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