Vox AD120VTH Head

Price Paid: 450 (quid)

Features: 8
Made in 2005. The best thing about the amp as others have said is the huge range of sound you can achieve with all the different amp models, effects etc. Some are better than others, but most are excellent. The fact it doesn't come with any kind of separate channel/patch selector for use with your foot is disappointing. You really need the VC-12 foot controller to use the amp in a live situation (the VC-4 is hopeless). But it costs around 200 quid - absolute disgrace! Its nothing more than a glorified channel/patch selector with a volume and wah pedal built in - which most people already have.

Something I found quite strange is the way the volume works. I don't know if its just a fault wuth my head but I don't think it is. The master volume works fine. But when a new patch is selected the other volume behaves strangely.
The newly selected patch maintains the volume level of the previous one - which is a good thing. But if you touch the volume knob it seems to revert back to the volume level the patch was originally created at (doesn't do this with the master volume knob). So a situation can arise in changing to a different patch when you turn the volume knob up but the volume of the amp actually goes down because the new patch was recorded at a lower volume than the amp is currently set at - if that makes any sense! This is quite annoying. I can get sound out of the head with volume set at 0! As long as the master volmue is turned up. I tend to leave this volume well alone and just stick with the master.

Having said all that, don't let this put you off. The amp sounds fantastic and its reasonably priced.

Sound Quality: 9
I play country/bluegrass, blues and rock. Its beacause of the diversity of these styles that I bought this amp. It can replicate any number of great sounds in these styles. The amp is a bit noisy at loud volumes - a bit of hiss etc but when you're actually playing who cares, or hears? Clean sounds are not distorted at all at high volumes. Only slight complaint would be its is a little quiet in band situations - I have it at 3 quarter volume most of the time. But then again its only 120 watt so......

I play an '88 Les Paul custom, '72 thinline telecaser re-issue and a Gretsch 6120 through this amp. All sound great and more importantly all retain theor original sound and character. Do not get the inpression that this amp just digitises your sound and makes all guitars sound the same. It doesn't. Its just like playing through a regular amp but having many different types to choose from

Reliability: 9
Having read reviews on this site and others was a bit concerned about reliability. But(touch wood) I've had the amp about 2 - 3 months and everything has been fine. I've not gigged with it yet but I take it out of the house to the pratice room a couple of times a week and crank it up real loud. I also have 2 2*12 neo-dog vox cabs - made especially for this head and they've been great too. No problems.

Customer Support: 1
Havnen't had any real dealings with them. Did send a question through their website to their support team abou my volume a few weeks back issue but never got a reply. So on that basis alone I wasn't impressed.

Overall Rating: 8
I've been playing 15 years. This is my first separate head/cab setup. Have to say I'm very impressed and pleased. It sounds and looks great, seemes reliable and is great value. Never tried any other modelling heads like Line 6 because for the money Vox always seems to be the better option after reading reviews etc. Not perfect but very good.

Submitted by Steve at 12/22/2005 05:41

Price Paid: US $600

Features: 10
This amp has all the bells and whistles! Can model nearly any sound you're after. The sound is GIANT.

Sound Quality: 10
The sound is great. All of the effects are easy to tweek. I play a Les Paul Studio with this amp and it gets the job done and then some. The problem for me seems to be what kind of cab to use because I've switched through cabs and I'm going to just find the matching vox ad412. But I really love that stack look....

Reliability: 10
Vox is very trustworthy. Their manual has been a breeze to read through which is good for me because stereo manuals are the worst.

Customer Support: 10
I bought it from American Music Supply and it has a 1 year warranty and I pay 200 a month for three months. It's a really good idea if you're a college student like me looking for a good quality amp when you can't get guitar center credit.

Overall Rating: 10
I've had this amp for almost a month now and it's great. I've played a gig and it worked out better than expected. I've also notice it's becoming a hot seller.

Submitted by Cory at 12/07/2005 20:39

Price Paid: US $550

Features: 8
Awesome tone right from the store. Quality effects but you can only use one pedal effect at a time (Delay, Reverb and Modulations are independent). Wattage Selection dial gives you good tone at low volumes.

Sound Quality: 9
This amp can get you super high quality cleans pretty easy. It takes your guitars natural acoustics and lets then come through, the effects compliment the amp models very well and natural. In my opinion my guitar with semour Custom X3 pickups had a more expressive tone than my ltd with EMGs.

For Distortion It is not exactly limited, it gives you a quality distortion that does not sound like a Boss Pedal. Its good for full bodied distortions (Does not really sound like a Mesa Boogie even with the Rectifier setting) But this is not really a bad thing since it sounds great. I noticed my EMG equipped LTD les paul copy sounds more crisp than my LTD PRS copy when I applied a hefty dose of distortion.

From reading guides on this amp I've learned that for the overall tone of this amp to sound the way it's designed to sound best the Master Volume must be set around 3 o' clock (about 75%). I had to drop the wattage down to 15W using the Wattage selector in the back, but now my tone sounds way better and much more balanced.

This amp could benifit from an equalizing such as the boss stompbox design. I've been trying to up the bass levels just a bit to give a little more prescence.

Reliability: 7
I've had it for a year 1/2 and no problems. I've heard some of the jacks on the head are a bit cheap, so it's a good idea to spray it with electronic jack deoxidizer every 6 months or so.

If you buy the optional footswitch (VC4 and VC12) I would recommend not using the supplied Data cable to hook it up to the head. Once I gently Pulled the cable off the footswitch end, and the cable end broke off the
jack. So a regular Cat 5 pc cable should be used instead, it is much more gentle. It is better to have to reconnect your cable if it gets shifted rather than having to resolder the jack internally.

I believe the warrantee should be a bit longer though, mine's already over with.

I did change the tubes on this head. (I've heard that you only really have to change them ever 7-10 years or so, since they are power tubes)
I found it pretty easy with a cloth and plyers, just pull them right out from the bottom.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I won't bore you with my details.

The great thing about this amp is that you get pretty good tone right away. And if you actually do like the specific details of all the amp models then I think this amp with appeal to you, since the models actually do react in my opinion like the originals (with some exception to the RECTO). For the price this amp is also great, the tubes it has in it's power stage really differentiates it from amps such as the Peavey XXL, the limited Marshall MG, and especially Crates. It has an authentic sounding tube sag, which is a really nice quality. If you are into dialing in your tone, this amp will challenge you in a good way.

I would buy it again, I suggest that you make friends with the guitar guy at Guitar Center and buy him a case of beer, he will be very gracious with a discount and give you a really good deal.

This amp would be great if it had independent control of pedals (2 or more a time). This really limits your choice, for example you cannot have a compressor going at the same time as a distortion, 2 effects that are usually paired. I am thinking of buying the new Boss V-Wah to give me more effects at once, the Vox's effects loop is high quality. The tuner on this amp is very easy to use, especially with a VC-12 footboard by the way. I also suggest using the Vox 4X12 cab, it sounds like a great match to me.

Submitted by Alex C. at 10/23/2005 23:22

Price Paid: US $529.00

Features: 9
reverb, delay, modulation, boutique, modern, clean, dirty... what more could you ask for? its a versitle package in a box. i just wish i could have more than one modualtion and pedal on at once, but lets not nit-pick. stereo power amp. 16 patches to choose and customize. hi and low gain inputs. all you need is a strat, a les paul, and a ibanez, and your ready for anything.

Sound Quality: 10
i could not believe that so many good sounds that were believeable could come from such a affordable amp. everypatch is so real and warm. you can do anything your heart desires. to everything and play in a metalcore band. this amps gets any sound i want. a "dimebag" sound, or even a "as i lay dying" crunch. from steve vai to led zeppelin. all the modualtion and reverb and delay are great live, and come in handy when recording. all you need is a direct box with a 4X12 simulator for the line out option, and you can sound athentic as the recording you listen to. the cleans can sparkle, or get a little dirty with the right gain, stomp box disrtion, and EQ levels.

Reliability: 9
this thing is not tube which sucks, but it has that tube warth with the advantage of solid state technology. so you can just plg in and your ready to go. preamp tubes almost never blow out unless something is wrong with the singal, so this thing is ready for any gig.

Customer Support: N/A
i didn't deal directly with vox. (guitar center)

Overall Rating: 10
this thing is a 10! it can make a good live rig. reliable, good sound quality, and simple. as ia practice amp... i couldnot live without this thing. it make playing guitar a even more fun and keeps you interested. and with a loop satation, 8 hour sections are frequent and fast. you dont need anything else but down time.

Submitted by dick hurts at 09/20/2005 19:19

Price Paid: US $550.00

Features: 9
AD120H features have been discussed at length by previous reviewers.Suffice to say, the possibilities here are endless; decent pedals, accurate amp models (especially the Fender models), modulation, delay, reverb, etc. Another nice feature is the Power Select control which gives you multiple output wattages to choose from. Very cool, indeed. A feature not often discussed in reviews is the Valvetronix user's manual itself. Not your standard dry, boring, tech-head information, but a manual that is understandable, user-friendly, and actually fun to read.

Sound Quality: 9
So far I've played a Strat, A Tele and an Ovation Acoustic/Electric through the AD120 - standard single coils on the Strat, Texas Hots on the Tele. Sound and tonal possibilities are limited only by your own imagination. Pedal copies, amp models and fx are all head & shoulders above other modeling amps I've tried (Line 6 and Behringer). Of the 32 pre-sets I've only found a half-dozen or so that jump out at you. The high-gain/turbo distortion/recto ear-bleeder stuff seems pretty ordinary. I mean, how many distortion pre-sets do you really need? That said, all the bells & whistles are there, and I can write my own pre-sets according to our playlist. You want quality sound and variety? This amp has it all. In fact, it probably has a lot more than you'll ever use.

Reliability: N/A
Dependability is an unknown at this point, but so far so good.
The head and cab were perfect 'out of the box', and appear to be first-rate in construction. (As for looks...are you kiddin's me? Nothing looks as good as a Vox.) Would I use it as my primary
performance amp? Not yet. It's not a reliability issue, but more to do with familiarization. There's a lot to learn here and become comfortable with - plus, the foot control hasn't arrived yet, and you wouldn't want to gig with this without one.

Customer Support: N/A
Havent had to to deal with Vox (or the Vox division of Korg).
Not the greatest warranty in the world - 90-days on tubes, speakers, etc. That's the bad news. The good news is that Vox has a reputation for being strong on the customer service side of things.

Overall Rating: 10
In terms of basic performance gear, there isn't a hell of a lot I haven't owned at one time or another. I bought the Vox AD120 head and cab set-up purely on spec. Over the years I've grown increasingly frustrated with pedals, racks, wiring madness, and stage clutter in general. By the time we're 'wired & ready'it can be a nightmare - especially those jobs where you're working tight on a tiny stage. The idea was to simplify and cut down on my share of the chaos by going to a modeling amp. But after trying a couple different 'names ' in modeling amps, I all but scrapped the idea. To put it simply, they both sucked. Big Time. Better suited to l3-year olds playing in the basement and making loud and unusual noises.
I ended up buying the Vox based primarily on user reviews. Everyone who buys a valvetronix loves it. You have to assume that at least a few of those raving reviewers know what they are talking about - and they do. It's a great amp. The Vox sound is there (and the Fender, and the Mesa, etc.). The fx are good enough, the pedals are useable (except maybe the auto-wah, which ain't so good), and there's even a built-in tuner that couldn't be simpler. The amp itself is basically easy to get a handle on. And best of all, you have all the tonal goodies you'll ever need to write 32 dynamite pre-sets. I wish it had the capability of mixing and matching the goodies a little more, but life isn't about perfect. If you're considering a modeling amp, this is the holy grail. The quality, the sound, the looks, the ease of use - you won't be sorry.

Submitted by BOBDAWG at 08/29/2005 16:07

Price Paid: 475 (UK pounds)

Features: 9
STacks of features, which has rendered all my other effects stuff completely rendundant. That includes my Boss GT8 processor, -which i'm gonna have to flog now, as i dont use it at all.
I use this amp both for practicing at home and also for gigging with my band. One of the clever features, is that you can change the power output on the back of the unit, right down to 2 x 15W, -to enable you to switch up the volume at home, without deafening the neighbours, and therefore still enjoy the richness you get when an amp is "turned up".

Sound Quality: 9
I use a custom PRS mainly with it. I've got 7 guitars, but those of you who have a custom PRS out there, will know that nothing else plays it. It sounds amazing in my opinion.
For years i've fought with trying to achieve the right tone. My previous amp was a Valvestate Marshall 2*75W. The VOX is WAY better.

Reliability: 9
no probs so far at all

Customer Support: N/A
not dealt with them

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing for 15yrs. I own a stack load of gear, and have gone through every single type of effects unit you can think of, and a load of different amps also. To date, the VOX is the most satisfying, and thats why i'm making the effort of writing this review for ya all.

Submitted by steve at 08/11/2005 12:57

Price Paid: US $500

Features: 9
I'm giving it a 9 because you could use only 1 pedal at a time. On the other hand, it is a positive thing because I believe the trick tto getting your "tone" is not to over do and over use effects settings. This thing has a lot of features. You have to read the manual if you want to get the best out of this beast. It can also accomodate the plug-in type guys.

I realized I needeed to buy the optional vc 12 foot switch pedal to get the most out of this thing. My external stompboxes (compiled for years)didn't sound right, so I had to buy the Vox vc12 to take advantage of the built-ins that came with the head, which are pretty good. I only use effects in a subtle way anyway. The pedal came with the tap tempo switch available on the head, a built -in tuner, and a separate volume and expression pedal.

Also bought the 2x12 cab that's supose to come with it. I think the 4x12 is pretty big for the "Vox image". The 2x12 can hold up to the 2x60 watt max setting the amp can deliver.

Sound Quality: 9
Sound-wise, it is great. Just make sure that if you're finding your tones and sounds at a lower volume, make sure you check it and practice it at a higher volume also. When I did the different sound and programmed it at a lower volume, it sounded a little different come practice time. The amp modellers are great. I'm just glad that with the money I spent I am able to get excellent sounding tones that can sound like great amps like marshall, vintage Vox, Mesa, etc. The modulation effects can be a bit powerful even at the lowest settings. The tremolo is really good. Pedals such as wahs and auto wahs are amazing But overall, this amp is great sounding. The downside is, again, I had to buy the optional vc12 pedal to be able to use this amp on live gigs. But if you have the extra $$, the vc 12 is actually pretty nice.

By the way, I used a Gibson LP w/ hot PUs and an Epi Sheraton II on this baby.

Reliability: 9
Never had problems so far. The head, the 2x12 cab, and the vc12 footswitch all look pretty sturdy. But because of the aesthetic and the beauty the way the amp was made, it would make you want to treat it like a fragile baby and not a gig amp. I just wish that they would make the next ones look more sturdier than beautiful. But i guess, the classic Vox's had a reputation for this aesthetic, fragile-looking look for their amps. The amp has 1 tube in it, so I'm not sure yet how long 'till I need to get this thing serviced.

Customer Support: N/A
have not dealt with them yet.

Overall Rating: 9
So far so good. I am pretty satisfied with it. It sounds pretty close to what it is suppose to be modelling. Of course, the originals are always the best, but if you don't have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on all the great, classic amps out there, then this is the best thing close to it. I just wish they didn't make it look aesthetically beautiful as it is, so I wouldn't have to treat it like some fragile thing. I would like it to look more sturdy, so come gig time, I wouldn't have to worry about scratching it up :)

I will be gigging with this pretty soon, so I'll be adding some stuff about gigging with it live. stay tuned...

Submitted by mike d at 06/27/2005 10:57

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
There are enough amp models to cover almost any recorded tone. While it does not have some of my favorite Fender models, I have found that I can get very close with the powerful tone controls.

There are adequate pedal and effect models to approximate most artist's signature tones.

There is plenty of power to drive my 100W 2x12 sealed cab.

Sound Quality: 9
It is quiet and can achieve the fundamental tone of every artist I have tried to emulate. It is far better than any other modeling amp, and I have tried them all, including the Zentera.

It particularly shines with clean tones, which are satisfying. It is the only modeling amp which can produce a good clean Twin tone and convincing Vox and Marshall tones as well.

Limitations: Compared to a good tube amp with NOS tubes and carefully chosen pedals there are three things the Vox lacks:
1) There is a certain "rubbery" quality and responsiveness to every variation in finger pressure or guitar controls that the vox can not match. It is not bad, its just not gold star A1 quality.
2) There is a "Graininess" to the distortion that annoys me. By tweeking a lot with the various imputs, I can reduce it, but never quite get rid of it on more distorted tones, such as the Santana "Smooth" tone.
That being said, keep in mind that to get the lead tones on Smooth, the engineer ran three outstanding vintage amps, a Boogie, a Twin, and a Marshall, in 3 seperate rooms and blended the discrete imputs. The fundamental tone the Vox produces is amazingly close to the orignal. It naturally lacks some of the complexity and has that "graininess" I mentioned, but the basic sound is there.
I can hear the difference pretty clearly, but can your average audience? I don't know.

So here's the bottom line for me:
For a jazz or surf gig, I would definitely take the vox.
For a gig at a noisy club, I would use the vox for anything.
With enough stage space at a more concert-type gig, I would
take both my tube rig and the Vox.
With enough budget, I would record with all tube amps, but for demos and practice, the Vox is unbeatable. It is the best of its kind.

For the money, the vox is an amazing deal.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 40 years. I have some pretty nice gear.

It is super flexible, very loud, has plenty of low-end and comes very close to everything it attemps to model.

Clean its very good.

Distortions have a bit of graininess that bothers me a little but most people will never notice.

It is closer to an all-tube amp than anything else but, as is far far more flexible than any all tube amp, including Diezel.

Over-all, it is an outstanding value - the best in modeling amps.

Submitted by RAC at 04/24/2005 18:38

Price Paid: US

Features: 10
Very easy to set-up and tweak to nail all them great tones.

Took about three minutes to do. The manual is a breeze to get down in your mind. I liked Vox's style of writing, its like a player talkin' to another player.

Sound Quality: 10
Well this is the pie-alamo, pals.

I've had owned all the major modelers. From the Vetta 1 and vetta 2.

The line 6 Pod 2.0.. Digitech's high end $400 model.

The Oh so famous Boss GT. 6..
Those modelers all have one big draw back. YOU CAN'T GET THAT TIN-THIN SOUND OUT OF THEM!

I spent most of my time not playin, but tweakin, not learnin' to play, but tweakin'.

I thought it was me not knowing how to use those units. WRONG PAL'S, ITS THE UNITS THEMSELF'S!

VOX nailed the tube tone down to a tee.

Name the band, you got it, believe it! And it has to be due to the fact that Vox uses a tube in this baby, without the hum, buzzes you get with tube amps.

The future is here and it came from Vox, plus how can you beat the price?

Reliability: 10
NO PROBLEMS SO FAR.......

Customer Support: N/A
NEVER DEALT WITH THEM AT ALL.....

Overall Rating: 10
I really like the over all look of the unit. Plus the tone, cost and ease of use, it is a 10 for sure.

I spent $1000's of dollars on Carr, Marshall's all tube amps and like I said all the major modelers.

Save your coin, AND GET THIS VOX NOW!

I just bought another one for work!

One more thing, this unit has an option of playin' from 1 watt to 120 watts, great for the apartment type folk's.

Submitted by frank at 02/27/2005 07:05

Price Paid: US $540

Features: 9
This Amp has all that I wanted and then a lot more!!! I play mostly Hard Rock with a mix of clean funk. The amount of amps simulated are very nice, more than I'll ever need, and the amount of pedals is extreme too, more than I'll ever need. Plent of power, I had it set at 30x2 and it was hurting my ears, great height!

My only gripe, the octave setting can only go down, not up, no biggy.

Sound Quality: 9
I'm using a Carvin Bolt with two blade pickups and one M22sd, lemme tell you this amp is hot, I never can turn the gain all the way up with my M22 because its just TOO MUCH distortion, and I play hard rock/metal!
Clean channel is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN, I can't still play with my M22 and not overdrive it, I was impressed

My only gripe is that sometimes at high gains when you play and then mute all the strings you can hear a hiss and then it slowly goes away, I think its a noise filter, I've gotten used to it now though, no biggy

Reliability: 10
Umm, its a VOX, only one tube in it, I don't think they would skimp on quality there.

Customer Support: N/A
I dunno, never called them.

Overall Rating: 10
For the money, this amp blows all other out of the water, if you worried about buying a "modeling" amp, don't worry, because I haven't noticed ANYTHING that sounds digital or cheap, I also have a 100w Lee Jackson XLS-1000(ECC83+EL34), and this Vox's gain sounds a lot better than the Lee. Buy this amp if you the slightest bit interested.

Submitted by Nate at 11/26/2004 15:18

Price Paid: US $449 (and another $399 for the cabinet - God, I got a great deal.

Features: 9
Oh. My. God.
It's little bigger than I had in mind, but I have the matching Valvetronix 120 watt stereo head and 4x12 cabinet. The whole thing's about the size of an old Royal Guardsman or Super Beatle setup. Ridiculously versatile - power is switchable from 1-60 watta per channel, the ohms are switchable, great modeled pedals, effects are limited but very good, and it's gorgeous. In short, OH MY GOD, I GOT A VOX!

Sound Quality: 10
A Vox is all about tone, and the tones here are incredible, including all the Fender models, the Vox AC30TB, and the US High Gain (Soldano SLO), and the UK70s (Marshall Plexi), UK 80s (the revered Marshal JTM 900). This amp sounds like a dream in the studio, even thru the direct inputs.
The modeled pedals are simple but effective, including a Treble Booster a la Dallas Rangemaster, a Univibe (invented, interestingly enough, by the same guy who designed the power amp for the Valvetronix), and a flawless Vox 847 wah. The amp effects aren't perfect (no pitch shifting, reverse delay or long delays, for example), but the chorus, flange and especially the rotary speaker sound remarkable, and with a stereo effect loop to work with, I can easily add whatever's missing. And anyway, who in their right mind buys a Vox for the effects (except for the legendary Vox tremolo, which is here)?

Reliability: 10
So far so good - no problems since I brought it home last fall. I bought it and the VC-4 footswitch, which is actually pretty good and solidly built.
This is gonna sound odd, but considering Vox amps are as renowned for the lack of reliablity as they are for their tone, I don't mind the fact that the head is assembled in Korea and the cabinet's US-made (Baltic Birch, of course. It's a Vox). It can't possibly have more problems than my old Ampeg VT120, which was made in the good ol' USA.

Customer Support: 10
the manual for both the head and the footswitch were in plain english and went as far as to explain the tube setup and historcial data of the amps modeled, even if they don't specify most of the actual amps by name, it's pretty clear.
The Vox website is a hoot and easy to get around. God willing, I won't ever need to contact them for support - so far, I'll give them a 10 because amp info has been very easy to obtain thru the manual and website.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing since 1976 and I've been playing well since about 1982. Trust me, there's a difference.
Every guitar I have, from my Washburn solid-body acoustic (a Gibson Chet Atkins knockoff) to my Dano 12-string to my Don Lace synth strat sounds incredible (I run my GR33 synth thru the right side of the effects loops and the synth is still crystal clear). Hell, even my old Aria bass sounded incredible thru it (thru, what else, the 1959 Bassman model).
If I lost it, I'd look for a deal of the 120-watt VTX combo and give my back (and my car's back seat) a break. This amp is LOUDER and cleaner than Line 6, Crate, Yamaha, and the Roland VGA series, and although I love the VGA's synth functions and guitar modeling, that's all any of those amps have over my Vox. I also wouldn't mind more delay options, intelligent pitch sifting or FoxxTone octave fuzz or a Slow Gear, but BFD. I got me a Vox. It sounds like my favorite Fenders and Marshalls, and the SLO model was an unexpected treat - I hadn';t played thru a Soldano in 10 years, and now there's one in my living room. And oh yeah, it sounds like a Vox. A damn good one. I'm tempted to hollow out the cabinet so I can be buried in it.

Submitted by chad white at 08/31/2004 20:38

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
this is an update to my review from 1/5/04

Sound Quality: 9
I just wanted to spread the word on a cheap way to improve your tones when you're recording direct with a Valvetronix. For home recording, I experimented a bit and here's what I found. I tried miking my cabinets with Shure SM-57s, but at bedroom-type volume levels the recorded tones were very disappointing. Then I tried running the VT's line outs to my digital recorder, but the tones sounded too sterile...not like a real miked amp at all...seemed to be missing a lot of the lower end bass/mid tones. Then I tried running the VT's line outs into an ART stereo tube preamp. The tones were a bit better, but still not what I was hoping for. After reading a recommendation on the Vox user site patchtronix.com, I ordered a pair of Behringer Ultra G direct boxes. The price is great, only $30 each. I run the line outs into the Ultra Gs, then to the stereo ART tube preamp which provides phantom power to the Ultra Gs, then into my recorder. The Ultra G has a 4x12 cabinet simulation, and when you kick that in, the tones are GREAT, for both clean and distorted! Depending on what tones you're after, there's little or no noise. Actually in some cases I have less noise than I'd have recording without the Ultra Gs. Definitely a very "professional" quality tone that you won't have to make any excuses or apologies for! I plan to try them live too. They're also versatile...you can switch the 4x12 simulation on or off, so you can use them for bass, keyboards, etc too. When it comes to recording guitars, it's the best $60 I've ever spent. Huge bang for the buck.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by ming at 03/18/2004 07:56

Price Paid: US $540.00 (It still had the plastic over it) used

Features: 10
Vox announced these on July 21, I ordered mine on July 22nd. I purchased both the head and the 4x12 cab. I play every thing from acoustic to thrashy stuff, but I mostly stick close to garage/experimental stuff (seeing as that is what my band plays). I LOVE the fact that it has 16 different amps in it and all of the built-in effects that it comes with. It makes it REALLY easy onstage switching back and forth from it if your're running a line selector. You guys know the rest of the features though. If you don't go to: www.valvetronix.com

Sound Quality: 10
I play through 2 guitars mainly- A '99 Custom Heritage Les Paul made in KALAMAZOO, MI! - A '98 Gibson SG-X(modified)...MADE IN USA! The Heritage is a TANK and weighs almost 20 lbs so I can get a DEEP, RICH tone out of it. Very jazzy or bluesy feeing to it. With the Gibson it is a COMPLETELY different story. It is the thrash master when you have the overdrive going through, but with the right setting it can purr too. I LOVE having the flexibility to go between 16 different amp settings and being able to find my exact tone in a head and not a rack pre-amp. TURN THIS BABY UP AND ROCK!

Reliability: 10
I've had this amp for almost 6 months now and NEVER have had a problem with it... trust me... if this amp doesnt work, YOU BROKE IT! No need for a back-up here.

Customer Support: 10
I've talked to Vox once, they shipped my head without a "Drive" knob... no big deal at all... I laughed... they laughed...they sent me a new one... then we all went out for drinks. VERY POLITE AND VERY CONSIDERATE.

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing for 7 years (I'm 18 now) and this is BY FAR the best amp I have ever owned. I also have a vintage Marshall JCM800 1x12 combo (not that reissue crap) and various other cabs and a Crate TV120 head too I believe. As far as pedals go, I have almost every Digiteech X pedal they make, plus a Rocktron Hush pedal, and of couse a Boss tuner, and I run a Dunlop Cry Baby Bass (I think it has better tone than the guitar one and it is self rising). This is probably the best investment one could make (besides a Pedal Pad pedal box) BUY THE 4x12 CAB WITH IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! I dropped close to 4 grand into my rig within the past year (including guitars) and this was the best thing I bought!

Submitted by Matt D at 01/28/2004 06:51

Price Paid: US $600

Features: 10
Mine is a 2003. I play mainly jazz, funk, and metal and it covers these styles very nicely. There are 16 amp types, 10 stomp box types, 5 modulations, 3 reverbs and 3 delays overall the most feature-packed piece of sweetness I've ever purchased. Contains a "Valve reactor" which is just a fancy way of saying "it's a digital amp that sounds like a tube amp."

Sound Quality: 10
I mainly play with a '03 Epi Les Paul classic quilt which has been upgraded to Dimarzio pickups (Sup Dist. bridge, Breed neck). The amp has it's factory presets-many of which suck. But that's okay because it's super easy to invent your own sounds and save them in the amps bank. I cannot foresee myself EVER getting bored or tired of this amp as long as it works. All of the amp models sound great especially the Mesa/Boogie and AC30 models which I find myself gravitating to. The distortion can be a bit much but the cleans are pristine and sparkle very nicely, even at high volumes the amp just opens up like a real tube amp and sometimes I forget it's NOT a real all-tube amp.

Reliability: N/A
Only had it a week, but it seems well-built we'll see how the techno-crap holds up.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've played about 13 or 14 years. I've owned several peavey amps not worth mentioning, a randall stack, and a fender twin reverb. I run this amp through a vox ad212 "neo-dog" cab. Still waiting on the VC12 foot controller. I love this amp because it's the best bang for the buck. period. I hate the fact that I could only afford to buy one. If it were stolen or lost I would cry for the first time in years. great amp.

Submitted by Dan at 01/22/2004 10:10

Price Paid: US $600

Features: 9
2003 Valvetronix stereo head. Very versatile amp, yet not too complex. The tubes in the power amp section DO make a difference, no matter what the 100% solid state fans may tell you. No matter what type of music you're into, you're sure to find your favorite amp models quickly. Plenty of power to drive 2 4-12" cabinets. The only change I'd make is to make it possible to dial in a specific amount of delay time, instead of the "tap" button. The built in effects are good, especially the stereo chorus, and if you're really picky when it comes to effects, no problem. The stereo effects loop will easily let you add whatever effects you're into. The power switch, which gives you a choice of output watts per channel, is a great feature that helps you get great tones at low volumes. Another bonus is that it's MUCH lighter than the Mesa tube rack amp rig I had!

Sound Quality: 9
I've played through mono and stereo Mesa Boogie 100% tube rigs, and with the addition of a Tonebone Classic tube overdrive pedal, the Vox definitely holds its own. The built in distortion/overdrive pedals are good, but they're no substitute for true tube overdrive, no matter what the fans of 100% digital amps may tell you. One of the reasons I went to a mostly solid state amp like the Valvetronix is because it's easier to get great tones at low volumes. Another reason is because the Valvetronix is much more versatile. It's easy to find the sounds I'm looking for, without all the complicated bells and whistles that more expensive modeling amps have. The tone controls are very responsive.

Reliability: N/A
Too early to tell how reliable it'll be, but because it's circuitry is pretty simple compared to the more complex modeling amps out there, my guess is that I can take it to gigs without any worries.

Customer Support: N/A
No need to deal with customer service so far.

Overall Rating: 9
Although it's debatable which modeling amp is better, the Valvetronix or something more complex from a company like Line 6, when it comes to bang for the buck, it's a no brainer. Even when you add the cost of the Tonebone Classic tube overdrive pedal, which I consider essential for great overdrive tones, the Vox stereo head costs less than half the price of a Line 6 stereo head. And when it comes to the power amp section of solid-state and modeling amps, the Vox is clearly the best. I've owned two different 100% tube Mesa amps, but overall I like the Vox much better. If it was stolen I'd definitely buy it again. No amp is perfect. The effects section could be a bit better, but with the addition of the Tonebone, the Vox holds its own with any amp out there, and with the stereo chorus the tones are a dream come true. Besides, a $1500-2000 100% tube head doesn't have any built-in effects other than reverb anyway!

Submitted by ming at 01/05/2004 14:14

Price Paid: US $550

Features: 9
Super duper! If you're checking the reviews out you already know all the features.

Sound Quality: 10
Like the last guy said.. This sounds great for any guitar you play through it. This is by far the best tube modeling amp. I was blown away when I got this. I run it through a George Lynch Gflex 2x12 cab(AWESOME!) The vox 212 cabs are awesome as well. I've played 25 different guitars and pickups on this amp and it adapts well to any and all! I'm not BSing here. If you don't think you can get enough metal the trick is the following: Use the treble booster pedal on it along with a stereo EQ in the effects loop and a SONIC MAXIMIZER(bbe)(this is the key). I'm serious.. You may think it sounds bad ass for a regular amp and almost perfect for metal w/recto... but when you flip on the Maximizer you will wonder why you never had one before reguardless of the type of style you play. It boosts the high and low, and enhances the signal(especially good if you use tons of effects).

Reliability: 8
So far so good. Had it about a year. The first head I got would shut off because it was defective. Got a new one right away and works like a charm.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 8
Great amp!

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/07/2003 23:24

Price Paid: US $599.00

Features: 9
I purchased this amp about 4 months ago. I play at Glad Tidings Tabernacle Church, 33rd st in Manhattan. We cover just about all styles whether it's for the general congregation on Sundays or the teens on Wednesdays. For the money it has enough effects and models to satisfy me. It has 4 stages. 1st stomp boxes, 2nd 16 Amp models, 3rd modulation (flang,chorus, etc.), 3rd Delays, 4th Reverbs ALL IN STEREO! My only thing leaving me alittle "wanting" is it would great if it could have more than one stomp box effects at the same time (wah, compression, distortion etc.) However, believe me you can spend hours/days/weeks adjusting your sound, not because you must but because the possiblitities are great and a joy to discover!

Please note that the current VC4 pedal is lousy. small and limited. Vox is going to release a new pedal (Sept.'03?) called VC12 which seem like it will be comprable to the LINE 6 products.

Sound Quality: 10
Primarly I've used only one guitar for the last 12+ years (at least 12, I forgot when it orginally came out but I jumped on it the moment I got it into my hands). It's a Washburn EC29 steven's cutaway with 29 frets neck tru the body. I have had it modified with Duncan Lo impedance 1s/1h pickups and also have a variable Dementer midrange boost circuit in it. Back to the amp. Sound and (subjectively) feel and response is where it's at for me when I judge an Amp. Let me tell you if an amp can't sound good dry (with out effects), keep looking. But in my opinion you can stop looking, the Amp models are absolutely amazing. In the past I've played just about everything out there (covering 25 years of playing.) I've owned some of the best of Boogies, Fenders, Carvins, Rolands, and a few old balls (if you what I mean). I can attest to the fact that the marshall, boogie, soldano, and especially the my all time favorite clean Fender 2x12 blackface are so close that they can bring a tear to your eyes! If you never played the originals it wouldn't matter. Because with a little effort to dail in the combination of Drive and EQ you will be experiencing some of the best tone combinations ever to be put in one head. Believe me when I tell you Line 6 may have more options but Vox has the tone. I truly believe they nailed it with the output tube section. I run mine through a Mesa 4x12 reto oversize cab loaded w celestian 30's using the 15watt setting. It has 4 power settings in stereo, 1,15,30 and 60watts per side. IT IS LOUD, you can ask the teens at my church. (believe me I love to rock for Jesus!!!) All the musicians which have heard the sound (tone) of this Head and the Mesa cab have been blown alway and cannot believe I have it at 15 watts with the master volume set at 12 o'clock!

Now if you think I have just found the "MAGIC" combination guitar/amp/cab which just happens to work, let me tell it's just not the case. I have played Les Pauls, Strats, teles, jacksons and a few others through this system and each one retain it's unique character and sound awesome. I've also played through open back 1x12 Boogie EVM cab and a 2x12 Marshall cab and the sound change due to the nature of the cabs but it still sounded great!

Now like I said the amp sounds great with out effect. With effect it is as versetile as you wish. From subtle to outrages with quality effect to back up your creative mind. If you are seeking to duplicate your favorite guitarist/tunes that is possible also.

You may ask way would I pump a product like this? The answer is simple my friend. ALL musicians deserve to be able to have the opportunity to experience the beauty of their instrument. That beauty will only be found in the sound you hear. The $600 buck price of admission is in low and worth the sacrafice. Even if it would cost more it is competatve with amps which cost thousands!

Reliability: N/A
No problems yet, but it is not moved often.

Customer Support: N/A
Seem responsive. I emailed me regestration form and request a cataloge. Get this, they FedEx'd it to me!

Overall Rating: 10
No other Amp in the market today (or yesterday for that matter) offers so much high end sound for so little.

Submitted by Miguel Espinosa at 09/09/2003 15:07

Price Paid: US $470

Features: 10
Made in 2003
Totally versatile, from Radiohead to Tool!
8 banks with 4 channels each. All are footswitchable.
This is the 120 Watt Stereo version!

Sound Quality: 10
I am using an Agile LP2500 with stock pickups, and I have the head plugged into the matching 212 cab. I play a lot of styles similar to bands such as Coldplay, Thursday, Chevelle, Tool, basically everything besides country and death metal.

This amp has 16 models. My favorites are UK Modern (Marshall JCM200 DSL100), UK '80s (Marshall JCM800), Recto (Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier), and Black 2x12 (not sure what this models, but awesome clean). This amp has some serious high gain! So for those of you who are not sure about the Valvetronix being able to handle your heavy styles, just check it out and you will see for yourself. Not only does this thing have versatile high gain options, it also has versatile cleans! What other amps can do that?

Also, there is a programmable noise reduction feature that will really help out the more serious high gainers.

Reliability: N/A
Well, I've only had it for less than a week, but I feel it is pretty reliable.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with Vox.

Overall Rating: 10
I just love this amp! Anyone debating over whether to get this amp or another? Choose this one! You will not be disappointed! There is nothing I wish it had.

The VC-4 floorboard that is available sucks though. I am waiting for the much better and more efficient VC-12 floorboard, which should be out in mid-September.

Submitted by Denmark Luceriaga at 08/22/2003 13:51