Vox AC30 Speakers Test: Greenback vs Alnico Blue

In this video: My Greenback vs Alnico Blue shootout.
Let's find out what the differene is between these speakers Vox AC30 comes equipped with.
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[@IgorHatesEverything]

This is what happens when a competent, intelligent person puts together a comparison video. That was excellent.

[@Kathayne636]

Spot on.

[@tonymarinelli7304]

Agreed, very well done!

[@mladengrubelic873]

A competent, intelligent person doesn't switch on the standby switch immediately after switching the power on. It's not a Kemper or AxeFx. The tubes must warm up to a working temperature.

[@msaintpc]

@@mladengrubelic873 Dumb ass, that was time elapsed. Think first before jumping up to denigrate someone asshole.

[@colinwilliamgraham]

​@@mladengrubelic873 Tube amps existed for years before standby switches were added, and there were no problems just turning those amps on you moron.

[@atishep]

Came for the speaker comparison, stayed for the Excel tutorial.

[@grandesguitarristas635]

Hahaha, for sure!

[@iamamish]

From now on, when I encounter a poorly-executed gear comparison video, I'm going to point them at this video. Amazing. This sets the standard of what a gear comparison video should look like. OP worked hard to eliminate confounding differences between the tone of the two speakers, and showed us exactly what's the same and what's changed. Additionally I like the way OP switched back & forth throughout the comparison, rather than playing for 2 minutes on one setup, then another 2 minutes on the other. It's much easier to compare the tones this way. Bravo!!

[@jalanredop4940]

Totally agreed !

[@anthonybanovic3658]

Sure but not one word of technology spoke. Greenbacks balong in Marshalls. Blues for ACX30c2's

[@bierce85]

thank you so much for switching back and forth quickly! wish all demos did this

[@Willtext]

One of the best speaker comparison videos I have ever watched! Thank you for taking the time to make it 👍🏼

[@lifeofalex9199]

By far the best speaker comparison video I’ve ever seen. Perfectly executed

[@marka7519]

I have several of the Vox AC handwireds in various power sizes, and all are equipped with the blues. I too have often wondered how the blues and greenbacks differ in these amps. This is just an excellent demo all the way around. I can appreciate the production time that went in to making this. Add bonus points for slipping in MS Excel. While I still prefer the blues for what I play 90% of the time, your demo makes me think I wouldn't miss them too much if I had greenbacks, and the higher gain was clearly better to my ear with the greenbacks. Although when I play higher gain through my blues, they sound just fine to me as well. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

[@MaxSoloMusic]

hey, thanks for your feedback. Yeah, both are great! I personally would go with blues, they sound much more traditional in terms of AC30 to me. But even with high gain they have some unique spiciness

[@alexmurphy5289]

@@MaxSoloMusic I agree. I think overall unless you’re constantly running your vox hot with high gain the blues are the tone most are searching for. Greenbacks are in tons of other combos anyway might as well go with the blues in your vox right?

[@markrichardson239]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post this up as I am in speaker selection and these tests were a real help. --- Alnico..

[@manonbassguitar]

I don’t know of a better prepared & executed comparison video. Fantastic job!

[@renno92music69]

Watching this 6 years after you posted it. What a brilliant demonstration between the two amps. Perfectly done. I’ve played a greenback but never a blue. This has given me the answers to get a blue. Thank you

[@SuperZiggyCraft]

I really appreciate how you kept playing while switching amps, so it was really easy to tell the difference. A lot of people take a long time to switch and talk in between, so you lose the sound of the amp in your head. Overall this was a nicely laid out comparison. I personally based on the video prefer the sound of the the Greenbacks.

[@jonfcartwright479]

Wow! Thank you for your research and that your doing this in English it’s helping me immensely with my decision to purchase one of these amp. Your insight, research, and use of common resources to find information is impressive. Tausend dank!

[@agreen182]

This clearly took a lot of effort, and is extremely well done. Thank you! I bought an AC15 and replaced the greenback very easily, I'm surprised to find I prefer the normal channel sound of the Greenback but the top boost blue speaker sounds a lot better to me. Super interesting video!

[@kuhtipp]

Some of the rare VERY GOOD comparison videos on youtube. Thx

[@scottieroberson9875]

Thank you for taking the time to do a useful comparison.

[@TheWarriorSongProject]

For those who do not know how retail pricing works, I will explain. I am not endorsing or applauding this, I am just explaining (I worked for Avid and M-Audio). Retail Price = Cost x TheMultiplierNumber. Wholesale Price is usually 50% of the MSRP. Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) = some fraction of the MSRP that is usually fixed, like 80%. In one of the companies I worked for, TheMultiplierNumber was 5. So, if the Cost to build a widget was $100, then the MSRP would be $500, and the Wholesale cost would be $250. If it cost $200 to build a Knutenvalve, then the retail would be $1000 ($999, for the psychology) and the wholesale would be $500. This is why the cost of the alnico blue speakers isn't exctly 308 euros higher than without. The speaker changed the cost of build, which drastically affects the multiplier (and often, the profit margin).

[@andrewspry1355]

Come for the speaker comparison, stay for the marketing lecture.

[@marcosdavian6174]

you probably dont give a damn but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb lost the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me.

[@deckerhayden5139]

@Marcos Davian Instablaster :)

[@marcosdavian6174]

@Decker Hayden Thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@marcosdavian6174]

@Decker Hayden it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my ass!

[@richardmiller191]

This is an excellent video. Switching from one speaker in an instant playing the same riffs made it easy to tell the difference. And showing at the top all thru the video made it so you can go to any spot in the vid and know what your hearing. Thanks for posting. So many people swear by the Alnicos but the difference to my ears is minimal and not worth paying for.

[@guitareMTL]

Great video! It shows how much the mic choice colors the sound, much more than the different speakers actually.

[@gliddofglood]

As far as I can hear, not enough sonic difference to justify the price difference. Sometimes the Greens sounded better, sometimes the Blues did. Depended on the guitar, the mike and the distortion. I think one could be happy with either. I have an AC30 with Greens and wouldn't start a Blue hunting project on the basis of this video. Excellent vid BTW. Very complete and well put together. Thanks!

[@davidfield8122]

gliddofglood yeah, I think the average player would be better off saving the cash on the .05% tone difference and buying a few awesome pedals with the savings instead. Plus I hear the blue speakers don't last as long

[@keithspillett]

The blues have a lower power rating, so I could imagine people blowing them apart without too much trouble. My band hosts jam nights, so I've installed much higher rated speakers in my amp, because many of the jammers choose to turn everything up to 12!

[@jagjet9153]

Wives are a thing of joy, right up until they say no ! Having said that if you can see, feel, smell, taste or recognize a difference in a product, then it is a value judgement. When wives are involved with financial dealings then the smartest thing to do is provide a bauble, or practical solution or equal value for her. Let's realize that her set of valuation parameters are different from yours. How much does she spend on a Hair appointment ? How long will the difference pay for your gear ? This a just one item. How about clothes ? This is about you getting more than her in her eyes. So you must balance this with factual parity. Make it equal for you both and "Happy wife equals Happy Life". If you are not really equal and even handed shame on you, this woman picked you and she didn't have to. You had nothing to do with it. She knew she could fix you !

[@tonymarinelli7304]

Your comment is brilliant, some who are lucky enough NOT to be married may not fully understand.

[@lifeofalex9199]

I think the price difference in the speakers is related to the cost of the magnets they use in them not the sound quality

[@brandonwagner9525]

Same here. I've been pining over blues for my ac30/6tb ($550!!), but no longer. Someday it may get one for Christmas, but not this year or next. Thanks for the amazing video.

[@jurgengosch1905]

That was excellent. Thank you! Both speakers sound great in their own way.

[@aitken1965]

This video earned a "subscribe"! EDIT (4 years later) I finally got an AC30C2X! I found a great used one and I jumped on it. This video still stands out as one of the best demonstrations of the amplifier’s capabilities.

[@mathieufernandez7698]

Fantastic video. Intelligently put together, very complete and revealing of the tonal difference. Wunderbar my friend !

[@MaxSoloMusic]

Thank you kindly!

[@alonsog3r]

Really well made comparison! Congrats!

[@jordanpratt3821]

Jesus I went through so many videos before I found this one.Had I found it first it would have been the only one I needed. Great job.

[@gordontubbs]

Greenback for gain tone. Blue for clean tones. May as well put 1 of each in the amp! Best of both worlds.

[@MaxSoloMusic]

That's what i'd do!

[@tomvernon9679]

I've seen it done, works really well.

[@delivrance3961]

Gordon Tubbs exactly what i thought, my fav goes to the greenback... crunchier i 'd say ...anyway, excellent demo and new suscriber here!

[@MaxSoloMusic]

Hey! Thanks

[@sassulusmagnus]

I have a 1994 reissue AC30/6 with one Greenback and one Alnico Blue. It is indeed a wonderful combination. The Blue is louder; the Greenback warmer. Both have great crunch tones.

[@JackMasonLive]

one of the best comparasingd videos out there. congrats!

[@masque1313]

Well done video. Straight to the point and shows what you need to hear. Both speakers sounded great but they were different. Really depends on just what your ears prefer. I lean slightly to the blues.

[@nickhadjirallis4888]

Excellent, well thought out comparison video. I prefer the Greens. I'm going to check out any other videos you have done now.

[@peterevans6086]

Extremely well put together comparison video. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Thank you ! :-)

[@nickviolin1389]

Brilliant, thank you. This is the best way to make a video of an A/B comparison. A few seconds of A then a few seconds of B. Our ears and our short term memories can process this.

[@1mlb704]

To me the Greenbacks sound better for the thrashy stuff, but everything else sounds better with the Alnico Blues. This was very helpful, just ordered an AC30HW2X, thanks for the video!

[@Calagamberr0]

Lol. Tell me you didn't

[@Mojokiss]

I just got the AC30HW2x with english greenbacks

[@corban48]

Such a good demo, thanks! Probably gonna go with the greens!

[@mromer46]

This surely is an excellent comparison video, thanks a lot man.

[@green323turbo]

Very good comparison video... couldn't ask for more. Thanks

[@originaljamtracks]

Excellent video, sets a new standard for how it should be done. Thank you! I think Greens would be me preference after watching.

[@2yugen2]

Very good comparison video.

[@jeteye97]

Well done. Very informative comparison.

[@SquishMe]

wow, this might be the best comparison video ever, please make more

[@pfmusic1636]

I recently just bought a used Ac30 cc2 from the mid 2000’s. Came with alnico blues. I’ve tried a lot of vox amps of the years. This is the first one I actually like. I say give the blues a try. It’s the classic combo.

[@yu1aw]

Really well made video man! Keep it up.

[@euro9115]

Thanks for providing the comparison video. I have a buddy that keeps telling me to upgrade the greenies in my AC30C2 to blues. I realize Alnico magnets are superior but I really didn't hear 'that much' of difference to warrant the expenditure. I'm 65 and my ears just aren't what they used to be. I just bought an AC10C1 with a creamback (should be here this weekend) - looking forward to comparing the two amps. I know I'll be happy with the +/- 45 lb. weight reduction.

[@jensimpgaard548]

Hi Max Solo, Super pro job ... many could learn a few things here! Thx /Jens

[@DisruptivePhoto]

Very good info and demo of the two, thank you.

[@buska100]

Great Vid Mate. Both sound Great in different ways, Blues for Me

[@janbrenner9488]

For the most of the common players greeenback will fit. Thank your for this video, I like your clear empiric approach. Well done, you deserve a lot more subscribers!

[@Failons89]

Fucking hell this was the perfect comparison video!! Quick swap with no distractions, Fender and Gibson clean, then up to the highest gain, different generes, clear graphic help, all in 8 minutes!!!! Please do more

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

Excellent comparison, nicely done. Blues for the cleans and Greenback for the dirt.

[@ZoogieBAR]

Brilliant video editing skills! Great production. The Blues have more upper midrange punch and the Greens are slightly more "scooped".

[@UnboundOdysseus]

Excellent comparison video. Both speakers sounded excellent. I think the Greenbacks were more to my liking though. Subscribed. Cheers from Ontario, Canada.

[@misterruth9404]

Beautiful analysis!

[@mrmanch204]

To my ears the difference was not enough that could not be tweaked by the tone stack. Thanks for the work, you presented the case perfectly.

[@mojekh]

Thanks for great comparison!!

[@monkeyxx]

great demo! helped me a lot

[@shader26]

Thanks for this! Other comparison videos had me unsure, but to me the greenback sounded better in almost all, even clean. Clean the blues did have more “presence” (not meaning treble type, actually a little darker and bigger) but in a band setting I think the greenbacks would cute better, and we always have boost, or upping vol changing amo eq. I also play often on the edge between clean and dirt where digging in on the string brings out more od, and for that I’m now decided that greenbacks are the way to go for me. Thanks again! Really well done video!

[@twezzo99]

Toll gemacht, vielen Dank!

[@thromboid]

Fantastic analysis of both tone and price! To me, the Blue sounded '60s, and the Greenbacks more '70s, with overdrive bringing out the differences. I'm not sure I'd pay the premium for the Blues, but they clearly have their place. Vielen Dank!

[@ratterec]

Great job on the video. very helpful!

[@ix-Xafra]

The Greenbacks sounded richer to me. This video helped me decide on the speaker for an amp build.

[@DieFlotteKarotte]

great video! couldnt think of a better way to compare those speakers. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to similar conten :D

[@allisonholmesmusic97]

Watching in 2024. Great video and one of the best comparisons I’ve ever seen and not just music gear but for any product. I recently bought an AC15C2 with Greenbacks and was curious how they would compare with the blues. While they do sound different each had their strengths but I wouldn’t say one was better than the other overall. I’m perfectly happy with the greenbacks and the blues don’t sound THAT much better to justify the price difference of upgrading

[@nlmal4]

You did a damn good job man. Thanks man. 👍🏾👊🏾✌🏾

[@sassulusmagnus]

Thanks for the demo. There's a noticeable difference in the sound of these speakers when used in a traditional style 6 input non-master volume AC30 such as an AC30/6TB or TBX. The Blue has a more pronounced upper midrange response. Together with its lower power handling capacity, this allows the Blue to translate more of the amp's chiming sound at lower volumes. The Blue gets the "blizzard of nails" tone better than the G12M25 Greenback. The Blue is also audibly louder than the Greenback at lower settings. But the volume difference disappears as you turn the amp up, and the Greenback lends the amp a more focused sound as you push the volume. The Greenback never gets unattractively ragged sounding in the highs at loud settings as the Blue sometimes can. The two different speakers make a great sounding mismatched set with an AC30.

[@cgavin1]

This! The blues lose all definition when pushed. Just turns to mush. Chime is nice but most modern Vox amps are way too icepick to begin with.

[@vincenzogiuliano20]

This video is very professionally made!! congratulations!! I prefer the greenbacks cause produce a more detailed and defined sound...

[@SamuelOceanMusic]

Excellent demo! I have both an AC30C2x (Alnico Blues) and a recently acquired AC15HW1 (Green Back). I'm loving the mid-range crunch I get from the GB on the AC15 but after seeing this video I think I might swap it out for one of the Alnico Blues on the AC30 and see what happens. Thanks again! Cheers.

[@gerardootero4364]

Samuel Ocea How did it go?

[@antonioalbares]

Great comparison. THey are both great speakers. I use Greenbacks in all my amps. I actually like how dynamic alnico blue is, gives you that sweet clean tone but when it comes to gain, the woody rock sound of a greenback speaker is unbeatable. If you are lucky enough to have one of each, why not. In reality, there is no better or worst, it depends how you like your tone to b. I also like V30s for rhythm guitars.

[@guitaryuan]

I like the Greenback more and thank you for upload this video.

[@redrum22]

Almost bought an alnico blue model. Thank you for this video

[@tomgreaney1901]

Very helpful video, thank you. I found to price review very comprehensive

[@tmuka]

i preferred the more mid focused green tones in this excellent comparison. It did make me wonder if adjusting the tone stack to find the sweet spots for each speaker may have highlighted benefits overlooked with a flat tone stack. of course that's a lot more variables to track! thanks for the video

[@charlfrick8245]

The Blue went better with the top-boost channel, but in the normal channel the Greenback sounded great and less boxy than the Blue. Nice work Max.

[@B3D5X]

That's what I thought too!

[@atomicrocker]

Exactly!

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Very complete eval. Thanks.

[@plaidretinas]

Was going to switch my greens to blues.....not anymore.

[@pericabenic4413]

You have to get the VOX AC30 with the Alnico Blue speakers to believe it. I did not believe it until I tried.

[@cgavin1]

Blues add a ton of midrange. Not what you want unless you play cleans or a really ice picky Tele imho. Humbuckers especially the neck on a LP can become impossibly boomy.

[@thebendu33]

I prefer the clean tone of the bleu speakers, but the crunch is way better with the greens

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

@@thebendu33 The lead singer/2nd guitarist from Minus The Bear has one of each in his ac30hw2. I just bought one and a bought used alnico blue and I'm going to try it. Psyched.

[@zachvargas122588]

You can tell the difference but it’s hard to hear a difference in this video but I have played both and I prefer and have blues in mine

[@marcoscavagnaro5466]

Great video, you really helped me. Gotta get a '03 english with greenbacks!

[@MaxSoloMusic]

Mike Litoris Thanks for feedback!

[@agusg.t.8950]

Loved the greenback

[@davidmerlin3344]

They both sound great. You cant go wrong with either speaker.

[@MarcosFelippe-ju7qi]

great video man, thanks

[@jimknopf0766]

I find both speaker types sound good in their own way. For clean, the blues imo are clearer and warmer, more organic. Greens for crunch and rock. Very interesting.

[@Dressagevids]

Grea Comparison...thanks for taking the time to make this......Blue just edges it for me

[@jeffkung5088]

The blue is what I consider the classic VOX sound. Especially with single coils. It was pretty apparent in this video. Great work!

[@jeffkung5088]

edit. the green with high gains was better to my ears tho...

[@GuitarRec]

perfect work! thanks!

[@stopdead1]

I have a Vox Ac30 with greens, but also thought I would prefer the Blues for a more authentic Vox sound, but now I am happy with my greens......

[@garnerandrews]

Great video. Very helpful.

[@theraditz]

I prefer the blue ones, although I like how the greenback sounds on this video too.

[@jabez36]

This took so much work to make. Thank you

[@MaxSoloMusic]

As funny as it may sound, it took about 10 times less work than my standard videos usually do :)

[@jabez36]

@@MaxSoloMusic that's crazy

[@steamingheartbeat]

Very good video comparison ... Thank you a lot. It confirms my experiences. I personally like the greenback more. There is only a small difference, but greenbacks make me smile when playing, the blue alnicos are not mine (at least compared to the greenbacks). The GB sound more even and more relaxed, the AB are a little muffy but still good.

[@tameroy]

great video, thank you

[@stopdead1]

Great comparison......thanks for the video...

[@bojackhorseman5367]

Great comparison - I have a pair of JMI era AC30s, one which has non-original Greenbacks (serial number dates them to late 1969 - so those are post-JMI, probably came from a Marshall cab or something), and another with the original blues. This is the same kind of difference that I hear, really - the one with blues has a much wider spectrum of sound but with quite a soft, smooth character to how it projects the sound, the top end is very sweet, the bass is kinda loose but not in a muddy/flabby way. By contrast, the one with greenbacks has a kind of dirtier quality to the sound, much more direct with a more focused and punchy midrange character. Both sound glorious, though. It really depends whether you want the more angelic, airy sound of the blues, or the more aggressive, focused sound of the greenbacks, as to which speakers you should go for. I love both, but for different things.

[@Sonnivate]

The key takeaway from this should be tone is more than the amp: its also the Mic, pedals, and guitar. Good stuff. Personally, I love the greens with a condenser but the blues certainly shined on a 57!

[@DS-yg4qs]

Very nice comp.

[@gustavojazz4514]

Great work, thx!

[@michaelhaller8495]

Great comparison thanks

[@littleglimmer2325]

Good vid. I'm not looking to drop a fortune on blues now. While there may be small differences in A-B comparisons (and personal preferences),I always remember that when gigging in a band with other instruments, vocals and audience - nobody's going to hear the subtleties of £000's spent on speakers that close in sound.

[@Ogeiddiego777]

Excelent! Thank you!

[@blackfishgaming7145]

I'm so glad mine has the blues.

[@tomgnau]

The narrator sounds like an evil professor plotting world domination before lunch.

[@MaxSoloMusic]

T G haha, nice

[@MrTwangstaable]

You watch too much Hollywood propaganda, they've tricked your brain!

[@pinkpenguinpoopoo]

Your mind has been jew’d

[@XxYngwiexX]

an evil cat professor plotting world domination before lunch.

[@ZoogieBAR]

rubbish statement unless it was said in humor. the review was excellent.

[@kurtweiand7086]

This was a good test, 😊 thanks. Put one of each in a duel speaker amp!

[@LiamJConnolly]

I have one of each in my AC30 and it sounds great.

[@thorinbane]

very nice demo.