teremy
Joined: May 25, 2011
Posts: 8
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Posted on Jul 12 2011 12:26 PM
Hi there.
I will get an AC30 in a few because that's really the amp I love the most for it's amazing clean and crunch sound.
My favorite Band is the Shadows, though many other favorite bands or musicians use an AC30 too ( George Harrison/Beatles, Justin Hayward/Moody Blues, Brian May/Queen, Tom Petty etc. etc. ).
But when I play things like Misirlou or other well known surf tunes, I miss the clean sound of a fender amp. I'm a huge fan of Dick Dale ( saw him live last year ), is there a cheap way to get a fender clean tone? When it comes to a more driven sound the AC30 is just fine, but for some surf songs, I think, a fender tone is a must have. I don't really know much about equipment at all but aren't there good preamps that you can connect to your amp ( in my case the AC30 ) and get a good clean fender tone? Is it that easy that you can connect a preamp to your "amp"? I know about amp modeling, I got a line6 Studio UX1, which lets me choose between different amp models ( everything in software ), nice to record stuff and to try out different things to get a basic idea, though it's nothing like the real tube amp in my opinion ( at least when I compare some clean sounds to the real amps ).
What do I have to buy to get an acceptable clean fender tone out of my AC30 to play some Dick Dale, Surf Coasters etc.? Can anybody tell me something about the tech21 sansamp? Oh and please tell me how to connect those things please.
Cheers.
John
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Surfabilly
Joined: Apr 21, 2006
Posts: 852
Connersville, Indiana, USA
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 01:01 PM
About all I can suggest is to fiddle around with the Reverb, Tremolo and Presence knobs until ya get things sounding as close to right as ya can. It's been a while since I've test driven an AC30, so I don't remember what all else ya might noodle with, and in which combinations. I do know that if ya get the Reverb, Tremolo and Presence dialed in just right, ya can totally nail the twangy fuzz tone for "Rumble."
— Fast Cars & Loud Guitars!
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 01:29 PM
teremy wrote:
Hi there.
What do I have to buy to get an acceptable clean fender
tone out of my AC30 to play some Dick Dale, Surf
Coasters etc.? Can anybody tell me something about the
tech21 sansamp? Oh and please tell me how to connect
those things please.
There are a bunch of Euro surf bands that have used AC30s for surf - Laika & the Cosmonauts, Langhorns, the Bambi Molesters come to mind off the top of my head. It's definitely doable - but you won't sound like Dick Dale. However, you can get in the right ballpark - check out this video of my band ago playing The Victor some years ago, with me playing through an AC30. I think I was able to get close to DD's vibe. But an AC30 just doesn't have the guts that a big loud Fender does, mostly cause it doesn't have that bottom end and it's too mid-heavy.
But if you want to try something that will give your AC30 a Fender tone, maybe this will do the trick - go here: http://www.tech21nyc.com/products/sansamp/characterseries_BL.html
Scroll down to the "Blonde" model. (I have no experience with these pedals, have only seen ads for them, so make sure it does what you need before buying. But it looks like it could be exactly what you need.)
Good luck!
Ivan
— Ivan
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 01:35 PM
Here's the Guitar Player review of the Blonde box:
TECH 21 BLONDE
Tech 21’s SansAmp Character series features four classic guitar amp emulators and the VT Bass Character pedal. Each pedal sports the same control set—Level, Mid, Low, High, Character, and Drive— as well as fancy silkscreened graphics rendered in the style of the amp the pedal is emulating. Designed to be run in front of an amp, in an amp’s effects loop, or plugged directly into a mixer, these boxes are sneaky powerful. They also sport active EQ for maximum tweakability and enough insane output and gain to possibly warrant a “warning” sticker.
The Blonde ($195 retail/$149 street) is Tech 21’s take on classic Fender amps, and as with all of the Character Series pedals, dialing it in really hinges on what you’re plugging into. For example, running it in front of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, I found it took some time to tailor the treble and midrange response as the ranges are incredibly vast. Also, the Character control affects everything from frequency response to attack and gain. So using the Blonde as a traditional stompbox is do-able—in fact, there are some cool tones to be had in this configuration. But the Blonde shines much brighter when you run it into an amp’s effects loop (thus bypassing the amp’s EQ and preamp). In the loop of my Reverend Goblin 5-15, the Blonde’s Fender voicing became way more apparent. I was able to elicit excellent approximations of a funky Champ cranked and on the verge of meltdown, a cleanish Super Reverb, or a tweed Deluxe turned up halfway for some sweet, singing tones. I also ran the Blonde through Tech 21’s Power Engine 1x12 with equally impressive results. The Blonde also reacted wonderfully to changes in my guitar’s volume, cleaning up nicely as I backed it off. There is a ton of distortion on tap (tons more than any classic Fender amp), but high settings of the Drive control tended to get a bit silly with too much noisy distortion. I then plugged the Blonde straight into my Mac PowerBook (using a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter) and the Blonde excelled, giving me all of the aforementioned tones, and it really shows off its musical sounding speaker simulation, which is based on a vintage 12" Jensen. The speaker simulation can’t be turned off, which explains why the Blonde is trickier to dial in as a trad distortion box in front of your amp. But it sounds killer in three different configurations, and there aren’t many stompboxes that can say that.
KUDOS Powerful controls help shape some classic Fender amp tones.
CONCERNS Can be tough to dial in when running in front of an amp.
CONTACT Tech 21, (973) 777-6996; tech21nyc.com.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: Jul 13, 2011 13:46:19
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elreydlp
Joined: Sep 04, 2009
Posts: 1800
Temecula, CA
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 03:24 PM
This pedal has gotten extensive review on a couple of discussion boards and almost all of the responses have been VERY positive. The quality of Tech 21 products is extremely good and they WORK! I think Ivan's right-this is your ticket!
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teremy
Joined: May 25, 2011
Posts: 8
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 07:21 PM
Thanks for your help guys!
@Surfabilly: I just played "Rumble" today, one of my all time favorites :).
@IvanP: Great cover! Good you mentioned the "Blonde" sansamp model, I was also thinking that this one might be the one I'm interested in. All the responses I have read have been positive too, for the Blonde model and for all of the other ones...
I will definitely try that one out. Thanks.
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Dane_Brammage
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 203
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Posted on Jul 13 2011 08:15 PM
(de-lurk)
I use a Tech 21 Blonde into a little mixer and then into headphones for late-night silent playing. Not sure it sounds exactly like any particular Fender amp, but it is definitely Fender-ish and much better than any of the digital modelling devices I've tried.
I haven't tried it in front of an amp, but if you want to run it that way, make sure to get version 2 with the switch to turn off the speaker simulation. Speaker simulator + speaker = potential weirdness.
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Reverb17
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 525
NYC
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Posted on Jul 14 2011 08:30 AM
Although the Tech 21 is a great box, what's the point if of getting an AC30 if you want to make it sound exactly like a Fender.
I have been using an AC30 for 5 years and while it doesn't sound just like a Fender, it does have a great clean sound that is even better with a Fender reverb in front of it.
The AC30 is the "other" great clean sound besides Fender.
Don't apologize for it, embrace it.
— TarantinosNYC
TarantinosNYC FB page
The WrayCyclers FB page
Rockaway Beach Surf Music Festival
Last edited: Jul 14, 2011 08:36:03
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Surfgitar
Joined: Mar 16, 2007
Posts: 1342
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
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Posted on Jul 14 2011 09:13 AM
Reverb17 wrote:
Although the Tech 21 is a great box, what's the point
if of getting an AC30 if you want to make it sound
exactly like a Fender.
I have been using an AC30 for 5 years and while it
doesn't sound just like a Fender, it does have a great
clean sound that is even better with a Fender reverb in
front of it.
The AC30 is the "other" great clean sound besides
Fender.
Don't apologize for it, embrace it.
Agreed- just dial in the AC 30. The other guitarist in our band uses an AC 30 and he gets GREAT surf tomes from it.
— CUTBACK
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teremy
Joined: May 25, 2011
Posts: 8
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Posted on Jul 14 2011 10:28 AM
Although the Tech 21 is a great box, what's the point
if of getting an AC30 if you want to make it sound
exactly like a Fender.
It's just for certain songs, for example when I want to play things like Dick Dale...
I play lots of other stuff too and I love the AC30 clean sound and its amazing crunch sound, I just wanted to check out the possibilities that I have.
The sound of an AC30 will always be my favorite sound.
But you're right, I should just dial in the AC30 
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Reverb17
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 525
NYC
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Posted on Jul 14 2011 10:34 AM
I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't try for a sound that makes you happy.
Just don't feel that because it's not "Fender Clean", it is an inferior sound for surf.
— TarantinosNYC
TarantinosNYC FB page
The WrayCyclers FB page
Rockaway Beach Surf Music Festival
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WoodyJ
Joined: Apr 05, 2006
Posts: 1547
Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on Jul 14 2011 10:37 AM
I love the unique sound of a good AC30. I recently sold mine but I did use it on a couple of songs on the upcoming Mariners CD. I would have kept it but I am amp-poor and it didn't get a lot of use and a good friend who plays in a local corporate party band wanted it. I can always borrow it if I need it again.
— Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)
The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025
The Hula Hounds (1996-2000)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)
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spy
Joined: Mar 29, 2007
Posts: 815
Athens, Greece
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Posted on Jul 17 2011 07:20 AM
Why not adding a Fender amp in your collection? Instead of spending money on simulators or preamps you can save them for a 2nd amp!
Then you can use both of them in some recordings or gigs if you like or separate of course! A lot of fellows do it! 
— Every word is like an unecessary stain on silence and nothingness.
Last edited: Jul 17, 2011 07:22:15
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blackheartsfan
Joined: Jun 13, 2009
Posts: 274
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Posted on Jul 23 2011 07:32 PM
I've got the Crate (USA) V1512 w/reverb and it's almost identical to the AC-30/AC-15 thus quite versatile and capable of producing the surf tones you're looking to achieve just try different settings. I'm sure like me you'll be able to mimic the Dick Dale/Tom Petty/Moody Blues sound though it may benefit you to add some inexpensive pedals like the Danelectro FAB Series (though I barely use them).
Since returning to playing in Dec of '08 after a 22 yr layoff I'm using a knock-off of the Berhinger Guitar Rig II/III to record purchased off Ebay ($15.00) which suits me fine (the quality is incredible) but then again I'm new to this computer type recording despite being 47 yrs old and not that tech/computer savvy.
Note: Tom Petty uses Reverb, Compression, Overdrive, Chorus, Tube Screamer, and Wah, in a lot of songs but the Guitar Edge magazine web page that used to feature his rig has been removed from the 'net (I'm lucky I still have that issue).
For a schematic/illustration of his rig Google "How to achieve Tom Petty guitar tone" or visit guitargator.com
Last edited: Jul 23, 2011 21:14:11
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