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mooseherman « Digital Amp Modeler has inconsistent tone »
Published on 11/28/10 at 12:08This is a modeling combo amp, a digital one, made by Vox. It has a tube pre-amp, which is what Vox would have you believe makes it sound just like a Tube amp. It's not, though. Don't believe them. The tube output is what makes a tube amp sound like a tube amp. This has a 30 watt circuit. There are eleven different amp models as well as eleven effects. There are two programmable channels of customized sounds that can be controlled with a footswtich (sold seperately). There are controls for gain, volume, bass, middle, treble, presence, and effects, which range from reverb (3 different kinds) to delay, tremolo, chorus, flanger, and a few combinations of effects.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is actually quite difficult. Like most modeling amps, this one is great for getting a lot of different types of tones. However, most of the amp models are quite limited in their application. That is, they aren't very flexible, unlike a tube amp, which will respond differently to differences in dynamics, pickups, pedals, etc. The manual will explain how to use the effects, but it will still be difficult. I actually find it quite difficult to control the effects to this day, even after having gone over it in the manual several times.
SOUNDS
The sounds on this amp have a wide variety of ranges, but none of them are particularly great. They do imitate everything from on old Roland Jazz Chorus to a Vox AC30, to a Marshall tube stack, to a boutique high-gain amp, but none of them really are all that fantastic sounding. The closest one would have to be the AC30 but that's to be expected as it's made by Vox. I think that that sound is the only one I tend to use, as it has been more than applicable to most of my needs, from rock to blues and such. The effects on this amp are also pretty weak, to be honest, since they are pretty generic-sounding and have limited flexibility (and what flexibility they do have is difficult to achieve, because of the aforementioned difficulties in adjusting them.)
OVERALL OPINION
I like the flexibility of tones, which will work for gigs that require it, but I don't like the fact that few, if any, of these tones are exceptionally good. I don't like the effects either, because they are tough to adjust and don't sound very good. I'm not sure why I ever messed with this line of amps, I probably expected better from Vox, but I guess their new products don't do justice to their old ones.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is actually quite difficult. Like most modeling amps, this one is great for getting a lot of different types of tones. However, most of the amp models are quite limited in their application. That is, they aren't very flexible, unlike a tube amp, which will respond differently to differences in dynamics, pickups, pedals, etc. The manual will explain how to use the effects, but it will still be difficult. I actually find it quite difficult to control the effects to this day, even after having gone over it in the manual several times.
SOUNDS
The sounds on this amp have a wide variety of ranges, but none of them are particularly great. They do imitate everything from on old Roland Jazz Chorus to a Vox AC30, to a Marshall tube stack, to a boutique high-gain amp, but none of them really are all that fantastic sounding. The closest one would have to be the AC30 but that's to be expected as it's made by Vox. I think that that sound is the only one I tend to use, as it has been more than applicable to most of my needs, from rock to blues and such. The effects on this amp are also pretty weak, to be honest, since they are pretty generic-sounding and have limited flexibility (and what flexibility they do have is difficult to achieve, because of the aforementioned difficulties in adjusting them.)
OVERALL OPINION
I like the flexibility of tones, which will work for gigs that require it, but I don't like the fact that few, if any, of these tones are exceptionally good. I don't like the effects either, because they are tough to adjust and don't sound very good. I'm not sure why I ever messed with this line of amps, I probably expected better from Vox, but I guess their new products don't do justice to their old ones.