Convince me not to buy this amp

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAMM04/Content/Vox/PR/AD50VT-sm.jpg

I played through one last week at a gig, and I really liked it. It's not a tube amp, but it's got, like, some tubes in it (I know a ton about amps), and it's cheeeep. Why wouldn't I but it?

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 12:42 (eighteen years ago)

~~but~~

buy

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VOX-Valvetronix-AD15VT-AMP-MINT-AS-NEW_W0QQitemZ140041066845QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cus the 15 could be really cheap here, if yr in MCR?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 12:51 (eighteen years ago)

If you played one at a gig, you'll have a good idea of how one responds in a playing situation. If you liked it onstage, you'll probably like it even more in the studio.

Why do you want to be talked out of it?

I love my baby voxes, I couldn't live without them.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 12:54 (eighteen years ago)

I want to be talked out of it because I feel guilty about spending any kind of money and I've decided I want this amp knowing nothing about amps and I don't want to buy something if it's actually shit.

xpost: but if I get the 15 I'll have no chance at victory in the ongoing who-can-be-loudest battle I have going with my guitarist. Mwahahaha.

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:01 (eighteen years ago)

There is no point to such battles except for hearing loss.

In my experience, it's far better for the band's sound to actually get the smaller amp, forget about your dicksize, and then get to be the one who tells him "look, I can't hear the DRUMS over your noise. Turn the fuck down! I'm at a reasonable volume, you're not!"

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:05 (eighteen years ago)

But there's a whole nother thread about that.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:05 (eighteen years ago)

Nah, I know, was just kidding, I hate that shit too.

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:06 (eighteen years ago)

~~kidding~~

baiting

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:06 (eighteen years ago)

I have that amp and like it fine.

But because I am really quite vain and silly, I had mine fitted with old-school Vox plaid fabric rather than the metal grille.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/images/products/new_amplifiers/AD15-100/ad50vt-br.jpg

This was done by the nice people at North Coast Music

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 14:35 (eighteen years ago)

I don't understand buying a VOX anything.
If you take the tube ou of their digital stuff, it still works.
If you pay as much as they're asking for their tube amps, you're insane or a fool. That much for a CHINESE amp?
"But they sound so good!"
That's not hard. Peavey did it, and they're cheap.

They're even less likely to get my money than Line 6(everyone knows they're lame) or Marshall(who HASN'T seen a broken Marshall?!).

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:57 (eighteen years ago)

Don't buy this amp or a fungus will grow in your urethra.

― got yourself a fish biscuit! (nickalicious), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:48 (eighteen years ago)

fender blues jr.

― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 21:15 (eighteen years ago)

I'd go out to some stores and play through quite a few different amps.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:42 (eighteen years ago)

This one be goot:

http://www.voxamps.co.uk/images/products/AC/ac30cc/ac30cc_1x12.jpg

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 02:53 (eighteen years ago)

Not at that price, it isn't.
It's made in China, one channel, old design.
It should be 250 USD

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 03:45 (eighteen years ago)

yeah i can't say i'm terribly impressed with any of the new voxes

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 03:47 (eighteen years ago)

my old (stolen) ac30 was a thing of beauty and wonder. the new (pre-CC) one i bought to replace it was ok but a dog by comparison

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 03:48 (eighteen years ago)

AaronK OTM

― righteousmaelstrom (righteousmaelstrom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 04:04 (eighteen years ago)

Not at that price, it isn't.
It's made in China, one channel, old design.
It should be 250 USD

Very poor haiku.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 04:37 (eighteen years ago)

1. I can't afford a real tube amp.
2. I would like at least 30w, probably 50.
3. I really liked how this sounded, when I played through it with my band. I guess I'm just checking to see if anyone knows anything about it that I should know before buying (i.e., it's programmed to explode a day after the warranty expires, or it breaks easy, or wahtever).

― g00blar (gooblar), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 09:11 (eighteen years ago)

classic 30
valve jr
blues jr / pro jr

just get something all-tube and you won't worry about power rating, as much, and you will thank yourself when you don't have some digital modeling crapola shit-amp.

― awesome little blues monkey (awesome little blues monkey), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 11:15 (eighteen years ago)

I've made a huge mistake.

Sort of. I bought it; lugging it home made me instantly realize how stupid it was to buy such a heavy and bulky amp (20kg). A fucking pain in the ass on the tube. I do not want to bring this amp to gigs. I'm bringing it back tomorrow for the 30w.

― g00blar (gooblar), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:50 (eighteen years ago)

30W is more than enough db for most venues, and some think that 30W distorts more nicely at club volumes than 50W.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 15:48 (eighteen years ago)

30W is more than enough db for most venues, and some think that 30W distorts more nicely at club volumes than 50W

Very true..but g00blar, if you do have a 50+ watt tube amp, just run an attenuator (power soak/brake..whatever you wanna call it) to get that crunch at reasonable levels

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 21:28 (eighteen years ago)

With the Valvetronic he won't have to - power select on the back. Which is why to NOT get the 15, which doesn't have it.

As far as the China thing goes, if it works good and sounds good and costs less than half what it would if it were made in the UK, why bitch?

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 21:53 (eighteen years ago)

(That China business obv re: the CCs, not the Valvetronix)

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 21:54 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, and Mad Puffin, that is AWESOME.

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 21:54 (eighteen years ago)

With the Valvetronic he won't have to - power select on the back. Which is why to NOT get the 15, which doesn't have it.

OTM.

― g00blar (gooblar), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 22:30 (eighteen years ago)

(Not that you're going to be getting your distortion by cranking the clean setting.)

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 23:12 (eighteen years ago)

It's NOT less than half of what it should cost MIUK.
it's TEN TIMES what it should cost made in China.

Made in the USA amps cost less here hand wired than that one does in the UK.
VOX is more of a Joke than Marshall nowadays.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 01:55 (eighteen years ago)

VOX is more of a Joke than Marshall nowadays.

So are there any affordable mid-range amps suitable for gigging that aren't a joke? (This is a serious question.)

― Andrew (enneff), Thursday, 19 October 2006 03:21 (eighteen years ago)

Peavey, Fender to slightly lesser degree, Randall.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 07:25 (eighteen years ago)

Peaveys and Fenders are a freaking joke! I'd rather run my guitar through a TIN CAN than a Fender amp.

I've heard a lot of good things about Orange. Myself, I've had good luck with getting top range amps second hand and getting them revamped.

― Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 08:41 (eighteen years ago)

orange are ok if you're able to turn up, but totally useless at low volumes

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 19 October 2006 08:52 (eighteen years ago)

great, in fact, if you can turn up

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 19 October 2006 08:53 (eighteen years ago)

yeah, Fender amps are DEFINITELY a joke. most guitar players agree. no one uses ANY of them. except when they're joking.

― awesome little blues monkey (awesome little blues monkey), Thursday, 19 October 2006 11:36 (eighteen years ago)

You know, your contrarianism isn't making you cool.
Stay away from the Hot Rod series and Extreme low-end and everything Fender makes is good.
Their hand-wired stuff is stupid expensive as well, but that at least has a reputation of being very reliable and sounding good.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 13:06 (eighteen years ago)

I have never played a Fender amp that I liked.

I would pick a Peavey over a Fender, given a choice.

Peavey will at least give you a clean, faithful replication of your guitar's sound, even if it adds nothing to it. I've never used a Fender amp that didn't add its tinny, trebly, weedy little Fender sound to it.

And I play a Fender guitar, too! So it's not brand dislike. I just hate the way the things sound.

― Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 13:25 (eighteen years ago)

A matter of taste, there.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 14:27 (eighteen years ago)

it's silly to make a broad judgement like Fender and Peavey SUCK.

i'm going to guess you haven't truly played that many Fender/Peavey amps, cause my Prosonic through a closed-back 4x12 is anything but tinny or weedy, and a 5150 is most definitely unclean.

a jazzmaster through a fender combo is going to sound tweedly, or whatever the fuck, however.

― awesome little blues monkey (awesome little blues monkey), Thursday, 19 October 2006 14:53 (eighteen years ago)

If you say that a good Fender Twin or Bassman is crap/tinny/weedy you know nothing!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 19 October 2006 15:08 (eighteen years ago)

Global generalizations on ANY amp company are rarely accurate, outside of issues like reliability and price/performance ratio.

― John Justen, the tap-dancing spirochete in your zesty chicken fingers. (johnjust, Thursday, 19 October 2006 15:16 (eighteen years ago)

OK, I've only played about 4 different Fender Twins, and not one of them gave me a sound I liked. So I guess that makes me ignorant or stupid or whatever.

― Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 16:06 (eighteen years ago)

my jazzmaster through a hot rod doesn't sound tweedly ;_;

― ZR (teenagequiet), Thursday, 19 October 2006 17:22 (eighteen years ago)

Personal preference, people. It's what makes the musical world go round. Otherwise we would all sound like the guitar player from Disturbed and HOW MUCH WOULD THAT SUCK?

― John Justen asks why your baby cries when I preheat the oven. (johnjusten), Thursday, 19 October 2006 17:39 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.sweetwater.com/images/items/TheWeapon-large.jpg

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Thursday, 19 October 2006 18:27 (eighteen years ago)

**OK, I've only played about 4 different Fender Twins, and not one of them gave me a sound I liked. So I guess that makes me ignorant or stupid or whatever.**

Aww no, kate! But "i don't like" does not equal "is a piece of crap"

I don't like Les Pauls much but....

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 19 October 2006 18:47 (eighteen years ago)

Les Pauls ARE pieces of crap.
Well, NEW ones.

In any case, how are 4 Twins different?

"I wrote that with 4 different #2 pencils, and they all looked the same!"

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 19:11 (eighteen years ago)

I was about to contribute to this thread, but then I realized I quite happily play this thing:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002GLFZG.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 19 October 2006 20:04 (eighteen years ago)

That made me smile for various reasons.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 19 October 2006 23:26 (eighteen years ago)

De gustibus and whatnot.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 20 October 2006 00:03 (eighteen years ago)

There is none of the gustibus involved in an amp called BAD DOG.

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 20 October 2006 16:46 (eighteen years ago)

I've got an AD30VT, and while being heavy as fuck, it's pretty damn good. The crunch when you're on the cusp of the sound breaking up does sort of reveal the price, but by and large it's pretty sweet. The clean channels sound rather nice, and if you've got a decent smooth overdrive pedal it's a pretty nice set-up.

― Magnakai (Magnakai), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 14:30 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, and you can totally do loopy feedback symphonies with the built-in delay effect and nothing else.
I've composed whole techno odysseys on that thing for fun.

― Magnakai (Magnakai), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 15:00 (eighteen years ago)

The delay is definitely one of the better onboard effects I've encountered.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 15:55 (eighteen years ago)

They're simply a Zoom POD clone with a tube stuck in it to look fancy.
It doesn't need the tube. It's a dim-ass light bulb.

Find that Zoom pod clone, and you're in business for less.
It's kinda rare, big failure.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 01:35 (eighteen years ago)

Gzeus, I think you're thinking of either the Digitech Genesis series or the Johnson J-Station.

― John Justen, WholeSale-Lot-8-DELTA-BURKE-Thong-Panties-QUEEN-XL (johnjusten), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 16:24 (eighteen years ago)

Digitech.
Vox bought the design.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 21:41 (eighteen years ago)

In any case, how are 4 Twins different?

There are enough variations to make a difference. I was shopping around for an Ampeg reissue awhile back and was shocked by the differences in them. Fender isn't any different

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 26 October 2006 16:38 (eighteen years ago)

Well, 5% differences in pots and differences in rooms will make the same tone hard to dial it, and tubes aren't that consistant any moreI believe Fender uses Chinese now, as well.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Friday, 27 October 2006 01:39 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.rarerecords.com.au/photos/10825-2.jpg

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Saturday, 28 October 2006 16:45 (eighteen years ago)

fact: if u buy this amp ur dick will fall off

― am0n (am0n), Saturday, 28 October 2006 19:09 (eighteen years ago)

And gear nerds everywhere will scoff at you!

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Saturday, 28 October 2006 19:31 (eighteen years ago)

Oh yeah, this thread.

I did return the 50, walked out with the 30 and did not actually hurt myself carrying it home. It's fine. What do I care about anything except it makes a sound I like?

― g00blar (gooblar), Thursday, 2 November 2006 12:57 (eighteen years ago)

Wallet?

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 2 November 2006 18:26 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.