Metropoulos Forum

I am trying to build an AC 30. I would like to make it an Early Top Boost with a little trick. I want to be able to flick a switch and have it disconect the Tremolo from from the circuit. Disconecting the tremolo gives you an added 6dB gain from what I have read and this is precisely what Brian may has done in his amps. I would like to be able to switch from 100% Brian May spec to 100% stock Vox AC 30 TB from around 1964. Can someone please tell me how to do this?

slashsound wrote:I am trying to build an AC 30. I would like to make it an Early Top Boost with a little trick. I want to be able to flick a switch and have it disconect the Tremolo from from the circuit. Disconecting the tremolo gives you an added 6dB gain from what I have read and this is precisely what Brian may has done in his amps. I would like to be able to switch from 100% Brian May spec to 100% stock Vox AC 30 TB from around 1964. Can someone please tell me how to do this?

the tremolo circuit is only part of the tremolo channel - Brian May just plugs into the normal channel via a treble booster.

don't bother building the tremolo part of an AC30, its way more effort than its worth. I don't see how disconnecting the trem would give any change to the gain or tone of the other channels either.

what Brian's amp are set up to do is ONLY use the normal channel, so all the valves from the other channels are removed - this will raise the B+ a little too (nothing to worry about) since the PT isn't loaded down as much as expected.

for clean tones, it sounds like BM is using the top boost circuit - its just too chimey and clean to be using the normal channel with or without a treble booster, imo.

HTH wrote:

slashsound wrote:I am trying to build an AC 30. I would like to make it an Early Top Boost with a little trick. I want to be able to flick a switch and have it disconect the Tremolo from from the circuit. Disconecting the tremolo gives you an added 6dB gain from what I have read and this is precisely what Brian may has done in his amps. I would like to be able to switch from 100% Brian May spec to 100% stock Vox AC 30 TB from around 1964. Can someone please tell me how to do this?

the tremolo circuit is only part of the tremolo channel - Brian May just plugs into the normal channel via a treble booster.

don't bother building the tremolo part of an AC30, its way more effort than its worth. I don't see how disconnecting the trem would give any change to the gain or tone of the other channels either.

what Brian's amp are set up to do is ONLY use the normal channel, so all the valves from the other channels are removed - this will raise the B+ a little too (nothing to worry about) since the PT isn't loaded down as much as expected.

for clean tones, it sounds like BM is using the top boost circuit - its just too chimey and clean to be using the normal channel with or without a treble booster, imo.

But what I would like to have is an amp that can take the tubes out of the circuit and the trem circuit out so that when I dont want the Brian may sound...say i want the green day sound ... that i could do it with a flick of the switch.... Any suggestions? Thanks

slashsound wrote:

HTH wrote:

slashsound wrote:I am trying to build an AC 30. I would like to make it an Early Top Boost with a little trick. I want to be able to flick a switch and have it disconect the Tremolo from from the circuit. Disconecting the tremolo gives you an added 6dB gain from what I have read and this is precisely what Brian may has done in his amps. I would like to be able to switch from 100% Brian May spec to 100% stock Vox AC 30 TB from around 1964. Can someone please tell me how to do this?

the tremolo circuit is only part of the tremolo channel - Brian May just plugs into the normal channel via a treble booster.

don't bother building the tremolo part of an AC30, its way more effort than its worth. I don't see how disconnecting the trem would give any change to the gain or tone of the other channels either.

what Brian's amp are set up to do is ONLY use the normal channel, so all the valves from the other channels are removed - this will raise the B+ a little too (nothing to worry about) since the PT isn't loaded down as much as expected.

for clean tones, it sounds like BM is using the top boost circuit - its just too chimey and clean to be using the normal channel with or without a treble booster, imo.

But what I would like to have is an amp that can take the tubes out of the circuit and the trem circuit out so that when I dont want the Brian may sound...say i want the green day sound ... that i could do it with a flick of the switch.... Any suggestions? Thanks

do you NEED trem? - a pedal is much, much easier and more practical for tremolo.

if you want a Green Day sound, you're building the wrong amp - AC30 is the last amp I'd recommend for their tones.

anyway, the stock AC30 tremolo channel has a footswitch to turn the trem effect on/off, so its all on the schematics already.

best thing with the AC30 for multiple tones is an A/B box so you can simply switch between the trem channel and top boost channel via the inputs.