AC30HW2 30-watt 2x12" Handwired Tube Combo Amp Review

Thrilling Amp!

First of all, this is an absolutely amazing guitar amp. No one will ever be disappointed with the tone and diversity offered by this amp. The clean channel is so clear and full sounding, it is truly remarkable. The top boost channel has such a wide range of breakup that you can really dial in your favorite tone, great for getting just a little bit of the country and jazz break-up.… read more This diversity is only added to through the foot switch. If you want searing lead gain you can get it. No, it doesn't sound like a Marshall, but it is awesome. My favorite part, as with all the AC30's, is that the top boost and normal channels are in parallel so that you can add a jump cable and blend the two channels together. This makes this amp perfect for really getting the exact blend of sounds that you really want. Now, if you are comparing this to the standard AC-30 here are the big differences you might have, or possibly have not, noticed. First, there is no tremolo or reverb settings to this amp. This is purely a tone machine. Additionally, there is no effects send and receive loop for this amp. So, getting reverb on a high gain sound with the amp is not something you will be able to achieve well with this amp, but, that isn't what I was looking for. If you are running a fairly clean sound then a reverb pedal will do you well. That being said, the clean side of this amp is a marvelous pedal platform. What you get with this one that the AC30 doesn't have, the 15watt to 30watt switch on the volume. If you are an bedroom practicing guitar player it is nice to have the ability to cut down on the power that the amp is producing in order to have a wider range to push the internals of the amp without shaking the walls. Also, the bright switch on the clean channel and the hot and cold switch on the top boost. Again, these are just for that much more flexibility in sound. I absolutely love this amp, it's phenomenal. I bought the amp with the green backs, then I made a slick speaker cabinet myself and filled it with a set of blue backs. I run both sets of speakers using the 8ohm parallel output option this amp provides. This combination of blues and greens is amazing and really adds an awesome kind of natural reverb effect. Maybe something you want to try. As with all of my purchases, Sweetwater proves they have the best customer service in any industry. A special thanks to Mark Chapman for all he does as my awesome sales rep!

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VOX AC30HW2

The sound you get from this Amp is stellar. Warm and smooth comes to mind. I only had it for a week but it was love at first sight, it is a handsome piece of equipment. From the sound to the dials to the grill. Very satisfied for my home studio.

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Boutique on the cheap

There's not much to say honestly. This amp sounds great, the build quality is really good, and it's beautiful looking. There's something really special about the way a good AC30 sounds, and this absolutely has it. Best sounding new Vox product there is hands down. This will easily keep up with pretty much any other boutique amp based on this circuit, might as well save yourself… read more some money and go straight to the source. The only negative about the amp is the ruby tubes it comes with, which are prone to microphonics (which I experienced first hand...with all 3 pre-amp tubes). Also, this amp is crazy loud. My friend was playing his Vox VT15 absolutely cranked, and I had the AC30 set clean on Top Boost and you couldn't even hear him while I was playing. If you're a home/bedroom player looking to buy one of these you would have to limit your playing with it as to not cause hearing loss, or try the AC15HW1.

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Best Amp I have played

This amp came into my hands by complete fluke. I thought I was buying an AC30 from a gentlemen on craigslist, I was very excited. I showed up and this amp was out. I was skeptical because it didn't have any reverb. So i noodled a bit and decided to risk it and take the deal. I have had it for about 2 months now and it is amazing. The only pedals i use now are a tuner and a reverb… read more pedal. I use the hot and cool functions for rythm and lead. Everything on this amp sounds sooooo smooth and it cuts through a mix perfectly. Does not matter if another guitar player is playing a 100 watt, because this amp vuts through the mix, so the volume does not effect it.

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The AC15HW1 is almost great. The AC30HW2 is really great!!

I recently bought the AC15HW1, and while it sounded really amazing on its own, it didn't really work with my pedal setup, which requires quite a bit of dynamic range and clean headroom, especially when using fuzzes (it loved ODs and boosters though). The 15 would be perfect for someone who rides the volume knob, is happy with just an overdrive or two, or doesn't use too many fuzzes....… read more I definitely use too many! So I sent it back for exchange, and got the AC30HW2 instead, and it sounds just as good as the AC15 on its own (no pedals), plus it's got the clean headroom to take fuzzes and the stacking of pedals. The handwired aspect is appealing to me for the inevitable future maintenance and repair of the amp. I would like to be able to do these things myself at some point... Flipping the Hot switch is like having a built in Treble Booster in the TB channel. Couple it with an actual treble booster into the amp = FIERCE lead tone. The greenbacks sound great. I do want to switch them out for "Scumnico's" at some point at put the GBs in an ext cab, or mix the two so you get an X formation when the cab and amp are stacked. I've used the older AC30CC2 quite a bit, and while that is a great amp in its own right, the HW2's tone has a sweetness and "vintage mojo" that the CC kind of emulates but doesn't quite achieve. That said, I would be happy with an CC (haven't tried the newer C2s though), I just have the fortunate luck to be able to get the HW.... No reverb or trem might make some people mad, but not me. Never used it on the CCs, prefer tremolo pedals and not a big fan of reverb. The fact that they left it out of the design probably accounts for it being a few pounds lighter than the CC, which is a plus for anyone over 25 with a back.

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