If you zero in on any Beatles recordings from 1962 to early 1966, The Vox AC30 is the guitar amp sound you hear. The Beatles started playing AC30s before they became famous. But they kept playing them as they hit it big, and as a result made the amp legendary. Here’s how: Reg Clark, the manager of London’s Vox showroom, was visited by Beatles manager Brian Epstein in January 1963. Epstein pulled up in a Rolls Royce and smooth-talked Clark into trading two new AC30s for the band’s two beat-up ones, even up. Clark secretly agreed, even though Vox owner Tom Jennings nixed the idea. As a thank you, Epstein promised Clark that when the Fabs became big, they would always play Vox amps through their career. For Clark, not a bad trade-in: “It was the biggest promotional score ever, for absolutely free.” The Analogues found their AC30 in Germany and it is used by Jan - the only amp he uses during live performances.
