The Bass control is also pre-distortion so turning it up will clean the pedal up a little as well. Likewise, turning up the Bass control will help to tighten the bottom end and keep things from getting boomy. So if your amp starts to sound fizzy as you crank the Timmy, you can dial out the fizz by turning up the Treble control. Part of what makes the Timmy such a great match for the Top Boost circuit are the tone controls which cut bass and treble as you turn them up. It brings a Marshall-esque grind to the party and can summon fire like its Holy Grail namesake. But once you start to turn up the grit, the Timmy stops being transparent and starts being awesome. People call the Timmy transparent, and if used as a clean boost, it certainly can be.

The Timmy is the streamlined little brother of the Tim pedal (named after the Enchanter of the same name in Monty PythonвЂ™s Holy Grail). Yes, both of the first two pedals come from men named Paul. ItвЂ™s the ultimate gigging pedal for the Top Boost circuit. It works almost like a Fuzz Face in how well it cleans up as the volume rolls back. ItвЂ™s not the pedal for getting the Vox tones at bedroom levels, but the magic of the Hotcake lies in how it becomes one with the guitar and amp. The only caveat is that one needs to have the volume knob on the amp to at least 10 o'clock for the Hotcake to shine-that and the distortion can get a little bass-heavy and unfocused as the Drive is raised above 1 or 2 oвЂ™clock. However, with the buffer in there, you will need to run the Hotcake after any vintage-style fuzzes or other pedals that are sensitive to buffers or require a direct interaction with your guitar. ItвЂ™s one of those things that isnвЂ™t noticeable when itвЂ™s there, but is will when itвЂ™s not.

The Hotcake also happens to come with one of the nicest buffers in the pedal world. I also tend to increase the Presence as I push the Drive knob higher. I tend to prefer it fully counter-clockwise for single coil and Filtertron pickups and up around 11 oвЂ™clock for humbuckers. The Presence control on the Hotcake is perfect for dialing in (or out) high end. Now slowly roll up the Drive control and feel how the dirt from the Hotcake becomes one with your Vox. Of course, we buy pedals so that they make a difference in our tone. You likely wonвЂ™t be able to hear a difference in your tone with the pedal off or on. Try this: Set the Level on the Hotcake to around 2 oвЂ™clock and the Drive and Presence to minimum. Lots of players talk about вЂњtransparentвЂќ overdrive pedals the Hotcake does a trick that few other overdrives can. With plenty of output and neutral EQ, players can dial in some grit or just use it at the front end of the amp with extra volume. Just as the go-to overdrive for a blackface Fender is an Ibanez Tubescreamer, the Crowther Hotcake and the Top Boost circuit were made for each other. Each of these overdrive pedals will pair beautifully with your Vox Top Boost amp-no matter how loud (or quietly) you play. Having had the luxury to try tons of overdrives through various Vox amps, I've compiled the following list of five ODs you have to try. So, what is the Vox player to do if they want to get that amazing, chimey distortion without annoying their respective spouse, band mates and neighbors? But alas, my band plays in your average corner bar, not arenas. Given the option, I'd use a dimed Vox AC30 or AC15 Top Boost for 90 percent of my distortion needs. While 15 or even 30 watts might not sound like a whole lot of power, pair them with an efficient Celestion AlNiCo Blue speaker (or a pair of them in the AC30) and these amps can be surprisingly loud. The sound of an AC15 or an AC30 pushed into distortion is a beautiful thing think of the soaring lead tones of Brian May or the chimey grit of Peter Buck or the Edge. Additionally, the added treble in the Top Boost circuit can make it very finicky with overdrive pedals-leading to harsh papery or buzzy tones. Cranking both the Bass and Treble creates a scooped midrange while dialing them back offers a flatter tonal response. The bass and treble controls are extremely interactive and their respective locations determine how much midrange is present in the tone. For guitarists used to the tone stacks on Fender and Marshall amps, the Top Boost circuit can be very strange. It was first available as a factory add-on and later as a standard feature. As a result, Vox created the Top Boost circuit. Shortly after the creation of the AC30, guitarists began asking Dick Denney and Tom Jennings (the owner of Vox) for an amp with a brighter tone.

Vox ac30cc2 normal top boost