Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

Jeffrec said:
That's a great idea, but why not check an LE out through your amp first to see if there's any real difference. The Valvetronix amps are great. Should be the same electronics as the Desktop, SE, & LE.

I run my Desktop (TT) through a Crate Vintage Club (50W, 2X12) which has an effects loop, but John's setup going through the front end of the Fender is a great way to go too. I haven't tried going through the front end of the Crate yet. Should be similar.

Let us know how you make out with it.

Jeff
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Hi Jeff. Yes, that's what I'm going to do. I was going to buy a Tonelab from the Bay or Craigslist and try it out before I sold the amp. I love my combo and the one thing that may keep me from doing it is that if I ever jam with anyone or join a group, the Valvetronix is a great convienint combo to bring by itself without the cabinet. If I go the other way, now I've got to lug a piggyback along with the tonelab. However, at the moment I need a little space (one less amp would help) and the swap would also get me a little extra cash, which I need. If I don't like the Tonelab through the Univox, I'll just resell it and either make or lose a little bit; no harm no foul.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
Hi Jeff. Yes, that's what I'm going to do. I was going to buy a Tonelab from the Bay or Craigslist and try it out before I sold the amp. I love my combo and the one thing that may keep me from doing it is that if I ever jam with anyone or join a group, the Valvetronix is a great convienint combo to bring by itself without the cabinet. If I go the other way, now I've got to lug a piggyback along with the tonelab. However, at the moment I need a little space (one less amp would help) and the swap would also get me a little extra cash, which I need. If I don't like the Tonelab through the Univox, I'll just resell it and either make or lose a little bit; no harm no foul.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I know what you mean about lugging a lot of equipment, needing room, AND needing $$:14:
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
Hey John, how's it going? If you remember, I've got the Valvetronix AD60VTX combo that I run into an Earcandy Buzzbomb 2X12 loaded with a V30 and G12H30, effectively giving me a "3X12" with the Neodog in the Vox.

Can you hear a difference in the tone between your Valvetronix head and the Tonelab which is supposed to be 24 bit compared to twenty on our amps?

Another thing I'm wondering is how you got around the preamp into a preamp thing. I remember many years ago putting a Pod and a Zoom preamp through my 65 twin and never getting a good tone. It always sounded like a blanket was being hung over the speakers. I was told that it was essentially like trying to run an amp through an amp. I put the Zoom through a PA and the difference was night and day--got some really usable tones out of it. Not great, but passable.
Click to expand...

Hi buddy......Well? I've always ran the VTH 120 head in stereo through either the matching VOX 2x12 cab or my Marshall 4x12 cab....Both cabs have V30s in them(These are my favorite rock speakers)....

I run the ToneLab LE So far,just through the input of my BF Pro Reverb 2x12(This amp has ceramic Webers) in it.....Both setups give me really great presets and tone to work with,though I tended to use a very Clean Fender preset,and then I run some stompboxes right into the frontend of the VTH Head...

The ToneLab LE has more to offer,in that they've added quite bit more in effects....I Like the fact that now I have all the tones and effects needed right in front of me...The unit looks and sounds great and I've only added a modded TS 808 and a Marshall Jackhammer....Pretty much I only use the ToneLab LE for everything we do now though..I have a modded Vox 847 wah going into the front of the TLLE and a volume pedal between the TL output and my amp.....Both the TS and the Jackhammer are in the "insert" part of the tonelab(This is sought of a makeshift input efx loop but it's not between the preamp and poweramp sections) to stick pedals into the front of the TL....Maybe that insert input is also buffered?

I love the ToneLab and I still have and use my VTH 120/Cab setup....One day I'd also like to have the little Vox NightTrain amp.....



I get great tones by running the TLLE into a clean set(Volume at 4) 66 Pro Reverb 2x12 combo....From there,I just listen and dial in the TLLE by starting with a particular amp model...I then add reverb,or delay or whatever I feel the preset needs...Sometimes I'll make the cab simulator foot switchable between no emulation or maybe a 4x10 tweed cab or an AC 30 2x12(This changes the overall timber of the preset)...I Love this thing,it's easy to get around on and I'll gladly share some great presets with you like I did with Jeffrec....The expression pedal is a cool way of controlling precise parameters like delay mix,delay speed,rotary speed,depth and time of modulated effects....You can set the ToneLab up to where you have total switching control of effects or you can have the TL setup to where you can go back and forth on one bank between 4 presets....

With the effects mode setup....You have your basic amp tone...Now you can switch in and out of an extra pedal,a Univibe,the wah(just like on your VT amp) you can turn on and off the reverb,delay,modulation....You also have a control switch and this let's you take something in/out of the preset....

In program mode....Let's say you have a clean fender tone on preset 1 bank 1....A Vox preset on 2, A Plexi Marshall on 3 and a Higher gain JCM 800 on 4.....This is my actual bank 1....You can footswitch back and forth all night between these 4 presets...This gives you everything from Fender/Vox clean to early Marshall and then JCM 800 crunch....Each preset could be setup,so once you kick into each preset,all of your effects parameters are dialed in for ya....You can only footswitch in and out of effects in "effects mode" though....Download a manual...I did before buying mine..

I currently have a total of 3 banks of 4 presets and it covers everything our band does.....I have everything from nice clean tones,to early breakup blues,to early crunchy Marshall,to the 800 series,and than I have a High Gain Dual Rec tone that sounds great...Not including my "ZZ Top" La Grange preset made from the Tweed 1x12 combo in the TLLE...The guys in the band have been amazed with some of the tones I've been getting....I'm lucky in that I Know how to dial the thing in I guess? ;o)


Look on E Bay....I only payed $230 for mine total with the shipping....There are some great deals on there "right now".....Contact me anytime if I can help!
Click to expand...
 
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Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

Wow, John I don't think I need a manual any more after that expanation, lol. I'll do that, thank you very much. You and Jeff have been extremely helpful. I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. You guys rock!

Mar
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
Wow, John I don't think I need a manual any more after that expanation, lol. I'll do that, thank you very much. You and Jeff have been extremely helpful. I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. You guys rock!

Mar
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No problem brother.....Let me find a manual download for you to look at....If you get a ToneLab LE,Let me know and I'll send you some presets....I've dialed in some really good ones(I think anyway) ;o) Try to pay no more than $250 total for one(There are several on E Bay right now in that range)

Any questions regarding the LE....Contact me or call me! It's not a deep unit,but you know me well enough to know I get deep into stuff.....The tweaker in me! LOL
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

Thanks a million for the manual John. I'm in the game! I scored one on eBay for $202 plus twenty shipping. I'll give a report when it comes in. Oooooh, even if it flat out rocks, it will be hard to give up the combo. She's been extremely failthful to me for many years. But, gotta give something up to get something nowadays for me, lol.

I'll probably spend a ton of time tweaking as well. I love to dig pretty deep myself, starting with just amp models dry as a bone.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
Thanks a million for the manual John. I'm in the game! I scored one on eBay for $202 plus twenty shipping. I'll give a report when it comes in. Oooooh, even if it flat out rocks, it will be hard to give up the combo. She's been extremely failthful to me for many years. But, gotta give something up to get something nowadays for me, lol.

I'll probably spend a ton of time tweaking as well. I love to dig pretty deep myself, starting with just amp models dry as a bone.
Click to expand...

Awesome buddy! Basically you payed what I payed and you'll always know you got a great deal on a great unit...

You're on the right track....Build your tones from the amps and cab simulators and then add your effects and what stuff you want the EP to control....I Like reverb in the very least,as it adds that ambience to things(especially for clean tones)...For the money you payed,you'll find hours of enjoyment out of it...Please feel free to call me or pm me with your questions on how to do certain things...That is,if you can't figure out something yourself...Nice job there ToneLab brother!

I sold a few items and had money to spare after buying my own ToneLab..
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Awesome buddy! Basically you payed what I payed and you'll always know you got a great deal on a great unit...

You're on the right track....Build your tones from the amps and cab simulators and then add your effects and what stuff you want the EP to control....I Like reverb in the very least,as it adds that ambience to things(especially for clean tones)...For the money you payed,you'll find hours of enjoyment out of it...Please feel free to call me or pm me with your questions on how to do certain things...That is,if you can't figure out something yourself...Nice job there ToneLab brother!

I sold a few items and had money to spare after buying my own ToneLab..
Click to expand...

Sounds great John. This is my first "new" piece of equipment in a long, long time because of financial constraints--okay, I'm in bankruptcy, a bit more of a constraint, lol--and I'm really excited. I had a Line 6 Vetta which I adored, but I had to sell it to get some cash. I used it in stereo kind of with an old MXR yellow chorus pedal and my Marshall half stack. I replaced the Vetta with the Vox and still got a great sound. It looks like I'll be able to have more fun with the Tonelab. Now if I call you, you have to bear with me cuz I'm a big ol dummy, lol.

Thanks again. I'll check back in when she gets here. Man, there were some that sold on ebay last week in the 150s and 160s! Crazy for such a good sounding unit.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

The Eagle Has Landed, lol. UPS just dropped it off and since I'm out of a job, I'll have a chance to mess with it today. I'll report later what I think so far.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
The Eagle Has Landed, lol. UPS just dropped it off and since I'm out of a job, I'll have a chance to mess with it today. I'll report later what I think so far.
Click to expand...

Some of the factory presets are pretty cool....The EVH,and Brian May ones come to mind....Redcoats is a cool preset also...When I first got mine,I Listened to every single factory preset,before I made my own..
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
The Eagle Has Landed, lol. UPS just dropped it off and since I'm out of a job, I'll have a chance to mess with it today. I'll report later what I think so far.
Click to expand...

Very cool. The trade I had lined up fell through, so I guess I'll have to wait but I'll be interested in what you think of it.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

Wow John, I am amazed. The first thing I did was reset it to the factory presets and then I went right to the Eruption patch. Neat patch to mess with, but from there I started messing with the controls on my amp before I remembered that you have to set the Tonelab's output for which kind of amp you're using which is really cool. It does make a big difference in the tone. I'm using the old sixty watt Univox U1246B which is basically a plexi clone running through the Earcandy Buzzbomb (which is a 2X12 cab that I loaded with a V30 and G12H30.)

You were so right about really digging into this unit. If you want to just plug in and play, it will sound okay but when you program it--wow!. I hooked up my 73 Marshall 50 watt and used that as a guide and do you know I got the sound so darn close that my jaw hit the floor? Oh, you can still tell the difference between them but I would equate that to the difference between one Marshall to the next. I programmed the analog delay for some light echo, added some--not a lot--of compression and I was in heaven. As with any art imitating life, the lower the volume on the patch, the less it sounds like the original. At bedroom volumes it sounds Marshally, a bit louder it's closer but when I cranked it to the same volume as the original, it was right there. It sounded pretty much just as good at what I would call "band" volumes as well. Like a real Marshall it needs to be loud to get the sound. I had the cab sims on as well too. Mine sounded worse without them.

Now I haven't messed with any other patches yet because I spent way too much time playing this one when I was through programming it, lol. I will go as far as to say that the tonelab is not just better than the Valvetronix, but it smokes it as far as the Marshall patch 68P is concerned. I think the modulation effects are better on this as well plus you can dig so much deeper into programming.

I love my Valvetronix AD60VTX but the tonelab through a vintage amp imho is a better setup. The think I was afraid of was putting a preamp through an amp, which I've never had success doing, whether it was Zoom, Line 6 Pod Pro or any other of the billions of things I've had. It's clear as a bell and not a whiff of blanket over the speaker syndrome. Goodness, I can't imagine it sounding better through a PA, but supposedly it does.

To anyone getting one or thinking about getting one--don't just plug in, press a few buttons and play. Get used to it and use the controls on your guitar, amplifier AND Tonelab and you will probably get what you want out of it. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this unit and I've got John's post to thank for it. THANK YOU BROTHA! Cool beans.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

kjrocks said:
Very cool. The trade I had lined up fell through, so I guess I'll have to wait but I'll be interested in what you think of it.
Click to expand...

As you can see above I kinda like it, lol. I haven't recorded anything is a very long time, maybe years, but I may set up the old rig and record some clips.

:friday:
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

75lespaul said:
Wow John, I am amazed. The first thing I did was reset it to the factory presets and then I went right to the Eruption patch. Neat patch to mess with, but from there I started messing with the controls on my amp before I remembered that you have to set the Tonelab's output for which kind of amp you're using which is really cool. It does make a big difference in the tone. I'm using the old sixty watt Univox U1246B which is basically a plexi clone running through the Earcandy Buzzbomb (which is a 2X12 cab that I loaded with a V30 and G12H30.)

You were so right about really digging into this unit. If you want to just plug in and play, it will sound okay but when you program it--wow!. I hooked up my 73 Marshall 50 watt and used that as a guide and do you know I got the sound so darn close that my jaw hit the floor? Oh, you can still tell the difference between them but I would equate that to the difference between one Marshall to the next. I programmed the analog delay for some light echo, added some--not a lot--of compression and I was in heaven. As with any art imitating life, the lower the volume on the patch, the less it sounds like the original. At bedroom volumes it sounds Marshally, a bit louder it's closer but when I cranked it to the same volume as the original, it was right there. It sounded pretty much just as good at what I would call "band" volumes as well. Like a real Marshall it needs to be loud to get the sound. I had the cab sims on as well too. Mine sounded worse without them.

Now I haven't messed with any other patches yet because I spent way too much time playing this one when I was through programming it, lol. I will go as far as to say that the tonelab is not just better than the Valvetronix, but it smokes it as far as the Marshall patch 68P is concerned. I think the modulation effects are better on this as well plus you can dig so much deeper into programming.

I love my Valvetronix AD60VTX but the tonelab through a vintage amp imho is a better setup. The think I was afraid of was putting a preamp through an amp, which I've never had success doing, whether it was Zoom, Line 6 Pod Pro or any other of the billions of things I've had. It's clear as a bell and not a whiff of blanket over the speaker syndrome. Goodness, I can't imagine it sounding better through a PA, but supposedly it does.

To anyone getting one or thinking about getting one--don't just plug in, press a few buttons and play. Get used to it and use the controls on your guitar, amplifier AND Tonelab and you will probably get what you want out of it. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this unit and I've got John's post to thank for it. THANK YOU BROTHA! Cool beans.
Click to expand...

That is really great buddy! Glad you're already getting along good with your Tonelab...If you want to try some of my own presets(when you're ready) just let me know and I'll send them...

I've been running mine still,straight into my BF Fender Pro Reverb combo...I have a few presets that always work and then some specific presets for specific songs....I Love mine also and I use my VTH 120 setup at home for practicing,but live and with my band,it's the Tonelab....I also do have a modded wah,a volume pedal,a TS 808,and a Marshall Jackhammer along with the TLLE(As mentioned)...My favorite Marshall type tone is the UK 80s and that is the modded preset that I use most to cover our classic rock stuff....The Fender BF 2x12 gets alot of mileage,plus I use a pedal with it for versatility when I need to switch back and forth between clean/overdrive...

Anyway...I'm glad you like what you have,plus you got a good deal on your's also! Nice job...
 
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Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

STRATDELUXER97 said:
My favorite Marshall type tone is the UK 80s and that is the modded preset that I use most to cover our classic rock stuff.
Click to expand...

Oops, my error. The patch I made last night started out with the 68P Plexi patch but I did change it to UK80s, which sounds more like an early 70s amp in my setup.

Thanks man, yeah anytime you want to send some tones, that would be great! I'm going to try and make at least one usable patch a day for it. The only thing that the Valvetronics amp has over this setup--one piece to lug instead of three and a bunch of cables. Oh well, tone always wins out over convenience, ha ha.
 
Re: Vox ToneLab LE(My Trimmed Down Setup)

John,

I used the Strat last night at rehearsal, instead of my Usual LP or SG. Using some of your JCM800 patch I got some real good tones. Much better than when I tried it with teh LP at home. Seems to be better suited to the Strat. The JCM900 setting was good as well. I'm going to mess with your complete JCM800 patch and see what I get.

Thanks Bro',

Jeff
 
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