Vox AC30H2

That amp started as a stock AC30H2 amp, although many major improvements came along the way.

The single most significant reason to choose this amp over the other AC30 variants is the EF86 channel. This channel reflects the origins of the vox company and is - although slightly different than the original - a remarkable tone. However, this doesn't change the fact that this is a mass-produced amplifier made in China. It has a modern hybrid pcb/ptp board which makes replacing a component very easy, but at the same time makes circuit changes difficult.

 

 Also, misleading is the fact that the amp is advertised as being equipped with Celestion Blue speakers. Now, celestion blue speakers have always been a very significant part of what is called 'the vox sound'. The amp sounds great through other speakers as well - namely greenbacks - don't get me wrong, but it is different than the blues. The amp came stock with Vox/Celestion Blues, which differ from the uk celestion ones in the fact that they have a different cone (thus they are a different speaker) and are made in the chinese celestion factory, as opposed to the blue which is one of the very few speakers still made in the uk. So, the first major upgrade to the amp was loading it with UK Celestion Blue speakers.

The difference in sound is truely significant. I made sure both speaker sets were over their break-in period before jumping to conclusions. The truth however is that i do hear a difference between them, the most significant being that the uk ones are much sweeter and not harsh at all, unlike the chinese. The chinese were still fine although putting one next to another, the difference was quite obvious.

Next upgrade was the coupling caps. The stock ones were no-name and seeing how pleased i have been with sozo caps, i decided to give it a go. The difference was again noticeable, with the notes having more bloom and better projection.

The amp didn't have a bright switch, so the bright cap was always engaged, which made some pedals sound too harsh in the top boost channel. A push-pull pot solved the problem.

Finally, a master volume was deemed necessary to help tame the amp and get some juice at lower volumes. It is a LarMar PPIMV and it was chosen due to its transparency and the fact that when turned fully clockwise, it is practically out of the circuit. So, at full volumes the amp still reacts like a non-mv amp.

All in all, the amp was great in stock form but became exceptional after the upgrades.