VibroChamp XD

[mrface2112]

Anyone out there play through one of these yet?

I gave one a run at my local axe shop and was completely blown away by both the tone out of this little amp and the sheer versatility of it. I think this could be a great recording amp. And at $250, it's practically disposable.

I've got one on loan from them for a couple days to give it a go. I'm not one for modeling and digital nonsense, but that stuff in this amp seems to be an afterthought to a nicely designed 12ax7/6v6 circuit.......and I don't think it's gonna be going back.

Anyone else?


cheers,
wade

 

[mrface2112]

update: well, I bought it.

I played with it for 3 hours last night. I found that a few of the "voicings" were largely unusable for my tastes (the "numetal" and hot rod deluxe based ones), but i was completely floored by the Blackface clean (#4) and the Marshall overdriven (#9) ones.

the way i figure it, that's $250 for 2 great sounds......and $125 each is the price of a decent pedal. there are a number of "quite good" voicings as well--the tweed and blackface voicings are all very usable.

the built-in reverb, while digital, is stunning--easily as good as a Holy Grail pedal (and without the hiss). the other effects are pretty good, too. but i can't see myself using em much.

i can't wait to get this thing in front of some mics. it's also got a line out, so i'm curious to hear how that sounds too.


cheers,
wade

 

[CoolCat]

thats a damn good deal on a tube amp with some effects, combo.
great small studio amp size.

how do they get the price so low? wow?

surprised people haven't jumped al;l over this with the tubes and Fender speaker etc..

 

[nevome]

It sounds like it's awesome.

samples PLEASE!!! just throw a '57 in front of it and let us know what it sounds like.

 

[jonnyc]

so is this a real tube amp with digital effects or is this a solidstate amp with a preamp tube thrown in to make people feel better about their purchase? I'm very curious, I'd like to buy this amp but only if it's got 12a's in the preamp section and powertubes in the power section.

 

[David]

New for 2007! The Vibro Champ XD takes the vintage formula into a new era by combining a real tube amp with up-to-date "extras". 5 watts, "Class A" power amp, single 6V6 power tube, single 12AX7 preamp tube, 8" Special Design speaker, single channel, 16 "Voicing" selections of various clean and distorted tones, external speaker output, and a line output. Black covering with silver grill.

___________________

 

[acidrock]

With all these little tube amps coming out a guy might as well get one of each.

 

[CoolCat]

yes, one $2500 amp or 10qty $250 amps.....

very similar to the guitar scenario these days. and the difference between the high end and medium end is getting pretty subtle...in some cases its only a decal.

unless you get into the beaten up Relic fad for $5699.99, new hi-end...

wonder why they don't start selling RELIC amps? Beaten up amps that buzz and are corroded? Kind of like a "hey look at me !! my amp looks like I played it a whole bunch!! isn't it cool!Listen to this 50hz ground loop buzz!!!!

 

[capnkid]

yes, one $2500 amp or 10qty $250 amps.....

very similar to the guitar scenario these days. and the difference between the high end and medium end is getting pretty subtle...in some cases its only a decal.

unless you get into the beaten up Relic fad for $5699.99, new hi-end...

wonder why they don't start selling RELIC amps? Beaten up amps that buzz and are corroded? Kind of like a "hey look at me !! my amp looks like I played it a whole bunch!! isn't it cool!Listen to this 50hz ground loop buzz!!!!

Hahaha. That's funny. With a few cigarette burns, a couple tears in the grill cloth, and that funky beer can circle on top.

 

[CoolCat]

yeah, could you imagine the Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend signature series RELIC amps!

back to the $250 tube amps....so the tube itself is the same as the hi end ones, the exact same tube.

so that leaves the boards and discrete components, transistors, capacitors, resistors....design layout...that creates the cost difference (and brand name charge)?

and if China and all the copy-cat factory's are stealing the designs, then really, one can assume its on the piece parts that differentiate from the high end.

Brand Name Recognition is the game once, the quality is equal.....like their doing now with HDTV's, they're all so close now its down to advertising and brainwashing the zombie sheep.

 

[mrface2112]

jonnyc--it's a solid state preamp with a tube output. the 12ax7 is a phase inverter rather than in the preamp stage, so you really do get a true "hybrid" amp rather than a solid state amp with a toooooob in it. trust me, if that were the case i wouldn't have given it a test drive.

that said, i did some basic recording with it (sen609 sloppily draped over the front) this weekend. i compared the #4 (blackface) voicing with the champ. it does not have the depth of tone that my silverface champ has. IMO, that's to be expected. the Champ had more "give" to the sound, whereas the VCXD was a little sharper on the attack. of course, sharper on the attack is sometimes a good thing--and the VCXD is definitely more "chimey" sounding.

that said, my champ's got a well broken in $100 weber speaker (8A125) and JJ's instead of the cheap $5 stock fender speaker and EH tubes that the VCXD has, so we're not exactly talking a level playing field. the VCXD will be getting the same speaker and tubes soon, so we'll see how they compare at that point.

i still expect the Champ to sound better.....but then again, it doesn't have the tonal flexibility that the VCXD has. like i said, the VCXD is about 85% of the way there, which by the time you layer in drums, bass, organ, acoustic guitar and some other guitar layers, 85% is usually "usable".

anyway, once i level the field, i'll do a couple takes with it and post em, but by time they're converted to mp3 and whatnot, it's kinda pointless IMO. but y'all seem to like samples, so.

the best test is to take your guitar out to your local shop and play through one.


cheers,
wade

 

[mrface2112]

yeah, could you imagine the Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend signature series RELIC amps!

Marshall's already got that, to some extent, with the Jimi Hendrix signature series stack that retails for $4999 or something stupid like that.

it's all PTP wiring and probably sounds like a million bucks.......but i wonder how much of that $$$ is "cashing in on the name".

*shrug*


cheers,
wade

 

[mrface2112]

With all these little tube amps coming out a guy might as well get one of each.

See, that was part of my logic. At $250, it's a lot less of a risk to take to gigs and practice and whatnot, especially when it's gotta sit in the truck all day in the summer and winter. it's certainly a lot less of a risk than a 30+ year old amp.

The other rationale was that at $250 it's the cost of 2 "decent" pedals (or one "really good" pedal), and if i can find at least 2 usable tones, then it's worth the money.


cheers,
wade

 

[acidrock]

if i can find at least 2 usable tones, then it's worth the money.

If I can find one good tone I'll buy a cheapie tube amp.If I didn't have a Blues JR and a Superchamp I'd seriously consider this amp.As it is I'd like something decidedly non-Fender for my next amp.