a couple thoughts/observations: cut control, bright switch.

[kwijabo]

and one more: playing environment.

i play once a month at a bar, usually twice a year at a stage/festival. since april i'd been using my AC30-top boost almost exclusively. no complaints. but as i just posted in another thread, about two months ago i finished a new build and have played that both times since. a couple observations and thoughts i've had.

1. cut-control. in the AC30 top-boost, the cut i used was a linear taper and liked it. so i repeated that in the ray-GT. but i found on the ray-GT the linear taper wasn't doing it so i switched it to a log taper and i like it. turns out depending on the amp, a linear or log cut my be preferred.

2. bright switches. i'm sure others on here do it, but i think mark f. was the first person i saw that recommend this so now i do it. on a build with a bright switch hard-wire a lower value (47 to 68pF) cap across the volume pot, then have to ON-OFF-ON type toggle with something like 100 and 250pF as the options. i've found this gives a nice range of options.

3. playing environment. let me preface it by saying i'd be completely satisfied taking either of those amps to any show. but in use i find it interesting how the environment changes my preference:
- as a stand-alone by itself, i prefer the AC30 Top boost.
- at the bar, i like the way the ray-GT cuts through. in this environment i'm maybe 3 to 5 feet from the amp-speakers, monitors, drummer, etc. close to all sources and the ray-GT seems to fit in best here from an on-stage perspective.
- at the festival on a big stage/tent, mid-way through the set i switched to the AC30 top boost and preferred that! here i was a good 10 feet away from the amp speakers and had a personal monitor mix.

and then at the end of the night, no one listening really cared which amp was used anyways except the guitar player, ha.