Vox AC30

The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier produced by the British manufacturer Vox. The AC30 was introduced in 1959 as a higher-wattage solution to players wanting more volume than the company's AC15 could deliver. The first version was an EL34 valve-powered combo with a single 12" speaker, but this was discontinued in 1960 in favor of a format using two 12" speakers and four of the EL84 valves used in the AC15. Vox subsequently revised the preamp and added a "Top Boost" tone circuit, and in doing so created the "archetypal" Vox AC30 iteration.

The AC30's characteristically "jangly" tone and increased power made it a favorite amplifier of guitarists in the British Invasion, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. Other notable guitarists to have used the AC30 include Brian May of Queen, Tom Petty, the Edge of U2, and Peter Buck of R.E.M. The AC30 is regarded as one of the most influential amplifiers of all time, with Guitar World including it alongside the Fender Deluxe Reverb and Marshall Super Lead as one of the three amplifiers "that built the sound of recorded guitar."