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View Full Version : Decision Time!



Matt
March 3rd, 2006, 04:48 PM
Well, I've now got the means to buy myself a semi-decent amp around the £230 mark, approx $400 for you americans, but I am torn as to what to get. Within this price range, I have several options:

Laney Tubefusion range (the one I want is 120W (the TF-300 II), hybrid (tube/ss))
Vox Valvetronix (The AD50VT, again a hybrid amp, but only 50W)
Fender FM series (the FM-212R is 100W, but doesnt look great)
Marshall MG series (Shudder)
Marshall AVT50 (looks nice but again only 50W. Hybrid)
Epiphone Triggerman amps (60W, but SS)
Line6 Spider II series (look interesting, but still all SS)

Now, the thing is, I jam regularly, and I'm about to start gigging often. My current amp (which is pretty damn awful) is 60W, and it can barely keep up with the drummer, and it squeals like a pig at high volumes with feedback, which is why I am skeptical of the amps below 60W. Theres part of me that wants an all valve amp, but I cant get one big enough at this price range, and I need the amp soon, so I can't wait and save more money (I'll be ordering this weekend).

So my question is, what to go for? I'm leaning toward the Laney, because it does have fairly convincing tube sound, and alot of wattage. check them out here (http://www.laney.co.uk/site.htm), but I'm fairly sure alot of you here will try to persuade me otherwise *cough* Vox *cough* :D

regards

Matt

marnold
March 3rd, 2006, 07:59 PM
Naturally, I'd plug the Vox. Are you sure that the feedback is actually the amp's problem and not the guitar's?

Matt
March 4th, 2006, 02:25 AM
erm, well it could well be my VS6 SG clone, as it doesn't seem to feedback as much with my '51. Probably the extremely cheap electronics in it.

I've been looking at the AD50VT, and I am slowly becoming more convinced- the multitude of things you can do with it is quite astounding, and the cheese grater look doesnt bother me that much :D But is it loud enough to keep up with a fairly heavy drummer? The music itself isnt that heavy, he just likes to hit his drums very loudly. And thus, would it be able to gig with? I don't have the money to get an extension speaker cab yet. Could always mic it I suppose.

regards

Matt

Matt
March 4th, 2006, 05:55 AM
Well, I've taken the gamble and ordered the AD50VT. Guess I'm yet another AD**VT abnd Squier '51 fanatic. What are people's tips then for these amps? Any settings that you favour?

regards

Matt

duhvoodooman
March 4th, 2006, 07:44 AM
Well, I've taken the gamble and ordered the AD50VT. Guess I'm yet another AD**VT abnd Squier '51 fanatic.

Well, congrats! An excellent choice, I believe. I have the smaller AD30VT, and the versatility of these Valvetronix amps is quite amazing. Unless your drummer measures his beats on the Richter scale, you shouldn't have any trouble cutting through with the amp dialed up.


What are people's tips then for these amps? Any settings that you favour?

Well, keep in mind I'm an old fart and favor "the classics", so I tend to stay on the left side of the amp model dial. The Boutique CL offers some beautifully clean and responsive tones, and the two Fender emulations (Black 2x12/Twin Reverb and Tweed 4x10/'59 Bassman) are great, too. I especially like to "dirty them up" with an overdrive pedal for blues tones a la SRV. Your Bad Monkey pedal should work great for that.

The AC15 does nothing for me, but the AC30TB is a cool model, especially since you can bring on a nice gradual break-up with the gain and volume controls. The UK 70's (Marshall Plexi) model sounds great with my LP for classic 70's rock, especially with the gain pushed up. The UK 80's (Marshall JCM800) adds some distortion and is perfect for 80's vintage rock and metal.

I don't use the models above that point much, since they are high gain/high distortion models better suited to stuff I just don't play. But depending on what you like, they may be very useful to you.

As far as the effects go, you just have to play around and see what suits your fancy. I tend to use the reverb settings mostly, along with comp and occasionally some chorus. I'm not much of a phaser/flanger guy, but it has those, too.

You should definitely stop by Patchtronix.com (http://www.patchtronix.com/) and Valvetronix.net (http://www.valvetronix.net/) and check out the information and user forums there. Both offer "libraries" of amp settings people have posted to emulate individual songs or the sound of certain artists and bands. Browse through and see if there's anything there you like.

And, by the way, you don't have to live with the cheese grater. Click on the link in my signature info below....

r_a_smith3530
March 4th, 2006, 08:06 AM
Too late now, but wow, with that kind of dough, there's all kinds of cool stuff available on the used market. I wouldn't be all that worried about wattage. Just mic the amp and run it through the sound board!

BTW, with my Les Paul and 50 watt all tube tweed Peavey Classic, I cut through the mix quite nicely!

Oh well, good luck with your AD**VT!

SuperSwede
March 4th, 2006, 08:12 AM
Matt, I dont know if the ADxxVT series has the Tweed 1X12 amp, but that is my favorite on the Valvetronix Tonelab. UK Blues is really nice as well.

duhvoodooman
March 4th, 2006, 10:02 AM
Matt, I dont know if the ADxxVT series has the Tweed 1X12 amp, but that is my favorite on the Valvetronix Tonelab. UK Blues is really nice as well.
Unfortunately, both of those models are missing from the ADxxVT series. I'd like to have the UK Blues myself....shades of EC on the Mayall "Beano" album! But there's still plenty of cool models to fool around with. Throw in a couple of pedals, and the possibilities are endless.

Justaguyin_nc
March 4th, 2006, 10:46 AM
Congrats Matt!
Hope you enjoy that VOX... This place kinda draws people to the VOX so your in good company... I probably started on this forum due to the videos of the VOX and the 51 over at renman's site... The 51 was a no brainer and is here in the house... I some how got side tracked from the VOX and landed a 65 watt Cyber-Champ by Fender (Cyber-Twins little brother) which I am very happy with but I don't play with no drummer.. although not as popular, it also has alot of features and great sound (imho)... With the patches for the VOX available elsewhere and all the members here to share experience with, you should be a happy owner in no time with a quality product...

SuperSwede
March 4th, 2006, 10:50 AM
Unfortunately, both of those models are missing from the ADxxVT series. I'd like to have the UK Blues myself....

Maybe you should check out the tonelab, its really fun to mix and match amplifers and cabs! And let me tell you that the Tweed 1x12 sounds great through the UKH30 4X12! Lots of great sounds cooking in the lab :)

http://www.voxamps.co.uk/images/products/tonelab/tonelab_ampModels.jpg
http://www.voxamps.co.uk/images/products/tonelab/tonelab_effects.jpg

marnold
March 4th, 2006, 12:26 PM
I like the Tweed 4x12 because it's, like, four times better :)

In all seriousness, that is the amp I use for my blue tone which I just love.

SuperSwede
March 4th, 2006, 12:42 PM
Yes the Tweed 4x10 is nice, but the 1x12 is nicer imho ;) lol

Matt
March 4th, 2006, 01:02 PM
Cheers for the inputs guys. I can invisage using all of the amp models at times- while what my band practises is modern and indie, I still favour classic rock :D

regards

Matt

Tim
March 4th, 2006, 01:27 PM
Hey Matt - Congratulations on you selection. I have the AD30VT and I am still learning about this amp. Below are the best advice I can give you.

Read the instruction manual. It’s one of those manuals that should be read over and over. When you figure out something about the amp ... read the manual again and something new will jump out at you. I have read mine at least 6 times and I am still highlighting something new in it.

As VooDoo has mentioned visit the other two sites. There is a ton of information along with more knowledgeable and friendly guys there. Especially “VoxMan”. He will go out of his way to help you.

The problem you will most likely experience is not having enough time to read all the information on the two sites, because you want to play and jam.

The Fret Net also has some Vox amp owners who are knowledgeable owners and will be glad to answer any questions.

Have fun and enjoy

Robert
March 4th, 2006, 05:18 PM
Congrats on a good amp Matt. I have a lot of fun with mine. It isn't hard to get a good sound out of it. Just go to manual mode and tweak away, but go easy on the effects.

Matt
March 5th, 2006, 08:08 AM
Aww, but I love effects :D lol, thanks for the input guys. I can imagine spending a large amount of time in the manual mode. I've ordered the footswitch as well, so i can have three channels if I remember correctly?

Tim- thanks for the advice. I've looked at the websites, and found a few settings I want to try out (alot of the Pink Floyd ones!) and if I come across a cool setting I'll submit here and there :D

regards

Matt

Katastrophe
March 5th, 2006, 08:41 AM
Congrats, man! From what I've heard, that Vox sounds like a great amp. Don't worry about the wattage so much. 50W is plenty loud, even with a heavy drummer. Next time at practice, try placing the amp on a chair and leaning it back, to where the speaker points slightly upwards. It'll be like you found "11.";)

Nelskie
March 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM
Matt - Hey, congrats on the new amp. I'd like to say that I'm surprised that you chose the Vox . . . but not really. The ADxxVT series amps are easily some of the best-sounding amps out there, not to mention ultra-versatile with all of the quality tones they have. Your head will be spinning like a top in no time once you have it in front of you - there's just so MANY awesome sounds to be found in it.

There's really quite a herd of you Valvetronix players on this forum. Me and Justa' are starting to feel a little lonely out here in Fenderland. Oh well, maybe it's time for me to fire up a Cyber thread, and see if we can't put our own "herd" of players together!! :D

Robert - Vox should really be paying you some type of commission. I've lost track over the # of folks that credit you, your videos, Dolphinstreet, or Fret.Net for turning them onto those amps. One thing that seems to get overlooked is how good YOU sound playing through that amp. And, that, my friend, is a feather for your cap. ;)

Matt
March 5th, 2006, 01:51 PM
Cheers Katastophe, I'll have to check out that chair trick. That'll show the drummer a thing or two.

Nelskie- there seems to be a dark presence on this forum that whispers in your ears "buy a valvetronix" repeadedly. I'm not complaining :D Hopefully it will arrive by midweek. I'll post the results when I get it.

p.s. When I have the money, I will buy myself a real Fender. Stress on the "When"

regards

Matt

Nelskie
March 5th, 2006, 01:57 PM
Matt - "Dark Presence" :eek: Yeah, that's what it is . . . !!

Really, if they had amps like the Vox ADxxVT back when I started out, it's very likely that things in my guitar-playing world would have evolved very differently!!

You are going to LOVE that amp!! Look forward to reading a post or two after you get "dialed in" with it! ;)

Robert
March 5th, 2006, 03:05 PM
Nelskie, I bow my head for your comments. Thank you sir!

Matt, I think you'll have fun with it. It is quite loud too, so I don't think you'll have any problems with your drummer.

r_a_smith3530
March 6th, 2006, 07:32 AM
Next time at practice, try placing the amp on a chair and leaning it back, to where the speaker points slightly upwards. It'll be like you found "11.";)

Good advice Katastrophe. I have an Ultimate amp stand, and it seems to make quite a bit of difference with my Peavey Classic 50/410.

marnold
March 6th, 2006, 09:29 AM
Whatever amph you get, make sure it gives you screaming solos.

Matt
March 7th, 2006, 12:49 PM
Well, it arrived today. And I'm impressed- not only with the sounds of it, but the size of it, and how loud it is! I should have no problem with the drummer after all. I've turned down the power rating to about 15W so I can crank it, as it sounded muffled when it was on 50W with the volumes all low. Another thing I've noticed is that after about 15-20 mins of playing, the sound quality suddenly improved (and got louder for some reason). Is this due to the tube warming up?

At the moment, I'm trying to get my head around the three channel thing, because I need at least three generally- clean, light dist and heavy dist. suppose I need to read the manual. I like all of the amp models really, and all of the effects. But if I'm going to make use of the three channels, I'm probably going to need external stompboxes for effects, as the bypass switch on the footpedal is comprimised. Ah well

Anyway, I'm going to fiddle with it.

regards

Matt

duhvoodooman
March 7th, 2006, 01:23 PM
Cool! Glad to hear you like it so far. Not sure what the volume increase was, since the tube should be pretty much fully warmed up in a minute or two.

Re: using three channels, try setting up the footswitch for Manual Mode on the #2 switch, per bottom of page 16 in the owner's manual. Set up your two preset channels, storing the program settings, then switch to manual mode and adjust settings for your third "program". Now, when you stomp on switch #2, you'll go back and forth between the channels sets and the manual settings--essentially the same as having 3 preset channels. It's just that the manual settings aren't stored in memory.

You may find a bunch of the stuff on my Valvetronix webpage (http://duhvoodooman.com/ad30vt/default.htm) useful, particularly as a new ADxxVT owner. Included are top panel images for all of the factory model presets (including the effects settings), graphics files for making your own Top Panel images, spreadsheet templates for storing program settings in tabular form, and more. Check it out!

Re: your three target tones, here are a few things to try--

It's tough to beat the Boutique Cl and the Black 2x12 models for clean tones. For some light-to-medium distortion, I like to dial up the gain and volume on the Tweed 4x10, AC30TB or UK 70's models for that, or use an overdrive pedal like the Digitech Tone Driver or Bad Monkey with the cleaner models. For heavier distortion, the whole right side of the amp model dial is your friend, with the gain setting at least halfway up. So fool around and see what strikes your fancy.

Matt
March 7th, 2006, 01:50 PM
cheers Voodoo, very helpful indeed :D I'll feedback more after another play with it

warren0728
March 7th, 2006, 02:07 PM
cheers Voodoo, very helpful indeed :D I'll feedback more after another play with it
feedback...i get it...a funny amp joke!

ww : )

duhvoodooman
March 7th, 2006, 02:21 PM
feedback...i get it...a funny amp joke!

ww : )
I knew I should gotten the AD50VT!! With this AD30VT, I get no funny amph jokes.... :D

Matt
March 7th, 2006, 03:41 PM
funny, never intended it to be a joke!

What ive decided to do after some playing around is have CH1 as clean (SRV clean :D) and CH2 as light dist. Then use my bad monkey to add to it for more distortion if needed. Then i can use the second button on the footswitch to add an effect like delay or reverb (as I use them alot). I really love the default rotary speaker effect :)

Alternatively, I could have CH1 clean, CH2 light, manual heavy and use my zoom GFX-1 as a multi effects board. Might be easier. I'll have to tinker around more. Either way, for recording, I'll do each layer seperatley just using the amp. Its just the live problem :P

regards

Matt

warren0728
March 7th, 2006, 03:48 PM
funny, never intended it to be a joke!
those are the best kind!

ww

duhvoodooman
March 7th, 2006, 04:01 PM
What ive decided to do after some playing around is have CH1 as clean (SRV clean :D) ....
From what I've read, SRV often used Fender blackface amps as well as a Dumble Steel String Singer head for clean tones. So the Black 2x12 and Boutique CL models should zero in on that tone pretty well for ya!

Tim
March 7th, 2006, 04:53 PM
Matt – When you connect your Zoom GFX-1 to your new Vox amp, let me know if you get any noise from your strings. When I connect my Digitech to my AD30VT, my strings make a strange noise. When I connect my Digitech to my Peavey 40 watt solid-state amp I get no noise from the stings. I think it has something to do with connecting a digital processor into another digital processor. I am curious to your testing results.

Pedals work fine with the AD30VT.

VooDoo - Have you experienced this phenomenal with your Vox amp?

Matt
March 8th, 2006, 01:45 PM
I cant say Ive notcied any stange noises. But the amp doesnt seem to like the pedal too much, the effects sound pretty harsh and metalic. Looks like I'm gonna have to get seperate stompboxes, but that can wait.

I'm trying to find a definitive destortion I like- the Black212 is great for cleans and I love it, but its a toss between UK modern and US highgain for the distortions.

Heres a sound clip with me just messing around. Not heavy, something Ive been toying with for ages, but struggling to fit into a song. The backing is very similar to a song on Pulp fiction that Ive never found the name of.

p.s, I havnt got the sound levels quite right for the line in, but hey

SuperSwede
March 8th, 2006, 01:52 PM
That was really cool Matt, I thought it was more Twin Peaks than Pulp Fiction if you ask me :)

Tim
March 8th, 2006, 02:55 PM
Matt – I believe there is a post on this forum that mentions the fact that the Blackface modeler does not like pedals.

Also do a search at

http://www.patchtronix.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=index

Or

http://www.valvetronix.net/

which is VooDoo’s webpage.

Matt
March 9th, 2006, 02:34 PM
Cheers Tim, but it seems that most the channels tend not to like the Zoom. I'll try my friends Boss DD-6 tomorrow and see if it likes that any better.

After some more messing around, here's (http://www.savefile.com/files.php?fid=2703870) me trying to play metal for the first time. Now, I'm not hugely fond of this style of music, so I'm just messing around for the hell of it :D

marnold
March 9th, 2006, 03:51 PM
I didn't like anything that came out of my Vox with my ZOOM 505II. Of course, with the effects on the amp itself I really don't need it. The Vox seems to do well with my Behringer OD, though.

Nelskie
March 9th, 2006, 04:52 PM
I think running your Zoom 505II with your Vox is resulting in a "double digital whammy" with the Vox. Putting a digitally-reproduced signal on top of a digitally-reproduced signal often times causes one or the other to get "fussy".
Granted, those are laymen's terms, but when I run my own Zoom G2 pedal through my Valve Jr., or my Classic 30 (both tube amps), the tonal results are positively excellent. I haven't tried the G2 with my Cyber Twin, which is hybrid amp much like the Vox, but probably won't, either, because the tones and effects it has are equal, or superior to the Zoom's. Still, the G2 is a very versatile pedal, and for less than $100 bones, it does a ton of things very well. Haven't had the opportunity to try it with a solid-state amp as of yet. Which speaking of, maybe I need to buy one . . . ?