The AD30VT

[Tim]

Hello To All,

I am new to this forum and this is my second post. The first is in the new members section.

I just bought the AD30VT. I have no idea on how to use this puppy. I have a SS amp, but never learn the fine-tuning which is required to make an amp sound great.

Anyway I have read the instruction manual three times, but cannot seem to get a tone out of it. Except for the noticeable change with the amp modelers, all I get is a distorted sound on all amps chosen. I like a nice clean sound but can't seem to pull one out. I tried the Boutique, Blackface and Tweed modelers. I must be doing something wrong.

I am using a Squire Custom with 2 humbuckers. The guitar volume is set between 6 -7. Guitar tone is set at 10. This is for both humbuckers.

As Robert suggested I put the Volume, Gain and Master at 3:00 position. The Bass, Mid and Treble are set at 12:00 position. Everything still sounds fuzzy or distorted.

I live in a small town of St. Augustine Florida and there is a low number of guitar players (that I know of) to learn from. Most play in bars and do not have time for novice players. This has had a negitive impact on my progressing with playing skills. Short and sweet: I have no to jam with.

Any help or setting suggestions for the AD30Vt would help me immensely.

Thanks to all.


Tim

[Tone2TheBone]

Tim,

Make sure the volume knob on the back of the amp is turned up all the way. Then put your master volume past 12:00 and your other volume at about the same. Put the gain about 12:00 also for a starting point. If its too loud just turn down the master volume. You should get good sounds from the amp on any of the clean models at those volume ranges. All your clean amp models are going to be on the lower end of the rotary switch. Your AC30TB might break up more so than the others at a higher gain setting but thats normal (so will the tweed 4x10). For now you just want to make sure your volumes are up enough to hear them. Once you get the feel of how each model sounds you can mess with the gain on each one. Remember to try pressing the Manual button first to tweak the models manually. The factory presets are usually set to low volumes.

You might also want to put all your tone settings right up the middle as a start. I'm pretty much set on 1:00 for treble, mids and bass on almost ALL my models now. Once you get the hang of how the volumes and gain work...your tone will always be "there". Good luck.

[Robert****]

Yeah, Tone is right. I mentioned 3 o'clock if you want more bite, but if you are looking for a very clean sound, don't go over 12 o'clock with the gain.

Maybe something's up with your guitar?

[marnold***]

For a nice, basic clean tone, I like the Boutique CL preset. I don't change a thing! Just push the preset button and turn the amp dial to Boutique CL and have at 'er! I'd also echo Robert's comment to back the master off to noon. The master knob controls the amount of "juice" going into the tube amp. More master, more distortion.

[Tone2TheBone]

Another reminder again to make sure you press the manual button before you tweak any settings to your liking. The amp will sometimes weird out if you happen to be in channel mode (1 or 2) and you go turning dials on the amp. It should let you modifiy the presets ok...but watch for any weird sounds or dramatic volume changes. It won't hurt the amp at all...it just isn't the best way to tweak sounds as you won't get accurate settings. Try to get into the habit of hitting the manual button anytime you want to change stuff on your presets or your channels is all.

[warren0728]

has anyone put a new speaker in their ad30vt....if so what did you choose and why? I am thinking about trying a different speaker. What are your thoughts....would it improve the sound? Not that i don't like the sound now....i just have the urge to change something

ww

[Tim]

I am going to take out the 10" in my Peavey and swap them just to see what it really does to the sound. I will let you know.

[Tone2TheBone]

I dunno I think that little speaker kicks arse in the 30. I bet a Weber would sound cherry though. Go ahead Warren and just do it you know you'll feel better.

[Nelskie]

I dropped a Celestion G10 in mine after I first bought my Vox, and it sounded really nice. Cleans were a lot more open, distorted settings tighter and more focused. I've also heard some good things about the Eminence 10" models, of which there are (3). Each speaker model has a voicing unique to it, and can be tailored to what you like to play. The Delta Demon sounds like a winner to me. Here are the links:

http://www.music123.com/Celestion-p388.music

http://editweb.iglou.com/eminence/em...edcoatmain.htm

You might also want to check on the Weber site, too. Weber makes a great speaker - I have the Alnico 8S in my Epi Valve Jr. I wouldn't recommend an Alnico for the Vox, though. Stick with a speaker that has a ceramic magnet - probably a better performer for that particular amp. The "High Power" and "British Series" models have a lot of options in the 10" size. Here's the link:

https://weberspeakerscom.secure.powweb.com/weber/

One other tip: make ABSOLUTELY SURE you get the correct impedance (ohm) rating for your new speaker, which for the ADVT 30 is an (8) ohm speaker.

From the Vox website:

Speaker: AD50VT = 1x Celestion 70/80 (12 inch 8 ohm), AD30VT = 1x VOX original (10 inch 8 ohm), AD15VT = 1x VOX original (8 inch 8 ohm)

Hopefully, these'll give you a few options to start with. Good luck!

[warren0728]

cool nelskie....some nice places to start....i don't really have a problem with the existing speaker...just want to try a different one.

ww

[Tim]

Update: 01/31/06

I took the 10” speaker out of my Peavey Envoy 110 solid state amplifier last night to install into the AD30VT. I already knew it was a Blue Marvel, but did not realize that it was only a 6 ohm speaker. When I saw the 6 ohms I stopped and said this is not going to work. But then decided to see what it did anyway. So I installed it and partially re-installed the back panel. At first I played at a very low volume. I did not want to blow out the speaker. When I finally got it up to a playing volume, it was darker and more boomy that the original speaker. So I disassembled the AD30VT and reconfigured everything back to the way it was. I will be keeping my eyes open for a new speaker to install in the amp. I have been reading nothing but good results on speaker changes over on the “patchatraonics” website. It has also been noted that an improvement can be accomplished by installing a new and different type tube (valve) in the unit. Since the tubes (valves) are cheaper than the speakers, I will most likely change it first.

Observations: I think the boominess of this amplifier is due to the “pressed wood” rather than plywood. I believe the “pressed wood” absorbs the lower frequencies rather than reflect them out. Are there any woodcrafters out there?

[Tone2TheBone]

I hear a lot of people wanting their Vox's to be less boomy which begs the question...what is less boomy to everyone?

[SuperSwede]

Closed back amplifiers tend to be a bit "boomey" imho.

[Tone2TheBone]

Umm... ok. But don't you guys like low end? To my ears boomy sounds great! But sure boomy can be too much yeah I can dig that...but thats why we can turn the bass freq. down? I'd rather have too much bass than not enough I guess.

For the most part on the Vox my bass freq is straight up 12:00 which is more than enough since I've always played Marshalls with the bass up at 3:00 or maxed! That was one thing I had to get used to when I got the Valvecheesinator. I will however turn the bass down to 9:00 or 10:00 on the UK 70s model though.

[WelcomeBack]

I put a Celestion G10 in my AD30VT. Awesome!!

Try... http://www.svvintageamps.com/

Alot of GREAT info on speakers....and a good price on the G10.

Paul