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SonicPulverizer « Low wattage, High quality »
Published on 10/15/12 at 00:18The Vox Night Train is Vox's answer to the low wattage game. Offering a reasonable mixture of portability and sound quality, the Night Train is one of the nicest low cost tube amps on the market as of 2012. The Night train's front panel is adorned with a simple array of controls. Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Volume. Two toggle switches offer advanced control over your sound. The operating mode switch functions as a standby and half power switch, while a second toggle allows you to choose between bright and thick modes. Engaging the Thick mode bypasses the amp's Eq and allows for more gain to be applied to the sound. The amp is 15 watts but can operate at 7.5 watts with the half power switch engaged (using the triode selection) and runs on a pair of el84's.
UTILIZATION
The Vox's simple layout makes getting a good sound a straight forward endeavor, however the lack of an effects loop or the ability to select channels makes the amp decently compromised in the eyes of a gigging musician. These missing features can easily be forgiven though considering the affordability granted to an all tube circuit. The amp takes pedals fairly well without the effects loops and the amp is plenty loud if you are mic-ing your backline (and you should be).
SOUNDS
I played through the Vox Night Train with a Gibson Les Paul Traditional w/ stock pickups. I used a Mesa 2x12 cab. No pedals.
The amps clean sounds are very pleasant and compliment a variety of guitars. I primarily tested the Night Train with a dark sounding, mahogany body guitar and the bright mode made the guitar sparkle. The tube circuit provides for nice articulation in your sound. Engaging the thick mode, you are able to drive the amp very hard and cover many genres. The drive sounds performed excellently and I found myself often forgetting that I was playing a $300 amp.
OVERALL OPINION
The Vox Night train is an excellent solution for those who need a portable, all tube design. The affordability of this amp is unparalleled when comparing the sound quality of it's neighboring price points.
UTILIZATION
The Vox's simple layout makes getting a good sound a straight forward endeavor, however the lack of an effects loop or the ability to select channels makes the amp decently compromised in the eyes of a gigging musician. These missing features can easily be forgiven though considering the affordability granted to an all tube circuit. The amp takes pedals fairly well without the effects loops and the amp is plenty loud if you are mic-ing your backline (and you should be).
SOUNDS
I played through the Vox Night Train with a Gibson Les Paul Traditional w/ stock pickups. I used a Mesa 2x12 cab. No pedals.
The amps clean sounds are very pleasant and compliment a variety of guitars. I primarily tested the Night Train with a dark sounding, mahogany body guitar and the bright mode made the guitar sparkle. The tube circuit provides for nice articulation in your sound. Engaging the thick mode, you are able to drive the amp very hard and cover many genres. The drive sounds performed excellently and I found myself often forgetting that I was playing a $300 amp.
OVERALL OPINION
The Vox Night train is an excellent solution for those who need a portable, all tube design. The affordability of this amp is unparalleled when comparing the sound quality of it's neighboring price points.