Question:
I was thinking of buying a Vox AC-30 half stack, but the head is only 30 watt, the guy from the store told it should be enough for what i need. I need it for gigs in bars and the average size venue.
Anybody has one or could answer my question?
He also told me that 30 watt tube is much louder than 30 Watt transistors, i was just wanderin' why.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Elie I was thinking of buying a Vox AC-30 half stack, but the head is only 30 watt, the guy from the store told it should be enough for what i need. I need it for gigs in bars and the average size venue.
Anybody has one or could answer my question?
Yep, probably loud enough. In large venues the amps should probably be mic'd anyway.
He also told me that 30 watt tube is much louder than 30 Watt transistors, i was just wanderin' why.
Tubes add a lot of harmonic content, which makes them seem to be louder, and they also break up smoothly, giving a rather clean sound even a little past the breakup point of the amp.
Answer:
Welcome to the boards. There are a ton of us here who would gladly get an AC-30, without any reservation at all - except for the weight of course.
Answer:
Carry it around with a 1x12 cab. Problem solved.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Rainer. Carry it around with a 1x12 cab. Problem solved.
Or the 1X12 combo.
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you probably would only want your amp as a monitor for yourself when playing live. if you use it to push your sound for all to hear its not going to be mixed evenly and its going to sound really bad to people sitting on the far oppossite side of your amp. vox makes a really really nice 2x12 cabinet. it would be a lot easier to carry around and more than enough to handle your amp.
Answer:
I have the combo and it gets LOUD. I bought a nice case for it with castors, so carrying it is only a problem when lifting it up and down stairs or in to a car or something. It's worth every bit of money though. It's a great amp.
Answer:
He also told me that 30 watt tube is much louder than 30 Watt transistors, i was just wanderin' why. Many tube amps are rated for their power at ridiculously low levels of THD. When they're cranked wide open to high distortion levels (which many players prefer), they're actually putting out a lot more power than rated.
There are no universal standards for rating WFO power of guitar amps, tube or solid state. You're usually comparing apples and oranges. It's a fair statement that it's more common for players to use the maximum power of tube amps in general than of solid state amps in general, because of a common perception that many solid state amps don't sound their best cranked all the way up.
There's no universal "tube amp sound" and no universal "solid state amp sound," every amp being different. To be accurate about any statements regarding power or distortion level, one really should specify the amp being discussed and the conditions and methods of measurement.