Vox AC30

The Vox AC30 is one of the most legendary guitar amplifiers in history, having been used by everyone from The Beatles and The Yardbirds to Nirvana and Radiohead since it was introduced in the late '50s. The Vox company got its start when Thomas Jennings formed Jennings Musical Instruments after WWII, selling accordions and other music gear. The company eventually began developing designs for keyboards and amplifiers, and in early 1958, the first versions of the 15-watt AC15 were produced. The AC15 gained wide exposure in the UK as popular singer Cliff Richard's career took off, and his backing band, The Shadows, gained notoriety for their clean, shimmering tone. However, they soon found they needed more powerful amplifiers to be heard over the larger audiences they were attracting. The first 30-watt AC30s were produced in 1959, and by the end of 1960, The Shadows had their first instrumental hit of their own, Apache, and Vox became known as the finest British amplifiers on the market. The Top Boost unit was developed in 1961 as an add-on device to provide more high end, and by 1963 was an integral part of the amplifier circuitry. The Beatles signed a deal to acquire some Vox amps in 1962, and used them to spearhead the British Invasion. By the mid-1960s, the Vox AC30 was powering countless hit records by The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds and other top UK acts. Soon enough, the AC30 caught on, and has since been prized by players in all genres for their clear, jangly highs and sweet, creamy distorted tones when overdriven. Other notable Vox players include Brian May of Queen, Irish blues master Rory Gallagher, The Edge from U2, and all three of Radiohead's guitarists - Johnny Greenwood, Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien, as well as Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Tom Petty and his axemaster Mike Campbell, REM's Peter Buck, country picker Brad Paisley, and jazz master John Scofield. Today, that classic Vox AC30 tone and performance is available in a variety of packages, like the AC30C2 2x12 combo, with 4 EL84 power tubes (or valves, as the Brits call them) and 3 12AX7 preamp tubes pushing 30 watts of sparkling Vox tone through a pair of Celestion Greenback speakers, and featuring Normal and Top Boost channels, Master Volume and Tone Cut controls, adjustable Tremolo, and true spring reverb. The AC30VR Valve Reactor is a lighter-weight yet muscular solid state/tube hybrid that still delivers plenty of tone and power. The high-end AC30HW2X is hand-wired, using turret boards to mount the electrical components, rather than the more common printed circuit board. The result is a masterpiece of technology and tone, available as a combo or separate head unit. There's even the amPlug AC30, a pocket-sized headphone amp that plugs directly into your guitar for those late-night practice sessions. it's powered by two AAA batteries, and is equipped with an AUX in jack for jamming with your MP3 player. Whether you're looking to channel some fabulously foursome tones or chart new sonic territories of your own, you've got try the Vox AC30. It has delivered the tones on countless hit records for over 50 years, and will for decades to come. Have yours delivered - order one today!