A good price for a mid 70's AC/30?/Any recommendations for a decent Clean Amp?

[Catalyst77]

Been thinking about getting an amp more dedicated to cleans (for a change) mainly for studio work etc.  Everyone seems to rave about the ac30 but i don't really know much about it and there seems to be literally countless different versions over the years.

Have seen a few come and go on ebay and found a mid 70's one going at the moment and wondered all other things being equal whats a good going rate?

cheers
 :o

[TheIronBeast]

I picked up a 1964 AC30 last weekend in Manchester for just under £1000. I'm no expert when it comes to amps but I would say maybe around the same price I payed for mine?

[jpfamps]

A JMI era Vox AC30 for under £1000 is a very good price, even with issues.

I would avoid 70s AC30s. They are poorly built and don't have alnico blues, which are an essential part of the AC30 sound.

[Catalyst77]

Ok cheers,

When was the JMI era?

[HTH AMPS]

the 1990s-era AC30s are nice and quite accurate in terms of tone - much better than the current Chinese-made approximations.  of course, a JMI-era AC30 with alnico blues is always the way to go.

for cleans I'd say that AC30s have a really nice clean tone, but I still say that a BF-era Fender has the best cleans.

[jpfamps]

Ok cheers,

When was the JMI era?

JMI went bust around 1968/69. Initially the first Vox Product (the company that took over JMI) amps were identical to the last of the JMI era amps, but soon the bean counters got their mits on the design and Celestion stopped making the alnico blues.

Of the various AC30s I actually prefer the sound of the non-top boost AC30 for clean tones.

A JMI era AC30 will be the most expensive option, however if you look after it then you won't loose money on it (assuming you don't pay over the odds for one). However, if you do go down the JMI route I would advise getting the amp looked at by a competent tech.

Regardless, I would agree that BF Fender-style amps are still my favourite for clean sounds. The earlier SF Fenders, although creeping up in value can be excellent too, and can easily be converted to BF spec.

[Catalyst77]

Hmm

Def food for thought
thanks alot

[HTH AMPS]

I'm with JPF on this one, the non-top boost AC30s do have a great clean tone.  Also, due to the fact it has fewer gain stages, the tone stays cleaner too.

The tone of a non-top boost AC30 with a Strat or Tele is magical. 

If you do go down the vintage route, be aware that AC30s came in bass, normal and treble models.  You'll only be able to tell this from looking inside the amp and it'll have this written on the chassis.  A half decent tech will also know what components differentiate the three designations too.  You can use any of the three for guitar, but they will each sound different - if in doubt, just plug in and see if it sounds decent.

I'm not sure about pricing these days, but the AC30 heads were quite a bargain in recent years and are exactly the same amp.  If its for cleans, you'd get more mileage from an AC50 - cheaper and more headroom.

Even better is a Selmer Treble & Bass head - easily the equal of any Vox and a fraction of the price.

[Catalyst77]

Yeah, i had considered the selmer treble and bass, i read that it was a half way house between a marshall and a vox, and they are dead cheap for what they are, ive seen the silver faces go for less than £180.

Unfortunately there's not much about on selmer, especially in terms of clips on youtube, they're mostly of people cranking them.  I certainly don't need another amp geared towards distortion/overdrive!

I'm just after a nice vintage clean vibe with a little bit of hair/break up towards the end of the dial for sleezy blues/spanish/country style stuff.

All suggestions welcome :lol:

[Brow]

Have you considered a Carlsbro 50-Top head or combo?

I have 1 of the heads from 1974 and it's great clean amp that also takes to pedals very well. Don't think they're overly expensive neither :)

[jpfamps]

The Selmer heads (and I include Kelly and Sai heads as well) are a great buy, and there are plenty of them out there. With the exception of the old Hiwatts, they are in my opinion the best built of the British amps.

All the Selmer T&B heads use roughly the same circuit so the 70s ones are particularly good value.

They are a low gain circuit so are very good for clean tones.

If you do get one, other than the usual routine servicing (recap etc) I would recommend having a bias pot installed as the stock circuit runs the power valve very hot. I've frequently seen Selmers with the power valves drawing over 60 mA, which around 480 V B+ is quite warm for an EL34.

[Twinfan]

I'm just after a nice vintage clean vibe with a little bit of hair/break up towards the end of the dial for sleezy blues/spanish/country style stuff.

Sounds like you'd enjoy a Fender Bassman/Marshall JTM45?

How much are you looking to spend?