greatmutah
Roadie
- Messages
- 472
This thing got here half an hour ago. I barely got to play it but I did play it. Some quick highlights. Channel 1 is a Top Boost channel. It’s a more refined Vox AC30 Top Boost Channel. Low volume is clean and jangly. Mid volume starts getting compression and grit and hits that edge of breakup sound that these amps, the DC30 and the best AC30s are known for. High volume gets thicker but never super distorted. It’s a great rock tone but a little smoother and more refined than an AC30. Not much though. With a Tele and the volume up high it’s straight up Mike Campbell sounds. This is not a bad thing. It sounds great with the PPIMV engaged (more on those in a moment).
Channel 2 is based on the late 50s AC15s with an EF86 based channel. It has two EQ options: option one is using the 5 way tone switch as kind of a preset tone setup. The only negative to this is on this version of the BC30 it bypasses the master volume. So if you’re not prepared for that it will get heinously loud. If you flip the selector to the bass and treble control it gets an adjustable bass and treble and is able to use the PPIMV. There may be a way to mod this thing to get it so the 5 way tone switch works with the PPIMV circuit but I’m not hugely worried about it. I’ll see how it plays with pedals and if what I have works or doesn’t.
Other features: two switchable PPIMVs which are very usable despite hearing that the newer K-Masters were supposedly much better. They’re either in circuit or removed completely. This model was ordered without reverb. On the whole I’m not worried about it. I have pedals for that. No loop either. Again not worried. It does have a half power mode which is nice. Haven’t used it yet. It’s overbuilt better than any Vox I’ve seen. Seriously the build quality is excellent. And being that it has the same power section as an AC30 it can be monstrously loud. I remember my old AC30H2 was unusable at home until I got a Dr Z Brakelite. The masters are a boon here. And the circuit is well done that I don’t feel I need an attenuator.
Overall at first play I’m happy with it. It’s an excellent amp with my Greenback cab and I can’t wait to try it with my Metro 2x12 cab with Creambacks (that’s at the practice spot). I could have gone with a Hot Cat but I felt that kinda too close to stuff I already had (Metro, Orange). And while I have an American clean machine and pedal platform, I didn’t have a British clean and midgain machine. So I’m very happy to have this niche filled in my collection again.
Channel 2 is based on the late 50s AC15s with an EF86 based channel. It has two EQ options: option one is using the 5 way tone switch as kind of a preset tone setup. The only negative to this is on this version of the BC30 it bypasses the master volume. So if you’re not prepared for that it will get heinously loud. If you flip the selector to the bass and treble control it gets an adjustable bass and treble and is able to use the PPIMV. There may be a way to mod this thing to get it so the 5 way tone switch works with the PPIMV circuit but I’m not hugely worried about it. I’ll see how it plays with pedals and if what I have works or doesn’t.
Other features: two switchable PPIMVs which are very usable despite hearing that the newer K-Masters were supposedly much better. They’re either in circuit or removed completely. This model was ordered without reverb. On the whole I’m not worried about it. I have pedals for that. No loop either. Again not worried. It does have a half power mode which is nice. Haven’t used it yet. It’s overbuilt better than any Vox I’ve seen. Seriously the build quality is excellent. And being that it has the same power section as an AC30 it can be monstrously loud. I remember my old AC30H2 was unusable at home until I got a Dr Z Brakelite. The masters are a boon here. And the circuit is well done that I don’t feel I need an attenuator.
Overall at first play I’m happy with it. It’s an excellent amp with my Greenback cab and I can’t wait to try it with my Metro 2x12 cab with Creambacks (that’s at the practice spot). I could have gone with a Hot Cat but I felt that kinda too close to stuff I already had (Metro, Orange). And while I have an American clean machine and pedal platform, I didn’t have a British clean and midgain machine. So I’m very happy to have this niche filled in my collection again.
blizzard of nails! thats as close as it comes, man 
