I like my Vox Valvetronix even more!

[Hard2Hear]

I have been taking this Vox AD120 everywhere with me lately, to the studios and to anywhere I play. I mostly have been using the Marshall patches cause I think it sounds really good there and is alot wasier than hauling a JCM2000 head and a 4x12 cab around places with me. I also really like the overdriven Vox sound for a really good pop/rock rythm guitar sound.

But I was doing some christmas tunes for this thing and I set up a couple of clean.delay/reverb patches for rock-ish christmas songs like "Rockin around the christmas tree" and "Jingle Bell Rock". It does an excellent 50's tube or Brian Setzer sound. I didn't know it would be that good with a pure sound. And I can set it up just right so that when I hit the high notes really hard for those little slide down parts it breaks up ever so slightly just like a nice old tube amp would.

So I'm still trying to find something I DON'T like about this amp. At least my all tube amps have gotten a well deserved rest.

H2H

[Stefan Elmblad]

That amp has been on my mind for some time, thanks for sharing your experience.

[JohanB]

Yup I like it too. Just hope the newer AD50VT is as good. Haven't tried it yet.

[noisedude]

I'm going to be looking at the AD15 and AD30 in a couple of weeks ... I wonder how many of the good features of their big brothers they retain?

[TNO]

The AD15 is the only one that doesn't have the ability to turn the whole amp down.

[JohanB]

Maybe I should post this one as a separate thread.. anyway:

I heard the line-out produces a rather thin tone, not usable for real recording. So the question is: do you think it would be possible to "enhance" the recorded sound with some software cab sim like Guitar Rig?

/Johan

[jake-owa]

Why not just mic it? A 57 is easy enough.

[JohanB]

Yup mic it would do, but don't you need at least 2 mics for it to sound good? Perhaps I could use one 57 and blend it with the line-in...

[Hard2Hear]

here's the catch.

The line out does NOT send the signal through the "valve reactor". I think the va;ve reactor is the genius of the amp, and the thing that makes it sound good. So when you remove it from the path, you're removing the best part of the amp to me.

I never use the line out, I mic it just like a regular tube amp.

H2H

[noisedude]

I bought the AD15 today! I was going to buy the AD30, but an opportunity has come up on a friend's studio monitors, so I got a DEAL on the 15 and am gonna get monitors tomorrow. Am asking out this girl I like tomorrow too so this could yet be the best weekend ever!!!

H2H or anyone - Feel free to post some thoughts on settings you have for the amps. It's gonna take me a while to find the best settings, although I already love the AC30 model - never had a sound like that before from my big cheap Fender amp!

[Peavey Renown]

I've heard good things about the Vox Valvetronix series.. perticularly the head..

[noisedude]

The actual top is the same on all of them, just the bigger ones have a kinda powerbrake or something after the tube, and I think an extension out. Other than that it's just the size of the speaker and the power that changes ... for my room I got the best one.

[Mr. C]

H2H,
You have peeked my interest on this amp. Right now I have a Peavey Bandit II which sounded okay to me straight, but I've never been completely satisfied so I bought the Digitech RP50 to get some different tone (also for recording w/out the amp) but there is still a nagging feeling that it's not quite what I'm looking for. To put it simply, I like the tone of classic rock, Aerosmith, Boston, VH, etc. So to the point here, could you tell me what the features are of this amp. Is there amp modeling built into this and effects, which ones? Thanks for the help in advance.

[mtjames]

guitarist in my band uses a valvetronix. sounds great, especially next to the other guys marshall jcm900. nice contrast. except it's a freaking computer to use... i don't think i could use it without reading a manual. as opposed to my sovtek... power, low mid high, volume gain.

[noisedude]

http://www.voxamps.co.uk/

You do need to read the manual, but it's worth it!!!

Alternatively just stick it in manual mode and ignore the presets and saveable patches.

I have only ever disliked the Bandit, haven't tried version II but the first one was a damp squib to my ears. I made the decision to get a Fender first time around, crap distortion but it had a proper Fender clean channel. Now I'm ditching big amps altogether anywhere that has a decent PA system!

[Hard2Hear]

I think it excels at classic rock sounds, thats my basic sound, too. I don't think it's near as much as a computer as the Line6 or the Cybertwin. There iw no deep editing in it, it's all top of amp functions. The best is using the manual mode and saving the sounds you like and make yourself. I really like the Marshall patches, and it has made an excellent substitute for the JCM200TSL I was using before, and it is alot easier to take with me. I use the AC30 settings for my '90s pop/rock sound, like the Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, Hootie kind of sounding stuff. It's great.

The built in effects are kind of hit and miss. I like the phaser and univibe alot. The chorus is good. I think the wah is ok (I have the floorboard controller to use with it) and the delay is ok, but not what I like myself in the delay. The reverb tends to be a little digital sounding at times, but sparsely used sounds just fine.

H2H

[noisedude]

The equivalent 15watt Line6 amp just looks like a calculator. And sounds like one too, frankly.

Agree with you on your thoughts on the models - I think the 'nu metal' one sucks, and Fender coverage is thin on the ground.