Vox Cooltron Big Ben Overdrive

Price Paid: US $199

Ease of Use: 10
Easy to use, it's got the standard overdrive control setup.

Sound Quality: 6
Here's where I ran into a bit of an issue... I think the unit sound excellent as far as tone goes, it's a warm-sounding pedal and not harsh at all. Perhaps a little too dark though for some applications. The problem is that the unit makes a loud pop when you switch it in or out of operation. The switch seems kind of cheap and does not have a solid feel to it, it feels a little mushy and like something it would wear out fast perhaps. Anyhow, it sounds nice but the popping is unacceptable, it's quite loud when the volume gets cranked. I ended up returning this unit and picking up a Barber LTD Silver, it's a very nice transparent overdrive for much less money, which is true-bypass. Sure, it's cool to have the real tube in there but in the end if you find something that's smaller, lighter, and cheaper that sounds just as great and will have better reliability in the end most likely then it makes sense to switch. Mostly it was the popping thing though...

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by megajay at 12/05/2005 11:01

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 10
3 knobs. How hard can that be.. :)

Sound Quality: 10
Perfect. Used Strats, Ibanez JEM7, Ibanez SZ520, PRS, Les Paul. Amp used: Marshall DSL50 and Peavey JSX. The best overdrive out there in my opinion. But that's me. Try it yourself. Just fantastic, Round and smooth, AND biting at the same time. Worked great on clean channels and the distorted channels

Reliability: N/A
Looks and feels sturdy

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I would buy it again. I will probably buy the Brit boost too. Also a cool and well sounding overdrive. To all you people who want try this this: It's a tube inside, so play at least 20 min to warm up the tube.

Submitted by Johan at 08/12/2005 08:57

Price Paid: US $200

Ease of Use: 10
All been said already, except the knobs on this baby were meant to be turned up. A lot of pedals are like a fender reverb knob don't turn past 3-4. this is more like a marshall you can keep the knobs in the 7-10 range.

Actually in the 1-5 range it doesn't do much at all.

Sound Quality: 9
Slightly noisy, but just slightly. I use mostly the higher end boutique stuff (spoiled I am). I have thousands of $$$ in pedals.
My favorites are the fulltone line, TS808, and MXR OD. Just for something different I thought I'd try this one.

It heavy, but uses regular off the shelf cheapo parts inside. But that is OK.

I use strat,tele,les paul, es335.es175,ricki's with Fender Tweed, Blackface Twins,Marshall Plexi, Marshall HWbass and lead, Vox AC30, Orange.

This pedal has a "Vox-ey" sound and adds really really Nice Compression to your OD. This Compression is the reason that I will keep this pedal. IT is very nice, reasonably priced, you'd probably like it to.

I play mostly classic rock, country-ish type of music.

If you have a crap-o amp it still sounds pretty good. I took a battery operated $35 Plastic Fender Mini Twin and my strat out on the islands and we do a lot of campfire stuff at night. With the tube in this pedal It sure made the little plasic amp sound more convincing and after a few beers and stuff it sounded great around the campfire

Reliability: N/A
Seems well built on the outside, it is beefy and has a lot of weight etc.......... On the inside flimsy pc board, and run of the mill components. I had my amp tech change out the footswitch and the input output jacks to something more durable.

If I made a living playing guitar I'd have to bring a few just because the insides looked more like a computer and less like the typical indistructable footswitch you'd expect in a simpler design.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with em, hope I never do. (how many times has that been said)

Overall Rating: 7
They charge a boutique-like price and use cost saving parts. Stores are full on Chinese/japenese made crap that looks cool and breaks and basically disposable. Not saying this pedal is, but it has some of those parts in it. (Read the reviews on the NEW Chinese AC30 if you wanna good scare).

I remember when you would go to the store and buy a gibson or fender at is was top quality. Now they've relabled those "custom shop" and charge a small fortune. For the rest you get mediocore "wanna be".

I hate this money making stratagy and it reflects in my rating.

But the Compression it adds is very rich and harmonic/musical. I would recommend buying this pedal, but wish they would build it as nice on the inside as they do on the outside. I'd even pay an extra $100 for a quality "custom shop" version.............

Submitted by Gino at 08/11/2005 18:05

Price Paid: 245 (canada)

Ease of Use: 10
I have been looking for a transparent overdrive pedal for quite some time now, and didnt want to colour the excellent sound of my Mesa F-50, since that in of itself has a great clean, and overdrive sound on 2nd channel. What i wanted was an "extra" channel for the clean, and the crunch (2nd), and I have found this with this new vox pedal.

It has a 12AU7 tube in it, and due to the very smart circuit built in, it doesnt run in starvation mode, which is what all other 12AX7 tubes basically do. I am an electronics Technologist, and know full well , that its IMPOSSIBLE to get REAL tube sound out of solid state discrete components, although I admit some like the Tonebone classic, FD-2, Barber DD sound very nice.

I was drawn to this pedal due to the design, gave it a try ,and was impressed. It is noticeably warmer than the above pedals (tube), has tone, volume, and gain knob, with one good quality switch. Has the LED to let you know its on/off, and of course, true bypass. This thing is built in Japan, which is odd, since the New Vox Ac30 amps are built in china (??) oh well, no problem from me; i prefer it that way. With the tone maxed out (or maybe backed off just a tad), and gain set to full counter clockwise,you have the SAME sound from your amp, as if it was off. Now that is transparency folks.

Sound Quality: 9
Like I said, true transparency, not too noisy, unless your using single coils, dirty power supplies etc, and have the gain maxed out.

The tone circuits used are great, and i cannot get a bad sound out of this thing. I have turned my Mesa F-50 into somewhat of a very good rendition of a Vox amp with the clean channel, and this Big Ben tone maxed, and gain set to about 3oclock.

I use this with a R.I 59 Les Paul w/new burstbuckers, PRS custom 24 (1995),my 1984 Japanese Squier Tele w/swamp ash body (great sounding tele for the record), Fender 50th anniverary, crafted in Japan, Strat with the disc type string tree. (Like the 54 re-issue for 2004) and a 1984 Japanese Yamaha SA800 (complete rip off, and better made version of the Gibson 335)

One thing here folks, if you do not start off with a good amp, and I mean a good amp (read the reviews of the F-50, and from Magazines) and good guitar, pick ups, cables (george L's), then your sound is crap, and no pedal in the world, even if it was made by god, will help your sound out. Start there, and go from there, cuz if your not happy with the sound from square one (guitar >>amp) then your a lost cause, and it will be wrought with frustration.

One thing to note, I have since ditched all my Boss pedals going to input of the amp, but have the DD-20, and CE-2 for effects loop purposes. No more CS-3, modded TS-9 (although i will keep it). Its all true bypass so as not to jinx the great sound of guitar to amp on its own. I wanted to use the Line6 DM4, but it crapped out, and spat a distortion barrage of 1's and 0's at me when i tried it out on 2 occasions. No thanks. I dont give a rats ass how great is sounds. That aint happening on a gig thank you very much. Boss is Boss.

Anyway to close, i have added a great "other " channel to my amp, and couldnt be happier. Its made me think if i need to get a compressor now ( I sold my CS-3, and happy i did, but I never used it anyway) cuz if you turn the Big Ben gain full up, on 2nd crunch channel on amp(low gain), it just sings for days. Back off on gain on the pedal, and it breaks up accordingly without loosing the tonal response. Remember this thing has a 12AU7 tube in it, from EH, but i have a couple of JAN phillips 12AU&'s from '82 around that i might put in just for shits and giggles.

Shredders (i.e Metallica, Lincoln Park, etc..( you need the BullDog Distortion box, as this one is for classic type AC-30ish type of sound, or go get a modifed DS-1 from Keeley. Nothing is a 10 so consider this 9 a 10.

Reliability: N/A
Havent had it long enough. If it breaks, I will write up again, but its a shiney chrome top with very rugged steel housing. Weighs a nice bit, and so I dont think it will break.

Customer Support: N/A
I hope i dont need to go there. Again, if i do , will write up again.

Overall Rating: N/A
Its a bit pricey (methinks) and it is a new product (1 of 3 of different flavours), but I have become frustrated with my modded TS-9, Boss distortion, and even tried the fulltone FD2. Was thinking of the Barber LTD, or the DD, but this pedal is just so musical, warm, and has that unmistakable tube vibe to it. Tube pedal into tube amp. Brilliant. I also have a Xotic effects RC booster, which is , for solid state, one of the best pedals I have heard. Transparent as hell (you cant tell the diff between on/off), and i use it as a buffer because you will loose signal with long guitar cables. I also have a 1980 MXR Flanger, a 30 year old wah face (think Dallas Arbiter) wah pedal(modded), and the Boss delay-chorus pedals for effect loop. I love the Big Ben, and it has put me into another shifted realm of excitement, and tonal satisfaction than what i get from the solid state pedals. I think its a winner, so try one if you can get your hands on one, cuz my local music store had the Bull Dog in for 3 days,,,,sold, gone, they had the Big Ben Left, I tried it again in store with the F-50 and proceeded to the check out counter with my plastic in hand. Ka ching!!

Submitted by prsman at 08/09/2005 06:03

Price Paid: US $180 +/-

Ease of Use: 10
just got it.
easy.

Sound Quality: 9
my gear: fender deluxe, fender strat
would give but haven't heard all of them yet.
used to use fender deluxe amp drive, then switched to Ibanez Tube King which sounded better. Now I'm using this one and I have to say that it simply sCREAMS.
You can actually hear the difference when you turn this one on:
your tone stays the same, only driven.
Try doing some tests by turning it on and off and trying to hear how your tone gets its balls shaven.
I've never heard such a delicate and great-sounding drive before.
There is almost no noise, and you can get the feedback quite quickly whenever you want it -> you control it.

Reliability: 10
i don't really know, but it looks quite solid

Customer Support: 10
yy eeeee. I guess there wouldn't be any problems

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 8 years now. I play straight from the jewels.
besides fender gear i ocassionally use rotovobie and vox wah.
all this sounds really great driven by bigben and me, heh. kiddin'
anyway just go to any musicstore and give yourself a few minutes with this chickenknobbed beaver. you won't regret it

Submitted by jedrzej lewandowski at 07/12/2005 01:55

Price Paid: US $210.00

Ease of Use: 10
As easy as it gets. Totally self-explanatory. Just plug it in and turn the knobs and you'll find a great tone in seconds.

Sound Quality: 10
I've tried this pedal with a Tele, Strat, Zion strat, ES-335 and PRS, of course you have to make adjustments when you switch from single coil to humbuckers but both sound great. I'm playing through a Top Hat Club Deluxe but I have no doubt that this pedal can be made to sound good with just about any rig. Noise is not a problem, even on the highest gain settings. Vox is really getting somewhere with their tube technology, using a tube in the output to warm up the tone. I'm impressed! I have to comment on how responsive the controls are. They actually do good things. You can gradually turn up the tone and gain knobs and get pretty subtle increases. Brian May fans, forget about a treble booster, Crank the tone on this pedal and you're there. Again, I'm impressed. Beware metalheads! You will probably not like this pedal. This is more of a 60s/70s vintage drive sound. If you're looking for ultra high gain/scooped mids, you might want to check out the Vox Bulldog Distortion which was designed with you in mind. If it's anywhere near as good as this pedal you won't be disappointed.

Reliability: N/A
Haven't had it long enough to comment but Vox does have a shakey track record in this department. We'll see.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with them

Overall Rating: 10
Right now I'm playing Country and Blues in two different bands but I'll probably be using this pedal primarily in the studio. I've been playng 40 years and have been a session player for 25 years. Needless to say I've been through a load of gear. I recently bought a Fulltone OCD (big disappointment)and a Barber DD (better than a TS9 but nothing special) and this pedal leaves `em in the dust.

Submitted by Bobby G at 07/07/2005 14:17

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: N/A

Sound Quality: 10
I just wanted to add a comment for those looking to buy this pedal:

1. Battery life is shorter than your average pedal. If that is your major concern over tone, look elsewhere. Tubes demand energy. The cool thing is that it distorts more harmonically as the batteries go weak. A lot better sounding than a transistor pedal as the battery dies. Can you say..Yuck? Buy rechargable batteries or get a 9v adapter.

2. Speaking of tone. This pedal is a very neutral sounding pedal. The bass, mids, and highs are all represented well and its a nice thick tone. Think modern Billy Gibbons. Some may call it mid heavy...especially if you are looking for a modern sounding pedal (like a MesaBoogie or a scooped midrange type of high gain sound). This pedal is for a traditional rock and hi-gain sounds. If you're looking for a heavy metal pedal for a modern sound...try the Bulldog Distortion pedal. Vox designed two different pedals for two different sounds.

Make sure you buy the right pedal for the right sound. I love this pedal over any transistor stuff I've owned. It really sags and sings and offers a wide range of tone. From nasty ZZtop (old and new) to higain 70's 80's type of rock.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by Mario at 06/08/2005 12:13

Price Paid: US $205

Ease of Use: 10
Very easy to use. Operates on easily accessable 6 AA or 9v adaptor (don't use a 9v battery...its not the same). Volume, very effective Tone control, and Gain. True bypass.

Sound Quality: 10
Wow...this is absolutely the best overdrive / distortion pedal i've used...and I've used a lot. I have a Fuchs OD Supreme head w/ 1x12 cab as my main amp and it has spoiled me in my quest for a easily transportable, good sounding, combo amp. I settled on a hand made Princeton clone with reverb, but I needed a good sounding overdrive that wouldn't have me missing my Fuchs all that much. This pedal has solved that quest. With my Princeton clone, or my Champ clone, this pedal ROCKS!!! Forget about modified TS9's, Barber DD or LTD, Sparkle Drive, Peanut Butter, etc. etc. I've owned all of these and this pedal slams them all with sweet tube tone.

Here's how it sounds: very articulate and touch sensitive from low to high gain settings. Will do Eric Johnson (AhViaMusicom) to EVH with mid to high gain humbuckers. It has a sweet, resilient, spongey, elastic, brown quality to the sound than you CANNOT get with a solid state device. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get that feel without tubes. All us tube amp players know that over the digital / transistor users.

It reminds me a little of the old Chandler Tube Drivers but with more focus, gain, not so sloppy on the low end and cleaner sounding. No mid hump, annoying high end, etc. The tone control is fantastic for really changing the character of the pedal. From dark sweetness to nice crunch, to a over the top Vox with brite boost...but with the "chewy" feel as mentioned and sweet, rounded high end. This pedal is very inspiring to play. This is THE pedal for blues to hard rock. If you are into Metallica, Slayer, etc. type of sounds, the Bulldog Distortion is probably your fix. The tone control does a fantastic job on not only changing the tone but also quality. Up bright you get more crunch, lower give it a browner, smoother quality.

PS - for all you blues players..with a humbucker, tone and gain and 12 o'clock..you'll get the sweetest, most dynamic, TS9 sound you could ever imagine. I have a modified Vox Valvetone that just sounds so dead and lifeless and I used to rave about that pedal.

This pedal is incredible when you consider its battery operated, which I love. I hate to connect extra power wires.

Reliability: N/A
Don't know, haven't had it too long, but its made in JAPAN. That's a big PLUS !!

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know.

Overall Rating: 10
I got mine on Ebay for a discounted price, new in box. I can't rave enough about this pedal. I seriously think this could be the pedal to redefine battery operated overdrives. It sounds great, the tone control really works and most importantly....it FEELS incredible. It has such a great elastic quality to the sound. It sags, sings, compresses very nicely, and shreds (with the right guitar) if you want it to. Its a little noisey with the gain maxed, but that's to be expected.

PS - I changed over the tube after a day of jamming just to see the difference since I though it sounded incredible stock (my review is based on the stock pedal with the EH 12au7). I put in an Amperex Bugle Boy 12au7 and it even sounds better. It has a little more focus and the gain was increased even more. I'm a happy camper. Get this pedal. You can email me if you want..just make sure you put VOX Big Ben in the subject line or something to that effect. If not, I'll just delete it. I give it a overall 10 but I do wish it was more user friendly for tube changes. You have to take the whole thing apart.

Submitted by Mario at 05/12/2005 06:00

Price Paid: US $225.

Ease of Use: 10

Sound Quality: 10
Tested with my Tele through a modern Fender Super Reverb on 4. With the Big Ben controls at 12 O'clock, it sounds like an AC 30 on 4, a-la Tom Petty or vintage U2. Slightly overdriven with some compression. Turn the Big Ben's gain up to 3 O'clock and it gets more compressed. Think Neil Young Alabama. Quiet! Absolutely works as a second channel sound for classic one channel amps. No loss of lows, more organic and touch-sensitive than any other pedal I know of. I'm totally knocked out by this pedal!
PS... works on batteries or standard 9V adaptor. Ready to put in the pedalboard.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
Rock, roots rock. Been playing since 1970, professionally during the eighties. Own 2 Teles, an SG, a Stratosonic (P-90) and a Rick 12 string. Fender Super Reverb, boutique AC 30 clone, 50s Supro, Fender Princeton Reverb. I love this pedal, wish I had it back in the gigging days. I'll be using it on home recordings!

Submitted by Matt at 03/31/2005 23:41