The TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 is a TC Electronic overdrive pedal, currently around $149. Close alternatives include the Tech 21 SansAmp Oxford and the Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired. It pairs well with the Vox MV50-CE Rock and the Divided by 13 JRT 9/15.
TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30
TC Electronic · pedal
The TC Electronic AmpWorx Vintage Series DC30 is a preamp pedal from TC Electronic's AmpWorx series, recreating the preamp character of the Vox AC30 amplifier with chiming, bright British character and harmonically complex breakup in a compact pedal format.
What stands out
“The TC Electronic AmpWorx Vintage Series DC30 is a preamp pedal from TC Electronic's AmpWorx series, recreating the preamp character of the Vox AC30 amplifier with chiming, bright British character and harmonically complex breakup in a comp…”
— from the listing
“The AmpWorx DC30 delivers Vox AC30 preamp character with chiming, bright tone and harmonic breakup in TC Electronic's format”
— from the reviews
“bright british character and harmonically complex breakup in a compact pedal format”
— from the listing
“Build quality is solid”
— from the community notes
“indie”
— from the community notes
- chiming
- bright
- british
- breakup
- indie
- jangle
- harmonic
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 is commonly used in
- Electronic
- Indie
Amps that pair well with the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30
Vox MV50-CE Rock
Vox
31% matchVox MV50-CE Rock pushes a edge of breakup tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Divided by 13 JRT 9/15
Divided By 13
29% matchDivided by 13 JRT 9/15's own dynamic character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a edge of breakup signal into Ampeg V-4 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ampeg BA 108
Ampeg
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ampeg BA 108 takes that edge of breakup character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Ceriatone HRM 50 on top and a edge of breakup tone tightens toward mid-forward
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50 pushes a edge of breakup tone toward mid-forward
Blackstar Unity Bass U250
Blackstar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Unity Bass U250's warm balances out the bright tone
Park P45H
Park
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Park P45H leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Pedals that stack with the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30
Greer Southland
Greer
18% matchGreer Southland takes that edge of breakup character and pushes it toward clean boost
Cusack Music Screamer
Cusack Music
18% matchFeed a edge of breakup signal into Cusack Music Screamer and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Mooer Trelicopter
Mooer
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Mooer Trelicopter's smooth voice goes after TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30's own bright character
Comes later in the signal chain
SahBro? Audio Ross Kempressor
Sahbro Audio
14% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
SahBro? Audio Ross Kempressor leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Alexander Pedals Now We Are Ghosts Reverb
Alexander Pedals
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Alexander Pedals Now We Are Ghosts Reverb after TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 in the signal chain, clear of TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30's bright voice out front: Eventide Modulated Delay goes after TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Dunlop Echoplex Preamp
Dunlop
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Dunlop Echoplex Preamp after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah goes in front of TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Universal Audio Uafx Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier
Universal Audio
58% similaritySimilar voicing: harmonically rich, bright
Free The Tone Crunchy Chime OD Natural Booster
Free The Tone
47% similarityShared character: bright
Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV (Slight Return Edition)
Vertex
46% similarityShared character: bright
Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box
Catalinbread
40% similaritySimilar role and voicing
Similar character
Tech 21 SansAmp Oxford
Tech 21
66% similarityShared character: vox equipment, bright
Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired
Lovepedal
58% similarityShared character: bright
Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge
Vox
57% similarityShared character: compact
Carl Martin AC-Tone
Carl Martin
57% similarityShared character: bright
Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
Audiocade
48% similarityShared character: bright
JHS Pedals JHS AC+
JHS Pedals
48% similarityShared character: bright
See all alternatives to the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30?+
The closest matches in character are the Tech 21 SansAmp Oxford, the Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired, the Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge. Budget picks: Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper, Mooer Micro Preamp 013 Matchbox. Boutique upgrades: Universal Audio Uafx Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier, Free The Tone Crunchy Chime OD Natural Booster, Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV (Slight Return Edition).
What pairs well with the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Vox MV50-CE Rock, Divided by 13 JRT 9/15, Ampeg V-4 — Vox MV50-CE Rock pushes a edge of breakup tone toward mid-forward.
How much does the TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series DC30 cost?+
Around $149 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).