If I buy a Liverpool pedal...

[CoqBelliqueux]

instead of the California, will you show me Vox-y riffs and songs?

 

[bsman]

[CoqBelliqueux]

There can't be only these guys and May.

[bsman]

From Wikipedia:

 

Notable users of the AC30

 

This section does not cite any references or sources.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007)

Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris of The Shadows, for whom the amplifier was developed

John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of The Beatles

Keith Richards and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones

Pete Doherty of The Libertines and Babyshambles

Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple used an AC30 almost exclusively during his session years and on early Deep Purple albums.

Noel Gallagher of Oasis used an AC30 early in the band's career.

Pete Townshend of The Who

Paul Weller of The Jam

Rory Gallagher

John Scofield, noted jazz/fusion guitarist

Brian May of Queen

Snowy White

The Edge and Bono of U2

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Tom Petty and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Peter Buck of R.E.M.

Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues

Jonny Greenwood[5], Thom Yorke[6] and Ed O'Brien[7] of Radiohead

Tom DeLonge of Blink-182

Johnny Borrell and Bj

[CoqBelliqueux]

Wow, Blackmore and Scofield?

 

Yes, I am.

[bsman]

I've never played through one, but a LOT of the folks I try to emulate (Beatles, Petty, Townshend etc.) use(d) them extensively. I try to emulate the sound with my Tech 21 Trademark 10, but I can't ever really get that "chime". I'll be interested to hear your impression of this pedal...

[CoqBelliqueux]

It's almost certain I will get that one, but my guitars and amp (look down here) couldn't really be trusted for Vox authenticity, i think. I will have access to an ext. cab. in a few weeks though, so maybe I'll be surprised, who knows?

 

Thanks for the list, I'll look up riff tabs.

 

As for the amp, I'm thinking maybe powered speakers down the line, I'll have to look at the Trademark series and other products they have.

[steve_man]

LOVES me some Vox tones...get it!

[twotimingpete]

I didn't like those tech 21s. they aren't real stomp boxes. they sound sorta fake and they aren't run in front of your amp like a real stomp box, instead they take over by being put in the fx loop. they're just not normal boxes and I didn't like em. maybe YMMV.

[d_dave_c]

 

I didn't like those tech 21s. they aren't real stomp boxes. they sound sorta fake and they aren't run in front of your amp like a real stomp box, instead they take over by being put in the fx loop. they're just not normal boxes and I didn't like em. maybe YMMV.

 

 

What about using an A/B switch and using it as a preamp into the effects return?

[mortkort]

i bought a liverpool pedal some weeks ago, its really good. i had a california pedal too, did not care for that one. if you want vox tones go for the liverpool.

[roygbiv]

vox tones come from vox amps.

 

not from pedals.

 

simulations of vox tones come from pedals. not very convincing simulations if you ask me.

 

but i'm particular about vox tones...

[twotimingpete]

it goes into the return of the effects loop. the pedal acts as a preamp, it's not a normal dirt box, and the tones it produces may sound okay in a recording but I was NOT feeling it in person at all. just feels fake and canned. ymmv.

[axegrinder]

The clips I've heard were convincing enough. I think the point is to use these sans amp (hello?) for direct recording...not as an effect in front of your amp. Just my impression...I could have it wrong.

 

[YOUTUBE]jB0LDJXHcec[/YOUTUBE]

[Alex W]

I always thought the liverpool pedal sounded convincingly like an AC30. Certainly one of the better AC30 emulators that I have heard.

[TheFigurehead]

vox tones come from vox amps. not from pedals. simulations of vox tones come from pedals. not very convincing simulations if you ask me. but i'm particular about vox tones...

 

[twotimingpete]

well if you're getting it for the purpose of recording, I suppose it's fine, but if you really want a good in person, live experience, I personally didn't like it for that. I had one and returned it.

[roygbiv]

 

 

oh, how clever!

 

that one's never been used before...

 

if you want Vox amp sims, try the Tonelab. Easily the least "plastic" of the options out there. I've tried 'em all including the Liverpool pedal. The problem with the Liverpool pedal is that it has some of the correct frequency responses of the AC30, but it lacks depth. It is literally like looking at a 2D picture of a 3D object.

 

my opinion.

 

to make sure TheFigurehead doesn't post more clever photos.

[examiner]

The "problem" with the Character series is people see something that looks exactly like a stompbox so they try to use it like a stompbox. And that's a recipe for disaster.

 

The current Character series pedals all have speaker sims which are non-defeatable. So you take the output of the Liverpool (which simulates a 2x12 Alnico Blue) and feed that into something like a 2x12 greenback cab...it's gonna sound like butt. Not sure why people don't understand that.

 

Take that same Liverpool pedal and feed it directly into a high quality FRFR powered monitor? AC30 heaven. The model itself is as good as the one in my AxeFX...the AxeFX only has a slight advantage due to the ability to change the speaker sim IR, whereas with the Liverpool you are stuck with the one hard-wired in the pedal.

 

For $150 these things are fantastic solutions. Unfortunately for the OP, a Fender Champion 600 is really not an appropriate platform for them. It's pretty much impossible to take a Fender voiced amp and make it sound like a Vox. But it's very possible to take a good FRFR system (which ideally doesn't have a "voice") and make it sound like anything you want it to.

[Elias Graves]

I wonder how it would sound going into an AC4?

 

EG

[d_dave_c]

To examiner's point - I've wondered about this through a Roland JC-55 or 77 - voxy goodness with a good, transparent, very portable and loud amp.

 

I have one, but have only ever used it for direct stuff. Don't like it in front of an amp, either. I might try it through the effects return, though. I thought that was a good idea.

[CoqBelliqueux]

For $150 these things are fantastic solutions. Unfortunately for the OP, a Fender Champion 600 is really not an appropriate platform for them. It's pretty much impossible to take a Fender voiced amp and make it sound like a Vox. But it's very possible to take a good FRFR system (which ideally doesn't have a "voice") and make it sound like anything you want it to.

I have very little time right now... but having this equipment at home doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to plug the pedal in a rehearsal space or somewhere else.

Besides, you'd be surprised to hear what the Hot British sounds like in the Champ.

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

If you get that pedal do you start looking for food in bins and stealing hubcaps?

 

(British joke:))

 

[CoqBelliqueux]

I don't like the British anymore. :poke:

 

You know, I've spent so much money on amps and preamps and multi-digital {censored} that didn't sound good to me after a few weeks. {censored} that. I'm keeping it simple until I buy a Venus.

[examiner]

 

To examiner's point - I've wondered about this through a Roland JC-55 or 77 - voxy goodness with a good, transparent, very portable and loud amp. I have one, but have only ever used it for direct stuff. Don't like it in front of an amp, either. I might try it through the effects return, though. I thought that was a good idea.

 

 

 

Good clean keyboard amps are workable with the pedals, much better than traditional guitar amps. You still have the potential of "speaker clash", but good keyboard amps are typically somewhat neutral - or at least a lot more so than a guitar amp.

 

If you go straight into your effects return, you are obviously eliminating the problem of "preamp into preamp" gain staging. So ya, that's a better solution if you don't have access to anything else. Especially if your amp is solid state with a clean power amp section. If you have a tube poweramp section, there's still going to be coloration from your power amp tubes.

 

Tech 21's new group of Character pedals is supposed to be released in a couple months and they include a switch to defeat the speaker sim. These should be much more palatable going into an effects return of a guitar amp. So at least they listened there. They obviously know these don't sound all that great feeding a guitar amp, so they are making what changes they can.