As Paul pointed out the one that you had probably had a defective tube. The tube is the sound. Without it functioning properly I am sure it would not work well at all.
As you know I play a fair amount of blues and I can get the AC30VR to break up nicely at fairly low volumes Paul. What I like about this amp is that I can dial back my guitar for a nice thick and heavy British Blues rhythm sound and then when I increase the volume for lead I have enough sustain to carry the notes just using a finger vibrato technique. No pedals required.
Brian is very particular about tone, if he says it's aces, that's good enough for me
Hotzenplotz wrote:But the perfect tube smell needs a whiff of cigarettes and a few crumbs of old dust on top of the tubes...
I call it "stage smell".
When Paulie and I dissected my AC-30 cc2 a year or so ago for a tune-up, unfortunately there was some evidence that some beer had been spilled down the ventilation slots .... part of that stage smell mystique when you get a second-hand amp ! Luckily no evidence of any damage inside from the beer spill.
Yes, and if you had asked, Rich, I would have scrounged up a pack of smokes from one of my roomies and blown tobacco smoke into the am to give it more vintage vibe, at no charge, of course.
There is no reason to ever be bored.
...why yes, I suppose I do have a double bound guitar fetish...
Well, I took the plunge and purchased an AC30VR. What a GREAT sounding amp! So far, I've played my Gretsch Country Gentleman and Rickenbacker 1997 through it and it has such a beautiful well-balanced sound. There's a Vox AC30 cover on order and later I plan on getting the chrome stand. Thanks to all of you guys who've weighed in on this amp!
"When I kill, its on direct orders from Her Majesty's government." -007
I like my Vox AC30VR but it can break up a little bit too early for me. I find it's best to leave the normal volume low (right hand side of amp) while pushing up the main volume (left hand side of amp) if I want it to stay clean. I would say it's more of a thick warm sound than crystal clear sparkling sound.......although if your going to mic it up then it's great because you can keep the volume at a lowish level where it stays nice and clean. (it's quite heavy to carry but maybe I'm just a wimp!!
Thank you Rich and David! Yes, I've already experimented with boosting the clean channel's volume control to see if there was any overdrive in that channel. Neat-o! Tonight I put the AC30 to the ultimate test-the 360/12V64 with Janglebox. I'm not currently playing out with anyone, but am looking forward to showing it off. I've already offered my wife the use of this amp the next time she plays out (her main amp is a Laney 2X10 combo) and her face lit up at the offer! I also suggested the use of her feminine sweet-talking skills to get her band-mates to unload/carry this thing in. You're not a wimp, David, this thing IS heavy. Of course after hefting around a Fender Super Reverb for a number of years, it seems light to me in comparison!
"When I kill, its on direct orders from Her Majesty's government." -007
Yes, the VR is heavy (23kg). - But the all tube AC30 is about 9kg more...
For travelling and small gigs I just can recommend the new AC4C1-BL (8kg). Completed by a 12" greenbacked cab it sounds everything than small. Fine top boost sound!
I know this is an old post but having had the VR30 for about 18 months now i DEFINETELY think it sounds even better than when I first had it. I just wish i could take it with me when me and the wife play but it's just too heavy and I've only got a small car so we can't get it all in along with the P.A It could just be me but again, this amp seems to sound even better when I've been playing for about 45 mins +...Really like this amp. It has what I call that thick warm sound (unlike a Roland JC 50 that I tried last week and didn't like at all-very thin - cold sound imo)..............BTW...how does the AC15VR compare? Could be the ideal solution maybe to mic this up with the P.A as it would be easier to take with us to gigs.
For "pick and play" I use the AC4C1 (BL), only 7,9kg!
(OK, this does not offer a reverb...)
This amp is build for the typical mic solution on stage and recordings.
The sound is (closed back!) more boxy.
That is creating a more rough tone.
When mic'ed four tube watts are way enough!
Some change the speaker to a Greenback or AlNiCo.
For some extra tone I use the VOX V112NT extension (12" Greenback with open back!). This is something between the AC15 and AC15VR in sound. Very deep, warm and perfect to toy with all pots the old school way.
- Who needs pedals for distortion!?!
paologregorio wrote:I usually have to open up my AC30s until they're too loud to hit the sweet spot anyway, unless I'm using the low power switch on the H2 or the CC2X. Kenny Howes always uses a whatchamacallit to drop the wattage on his, which I had the opportunity to play through at the Yost theatre a couple of years back.
.... part of that stage smell mystique when you get a second-hand amp ! 
Luckily no evidence of any damage inside from the beer spill.
It could just be me but again, this amp seems to sound even better when I've been playing for about 45 mins +...Really like this amp. It has what I call that thick warm sound (unlike a Roland JC 50 that I tried last week and didn't like at all-very thin - cold sound imo)..............BTW...how does the AC15VR compare? Could be the ideal solution maybe to mic this up with the P.A as it would be easier to take with us to gigs.