EL34 Power tubes.
The AC50 is perfect for getting the volume you will need after going nearly deaf playing the AC30.
Hahaha! 🤣
What did he say?
God, that was damn funny😂
Still have the 100w model as a last resort 😂😂😂
Stunning comparison Johan , they're like two brothers grown up in the same family , different generations. AC50 sounds just fine , mature and laid back - AC30 ... OMG those overtones made the mighty.
Thanks David! Glad to hear that
music was so nice to listen to I forgot to compare. vox + marshall cab is my dream setup, such a great combo.
Thanks man, I’m really glad to hear that! Cheers
Yes, this is a hard comparison. If this were a lineup, the innocent amp could easily get convicted given the assortment of tones in this video
Wow, the AC50 actually sounds like it will be an excellent choice for Doom Metal. I am genuinely surprised because I never expected a VOX amp to sound that thick and heavy.
Everything will work for Doom as long as it's loud. The "original" Doom amps were clean amps.
50 sounds fuller and smoother to my ears.
over my phone via UA-cam ;-)
Thanks! :-)
The first clips of the AC50 were masked and dull. The clips later in the video sounded great. AC30 sounds fantastic
Thanks, yeah I used different settings throughout
I'm a 60's child so, Love them Both!
Thanks for sharing Johan!
Be Well All!
Thanks Steven! Cheers
Are both terrific! And what a nice 4x12!!!
Thanks Alex!
Nothing beats the sound full of harmonics of a vintage Greenback, harmonic content is everything!
When I see Johan's videos, I feel so under-equipped (not to mention my inadequate playing skills). I'm glad there is someone who is able to live other people's dreams, and share it! Since these amps come from the era with the music I love most, I cannot make an unbiased comment. I really love this sound! However, the AC50 at about 2:30 sounds muffled, but maybe that is the recording. At about 5:00 it sounds much brighter. In general, I liked the AC30 better. Thanks again Johan for all your videos! They are inspiring, entertaining, and informative. Again, it would be interesting to hear Strat and Tele through these amps.
Thanks Bengt! Yeah I’m having too much fun! :-) I promise there will be more Strat soon.
great sounds, they seem to do a nice job with the cleaner settings and for leads, rhythm parts seem a little woolly on higher gain yet still appealing, thanks for the comparison and thanks for sharing, Johan, stay safe!
Thanks Mark, stay safe you too my friend
I have just purchased a 1964 Vox AC30 Super Twin head+cab. I can't wait to receive it from the shop...and play it as well! Cheers Johan! :-)
Congrats Fabrizio! Cheers!
The AC30 sounds overall more pleasing! The AC50 just sounds good as well. I would pick the AC30. It's sounds like the typical VOX sound!
Thanks José!
God dam both are brilliant, I like the thicker tone of the 50 but the upper mids overdrive of the 30 is really nice.
I think the 30 has more tonal complexity and sparkly Vox-ness. God bless and rock on 😎👍🎸
Thanks J! I agree
I think so to, but I wasn't able to hear it. Ha ha
Nice comparison. Both amps sound great, although the ac30 seems brighter. Johan, I like that you let the notes ring and flow together, and let the sustain of the amp fill in the gaps - you definitely don't need reverb!
Thanks! Yeah Reverb would only obscure
Wow, both these amps sound killer. Love The Beatles but I can't believe they used to complain about these amps. I guess this wasn't what they were going for. I love these tones. Love the clarity you get on chording Johan, especially from the ac30 head. These vox amps could definitely hold their own against any Marshall. I will say the AC50 does a sound a little darker than I typically like my amps to sound for rhythm guitar. Still, excellent playing and tones Johan! Have yourself a beer for another excellent video.
Thanks my friend! I sure will 😀
Ac50 no good for Beatles? Marketing. They were Gold egg's Chicken for Vox
Technology had not yet invented any system that could get a tone to the Band that would cut through the screeching of a hundred little girls in the front of the Stage. We can usually avoid that problem at my gigs. 🤘
Just in case, I run two V125 Leads and two V1141 Super Beatles in a Choral Group.
Loooooove that thick, fuzzy bottom end/low mid character to the AC50. The later clips sound like they'd also suit a really solid lead tone. At first, watching this I was thinking "yeah, AC50's rhythm tone is killer but the AC30 has nice sparkly leads" but now I'm thinking the AC50 could perform beautifully in either rhythm or leads in the same mix!
Thanks! Yeah it’s got a killer lead tone as well
Such great tube amps from yesteryear!
Thanks David!
Show me a working AC50 from '66 for $500; I'll buy two. I haven't seen them for that cheap in the USA. I have a '64 AC50 with a tube rectifier. Best to switch the V1 from ECC82 to ECC83 for more gain. I also have some AC30 amps from '61-'65. All great amps! Your demo was top notch as usual. The '71 greenback cab makes those amps shine; really great sounds! Thanks Johan.
Thanks man, I’m glad you like it!
I'd be in there too for an AC50 at £500. See my comment above about the ECC82 - I prefer mine that way, but I'm usually using it at very high volume in a studio, rather than live with a band. I think the 82 lets you get more out of the power amp, but it's not night-and-day like you might expect.
@@andyrichardson9039 mine was definitely night and day. Loads more distortion cranked.
@@less_concerned1221 Interesting, I wonder if mine has been modded. It's also right at the end of the production run for the 82 version of the preamp (I think they changed in 67 or 68 to the MKIV). So perhaps it's different right out of the factory. The 83 made it distort at lower settings on the volume, but the same basic range of sounds was there, and by 3/4 it wasn't much different. Everything was a bit hotter and messier, if I remember right!
@@andyrichardson9039 that sounds about right. More gain earlier with the 83 (12AX7) in V1. I really don’t like the way mine sounds with the 82 in V1.. too tame. It is a tube rolling challenge though; you have to get a bunch of NOS tubes and some current high quality ones and compare to see which ones sound the best overall... low volume and high volume. Sometimes it’s a compromise.
They both have their own unique characteristics. For the natural drive tones I prefer the 30 but the 50 cleans up really nice. With the clean drive for the amp, I bet the 50 would really work well with drive and modulation pedals in front if it. This way you have the best of both worlds. Thanks Johan for showcasing these two. $500 for an el34 amp from the 60’s is a steal! - Rock and Roll🤘🏻🎸
- K
Thanks Kurt! Yeah I bet the 50 takes pedals really well
Love the low end of the AC50 !
Must say I’m a fan of the ac30 in the comparison, the 50 is cool and you could certainly do a lot with it, but the 30 sounds fantastic, it would certainly be my choice. Love your channel!
Thanks! I’m really glad to hear that! Cheers
I prefer the AC30 sounds, definitely. Thanks for the vid!
The first AC30s actually used a pair of EL34s! Lower voltage than AC50 and tube rectified. If I recall, the move to a quartet of EL84s came when they designed the iconic 2x12 combo version of the AC30, the 34s were too tall to fit in the cabinet size they had chosen. Yes, the first AC30 was a 1x12.
The funny thing about this is, some EL34s are too tall to fit in the AC50 enclosure, as well! ;)
Fun fact, when the Beatles started using the AC50, Vox put a Goodman’s Midax horn in the cab to make it sound more like the AC30.
Now we're talking. That AC50 has the growl!
Thanks Jack! :-)
Hello Johan, both amps sound great With the 1971! same core tone, the Ac50 Is Just a Little smoother and less" gainer" than the Ac30, maybe due to its more headroom, but both very Nice! Cheers!
Thanks Vincenzo! Cheers!
Very interesting comparison, Johan! Both sound great. Which one sounds brighter in the room? From the recording it seems like the AC50 is more agressive in the treble.
Thanks! Thought I'd like the 50 more but I guess the 30 is a classic for a reason.
Thanks!
I've got a 1967 Bassman and a modern AC15C1X, I consider myself blessed.
Very interesting ! You should demo a Vox ac30 built by MARSHALL during the 90s ! That would be cool !
The AC30 sounds more "Vox like" but that's also probably why I like it slightly less. The AC50 has a smooth but throaty sound similar to very early JTM45s that I really dig, and you don't hear too many amps that sound like that anymore.
Non standard speaker as well changes the character of both of them!
@@DMSProduktions It changes the overall character of both but not at all in relation to each other, given that they are both being run through the same exact cabinet.
@@Dagger_323 Yes, shows the difference in the circuit, not the speakers!
both sound great, seems like combining them would be right thing to do :D
Little of topic, looking at these marshall cabs reminded me of video of same cabs with same speaker but once plugged in they sound different, and there is quiet few videos on that topic on youtube, yours included, which leaves me with question are those made of different materials or is just different pieces of wood that plays a role in sound, same thing with old vs modern cabs included in your videos, cheers :D
Thanks! I think they’re usually made by birch plywood but wood and build quality seems to make a big difference
Johan
First, thank you! I was always interested in a comparison of the 30 and the 50.
I have a ‘64 AC-30 Treble. Mine is much brighter. Even on the Normal channel with a Historic Les Paul at full volume with bass off through a UAudio OX with a similar speaker model as yours.
What was the channel and the setting on the AC-30? Is it a top boost or treble?
Thank you again. I’m a big fan of your site. This is my first post.
Thanks Kari, Im glad to hear that! I ran the AC30 on the normal channel with no filter
I dig both, and if I had to take one it would be the AC30.
Thanks, glad to hear it
both sound great. do they still have the original tubes? ive just retubed a 1964 ac30 which lacked some highs with this blue marlin nos tube set: v1 1958 longplates mullard f91 v2 and all the rest early 60's mullards. the originals probably had mullards or brimars when they left the factory.
Thanks, no they both have modern tubes with some exceptions. Cheers
Hi, Johan!
Like an old metalhead, I like the 30, but on clean tones 50 is not bad..Just 30 is more stronger, and 50 is more comfortable, more ballance, maybe. But I like tough distortion, nothing to do with me.:-))
See you! Great video!
Zigfrid
Thanks man, see you!
Early in the video, the AC50 sounds muddy compared to the AC30. But later on it sounds great... You probably tried a bunch of settings and found your mark towards the after end... Johan, where do you keep finding such amazing vintage gear to make us listen to?
AC30 has less bass and breaks up earlier, but in a sweet way. Such nice amps.
Thanks Ryan!
I have to ask this question because I'm a bit of beginner, but are you wearing the headphones due to volume are you wearing them due to hearing them in the mix/di. Only reason I'm asking is the ac50 sounds absolutely beautiful to my ears for my needs
Pull the first gain stage 12AU7(amplification factor of 16) from the AC50 and try a 12AT7(AF of 60) or 12AX7(AF of 100) The AC30 has a 12AX7. That will wake it up for guitar. Part of the flubbyness is the lack of negative feedback in my opinion. An AC50/2 is basically a tube rectified Marshall plexi (or an EL34 powered JTM45) with a 12AU7 in the first position and the negative feedback/presence circuit removed. Compare the schematics.
I liked the VOX AC50 in this video, however a better design for the VOX AC50 would have been a VOX AC30 preamp section matched with a cathode biased 7868 based power amp section. Too bad VOX didn't make them like that. 7868 was a true pentode equivalent of the 6GM5 beam tetrode tube, the 6GM5 itself was a novar base variant of the 7591 beam tetrode. In some ways the 7868 was like an EL84 on steroids.
Any1 try a bedrock bc-50? Like a hotrodded vox.
66 would have been solid state rectification for ac50
Nice tone both of them
A DB meter would be great for comparison
Thanks! The AC50 is almost twice as loud.
HiJohan, I find the tone of the Ac 50 very bold. how about that, can you pull two power amplifier tubes similar to the mods on marshall models? Cheers Ron
Do you mean pull two of the AC30 power tubes?
@@JohanSegeborn Yes exactly. With the super lead for instance, this is a fine solution to get the full listening pleasure without ear bleeding. (A power soak would of course also work, a Bugera for example ...) I had the impression that the 50s simply had too much power to develop its strengths. Mr. AC30 was much clearer in tone. Cheers
I think all AC50s were fixed biased with no negative feedback which is pretty unusual: a Marshall always has NFB to control the low frequencies and adjustable NFB (presence) for the top end allowing you to get a harmonically rich tone without too much flubby bass.
Interesting, I’ll have too take a look at the schedule. NFB is indeed a significant part of the Marshall sound
As an owner of 2 vintage AC30s this makes me want to seek out an old AC50 :)
Get two. and a Panning Tremolo. You might like it, three is my minimum, but four is grand. 🤘
@@hoboroadie4623 I don't need any encouragement ;) - I actually got one AC50 shortly after posting this comment. Will get another one if I see it for the right price.
Every time, after the ac50 clip, when the AC30 came on it just seemed more alive
Thanks, yeah it’s more spatially rich
ac50 head overdrive gain amount
How long does take?
I prefer the 30 in this case. Thx Johan!
Thanks Cullen!
For a vintage sound you need a vintage hollowbody guitar. Everyone in 1963 was still playing a hollowbody. Nobody but Link Wray was experimenting with overdriven solidbody rock in 1963. And the magic of VOX was its clean and low gain. If you are going to gain it into the stratosphere, you are not going to hear those beautiful VOX harmonics that make the early AC30s and AC15s collectable.
OK, my mistake -- from 05:01 to the end there are clean tone comparisons (how be it thru PAF style humbuckers not not single coil or filtertrons). And, surprise, the Beatles were right all along -- the AC50 wins
4 power tube's give's something extra in the 30 but the 50 sound's great also 😁
Thanks Brandon, yeah it makes for a bigger tone
Hej Johan. I my speakers the AC50 is more like a JTM 45 or JTM50, not sure about the rectification. But The AC 50 is very responsive and less muddy in the top. Tak for demo, Johan
Thanks Steffen, this AC50 has a solid state rectifier, the earlier AC50s were all tube
Fifty sounds flubby 30 sounds more crisp
Yeah I agree
Non standard speakers as well changes the character of both of them!
I liked the 30!!
Thanks Jacob!
Hi joan the newer ac 50 cp is different?
Wildly. Completely different amps.
Dude where is the Vox UL-730(the weird hybrid amp that the Beatles & Stones used for their recordings in 67/68)? I prefer the bite of the AC-30 over the AC-50. Both sound cool. I might prefer the AC-50 with a Strat or Tele.
Have only done the UL710 yet
Very different sound's, but both are very nice 👋
Thanks!
I’m starting to think greenbacks are only good for Marshall’s.
I think the box’s would sound better with albinos?
I prefer them with Greenbacks but they were indeed designed for Alnicos
Both sound good but I was staring at that Blackface bassman the whole time thinking about how amazing it sounded in recent videos....
Thanks Nick, yeah the Showman and Bassman is seeing a lot of use around here. Cheers!
Yeah. Same here. Lol!!!
Nice level playing field with the Marshall cab.. but to be honest the original AC-50 cabs came with one (or two in 4x12) Goodman horns to give them the AC-30 British invasion approved tone as originally designed..
I don’t think the AC50 and AC30 are that different here. We’ve done Goodman horns in a couple of videos on the channel, but they’re not needed with this AC50.
@@JohanSegeborn ok fair enough.. 🤔🤣your ears certainly better then mine and in the room..
Hi Johan.
My wife said that I should marry you!!!!
I asked her why so 🤔
She replied with the fact that I listen to you more than I do to her 🙂
So I replied with the fact that if she could hold factual and interesting conversations with me about AC30s and Marshall's and play a mean guitar and bass she would get my fullest attention, but until then 🤣🤘
Hahaha! Offer my sincerest apologies to your wife! Cheers my friend!
Hahahahahahaha
I'm just wanting to know where he's finding an AC50 for $500??
AC-50 needs a cab with a Goodman Midax horn to improve the treble. AC50 and AC100 without a Midax isn't going to make the right sound.
😁
AC30 for me all the way. I'm biased though since I have a '64 top boost and it's my favorite amp of all time. The 50 sounds interesting but not so much my favorite Vox flavor. An AC15 though? Hmm....
I have done a couple of AC15 here on channel if you browse it
Plug in a p90 les paul and you get even more of the sparkle that us AC 30 lover's dream about all the time...
I have to start using P90 n the videos too! Cheers
Yes, that's my sound, P90 Gold top into a Hotcake, into an AC30 (non master volume) or AC15. I'd love to try a Duo Jet through it.
Get a gold top and play early Freddie king licks please
Curiosity.. what is your nominal voltages? Here it averages 115V..
We have 230V and 50Hz here in Sweden
Wow, that's a considerable difference. I've talked to a few musicians that have traveled abroad who said their amps were much more vibrant and full in countries that had higher voltages available.
$500? That’s a pretty good deal although those old Vox’s probably cost quite a bit to restore and maintain.
Yeah there is a price span but 500 happens a lot here
It doesn’t really cost much if you know what to do and where to get tubes for a good deal
👍🇬🇧❤30
Everyone here seems to like the AC50 better but I like the aggressive nature of the AC30
You're such a lucky duck!
AC 50!
Ok, the 50 being a true class AB Amp will not sound like an AC 30 push pull, cathode biased amp. But, the times they were a changin!.
AC 30 sounds better!
both are great. has anyone played a vox 125 from the 1970s ? if i saw the ac50 for 500 kroner i'd get one . people want 800 pounds here for them.
Thanks, I haven’t tried the 125 yet but it seems interesting. There is indeed a price span of the 50
Ac30 has more lower mids & overtones.Overtones could be a volume setting matter,dunno.The AC30 has that classic smooth attacking Kerang in the mids/treble,AC50 more punchy but less smooth.
Ac50 does sound Marshall like, sort of dull clean sound, compared with the 30, I love Marshall distortion, but the 30 has so much more chime, and cut, can’t touch it for clean semi distortion, I’ll gladly take both, but 30, bit better.
Both sound great, but I prefer the AC30 by a lot. It's creamy.
Thanks Joe!
I run the normal channel of my 50 with the bass more or less off. Cures the flub...
Yeah I tried a number of settings on the AC50 here, mist of which had zero bass
@@JohanSegeborn Sadly I don't have the 30 to compare it to. But I reckon the 50 stands up very well against the slightly later Marshalls of the early-to-mid 70s. Mine is a '67 but still has the low gain (ECC82) first valve, which - I think - gives it a bit more clarity and punch compared to the Marshall howl.
nice video, as usual. :o) but for me just one more reason not to buy a vox amp. I just don't like them, not the looks, and not the sound... lol
Hahaha! Cheers Frank
3:49
I prefer the 50
AC30 for single coil
AC50 for humbuckers
LP's didn't enter the rock guitar radar field until 1968 (really 1969) even though Clapton had used one on the beano album several years earlier. And when LPs did get popular, VOX was ancient history. Only players with access to a vintage english VOX AC30 -- something you couldn't buy in the US -- played them. So, your comparing things that practically never happened.
And you're playing them in the high gain stratosphere of their day. You might as well pretend VWs were made in America and used by Mario Andretti when he raced LA Mans grand prix.
50 has a weird flubby bottom end. 30 sounds much better, dirty, but the 50 actually sounds pretty good clean.
Thanks
AV30 sounds like the 50 with new tubes. Lol.
Where are his "cheap" vox heads? I'd buy a $500 ac50 right now
same, still looking, no AC50 or AC100 out there for even $1000 😁
AC30 takes paint off the wall AC50 takes wall down.
Hahaha! 🤘
Ac30 for me. The 50 tends to mush out on the bottom end, the 30 remains articulate
Thanks, I used a bunch of different settings on the AC50. It benefits from having the bass at zero
I use my AC 50 through a 1x15 cab loaded with an Eminence Legend and can tell you, it sounds much better than this 50 without the flubby sounding bottom end.
Good for you Richard
@@JohanSegeborn great comparison though. Shows how much fatter the 50 sounds. Celestions are not the best match for the 50
Thanks man, glad to hear it!
You need an amp switcher
Yeah but unfortunately they suck some tone
Makes you wonder why they even bothered putting out the AC50 back in the day. Ah well, funny old world, innit?
🤣 who'd ever need 50W or more power, rite? silly Vox, Marshall, Fender, Mesa, Diezel, ... those amps will never sell
😁
@@zoomzoom3950 as an AC30 owner, I could confidently put it against any 50 watt amp and it'll more than hold its own.
Also, the time for big wattage amps has been and gone, in my opinion. If you turn up to a venue with a 100W or 50W amp, it will piss off the venue owner. So unless you're playing stadium gigs there's just no need for them. And even then you'll likely mic amps (so you could save your back and bring a 5W amp instead).
Granted, the AC50 came out when people thought bigger was better. People also used to think smoking was good for you. The AC50 doesn't sound as good as the AC30, to my ear, which is why I wonder why they bothered making them back then. My point has pretty much proven itself considering the AC50 is a relic of the past, whereas the AC30 will be made forever.
@@CakeorDeath1989 people didn't think bigger was better, the PAs of the time weren't up to the task for guitar and bass.
There's a reason big bands of the era wanted 50, 100 and even 200 watt tube amps, and got them, even if you don't know the reasons. Times change, but I'll take my dual 100 W tube power amp over anything else besides a JTM45/100. Personal taste, Just because you can't justify big amps in 2022 doesn't mean others can't.
I've owned AC30, AC15, AC4 and they can be plenty loud, but a 50W tube amp with the right speakers will be louder, though the Vox may cut through a mix better.
A 100 W will be only 3 dB louder than a 50W in the same rig.
I have a Marshall 50W, if I run it into a 1x12 cab with an efficient, sensitive speaker, it is much louder than running it into my full stack where the power is spread across 8 speakers. I'll put my 50 W Marshall and 1x12 cab up against any AC30 and I'll bury it.
If I could find a Vox AC100 Mk II with working cab (with midax) in good condition for the right price, I'd take it over an AC30.
YMMV
Where is the 500$ ac50s?!!?!?
AC50 DOOOMS!!!
Cheers! ;-)
Doom and gloom? No, dooms and cheers.
Ac50+Marshall=Gustavo Cerati
big contrast here. Prefer the AC30.
Thanks
Clearly the AC30 just comes in second to last. ¤ I'll go with the AC50 ¤ ‐‐ it has better cleans than the 30.
Can't choose.
Cheers
You’ll never find them for 500$ in North America or England
30 all the way. The complexity of the tone is way superior to the 50. El84’s are amazing little giants. The 50 sounds great after the first lick but I prefer the 30. Actually I prefer my matchless hc30 clone. 😁😁
$500 bucks for a AC50 lmfao where show me I’ll take 100 of them
ac50 is flubby. needs a teeble booster
Not a fan of the ac50