Vox hybrid amp?

[rockabilly1955]

I have been looking to purchase a new amp and am seriously considering a vox ad50vt. Anybody currently using these? What's your opinion? I tried one for a few minutes and it sounded very nice. Very thick but clean sound.

 

[JPXTom]

I tried one out in a guitar center just for fun while going on my still on going look for my next amp...i liked it a lot, and the stuff you could do with it was pretty impressive..they get a lot of respect..i didnt get too long to hear it as one of those jackass guys playing super loud metal riffs through a peavey drowned me out...but from what i did hear, it was quite a nice amp.

 

[rockabilly1955]

i didnt get too long to hear it as one of those jackass guys playing super loud metal riffs through a peavey drowned me out

LOL...I know what you mean. Last time i tried cranking up just a bit the damn employee came by and turned me down. But yeah, I cant wait for Christmas or just say screw everybody's gift and get myself this gift!

 

[Drakaland]

Actually I was considering one of these amps myself since it's withing the budget, and aside from some build quality issues it appears to get decent reviews.

Now because I'm a noob, what would be the point of getting the model with
2 x 12 speakers instead of the one? Is there an advantage? I'll be using this for recording.

 

[Dogman]

Actually I was considering one of these amps myself since it's withing the budget, and aside from some build quality issues it appears to get decent reviews.

Now because I'm a noob, what would be the point of getting the model with
2 x 12 speakers instead of the one? Is there an advantage? I'll be using this for recording.

I got the 100 watter with the 2X12, but only because they sold it to me for teh same price as the 50 watter...

I like it alot...has some great tones, and sounds good to me...

 

[Buck62]

I've had my Vox AD50VT for almost 3 years now. I still love it, it's a great amp. Not only does it have both volume and master volume, it also has a power-level adjustment to dial down the wattage. This allows you to get that super heavy, overdriven tone at volume levels that are barely audible, which is great for recording.

Tube purists will tell you that the Fender amp settings don't sound as good as the real thing on the AD50VT, but they're smoking crack if they tell you they could tell the difference with their eyes closed. The same thing goes for all the other amp models. I can nail the tone of all the Marshall, Vox, Fender and Mesa Boogie amps with no problem at all. Most of the folks that dismiss the AD50VT don't own one. They base their opinions on limited tryouts at the music store or just automatically slam it because it's only got one 12AX7 tube in it. They couldn't be more wrong. Once you get comfortable with the AD50VT (which doesn't take long at all) you'll be amazed at it's versatility.

I bought mine from a guy in Wisconsin (North Coast Music) who is the only US Vox amp dealer to sell the AD50VT that has the traditional style Vox cloth grill cover instead of that metal grill everyone sells. You can order it with a brown or black cloth grill. Sure, it costs a bit more, but it looks much better and protects the speaker better from dust and particles. I have two little kids and was worried they might stick a pencil or something pointy through the open metal grill cover. Anyway, here's where I bought mine...

http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/shopping/index.htm

If you don't mind spend an extra few $$, the cloth grill is the way to go.

The few times I played out with it, people assumed it was an AC30.

 

[Codmate]

I've tried some of the little Vox hybrids and they are ok.
Very good for begginers or those who can't afford something better. Certainly much better than the bigger Line6 solid state amps that go for around the same money.

But you are deluding yourself if you think they sound like an all-tube amp. And yes - I'll quite happily do a double blind test with my Vibrolux and a Vox 'Fender' clone setting

 

[Flamin Lip]

I had the 100 wt 212 version for a couple of months w/ the big pedalboard. Tons of usable sounds and the attenuator was great as well. After a while, the thrill all of the modeling stuff wore out and I kind of became less than thrilled with it. Bottom line? If you really need lots of tonal variety this is a great amp.... if you're looking for just a couple of classic sounds, your money might be better spent elsewhere. Also, apparently the first couple of shipments of these amps had some kind of electronic problem(see harmony central reviews), so if you're buying it used, double check all the functions before ya buy!

Good Luck!!!!

 

[soundchaser59]

Tube purists will tell you that the Fender amp settings don't sound as good as the real thing on the AD50VT, but they're smoking crack if they tell you they could tell the difference with their eyes closed. The same thing goes for all the other amp models. I can nail the tone of all the Marshall, Vox, Fender and Mesa Boogie amps with no problem at all. Most of the folks that dismiss the AD50VT don't own one. They base their opinions on limited tryouts at the music store or just automatically slam it because it's only got one 12AX7 tube in it.

Hate to disagree, but I disagree with this statement. There is no way on earth that Vox AD50 is going to sound like a Mesa! Yes, there are guys who can tell the difference with their eyes closed. Try playing a Mesa tube amp thru a Tone Tubby alnico cab for a while. I guarantee you will never again mistake your Vox AD50 for a Mesa.

 

[Buck62]

Hate to disagree, but I disagree with this statement. There is no way on earth that Vox AD50 is going to sound like a Mesa! Yes, there are guys who can tell the difference with their eyes closed. Try playing a Mesa tube amp thru a Tone Tubby alnico cab for a while. I guarantee you will never again mistake your Vox AD50 for a Mesa.

Yep, you're absolutely right.

What I should have said was that the average person can't tell the difference. But you also have to take something very important into consideration. A lot depends on the guitar you're plugging into the AD50VT. I have a G & L F100 with a Duncan SH-4 bridge and SH-2 neck pickup. My F100 also has split coil and phase switches. That adds a lot more tonal options than the average guitar. On top of that, I swapped out the original 12AX7 with a TungSol to be able to get a brighter, punchier tone. So yes, I pretty much can get the gorgeous tones of all the afformentioned amps because of what I put into it. Admittedly, I can't get the same versatility with my other electrics (Firebird and SG), but like anything else, YMMV.

 

[KShef]

i'm in the same boat as you. it's time for an upgrade but i don't know what to do..... go with the vox or spend some more money and get an all tube amp

i currently have a tube pre-amp combo and i find myself rarely using any effects at all...

 

[Hard2Hear]

I have one of the original AD120vt models. Ive replaced the tubes with NOS tubes and the speakers with Celestion Alnico Blues. Also owning a 63 AC30 and a Dividedby13 ERT33 I can tell you that there are not many people out there that will be able to tell the AD120vt is not a real 100% tube amp. In fact, it sounds MUCH better than alot of the 100% tube amps out there Ive played.

 

[RandyW]

I had one for about a week. It was a pretty good amp for the price.
The bottom end was a little sloppy along with a little cabinet rattling.
I went through several amps along with the AC15 AC30 but went with
a Fender Supersonic.

 

[elenore19]

I have been looking to purchase a new amp and am seriously considering a vox ad50vt. Anybody currently using these? What's your opinion? I tried one for a few minutes and it sounded very nice. Very thick but clean sound.

I have been able to use this amp for the last couple weeks, and personal opinion is it's a great amp. Very nice sound. I've been considering buying one for myself actually. Just a little heavy, not portable enough for me to get one yet.

Great amp though. I would recommend it.

 

[mwthompson]

So yes, I pretty much can get the gorgeous tones of all the afformentioned amps because of what I put into it.

Imagine how much more gorgeous if you were putting it into a real, all tube, amp?

Of course, imagine the incredible expense of owning every one of the "real" setups that the Vox will model. And not to mention the amount you'll spend getting your back fixed trying to move all that equipment around with you from gig to gig.

I thought the Vox was awesome when I tried it out at the music store and almost bought it but after thinking about it more I realized I didn't need or want all that. For my own music, I prefer a simple rig. I opted for a Dr. Z amp and my modded tube screamer, optical compressor, and vox wah for my pedals. Not very versatile, but it's what I want to hear. Plus, the amp has only two knobs and takes about 3 seconds to tweak in any room.

But back to the point: The Vox is a pretty sweet deal for the money. It sounds great and all the effects/options makes it pretty fun to play with as well.

 

[JPXTom]

THeres always two roads: "close" sounding modelers(vox and line 6 are the best when it comes to this i'd say)...or all tube amps that you can run multiple pedals trough..im taking the 2nd route...however, im getting all my pedals and just wiring them into my line 6 until i can afford a nice 1x12 tube amp...If you dont have a ton of money to spend, you want decent tones and quite a few of them...by all means i'd suggest the vox.

 

[Drakaland]

Just bought the AD50VT-212. Only problem is, the store didn't have any on hand so I have to wait 2 weeks. Should be good enough for my purposes and then some. Currently I've been recording direct in using VST effects and I'm not impressed.

 

[soundchaser59]

Just bought the AD50VT-212. Only problem is, the store didn't have any on hand so I have to wait 2 weeks. Should be good enough for my purposes and then some. Currently I've been recording direct in using VST effects and I'm not impressed.

You wont be disappointed with the AD50, especially the 212. Just make sure you pamper it with kid gloves whenever you move it, it is not built like a tank. It will hold up just fine if you are always gentle with it.

About the only way to upgrade this thing is to use different speakers. If you can, try a pair of alnico 12's or 10's with it. The tone settings will have to vary a bit, buit the sound really is inspiring. Cant beat it for the money.

 

[Drakaland]

You wont be disappointed with the AD50, especially the 212. Just make sure you pamper it with kid gloves whenever you move it, it is not built like a tank. It will hold up just fine if you are always gentle with it.

About the only way to upgrade this thing is to use different speakers. If you can, try a pair of alnico 12's or 10's with it. The tone settings will have to vary a bit, buit the sound really is inspiring. Cant beat it for the money.

Whoa it's that delicate eh? I never knew that. Ah well it shouldn't be moved around too much but that kinda sucks. Could be the reason it's somewhat affordable though. I don't plan on giggin with it, just using it at home and for recording.

 

[soundchaser59]

I'm just saying it aint built out of 3/4 inch birch plywood and welded cold pressed plate steel like a Rivera. If it were you would probably add $500 or $800 bucks to the price! It will hold up fine if you dont let any drunk roadies throw it around in the back of a semi. You wont be disappointed with it!