Vox AD30VT Combo

Price Paid: 249,- (€)

Features: 9
Bought mine in december 2004. (Yes, a christmaspresent from me to me..)
Won't repeat the features, known by now.
Versitale enough for any style, including my kind of music. (i'm playing for fun with a few guys in a coverband, 70's - 80's, etc.)
It has a lot of power for a 30w hybride amp, but I wouldn't recommend the AD30vt for using her/him in a band. (Still, until this moment,I do, but I have to mike the amp) We have a very loud drummer, the Vox won't keep up with him. A pity that there is no connection for a cabinet. This month, i want to buy a tube-amp for playing with the band. 30 tube watts must do!
Anyway, the wattage controle on the Vox is a great future. Also having the choise of many different amps (Vox, Fender, etc.)is fun to play with.
I also use a Boss ME-50 and a Cry Baby, wich means that I don't use most of the effects on the amp.
For playing at home or just a small gig, (a party f.e.)it will do the job very well.

Sound Quality: 8
I use a Fender Strat Highway with Kinman pickups. (great sounding, and NO! hum) We play all kind of styles, except for metal. The Vox can cover it all. The clean channels are great,(dumble, fender)the vox channels (of course)are also very realistic and usable. I do find the amp in the distortion channels (marshall UK80, soldano US high gain etc.)a bit over the top. A clean channel with a good distortionpedal would be a better option. But for the price, (and it is a fair price, imho) you get a good sounding amp.

Reliability: N/A
own it for a year now, no problems so far. (knock, knock)
I use it every day. Still, i heard about the "reliability" from the VOX AD-series. Until now, the amp has never let me down and i use it without a backup.

Customer Support: N/A
never needed it.

Overall Rating: 8
I'm playing for 14 years now, the last few years very intensive. I also play a Yamaha LJX6, wich is a fine acoustic jumbo! As said before, i use a BOSS ME-50 and a Dunlop Cry Baby. With this set-up, i can make almost any sound i'm looking for. (except for the real tube vibe!)
This little VOX is a great versatile amp for homepractising en even for a very small gig. For the money, it's a bargain and a winner in it's range. If stolen, i would be very pissed, because probably my strat is also taken away by those lowlifes. I don't think i would buy it again, because i don't use all those options on this amp and do payed for them. I guess that i would buy a small tube amp. (15w or so) Still, i'm having lots of fun with my VOX!

Submitted by Jeroen at 01/06/2006 15:39

Price Paid: £139

Features: 8
2005 Vox amp, moddeling amp has eleven amp models, two channels plus a manual option, also presets for each of the eleven models and digital effects, valvestate (but valve in the poweramp) FINALLY someone has made a valvestate amp with the valve in the right place :) i give it an eight because while the features are great some of them arent that useful in my opinion and there is always room for improvement

Sound Quality: 10
Ibanez RG series (so both single coil, coil taps and humbuckers) and a Crafter copy of the gibson 335 due to the modelling it suits a wide variety of styles, for me rock pop and church worship stuff are the main uses however the high gain gets a lot of use for solos. also have used a vox distortion booster infront of the AC30 and uk 70's just to up the gain, again this works well if you take time to find the settings

noise wise (aside from the noise its meant) i have not heard any so it gives a good signal to noise ration with the guitars i have used when cranked there is a slight background hum but this has always faded into nothingness in a band situation

The sound quality is great i particuarly like the model of the twin 2x12 in my opinion this is very accurate and also the AC30 and the uk 70's are my other two models i use a lot. sound is amazing fopr what this is (a practice amp and maybe a small gig if you mike it up) but obviously you cant expect the world from it the 10 given is based on the price range NOTHING sounds anywhere near as good as this in the price range

Reliability: N/A
had no problems yet, however is only three months old.

Customer Support: N/A
one year warranty has been no need to use this yet

Overall Rating: 8
I have been playing for three years this is A great practice amp, but you musnt expect miricales of it bear in mind it is only £139 for something to give you a real quality sound you would need to pay a lot more. Overall does the valvestate better than any othe valvestate amp i have played, also is the best modelling amp i have played (i owned a line six spider and this wins hands down) i would replace it without second thought if it was nicked... however in future i will be looking at a full on valve amp

Submitted by Drew at 12/31/2005 08:06

Price Paid: 287 (€)

Features: 9
The amp is very flexible because it have much digital effects and lots of different amp modells!

Sound Quality: 10
The best sound iv`e ever heard in this priceclass.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by Zakk Wyde 369 at 12/27/2005 05:18

Price Paid: 139 (GBP)

Features: 9
Mentioned many times before, so I won't go into detail. Needless to say there are enough features, effects and amp sounds so that you should find something that you like.

Sound Quality: 10
I use it with a Dearmond Gibson Les Paul(ish!) copy and also a Vintage PRS copy which has Coil-tap humbuckers. The amp sounds fantastic. It has a good range of clean tones through to heavy distortion. The Nu-metal (rectifier) is particularly good for a good distortion sound. The effects are also good, although a minor gripe is you are limited to certain combinations of effects, but these are intelligently thought out and Vox have chosen a good mix of combinations. The delay is particularly good and has a nice tape echo vibe to it. Some people have moaned about the noise gate, but I find it useful. It is adjustable and if you do not like it, it can be turned off altogether. I use it as a household amp and have hardly turned it up for any length of time but it can go very loud and I imagine it would cope with a smaller gig. The amp also pulls off the slightly overdriven, "just breaking up" sounds nicely which I imagine is due to the valve.

Reliability: N/A
Fingers crossed-have'nt had it that long. It seems fairly sturdy though!

Customer Support: N/A
1 Years warranty-hope I don't need it!

Overall Rating: 10
I have been playing for 15 years and own 2 amps prior to this one. This sounds the best and I would replace it if stolen. Compared it against a Line 6 and thought this sounded more organic and responsive. I am very please3d with this amp and would recommend it without hesitation.

Submitted by Gazza at 12/27/2005 05:05

Price Paid: US $249

Features: 8
This amp was made in 2005. It is plenty versatile enough to play most styles. I like the wattage control knob on the back of the amp...nice feature. Most of the features have been gone over pretty well. Tube/solid state hybrid, switchable channels and effects, ten inch speaker. I wish it had a good reverb and delay and none of the other effect that are offered. If you are buying an amp to play with your buddies on the back porch or in the basement, this is a good choice. I would not consider it professional quality by any means, but if you're looking to have some fun playing gittar with your friends or if you are looking for a GOOD bedroom practice amp, this is a good buy.

Sound Quality: 7
I mostly play a custom Strat, and occasionally a Standard Tele with Lindy Fralin p'ups. Since it has so many amp simulations, it is easy to find a sound to fit your style. I play mostly blues, but other kinds of music, too...country, gospel, rock, but I'm too dumb for jazz. The higher gain models are noisy as all get out. There is a noise reduction feature for these models, but I have found that I like the AC15 model for channel one and the UK 70's model for the second channel. Neither of these models require noise reduction and there is not a big difference in the volume as compared to some of the higher gain models. The effects are so so. I sometimes use the adjustable delay and a wee bit of reverb. For the most part, these effects are not that high in quality but on an amp this size and at this price, they are a good deal.
The sounds that I am able to get are very pleasing. It's a great little jammin' amp. You can get some very decent clean tones, but the high gain models leave a lot to be desired, in my opinion.

Reliability: N/A
I have toted this amp around in the back of my pick-up to play at friends' houses or bbq get togethers with no problem. I have not played out much in the past 20 years, just in church and occasional parties. Wouldn't think it would hold up as a gigging amp, though, and there's no way it is loud enough unless you are micing it.

Customer Support: N/A
Besides a wah pedal, this is the first Vox product that I have owned. So far, I haven't needed to contact them and have not heard whether or not they give good support

Overall Rating: 8
I've been pecking around on an electric gittar since 1962. Currently I own a custom Strat, a Tele, Washburn semi-hollowbody, Reverend Slingshot, an old Squire and a Martin acoustic. Other amps are a Fender Blues Jr, Reverend Hellhound, 20 watt Marshall tube/ss hybrid, 15 watt Marshall ss, and a new Peavey ValveKing1x12. I am not sure if I would replace this amp with another one just like it if it were stolen. I've got a few smaller amps for playing around the house and at work. There are some new tube amps at bargain prices available now, and more to come i'm sure, so I would probably lean more towards one of those. This is a nice, fun little amp, though, and for the price and features it's a darn good bargain.

Submitted by sloweddie at 12/26/2005 17:05

Price Paid: US $240

Features: N/A

Sound Quality: N/A

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
I don't have this amp yet, I just bought it and am waiting for it to be delivered. I am submitting this comment because I can't goddamn stand it when a bunch of ametures review something, and you have to weed past all of them to get the good reviews from people who understand what a product is meant for.

Anyone who gave this amp a bad rating because it didn't work out for you at a gig or at band practice is a moron and deserves to have been let down when it blew up on them. Corky from Life Goes On would know enough to know this thing is meant for bedrooms and direct line to recording ideas and such on a multitracker or computer.

By no means is this amp meant to play any gig bigger than a small coffee house with a dozen or two sized audience. By no means is it meant to keep up with your bandmate's 50/100w Marshall half stack, a bass amp, drums, and mic'd vocals. And by no goddamn means is it meant to record that professional $6000 demo.

If you buy this amp for any of the above purposes, you are a cheap bastard and a certified retard who obviously is too much of a newbie to know you need real equipment for real life situations. Good luck replacing it in a month when you blow it up playing bar gigs.

I will give a real review once I get it in a few days.

Submitted by I Hate Bad Reviews at 12/20/2005 10:02

Price Paid: US $230.00

Features: 9
As mentioned before. Lots of great sounds an features. The power tube really helps give this amp a tone that is well above anything in its class...but... read on.

Sound Quality: 6
Sound and tone is great... when it worked right. the presets on mine had a mind of their own. I would turn it to reverb, and get flange. Change over to Flange and get hi-gain. If I flipped a few knowbs around it would settle down usually, but started all over agin next time I turned it on for practice sessions. Very frustrating. This is the main reason I sold it. The Sound is a 9-10, but the difficulty to select and hold the sounds gets it a 6

Reliability: 5
Not good. Very noisy as mentioned before. Lots of buzz even when playing a humbucker equipped guitar. Although the power never konked out or anything, the spastic nature of the controls made it maddening to use. Would not gig with it. would not buy another.

Customer Support: N/A
Never called them. for $200, it wasn't worth the hassle. I sold it to a kid (clearly forwaring him of the idiosyncracies) rather than deal with Vox or GC. Better to get a new amp in my opinion.

Overall Rating: 6
I've been playing guitar since 1966. Everything from vintage Fenders and Voxes to Marshalls, Traynor, etc. Solid state and Tube. As much as I love Vox due to my childhood with the Beatles and British Invasion, I just couldn't get past the quality issues on this new Valvetronix.
My little 15w Vox Patfinder is a killer little amp, though . Never a lick of trouble with that one!

Submitted by Portlander at 12/19/2005 14:35

Price Paid: US $239 + $29 for Vox footswitch

Features: 8
This amp has a lot of versatility, and it seems there is something for everyone somewhere between the different amp emulations and effects. It als has a nice warm valve (tube) tone.

One serious shortfall mentioned by a few other reviewer is that there is NO line out. Vox designers, why in the heck did youleave this out?! As a consequence, I only play this at home, but cannot use it with my band because I can't run it through our sound board.

Sound Quality: 9
The AC30 emulation is worth the price alone! It is a perfect match for my Rickenbacker 330. My Fender custom tele sounds awesome on the more overdriven amps. The cleaner-sounding amp emulations are perfect for my hollow-body Ibanez AFS75 with 2 humbuckers. You can get almost any sound out of this amp, although I agree it would be helfpul to be able to mix and match the various effects more.

Reliability: 10
I've had it for a year without any problems whatsoever. Solidly built as any amp.

Customer Support: N/A
I have not had to worry about this category (fingers crossed).

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing 20+ years, blah, blah, blah. I'd have to say that for the very affordable price, you are getting a lot with this amplifier.

Submitted by Ricky Racoon at 12/11/2005 13:37

Price Paid: 287 (EURO)

Features: 8
I play anything from dark Dimmu Borgir to light and clean songs from White Stripes.

I would say it is very useful for all kinds of music styles you have several nice warm clean channels and you've very nice distorted ones too... In the nu-metal setting and with a lot of treble it's distorted to hell, I like it!

11 channels 11 effects, noise reduction.

The effects are ok for the price I guess. But I never use them. I'll aim for some quality pedals soon and after that a bigger and not-so-cheap amp.

I use it mostly for bed room practice and a little for jamming, ive used it a bit live too but only on a very small show... It is certainly loud enoguh. It's got a headphone jack and when you plug it in there the speaker is silenced.

Sound Quality: 7
I use this with my nice Ibanez Iceman (IC400). Stock pickups.

Its quite noisy sometimes but it has a noise reduction, youve got to be careful not to set it too high tough, cause the high notes and bends tends to fade out real quick.

The clean channels maintains their clean sound at high volumes. The less clean the channels you select are and it gets more distorted but you want it cleaner, you could always turn down the volume knob on your guitar. It works quite well.

As I said earlier it distorts to hell with the right settings!

Many people has said it before: Yes, it does vary in volume in the different channels, wich is extremely annoying sometimes!

Reliability: 2
Well...

I would not use it on a gig. I have but that was before it got fucked.

Sometimes when i play it drops real low in volume but it goes up to its normal volume with a small puff. This happens in a very short period of time. And it makes a noisy sounds and crackles like a fire and acts like a tremolo in volume. I dont know what is wrong but its not like this on the clean channels!

I'm gonna send it back to germany, or maybe get it fixed at a music store somewhere near.

Customer Support: N/A
I live in Norway, and as far as I know there are no Vox officials here. The warranty is 12 months. I sent a mail to Vox yesterday using their support form. Waiting for a response.

Overall Rating: 7
Ive only been playing for a couple of months. If it were stolen I would buy maybe a Roland Cube 30 watt.

I hate that it got fucked, and that the volume varies so much in the different channels.

If you would like to discuss it or you have any information that would be help me out, it would be greatly appreciated.

Submitted by Ragnar at 12/09/2005 05:10

Price Paid: £140 (GBP)

Features: 10
11 amp models, 9 effects, built-in attenuator (nice one Vox), 10" speaker, 12AX7/ECC83 preamp valve in the power section. Amazing features for the cash IMO. I replaced the Electro Harmonix valve with a JJ High Gain ECC83S.

Sound Quality: 10
I use a Strat copy with Bareknuckle pickups in. With this amp (now it has a better valve) I can get some really, REALLY good sounds. Anything from warm jazzy cleans to chunky metal, sooaring leads, chickin pickin' tones. All the Strat tones are there too. Amazing versatility. The effects aren't bad. Their parameters don't stretch to the ends of the earth, but for £140 they're fantasic. They're WARM, not sterile like some digital effects. The valve that was in the amp before wasn't bad, I just felt that there wasn't enough push in the metal tones. The amp now sounds darker, which suits the stuff I play. It was a bit brighter and grainier with the stock valve. The breakup tones are absolutely jaw dropping in this amp. Great fendery style breakup and the Vox tones are spot on. For £140 + £10 for the new valve I really think I've got an amp I'm going to have for years to come. I'm a bedroom guitarist but this amp would be good mic'd up for a gig methinks. I'm giving it a 10 because a) it sounds wonderful and b) I can't think of ANYTHING in this price range that comes anywhere near this amp. It works well with my cheapo Behringer OD100 pedal too.

Reliability: 8
It's worked fine for me in the 2 months I've had it.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with Vox.

Overall Rating: 10
Great amp. You need to take a while to find the best tones but once you do you'll be amazed that you paid so little for them.

Submitted by Danny Vernon at 12/01/2005 09:58