I attended a workshop over the weekend where the instructor had a small Valvetronix (guessing it was the previous generation, not sure if 8 inch or 10 inch model) and I was very impressed by it.
Obviously a professional musician worth their salt is going to get the best out of whatever gear, but I'm thinking again about having an all-in-one solution for light (no drummer) jamming duties rather than DRRI and 'board.
Realistically the amp models I'd be using are AC30, bassman, twin/65DR and JC120, and I gather both amps cover that range of those pretty well even if not specifically modelling the amps.
I recently got an AC30 amplug 2 and am loving it so that may be swaying things!
Other than that, both have similar output, USB editing etc, maybe the Katana might handle slightly higher volumes due to the 12 inch speaker but I doubt the 10w wattage difference will be that noticeable, and I do have the DRRI for actual gigs (no more on the horizon at present)
Equally I have a Bass Cube 30 and microcube which have been trusty companions over the years.
I suspect it's just going to come down to sounds up close really. I'd imagine the VT40 edges it for Vox sounds?
Comments
To be honest, the vox amps are great - I loved the original metal grill ones (I had a vt100, also a 50 watt 1x12 version). The even earlier blue cloth ones were also great (V60 and vt120).
The later ones I was less impressed by. Not sure what changed but they didn't sound as good. They are all pretty pants at high gain. They're best at emulating vox tones, but the UK 70s model was great for raunchy Marshall crunch, and cleaned up alright too. The UK 80s was decent for randy rhoads style playing.
Not owned a katana I'm afraid.
They were expensive when new (the AD120VTX in 2004 was around £1100) and pretty heavy (the AD120VT/VTX comos were 58lbs), but no other Valvetronix version sounds & responds so closely to an all valve amp. Unfortunately high production costs, changing EU/US requirements, and hikes in the cost of Neodymium meant subsequent incarnations were 'dumb-downed' in almost every area - but most importantly the Valve-reactor circuit was dumb-downed such that only minimal voltage was put through the valves and the direct interaction with speaker impedance (a trait of valve amps) went by the wayside. The AD15VT and AD30VT (the first chrome grilled variant) were designed as practice amps (which is why they were dumbed down so much). But they were so popular Vox made 50 and 100w versions - but they were always just louder versions of what was essentially a practice amp design. The later Valvetronix still sound good, and the modelling is upgraded, & the latest versions have a few interesting buttons, but they simply don't have the features, versatility, programmability, live stage control, dynamics, feel, & responsiveness of the originals. However, the latest versions are a lot smaller, lighter, & cheaper!
If you're looking for crunchy old-school classic rock goodness (with a pretty strong, clear, pedal-friendly, and very usable clean channel) it's great, if you want a tool-box full of varied amp emulations look elsewhere...
The V2 update in particular has made it more appealing in the meantime. If it turns out to be a halfway-decent sounding grab-n-go for light jamming duties then I’ll consider it job jobbed.
Not gone for a channel footswitch yet - if I end up doing more band-based stuff then I might well do.