Vox AC30C2 settings
Treble and Bass work on the Top Boost channel only; the Normal channel's one control of its own is its Volume. Reverb, tremolo, Tone Cut and Master work on both. There is no middle knob and no presence, and Tone Cut works backwards from a presence control: turning it up removes top end.
⚡ Match a tone on this ampHow do you dial in a specific tone on a Vox AC30C2?
A valve amp does not respond to a knob the way a number on a page suggests. Where the Vox AC30C2 sits in its own gain range changes what every other control does: the same treble setting is bright at low volume and harsh once the power section is working. That is why copying an artist's numbers onto this amp gives the wrong answer, and why the settings here are written against this amp's behaviour rather than the one the record was cut on.
Name the song you are chasing and Tonelify returns the settings for this exact guitar amp, not the settings the original artist used. Those are two different things: the recording was made on gear most players do not own.
Settings for this amp only ever use controls it actually has, because its front panel is stored in our gear database. You will not be told to set a knob that is not on the amp.
What controls does the Vox AC30C2 have?
Vox AC30C2 specifications
- Power
- 30W
- Speaker
- 2x12" Celestion G12M Greenback
- Channels
- Normal, Top Boost
- Front panel
- Normal Volume, Top Boost Volume, Top Boost Treble, Top Boost Bass, Reverb Tone, Reverb Level, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth, Tone Cut, Master
What the Vox AC30C2 panel means when you dial it in
30W through a 2x12" Celestion G12M Greenback. There is enough headroom to hold a clean setting at band volume, so the gain control does the driving rather than the master. There is no presence control on this panel, so everything above the treble band has to come from the treble control and the guitar's own tone knob. A setting copied from an amp with presence has to be rebalanced here. The EQ has no middle control, so the midrange is fixed by the amp's own voicing and can only be shaped around with bass and treble, or in front of the amp with a pedal. Gain and master volume are separate, so the preamp can be driven hard at a volume that is liveable. Where a tone sits between the two is part of the answer, not a detail. Reverb is onboard, so a tone that needs it does not need a pedal in the chain. 2 channels, Normal and Top Boost, and a setting only means something once the channel it belongs to is named.
Tones to try on a Vox AC30C2
Vox AC30C2 questions
What are good starting settings on a Vox AC30C2?
Start from the middle of the range on Normal Volume, Top Boost Volume, Top Boost Treble, Top Boost Bass and move one control at a time. There is no single correct set of numbers for this amp, because the target changes with the song. Tonelify writes the values for a named tone against this amp's actual panel: Normal Volume, Top Boost Volume, Top Boost Treble, Top Boost Bass, Reverb Tone, Reverb Level, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth, Tone Cut, Master.
Can the Vox AC30C2 get a metal tone?
It depends on how much gain the amp makes on its own. Where a valve amp runs short of gain, a drive pedal in front of the input adds saturation and tightens the low end at the same time, which is how most of the amp's own range gets extended. Tonelify says which of the two routes a given tone needs on this amp.
Does Tonelify support the Vox AC30C2?
Yes, and its front panel is stored, so settings only ever reference controls this guitar amp has: Normal Volume, Top Boost Volume, Top Boost Treble, Top Boost Bass, Reverb Tone, Reverb Level, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth, Tone Cut, Master. You will not be told to set a knob that is not there.
Guides that mention the Vox AC30C2
- What does the presence knob do on an amp?Presence adds upper-treble bite in the power amp, after the EQ. What it does, how it differs from treble, where to set it and what to use without one.
- How to get a good rock tone on any ampCrunch rather than saturation, the mids up and the gain lower than you expect. Rock amp settings for classic, hard and 90s rock on valve and modelling amps.