Why do some people hate Vox amps?
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- čas přidán 22. 12. 2023
- In this short clip from our podcast, Frank and I discuss how some musicians do not bond with the Vox amp sound. Some people have a hard time getting comfortable with them or even dialing in a good tone. Yet, many of them acknowledge that some players can get iconic guitar tones. Why do these amps create such a polarizing reaction amongst players?
The way I put it is that Vox amps always sound amazing when other people are playing them.
That same happens with me and a Marshall (Jonathan here).
@@ToneLoungePodcast that makes sense. You have to play a Marshall loud loud to get it to sound perfect and a lot of people can’t or don’t want to play that loud. It’s why I’m a fender amp guy
Over time, there have been so many revisions of the AC30 that are so different to each other, it`s no wonder.
could not have said it better. most vox players i like are also effect junkies as well. at that point their amp is a pedal platform which is not what i go for
A bandmate and I went to the Hollywood Guitar Center together to compare amps. Side by side, a Vox sounds so dark at lower volumes compared to a Fender at the same volume. I think cranking a Vox helps it more than most other amps. (He ended up getting a Fender Twin and we probably have hearing damage as a result lol)
Because you can't hide your shortcomings as a guitarist with a Vox. I love my AC 15. 💜
Yeah, they are pretty revealing amps.
yeah... That was the point I was trying to make in my post. With a tele and a vox and no pedal it's like boot camp.
I agree dime it. and use the tone/volume on guitar. That's how they work.
I prefer the 15 over the 30. The 30 is just to damn loud.😎
I love Vox. They’re tricky to dial in when you’re not used to them but once you know how they work, they’re incredible. Nothing chimes like them and the overdrive (when dialed in properly) is the most musical of any amp in my opinion.
That's why I'm a Vox guy (Jonathan here). Most of my content on my main channel is dedicated to those amps.
I don't use a Vox amp but I love their sound, early Shadows for instance, and I saw Garry Moore when he was only Seventeen playing with Skid Row in "The Castle" Tooting Broadway, using two AC-30s, I wouldn't want to follow that, he got a sound to die for, it was awesome, God bless him.
I'm one of those champs who plugged into a vox amp at guitar center for the first time and just knew.
Frank also never felt awesome with a VOX amp and he really tried several times. Some people are just wired to love certain things, other aren't!
In the 70's I bought a 67 tele and a 63 Vox AC 30. I still have them. I played them with no pedals for decades, and it was very tough at low volume. Why did I do that? To prove something I guess... Now I have a tweed fender and I use a ABY, I have many guitars... and in a way having all those different sounds available with a switch makes me appreciate what I had for decades. That being said, for me the vox and the fender tweed combined might be the best of both words.
I really like Vox amps. I currently own the mini super beetle and the ac10. I was thinking about getting the ac15 and I would prefer to have the alnico blue speaker with it. I recently tried a special Princeton Reverb that had a 12" alnico Jensen speaker and it sounds so good (plus the reverb is amazing )but I have more control over the sound with the ac15. The Fender doesn't have a master volume and for me, that is kind of important.
None master volume amps can be tough to dial in, but everything happens with your guitar's controls. ;)
The Alnico Blues sound great but don’t count out greenbaclks.
A lot of old AC15s & AC30s came with the greenbacks. They are still superb speakers and a fair bit cheaper.
My CC2 AC30 has a pair of shitty Wharfdale speakers. I have an old Fender cabinet with a pair of 12”greenbacks manufactured in March/April 1973. One speaker is torn but the other is fine. I’m going to swap them out despite one being torn.
Food for thought?!
The Morgan AC20 is an excellent modern execution of the classic Vox curcuit
I never played one (Jonathan here) but I heard great things about them.
A treble booster isn’t really just boosting treble. It’s really used as a drive pedal but it has a very distinctive sound. If it gets too trebly you just use the tone cut to tame it.
Finding the right TB is a quest all of it's own. Took me a long time to find THE one.
I discovered too late that that was what Rory Gallagher used.
One can always use a volume control of some kind, between the send and return. Then you can crank the preamp volume while keeping the master volume low. You get the tubes warm, driving the amp hard, while keeping the master down. Use a graphic equaliser, volume pedal or simply make a passive input/output box with a volume pot soldered in between.
That's a great way to do it with an AC30. For the ac15 and other smaller models they do not have an FX loop.
Would the master volume not just achieve the same thing?
@@manninghind2230 It is about driving the tubes hard to get the nice warm growl, without being deafening.
Switching from higher output humbuckers to PAFs made me fall in love with my AC15.
It's an amp that plays well with lower output pickups.
Only started using a Vox AC15 w/ alnico blue speaker a couple of years ago after years of Fender amps (Concert and Twin) and occasional Marshall. My sound now is a blend of the Vox w/ AlNi Blue and Marshall SV20 with 2x12 V30's either in stereo or wet/ dry. It really is a glorious sound - both amps set to the edge of break-up, using different drive pedals to give some extra harmonic content. Klon types, TS, Boosts, ToneBenders, etc. all sound great and guitars all retain their unique sound. Particular favourites are SG with Monty's PAFs, Les Paul Junior DC with P90, Fender Strat and Tele. Not tried with Hollow or Semi but that's next on the list to try.
I would recommend anyone to go and listen to those Shadows records and you'll hear just how beautiful the AC30 can be. Especially clean. Hank Marvin used no effects except a tape-based echo unit here and there.
My own AC30 has this beautiful sweet spot that i have learned to dial in over the years. I play my strat with its volume control at about 6, and there is that beautiful Hank sound. When i turn the guitar's volume up to 10 it gives the most gorgeous, creamy breakup. I've had lots of compliments on it over the years.
On the negative side, they are extremely heavy. I mean REALLY heavy. Also, they're not that reliable in my experience. Mine goes through rectifiers like i don't know what. These days i use my Session SG75 - a transistor amplifier, which was built in 1988 and has only had the volume pot and input jack replaced since it was built! It's voiced somewhere between a Mesa and a Fender amp. If you want to hear one, listen to the guitar on the track "2 4 6 8 Motorway".
Regards
The AC30 is heavy for sure. It's hard to think that you can haul one around for every gig without eventually straining your back or accidentally dropping it. I guess that this is the price to pay for having such a killer tone.
I've fixed quite a few, old and new. The old ones are pretty hard on the output tubes. The newer ones have some poor componentry (coupling capacitors are microphonic) - I've replaced quite a few complete sets in my time.
First video I have seen from this channel, pretty cool but pretty short!
Here is the full video: czcams.com/video/j_cmJMwkW4s/video.html
5:20 - EXACTLY how I felt when I play through the AC15! For me the guitar of choice is a P90 Les Paul Special, but the reaction was exactly the same!! THAT tone was what I was hearing in my head all those years!
The AC30 _can_ work with humbuckers. Listen to anything by Snowy White. I would recommend "Bird of Paradise". That's a Les Paul plugged directly into an AC30 on "wail mode" 😊
It most definitely can. It's a sound that many love. I think that Gilby Clark used that very combination with GnR.
“What’s the Frequency Kenneth?” is, I think, a Les Paul into a Vox. I found that pushing the gain with a ProCo Rat nails the sound. The crunch is epic.
As the world's biggest Shadows fan, I had to get an AC30, and in the mid-60s I got one. It was sturdy- it fell off the back of a truck and a stage. It was a non-top boost model. But I never got on with it. I got a much closer Hank B.
Marvin sound from Fenders. Go figure.
That's the thing, you know the tone you love and managed to coax it out of an amp that wasn't the same as your hero.
Learned a lot again, thank you! Btw I ve bought a uafx ruby and that makes me a vox guy, right? Right!?
100% does!
This is a great discussion about Vox. Everything you guys are saying is spot on. The historical baton pass of brand ownership is what has led to Vox becoming a polarizing amp brand for guitarists under the age 70. Each owner or distributor has had its own interpretation of an AC30 Top Boost AND a large percentage of those AC30TBs sound wildly different from one another. It was a confusing thing for me to get my head around as a guy who started playing in the 90's. I eventually made sense of it after trying every AC30 I came across over a 25 year period. 😂 Great video. I subscribed.
If you guys ever want a guest to sit in to talk about the 2000's Music Ground / JMI amps, let me know. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words and the insight. Yeah, let's get in touch and put an episode together!
EHX Lpb-1 pairs nicely with the new Voxes, Ep boost and Super Sweet by Xotic work well also.
These amps with a simple boost make for a great pairing.
Think you nailed it when you mentioned choosing the right guitar for a vox amp.
I've got a gretsch g6128t duo jet and sounds amazing through my ac15c1x.
I'm on the market for a nice Telecaster as they also sound great through them... That real 60s sound.
My mate has a Fender strat, and it easily sounds better through his Fender deluxe.
Cheers for sharing boys
Years ago I was shopping for distortion pedals. A guy at a shop who was helping me handed me an Eric Johnson strat and plugged it into a Vox AC15, with the blue celestion.
It sounded so good! I told the sales guy that wasn’t fair because any pedal sounded phenomenal with that rig!
There are many who say that Vox amps are not good pedal platforms. On my main channel, I have hundreds of demos proving otherwise.
@@ToneLoungePodcast when did guitarists get so rigid about what we’re allowed to do with our gear. I thought one of the reasons to play rock’n’roll music was to be wrong on purpose! How can it be wrong if it sounds good; just do what sounds good and don’t worry about what other people say is the “right” gear to use
That's a great point!
My vox is a 63 ac30 and it sounds atypical of the ac30 tone and I love it..... Perhaps some sounded a bit different, most of the components are original
The wiring changed as Dick Denney tinkered with the design from its introduction until he left the company in ‘67.
I had an AC 30 - too loud and too heavy, replaced with a Fender Deluxe rev which I still use
Those Deluxe Reverb are fantastic.
I got the AC30 in a trade at first I was all over it but for now it just standing as I am not able in dialing anything sweet out of it.
It depends what tones you are looking to get out of it. I made a lot of videos on my main TTL channel where I show tips and tricks for dialing in a Vox amp.
@@ToneLoungePodcast Thanks but I feel that I am dune with it that Vox is going out for sell in this coming spring. I got me other amps that are simple to get going.
I am feed up with thinkering that is why my guitars are down to two that I realy like I used to have about ten at once.
I agree agree with the second on vox ac30. My experience was probably much like his with the exception I actually did like some of the fender amps but they just didn't have that that thick saucy mid-range sound then I was looking for they had that kind of upper high in zinc and they were slightly attenuated and the 1K and 2k range which is where a old Marshall lives. It wasn't the Brian May thing that turned me on the vox , believe it or not was Keith Scott and Bryan Adams I love the way their guitar tunes sounded together. I think Keith Scott played a 50 watt Marshall plexi I think he also had a couple AC thirties. I think Brian Adams had with a with a vox ac10 or a I think I even heard a fender Tweed amp. But I just absolutely their tones together. No I agree the early Brian Adams albums they got a little happy with the reverb , but wow that lead guitar tone is Keith Scott's and I actually got to meet John spinks in Nashville where I lived in 1999. I actually had to work late that night and I missed the show and I was so pissed off and the guys were still there packing up and I apologize I missed the show and bought me a beer Tony Hill did that the singer bass player. I couldn't believe I was sitting down with Tony Hill and having a beer and then he introduced me to John spinks who is a complete humble gentleman. I told him that I really love the sound of his vox ac30 and I was considering. This is at the end of the night and nobody was there hardly any invited me to come back and check his rig out I actually even got to play through at a low volume. It was a
63 vox ac30 top boost coppertop in a 64 gray panel vox ac30 top boost run in stereo !! He had a rack TC electronics, in an echoplex ep3 delay and a bunch of other pedals in the drawer of his rack. Oh my God what a sound that was! How about my own 63 top boost about 6 months after that.
Truthfully, I’ve just never been able to sound like “me” through a VOX amp. I’ve tried all of the Voxes from the AC4 to the AC30 and it just doesn’t give me that oomf I need for the range of styles I play. I stick to fender tweeds lol
(Frank here) Yeah, that's how I always felt about it too.
I adore the AC30 sound. Grew up liking the tones of players that used them unknowingly:
Queen
Stooges
Radiohead
Nirvana
U2
Beatles
Foos
(There are so many)
I’ve got a ‘70’s 2203, a ‘76 Twin Reverb with the JBLs, a 6505+, but the AC30 gets way more use than any of the others in the studio. They sit well a lot of mixes until you start looking for saturated tones with active pickups etc. It’s clearly not the choice for dgent. 😂
I’d save up for a pair of Alnico Blues if I wasn’t having to use a cab sim so often.
Long live VOX AC amplifiers. ❤
It's a pretty specific sound, and can't cover all basis. Yet, if it fits into a player's style then it's mission accomplished.
@@ToneLoungePodcast I feel like this could be said for a lot of amps. I adore my 2203 but it has a range of sounds it excels at then drops off fairly quickly outside of that. I think the cleans are underrated for some stuff but that’s another story!
I’m not sure that I use any amps which I find more versatile than the Vox for the stuff I find myself recording (nothing that aggressive recently). I find a lot people who like Marshall’s get on well with Vox amps and some fender guys too but like you say, it just depends. I don’t think there is one amp that truly does it all, which I’m fine with! 😂
I have an AC15 and a Lil Night Train Head with the Night Train 12" cab with a Greenback and both of the these amps do not like effects. They both sound fantastic clean or with a little dirt and reverb but once you start adding delay and higher gain pedals the amp sounds poor.
I guess it's all a matter of taste. I've always found Vox amps to be great with pedals, despite many saying they are not. That Pedal Show did a great video on the ac15 which is worth a watch.
Same here, my AC15 loves pedals in front of it@@ToneLoungePodcast
I've played Vox since 1985, good and bad ones. A 1964 AC4 was the best ever.
Yeah, the AC4 and AC10 from that period are high on my list.
In the 1980s I played with my new Vox V125w it had 4 EL34 output tubes and two 100w 12" Fane classic speakers. Very very punchy, HiWatt like. The other guitar player used a Marshall half stack. I much preferred my Vox. I also had a beautiful sounding vox AC15 two EL 84s and two 10" Blue Fanes. Different sound than the common Fender deluxe or Marshalls is fun just to sound a bit different.
If it's got a rectifier valve, don't use the standby!
I absolutely love my Vox ac15c1. I feel the same way about my Hot Rod Deluxe, but for different reasons. I also have a Mesa Mark V:25. The thing is that I can make my HRD sound just as awesome my Mesa, but I have to use an EQ in the HRD effects loop to do that. It would be great if my AC15C1 had an effects loop, but its competitor the Blues Jr does not have an effects loop. So I don’t expect that will ever happen.
Another thing about my HRD is that I’ve been modifying it. I can actually use my reverb above 2 because of those mods.
The only thing I want to modify about my AC15C1 is to add an effect loop. But honestly that’s so far back on my list of projects that it’ll probably never happen.
(Frank here) But doesn’t it feel amazing to be able to do those mods yourself? I sure love it whenever I learned how to do something like modding an amp or building a pedal and it resulted with a positive outcome.
And let me just say and add while I read the vox AC 30 doesn't have a lot of bottom end obviously what it does have is deep low mid grunt , a thick and lush and super sweet mid range and then that raw glassy high mid lower high end raw grind like no other amp. If you take the silver celestion alnico speakers out of the combo format and stuff it in a late sixties fender bass bandmaster big box cabinet and make it semi-open back, you've got a thunderous louder and more powerful amp with loads about a man that doesn't detract from the mid-range richness or the high end chime. As a matter of fact the amp will actually even feel much more lively and punching it's a whole lot funner to play through this extension cab made of pine! Just use either Maple or Baltic Birch something real hard across the top and across the bottom of the cabinet and leave about an opening of approximately 5 to 6 in middle area of the magnets on the speaker. The cabinet will breathe very nice but still retain really strong low end . You might even find yourself backing off on the Bass controls which is a good thing because it will interactively cause the mid-range to be even thicker than it is if that's even possible!!😂
I started off with Fenders and ended up with Vox - my 1964 AC30 is my favourite amp!
We're glad you found your favorite amp! That's already an achievement that many other players are still struggling with.
@@ToneLoungePodcast - in particular, my Telecaster and the AC30!
Have you tried Jennings?
I own a '66 AC50. Love that amp.
The hate is because it doesn't take pedals the way a Marshal and to some degree a Fender would. Also the compression that's inherent with a driven Vox is something that's unique to the amp. Its almost an, "all or nothing," type of amp. I love them personally, but don't own one.
I see your point. Perhaps the fact that this circuit was created at a time when pedals weren't a thing yet might explain why?
@@ToneLoungePodcast I've owned 3- the first of the Valvetronix type, a single tube hybrid, and currently AC10 C1. For classic rock sounds, a Marshall is usually best-although the 'Smoke on the Water' riff was recorded with a Vox. For pure American country, RnB, blues, a Fender. Vox can cover those but essentially it's the British sound. The Beatles, 90s Britpop, British instrumentals (Hank Marvin) and of course U2 ! the EQ on most Vox's takes getting used to. they can take pedals. Some have a loop too. AC15 & 30 models far too loud to play in most homes...even the 10 model is loud..
The Edge from U2 has built his sound around pedals..aside from some use of Fender & Marshall, he is mostly a VOX user
@@vincentl.9469 Nobody said they didn't take pedals, but not all pedals sound good through it. Case in point, distortion and fuzz pedals are not all going to sound good. In fact, many will sound very fizzy in the top end, because of the amp's natural OD characteristics, but the ones that do work, sound glorious.
Also, when I think of the edge, I think of a heavily processed tone. Sure in some U2 songs the amp natural characteristics are front and center, but not many. I suppose, if you avoid the top boost, you can make more drive pedals work well, but it's not as forgiving as a Marshal in that regard. VOX amps require you to adjust to the amp, which isn't a problem, but some people figure that their personal settings translate across the amplifier spectrum and things simply don't work that way.
@@solomonsanchez1897 I see what you mean. The other thing is that with some amps the initial pre amp gain or what some people call No1 input is through a MOSFET and that must have an effect on how a pedal works ? A key factor that determines whether you like an amp or not, is voicing. Vox, Fender & Marshall each has an individual tone or voice, like the human voice, that we've all heard on records or live. When I listen to the early U2 songs, they wouldn't sound right with a Marshall ..
So I have avoided Vox most of my musical journey since the age of 15......always Fender / Marshall / Orange / boutique stuff, and never quite "settled". One day in Andertons (UK music store, and a superb one at that!) I was trying out Orange amps and some other stuff looking to trade, and the sales guy, a brilliant player himself whim I knew, brought me an AC15 into the demo room just because....he said it was to "compare and contrast" with the Orange and boutique stuff. It took me ages, and a sharp push from him, from me to even try it!
Guess what amp I walked out with? Yep, the AC15......and now I have an AC4, AC10, MV50 AC x2, and a load of other Vox stuff......it was EXACTLY The tone I was looking for, EXACTLY! Now, to be clear, I'm not a died in the wool blues player sitting at home being cool or brilliant, but I gig a lot! And in a band context, Vox amps just sit in the box SO well it's incredible - and they take pedals better than any amp I've ever played. As my bass player said when I rocked up with my AC15, "that amp allows you to speak with such AUTHORITY, it's fantastic!"
So I am hooked - most of my other brand amps are gone, and I'm a Vox guy forever!
I USE MANY AMPS IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MATCHING OF GUITAR TO AMP.
Yeah, matching the right guitar with the right amp is a good idea.
You've got to remember that Vox were first. First in the UK that is and were developed without reference. You couldn't easily buy an American electric guitar in the UK because of the import restrictions.. Fender (say) had the US's fledgling consumer industry for inspiration and Marshall was a lot later.
Yeah I can see that being true. It was a brand new industry after all.
The T 60 was Vox first tranister bass amp Vox made for Paul. It had a very small head with a 15 and 12 inch maybe . The T 60 had more problems than any amp imaginable . We had them shipped to us in New York in 1965 . The AC 30 was the amp to beat in certain environs . Vox was built for the Beatles with the bright switch .
I've heard of the T60, but never heard one in action.
People don't know how to use AC30s. For a rock sound they have to be on the Normal channel and they have to have a treble boost or a power boost (either will do) and cranked a bit. Forget top boost and bright channels. For a punchier clean sound for pop or country, no boost, treble channel.
Vox is one of those rare companies where people have a hard time dialing in the amps. Once you get it, there are so many cool tones available.
Interesting to note that the Beatles switched to Fender later in their careers. I don't think it did them any harm. The story I heard was that Vox either hired or lent them the amps with a view to getting them back later and no doubt selling them for big bucks.
The AC30 always ran hot because the output stage was biased into Class A operation - it got hot without a sound going through it. The output tubes were run close to datasheet dissipation limits and the ventilation afforded by the cabinet design was terrible.
BTW, the speakers and cab and the musician and the instrument and the way it is played likely have more to do with the sound than the amplifier, clipping aside.
The story goes that The Beatles manager had struct a deal with Vox. They were to get the amps for free, and the Beatles would play these amps exclusively as long as he was their manager. The switch to Fender was made in accordance to them no longer being tied down by this agreement.
@@ToneLoungePodcast FYI - British amps (Marshall, VOX) used power pentodes (EL84, EL34) made by Philips and Mullard the "British sound".
American amps used beam tetrodes in the output stage (6L6 and sometimes 6550) made by RCA et al. The American sound. Later Marshalls used 8551 - also a beam tetrode, a Soviet-designed more robust but lower power version of the 6L6. The tube that was designed for rad-proof aircraft electronics. Not a good move IMO.
In the 80's I had an AC15 with a Hofner Verithin and the tone was beautiful but I gave the amp away for nothing! Then I had an AC50 transistor, which was OK. The Stones used the same one recording Sympahathy For The Devil. Then I had a 60's AC50 head which had an amazing brutal tone but kept blowing fuses during gigs..... Obviously the DC decoupling capacitors were leaking. I wish I knew that then, because I sold it for not much money ..... 😭
I'm sorry to hear that. I've had some great gear that I also wish I could get back.
@@ToneLoungePodcast All good. In the UK at the time they were considered old fashioned and out of date. I've now got a 78 twin reverb that also has a beautiful sound but it is so heavy that I have removed 1 speaker to save a measley 6kg and two output valves to match the impedance. Now I can just about pick it up to get in the car!
I gave mine away , couldn't get anything I liked out of it . Even the clean was poor . I was disappointed as I expected, well , better ☹️
Which model did you have?
Try Genz Benz Black Pearl with 2-12s . They have more tubes than any amp I can thing of, so they’re very very heavy . They are a cross between Vox, and Fender …
GB seems to be one of these underrated amp companies. Lots of people praising them, but they never made it really big.
Ac15 twin is, for me, extremely tough to beat
The AC15 is such a great amp.
Some use tools to allow them to do a clean job with minimum fuss, others want the challenge of specialised tools and letting them dictate where the art goes. It might get messy, but it can be glorious when you don't try to tell it to play nice.
Some gear can seem unruly to some, and perfect to others. As you say, it depends on the musician and their style.
The negative feedback of vox amps makes them different than most amps. They have a forgiving softness that I like. When I play fender amps the response is quick and sharp to me and I don’t like it. British amps all day for me vox or Marshall
I had vox amps but Marshall amps have delivered for me for the last five decades, and I'm not talking distortion, vox amps run too hot, much prefer three ECC83s and a pair of EL 34s.
Marshalls are definitely great amplifiers.
Maybe thts why a fender amp and a vox amp sound good together .
Oh, that is a killer combination.
imo, people either dial them in wrong or (rightfully) dislike how they sound with the standard speaker nowadays, which is greenbacks. Greenbacks are far too bright and thin for these amps as opposed to alnico blues/golds/creams which are far richer in the highs.
Cross wired Silver Bells?
I love these amps with a GB. It comes alive with fuzz and higher gain pedals.
but how much of a difference between all of them?
Can't afford one. I hate it!
Have you looked at the MV50 series?
Try a 60s non-top boost Vox. Much more versatile.
I'd love too. I have a 66 AC50 both there is no Normal input on that one.
I've never been crazy about Vox amps on their own, but I actually think that they blend with other amps really well!
Vox + Fender is well documented in the P&W scene, but Marshall + Vox offers a really usable blend as well. The narrow bandwidth and 'chime' of the Vox adds a great presence and sizzle to an amp that is better endowed in the lower midrange frequencies.
Yeah, or VOX/Mesa like in the Foo Fighters example. There are quite a few example of player combining different amps to get a "full range" sound. Each amp on its own kind of lacks certain aspects.
Do yourself a favor, forget your AC30, go two AC15C1'S in stereo and mic' em up through your desk into your PA. The melodic tone on cleans is awesome. They handle dirt just as well. The key is dial dial dial, play around both normal and top boost channels. Let em rip they will make your ears bleed they are so loud. If you buy a AC15C1 dump the crappiest Chinese tubes and throw in some JJs tubes, you will be amazed.
I approve this message!
Why because they are a pain to try and dial in a decent sound and when you do dial one in the sound is mediocre at best. The amp is not nearly as versatile as other top brand amps that sell more. Why do the others sell more...because of sound and versatility.
I see your point. That being said, anyone could copy and paste what you just said and make this statement about any brand out there. The idea is to find what works for your individual needs. Some folks find their sound with Vox amps, while some can't work with them at all. For me it's Marshall's. I love how they sound when others play them, when I play them they sound weak and thin.
Makes no sense, 100% Clown Shoes.
What are you referring to?
If you are a good and experimented guitarist, you can obtain any kind of tone from any amp. I´ve had Marshalls, Fenders, Voxes, X-Brands, shitty transistors amps, build a Rebel Amp from a Musikding kit etc. and what you need basically is TIME to twinkle the knobs to suit your needs. The problem of today is the music scene is full of posers with not a clue, many of them cannot say the difference between a major and a minor chord, with luck they learned a pair licks from Slash and they claim they are "musicians". Period.
There has always been people in this industry who think they know more about gear and tone than others, it's nothing new. I'm one of those musicians who does not have any formal theory, but I still consider myself a musician. ;)
The worlds best musicians, including myself, disagree with You. In the mid 80s I bought a used 2 speaker 60watt version that was the Boomiest and Brightest of amps. With a distortion pedal in front of it, one of the loudest and for a year We used it as a PA. Super reliable. So maybe the manufacturing was hit or miss. I say You should borrow one from somebody that loves theirs and give it another try. IDK, some of the Vlogcasts out there are overly critical and tend to make up stuff so they have some content to vlogcast about. Dont know bout Your Channel but I watch these things to get real information and You guys seem trustworthy so maybe you just got a hold o some bad ACs
Thanks for the feedback. We don’t see the point in making stuff up for clicks and views. Both of us have way over 20 years of experience in the MI industry to back up what we’re talking about.
for me i found myself expecting some brian may thing going on. brian uses some stuff to get his sound, out of the box there is nothing may about them imo. too glassy and lacking warmth to my ears.
The vintage Vox sound is different when compared to modern ones.
i've never played an older model, that's weird because fender and marshal sound good to me, old and new. maybe that is why nobody i play with ever talks about vox.@@ToneLoungePodcast
Spot on Vox for rock is not good without a rangemaster. Muddy and horrible. It does not chug. If you are a bit jingly jangly then agree superb
Nope, no chugging here... :)
SO WHAT - Some people have a hard time being comfortable with many different amps. Some people hate Mesa Boogie, some people dislike Marshalls, some people hate peas and some people hate pointless youtube videos :) No amp, guitar or anything else is for everyone so this whole video is a statement of the bleeding obvious :)
Thanks for your comment and the inspiration...I guess at some point we'll try to talk about why people hate Marshalls, Mesa Boogies, Engls etc. :)
Me too, I don't like VOX, and a Telecaster is a no go. Telecaster = ugliest guitar from Fender. VOX with a Les Paul gets too muddy.
For some that is not the right combinations, for others like me (Jonathan here) a Tele and an AC15 is tone heaven.
@@ToneLoungePodcast My all time heroes: a Gibson '70s tribute Les Paul with my PCL Vintage amp (model 1956 it's a german made amp). That rocks, overdrive for days to come, and a tone that melts rocks. 🥰😍🤩
Why are some people interested in why some people do hate Vox amps? Oh, there are people who can hate amps! Like they hate people. First world problems. Have a nice day.
Didn't watch the video, huh?
What a stupid comment... 😂
Loose those stupid microphones and stands and use a lapel microphone. Just plain ugly.
Thanks for the suggestion. I actually (Frank here) have tried a wireless DJI mic for this and the sound was as good as with the stuff we're using.