...because I think a once great name has lost its way a bit. For me, with some notable exceptions, it's quality and innovation has gone astray.
It's reputation has pretty much been built and revolved around two great mainstay amps, the AC15 and AC30...although its Pathfinder amps are also well regarded too. There have been the smaller AC4 and AC10 and from time to time they've reissued things and tried to come out with other amps. Inevitably some have been hit and miss. The Night-train is a great little amp and the new MV50 range are a great idea.
But a lot of the time Vox seems to have been struggling to capture former glories rolling out umpteen anniversary models, limited editions in different colours, and it's reinvented the AC15 and AC30 so many times I've lost count...some more successfully than others (anyone remember the failed white-dialled Classic Plus range?). However, these two amps were a tough legacy to follow so I can kind of see Vox' dilemma here.
But It's within the modelling sector that things have really gone down hill. Aside from its ever popular little head phone amps it has gone from making innovative gear aimed at the gigging player to lower quality, less well featured and cheaper 'bedroom toys,' or have misjudged pricing so badly that the product failed commercially.
It's Valvetronix range started with the 'blue' amps. These (esp the improved VTX) are still well regarded, were an innovative mix of valve and digital technology, sounded great, were well designed and were so easy to use. Similarly the Tonelab SE and LE that were built like a tank with great tone, features, and heavy duty power supplies. The designs were market leading & some 17/14 years on ('Blues'/TL's) aside from size & weight, continue to hold-up very well against modern gear, and still sound really good.
What followed has been a trail of lower quality, lower featured budget built re-imaginings aimed at bedroom players. The once decent speakers have been replaced with budget low cost speakers and good design and flexibility swapped for worse control, worse 'out' options, lack of decent edit software, and questionable gimmicks and features like built in speakers in the TLEX. The Tonelab ST was a 2 button toy and the TLEX that followed was poorly designed for gigging with no patch naming, no edit software, a clumsy 2 button tread to switch between stomp and preset mode, and poor parameter control. It has now been withdrawn leaving the little Stomplab as Vox' only mfx offering. Instead of developing the originals it made them worse and Vox lack of focus has meant it currently has nothing worthy to take on the likes of the Boss Katana and umpteen mfx units ranging from the Zoom g3n/g5n to Line 6 Helix/LT.
The Valvetronix VTX150 was decent and a great lightweight loud amp although the cab was too small. But its price point was crazy and inevitably was withdrawn. And the new nano MVX150 looks destined to fall by the wayside for the same reason even before it hits the stores. Customers are now wary of spending valve amp money for digital gear the value of which will likely drop like a stone within 12 mths.
As I said at outset, I just think Vox has lost its way a bit.
I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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The brand has been repeatedly sold and the owners have never seemed to understand about quality and consistency. Even the original AC15s and 30s are a bit ropey for build quality, largely because various parts were downgraded and subcontracted out to cut costs, and that's been the pattern ever since - just when they seem to have got a really decent product, they have to ruin it by cheapening it.
If it wasn't for the connection with the Beatles and the happy accident of creating one of the truly greatest-sounding amps of all time, they would have been a footnote in history decades ago.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Watch when Marshall bring out a new amp, and the consequent explosion of pissing and moaning when it’s not a turret-board 100W Superlead retailing at £399.
We’re all to blame.
You’re right about Vox. They were finally making some headway in getting away from the endless ballachingly-expensive AC30 reissues but the wheels seem to have come off.
I wouldn’t want to be head of product design at one of these places, that’s for sure.
A bit like Watkins, apart from the sounding awesome bit.
I've heard you get great sounds out of them many times to be fair, they just sound brittle in my hands.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
Not long ago I picked up an AV30, admtidley as a bedroom amp, but it sounds great, I really like it. Loud enough for jam nights too.
I agree though that 90% of their catalog doesn’t interest me and a lot of it looks like toys.
I did change some in the SE version, they were linear 10K from memory
I was reading through the patent application a few weeks ago, very interesting - the ECC83 definitely does work as a push-pull Class A/Class AB output stage.
If you have any problem accessing it drop me a pm with your email and I'll send it to you.
https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Vox-Starstream-Type-1-Plus-Black-Frame-and-Black-Body/2ATP
Guaranteed to bring back interest in the brand.