The Best AC30 Nobody Wants
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- The AC30 amplifier is the iconic guitar amp; used by The Beatles, Tom Petty, Stone Temple Pilots, Radiohead, etc.. but sadly outside of a buying vintage Vox AC30, it's hard to find the AC30 in its original form today. The amp Dick Denney and Tom Jennings brought to market in the mid-60's is NOT the same amp you get when you buy a modern production AC30. Since the 60's more than six companies have owned the Vox name and built AC30s completely different internally from the original 60's Vox AC30. In the early 2000's, a vintage guitar dealer in the UK sought to correct this. Against surprising odds, they resurrected the early 60's AC30 and AC15 circuits and it was a huge success; UNTIL scandal brought the company to an unexpected end. This is the wild story behind the Music Ground iteration of JMI (1997-2014) and the origin of the best AC30 amp nobody wants: the JMI30/6 TB.
Gear & Settings
Guitars:
• ’17 Mario Martin Tele (Don Mare Hayride pickups),
• ’19 Fender ’62 Reissue Strat (Custom Shop Fat 50’s pickups w/ Ilitich SSCS),
• '60 Gibson ES-345 (Ron Ellis Signature Humbuckers)
Pedals:
• Paul C Audio Timmy V2 (only during 2:25 - 2:47)
• Strymon Timeline (only during 2:25 - 2:47)
• Strymon Deco (only during 15:20 - 16:17)
Amp:
• '08 JMI30/6 TB
Microphones:
• Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon mic (guitar left)
• Neumann U87ai (guitar right)
• Earthworks SR-25 (voice)
• Universal Audio OX Box (only during 15:20 - 16:17)
Audio interface:
• Universal Apollo x8p
Recording Software:
• Universal Audio Luna (audio)
• Ecamm Live (video)
Mic preamps:
• Capi FD312 WHR4 (left)
• Capi FD312 WHR4 (right)
Audio Plugins:
• Universal Audio LA-3A compresssor
• Oeksound Sooth 2
• FabFilter Pro Q eq
• Liquidsonics Seventh Heaven reverb
• iZotope RX 10 Standard (voice processing & single coil hum elimination)
Master bus
• Universal Audio Precision limiter
Video Gear:
• Sony A7 IV mirrorless digital camera with Tamron 28-75mm lens, f/2.8
• Aputure 120d for key lighting
• GVM-672S-B for backlight
• LIFX 80” LED strip + 40” LED strip for background lighting.
• Adobe Premiere
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:50 - Tele + Amp
1:15 - AC30 Story
2:25 - Strat + Pedals
2:47 - JMI Reborn
3:54 - Strat + Amp
4:28 - JMI30 Born
5:34 - ES345 + Amp
6:03 - JMI Success
7:17 - Tele Clean
7:45 - JMI's End
10:09 - JMI Today
10:58 - JMI30 VS
12:05 - AC30 Options
12:54 - JMI30 Cons
14:52 - Fane Speakers
15:20 - Fane VS Celestion
16:17 - Tonecast Approved
17:35 - Under the Radar
18:42 - Final Thoughts
Hi, I just watched your video "The Best AC30 Nobody Wants" very interesting video, well done. You asked for comments from those that have stories about Jennings and Vox so here goes. I was in a band in 1961 The Scorpions. We had two releases on Parlophone. With our first royalty check we went to Jennings shop in Charring Cross Road and bought two AC30. We only needed two as we were a trio. These amps made such a difference from the Watkins "Westminster" and Truvoice ? 12" amps. Laughingly My amp was which was for Bass was something like Model AC30B and the guitar one was AC30G. The only difference was just one capacitor value. Right from the start it was obvious that they were getting too hot, with those little slit vents, quite useless.
But they were robust amps and very heavy. We were once going to a gig, we had no van and were in a taxi. The two AC30s were in that odd section next to the driver that taxis of the day had. We were going round a large roundabout in London and both the amps fell off. The driver went round again stopped and we loaded the two amps back onto the taxi, and off we went. Both worked perfectly.
I was very interested in electronics and made separate cases for both amps and filled in the original cases to make two speaker cabs. This was a lot better. We used the amps like this for the rest of The Scorpions short career. I totally remodelled my amp and was able to get all the cct drawings (which I still have)from Jennings with no problem. I don't have what remained of my amp, and my brother just swapped his for something else. I stupidly sold the four blue speakers for about £60 not realising that they were much sort after. I have done the occasional repair to AC30s, including getting the output transformer rewound to effect a repair.
Cheers
John Barber
czcams.com/video/bNtxIwsLYcw/video.html&ab_channel=BlokeFromBattersea
Bt the way, the amps cost about £100 each
Wow! What a great story, John!! Thanks for chiming in and sharing your experience of buying your original AC30s from the Jennings shop in the early '60s with the money earned from your royalty check. I'm assuming your amp was the 6 input bass model without the top boost kit. Being interested in electronics, were you ever tempted to mod your AC30 bass to the guitar version or add the top boost kit? I'm also glad to hear you also share my criticism of amp's inadequate ventilation. I can't believe your amps fell off the taxi and still worked especially considering how the chassis is mounted in the old ones. That's wild!
That was an amazing story.
@@jfiery Right?!
The scorpions sound epically good. Brand new fan off of ‘Scorpio’ alone. Great story john.
I am so happy to be the proud owner of a genuine 1961 Vox AC30. This amp belonged to my music teacher and i played through it for the 1st time in 1963. In 1976 my old teacher retired and sold all his equipment and I was in the right place at the right time to buy it. Over the years I have collected quite a stock of NOS capacitors and resistors of the original brands Vox used just in case anything breaks. It still runs the original Celestion Blue speakers and they sound beautiful. It is a wonderful amp which I will pass down to my son when I go with strict instructions to keep it in the family. I have played through a JMI AC30 and they are good but to my ears are not quite the same as my amp. Maybe that is just age, either the amp or my ears. Great video well done!!!!
What a cool story about your '61 AC30. Do you have any clips of it here on CZcams? I'd love to hear it. I bet that amp sounds fantastic and maybe even a little sweeter given that it used belong to your music teacher. The JMI30 with the Fanes don't sound 100% like the early 60's AC30s but I'm sure a broken in pair of UK Celestion Alnico Blues would get most of us close enough. Thanks for watching and taking a moment to share your story. Crank up your '61 this week for me.
That's a lucky break!
This is the kind of love story I imagine myself having with an amp. Unfortunately I came too late to the dance.
May yours continue and one day far in the future, your son carry on this great story
😎👍
I had an original AC 30 1965 and the speakers were not blue Celestines but-branded JMI and all others of that age .Surely yours would not be blue Celestine that were inferior in my opinion.
@@grahamprice3230 Hi Graham - I also owned a 1965 AC30 for a few years and that had JMI branded speakers in the style of a Greenback chassis. I sold that amp as I didn't care for the sound as much as my 1961. My amp is what is often spoken of as 'Transitional' as it has 6 inputs and a 'copper' coloured control panel. The speakers are the originals and are most definitely 15 watt Blue Celestions, and sound much better than the others ever did.
Jim! Love this video man. You're killing it. Can't wait to see what you put out next.
Thanks, Cam! I appreciate you taking the time to check it out. I’ll try not to suck it up in the next one.
Another fantastic video, Jim! I didn't know any of the backstory behind the JMI stuff. Great presentation, production, content, and playing as always!!!
Thanks, Matt. Vox amps are a rabbit hole. Don't go down it unless you're prepared to be confused. Thanks for commenting too.
your stuff just keeps getting better and better man! great job researching this story. would love to hear more stories like it! really enjoyed the format. and of course, great tones and playing as always. 1k subs incoming!
Thanks for the feedback, Dylan. This whole time I've been thinking shorter is better for CZcams, that's not necessarily the case. I think BETTER is better. AKA have a compelling story/angle, some knowledge to impart, & some visual variety to keep it more dynamic, etc... If you provide all those things the viewer will give you some leeway on the runtime and be more likely to respond.
It was a cool story that hasn't really been told here on CZcams. I had been researching this one and off for a long time. Glad folks seems to have enjoyed it. Thanks for your encouragement all along. Let's get together and play soon!
@@tonecast1 we gotta make that happen! and yes--BETTER is better. love that.
Great story, I was with Music Ground at the NAMM show in LA when it was launched, I then took the amp home as I did a deal with Richard Harrison before the show, I was involved in the marketing of the amp. I also was involved in the “controversy “, it’s a matter of record .. nice article, I can fact check and confirm all you are saying
Thank you for the fact check verification. I did my best to report as accurately as possible. Very cool to hear from someone who was there and tangentially involved! What year NAMM show did you help with? Any notable players helping demo at the JMI booth? Which amp did you get to take home as compensation and do you still have it?
Why haven't some other company picked the ball up on this? they would sell like hotcakes
@@normanwaller2924 Great question, which raises another, is there currently a period correct early '60s AC30 being produced these days?
@norman waller There isn't another company that I know of. JMJ was offering good replicas for a little while but they stopped taking order. Northcoast Music used to sell a lot of parts, but they dialed back a lot. The Korg/Vox 2017 limited run was the last, accurate, modern production available but they only made 150 of the AC30 and 150 of the AC15.
Most amp makers say it's not a great business to make money. Slim profit margins and it's getting harder than every to get consistently good, high quality parts. A lot of this stuff used to be military spec, but that's not the case these days.
Thank you for this video. I bought my AC30 for 25 quid in 1969 (I was still at school, in a ‘group’ and it took me about 10 weeks to pay off). I think it was about 1966 model. It was roughed up, heavily gigged, but sounded better than I deserved for my playing skill. Then it received further abuse, and several accidents including beer spilt through the vents, cracking the tubes, etc.etc. Anyway, I played it occasionally up to a few years ago, and it’s gathering dust now. I got the speakers re-coned and circuit components replaced in 2007. This vid will maybe help to renew the relationship.
Oh wow! That’s so cool that you still have it. Most players who bought theirs in the 60s have long since sold their amp. I’m glad you were able to keep it running in spite of some honest abuse. Plug it up and play it this week for me! Thanks for watching.
This was a fantastic and very well-researched video. Keep up the good work
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. Thanks for watching and commenting.
That was an excellent detailed historical background on the AC30; I had zero knowledge of any of it. I have not come across the JMI ever. Love the recommendations you provided with an explanation on why, great job!
As always E W, I appreciate you watching and commenting. I had not encounter a JMI before owning this one, but I had heard bits and pieces of the crazy story about Music Ground. The Music Ground iteration of JMI definitely is a wild story. I hadn't seen anyone piece it together in one place like this so I thought others would enjoy hearing it concisely explained in a single video.
@@tonecast1 I'm glad you're the one who went down that rabbit hole to uncover and share that history! Thanks much for the work you put into this video. 👍
Amazing tones and great playing samples man!
Thanks man. I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for watching.
Great content; very interesting topic and solid storytelling.
Thanks for the post.
Glad you found it interesting. Thanks for watching!
Man what a killer video! Fantastic story telling, B roll footage, sound clips, factoids…
Also I’ve been in the room with this amp, the Chinese AC30HHW, and a pair of Matchlesses all at once. This JMI has the GOODS.
Way to go, Tonecast.
Now to scour the internet to find another one for sale…
This is true, Internet. Sam has been my comrade in arms on many a Tonequest. He has personally beheld the tonal glory that is this particular JMI30 and been in awe of its unbridled power and chime.
Thanks man. I appreciate the kinds words and the fact that you notice the work I put into the vid. May the FM-3 treat you well.
Great demos! Really helpful video.
Thanks, I'm glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I worked at Northern Guitars the shop across the road from Music Ground Leeds in the early 00's, I used to also pick up some of the extra amplifier builds that JMI or Hiwatt required, I would travel down to Carcroft and pickup some kits (Mainly AC4 and Range Masters), take them home, build and test them and then drop them off at the factory.
I could tell some tales about the Music Ground scandal for sure, it was crazy to watch it go down in flames from across the street.
I knew both Rick and Justin quite well, Rick having passed away recently.
Once the fiasco of the international guitar scandal started, I decided to distance myself from the company and went to work for Weinbrock Amplifiers, another company which ended in controversy and deportation of it's owner back to the USA.
Then starting my own company, Healey Amplification which still has some CZcams videos lurking around, one of Rabea Massad very early on in his CZcams career demoing the amps.
Before moved across to the HiFi world joining Audio Note (a very high end boutique Valve HiFi company) until very recently where I've finally moved into another field of engineering.
The British valve amplifier industry is an incredibly small world and I've met or know most of the people in the industry including a lot of the guys at Black Star, MatAmp, Cornford and Marshall.
Oh very cool that you were literally across the street from the Leeds location. The UK guitar community seems to relatively a small community. Do you have any insights on the operation of JMI in particular? How many employees did they have working on the amps in addition to Steve Giles, the cabinet maker (name?), Ben, and Oli? Do you know who was wiring up any of the other amp models? Steve mentioned that he only worked on the JMI30 models and that the other models were done by other employees or contract labor. Thanks for watching and commenting with your unique perspective.
Kee Payne formerly of One Minute Silence and a guy named George used to wire most of the amps at Hiwatt and I believe most of the JMI amps, the factories were a few miles apart from each other . The JMI factory was a tiny unit with maybe three or four people there whereas Hiwatt was much bigger and perhaps 20 employees? There were two test engineers whose name escapes me, it's been a long time 😂
My amps used a lot of the same suppliers of Hiwatt/JMI including the panel makers if you look at the Healey Sapphire the panels are the same construction as Hiwatt.
I'm happy to discuss more if you want to know just let me know how to get in touch.
Thanks. 👍
That's super helpful. Thanks for sharing what you can remember!
I'm glad you covered the unfortunate reality of Music Ground, and why JMI amps went out of business. They were highly accurate Vox copies....because the team at Music Ground were highly skilled forgers and knew what to look for on even the smallest details. Justin Harrison is still in business, operating "Denmark St. Guitars" in London (along with London Vintage and Hank's). Caveat Emptor.
There was no way I could talk about this iteration of JMI and omit Music Ground's part in resurrecting the brand. Music Ground was the first place these amps were available. The two stories are so intertwined.
To say that Music Ground had a team of "highly skilled forgers" may be a bit of an apocryphal characterization, but I get your point. The counterfeit gear purchased from Music Ground, would be easy to spot for most seasoned vintage dealers, but not to an unsuspecting customer new to the vintage market. I suspect the sale of counterfeit and frankenstein vintage gear had been going on for some time before the internet connected everyone. Once the connectivity of the internet brought more and more musicians together, the community quickly put two and two together. I wish MG had chosen the route of integrity, but alas here we are. Thanks for watching and taking a moment to comment.
@@tonecast1 Certainly, and thanks for posting this. Music Ground had a workshop in Doncaster that was infamous for doing "lash-ups" of vintage Marshall and Vox amps (primarily Marshall though, as less is documented about the changes) but even more so they were doing-up guitars that were made of half-original parts and half new stuff. I have a rare vintage '64 Rickenbacker that I understand MG robbed parts from in the early 00s, to build fake Beatle-spec 325 models. It's a huge process un-doing the messes they created back in the day. All that said -- JMI amps involved people outside of MG too, and they are legitimately great amps that filled a much-needed gap in the market at that time (post-Korg AC-30 but before other reissues), very high quality build.
I heard that JMI had 'problems'
This is the same scoundrel that runs the “British Pedal Company”?
@@collinwhitley3543interesting… The current iteration of Hi-Watt are Doncaster based.
These take boosts so well. Ty for posting.
Thanks for watching!
@@tonecast1 💪🏽
Awesome sounds out of that amp!! Never really followed the JMI story, but this was very interesting and helpful. Thanks for sharing👍👊
Glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully my Edge impersonation wasn’t too offensive. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@tonecast1 it wasn't 👍 if your delay mix was a bit higher with a bit more mod you nailed it perfectly! 😉👌
Would buy such an amp immediately, but they are hard to find.
Really cool video! You amp sounds amazing!
Thanks for watching, Mark.
Awesome story/history. Got my subscription, looking forward to your posts...have a great day man...peace.
Thanks for kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate the sub. I try to post every couple of weeks something that has some quality. Cheers.
That was a great video! Well researched and informative, and it’s a product I wasn’t even aware of. Fantastic job. You earned my subscription.
Thanks for the kind words. Yeah I don’t think a lot of people know this story that’s why I made the video. I appreciate the sub. I’ll do my best to live up to it. I don’t post super often but I try to post quality when I do. Thanks for watching.
@@tonecast1 thanks for the content! Perfect for a Sunday morning noodling and strumming around on my acoustic drinking coffee. I know it’s not a competition, but like your voice and presentation better than Keiths from the 5 watt. I lost my southern accent I had from growing up in the south, I moved north when I was 16 and in the subsequent decades lost it.
@@smelltheglove2038 You're welcome. I love Keith's videos. He can't help his voice, neither can I. My accent isn't as strong as it was when I was younger. I moved around some during my earlier days as adult, but I'm back in the South now. I can't escape it regardless of how much I've tried. 😂
@@tonecast1 just to be clear, it wasn’t a jab at Keith, as I like his videos as well and he does a fine job. Some folks like the voice of a Vox, some like the voice of a Fender, neither are wrong. Anyway, good luck on the CZcams. I’m sure you’ll gain a following with content like this. I’ll be doing the algorithm tickling. Cheers
@@smelltheglove2038 thanks man! I appreciate the support.
GREAT Video! Very informative. Had ho idea about the Music Ground stuff nor the resurrection of the "real" ACs by JMI.
Thanks, WWCL. Yeah, it's a wild story that I had a feeling a lot of people still don't know. Only amp nerds with too much time on their hands wade in the waters of this sort of minutiae. Glad the video could help you learn something new. Thanks for watching!
Excellent presentation. I never knew about this amp! What a crazy story. I’d like to learn more about them and their availability.
Thanks Andrew. During my research when buying the amp, I discovered there wasn't a good resource on CZcams about this era of JMI, so I thought it would beneficial to make what I wished I could've watched on CZcams before encountering mine. Steve told me he made about 350 of these amps and it seemed JMI made some after he left the company. I'm not sure how many they made after Steve left. As of lately, you'll see a listing show up on Reverb and eBay every couple of months. There's one on Reverb right now. The seller is asking $3k with local pickup which seems a little steep to me. Thanks for commenting and watching.
A very close copy is a bedrock amp.I paid $560 for mine & compared it side by side with a 1994 British made ac30 & they sounded IDENTICAL!!!
Also,someone told me not to buy from that company because they said the owner is a real jerk. Not sure?
Great video. I have another “AC30 that no-one wants”- built in 1987, PCB, G12-75s. On paper, a hateful piece of kit😁 I bought it new-out-of-the-box in 1991, and it has done literally 1000s of gigs and only “failed to proceed” twice. It sounds like an AC30 and a JTM had a secret tryst😹 I love it and it will need to be pried from my cold, dead hands.
But the sounds you pulled on this video are top-notch.
Liked and subscribed; hope to see more top quality content soon👍
Very nice! There are so many AC30 variants one could easily make a video like this per variant if they had access to each amp. Thanks for watching and subscribing. Cheers.
Great episode...the best part are the iconic songs played, well executed .
I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for watching.
Wow what a crazy history!! Great video. Looking forward to more.
Last year I bought a vox handwired ac15 and I love it.
Thanks for watching! I''ve already started thinking about the next video. If all goes well most folks who liked this video, should like it too. Enjoy the AC15HW, decent amps capable of accurate vintage Vox tones.
Excellent video! I was aware of JMI back in the 2000s - I graduated highschool in 2007 and being the gear-freak that I was, I discovered them through Googling the crap out of AC30s. Funny timing, I just thought about JMI a few weeks ago and looked them up - wasn't impressed by the offerings now and figured their period-correct amps must be coveted collector pieces now. I had NO idea about the whole Music Ground fiasco. Like everyone else who watched this, I might have to watch out for any that go on sale now 😆
That's rad that you remember these amps when they were originally still a thing in '07. I'm glad the vid could help you understand the backstory behind the brand. I had a feeling most people didn't know the whole story behind these amps, even if they had heard of them already. Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Great story! Yes, made it to the end and subbed. 👏🏻
Thanks for subbing up. Yeah, I thought it was wild story after I was able to piece it all together. I thought others would appreciate learning about it too. Thanks for chiming in.
great stuff here! and what tasty sounds you get from that amp!
My eyes were really opened to Vox amps when I worked with Bob Ezrin and Trey Anastasio as a tech during some Phish sessions (Big Boat) in Nashville. Bob insisted on using early 60’s Vox amps for some of the (loud) guitar work. Trey hasn’t used Vox amps much but he does seem to gravitate to EL84 tubed amps..Boogie, Komet/Trainwreck
Thanks for sharing, D. I remember you telling me about your experience with Bob & Trey, but I don’t think you mentioned anything about old Voxes during those sessions. That’s cool that they used some vintage Voxes for those Phish Big Boat sessions where they borrowed some of your guitars.
I'm only now returning to the music scene, after a loooong hiatus! (Even though I didn't play, and wasn't part of the 'scene,' I never stopped listening!)
So, it's no surprise to me that I knew nothing about this story, lol. But, it just goes to show that people will do some strange things. And there's always going to be someone who will try to rip people in any group for profit.
All in all, a great story, great sound, and pretty good playing. Thank you for the reminiscing of some great sound, made by some of the greatest players ever.
And, well researched & well presented! I had NO trouble listening to the end!
Welcome back to the world music. I'm glad you found the video engaging enough to watch until the end. That sort of feedback is helpful for making a video like this. You're right, there's always certain types who will do whatever it takes to make their money, integrity be damned. It's sad bc the history suggests that Music Ground came along at a good time and that the business could've positioned itself to be very profitable business for decades to come had there had been more integrity at the core of the operation. Hopefully their story will serve as a cautionary tale for other who would consider conducting their business in a similar fashion. Good character and integrity have value that always pays off in the long run. Thanks for watching.
One of my regular guitar shops, I bought a ton of gear in the 90s from Music Ground. Their shop in Doncaster was something, wall to wall of vintage gear. Almost cluttered. Not a plush modern looking place at all, was more like walking through an old attic with creaky floor boards. Was gutted when it shut, but the Leeds store remained open for a number of years after, although much smaller. I live near Sheffield, about 20 miles away. Bought an early 70s ac30 from them, had nothing but problems with it. They definitely had the Del Boy(Google it) air about them. So wasn’t surprised when the news hit the papers. Brilliant 😂
Finally! I've been waiting for someone who shopped at the Doncaster Music Ground shop to chime in. That shop seemed to come and go right as the internet was really taking off so there's not much info to find about it via the web other than the same handful of pictures. Apparently some big names stopped into the Doncaster store back then to check out what they had. I've seen the photos of Noel Gallagher, Bryan Adams, etc... Did they have a few staff or was it mainly the owners running the shop? Was there ever an air of suspicion about the authenticity of the guitars and amps back in the late 90s? I suspect that the selling of counterfeit gear may had been happening for some time. I found chatter dating back to the mid 2000's suggesting to steer clear of their shop. It finally caught up to them a few years later with advent of the internet and people finally connecting the dots. And yes I had to wikipedia "Del Boy" to get the gist of your comment. Thanks for sharing your experience.
@@tonecast1 Definitely had quite a few celebs visit the place, they had framed photos on the wall, it was pretty much the first thing you spotted when you walk in. They had a reputation as the place for vintage gear. I still remember the first time I visited, my eyes almost popped out. They had ALOT of stuff, although knowing what we know, it does make you wonder. It was like a rabbit warren. Imagine a large bedroom house, with multiple small rooms and creaky staircase, quite fun. Although fairly run down. Around the mid 90s I had an anchoring for a 73 Strat as it was my birth year, tried a few on Denmark St, but ultimately bought one at MG (Donny). Which was actually a good guitar (but at Denmark st prices). Yes they had other staff, I remember a younger guy in his 20s who was always there, the owners weren’t always around. I wouldn’t say there were particular rumours at the time, just that the characters had a dodgy vibe and a certain arrogance. You wouldn’t get a good deal there. Their association with famous artists earned them a real chip. The Leeds shop was much smaller, I remember feeling underwhelmed compared to Donny. The last time I visited was around 2007. Electro Music (also in Donny) was also well renowned and known with the celebs, both shops were pretty amazing. Sadly both are gone.
@@rodd1000 That's so cool. Thanks for sharing your memories of MG. I actually found articles about Electro Music during my research. It sounded like a local stalwart for musicians. Do you still have the '73 strat?
Have you checked the Way Back Machine for the old Music Ground site. Quite an interesting read.
@@rodd1000 I actually used it a lot in my research for the video. I looked at ever iteration of the old site on there. You even see some screenshots from the WBM in the video. 😁
I sat in with a band in the 1990s. The guitar player let me use his guitar and his pair of AC30s. I don't know which iteration of the Vox amps these were, but they were memorable and to this day some of the best amps I remember playing through. Ever since I've wanted a Vox amp, but there are so many variations that I don't want to get something that's less than the original. I might have to look into these JMI amps.
You're right. The list of AC30s amps that have been made through the years is pretty confusing to navigate. The Vox Showroom website does a good job breaking down the differences, but there is a lot of reading involved to make sense of things. Again the Five Watt World short history of the AC30 is also another great resource to help make sense of all the various iterations. These JMIs have fallen under the radar in recent years and I think are solid option. Nothing quite sounds like an old AC30 if you're looking for THAT sound. To get that old AC30 tone, you need: one of the 61-66 top boost circuit designs, a pair of alnico blues or silvers, and you need them all housed in a 60s style Vox cabinet design. All of that adds up to the sound. Bonus point if you cant source some NOS tubes. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Awesome background info and presentation. I was wondering if you have any info about the larger AC 100 Vox amps that The Beatles played during their Shea Stadium Concerts. I've seen photos and the film footage where I do not see any microphones in front of their amps; so how did the sound engineer's send their guitar sound to the house P.A.? Was there some type of "line out" that was sent to the P.A. mixer board or ? Thanks, Peace, Sal 💪🏻🎸
Thanks for the kind words. I'm no expert on the Beatles gear so maybe someone else can chime in who knows. My guess regarding the Shea Stadium concert is that the amps weren't miked or ran to the PA. The PA only provided sound reinforcement for the vocals. The amps were the only source of sound for the guitars and bass.
Played a barn find beatup 64 Vox AC-30-GLORIOUS!! Sold before I could grab it. Checked Reverb and a 90’s UK era barely used sitting in a studio was up for sale for half of what other amp was going for. It was used 3 times in almost 30 hrs in studio! Weird period. 93 UK made AC-30. Marshall/ Korg era builds start in 94. Think they were builds still using Rose Morris parts left in factory at Marshall plant but officially start in 94! Cool amp! Great video!
Yeah those early 90s Marshall built AC30s are legit. Their design differs from the 60s Jennings era in some ways (some for the better). Great amps not to be overlooked. Thanks for watching.
Really enjoyed this video.Thanks
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it. Thanks for watching and taking a second to comment.
was at the Shadows reunion tour in Durban, 7 rows from the front. The guitarists (Hank Marvin lead, and Bruce Welch -rhythm) each had a pair of JMI amps, I don't know if they were linked or one was spare. They sounded fantastic, having the advantage of modern technology and a top-notch soundman. Like so many Commonwealth guitarists Hank was the reason I played guitar, and my number one is still a Strat. Oddly, as a Shadows fan, I never got on with Vox amps I prefer Fender. Oh, and Cliff sang all his songs in the original keys. It was a brilliant show.
Hank was using a JMI30 for the 2009 reunion tour. There's also footage of him on Later with Jools Holland using a JMI15. It seems like the the Shadows were the proto Beatles with Marvin being the first guitar hero of a lot of players at that time. Very cool stuff. Thanks for commenting!
Great content. Given the interesting story, I would be inclined to keep the JMI logo on the amp. But I can also see wanting to put a VOX one on it.☺☺☺
Thanks for the kind words. The JMI logo bugged me bc was it cheap and kind of green looking in person. The color of the plating on the logo was off. If they had put a better quality logo in there I would’ve left it.
Great video! Awesome story!
I appreciate the kind words. Thank you for watching!
Interstate Love Song. Nice. I play that song all the time to test my settings. It just nails most of what I do - except for long solos, which aren't my forte LOL
Lovely amp, equally good video. You're obviously a man of good taste.
In regards to ILS, were you playing the chords correctly? I didn’t have the third chord of the verse correct until I saw Rick Beato’s interview with Robert DeLeo. Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!
Well done! Subscribed!
Thanks for the sub!, Mark. I don’t post often, but I try to post quality when I do.
I have a vox ac30 c2x that I bought in early 2014. It sounds great, but I remember opening for a band where the guitar player was using a 90s ac30 6tbx and it sounded sooo good! The guitar player was a really nice guy and amazing player so we got to talking about gear after the show.
There's a funny story about that show. I had put together a small pedalboard for it as I was playing guitar for someone I knew who didn't have a band then. I learned the songs from his EP in a few days and assembled the board to use for them specifically. The 4 or 5 pedals were Daisy chained for power and while setting up in the dark on stage, an 18v power supply got plugged into the beginning of the chain instead of a 9v. The whole board wasn't working and we had to start the show, so I plugged direct into my vibrolux amp and had to improv some new parts with only the amps spring reverb and tremolo. I was using a friend's guitar, the gretsch super axe, so I also had a phaser effect from that. It's built in compressor was broken.
After the show I found that only the first pedal in the chain was fried from power and it was a cheap drive/boost pedal, which was a relief because I was doing the show as a favor and not being paid. The other pedals were fine. I could have just removed the first one from the power and signal chain, but when you're on a time crunch and the shows gotta start, you do what you have to do.
Edit: I'm very interested in trying the jmi 30
If you ever come across the JMI in person, try it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You'll likely find its does some things different from your Vox AC30 C2x. Thanks for commenting and watching!
Wow, great job on so many levels.
1) excellent information
2) excellent presentation
3) excellent editing
4) excellent playing and tone
5) excellent selection of riffs (you had me immediately with Petty… and then you doubled down with Helter Skelter)
… I could keep going but you get it. Excellent all around!
Y’all better like and subscribe! Support this channel!
"Thanks, Tyler", he said while discretely sliding money across the table.
@@tonecast1 😂
Subscribed! Awesome video
Awesome! Thank you!
Wow. Great vid. Interesting and useful.
I'm glad you found the video worth your time. Thanks for watching.
Some of the best tone Ive heard on CZcams! New sub here!
Wow. Thanks man. My latest few videos have been more short histories but after I drop the talking video I’m editing right now, I’m getting back to some playing. Thanks for the sub!
@@tonecast1 When I heard that 345 through that amp just a bit ago it blew me away! I am an avid and regular guitar CZcams viewer and this is praise I don’t levee lightly. Excellent. The recording execution as well as the playing. I look forward to seeing more! Thanks for the reply!
Well thank you for the kind words. The first video on my channel was a comparison of this JMI30 and a Matchless HC-30. I dialed in the recording signal chain for the Matchless and used the same signal chain to track the JMI to have a control variable for that comparison. I think doing this had a negative impact on how the sound of the JMI was portrayed in that video. It wasn’t an accurate portrayal of the JMI so I vowed to make another video to right that wrong. This video actually does the amp justice. That 345 is just a magical guitar. It rips, sounds brighter and more open than any other 335 I’ve owned. I went through a lot of ES style guitars before I stumbled into this one. I’m extremely happy with it.
@@tonecast1 I can see why it’s the one!
Some great commentary here. I had an early sixties Vox AC30 which I traded for a Session 15-30 (you'll need to Google- only about 400 made of those) at a long forgotten music shop in Camden, North London. When I originally bought it, it had an unpatterned pale loudspeaker cloth, only one handle, no gold trim stripe and no logo. I bought all the spares from ABC Music in Addlestone, Surrey and fettled it into the shape we all know and love. I put the Vox cloth over the top of the existing cloth, and I also fitted castors using M6 screws, internal aluminium bearer plates and butterfly nuts. If you're reading this and it all rings a bell, then you likely have my old amp. I changed the lethal mains lead on it too- it had been powered down some six hours and was disconnected from grid power, but I must have brushed against something and unwittingly used myself to crowbar a capacitor and the shock threw me straight across the room. A great amp but as you said in the video- painfully loud for a bedroom warrior like me. I do so wish I'd never flipped it though.
Man that’s a wild story! You’re lucky to be alive! Glad you survived the shock. This is why I’m very careful any time an amp gets opened up. As you well know capacitors in amps store lethal amounts voltage. Your story serves as a cautionary tale for those who might not know. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
Great information on a great amp! Cheers.
Thanks for watching!
@@tonecast1 You're welcome!
I have an old 70's Jen Doublesound Fuzz/Wah, made in Italy. Unique sound with the fuzz and wah in parallel, max fuzz you get a subtle, but useful adjustment in character with the wah sweep, aggressive with toe down, sweet and smooth with heel down, back off on the guitar volume and you get the more traditional wah wah.
Nice. Thanks for watching!
Hi, thanks for making that video, really interesting. I bought one JMI AC30/6 TB Fawn from music ground in 2007, a great amp, always use it if I’m on a big enough stage. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it. I have got trouble with the tremolo channel, it plays ok, but is a bit scratchy and the wobble doesn’t work. The other two channels sound great, it could be a change of an the 12ax7 but I’m not sure. Thanks again for giving me the whole history of my amp. Tim
Good to hear from a fellow owner, Tim. I'm no amp tech but from what I've read the tremolo/vibrato circuit on these amps is pretty complicated. I think that's why the Korg reissues sidesteps including the exact same circuit. It would probably be wise to find a local tech to get it working properly. Thanks for taking a moment to comment!
I just love your channel 👍
Thanks Matthew. I appreciate the kind words.
Fun fact! Justin is still building these amps in extremely limited quantity. The owner of Matamp has all the cabs and guts at his house and is assembling them there. I purchased a 2022 model direct from Justin (prior to knowing the history and junk that went down) and it was honestly the best AC30 I’ve played. Recently sold it but very interesting history there.
Oh Really? That's very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy anything from him directly. Did the amp you purchased have all the JMI branding on it as well? It appeared to me that JMI is under new ownership given the new website, but maybe you can confirm or deny that for me.
Yeah it was a legit JMI. I just recently sold it on Reverb, so if you look under the sold listings, it should pop up from fairly recent. Looks exactly like yours with the JMI badge.
@@Wired912Thanks for sharing this info. All of it is super helpful.
How lucky to have such great tone! If I ever have enough I’m definitely looking into one!😊
Thanks Vince. I am fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to own this amp as well as a couple of others that sound great. That's not lost on me. Thanks for watching!
I owned one of the "slope-sided" AC-30's during the 60's. I used it extensively with my band while in HS. I recall that it was heavy AF, and got very hot during use. So hot that the grill cloth covering the head deteriorated and got very unsightly. I replaced the cloth with some blue Fender-ish stuff, and used a hole saw to make vents in the front panel. This worked out well, reducing the internal temperature significantly. The speaker cabinet was a sealed back unit, with Alnico speakers. It was a repo that I picked up for a great price. It came without the chrome trolley. Sadly, it was stolen while I was living in Toronto, along with my 1963 Gibson Firebird III. I never saw either of them again.
I believe you when you say your old AC30 head got so hot that the covering on the head started to show heat damage. The trapezoid head shape probably trapped more heat in the top of the cab because there was smaller volume of space for the heat to occupy. My amp gets extremely hot so I run it sparingly. It sounds like a common issue with several of the older Vox amp designs. Sorry to hear it and the Firebird were both stolen. Thanks for sharing your experience. And thanks for watching.
I’ve got a JMI AC-15, plus a second empty cab+speakers. The guy I got them from bought it initially in the darker Vox color scheme but then decided he wanted the lighter scheme for on stage. I’m going to attempt to fit a cut-down AC-30 single channel build, without vibrato, into the extra cabinet. Absolutely great sounding amp. I’ve had newer Vox HW models and they aren’t well made and have reliability issues. Only thing I’d consider as an upgrade would be an original vintage one, but then… much reliability to consider. I personally prefer an AC15, but I also prefer a Bandmaster over a Twin reverb.
Very nice. If you have any clips of the JMI15, please feel free to share them here. Thanks for commenting.
I tried one out in a music store two days ago! I just left it with dials at 12 O’clock, plugged in a Tele, and bam! great tone. It looked like an AC30 and I realized that JMI had something to do with the original Vox but nothing else. Thanks for filling in all the details.
Very cool! Of the three amps I currently own, I think my tele sounds best through the JMI30. They make for a good pairing. Thanks for watching!
Excellent presentation, thank you. I have a Hiwatt from the Music Ground era and its spectacular like the ideations of vox's so are the Hiwatts recreated with a lot of heart , maybe not a Reeves era but with design thought and a sound l like a lot
I wanted to talk about the Music Ground chapter of Hiwatt but if I had included that the video would've been super long. Tell me about your amp. Which model is it? What year is it? Does it sound like an older Reeves HiWatt? I know very little about HiWatt and want to know more. I'm not even sure which Music Ground amps came first: Hiwatt or JMI.
@@tonecast1 my amp is a two input Hi Gain 50 made in the Yorkshire UK shop around 2007 (i think) one of a limited number with a speaker emulation balanced out to desk / recording feature located on the rear of the panel . l purchased the Hiwatt when the local distributor went bust for a very good discount. l have an amp technician who has worked on my amps for twenty years plus, who after the output tubes fizzled (even in tube death the amp sounded fantastic when paired with a mid 70's checkerboard slant cab loaded with 25w black backs) re valved the Hiwatt and was quite impressed with the lay out internally , neat wiring clean soldering with "reversed engineered " Partridge type both in put and output transformers, previously l used a Biacrown DR50 and found it to be a bit glassy in tone where after the service work the HG 50 has an amazing tone clean and full of front with a second foot switchable Hi Gain or pull the knob DR style distortion with plenty of crunch before the kerrang if ya know what l mean the Amp was designed around a DR103 circuit with a better bass response at 50 not 100 blistering brain destroying watts. The Hiwatt is pared with a Marshall RR1959 both of which are stereo into a Hiwatt Fane purple back reissue cab. The amp is Hiwatt loud and will play nice with the Marshall tonally when using effects for lead guitar. On its own into the Hiwatt cab is just as good loud and articulate . l found Hiwatt to be very difficult to correspond with not returning emails poor phone etiquette unwilling to share schematics technical info upon request. May have changed with another owner of the Hiwatt brand but in the end they were not required. Steve Fidler has an interesting post worth a look
www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/just-putting-the-record-straight-from-hiwatt-uk-ex-designer.1158856/
Hope this is some help not much more l can say with out gushing fanatically . I own a lot of old Vintage amps only by virtue of purchasing them before it has become hip to and have recorded with them all. The Hiwatt is a keeper in my humble opinion.
And just in
czcams.com/video/kHtStfOBjx0/video.html
Great video thanks. Your amp sounds brilliant!!!😎👍🤘😃
Thanks for the kind words, Stu. I did my best to represent it as accurately as possible.
Thanks for sharing ! I got a jmi 30/6 top boost bought brand new here in france back in the days :)
You can make a super cool mod, sold a wire on the cut pots to another thing i don’t remember, than your cut running like a master volume and the volume of Channels the amount of preamp gain !
Cost a little wire and make me super happy to play it saturated at home ! You lose the cut control but the basse treble in the back make the sound cool as you want !
Very nice. Always great to hear from another JMI30/6 owner. I’m a bit of a traditionalist so I don’t think I’d mod mine but I totally can see why you did. You know how loud these amps are.
Well, Music Ground is actually now London Vintage and Hanks, as well as BPC. Justin is an incredibly resilient person when it comes to rebranding and marketing.
With all of that in mind, I went into Hanks back in November whole visiting London, and the few guys operating the store that day were a solid bunch. Really nice and knowledgeable, fair with pricing when I noticed discrepancies from Justin doing eBay/online/elsewhere listings and the current in-store prices, and overall just gear crazy peeps I would have no problem hanging out with at the pub.
Some crazy gear came out of this whole whirlwind, some I wouldn't take for free and others I'd happily pay a fair price. I try to remind myself that in this modern age, everything is a recreation of something old and if you do your research and know 100% what you're getting, then you didn't do anything wrong. It's that grey area where you need to separate the artists from the art.
A lot of great people worked on these things and they sound great, and that should be good enough. If you hate that, well, buy used so it doesn't profit the company because these amps and some BPC stuff is great.
Thanks sharing your thoughts. There was a lot I didn't go into in the video: Hiwatt, Hks, BPC, LV, Yungblud, Steve Giles' Vintage Pedal Workshop, etc... I barely had the time to provide the backstory of the amp and showcase it in 20 minutes. I also didn't think it fair to name names and put anyone on blast for their current work. I don't doubt the resilience displayed. A certain level of business acumen and tenacity is required to execute the level of success that both JMI and Music Ground achieved. Questions remain for me regarding integrity and if any lesson was learned. I know people are capable of reform. I hope for the best, expect the worst in that situation, as far as my trust goes. I couldn't in good faith recommend doing business with any of the owner's current businesses over the internet, and I'd be damn sure I knew my stuff before purchasing from them in person. That said, thanks for sharing your in-store experience. I'm glad to hear you felt good about it. Thanks for watching!
Love the Vox sound, the overdrive is beautiful and clear.
Agreed. Nothing else sounds quite like it. Thanks for watching!
Dude! Sounds killer! Consider capturing it for the Neural Amp modeler to use it also as a plug-in in your DAW?
I've never captured any amp to make a model. I'd love to try the Quad Cortex, at some point. My observations from a far is that Neural is playing catching up on the hardware front, but there's no denying that their modeling sounds outstanding and hangs with all the other big players. I actually have a Fractal FM-9, but this models doesn't allow users to make a capture/model.
WoW! you putting down knowledge! thanks
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
Great video. I learned a lot. If this video gets enough views, you may have done a "JHS" to the JMI30 - it might just start going up in price as a result of your commentary.
Glad you enjoyed the video. I hope this doesn't contribute to a price spike on the JMI30. I just wanted to share the story of a cool amp that I thought other players might like; especially if can't justify the coin for a vintage AC30. Thanks for watching.
Great article! Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
I remember these amps. They were quite hard to get in the US. I also remember some kind of controversy about Music Ground offering them, although I don't recall the details. I always wondered what happened to them.
Same here. I never saw any new JMI amps here in the US, but I remembered reading about them. As for Music Ground, I read more than I cared about their shenanigans. Thanks for watching.
Excellent Video, I am in the process of building a clone myself.Looking forward to the result.
Best of luck with your build. Thanks for watching.
I build amps at home and I can tell you that hand wiring six ac30’s every two weeks is a LOT of work. Especially if you’re going to be building them at a quality level that justifies charging enough to make a decent profit. Those amps aren’t simple builds. They’ll make you appreciate Leo Fender’s genius REALLY quick. I do love them tho. Gimme a Vox HW and I’ll make it an actual HW for ya! :) Great playing too!
Right?! When Steve told me he wired up six amps by himself every two weeks, I was like no wonder you got out after a few years. That's hard work! If you can turn a VOX HW in an actual HW you probably watching Psionic Audio's channel too. Love his videos on AC30s. Super informative stuff. Thanks for watching.
Soild production quality overall. Leaves the viewer clear about what they need and want to know.
Thanks for the kind words.
It's gorgeous, inside and out and sounds fab! LOVE to have one. Just too darn loud. And I totally agree that none of the moderns sound like the originals. Question is ... where can you get them? I agree on the Matchless thing ...
Yeah I was impressed by build the quality of the amp when I saw the chassis for the first time. You're also right about the volume, very loud. These pop up every so often on the used market. I bought mine from a nice guy in TX after speaking on the phone. He and I had very similar stories of owning some of the same amps trying to find the older Vox sound. I was willing to spend the money on it after talking with him. Vintage Vox amps aren't a common find where I live. I've only encountered one locally in my 30 years of playing and it was purchased in Nashville. Matchless amps are great! I think the world of them however I bought the HC-30 hoping it would be close enough to the Vox thing to satisfy. Ultimately it didn't scratch that itch for me, but a solid amp. Also very loud. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@tonecast1 Much agreed on Matchless having their own sound. I know where there is an early non-top boosted AC30 ... the guy wants $4200 for it. I just can't afford it and don't have room for it as much as I would love to own one! Thanks for replying and a great article on these JMI/VOX amps!
You filled in some blanks for me. Got my first VOX in 1969 San Francisco, along with a 1965 (NOS) red Gibson ES335. Then I got the JMI AC30 and AC15.
Great telling of this wild story! And the demos sounded great. I agree the celestions sounded better / more on tone.
Thanks for watching. Yeah, the Celestion Silver Alnico emulation from the OX Box sounded better than the Fane with the 345. That said, the Fanes really complement the strat and tele thing IMHO.
Great informative video.... currently own two handwired AC15s with Celestion speakers
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the vid. Which year are your AC15s from?
Really interesting video. I didn't know about the Music Ground JMI history. I've never played one of the JMI-30's. I thought that the company responsible for modern Hiwatt amps was building the JMI amps.
The owners of Music Ground owned JMI and Hiwatt UK around this same time period. Both companies appear to be under new ownership these days. Thanks for watching!
I appreciate how dedicated you are. Is there a way to get the sound you want with effects box I know that sounds like a silly question to a tube head
I've heard some very low watt early Tweed Fender amps that sounded voxy
but were not loud enough ,but then we could always mic them in the studio.
There’s a pedal by Mentatone called Top Boost in Can that’s intended to sound like the top boost channel of an AC30. It’s an older analog design approximating thst sound. The Universal Audio Ruby is a great modeling pedal to get the AC30 sound. You can turn off the speaker emulation on it to use it with a clean amp sort of like a drive pedal in the style of an AC30. Ruby sounds great but pricier.
@Tonecast
Thanks will check them out
VoxAC30c2 owner here. I agree that it isn’t the same as vintage by any stretch. I can get similar enough tones if I want, which I don’t. :). But it does sound fantastic and tonally rich and the master volume allows me to get a great tone in the bedroom and please sound guys at gigs while not sounding thin and flubby. I’m super glad I got one.
The AC30c2 sounds like a good fit for you. Glad you're enjoying it. That's all that matters right? Thanks for sharing!
Great sounding combo there.
Its the best AC30 style circuit I've tried to date. I'm sure some of the guys here in the UK have had access to vintage AC30s that sound better, but we don't see many of those where I'm located. I'm pretty happy with my JMI for getting AC30 tones.
I got lucky and found a AC15hw about a year ago. By far my most favorite amp! Very versatile! It also has the fender cleans that I like with a little sustain
Very nice. Glad you’re enjoying the amp. Thanks for sharing.
Great video, I had one just like yours ( maybe it is mine?) back in the 2000's, sounded great, sold it on an impulse. I have had several original 60's VOX AC30's, they old sound a little different , component drift etc. I kept the best two sounding versions so I know the tone very well.
Back in the mid 80's I had a Jennings J40 which was a later Transistor iteration of the VOX AC30 after the original JMI company was sold ( google it). I didn't know what its significance was back in the 80's, It was just an inexpensive amp a neighborhood friend sold me. To me it resembled a poor mans AC30. It could handle a bass and guitar at the same time! not great on the speakers I imagine but we didn't care.... I literally gave it to a friend when I moved away. Wish I still had it, its an interesting piece of post JMI history from its original creator.
Anyways the JMI's are great amps and probably the closest thing in tone to an actual original, IMO. Better than any of the VOX reissues, not that they are bad, just different (I have had them all) They also got the fawn tolex aesthetic perfect unlike the recent "VOX" reissues which is not the right fawn tolex at all. I have one of their Rangemaster clones still. looks perfect sounds great.
Thanks for the kind words regarding the video. I bought this JMI30 from a player in Texas. I'm not sure who owned it before him. Maybe it was you. I agree with you about vintage AC30s likely sounding different these days due to component drift, speaker break-in (or deterioration), and general mileage. That's what appealed to me about these mid 2000's JMI30s. They seemed pretty close in ethos to the original JMI that birthed the AC30 top boost in the late 60s; much more so than the recent Vox reissues. I'm glad to hear another player who's played a lot of Vox amps also agree with my assessment of the JMI30.
You should look into Psionic Audio. He does a custom JMI era vox amp. He also has a great channel and goes through the process of the engineering and building on it. I watched it come to life and it was pretty fun. Lyle is also very knowlegeable with other amps and is tech. I havent bought one yet, but when I get the extra cash, I plan on it.
Yeah Lyle's channel is a great resource. I've watched a lot of his videos. I think he's inundated with tech work requests and opts not to respond to folks simply bc he's got his hands full as is. That said, if you're in Memphis you can probably get him to work on an amp via the shop he does contract tech work for.
I have the AC15 version of this amp. These two amps might be the only products Music Ground ever commissioned that were truly great. They commissioned the two best Vox repairmen in the UK to build the chassis for them. Those builders really knew what they were doing. The cabinets were commissioned from a top quality cabinet shop and the amps were assembled by, or for, Music Ground. The result was a brand-new Jennings-era AC30 and AC15. They knew to (or were forced to) change the grill cloth pattern to avoid infringing the Vox trademark cloth, and they badged them with "JMI" rather than "VOX".
The men behind Music Ground have their issues and they may have quite the rap sheet, but these two amps are great despite the source.
I agree that the builders behind these amps did a fine job and ultimately that should be what we takeaway. In 50 years, the quality of their work will be what remains when the backstory has been forgotten. If you wouldn’t mind, please email me (about tab of the channel) if you can share any of the names of any of the builders involved. I don’t want to dox folks here in the comment section who were involved in the making of these amps that may want to remain in anonymity. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Glad to hear you love you JMI15.
Nice sounds ,from a great builder . I have 3 Vox amps . A AC15 ,AC30 customs. And a Night train 50 watt head. They do get close to the sound of the original ones , but not exactly . I'll be getting some alnico speakers in the future ,but for now I'm still using the Green backs . I have a pair of Bulldogs ,do you think they will sound better than the greenbacks???? Let me know .👍
It's really a matter or preference and application. Greenbacks sound great in AC30s and a lot of player prefer them. For AC30, I like an Alnico speaker myself but I also prefer more classic tones. I've read that the Celestion Silver Bulldogs are essentially the same as the Celestion Alnico Blues just painted a different color. I've never heard both side by side in person so I can neither confirm or deny this. That said, I really enjoy the Celestion Alnico Silver (Bulldogs) emulation in the OX box with my JMI30. That sounds closer to the classic Vox sound over my Fanes (or over a pair of Greenbacks). Thanks watching!
I have the blue bulldogs in mine and they are sweet.
Awesome and very useful video! I've just purchased a 1990 30th Anniversary from France and I'm biting my nails off until it arrives 😅 Do you think it was a good enough batch?
Glad you enjoyed the video. I honestly have no experience with the 30th Anniversary model from 1990. I would refer you to the Vox Showroom site about this model. It's a great resource.
www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/rmac30ltd_1990.html
It seems that this model was a PCB design on the inside. Which is par for the course for the 90s. Despite what a lot of vintage amp snobs might say, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are good point-to-point wired amps and bad ones. There are also good PCB (printed circuit board) layouts and bad ones. With amplifiers the layout of the parts is important. This affects how the amp sounds, how noisy it might be, how difficult it might be to repair, etc... According to Vox Showroom, it seems this model had a single printed circuit board with tube sockets directly mounted to the PCB. That's generally considered not best practice these days from a building perspective, but it's not the end of the world. Just be gentle getting tubes in and out of the sockets. Hold on to the socket base when pull tubes so you don't put extra stress on the PCB pull the tubes.
Please report back your findings. I'd love to know your honest thoughts of how it sounds. Thanks for watching.
Hi and Thanks for shining a light on these amazing amps. I have a Giles era AC15 head, that I love dearly. Sad they were tarnished by the criminality of the company owners, and I agree that the craftsmanship and sound of these are superb. Mines a keeper, (bought from Chandler Guitars in Kew, London in 2011). Good luck finding one!
Thanks for watching. I've never played the JMI15 model, but I'd like to hear one in person. I'm glad to hear you're still happy with yours. Giles did inform me that he only wired up the JMI30 models during his tenure with JMI (2005-2010). He didn't build any of the other JMI models. Giles also stated he didn't wire up the rear mounted top boost kit on the JMI30s. JMI had another employee doing that. Giles stated his favorite iteration of the AC30 was the original AC30/6 without the kit so that what he preferred to build. Thanks for watching and sharing.
A bunch of really great info that I did not know!
Glad you enjoyed this JMI vid. It was a fun one to research and make. Thanks for watching!
The only AC30 that actually interests me is the 2003 AC30HW, the first limited edition handwired reissue. I played through one of those when they hit the market 20 years ago, and it's still one of the best amps I've ever played in my life. Glad to see it gets a mention, here, but yes, it is not an early 60's AC30, and I'm fine with that.
There are definitely some good options to consider depending on what's important to you. I'd love to try out every Korg built Vox I mentioned, but I've only spent time with the 2007 50th Anniversary. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Can you fit a small computer cooling fan to the chassis to maybe keep the temperature down to a manageable level? Have it draw air down through the top standard vents and blow out the bottom or sides to hide the fan?
Yes! This sort of addition of a fan is actually a common mod on older AC30s. Thanks for sharing.
Stuff like this usually sells out unless it’s Marshall or normal custom shop hand wired fender stuff. But they’ve been around for a while now. Although the stock is considerably lower than it was a couple years ago. Not to mention for a hand wired boutique style amp it’s actually under priced. This thing is basically the same kind of thing that sells on reverb for 5-10k from small boutique builders.
Your assessment is spot on. At the present moment (June 2023) these are selling for around $2,500 USD due to the MG controversy and relative obscurity of the 2000s iteration of JMI. That aside, most seasoned guitarist will recognize the fact that the quality of this amp easily warrants that price used. It's a great way to get pretty close to accurate vintage AC30 tone, for half of the price of a vintage AC30 whose components have probably all drifted out of spec from being run ragged. Thanks for sharing an intelligent comment.
One thing that few mention in relation to the original AC30s is the valves or tubes as they say in the U.S. Both input and output valves were Mullards. Mullard (of Blackburn U.K) valves were the unsurpassed gold standard at that time and I have one original EF 86 in my current AC30 -which is a Marshall built Korg version, but it's in the AC15 add-on I have attached to the back. What a difference it makes from the JJs I had before. Vox switched from EF86 input valves to ECC 83s and they were the worse for it. They did it because the EF86s were prone to failure. In fact after the switch, lots of Shadows fans complained about the inferior tone compared to the AC30/4 which had the EF86s. Hank Marvin never did manage to reproduce the tone he had with the AC15s and then the AC30/4s.
I think utilizing tubes that the circuit was designed for probably offers the optimum tonal experience. So an old AC30 probably does sound a little sweeter with old Mullards. That said old Mullards are hard to come by these days. The JMI amp I was using was designed in 2007 to sound good with modern production tubes. Mullards might not sound as sweet in it.
I’ve owned 3 modern production amps that use a EF86 preamp tube: a Matchless HC30, a Korg built Vox 50th Anniversary AC30, and a Magic Amplication Brit MkII (AC15 replica). The EF86 has its place. I think the sound of an EF86 pairs best with a single coil bridge pickup. The EF86 doesn’t pair as nicely with humbuckers or a neck position pickup; it’s got too much gain and midrange for those pairings IMO. So it’s all about context and what you’re pairing a sound with. Tubes matter but it’s helpful to remember they’re part of a larger of the equation. Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts.
I just remembered that I bought an old stock Mullard EF86 and tried it with the Matchless HC30. The amp sounded better with the modern production EF86 tube it shipped with. Interesting results right?
@@tonecast1 Thanks for the replies. I haven't tried EF86s in anything but Vox AC15s . It might sound good in my AC15 15 add- on simply because my Korg british built Vox is supposed to be the nearest match to the original AC30/6 top boost. It sounds pretty good but not as good as rich in tone as the original. Might be the circuitry as you say. Apart from my blues playing, the only other thing I do is to try to emulate the early tone and sound of Hank Marvin. Many hundreds of people across the globe have been trying to do this for years nearly all without success, But with the EF86 in my AC15 pre amp attachment, I have managed to get closer than anyone I have heard playing these tunes live. Maybe the Steve Giles JMI might be a good half way house between the original AC30 TB and the Marshall built amps with of course tubes to suit that amp. I can hear very clearly though a much cleaner bell like tone on the treble strings from the EF86 than with other valves but perhaps with slightly less richness of tone. One thing I am thinking of is to put EF86s in to replace the preamp tubes on my AC30 out of interest. I have a spare old stock one but do you know who makes the new stock EF86s now. Thanks a lot and a fascinating story.
I’m no expert on EF86 tubes but I do know that it’s a notoriously fragile tube design. I believe the Matchless C-30 I had an Electro Harmonix EF86 if I recall correctly. That tube sounded better in that amp than the NOS Mullard EF86 but I suspect that was bc the amp was designed for that specific make of tube.
Music Ground was my go to retailer in Doncaster Sth Yorkshire England until they went bust, great shop!
I lived in Carcroft but never knew they were building JMI amps there!
Your recollection of the Music Ground shop in Doncaster is echoed by several others here in the comments who've also said it was an impressive shop. I wish I could've seen it. In the recent Gibson TV episode on their CZcams channel, Noel Gallagher mentions the shop about halfway into the interview with a similar fondness. Thanks for taking a moment to comment and share your firsthand experience.
No idea about JMI. Grew up playing VOX amps all owned by my pals. I preferred Orange. In 2007 I bought an AD-30VTXL. Used it on a lot of gigs. I bought 2 more as backups. In 2018 I got a VMB-1. That VBM-1 sounds so amazing, especially with a BM guitar driving it. I would love to find a JMI but there probably aren't any in Taiwan.
Glad the video helped you learn more about JMI. Thanks for watching!
I have the separate head and cabinet version of the hand wired AC30 and it sounds incredible
Nice! Ive not seen any other JMIs in person but I’ve seen video footage of the head and cab version. I’m glad to hear you’re also pleased with the tone you’re getting out of yours. Fanes, Greenbacks, or Taydens speakers?
Excellent. Never knew about this.
Glad you were able to learn something from the video. Thanks for watching!
I was all over the JMI website back in 2003/2004 and seriously regret not buying a few amps.
The JMI30 is great AC30 circuit build. I can’t speak for the other models, but I’d love to try their AC10 twin.
I would definitely need an attenuator for such a monster. You said you got it modded with a 16Ω and 8Ω output. But the original speakers are two 8Ω, which in parallel should add up reciprocally to 4Ω. How did you get the other impedances? Is the output transformer pre-tapped for those impedances? Did you have to install a new output transformer? Am I missing something essential?
The stock output transformer has an unused tap for 8ohm in addition to the 16 ohm tap that was hardwired to the speakers from the factory. All of this made it simple for my local amp tech to add the speaker out jacks.
@@tonecast1 Thanks, that makes sense! I guess the stock output transformers that they bought were more generic than what they needed. They must have the speakers wired in series then which is an interesting choice.
So I could either get a 16Ω attenuator and use both speakers as output or an 8Ω one and just use one of the speakers as output.
Something to consider when running these amps in the US, you should probably use a variac to step down the voltage. It is JUST like a 60s AC30, where it is 115v. Most wall voltage is 125 in the US.
I’ve had this thought as well. I play this amp pretty sparingly without one. I’m curious if the US versions were built to 115 or 120v specs given they were made in the mid-aughts. Thanks for the chiming in and watching.
I think I've had 5 different AC30's and a Matchless since the early 90's. I got tired of chasing the original's tone and just bought a '64 TB a few years ago. Cost me a bundle and it requires some tubes or a tech visit every so often, but it stopped my search for that tone.
Your comment really resonates with me. I've wasted a lot of time and money trying to find certain sounds in my life when I wish I would've taken this approach from the start. Sometimes you have to wait and work hard before you can do this. It takes some people time to learn this lesson and some never do learn it. Crank up the '64 TB this week for me!
The Alnico 'Blues' are legendary speakers - I bought a Vox 2 x 12" cab equipped with a pair of these beauties from Sound Pad in Leicester circa. '73 for £30 - it was pretty beat up and guessing from early/mid 60's. It was simply an AC30 closed-back cab without the amp chassis as they produced a separate AC30 head version of the actual amp (for organ or bass?).
I swapped the back for two panels for a more 'open' sound and succcesfully used this cab with a variety of amps over the next 20-years, but finally sold it for £500 to trade up to a Fender DRRI which I immediately loaded with an Alnico Gold speaker.
Just completed a Princeton upgrade with larger Power & Output transformers + 6L6 tubes for a 24 watt output with new baffle and 12" speaker and yes, it had to be an Alnico Blue! (15 watts I know, but they are hardy beasts).
I would like to get hold of an AC15, but space is always a premium, but never say never!
Great informative video - now subscribed to your channel.
I once had a Princeton clone with a 12” speaker and baffle. I loved that amp very much. Very interesting you installed a beefed up power and output transformer. I’m sure that gives the attack of the note a little more authority. Thanks for the sub and thanks for watching!
I had one of these. Lovely lovely amps.
Nice. I'm glad to hear you also had good things to say about yours. Just curious, where are you located? I'm curious about which countries these amps have been found in. Thanks for watching!
Man this is a fantastic video, found it on my home page
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.
Oh my! JMI! I love the custom sticker on back of the Celestion. 😁
I have not scored any JMI bits from that Era but I don't hate them like I do most of the replicas that were not sold by Macari's. Beautiful quality, well, I was aware that some drop-off of the level was alleged to have occurred.
I inherited a half-busted Super Beatle and I have been trying to improve on the tone of that for a couple of decades. One thing that I have never done is hook up an AC30, but I simulate the sound of something interesting with an array of other old Voxes ranging from V1141s to V125s. If you run enough amplifiers in parallel you can drown out the weak-ass tone of any single one, I guess it depends what you want.
Oh wait, Fanes? I just scored a few AXAs, that I haven't gotten the cabinet for yet. I am concerned about the response curve above 1K, but it may be an excuse to use some sort of Mid Drivers.
@@hoboroadie4623 I've not encountered any other classic Vox amps like a Super Beatle, but I'm always up for hearing any 60s Vox. There have been a few options for quality replicas. JMJ was making solid Vox replicas but they're not taking any order anymore bc they got inundated with build requests. These mid 2000's JMIs are great too. The original Vox from the 60's are pushing 60 years at this point and most probably need some TLC bc of the wear and tear (aka like your Super Beatle). This is why I sought out a quality modern production. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I use a Vox AD120 Valvetronix looks like and AC30 but with programmable effects and 32 editable patches, gives all the great sounds. I also use the SE pedalboard b=version and the Studio Valvetronix boxes. They sound superb. And the ADV120 is mush less heavy than the AC30 I had an AC30 and it was like it was carrying a load of bricks around!
I owned the AD60VTX in the mid 2000s. It was a great amp for me at the time. Glad to hear you enjoy yours. Thanks for watching.