20 years ago my dad gave me an old ac30. I'd only just learned to play and didn't like it. I pulled it out of the cupboard recently, plugged it in. Turns out it's a fully original 1963, still has mullard valves too. Tone is unbelievable 😁
I'm consistently impressed at how good that Squire Affinity Telecaster sounds with all your rigs, Johan. It never seems to take a back seat, even when played side by side with guitars that cost many times its price.
The problem with most Affinity, and Affinity-like budget sub brands, usually isn't the sound (always subjective), or the electronics (if they work, they work!). It's usually the neck and how badly the frets cut you up. But if the neck is good and you like it, you're good.
1963 has a very warm and raw vintage sound ... while the 1966 sounds way more modern and sharp clean. It was a very interesting comparison ! I never thought they would sound that different !
Great demo, Johan! Very different, but both great. 63 is a little brighter and tighter , the 66 warmer and more complex to my ears. Can't decide which I like better. I'd have to have both!
this is just the review that i was looking for! someone here is selling a 66 vox and after hearing this video i was convinced that i liked the 63 spec more.
This video just reminds me of why I enjoy those videos that argue that the tube amp is dead and that modeling amps sound just as good as the real thing. I can see their point. As clearly as I can see a Unicorn prancing across the rainbow grass on this lovely flat Earth.
Love a good old vox. The 63 sounds amazing. For now i have to make do with my AC15 HW1X, i need to hear and learn more about old vox amps before buying one. Great demo :-)
I had the holy grail of ac30's with an EF86 up front non top- boost when I was much younger. I stupidly didn't know what I had .It was obviously an early one .However it started to sound rubbish after 30 mins I didn't know much about electronics back then and with no internet I sold it for buttons as a poor student. Now I realise it was just the old plate resistors and caps cooking. Hope its still alive somewhere. Thanks for reviving my memories .I have a 66 now and have just retrofitted top-boost but I still miss that old amp
63 sounds warmer and less harsh for the upper registers, but the 66 seems to hold together better with the rhythm. Both are great, but if I had to pick one, I’d go 63.
Most excellent! I agree with kabukiman on the sweetness of the 63...a hallmark AC30 reference tone to be sure. But as Jevin Edrick noted, the punchy edginess of the 66 has its own charm as well. The SG sounded great through both, but the 63 seemed more favorable to Johan's Tele (and Simon's Strat I'd wager!). Thanks Johan! (PS: Göteborg is beautiful in summer!)
I have never had a closed back cabinet that I liked. The theory behind closed back cabinets is literally just sound projection - I've honestly never heard a closed back cab that sounded as good as an open back one outside of Wembley Stadium.
I just love that crunchy sound coming from the VOX amps. In this video the 63 really sounded to best imo. These amps are important for my first big love of the guitar sound. Brian May who was playing VOX's on the Queen live in Budapest 86. The first live performance I have ever seen when. And that performance still sounds really good on this day. Especially May's sound.
Its an AC30 video, so I'm here to tell you, again, that the master volume CC2 models are absolutely baller at lower volumes! My #1 is a CC2 with UK blues and it sounds pretty much exactly like the 1966 in the video @ sub 70dbs. The master volume works really well on this model. Its probably the best modern AC30 imho. Rack it up with JJ's and get both channel volumes over half way and use the Master to, effectively, attenuate. Yes they sound FAR better at around 80dbs but they rapidly lose definition and turn to mush at much more than half way on the master. So while valve amps sound best loud, solely because the speakers are really having to work, you absolutely can have your cake and eat it. :) Its even got a GZ34 rectifier to pound in to goo.
@@cgavin1 I do agree. I have a CC2 which I bought with celestion blue in 2000 inside. and I upgrade it at Brian May spec (Petersen mod with new choke and transformer). Gain at full on normal channel with a dallas treble booster, the best sound is with master at 1-2 o clock. After it mush the lows. But clearly an AC30 treble booster is very loud even with master @ noon.
They don't only sound like that at ear bleeding volumes, just buy an OX Box or a Waza Craft Amp Expander and you can make them sound great even at bedroom volumes; they are the two most known modern attenuators in the market, and also they do a lot other things that expand the use of your main amp. Search for demos in UA-cam, they use them every video in Anderton's
wozzlepop cc15 actually does stink in comparison to cc30. They shouldn’t have made it but wanted market share. C15 blows it away. They totally put all resources into the cc30. Plywood too (15 got mdf!).
Been building amps since the 80s, tubes, caps and transformers all make a difference... a noticeable one. But usually the same circuit with this much difference is always the speakers. To me this sounds like the same amp with 2 different types of speakers/cabs. I'd bet real money the majority of the difference comes from them. It's the #1 way to change your amp tone now and it was then too.
Great range of tone clips Johan. To my ears the 63 seems better suited to the single coils (Becks Yardbirds tone) and the 66 liked the humbuckers (early Vox era Blackmore tone).
Thnaks for the demo. Woudl be really great to play both through the same speakers/cab to elimintae variables. As is, the 63 seems t have more mid growl, while the lesser mids in the 66 seem to make in jangle more
Very different indeed. I preferred the head/cab setup. The combo is okay in itself, but sounds rather 'separated' into treble and bass with recessed mids. The 1963/4 setup is more integrated and less brittle. I thought both sounded better with the SG than the Tele.
I never use the Top boost on my AC15. I find it too much tbh. Love my Vox, it's my acoustic amp. Nice to see the different coloured speakers from the late 1960s. They run out of blue paint, used a few different colours so rumour has it! I love them both. But if you had to force me, 66 please!!
The early silver speakers were exactly the same as the blues... 15w...then later the silvers got a 20w coil/cone and that had a slight bearing on the sound. The 63 blues in this case are 15w while 66s are 20w if original. Great demo...thanks.
Loving the sound of both, specially the 63!! Very surprised how different they sound. Did you swap the speakers to see at what extent are they responsible of the difference?
Great comparison video. The 1966 sounds thinner in tone but keep in mind you are comparing an open back to a closed back cab which will change the sound a lot.
Thanks James! They’re both open back actually. But the head and cab has a bigger space in the cab since there’s no amp filling it out which is bound to have a big influence. Cheers
Hi, Johan! I see, you are enjoying the summer!:-) I am working from today, hope, everything will be ok. Better to spend the time with students in music school, than to be crazy stacked up. I like 1963, but the 66 is not bad. With telecaster it's a little like The Beatles! And I will be on their side! 63 is winning! C.U. Zigfrid
Both very nice amps! I prefer the '63, it has a nice warm tone, not as bright as the '66. I have a (early?)' 63 ac30 with a Haddon power transformer and a Albion output transformer and it has the same type of breakup and warmth. So maybe the difference between the 63 and 66 is the transformers? As the wiring and speakers should be similar... As always nice demo and fantastic playing (and beautiful nature shots as well!) Cheers
Hey... Great demo cheers! In almost every case I preferred the '63.... But I guess the '66 likely cuts through bands better which perhaps why the change. Cool!
Hi Johan! Great comparison. I liked more the '66. Sounds punchier, at least in the video. I have a Vox Pathfinder 10 that I bought for practicing and rehearsals. Done a little mod and it gained more headroom. Would you someday play on that amp on your channel?
I wish you would have run them each through the other’s cab. :-) I wonder how much of this is the output transformer. having the amplifier take up space in the cabinet takes out a lot of tone. I know this from experience with Vox cabinets. I got a head and cabinet otherwise identical to the combo configuration and immediately knew that I had to get rid of the combo. Combo amplifiers are good for convenience only. The tone is worse than it should be and the tubes get slaughtered. And when they get this heavy it’s better to break them out into separate boxes anyway. :-)
wozzlepop ah. Bashing American construction technique are we, mr. superior Brit? I have no choice to counter your argument but to... agree. Would write more but off to mend the roof. Only thing left holding up walls now.
The Celestion grey have more low mids than the blue. Fuller sound. It's great to mix one of each in a cab or combo. A vox is not the same with greenbacks. Doesn't get the same great clean sound and chime without the alnico speakers. They are also great with a JTM 45.
Both sets of speakers have paper voice coil formers? Those formers don’t go as far into the magnet gap as the new kapton. Glad to see you’re doing well on a sunny day Johan.
Terrific as always, Johan!!!! Thanks for your instructive videos and awesome playing!!!! It's interesting the difference between both amps even though they share the same circuit, in principle. I guess it is the Albion or Woden transformer which gives that different colour. Does the 66 sounds more trebly??? Do the Silver Alnicos come with H177 cones like the Blue ones? Next comparison could be Top Boost VS Non-Top Boost. I have a '63 AC30 Non-Top Boost with Blue Alnicos and I'm not sure if I should modify it to Top Boost. I even have the Top Boost kit ready to be installed but... Any suggestion????
Interesting. It definitely has something to do with the circuit as normally the silver bells tend to sound more mellow than the blues, at least in my limited experience with 3 silvers from the 60ies.
So who made the Vox gold alnico's in 73 ? I have a 73 Viscount SS that I only use the speakers from Thanks 63 for me on rythmm tones Solo work sounded the same almost
That was amazing... (I could never choose) Have you had a chance to play through an AC30/4 I think it is with the sometimes problematic EF86 tube in V1? ...or an AC15 with similar design? Thanx Johan and thanx for the cool camera work... it's most entertaining. cheers
The 66 is a Top Boost (AC30 T/B on the back plate) model and the 63 has been retro fitted with a Top Boost. The backplate on the 63 is gone so I'm gonna open it up to way model it was before the retro fit of the TB.
I was wondering this as well! I have a ‘65 gray panel head that’s a Bass Model with Top Boost kit. The Normal Channel is really beefy on it. On the TB channel I have to keep the bass knob at or below 9 o’clock and use tone cut very sparingly when playing through my 70s Marshall cab. Anyway these both sound great!
The retrofit Top boost models will sound slightly different from the 30/6 models due to a couple of capacitors. What I did to my Vox ac30cch (2005 model) was to adjust the circuit as if it was a "non top boost" model with TB retrofitted. It got a bit beefier, mainly because of the 47nf (pré phase inverter) + 150nf post phase inverter cap vs the 100nf in the regular top boost models in both spots. . In my opinion, it sounds amazing. But both work well.
Johan Segeborn under the serial number plate was usually a cutout for a TB kit on the Normal, Bass & Treble models. I build Top Boost Kits and sell them and have for 25 years.
Albion’s will sound brighter than the Woden. I’ve worked on vintage Vox Amp’s for over 30 years. The early AC30’s had Haddon outputs and were slightly darker sounding. The Albion’s are bright and the Woden’s in my opinion, are a nice tonal combination of both outputs. There are no differences between the Alnico Blue & the Gray. Same cones, voice coils and magnets. The later Gray’s had the magnet mounted slightly different. The very first AC30’s used RS tranny’s but switched to Haddon’s within a couple of months. I’ve seen a number of early prototype AC30’s. The very first prototypes had 2-EL34’s in Cathode Bias, but didn’t last long because Tom Jennings didn’t like how tall the chassis compared to the AC15. He wanted both to be the same height.
Awesome information. But: Silvers are doped at some point and voice coils changed slightly to accommodate higher wattage (5w). Does that ring s bell? Doping always scoops sound. You ever put a kapton former in a silver? I’m tempted...
Both sound amazing. It really depends what you want to use them for/what the riffs/songs need themselves. Beings as Johan has the choice, that's the best option really.....just have both to choose from hahaha. For example, the riff starting at 2:42 I would much prefer the 66 as it has that ballsy BTO - Taking Care of Business low end for that riff/song specifically, but for the riff starting at 4:03 I would much prefer the more open and pronounced less low end 63 for that riff/song specifically, very much the Ram Jam - Black Betty Sound. Personally i'd take the 66 over the 63 if I HAD to chose but to my ear its's like choosing between the Angus Young vs Malcolm Young tone/sounds. Both are great but for a specific role. I get the overall feeling the 63 is a great overall lead sound and the 66 is a great overall rhythm sound. One thing I am certain about though, is that I am rather envious of your collection of gear Mr Segeborn, great stuff as always !
Boy I can see why Brian May like the vox for single coils. Really jangly even distorted. If I had to pick one I'd probably go with the 63. Of course I'll never own either. I have a 1999 vox ac 30 .its ok. Not my favorite amp but....
Gibson and Gretsch hollowbody guitars and the es-335 semihollow were the most popular guitars of that era of amps though fender strats and teles were cheaper and becoming popular among some American kids only for that reason. Just in case someone out there wants to not rewrite history.
It would be great to see both these amps or at least one of them, put up against a new model ac30. What is anyones opinion on the current production ac30 amps ? Do they sound like a vintage ac30 ? Do they pale in comparison ? How is the build quality on a new ac30 ?
Wow tough! 63 for me! Current live rig-= ac10 into an ac30 white cab with cream backs- thru my pedal board thru fender custom tele/ and a 97 baja- here on youtube go to call me the breeze by peacemaker45 and hear my vox tele set up ! Keep up great vids. Billy !
20 years ago my dad gave me an old ac30. I'd only just learned to play and didn't like it. I pulled it out of the cupboard recently, plugged it in. Turns out it's a fully original 1963, still has mullard valves too. Tone is unbelievable 😁
The '63 is so sweet and refreshing, really excellent speakers help too. Thank you for a wonderful video..
Thanks, glad you like it!
63 sounds the best to my ears.
Thanks
Johan, I am so glad you exist and are doing this with your life lol we love you
Very interesting. I was not expecting them to sound so different. But, they both still sound like a Vox! Another great demo- thanks Johan!
Thanks David!
They're both so different, but I couldn't begin to pick a favorite because they're both absolutely killer. Great job, again!
Thanks, I’m glad to hear that!
Easy, just take both of them haha
I'm consistently impressed at how good that Squire Affinity Telecaster sounds with all your rigs, Johan. It never seems to take a back seat, even when played side by side with guitars that cost many times its price.
I'd probably go with the 66 over the 63, but they're both really cool sounds.
Thanks, yeah it’s an insane bang for the buck
The problem with most Affinity, and Affinity-like budget sub brands, usually isn't the sound (always subjective), or the electronics (if they work, they work!). It's usually the neck and how badly the frets cut you up.
But if the neck is good and you like it, you're good.
Botha are great, but if I had to choose would be the 63
Thanks man!
Give me both in parallel!
1963 has a very warm and raw vintage sound ... while the 1966 sounds way more modern and sharp clean.
It was a very interesting comparison ! I never thought they would sound that different !
Thanks! I was surprised by the difference too
Another amazing video, thanks! The 63 is so sweet and delicious, but the 66 has that pretty chime that is so nice when not so cranked. Both are great!
All that they wanted, heard! Thank you for the work Johan!
Thanks!
The transformers make a huge difference! I’ve tried Albion, Woden and Haddon. My favourite out of those is by far, Woden. Great Johan as always! 👍
Thanks Daniel! I think you may have installed the TB on the 63. Great work! Cheers!
Wow, big difference. Never would have thought they’d sound that different. Prefer the 63 but I didn’t know they were made as a head that early.
great amps, both sound great, seems like the 63 sounds closer to a Marshall. Thanks for the sweet demo, Johan!
Thanks man, glad to hear it!
Great demo, Johan! Very different, but both great. 63 is a little brighter and tighter , the 66 warmer and more complex to my ears. Can't decide which I like better. I'd have to have both!
Thanks Matthias! ;-)
Thank you so much for these awesome videos
this is just the review that i was looking for! someone here is selling a 66 vox and after hearing this video i was convinced that i liked the 63 spec more.
Glad to hear it
Tbh there could be big differences even in the same year so I wouldn’t necessarily pass just because of a video
This video just reminds me of why I enjoy those videos that argue that the tube amp is dead and that modeling amps sound just as good as the real thing.
I can see their point.
As clearly as I can see a Unicorn prancing across the rainbow grass on this lovely flat Earth.
Hahahaha! Cheers my friend! ;-)
Modeling has gotten to a point where it sounds good, but it still can't replicate the feel and nuance of a real amp
66! An obvious improvement to my ears. 🔥They must have had a reason to do it.
Great amps, love the sound of an old VOX. I have one AC30 1964 bought from Adrian Utley. Amazing amp.
I saw him play, with Portishead, here in Detroit about 20 years ago or so. Did he say why he was willing to part with that amp?
Love a good old vox. The 63 sounds amazing. For now i have to make do with my AC15 HW1X, i need to hear and learn more about old vox amps before buying one. Great demo :-)
Thanks man, maybe we can compare your AC15HW to an original? Cheers
To my ear the 66 sounds Best but the 63 also sounds really good If I had to choose 1 it would be the 66!!! Rock on Johan 🤟🎸🎸
Thanks Tim! Rock on!
wow the 63 sounds amazing, so much warmth and midrange.
I had the holy grail of ac30's with an EF86 up front non top- boost when I was much younger. I stupidly didn't know what I had .It was obviously an early one .However it started to sound rubbish after 30 mins I didn't know much about electronics back then and with no internet I sold it for buttons as a poor student. Now I realise it was just the old plate resistors and caps cooking. Hope its still alive somewhere. Thanks for reviving my memories .I have a 66 now and have just retrofitted top-boost but I still miss that old amp
Beautiful tones! ‘63 for me.
Thanks Sam!
Good one Brother! Thanks for sharing and Be Well All!
Thanks brother!
63 sounds warmer and less harsh for the upper registers, but the 66 seems to hold together better with the rhythm. Both are great, but if I had to pick one, I’d go 63.
Thanks!
Most excellent! I agree with kabukiman on the sweetness of the 63...a hallmark AC30 reference tone to be sure. But as Jevin Edrick noted, the punchy edginess of the 66 has its own charm as well. The SG sounded great through both, but the 63 seemed more favorable to Johan's Tele (and Simon's Strat I'd wager!). Thanks Johan! (PS: Göteborg is beautiful in summer!)
Thanks, yeah the 63 liked the fender better. Glad you like Göteborg! :-) Cheers
I liked them both, but I liked the '63 setup way, way more! Lovely tones.
Thanks, great to hear that!
I like the 66..both sound great though. Love your work mate!
Thanks, great to hear that!
Out of the 2, I like the 66'. Has better clarity on clean and overdriven tones.
Both sound incredible.
Both sound amazing! But my personal preference would be the '66. I like that punchier tone and that fuzzy breakup sound is exceptional.
Thanks Jevin!
Change the speakers on the 66? Doesn't have the chime of the 63
Cabinets: AC30 cabs could be ordered open back or closed back. I think they called the closed backs “pressurized” cabinets..
I have never had a closed back cabinet that I liked. The theory behind closed back cabinets is literally just sound projection - I've honestly never heard a closed back cab that sounded as good as an open back one outside of Wembley Stadium.
I just love that crunchy sound coming from the VOX amps. In this video the 63 really sounded to best imo. These amps are important for my first big love of the guitar sound. Brian May who was playing VOX's on the Queen live in Budapest 86. The first live performance I have ever seen when. And that performance still sounds really good on this day. Especially May's sound.
I love the sound of a cranked Vox AC-30!!! It's a shame they only sound like that at ear bleeding volumes...
I guess it goes with the times.
Its an AC30 video, so I'm here to tell you, again, that the master volume CC2 models are absolutely baller at lower volumes!
My #1 is a CC2 with UK blues and it sounds pretty much exactly like the 1966 in the video @ sub 70dbs. The master volume works really well on this model. Its probably the best modern AC30 imho. Rack it up with JJ's and get both channel volumes over half way and use the Master to, effectively, attenuate. Yes they sound FAR better at around 80dbs but they rapidly lose definition and turn to mush at much more than half way on the master. So while valve amps sound best loud, solely because the speakers are really having to work, you absolutely can have your cake and eat it. :) Its even got a GZ34 rectifier to pound in to goo.
@@cgavin1 I do agree. I have a CC2 which I bought with celestion blue in 2000 inside. and I upgrade it at Brian May spec (Petersen mod with new choke and transformer). Gain at full on normal channel with a dallas treble booster, the best sound is with master at 1-2 o clock. After it mush the lows. But clearly an AC30 treble booster is very loud even with master @ noon.
They don't only sound like that at ear bleeding volumes, just buy an OX Box or a Waza Craft Amp Expander and you can make them sound great even at bedroom volumes; they are the two most known modern attenuators in the market, and also they do a lot other things that expand the use of your main amp. Search for demos in UA-cam, they use them every video in Anderton's
wozzlepop hear hear. I love the cc. Soooooo underrated.
wozzlepop cc15 actually does stink in comparison to cc30. They shouldn’t have made it but wanted market share. C15 blows it away. They totally put all resources into the cc30. Plywood too (15 got mdf!).
Been building amps since the 80s, tubes, caps and transformers all make a difference... a noticeable one. But usually the same circuit with this much difference is always the speakers. To me this sounds like the same amp with 2 different types of speakers/cabs. I'd bet real money the majority of the difference comes from them. It's the #1 way to change your amp tone now and it was then too.
I was wondering how much difference the speakers made in the comparison here. I thought the '63 with the Blues sounded much more open and appealing.
Wow the 63 just blows the 66 away!The 66 sounds thin and nasty while the 63 is warm and has a nice mid cut to it.Very cool video!
Great range of tone clips Johan. To my ears the 63 seems better suited to the single coils (Becks Yardbirds tone) and the 66 liked the humbuckers (early Vox era Blackmore tone).
Thanks! I though so too.
Both sound great, hard to choose. I love VOX!
Thanks Joe!
Thnaks for the demo. Woudl be really great to play both through the same speakers/cab to elimintae variables. As is, the 63 seems t have more mid growl, while the lesser mids in the 66 seem to make in jangle more
Yeah, that would definitely been preferable, we didn’t wanna break the soldering on the combo speakers though since it appeared untouched. Cheers
Enjoying both of them, though very different from each other.
Thanks
Very different indeed. I preferred the head/cab setup. The combo is okay in itself, but sounds rather 'separated' into treble and bass with recessed mids. The 1963/4 setup is more integrated and less brittle. I thought both sounded better with the SG than the Tele.
Thanks Paul!
‘63 for the win! Beautiful amp ❤️
I never use the Top boost on my AC15. I find it too much tbh. Love my Vox, it's my acoustic amp. Nice to see the different coloured speakers from the late 1960s. They run out of blue paint, used a few different colours so rumour has it! I love them both. But if you had to force me, 66 please!!
Thanks Marc! :-)
The early silver speakers were exactly the same as the blues... 15w...then later the silvers got a 20w coil/cone and that had a slight bearing on the sound. The 63 blues in this case are 15w while 66s are 20w if original. Great demo...thanks.
Loving the sound of both, specially the 63!! Very surprised how different they sound. Did you swap the speakers to see at what extent are they responsible of the difference?
7:27 I didn’t know lifeson ever played a Vox.
Nice outside view that you have there
Thanks Andrew!
It’s the harbour of Gothenburg :-)
Great comparison video. The 1966 sounds thinner in tone but keep in mind you are comparing an open back to a closed back cab which will change the sound a lot.
Thanks James! They’re both open back actually. But the head and cab has a bigger space in the cab since there’s no amp filling it out which is bound to have a big influence. Cheers
I own a 65 ac30 and I can’t imagine something sounding better than this….but this 63 sounds killer too
What is the difference you mentioned about the speakers’ magnet assembly? I’ve not heard of this. Thx!!
Hi, Johan!
I see, you are enjoying the summer!:-) I am working from today, hope, everything will be ok. Better to spend the time with students in music school, than to be crazy stacked up.
I like 1963, but the 66 is not bad. With telecaster it's a little like The Beatles! And I will be on their side! 63 is winning! C.U.
Zigfrid
Thanks! Glad to hear you’re back at the job! Cheers
My pref is for the ‘63. Do you suppose it’s the circuit/ transformer or the speakers that accounts for major difference?
I think it’s the speakers and the OT
whole lot a Johan !...both cool amps the 63 is warn with great resonance and low end, 65 much clearer and cleaner ...luv the tones
Thanks Gerry! :-)
They sound great! Perhaps there is a difference in the coupling caps from the PI and power section.
Thanks Jonatan, we’re gonna try to to pinpoint the difference. Cheers
Both very nice amps! I prefer the '63, it has a nice warm tone, not as bright as the '66. I have a (early?)' 63 ac30 with a Haddon power transformer and a Albion output transformer and it has the same type of breakup and warmth. So maybe the difference between the 63 and 66 is the transformers? As the wiring and speakers should be similar... As always nice demo and fantastic playing (and beautiful nature shots as well!)
Cheers
Thanks Sam, glad to hear that! I also think the OT is one of the main differences. Cheers
Silver speakers are doped and the blues not. Also slightly different coil formers. 5w higher rating for silvers. I could be wrong Johan.
kenichi and the patchouli and myrrh.
I dig the 63
Thanks!
I wonder how a marshall cab would sound like with four of the blue alnicos inside.
That must be something to check out. Let's go!
We play a 1965 JTM45 though a 1965 1960B 4x12 with Alnicos in this video:
ua-cam.com/video/eFEvcQ9_pJ8/v-deo.html
@@JohanSegeborn Aha, I'll take a listen. Thanx!
I actually thought there was more tone coming out of the 1966, on both the SG and Telecaster.
It certainly has more of the classic pulsonic tone as I know it
mm, i love that 66
Thanks Brian!
Hey... Great demo cheers!
In almost every case I preferred the '63.... But I guess the '66 likely cuts through bands better which perhaps why the change.
Cool!
Love them both, but the the 63 with the blues edges it out. But they'd both serve different purposes well.
Thanks Sir
63 all day 🤤
Thanks Lucas! :-)
Why not both!
Definitely prefer the '63, but you could easily use only these and write several albums.
I'd love to hear these as a wet/dry/stereo rig.
Thanks Chris!
Cool!
Could you take a look on Laney Lionhearts and make them howl like you usually do with other amps?
Thanks! I’d be glad to. First chance I get!
So different than a Marshall plexi... it’s got that alternative vibe
Man. Where do you get all these great amps. Every week, new vintage amp!
I borrow most from friends actually. I’m a lucky bastard! ;-)
@@JohanSegeborn You are so lucky!
Hi Johan! Great comparison. I liked more the '66. Sounds punchier, at least in the video.
I have a Vox Pathfinder 10 that I bought for practicing and rehearsals. Done a little mod and it gained more headroom. Would you someday play on that amp on your channel?
Thanks Marcos! Yeah I’ll do that one first chance I get!
Priceless! \m/\m/
Cheers Julian!
@@JohanSegeborn Cheers to you too! \m/\m/
Seems John that you have a liking of most things Vox, I'm curious do you have any knowledge or experience of a Jennings AC40?
I think plugging straight in, I’d choose the ‘63. Feel like the ‘66 would be better to put a pedalboard in front of
I wish you would have run them each through the other’s cab. :-) I wonder how much of this is the output transformer. having the amplifier take up space in the cabinet takes out a lot of tone. I know this from experience with Vox cabinets. I got a head and cabinet otherwise identical to the combo configuration and immediately knew that I had to get rid of the combo. Combo amplifiers are good for convenience only. The tone is worse than it should be and the tubes get slaughtered. And when they get this heavy it’s better to break them out into separate boxes anyway. :-)
I would have preferred that too but we didn’t wanna break the soldering on the 66
Johan Segeborn ahhh. Brits. Surprised the output transformer wasn’t loosely mounted on the speaker with 400v just hanging out there.
@@jaycee30865 Says the guy who's house is probably made out of kindling and dry wall. :)
wozzlepop ah. Bashing American construction technique are we, mr. superior Brit? I have no choice to counter your argument but to... agree. Would write more but off to mend the roof. Only thing left holding up walls now.
The Celestion grey have more low mids than the blue. Fuller sound. It's great to mix one of each in a cab or combo. A vox is not the same with greenbacks. Doesn't get the same great clean sound and chime without the alnico speakers. They are also great with a JTM 45.
the grey`s handle more power too , around 25 watts. with the pulsonic cones they are my favourite speaker and i have lots of old celestions :)
Both sets of speakers have paper voice coil formers? Those formers don’t go as far into the magnet gap as the new kapton. Glad to see you’re doing well on a sunny day Johan.
Thanks Billy! Yeah both have paper voice coils.
Terrific as always, Johan!!!!
Thanks for your instructive videos and awesome playing!!!!
It's interesting the difference between both amps even though they share the same circuit, in principle. I guess it is the Albion or Woden transformer which gives that different colour. Does the 66 sounds more trebly???
Do the Silver Alnicos come with H177 cones like the Blue ones?
Next comparison could be Top Boost VS Non-Top Boost.
I have a '63 AC30 Non-Top Boost with Blue Alnicos and I'm not sure if I should modify it to Top Boost. I even have the Top Boost kit ready to be installed but...
Any suggestion????
Thanks Ander! Glad you like it! They both have lead cones 1777. I prefer them with top boost. We should really do that comparison!
Thanks for the reply, Johan!!!Waiting for that video
Interesting. It definitely has something to do with the circuit as normally the silver bells tend to sound more mellow than the blues, at least in my limited experience with 3 silvers from the 60ies.
63 box head with a 4x12 orange cab- let’s go!
You’re making it way too easy for me ;-) I did that in this video: ua-cam.com/video/XnKZtgFansI/v-deo.html
Johan Segeborn yes sir that was how I liked it best!
So who made the Vox gold alnico's in 73 ? I have a 73 Viscount SS that I only use the speakers from Thanks 63 for me on rythmm tones Solo work sounded the same almost
Almost looks like little Angus standing there with the SG. 😅
Am I the only one who thinks that these two would actually complement each other perfectly in a mix with one panned left and one panned right?
Ooh I like this idea!
I agree, they are almost complements
@@JohanSegeborn good enough reason to get two? I think so!! 😂
Gotta be the 66 for me, it has that extra top end sizzle
That was amazing... (I could never choose)
Have you had a chance to play through an AC30/4 I think it is with the sometimes
problematic EF86 tube in V1? ...or an AC15 with similar design? Thanx Johan and
thanx for the cool camera work... it's most entertaining. cheers
Thanks! Yeah I played a 61 AC30, but there’s no video of it yet.
Is the 63 and 66 normal, bass or treble versions? If it wasn't modded, then, you should see a letter B, N or T. Let us know!
The 66 is a Top Boost (AC30 T/B on the back plate) model and the 63 has been retro fitted with a Top Boost. The backplate on the 63 is gone so I'm gonna open it up to way model it was before the retro fit of the TB.
I was wondering this as well! I have a ‘65 gray panel head that’s a Bass Model with Top Boost kit. The Normal Channel is really beefy on it. On the TB channel I have to keep the bass knob at or below 9 o’clock and use tone cut very sparingly when playing through my 70s Marshall cab. Anyway these both sound great!
The retrofit Top boost models will sound slightly different from the 30/6 models due to a couple of capacitors. What I did to my Vox ac30cch (2005 model) was to adjust the circuit as if it was a "non top boost" model with TB retrofitted. It got a bit beefier, mainly because of the 47nf (pré phase inverter) + 150nf post phase inverter cap vs the 100nf in the regular top boost models in both spots. . In my opinion, it sounds amazing. But both work well.
Johan Segeborn under the serial number plate was usually a cutout for a TB kit on the Normal, Bass & Treble models. I build Top Boost Kits and sell them and have for 25 years.
IMO,the 63 sounds more musical,the 66 sounds stiff to me but still good.my fav is the 1963.Johan,I’ll take it!
Albion’s will sound brighter than the Woden. I’ve worked on vintage Vox Amp’s for over 30 years. The early AC30’s had Haddon outputs and were slightly darker sounding. The Albion’s are bright and the Woden’s in my opinion, are a nice tonal combination of both outputs. There are no differences between the Alnico Blue & the Gray. Same cones, voice coils and magnets. The later Gray’s had the magnet mounted slightly different.
The very first AC30’s used RS tranny’s but switched to Haddon’s within a couple of months. I’ve seen a number of early prototype AC30’s. The very first prototypes had 2-EL34’s in Cathode Bias, but didn’t last long because Tom Jennings didn’t like how tall the chassis compared to the AC15. He wanted both to be the same height.
Awesome information. But: Silvers are doped at some point and voice coils changed slightly to accommodate higher wattage (5w). Does that ring s bell? Doping always scoops sound. You ever put a kapton former in a silver? I’m tempted...
Hello , I have the same tuner . Should I use it in front of my amps for buffer ?
Hi, only if you use really long cables or lots of pedals. Cheers
@@JohanSegeborn Yes that's true
Both sound amazing. It really depends what you want to use them for/what the riffs/songs need themselves. Beings as Johan has the choice, that's the best option really.....just have both to choose from hahaha. For example, the riff starting at 2:42 I would much prefer the 66 as it has that ballsy BTO - Taking Care of Business low end for that riff/song specifically, but for the riff starting at 4:03 I would much prefer the more open and pronounced less low end 63 for that riff/song specifically, very much the Ram Jam - Black Betty Sound. Personally i'd take the 66 over the 63 if I HAD to chose but to my ear its's like choosing between the Angus Young vs Malcolm Young tone/sounds. Both are great but for a specific role. I get the overall feeling the 63 is a great overall lead sound and the 66 is a great overall rhythm sound. One thing I am certain about though, is that I am rather envious of your collection of gear Mr Segeborn, great stuff as always !
I liked the 66 with the sg and the 63 with the tele.
Thanks, that’s my preference too
Boy I can see why Brian May like the vox for single coils. Really jangly even distorted. If I had to pick one I'd probably go with the 63. Of course I'll never own either. I have a 1999 vox ac 30 .its ok. Not my favorite amp but....
Thanks David
Never say never, I recently got a 1964 Treble version for under 3k!
Some of those had 11 or even 13 tubes (with reverb)
I'm guessing they only used one triad per tube but I dunno why
cheers
Cheers!
Which one have pentode in the preamp? Is it ef86?
These are AC30/6. I think AC30/4 had the EF86
www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ac30-6_fawn.html
Gibson and Gretsch hollowbody guitars and the es-335 semihollow were the most popular guitars of that era of amps though fender strats and teles were cheaper and becoming popular among some American kids only for that reason. Just in case someone out there wants to not rewrite history.
It would be great to see both these amps or at least one of them, put up against a new model ac30. What is anyones opinion on the current production ac30 amps ? Do they sound like a vintage ac30 ? Do they pale in comparison ? How is the build quality on a new ac30 ?
I think the speakers are the hardest to recreate. I’ll that comparison in mind
@@JohanSegeborn And if you could comment about the AC15C1 would be great too... they are pretty cheap and pretty professional sound...
I like your apartment, can I come sit on your balcony in the sun? 😁 Also, I love AC30s!
Cheers Roy! ;-)
1966 ❤
1963 model wins for me !
I prefer the 66, but both are lovely sounding amps...
Thanks!
Pretty different sound, if they both were powered by same Vattenfall!
I would love them both and let’em sleep in the same bedroom.
Wow tough! 63 for me! Current live rig-= ac10 into an ac30 white cab with cream backs- thru my pedal board thru fender custom tele/ and a 97 baja- here on youtube go to call me the breeze by peacemaker45 and hear my vox tele set up ! Keep up great vids. Billy !
Thanks Billy!