AC-30 distortion pedal...?

[UglyCasanova]

I've read a ton of great things about the Mini/Fuck, but as far as actual audio goes, it seems like there's just grainy lofi bass demos to be found online

Albeit not the greatest demo of all time. I made this. AC30, but with lollar regal buckers. Still gives you a sense of the ground it covers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mF5CtKYCqQ[/youtube]

[frigid midget]

Thanks for that clip! I'm nit picky about the audio quality in youtube demos, because with the zillions of distortion pedals out there, the differences often come down to smallest subtle little things, which totally get lost in a recording that's less than semi-professional. I hate to sound like a dick here, cause I do appreciate you showed me the clip and everything...But I honestly think that, from what I'm hearing there, it can't be hard to get that kind of sound out of something like a Boss DS-2

I really want to believe the Mini is a serious step up in some way, because I keep hearing/reading it from so many different people who's opinions I really do value...
But again, because there's not a single quality demo to be found, a part of me makes me suspecious

But yeah, if I can find one for a flip-able price, I'll just snag it and finally find out for myself what the hype is all about

[Uncle Grandfather]

:

But yeah, if I can find one for a flip-able price, I'll just snag it and finally find out for myself what the hype is all about

Thats the only way you'll truly know what the pedal is going to sound like, fwiw the fuck sounds great with my ac15 but i don't seem to have the same issues with running dirt/fuzz into it as you are having with your ac30. i'd post a demo i made but it was made with a cell phone so what's the point

[frigid midget]

Has no one suggested a Rat yet? Get a Rat. I tried one briefly through an AC30 and it was THE drive sound I had been trying to get with my Marshall. Do it.

I owned a couple different Rats through the years actually. The bass sag annoyed the hell out of me. I could see it working with an amp that oozes with deep loud lows, which is pretty much the oposite of the AC30 and AC15 imo. The Ruezt mod makes up for a little part, but it also turns it into a low gain overdrive. Too low for my tatse

But yeah, I guess this thread might've well been titled "Looking for Rat clone with moar bass"

Seriously, if there's a boutique Rat out there with a slightly altered voicing so the 'grit' didn't only come from the mids (if that makes any sense at all), I'd have myself a serious contender. I realise that what I've got in my head is probably pretty fucking far from the actual typical Rat character, because the popular rat mods out threre, and the different Proco versions (solo, brat, youdirtyrat, turbo), all take away too much low end imo. At least through the vox that is.

I might be describing the OCD there, don't know for sure. But it's another one I'll HAVE to try out in the near future, they're easy enough to find on the used market.

[MEC]

Have you considered the possibility of selling or trading the AC30 for something
more suitable to the sound you're after?

[PanicProne]

I've got an AC30 and have played it for a number of years now. Both for rehearsing, recording and touring/gigging. The Hotcake has already been mentioned. I've been rolling with that and a Keeley Modded BD-2 for most of the time, switching between them depending on the part and it's been working great. I've never had the hotcakes gain all the way up, but it's been "high gain" enough for me. Also, the last 2-3months I've tried an Elements (which you called too overkill), a Dwarfcraft ECT and a Gigaheartz Mecha Feta (Lovetone Big Cheese) and they've all worked great. That's what I can give you for starters, feel free to ask questions if you need to.

Check out my band's recording if you want. helioscopenoise.bandcamp.com All clean (I know you're talking distortion here, but still, just to be precise) guitars except the rhythm parts in "Shadows" is my AC30. All rhythm distortion on "Pillars" (panned to the right) and post-rocky leads+rhythms on "Shadows" (mostly on the left in the initial screaming parts, but pretty much everywhere later on) are the Keeley Blues Driver stacked with the Hot Cake going into my AC30. Guitar is a Fender 72 Tele Deluxe Reissue. Hope thats clear enough.

[carrythezero]

Can't recommend the EQD White Light enough. Plays great with my Vox.

[frigid midget]

Got to set something straight here...

In my original post I accidentaly typed "AC30", even though I don't have one Noticed it right away, but decided not to bother editing it, since I figured the AC30 is better known than my particular Vox, and it's probably close enough to my amp too in terms of overal tone. Anyway, I've got a AC15 C2, which I like too much to sell. The inability to work with any/all dirt pedals is just one small thing I don't like about it. The somewhat nasal harsh high end is a blessing and a curse at the same time. I usually manage to find the sweet spot by tweaking the 'cut' control and rolling back my guitar's tone control. I'm not married to the AC15 C2, but I've looked and looked, and I can't for the life of me find anything that has what I like about the AC15C2, but without the few small downsides that make it what it is. At least not without going boutique/custom/vintage/pricey/mesa

Again, I like my hotcake. But for higher gain tones, I have to roll back the gain and make up for it by running another dirt pedal in front of it. Which is fine and all, but my pedalboard is overflowing as it it, so I'd rather not use two pedals to do a one-pedal job. Cause that's basicly what I'm after: A high-ish gain od/dist that'll sound good on it's own, across the entire gain range. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Btw, It's not like I was in love with the Dr Scientist's Elements medium gain tones either. One of the best dirt pedals I ever owned, but it really shined at super high gain metal tones imo, imo not so much for the rat/ocd/hotcake type of gain levels.

PanicPro: Thanks for the bandcamp link and info, I'll check it later, can't right now.

EQD White Light has been added to my list of "pedal to buy used if I happend to find a good deal, so I can try it and eventually either sherrish or flip it"

[Tristan]

Okay, if you usually use the cut control and turn down the tone control on your guitar that says to me that you don't like the bright cap in your amp.
Clip it, it's only just one cap and you can keep one leg on and resolder it if you want.
Another thing is that the speaker in your amp isn't the greatest speaker, so if you want a fuller low end I'd suggest swapping the speaker with an Alnico Blue, G12H Heritage or an G12H Creamback maybe.

Other than that I think we're on the same page in terms of drive pedals, I usually also don't like them because they're either too much like an overdrive or they don't have the right kind of punch and attack (especially also in the lows) that you feel but doesn't sound icepicky in the highs.

I think I know exactly what you mean with the Rat, I don't like it either because it just doesn't feel powerful, it doesn't kick you in the gut when you really hit your guitar, it just sounds a little bit too compressed, as most other distortion pedals do.
If that's how you feel about it too then I'd suggest you try out some of the pedals I mentioned in my list because they're the only ones I found so far that really cut it with a Vox style amp and I really tried lots.

[MEC]

Maybe check out the EQD Talons or the VFE Triumvirate.

[Boxbie]

I had a Lovepedal Englishman which is billed as a cranked AC30. It was pretty good too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPs9F1Qbcdo

[Uncle Grandfather]

I've got ac15 too and rolling tubes is great idea as the stock tubes sound like shit. You can tailor the sound to a great degree doing so.

[Gone Fission]

Have you tried the normal channel inputs? Lower gain and simpler circuit structure often plays better with dirt. Fat-trimming dirt is especially good here, like the Brian May treble booster sound that uses this channel.

[frigid midget]

Okay, if you usually use the cut control and turn down the tone control on your guitar that says to me that you don't like the bright cap in your amp.
Clip it, it's only just one cap and you can keep one leg on and resolder it if you want.
Another thing is that the speaker in your amp isn't the greatest speaker, so if you want a fuller low end I'd suggest swapping the speaker with an Alnico Blue, G12H Heritage or an G12H Creamback maybe.

Other than that I think we're on the same page in terms of drive pedals, I usually also don't like them because they're either too much like an overdrive or they don't have the right kind of punch and attack (especially also in the lows) that you feel but doesn't sound icepicky in the highs.

I think I know exactly what you mean with the Rat, I don't like it either because it just doesn't feel powerful, it doesn't kick you in the gut when you really hit your guitar, it just sounds a little bit too compressed, as most other distortion pedals do.
If that's how you feel about it too then I'd suggest you try out some of the pedals I mentioned in my list because they're the only ones I found so far that really cut it with a Vox style amp and I really tried lots.

A couple things I tought about too...

But can't I just put that infamous bright cap on a little toggle switch?

Maybe I'm not into the same kinda AC15 tones as most people, cause I know those greenbacks that came in mine are supposedly a great combination with Vox amps. To each their own I guess, for all I know my particular taste and style would benefit from fresh speakers, something with more oomph and less fizz. I remember not being wild about greenbacks when I had em in my old 4x12 cab, but I was using Marshall heads at the time, so it's hard to tell...

Anyway, great tips, I'll definatelly look into my options, in terms of speakers as well as those peds you mensioned. I indeed agree, a Rat isn't my favorite stand alone distortion for a clean amp, at least not to achieve a big beefy tone, opposed to a somewhat scratchy thin garage rock tone.

[frigid midget]

Have you tried the normal channel inputs? Lower gain and simpler circuit structure often plays better with dirt. Fat-trimming dirt is especially good here, like the Brian May treble booster sound that uses this channel.

Yeah, I usually play through the normal channel. Brian May's tone is all kinds of awesome, but it's not at all what I'm after

I *could* start dropping names here, of bands and guitarists that more or less influence and/or inspire(d) my playing and the sort of music I'm trying to make, to give you guys an idea of my taste in music and guitar tones...But I don't want to give the impressing that I wanna copy anyone else's tone or anything, cause that's not at all the case.