I play at home and when I got back into playing after a few years out i picked up a Vox VT20+.
Honestly have never got on with it as it seems to have to many bells and whistles in terms of the controls!
When I played before I had a Fender amp that I just set my volume and tone on and left alone.
With the Vox every time I turn it on it seems to be a battle to get a good clean tone out of it that I can just set and leave.
I am considering purchasing a new amp but I really wonder whether its the amp or my lack of patience.
Anyone else used these VT+ models and care to chime in?
Comments
Do you use a pedalboard or multi-fx?
EDIT
As a fairly qualified GAS addict, perhaps I should add that you ALWYS need new gear
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Though I am keeping my eye out for something that will mean selling all my amps
In Manual they're pretty simple to use.
"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
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
If you haven't already done so, pop into Valvetronix.net where there's a ton of info on the Valvetronix amps, including a detailed FAQ section where you'll find all sorts of help on how the amp works, history and differences of the Valvetronix range, and a specific discussion forum for the VT+ range.
http://www.valvetronix.net/forums/
http://www.valvetronix.net/forums/faq-troubleshooting-tips-and-tricks-f33.html
It's a cracking little amp but its not immediately 'plug and play'. You need to read the manual through to understand how its set up eg what the green, amber & red channels do, how to bypass all the effects built into these factory patches, and how to use the amp in manual mode which makes the amp 'WISYWIG' - What you see is what you get.
I had the VT40+ on loan and its capable of some great tones - I did a demo of it on you-tube that you can see here:
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
I think if I was looking for a home amp, I'd be looking at getting a nice silverface vibro champ. Not the cheapest, but they sound lovely. I guess it also depends what you're going to be playing too. I'm generally pretty happy with my Laney VC15 for home stuff.
Of course if all-valve is preferred that's a different and totally valid approach. Each has pros and cons and it depends on what each person wants to use it for and how sensitive they are to pure valve feel and tone. But for home use in particular, modelling amps like the Vox Valvetronix, Fender Mustang etc have a lot going for them and can be a lot more fun because of their tonal versatility, effects options, headphone, aux/mp3 outs, linking to computers etc. Its wrong to suggest that valve is always best for everyone in all circumstances just because thats your preference. Golden rule is that most folk in this position need to play both to discover which is the best fit for them.
All valve amps have a feel and tone all their own but often they are tonally less versatile and if you want more than the basic clean and gain tones from the amp, you'll need to invest in some external effects. So issues such as total cost inc effects, size, weight, valve replacement and maintenance costs, weight, size etc are all bona fide considerations.
Aside from offering pretty good tone in their own right, modelling amps can help less experienced players learn more about different types of amp tone, EQ, and effects from which they might be better armed to help springboard to a specific type of valve amp that they've learned they like.
Valve amps and modelling amps are simply tools and each has their place. And its important to try different amps in each genre. And they don't have to be mutually exclusive...you can have both all-valve and modelling (just as I do) for different jobs. Its not like you're an Arsenal supporter and have to hate Spurs or vice a versa!
>:D<
"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
I like and use modellers all the time, but I can't and won't use Vox VT amps, they actually make me feel queasy.
"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
It's probably a side effect of their particular cab emulation, but like a lot of these things, once you've noticed it you can't get rid of it.
I've likened it before to listening to Radio 1 - it's processed to sound good on a kitchen tranny, a factory Tannoy or in an average car where it'll punch through a lot of background noise, but on a good stereo in a quiet room it has a weird "pumped" quality which can get nauseating quite quickly.