Re: Vox AC30 CC the real story....

Save your money and buy a great amp!
Check out "Divided by 13" amps.
This guy makes great stuff IMHO.

Tom




"duskb" <duskb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1135990526.584414.109160@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Preface:
> Generally I am not the type to get caught up in reviewing a
> manufacturers product but after my experience with the new Vox/Korg
> AC30 CC's I felt my findings were important enough to justify a post on
> the net. If you are thinking about spending your hard earned money on
> one of these amps try this first....
>
>
>
> Chapter 1:
> In early Dec '05 a Guitar Center circular showed the new Vox AC30's CC
> priced for less than $1000.00. Hard to pass up if the thing was even
> remotely similar to the original, IMHO. I figured since I was in the
> market for a new amp anyways I'd check it out.
>
> Just to see what current owners were saying I went to Harmony Central
> (www.harmony-central.com). Overall most owners were happy but a few
> spoke of horrible problems within minutes. I wasn't really surprised to
> hear that. Generally on Chineese imports like that you need to test 1
> in 10 to get one that actually works right.
>
> One of my first stops was at the Guitar Center store in Sherman Oaks to
> speak of my concerns with a few sales folk there. After warming up the
> amp I ran my typical chromatic scale exercises...whole notes starting
> at the mid neck. Within SECONDS I noticed a strange oscillation
> underneath my notes....as if the guitar was being piped through a
> Eventide H3000 with the preset at -5 semitones. It wasn't loud, per se,
> but loud enough for me to hear it. Thinking the amp was a bad model I
> tested the next one. Same thing. I brought in the rep and showed him
> the issue. To which he responded, "Hmmm...you're right it DOESN'T sound
> right...it must be broken. Well...sorry that's all the stock we got..."
>
>
>
> Chapter 2
> The next day I went to Guitar Center in Lawndale Ca. Same thing... This
> time I hunted down the kid that attacked me when I first walked in the
> door and said, "Get your manager, you need to see this." At once they
> arrive and I plug in to show my test. At first, because the ambient
> noise level in the store was so stinking loud they missed it. "Get
> close," I said, "and this time LISTEN!"
>
> SILENCE....
>
>
> "Wow," says the manager, "you know what you need?"
>
>
> "No...what," I asked.
>
>
> "You need to check out this original Vox over here...it doesn't make
> that sound."
>
> (Incidentally it also doesnt cost 1 grand either).
>
> "NO," I said, "I came here for this model and I want one that works.
> Either get me one that works or pull this defective stuff off your
> floor so someone else doesn't get tripped up on it."
>
> "Well, maybe something is broken...let me call the rep on Monday and
> see what they say. I'll have little Joe here take care of ya."
>
> I left them my info and said, "Make sure you follow up with me." And we
> left it at that.
>
>
>
> Chapter 3:
> Since I was mildly entertained by the whole quandry I was bold enough
> to try a fourth store. This time West LA Music would be my target.
> After a quick walk into the amp room, (subsequently chasing out two
> street kids making horrible noise), I was greeted by a sales guy to
> whom I stated, "I'd like to show you something. Please come with
> me...."
>
> We promptly plugged into the AC30 1x12 (the 2x12 was not available).
> "Does this sound right to you?", I asked as I tried my revealing tones.
> The sales guy was stunned, as if he had just been hit upside the head
> by the amp itself. "I have never heard an amp do that in all my life,"
> he said, "something's not right."
>
> "Well," I interjected, "if you can find me one that doesn't do that
> I'll buy it." After respectfully taking down my info he said he would
> contact the rep on Monday and get back to me.
>
> Later that night I wrote an email to KORG indicting their product
> deficiency to which I got no reply, short of a auto vacation notice.
>
>
>
> Chapter 4:
> Two days later both stores called me back and gave me Korg's direct
> number. They both said it was out of their hands at this point. I
> called the Korg rep they referred me to who, not surprisingly, had no
> idea what I was talking about. I even had to start explaining why I was
> qualified to comment on the issue. "Listen," I said, "Please just go
> try my test and let me know what you find. I guarantee you will be
> calling me back saying you can hear it. I am that confident of what I
> am hearing." He agreed he would run the test and call me back.
>
> About 30 minutes later I got a call from the Korg rep, "Dusk, we tried
> it and you're right. We aren't sure what's causing that noise but we
> think it goes deeper than just swapping out the tubes.... This could be
> a more serious issue, possibly down to the PCB.... Anyways I asked
> around here and Korg's position on this "sound" is that this is a
> "characteristic" of the amp and we have no plans to modify the sound
> out of it. Essentially, it's the nature of the beast..."
>
>
> Funny, the last time I heard that moniker used was in analog tape
> recording in reference to overbiasing, wow and flutter, and dropouts. I
> never thought that a built in Harmonizer effect in a tube amp would
> pass as a "nature" issue.
>
>
> "You have got to be kidding," I stated, "selling this product knowing
> what you now know borders on corporate negligence, and at the very
> least there are ethical implications for walking away from a problem
> like this. At one point you are going to have to deal with it. What
> about product liability and legal stuff like that? What if all 3000+
> amp owners out there file a class action suit? That's a big deal, isn't
> it?"
>
> "Sorry, have you tried looking at the older models from the 90's?" was
> his response.
>
> "Yes," I replied, "but there aren't any left."
>
> "Well there is nothing more I can do for you, Dusk, try writing a
> complaint or something." We hung up and left it at that.
>
>
> Three days later I took his advice and wrote a letter to Korg demanding
> that in the future they disclose this issue in writing to potential
> buyers everywhere. I still have not heard back from them as of this
> writing.
>
> Since then two other stores were made aware of the issue and one claims
> they will be doing something about it. We shall see...
>
>
>
> Epilogue:
> As one would expect, in my line of work we require intense attention to
> detail. Especially a guitar that will be compressed at every stage of
> recording. Eventually all sonic nuances reveal themselves, including
> "unintended parallel 5th harmonies". As unfortunate as it is,
> regardless of how many redeeming qualities there are in the new Vox
> AC30CC, the product will not pass muster for my session work so I go
> without. Equally unfortunate is the fact that several stores were made
> aware of the problem but not one has actually pulled the product, or
> even demanded an explanation for that matter, even though they all
> admitted the problem sounded "bad". How is that for corporate
> integrity?
>
>
> Finally, it is my desire that current Custom Classic owners demand in
> one voice that Vox develop a workaround for this issue. I believe Vox
> has a responsibilty to solve the issue rather than ignore it. Corporate
> responsibilty has become the platform for many political battles in
> this day and age. IMHO this battle needs to be fought to prevent the
> whoring out of flawed gear under the names of their classic originals.
> Clearly, if previous revisions do not exhibit this problem then it is
> not out of the question to modify the problem out of the new line. All
> it takes is enough care to demand the level of workmanship expressed on
> the models these manufacturers are attempting to recreate.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> ----
> Dusk Bennett
> Producer/Engineer
> Stigmata Recorders
> Los Angeles, CA
> www.myspace.com/duskbennett
> "Award Winning Work...Everytime"
>


.

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