Vox AD30VT Combo

Price Paid: £180 (UK Sterling)

Features: 10
Okay, this amp has just about everything:

11 amp sims with their traditional matching cabinets,

11 effects with full control,

Built in selectable noise reduction,

Full Master, Volume, Treble, Bass, Mid, Gain controls storable in 2 flash-memory channels, which are footswitchable by a 2-way footswitch which also has a switch whitch bypasses the effects. This is also compatible with the Marshall 2-way footwswitches, which is what I use, since they were out of stock of VFS2's at the shop.

The "valve Reactor" power amp circuit which uses an ECC83 valve, configuring itself depending on the amp selection to class A, class AB, along with the Negative feedbck cirtuits reproduced.

A power attenuator on the back to select the output wattage, from 0.1 to 30.0 watts. This is independant from the master control, so it allows you to drive the Power Amp and valve hard without all the volume.

10" Vox original speaker. The original AC30VT used Celestions, but for a modelling amp, the EQ has to be flat so that the speaker simulator can work properly. In other words, a "better" speaker would ruin the whole point od the amp.

Line Out / Headphone socket, taken right before the Valve Reactor, so the speaker cabinet modelling is applied, allowing you to connect the amp into a mixing desk for straight-off recording.

Sound Quality: 9
I use it with a Squier Standard Jagmaster from the 2003 batch, so 2 humbuckers, as well as my own custom "Dragon" superstrat with 2 humbuckers and a single coil. It's designed for every style, which is what I try and play. my favourite sounds are the Marshall UK 80's with the Rotary Speaker sim for Heavy-Metal in an Iron Maiden-gone-mad style (my channel 2 preset), the AC30TB preset for general crunch, and the Blackface with alot of mid and some reverb as my clean channel (Channel 1) The AC30TB can sometimes sound a little wedy, and doesnt like distorion pedals so it drops a mark there, but hey, who'se complaining? Great sound!

Reliability: 8
This thing is solid. Dragging it back through the train service after buying it, my bassist and I just used it as a stool on the platform, one on each side. no movement. the jack sockets feel like they've been welded into place, so they're not gonna move and snap the soldering. you can see through the back that the valve and surrounding circuitry have been well-put-together and the (CHICKENHEAD!!!!) knobs are all tight on their potentiometers. My only worry is that if it DOES go down, it'll take me a while to get a replacement because they're selling faster than shops can get them in!

Customer Support: N/A
NO idea. but the shop I bought it from will send it back if necessary, so the moral of the story would be to buy it from somewhere you can trust.

Overall Rating: 10
Brand new with a footswitch, I overpaid a little, but I like the shop so why not? it's a DAMN good amp, ESPECIALLY for the money. ALL the sounds are accurate, and ALL are useable. (Try AC-DC on the UK70's preset with the effect changed to reverb, you'll see what I mean). I'd love to buy a second so i could run them in stereo, but my parents would kill me and the shop cant get them in, because of high demand. This is a giggable, friendly and easy to use amp that sounds amazing, costs pennies, has every feature under the sun and even LOOKS good. if you ever wanted a good hybrid amp, this is it. Because of the traditional control deisgn, anyone who hates multi-effect pedals or the line6 spider will be happy with one of these (although the effect controls are a litle confusing at first, you get used to them quickly) If you can get one of these amps, do. They suit every guitar, every style of music, and although 30 watts isnt as loud as a marshall mode four, you're gonna mic-it up if you gig anyway, so what's to stop you? look what Brian May gets away with!
Just buy it. Now.

Submitted by Graham Simpson at 04/09/2005 01:33

Price Paid: US $239

Features: N/A
2004?

Sound Quality: 10
this amp for the money kicks ass!!! It has some bitchen tones, clean, overdrive,nice chunk and crunch. I put a maestro fuzz tone in front of it and with some knob turning it was 60s old school this amp seemed to like that fuzz box,I put a zoom 505 in front of it, and it was death to the tone sucked the life right from the amp(weird). I think a fuzz face will be next, mabie a big muff. I play a esp viper with duncan pickups It sounds sweet but a buddy of mine has a tele single pickups that gave this amp a new range of sounds. so I guess Im getting a tele ,strat or going to the custom shop to get the coils split. Its a lot louder than you would think the EQ is lively. what can I say that has not been said if you need a small amp this is it!!! GO TRY ONE OUT!!!

Reliability: 8
I had the input jack fall in but that's it. It is a little on the cheaply made side of things but it was $239 so im not bitchen about it.

Customer Support: N/A
N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
I can't say enough nice things about this amp like I said if you need a small amp. This is a real good one and lots of flavors to get you through that muti personality disorder. If you must play country, It might just get you throught that. Thank God its just a faze.

Submitted by Add69 at 04/04/2005 17:35

Price Paid: 250 Euros

Features: 9
I don't normally write reviews but what happened to me yesterday was compelling enough to submit a review (see reliability).

The amp is I guess from 2004. The features on the amp are amazing, you can choose from 11 different amps, and 11 different effects (that can also be changed in many ways). You won't need all 11 of those amps, but I've found 4 or so that I find sound really nice (read: excellent). Of the effects I'm especially stoked with the delay, the reverb and the rotary.

What's really convenient is that you can adjust the watts on the back from 0 - 30 watts, so this amp will sound terrific at a manageable volume. (The neighbours downstairs from my penthouse had been complaining about my previous amp's volume). When onm full volume it can be used for our more intimate club gigs...

Unfortunately there's only a headphone output, so when my band "The Fisticuffs" perform in stadiums I find it a bit annoying that I can't hear my amp anymore when hooked up to the band's speaker installation...

As mentioned I use this amp for practicing and I also plan to take it with me on our upcoming "Does the collar match the cuffs" tour later this year, although I'll be sure to take a back-up (see: reliability).

Sound Quality: 10
I have an Epiphone Casino with single coil pick-ups and in combination with this amp the sound is amazing. It's a very punchy tone that will make me delay taking my next snort by at least 10 minutes...
I also have a Les Paul with hump-buckers [sic] that I don't use that much but also sounds brilliant.

When switched on it has a slight buzz but I think that's pretty normal considering the tubes.

Clean sounds will not distort even at the highest possible volume. I haven't found a good distortian yet but considering the endless settings I can adjust I'm sure I will soon.

Reliability: 1
Yesterday the input-plug fell into the amp. I had to unscrew 20 screws before I reached the insides and was able to put the plug back up. I am seriously disgusted that Vox decided to save those few measly cents by making the inputs from plastic. Tip: when you get the amp make sure the inputs are really tight as when they're not the slightest push will make them fall inside.

As for the rest of the amp I'm not too sure. No problems yet but considering the cheap manufacturing I'm not really that sure. I'm definitely taking a back-up for my upcoming tour. Vox get your shit together!

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't dealt with them, don't think I will. Any more problems and I'll just take it to my local guitar shop and get it fixed there.

Overall Rating: N/A
If it were stolen I'd definitely replace it as I am very impressed with the sounds.

Submitted by BDB from the Fisticuffs at 03/26/2005 08:15

Price Paid: US $239

Features: 9
Brand new from Sam Ash. Others have posted features here before, so I won't re-list them. I'll mention what features I like:

* The power control knob on the back--nice to keep the pre-amp tube cooking without blowing one's ears out. For a guy like me who plays mostly for myself in the living room with others around, being able to turn the output down to conversation levels without losing the tone is nice. But then for the rare occasions of either jamming with friends or playing alone, you can crank the output back up to a full 30W.

* The amp models are pretty good--I love the '59 Fender Bassman version for clean sounds, and the UK modern model for high-gain distortion sounds. I'm impressed with the pains Vox went through to make each model true to the original's personalities--well explained in the manual. However, if you're an amp novice like I am, it takes a little time to learn what works and what doesn't. But no complaints there--learning and listening has been fun.

* Effects--love the Reverb, tremolo, flanger. Several effects have been paired, mostly with positive effects.

* Channel switching is a plus--and the channels are programable. And the metal 2 button footswitch is a deal at $29.

Features I could do without:

*Regarding the effects: Auto-wah. It's fun for the first 2 minutes, then I feel like it's really useless compared to the real thing. It uses your attack on the string to control the wah, and really limits your sound....

*As others have mentioned, the adjustments for the effects are somewhat limited, but for the casual player, this shouldn't be a problem...

Wow, the more I think of it, there is very little regarding the features of the amp I don't like.

Sound Quality: 10
I play a Fender American Standard Strat, 3 single coils. I play mostly classic rock, a little bit of blues.

I'm amazed at how versitle this amp is. I can get sparkling cleans with the '59 Bassman model, then flip over to the UK Modern model, crank the gain and get some really warm, full distortion with the UK Modern model.

I was considering replacing the pickups in my Strat before the AD30VT came along, but now they're not going anywhere....

Others have raised concerns about the 10 inch speaker. Well, I don't gig, but this amp really moves some air when it is cranked. I can feel quite a bit of low end when it's humming. More than meets my needs. I find it has plenty of steam to keep up with a drummer and bass player when I jam.

Vox has done a great job of incorporating the tube pre-amp to give this combo the warm sounds associated with an all-tube amp. It's amazing--when you roll off the volume on your guitar, the sound cleans up just like a tube amp. Neat.

For my needs, this amp fills all the bills......

Reliability: 10
To be fair, this amp is new, but I have no issues so far. It works the way it's supposed to.

Customer Support: N/A
No problems, so no dealing with the company so far.

I was suprised that the amp carries only a 90 day warranty, which is slightly unsettling.

Overall Rating: 10
I've played off and on for 25 years. I don't have tons of gear, and I certainly don't claim to be an expert, but:

I played a number of amps before buying the Vox. NONE had the amazing versitility of this one. You can get warm tubey sounds without going deaf, you have a full pallet of effects at your disposal, and all the amp models is like having a room full of amps. The fact that these amps are only $239 is incredible. I believe that the selling price overcomes the few shortcomings this amp has.

I love it, and would reccomend it!

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/22/2005 13:26

Price Paid: US $239

Features: 8
This is a follow up from my review of a few months ago.
Please see the Sounds and customer support sections for the story.

Sound Quality: 9
The amp I have now is a warranty replacement for the original which developed major problems.
This one sounds better than my first one ever did. I suspect there were problems with it from the start.

Like some others here, I have been rather unimpressed with the stock speaker, and it's flabby bass and dull presence. After a lot of research I ordered a Reverend All-Tone 1025 for it. I had never heard one live, but the 12" version seems pretty highly regarded, so I took a chance. The speaker dropped right in and suddenly this amp was transformed. The whole sound is clearer, brighter and more open. The bass and the highs are tight, snappy and focused, yet smooth. The sound, while having dramatically better character, is pretty stark right now, but from what I've heard a couple of hours of playing it pretty loud will cure that. Once broken in, I imagine it will be fabulous in every way.

The A-T 1025 is discontinued, but Reverend still has them offered on their website for now. It was $57 including shipping, and I think it was well worth it. I was surprised because the speaker is a little shallower and lighter than the one it replaced, but it sure puts the stock one to shame tonewise.

I highly reccomend upgrading the speaker in this amp, and I personally endorse the All-Tone 1025, but other high quality speakers should yeild similar results.

Reliability: 3
See story in Customer Support.

Customer Support: 10
The amp had been making a noticable hiss since I left it turned on overnight once. It later became progressively worse and would envelop each note in a nasty fuzz. The bass became so flabby that the amp was really unusable. I contacted Korg and was given the warranty service center in town. Took it in and after a week they called and said they could find nothing wrong with it. They sent me back to customer service for Korg and after a couple of phone calls I was connected with a guy named Eddy. In short he was awesome!! After explaining the situation he sent a pickup for the amp and shipped me a new one as soon as they received my old one. Absolutely no out of pocket expense for me, and only the inconvenience of packing it up and dropping it off. Eddy would have had a pickup arranged, but with my schedule, it was quicker for me to take it in. He stayed in regular contact during the exchange, letting me know when my old amp arrived and again when the new one shipped, and a follow up call to see if it was working out for me.

This is very different from the stories I have heard about Korg customer service, and I was pretty surprised to have such an experience. Everyone I dealt with was helpful and curteous, and Eddy exceeded all expectations.
I really felt compelled to share this story with you all.

Overall Rating: 10
With the cost of the replacement speaker included it gets a bit pricier, however the tones coming from this amp now are very satisfying. It's still under $300 and allows plenty of variety in tone and volume.

Submitted by Mike Bignon at 03/13/2005 00:03

Price Paid: 129 (£)

Features: 8
This is the little amp that could. The key 'selling point' that Vox is pushing is the "Valvetronix" technology; using a tube preamp (to get that smooth distortion and warmer tone rather than the typical dodgy transistor sound) with digital models to get a variety of sounds. To their credit, the amp succeeds in this regard very well. The wattage control on the rear is brilliant, allowing the tube to run hot to get that wonderful sound at a very unassuming volume. I had been looking for an amp for a while which was good enough at lower volume to let me practise without disturbing the neighbors, but had enough thump to fill a typical small gig room.

The effects are all accessed from a single knob, which limits you entirely to the eleven combinations they give you. I would have preferred some more customizability, but if that were the case, the amp would end up with either twenty or thirty knobs on the top, or a tiny indecipherable LCD screen and five or six confusing multi-function buttons.

Sound Quality: 9
The eleven amp models on offer are pretty broad, which do a very good imitation of the sounds most guitarists would be looking for (marshall , fender, mesa boogie etc), without being carbon-copies. I play an Ibanez SZ520, which is a lot warmer and less harsh than your typical jem or rg. With some patience and tweaking, you can coax some brilliant sounds out of this amp. It has been criticized a lot of having the "blanket syndrome" where the sound is all muffled (almost like there was a big top end scoop EQ), but this can usually be solved by rebalancing your guitar volume knob, the wattage control knob, the amp volume knob, the amp gain knob, and the master volume knob.

Admittedly that is a difficult assortment of things to get your head around, but like all amps you need to spend the time getting to know it, and being able to shape your sound well without simply relying on the "plug in, set gain to 11 and rock out".

It is not as rich as the fender princeton amp I have been using for a while, but it is far more versatile. Some of the "metal" sounds are a little lacklustre, and the brit overdrives are a little inconsistent (or maybe thats just me), but with a good overdrive pedal through one of the better channels (the AC15, AC30 and Boutique CL are brilliant) you can get a fantastic sound.

Reliability: 8
The amp is very solidly built out of thick chipboard, and although a little on the heavy side, it is not going to fall apart easily.

That said, I had one issue with the input jack coming unscrewed and falling inside the amp. I had to remove about thirty screws to get at the back of the main panel to fix this, but it was probably a one off. From the inside, it looked very sturdy with thick corner bracing and and liberal use of epoxy glue and huge screws to hold most of it together.

This thing is going to outlive me for sure. Only difficulty could be tube replacement, but I suspect the tube will last for a very long time yet.

Customer Support: N/A
Havn't had any problems yet, the amp came with an ownership registration card which was reassuring.

Overall Rating: N/A
This is an excellent value all-around amp. If you want some modelling capabilities but are intimidated by the typical line6 fare, then this is for you. It is loud enough when cranked to play a small gig, and when mic'd its an absolute scream. Fantastic for home-studio recording, general jamming, or for someone who isn't sure what sort of sound they're looking for. You will not be disappointed in the little amplifier that could.

Submitted by Ben at 03/05/2005 07:11

Price Paid: £140.00 (sterling)

Features: 8
I think that this ground has been well covered so just the basics 11 amp models 11 effects selections.

Sound Quality: 8
i'm using this with my sz twin and i gotta be honest it does some very credible sounds. there was some noise initially and an odd sort of distortion but a quick whirl around with a screw driver and the culprit was found the valve was not seated properly problem one solved.
by the way ... Hey vox is it really necassary to make an amp that needs 18 screws takin out to change a valve ... lol
Still once you have twiddled about a bit i think you can get most sounds you'd want and a dam sight more than you'd expect for £145.00
nice cleans and some usefull distortions ....

Reliability: 9
I have to own up to leaving this amp on by accident on numerous occassions and never had any problems it seems fairly rugged for a practice amp and i dont think they aimed it at a hard life of roadies really .. lol

Customer Support: N/A
I have never contacted vox the screwdriver is always closer than the phone ....

Overall Rating: N/A
I've had this little amp about 4 mnths and got it for messin around at home as the niegbours get a bit sick of the plates fallin off their shelves when the mesa went on.... lmao
Loves : versatility ya can get a good variety of sounds enough to keep ya out of trouble for ages.
Hates : way too many screws to access the valve. which by the way is an electro harmonix 12ax7
Last bit of info you might like to consider .. the speaker its jank not sure who makes it. I changed mine out for a jensen c10q £32 mucho improvmento especially in balance and treble response almost a different beast.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/04/2005 10:01

Price Paid: US $239

Features: 9
Already well covered here. For the price the features are incredible. I pretty much just use one channel set on the AC 30 model and use the reverb effect-pretty simple.

Sound Quality: 10
I've used several guitars with this amp but I think single-coil pick-ups sound best with the Vox models-so I mainly use a cheap tele. For the money, the Vox AC15 and AC30 models sound incredible with the tele. I have it set for a slight pre-amp overdrive when the guitar volume knob is all the way up, and I can then back off the gain with the volume knob-like you would a real tube amp and it sounds perfect for my band's style. It produces a great chime-y, detailed midrange sound that works fine for rootsy, Americana or Tom Petty/Mike Campbell-ish rock sound.

I have spent some time with the other models and don't really like them much-the fender models don't really sound like the real one's (I have a Princeton and a black face bassman) and the Marshall emulations are a bit rough (I have a JCM 800 and 900). The boutique models are fun though. I bought this amp to have a cheap, portable amp for smaller gigs and I use it all the time for practice. It has enough power to compete with the drums and bass and for larger clubs we just mic it through the house system. I have used it with my 800 for a stereo rig and have had great results. For a cheap, portable AC30 you can't go wrong.

I do run a pedal board in front of it and usually use a Keely modified original TS-808 in front for some additional sustain and grit for solos.

Reliability: N/A
I have had this thing for maybe 5 months or so, threw it in the back of the van countless times-so far so good. Held up so far.

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't had to call them yet. It's Korg I think. Dunno.

Overall Rating: 10
I love this little thing. I bought it to have a cheap amp to travel with. If it were stolen, I can just go to the local music store and pick up another cheap one. But after spending time with this box, I really like playing through it. People look dubious when I bring this amp in to gigs, but they always are blown away by the sheer quality of the sound coming from this little box. I don't know how they made such an amazing amp for so little money, but I am grateful. I've been thinking about get the 50 watt version just to have another one, but I really don't need any more power than the thirty. The 50 watter has a built in speaker jack which would be nice.

Submitted by Dean at 03/02/2005 16:16

Price Paid: US $229

Features: 10
Feature well covered already, great range of amps modeled, this is were the amp shines.

Why no speaker out jack?????

Sound Quality: 10
I have used this thing for several months now and have been waiting to write a review until the honeymoon was over.

Best sounding modeling amp on the market period. And I have tried them all.

Clean sounds are awesome and detailed, overdriven sounds are there too. How they put this thing together for such a cheap price is beyond me, sounds better than most amps at twice or three times the price.

Reliability: N/A
I have had no problems whatsoever.

Customer Support: N/A
not needed.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing 20+ years, have all the usual suspects in terms of guitars, and have gone through many amps looking for a small gigable great sounding package. This is it.

Submitted by dave at 02/26/2005 20:46

Price Paid: US $239.99

Features: 10
This amp has about every feature you might want. It's a digital modeler with 11 different amp types, including most of the usual suspects and a few unusual ones. It has nine different effects and noise reduction for those high-gain settings. It has a single 12A7X tube between the solid state preamp and power amp. There's a power level knob in the back so you can max out the signal to the tube but still keep the volume at reasonable levels (a nice feature for those of us who like staying married). The effects are highly tweakable, although the combinations are limited.

Sound Quality: 10
I have a single-humbucker Fender Showmaster Celtic. I can get some great sounds out of this amp with a little tweaking. The NuMetal amp model is great for metal. I use the AC30 model for blues or classic rock. The Boutique CL model is great for all my clean tones with just a hint of chorus or reverb. The power level knob allows you to really push the tube while keeping volumes down. It really makes quite a difference. The clean channels will begin to overdrive with the master volume cranked. That's either good or bad, depending on what you are looking for.

This would be a great first amp. No need to buy a slew of pedals. My only gripe about the effects is that you can't control the volume of the flanger effect, so it's a bit over-the-top.

In short, I love the way this amp sounds.

Reliability: N/A
I've had no problems whatsoever, but I've only had it about four months. I'm sure the tube will have to be replaced eventually, but that should go without saying. I really can't give it a rating until I've had it for a longer period of time.

Customer Support: N/A
Never had any contact with them. I hope I never have to. The place I bought it from is an authorized service center. They've been a pleasure to work with.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing off and on for years but have never been happy with the tone from a little practice amp until now. I want to play just so I can hear this thing. I've got a multi-effects pedal, but right now it is gathering dust. I just don't need it.

I compared this amp head-to-head with a Marshall MG30 and a Roland Cube 30. There really was no comparison. This amp blew the others away. I can't really define how or why, but the difference was clear and dramatic.

If it were stolen I would definitely buy it again, assuming I could find one in stock. It seems that Vox is having trouble keeping up with the demand for these little amps. For $239, it's an absolute steal.

Submitted by Matt at 02/17/2005 20:14