yes, i think those two brands are the main brands that come to mind when talking about guitar tube amplifiers. Especially Epiphone
One would say Marshall, Fender, Mesa Boogie and Peavey, but they are totally less famous, and it's not yet proven they're using tubes. Those tricky Americans.

Bloody sarcasm! Epiphones do produce tube amps which are very cheap! And they're selling pretty well too!

led zep, you're a freak ! how did you know about that ?!? woaw... i didn't know
sorry for the sarcasm...

Alright guys, further questions and answers please be done via PM.

Thank you.

great review ! and at least you're giving cons..! most ppl who just bought an amp will be giving only pros, they're so biased...

thx !

Awesome review man!
Hope you can post more, when your collection grow!

Great review nerd! But I have something to point out.

I think you are missing the point of tube amps when you say that the clean channels are too soft. For me I love the clean sound where the valve starts to breakup, so perhaps you should try pushing the gain knob a bit and see if you like the sound too? Otherwise try the Boutique amp model, I think that's the "cleanest" of all amps modelled and won't 'breakup' easily.

ledzep, you like CLEAN sounds when the valves start to BREAK UP ?
for me (and many others), that's called CRUNCH.


it's true i don't really understand how a clean sound is "SOFT". You mean the attack of the note is not dynamic enough ? Or the sound is just too low ? Because with 30W, you can't have a clean (with unbroken up valves) sound very loud... just live with it. As long as it is good, it doesn't matter if it's not loud...
I tend to play 90% of the time using the lead channel, modifying the amp gain and the guitar tone & volume when needed. I don't care much about having a clean channel actually... unless i'm using my pedals (which i'm not so far... too lazy). I'm just fine with a slightly crunched tone instead of pure clean bright channel.

(note for nerd : never agree with LedZep, even if you're doubting )

thanks pix and chapree! well I was just being honest about how I feel about my purchase.. and that's what reviews are for, no?

Thanks!

Well that was my initial experience, max gain with Clean Boutique as most of the time I'm using the Mesa or JCM800 modeller.. so I have experienced that breakup sound at loud volumes. I don't like the sound it produces.

As for the clean boutique, it's clean but still gain-ey at max gain. But I'd say it's the best clean sound along with the Tweed amp. I'm using Tweed as my main clean sound now, like the bluesy feel to it.

Yeah it's crunch indeed. But crunch is not my forte.
When I mean "soft" it means that the overall volume, it sounds too low. the note dynamics are pretty good, excellent even.
Pix, so are you saying it's normal to have a lower volume on cleans on a tube amp? But I haven't really tried it at maximum volume and maximum output (at the power selector) but I think the sound should be fine. It'd better be coz if I get a gig in college this amp will be my companion.
Yeah I play 90% lead too.. as my main songs are Metallica. But I'm also planning to learn some clean songs with this.. that's why I prefer a clean bright channel.

This post has been edited by nerd: Dec 11 2005, 09:27 AM

u can't avoid that little overdrive on the clean channel, cause vox meant it to emulate the way the amp works in real life. well, playing a clean amp with the gain maxxed isnt really ideal. but then again, setting the gain to a point where everything starts to clean up, will result in a softer sound , relative to ur other hi gain setting.

yes, i do experience this, but i was nvr really too picky on my amp. seldom bother abt a really clean channel too, and i do like the raw crunch and overdrive . (nerd, don't listen to this, u'll be fine with that clean setting)

so, only 3 of us got ad30s? i thought they were poised for world domination.

nerd... i don't really understand... you put a lot of gain on your clean setting, but low volume ? that should be the opposite : volume knob at maxxximum, and then you only increase the gain so you have a decent overall volume.

furthermore, don't say your amp is a tube amp because it is not true : your amp is a solid state amp with a tube in the pre-amp section. breaking up that particular tube is OK for more distortion (that can be discussed), but for the cleans and crunch, it is usually agreed that it shouldn't breakup. (in a tube amp, the tubes that are meant to break up are the ones in the power amp section). The main impact of your tube in the preamp is to provide a good and warm dynamic attack (here also, that point is subject to discussion..). Actually I don't care about theory, i'm totally turned on by my Line6 Pod, so I'm convinced your amp is Da Bomb too !

tweed amp should modelize the sound of the Fender Bassman, Fender DeVille and Peavey Classic... way to go, dude

Well, for me crunch also refers to the sound a cranked Marshall produces, crunchy clean is what I call it.

nerd, yeah it's strange that they didn't model the Roland Jazz Chorus too. The Roland Cube has an amazing clean channel.

pix, let me correct u there a little okay ?

the tube is in the power amp section. its a preamp tube tho, just stuck in the power amp section. that gives it the dynamics and blablabal. gawd i suck at technical jargons. the preamp is digital modeling.

yes, i forgot to stress out to nerd that, this is indeed a hybrid. while , we might want to forget that we're playing a solidstate(in a way). but i think vox has done it, by sticking a tube in the power section. most other hybrids hv their tubes in the preamp section..with a solidstate power amp..

well, im no pro ok..just..stating a little point..dont mean to act like one too.

hmm.... actually i like the way the knobs are not labeled....
i mean..... u feel ur way around to get the perfect sound.....
the cleans are crunchy when the gain is set high....
but the programmable channels can write everything la....

i put mine like this,
channel 1 - black 2*12, gain set @ half, volume full
channel 2 - UK 80's, gain set @ full, volume 3/4...
voltage regulator i set slightly more than half
then overall volume use the master volume control lo....
settles the volume difference.... [i rarely switch channels anyway, roll down the volume knob immedietely it cleans up]

hmm.... i'll make my own mini review
cons in the amp??? shitty wah >.> even after changing its attack still doesnt sound nice [to me la]
the other effects are pretty nice tho... the rotary effect sounds nice
sounds very zakk when playing momma im coming home...
i also dont like the fact the knobs are made of plastic.... doesnt feel sturdy enuff....
n i really dont understand y they didnt include JC120.... its clean is superb!!!!! ugh.... but im pretty happy with the blackface..... but the cleans doesnt sound sparkly, for clean freaks plz note this.... cuz usually songs i play are mixed between cleans n hard distortion

another one of the cons is i personally find the UK 80's [jcm800 2203] moddeler sounds like it lacks gain when palm muting..... tak cukup kow hmm..... maybe l8r i'll try adding an OD pedal

oo btw, controlling the effects is hell if u dont read the manual =/ n im one of those who dont bother the manual

this amp sounds really nice.... its modellers sounds realistic to me.... but my knowledge of full tube amps are limited so i can't say bout all of em. n i luv the retro look of it.... when i bought my amp there was an AC30 beside it, n it was HUGE XD.... but i dislike the chromed grill [personal] i'd prefer it black sleeker IMO

i'd give it a 8.5/10
may sound biased but i dont think it is..... hopefully not haha... dont have any effect pedals to test it with so i cant say how well it takes pedals....
PLUS i got it cheaper than nerd HAHA i got it 50 bucks cheaper
wahah... means i'll have more cash for the footswitch

oo btw the VSF2 footswitch
the button on the left switches between the programmable channels
the one on the right bypasses the effects or turns on the manual settings i've ordered mine. hopefully i'll be back when it arrives then i'll pick it up while my LP is being repaired

This post has been edited by sean392: Dec 11 2005, 03:16 PM

the AC30 model on the AD amps are excellent
works well with single coil equiped guitars

yeah I guess so. but I'm cool with it. I saved a preset with my favorite clean, the tweed with the treble and midrange turned up and bass and gain turned down.

I think they won't be poised for world domination until they add the Roland Jazz Chorus and a dedicated clean volume control

I never said mine was a tube dude.. I just asked about the softer cleans on tube amps generally in my previous post. .but then the AD30 does share the characteristics of a tube like what drake said. It's a tube preamp stuck in the poweramp section. So it has that break up at high gain on the clean channel.

Yeah I made a mistake, what I really meant that, when I just bought the amp, I maxed out the gain and straight away changed to a clean amp and found the distortion. After much tinkering and with drake's help, I managed to tinker around and find a clean, usable amp. BUT.. the overall volume is still pretty low. And THAT's my main gripe about the amp.

And yeah, I think my amp is Da Bomb too!

Yeah that's what I heard too.. but then you gain some you lose some I guess. At least at that price.


Okay that aside,

Today I really got to test the true colours of my Vox AD30VT. I brought it to a jam session in my cousin's house in Taman Tun. He lives in a bungalow so we could just crank up the damn volume. I played the Vox with all the volumes maxed, and the voltage selector about 1-2 bars from max. Hell yeah, we created havoc.

My cousin has his LTD MH-50 hooked up to a Zoom GFX-5 and a Kustom KLR16 and I must say, it really stood on it's own against the Vox. Impressive lineup. Very impressed with the Zoom mainly. It's wah effects are really awesome and the modelisation is really good. Okay, we're here to elaborate the Vox not my cousin's setup.

So anyway, with those settings maxed above, and my MH-50 cousin on lead (he's better than me but he's 2 years younger! ) we began to jam Enter Sandman, Fade to Black, Nothing Else Matters, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Master of Puppets and Wherever I May Roam. I switched between playing rhythm with another cousin, and used the Tweed for my clean and the Numetal for distortion.

Paired with the "Higain" amp modeller on the Zoom, we really managed to create a deep, growling sound. Not really Metallica but I would say that was one of the heaviest sounds I've heard. Palm muted riffs sound extremely good on the Numetal setting.

When playing For Whom The Bell Tolls, I sat out as my other cousin took my place in playing rhythm. That, combined with the Zoom again, really created this roaring thunderous sound that could bring down the whole house. In the harmonics part of Fade to Black, the two guitars blended in flawlessly.

When I got to the clean parts in Master of Puppets and Fade to Black, I used my CH1 Tweed Preset which I stayed up until 2am to tinker, and I got a pleasant surprise.. it sounds pretty much okay, very gig-able. So I guess only on lower power outputs the volume problem occurs.

But, question is, how often do you get to blast your amp like that? At lower power outputs it still.. to put it plainly.. sucks.

So, even after a jam session with the Vox.. the verdict is..

Disappointing, but very much usable cleans at low output.

Very sweet, but not sugar cleans at high output.

I shall increase my verdict to an 8/10.

This post has been edited by nerd: Dec 11 2005, 11:46 PM

sorry, double post

This post has been edited by nerd: Dec 11 2005, 10:43 PM

a sudden invasion of the AD30 posts. oooohh..aaahh..

ledzep, yeah, the ac30's nice on the AD. like it a lot, even tho i dont hv a single coil.

on a lighter note, nerd, when u turn it up real loud, after an hour or sth, check the tubes. they glow!:D yeah la, we kids nvr experienced full tube amps before, so this is as close as we can get.

oops. i think this is way off topic.

sry.

Can you all stop posting semi information on a reviewed instrument ? If you have extra information you like to share, PM the person who did the review so that he/she can add it to his/her review.

As I said, others (not from LYN) would like this thread to be clean and neat.

yes... clean, neat and easy to read. (you may delete my post after this)