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Peavey Classic 30 VS Vox AC30


dave_incubus

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Is it better to get a Peavey Classic 30 for the money or go for a Vox AC 30? I was thinking the Peavey would be better but what do you guys think?

 

 

Dave, you are 15 right? Would this be your first tube amp?

 

If so the Classic 30 is a good choice, a good start. It will give you a great clean tone and decent dirty tones plus it is fairly light and portable. Takes pedals great also. The stock speaker is not as bad as allot of folks say but after a few months you might want to try swapping tubes and/or speaker. But basically it is a GREAT amp for the money. I wish I would have kept mine....might buy another.

 

The AC30 on the other hand....and I am assuming you are referring to the AC30CC2 is a tone monster with many onboard tweaks. Great amp but it is heavey and loud as hell.

 

Get the PV first in my opinion.

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Very different amps for sure. I have a C30...and used to have a AC30TB...the Korg reissues from a few yrs ago. No blue speakers and no reverb..not like the new AC30CCX.

 

But very different in the price brackets also! ....if you want decent levels of drive at lower volumes...then C30.

 

if you want an amp thats portable loud and does most things fairly well...then C30

 

if you wanna get an amp that needs to be really loud, and is really heavy and not very reliable....and works good for warming up your house in the cold then get the AC30!!!! :D

 

 

I'd say if you got that kind of money...get neither. Get a Orange AD30TC. Now thats a versatilie top sounding amp.

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Dave, you are 15 right? Would this be your first tube amp?


If so the Classic 30 is a good choice, a good start. It will give you a great clean tone and decent dirty tones plus it is fairly light and portable. Takes pedals great also. The stock speaker is not as bad as allot of folks say but after a few months you might want to try swapping tubes and/or speaker. But basically it is a GREAT amp for the money. I wish I would have kept mine....might buy another.


The AC30 on the other hand....and I am assuming you are referring to the AC30CC2 is a tone monster with many onboard tweaks. Great amp but it is heavey and loud as hell.


Get the PV first in my opinion.

 

 

 

You're probably right, thanks alot

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Dave, you are 15 right? Would this be your first tube amp?


If so the Classic 30 is a good choice, a good start. It will give you a great clean tone and decent dirty tones plus it is fairly light and portable. Takes pedals great also. The stock speaker is not as bad as allot of folks say but after a few months you might want to try swapping tubes and/or speaker. But basically it is a GREAT amp for the money. I wish I would have kept mine....might buy another.


The AC30 on the other hand....and I am assuming you are referring to the AC30CC2 is a tone monster with many onboard tweaks. Great amp but it is heavey and loud as hell.


Get the PV first in my opinion.

 

As much as I wanna agree with this post, I think he should first try them out (if possible), and decide which one is better for him. His first tube amp doesn't mean he can't get something really nice like an AC30. I kinda regret buying my Crate when another paycheck or 2 coulda got me an AC30.

 

I think long term the AC30 would be better, gig-worthy down the road, probably will have a better resale value, and most likely a better sound quality, although I haven't played either.

 

Do the real thing though like I did, go play them! :cop:

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As much as I wanna agree with this post, I think he should first try them out (if possible), and decide which one is better for him. His first tube amp doesn't mean he can't get something really nice like an AC30. I kinda regret buying my Crate when another paycheck or 2 coulda got me an AC30.


I think long term the AC30 would be better, gig-worthy down the road, probably will have a better resale value, and most likely a better sound quality, although I haven't played either.


Do the real thing though like I did, go play them!
:cop:

 

oh yeah, don't worry I'll try them, I'd never give out 1000+ to anyone without knowing exactly what I'm getting.. thanks for your help people

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Very different amps for sure. I have a C30...and used to have a AC30TB...the Korg reissues from a few yrs ago. No blue speakers and no reverb..not like the new AC30CCX.


But very different in the price brackets also! ....if you want decent levels of drive at lower volumes...then C30.


if you want an amp thats portable loud and does most things fairly well...then C30


if you wanna get an amp that needs to be really loud, and is really heavy and not very reliable....and works good for warming up your house in the cold then get the AC30!!!!
:D


I'd say if you got that kind of money...get neither. Get a Orange AD30TC. Now thats a versatilie top sounding amp.

 

 

an AC30 has a hell of a lot more going for it than you've given it credit for. I've owned two classic 50's, and a classic 100. I now own an AC30cc head with the alnico load cabinet. While the Peavey's are great amplifiers, my Vox kills them in almost everyway. I also take issue with the Orange AD30. Though they sound great, I don't think they're in any stretch more versatile than the Peavey classics, or the Vox custom classics.

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The AC30CC is a GREAT sounding amp...maybe the best sounding amp I've ever heard. That said, if I'd bought mine as my first tube amp, I might've quit playing guitar forever (and actually saving myself TONS of $$$...hmmmm). I had SO many problems with it, all of which ultimately turned out to be bad tubes. Even though none of the issues were technically the amp's fault, my confidence in it is a bit shaken.

 

The tone and gain controls all kinda interact with each other in a wacky way, so it's not always obvious how to get the sound you're looking for. Also, you have to pull the chassis out to even get at the tubes...tubes that you likely will be changing before too long. Not that big a deal really, but a bit of an uneccessary pain IMO.

 

Anyway, I guess my point is that the AC30 isn't really a beginner's amp. Not calling you a "beginner" as a guitar player, but as a tube amp owner. It really is a bit of a different animal from having a SS amp.

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What is the stock speaker used for peavey classic 30's anyway? Why do some people say it's bad?

 

 

It is the Peavey Blue Marvel in the C30 which is pretty good clean and low volume but gets a bit harsh at higher volumes, but not a "bad" speaker after it is broken in. I swapped mine out for a very used Greenback and I could hear a significant difference...better to MY ears (warmer and more "definded" i guess???) but not that dramatic. I swapped the stock Sovtek tubes for JJ's and that made a little difference too...smoother distirtion, maybe a bit more sustain, and definitely more clean headroom (volume without breakup).

 

Like one poster suggested try all of them before you buy. Keep in mind that in a store you will have allot of wankers in the background. Ask if you can try each amp in an isolated room if possible.

 

I still say go with a C30.

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Like one poster suggested try all of them before you buy. Keep in mind that in a store you will have allot of wankers in the background. Ask if you can try each amp in an isolated room if possible.

 

 

I guess that's if he can. IDK about whats stores might offer down their. My local shop only offers Crate's V combos, two AC30's and a DSL Halfstack as their high-end amps. If you wanted anything else you gotta take a drive of at least an hour :freak:

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The classic 30 is a good amp....i got mine for 200 bucks , solved the tube rattle issue, but it a completely different beast from the vox ac30....I am saving up for one of those..I tried one with the alnico blues, and I really got some cool tones, especially with my rickenbacker 360. I have 500 saved up..so I have a way to go.....I hope i get lucky and find a used one in good shape.

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Out of the box with no pedals the Classic 30 will be more versatile. However with some pedals than the AC30CC has surprising versatility, especially if you use the Normal and Top Boost Channels.

 

What are your primary tones you are looking for, name some bands sounds you would like to get? I think that will help narrow down the amps.

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Out of the box with no pedals the Classic 30 will be more versatile. However with some pedals than the AC30CC has surprising versatility, especially if you use the Normal and Top Boost Channels.


What are your primary tones you are looking for, name some bands sounds you would like to get? I think that will help narrow down the amps.

 

 

I like using pedals and I do like the AC 30 as I am ifluenced by Michael Einziger of Incubus - he uses a Marshall plexi (dirty) and AC 30 (clean) with a load of pedals.. I also like Muse (Matt Bellamy), Jeff Buckley, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave), and a couple more. I love the tone Einziger gets out of his Vox, his marshall is okay too but yeah. I don't really know what I want for my drive channel, I've found overall overdrive sounds are better than distortion sounds to me. Anyway ..

 

The clean that i want is best described in the bridge of this song:

Particularly at 4:50 onwards and then 6:27 onwards

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

if the stupid embeded thing doesn't work here's the url.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZEeyuWZwW8

 

If you can't be bothered sitting through most of the 9 mins of it just to pick bits, then watch this one:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfnA63D8Jz4

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I used to have a Classic 50 4-10 and it sounded great for anything I used it for. Any pedal I used with it worked fantastic. Didn't cost much either. While I'd love a AC30 too, the PV Classics are fantastic amps. This choice seems to be a common delema on here.

 

 

I use a Classic 50 2x12 and it's sounds great but it's very heavey!

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I tried one once and wished I had spent my time in the Classic world with that as opposed to the 4-10. They are both pretty weighty though. Great sound.

 

Yes, I'm happy with my Peavey Classic! The clean is great and the overdrive is very bluesy.

 

Offtopic:

Now I'm searching for a good pedal for more gain. Do you have some advice?:rawk:

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