Surprising great new amp

I'd grown disappointed in my Mustang GT40 and Boss Katana 50's ability to sound bright, clear, and full at the very low volume that I play at, and I remembered how whenever I wanted to jam at the store where I worked, I'd always plug into one of the Vox VX series amps, because they had that ability in spades. And even though the VX II has a bigger speaker, I remembered that I actually thought the VX I sounded better to me. So, I looked on Ebay, and found SW selling them there, where they offered free shipping. If I order directly from their website they want to charge shipping to Hawaii, even though everyone else in the country gets free shipping from them. So I bought it from them on Ebay. I ordered it on Saturday night, they shipped it FedEx on Sunday morning, and it arrived on Tuesday. That's great service. Well, my memory was right. It sounds bright and clear, but also full and sweet at low volume, never thin or shrill. Of course, depending on which amp model you use, some tweaking of the tone controls is required to achieve that. The way that they've tuned the ported cab to the speaker to increase bass response, as in a stereo speaker or studio monitor really works, and is a lot better than just throwing a speaker in a cabinet, like most guitar amps which don't really use modern speaker cabinet technology as is used in all audio speakers. The Dumble clean, Dumble overdrive, Tweed Bassman, and Marshall JCM800 models all sound great, and the Dumble clean takes overdrive pedals well. The Deluxe Reverb model sounds a bit too shrill and edgy even with the treble turned down, and the Vox AC30 models, both TB and non-TB ones, aren't very good either. The high gain Marshall, Soldano, and MB Dual Recto models are good sounding too, although that's not my style really. The delay and reverb sounds are decent, but I really haven't tried the modulation effects, 'cause I really only tend to use delay or reverb anyway. It doesn't have USB like the VX II, so no computer tweaking is posssible, which isn't my thing anyway. I like simplicity, and don't like being tethered to a computer. Overall, the best amp I've found for my home use at any price, and certainly well worth the paltry $100 asking price. I'm quite satisfied with it for my purposes. Way to go Vox!

 

They're supposed to be, which is why I called them "Dumble" models, rather than boutique. I don't know how Dumble-like they are, but they sound great, and are my favorite models on this amp, and the main reason I bought it and love it so much.

 

I toyed with the idea if getting a VT20 instead, but I didn't really need or want all the extra bells and whistles on it, although when the sounds are sorted out, it may have more to offer, and sound even better. But, I just wanted and liked the simplicity of the VX I, and its ability to dial in sounds I liked quickly and easily. The VT20 just seemed more like the Mustang and Katana, in having to scroll through a lot more sounds and settings to find tones that I like. And, the VT20 may also be like the Fender and Boss, in having to be louder to get the clarity I like, 'cause one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) that I got the VX I is its ability to be clear at very low volume.