ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Background:
I have a Mesa Stiletto Ace with an Ear Candy Buzzbomb as my main amp. I am a huge fan of this amp, but it is too loud and too physically large for home practice or small gigs. Prior to getting the VT30, my practice rig was my Pod XT into a Yamaha mixer into Samson studio monitors. I got a lot of mileage out of the Pod, but it is not a perfect replacement for an all tube amp. The tone is there, but the feel and response is not.
My needs:
1. I needed an amp I could practice with at home.
2. I needed an amp I could use at small gigs.
3. I needed a backup for the Stiletto in case something happens to it.
4. I needed something under $400.
Based on recommendations and personal experience, I pretty much singled out the Valvetronix line to fill these needs. The only decision was which model to get. I decided on the VT30 because the power level, size, and price matched the best.
Build Quality
I've not been impressed with recent Vox amps when it comes to build quality. They tend to look cheaply made when you get close to them. There are exceptions to this, of course, and I'd say the VT line is one of them. Everything on this amp looks well put together - not as nice as a Mesa, but for $300 you have to make sacrifices somewhere. I am confident that the VT30 will be able to handle the abuse I will put it through. That said, it will mostly stay in my apartment.
Some people rag on the metal grille. I actually appreciate it. I keep it at ground level mostly, and I like the fact that I don't have to worry about accidentally putting my foot through the speaker.
Features
I really could not have asked for more from this amp. There are more than enough models for pretty much anyone to find what they're looking for. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of a Plexi model, but there are a few other models that cover that territory quite nicely. I get the sense that Vox didn't want to include models that the amp can't do a decent job of replicating, which is a refreshing change from the "let's put as much crap into this thing as we can" attitude at Line 6.
The amp can store eight user presets, which is more than enough for me. I also appreciate the Manual Mode, which turns the amp into a "what you see is what you get" system. What I do is dial in the tone I want in Manual mode, then save it to one of the presets when I'm happy with it. It also has these default and "famous song" presets available for each model - I could not care less about those.
The only features I would have liked to add are a presence control (since many of the amps modeled HAVE one) and an external speaker jack. Those are minor concerns though, especially the speaker jack. I know the VT50 has an external jack, but I didn't feel the need to increase the cost and the weight just for that.
(contd ...)
I have a Mesa Stiletto Ace with an Ear Candy Buzzbomb as my main amp. I am a huge fan of this amp, but it is too loud and too physically large for home practice or small gigs. Prior to getting the VT30, my practice rig was my Pod XT into a Yamaha mixer into Samson studio monitors. I got a lot of mileage out of the Pod, but it is not a perfect replacement for an all tube amp. The tone is there, but the feel and response is not.
My needs:
1. I needed an amp I could practice with at home.
2. I needed an amp I could use at small gigs.
3. I needed a backup for the Stiletto in case something happens to it.
4. I needed something under $400.
Based on recommendations and personal experience, I pretty much singled out the Valvetronix line to fill these needs. The only decision was which model to get. I decided on the VT30 because the power level, size, and price matched the best.
Build Quality
I've not been impressed with recent Vox amps when it comes to build quality. They tend to look cheaply made when you get close to them. There are exceptions to this, of course, and I'd say the VT line is one of them. Everything on this amp looks well put together - not as nice as a Mesa, but for $300 you have to make sacrifices somewhere. I am confident that the VT30 will be able to handle the abuse I will put it through. That said, it will mostly stay in my apartment.
Some people rag on the metal grille. I actually appreciate it. I keep it at ground level mostly, and I like the fact that I don't have to worry about accidentally putting my foot through the speaker.
Features
I really could not have asked for more from this amp. There are more than enough models for pretty much anyone to find what they're looking for. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of a Plexi model, but there are a few other models that cover that territory quite nicely. I get the sense that Vox didn't want to include models that the amp can't do a decent job of replicating, which is a refreshing change from the "let's put as much crap into this thing as we can" attitude at Line 6.
The amp can store eight user presets, which is more than enough for me. I also appreciate the Manual Mode, which turns the amp into a "what you see is what you get" system. What I do is dial in the tone I want in Manual mode, then save it to one of the presets when I'm happy with it. It also has these default and "famous song" presets available for each model - I could not care less about those.
The only features I would have liked to add are a presence control (since many of the amps modeled HAVE one) and an external speaker jack. Those are minor concerns though, especially the speaker jack. I know the VT50 has an external jack, but I didn't feel the need to increase the cost and the weight just for that.
(contd ...)
.
