20 years ago my dad gave me an old ac30. I'd only just learned to play and didn't like it. I pulled it out of the cupboard recently, plugged it in. Turns out it's a fully original 1963, still has mullard valves too. Tone is unbelievable 😁

63 sounds the best to my ears.

1963 has a very warm and raw vintage sound ... while the 1966 sounds way more modern and sharp clean. It was a very interesting comparison ! I never thought they would sound that different !

The '63 is so sweet and refreshing, really excellent speakers help too. Thank you for a wonderful video..

Botha are great, but if I had to choose would be the 63

Very interesting. I was not expecting them to sound so different. But, they both still sound like a Vox! Another great demo- thanks Johan!

All that they wanted, heard! Thank you for the work Johan!

Another amazing video, thanks! The 63 is so sweet and delicious, but the 66 has that pretty chime that is so nice when not so cranked. Both are great!

Thank you so much for these awesome videos

They're both so different, but I couldn't begin to pick a favorite because they're both absolutely killer. Great job, again!

Johan, I am so glad you exist and are doing this with your life lol we love you

I'm consistently impressed at how good that Squire Affinity Telecaster sounds with all your rigs, Johan. It never seems to take a back seat, even when played side by side with guitars that cost many times its price.

Wow, big difference. Never would have thought they’d sound that different. Prefer the 63 but I didn’t know they were made as a head that early.

To my ear the 66 sounds Best but the 63 also sounds really good If I had to choose 1 it would be the 66!!! Rock on Johan 🤟🎸🎸

great amps, both sound great, seems like the 63 sounds closer to a Marshall. Thanks for the sweet demo, Johan!

The transformers make a huge difference! I’ve tried Albion, Woden and Haddon. My favourite out of those is by far, Woden. Great Johan as always! 👍

Great demo, Johan! Very different, but both great. 63 is a little brighter and tighter , the 66 warmer and more complex to my ears. Can't decide which I like better. I'd have to have both!

Love a good old vox. The 63 sounds amazing. For now i have to make do with my AC15 HW1X, i need to hear and learn more about old vox amps before buying one. Great demo :-)

Good one Brother! Thanks for sharing and Be Well All!

wow the 63 sounds amazing, so much warmth and midrange.

Great amps, love the sound of an old VOX. I have one AC30 1964 bought from Adrian Utley. Amazing amp.

Both sound incredible.

I had the holy grail of ac30's with an EF86 up front non top- boost when I was much younger. I stupidly didn't know what I had .It was obviously an early one .However it started to sound rubbish after 30 mins I didn't know much about electronics back then and with no internet I sold it for buttons as a poor student. Now I realise it was just the old plate resistors and caps cooking. Hope its still alive somewhere. Thanks for reviving my memories .I have a 66 now and have just retrofitted top-boost but I still miss that old amp

I like the 66..both sound great though. Love your work mate!

This video just reminds me of why I enjoy those videos that argue that the tube amp is dead and that modeling amps sound just as good as the real thing. I can see their point. As clearly as I can see a Unicorn prancing across the rainbow grass on this lovely flat Earth.

this is just the review that i was looking for! someone here is selling a 66 vox and after hearing this video i was convinced that i liked the 63 spec more.

I just love that crunchy sound coming from the VOX amps. In this video the 63 really sounded to best imo. These amps are important for my first big love of the guitar sound. Brian May who was playing VOX's on the Queen live in Budapest 86. The first live performance I have ever seen when. And that performance still sounds really good on this day. Especially May's sound.

Beautiful tones! ‘63 for me.

Most excellent! I agree with kabukiman on the sweetness of the 63...a hallmark AC30 reference tone to be sure. But as Jevin Edrick noted, the punchy edginess of the 66 has its own charm as well. The SG sounded great through both, but the 63 seemed more favorable to Johan's Tele (and Simon's Strat I'd wager!). Thanks Johan! (PS: Göteborg is beautiful in summer!)

63 sounds warmer and less harsh for the upper registers, but the 66 seems to hold together better with the rhythm. Both are great, but if I had to pick one, I’d go 63.

I liked them both, but I liked the '63 setup way, way more! Lovely tones.

Thnaks for the demo. Woudl be really great to play both through the same speakers/cab to elimintae variables. As is, the 63 seems t have more mid growl, while the lesser mids in the 66 seem to make in jangle more

Loving the sound of both, specially the 63!! Very surprised how different they sound. Did you swap the speakers to see at what extent are they responsible of the difference?

Out of the 2, I like the 66'. Has better clarity on clean and overdriven tones.

Great range of tone clips Johan. To my ears the 63 seems better suited to the single coils (Becks Yardbirds tone) and the 66 liked the humbuckers (early Vox era Blackmore tone).

Great comparison video. The 1966 sounds thinner in tone but keep in mind you are comparing an open back to a closed back cab which will change the sound a lot.

Both sound great, hard to choose. I love VOX!

‘63 for the win! Beautiful amp ❤️

Both sound amazing! But my personal preference would be the '66. I like that punchier tone and that fuzzy breakup sound is exceptional.

Enjoying both of them, though very different from each other.

Hey... Great demo cheers! In almost every case I preferred the '63.... But I guess the '66 likely cuts through bands better which perhaps why the change. Cool!

Wow the 63 just blows the 66 away!The 66 sounds thin and nasty while the 63 is warm and has a nice mid cut to it.Very cool video!

Cabinets: AC30 cabs could be ordered open back or closed back. I think they called the closed backs “pressurized” cabinets..

Been building amps since the 80s, tubes, caps and transformers all make a difference... a noticeable one. But usually the same circuit with this much difference is always the speakers. To me this sounds like the same amp with 2 different types of speakers/cabs. I'd bet real money the majority of the difference comes from them. It's the #1 way to change your amp tone now and it was then too.

Terrific as always, Johan!!!! Thanks for your instructive videos and awesome playing!!!! It's interesting the difference between both amps even though they share the same circuit, in principle. I guess it is the Albion or Woden transformer which gives that different colour. Does the 66 sounds more trebly??? Do the Silver Alnicos come with H177 cones like the Blue ones? Next comparison could be Top Boost VS Non-Top Boost. I have a '63 AC30 Non-Top Boost with Blue Alnicos and I'm not sure if I should modify it to Top Boost. I even have the Top Boost kit ready to be installed but... Any suggestion????

Very different indeed. I preferred the head/cab setup. The combo is okay in itself, but sounds rather 'separated' into treble and bass with recessed mids. The 1963/4 setup is more integrated and less brittle. I thought both sounded better with the SG than the Tele.

Man. Where do you get all these great amps. Every week, new vintage amp!

Hi, Johan! I see, you are enjoying the summer!:-) I am working from today, hope, everything will be ok. Better to spend the time with students in music school, than to be crazy stacked up. I like 1963, but the 66 is not bad. With telecaster it's a little like The Beatles! And I will be on their side! 63 is winning! C.U. Zigfrid

1966 ❤

whole lot a Johan !...both cool amps the 63 is warn with great resonance and low end, 65 much clearer and cleaner ...luv the tones

They sound great! Perhaps there is a difference in the coupling caps from the PI and power section.

I own a 65 ac30 and I can’t imagine something sounding better than this….but this 63 sounds killer too

63 all day 🤤

What is the difference you mentioned about the speakers’ magnet assembly? I’ve not heard of this. Thx!!

Hi Johan! Great comparison. I liked more the '66. Sounds punchier, at least in the video. I have a Vox Pathfinder 10 that I bought for practicing and rehearsals. Done a little mod and it gained more headroom. Would you someday play on that amp on your channel?

I wonder how a marshall cab would sound like with four of the blue alnicos inside. That must be something to check out. Let's go!

Cool! Could you take a look on Laney Lionhearts and make them howl like you usually do with other amps?

Priceless! \m/\m/

Almost looks like little Angus standing there with the SG. 😅

So different than a Marshall plexi... it’s got that alternative vibe

That was amazing... (I could never choose) Have you had a chance to play through an AC30/4 I think it is with the sometimes problematic EF86 tube in V1? ...or an AC15 with similar design? Thanx Johan and thanx for the cool camera work... it's most entertaining. cheers

Both sound amazing. It really depends what you want to use them for/what the riffs/songs need themselves. Beings as Johan has the choice, that's the best option really.....just have both to choose from hahaha. For example, the riff starting at 2:42 I would much prefer the 66 as it has that ballsy BTO - Taking Care of Business low end for that riff/song specifically, but for the riff starting at 4:03 I would much prefer the more open and pronounced less low end 63 for that riff/song specifically, very much the Ram Jam - Black Betty Sound. Personally i'd take the 66 over the 63 if I HAD to chose but to my ear its's like choosing between the Angus Young vs Malcolm Young tone/sounds. Both are great but for a specific role. I get the overall feeling the 63 is a great overall lead sound and the 66 is a great overall rhythm sound. One thing I am certain about though, is that I am rather envious of your collection of gear Mr Segeborn, great stuff as always !

I never use the Top boost on my AC15. I find it too much tbh. Love my Vox, it's my acoustic amp. Nice to see the different coloured speakers from the late 1960s. They run out of blue paint, used a few different colours so rumour has it! I love them both. But if you had to force me, 66 please!!

So who made the Vox gold alnico's in 73 ? I have a 73 Viscount SS that I only use the speakers from Thanks 63 for me on rythmm tones Solo work sounded the same almost

I love the sound of a cranked Vox AC-30!!! It's a shame they only sound like that at ear bleeding volumes... I guess it goes with the times.

7:27 I didn’t know lifeson ever played a Vox.

Both sets of speakers have paper voice coil formers? Those formers don’t go as far into the magnet gap as the new kapton. Glad to see you’re doing well on a sunny day Johan.

Nice outside view that you have there

Gotta be the 66 for me, it has that extra top end sizzle

Both very nice amps! I prefer the '63, it has a nice warm tone, not as bright as the '66. I have a (early?)' 63 ac30 with a Haddon power transformer and a Albion output transformer and it has the same type of breakup and warmth. So maybe the difference between the 63 and 66 is the transformers? As the wiring and speakers should be similar... As always nice demo and fantastic playing (and beautiful nature shots as well!) Cheers

63 box head with a 4x12 orange cab- let’s go!

Why not both! Definitely prefer the '63, but you could easily use only these and write several albums. I'd love to hear these as a wet/dry/stereo rig.

I think plugging straight in, I’d choose the ‘63. Feel like the ‘66 would be better to put a pedalboard in front of

mm, i love that 66

The Celestion grey have more low mids than the blue. Fuller sound. It's great to mix one of each in a cab or combo. A vox is not the same with greenbacks. Doesn't get the same great clean sound and chime without the alnico speakers. They are also great with a JTM 45.

Love them both, but the the 63 with the blues edges it out. But they'd both serve different purposes well.

I dig the 63

I liked the 66 with the sg and the 63 with the tele.

IMO,the 63 sounds more musical,the 66 sounds stiff to me but still good.my fav is the 1963.Johan,I’ll take it!

I actually thought there was more tone coming out of the 1966, on both the SG and Telecaster.

Albion’s will sound brighter than the Woden. I’ve worked on vintage Vox Amp’s for over 30 years. The early AC30’s had Haddon outputs and were slightly darker sounding. The Albion’s are bright and the Woden’s in my opinion, are a nice tonal combination of both outputs. There are no differences between the Alnico Blue & the Gray. Same cones, voice coils and magnets. The later Gray’s had the magnet mounted slightly different. The very first AC30’s used RS tranny’s but switched to Haddon’s within a couple of months. I’ve seen a number of early prototype AC30’s. The very first prototypes had 2-EL34’s in Cathode Bias, but didn’t last long because Tom Jennings didn’t like how tall the chassis compared to the AC15. He wanted both to be the same height.

Change the speakers on the 66? Doesn't have the chime of the 63

Wow

Seems John that you have a liking of most things Vox, I'm curious do you have any knowledge or experience of a Jennings AC40?

I actually prefer the 66, more midrange and less harsh treble. Both sound great though.

My pref is for the ‘63. Do you suppose it’s the circuit/ transformer or the speakers that accounts for major difference?

Pretty different sound, if they both were powered by same Vattenfall! I would love them both and let’em sleep in the same bedroom.

I prefer the 66, but both are lovely sounding amps...

Has to be the '63 for me, but then I'm biased as I have one!

I preferred the Clean tones of the 66, but o/drive on the 63

I wish you would have run them each through the other’s cab. :-) I wonder how much of this is the output transformer. having the amplifier take up space in the cabinet takes out a lot of tone. I know this from experience with Vox cabinets. I got a head and cabinet otherwise identical to the combo configuration and immediately knew that I had to get rid of the combo. Combo amplifiers are good for convenience only. The tone is worse than it should be and the tubes get slaughtered. And when they get this heavy it’s better to break them out into separate boxes anyway. :-)

Nothin’ but great tones here, though Top Boost treble & bass both at 10 is maybe pushing things a bit too far. ☺️ I’d go for the combo if I had to choose, since it’s more open sounding as mic’d, but I’d love either one.

Some of those had 11 or even 13 tubes (with reverb) I'm guessing they only used one triad per tube but I dunno why cheers

It would be great to see both these amps or at least one of them, put up against a new model ac30. What is anyones opinion on the current production ac30 amps ? Do they sound like a vintage ac30 ? Do they pale in comparison ? How is the build quality on a new ac30 ?

Clarify- peacemaker channel you can hear my ac10 thru ac30 cab with cream backs/ Tele ! Yes that sound is only 10 watts ! Johan love your vid’s ! If you have s chance listen to our band channel! Vox do love teles ! I also run my ac 4 thru a marshall 4x12 and strat- whew ! 👍👍

1963 model wins for me !

Surprised everyone in the comments is preferring the 63. It sounded okay at the start with the Tele, but with the humbuckers it sounded way too muddy for my taste.

the oldest most expensive rarest sounded best to me everytime hands down.

63 does it for me ...

Hello , I have the same tuner . Should I use it in front of my amps for buffer ?