Vox AD30VT ?????

[Teleagain]

A question for owners of this amp...are you really happy with it? are you glad you bought it. I tried one out but whenever I try anything ( a guitar or amp) there's always one major problem...me ....Sometimes it sounded OK, sometimes it didn't. It probably takes a while to figure it all out. You have a lot of options. I'm not happy with my Champ 12, clean is Ok but the overdrive isn't so good.

I'm leaning more toward the 30 watt over the 15 watt model. Does the "variable output" knob let you get a good overdriven sound without being excessively loud? The headphone jack will help keep things quieter around the house too.

I've read some reviews and except for the weak input jack, folks seem happy with the amp.

So are you fellow Tele owners happy with this amp?

I just want a little amp for the house, I won't be playing out any time soon.

Thanks in advance.

Michael

 

[Shnook]

I actually got one last week. So far I love it. As of yet, no signs of problems and it sounds awesome for what it is. I mainly use the two Vox settings and the Tweed 4x10. The only effects I use on it are the delay, reverb, and some chorus/delay. They sound pretty good too.

I went with the AD30VT model because it seems to offer the right amount of fuction at a really nice price. The wattage control is a nice feature and let me tell you this is one loud little amp. I too read the input jack issues, so I've just set my little amp up out of the way and have left the cord in it to cut down on some of the wear and tear on it.

In conclusion, I'm thrilled with mine. Very cool little practice amp, that under the right conditions could be used in a live gig as well.

 

[txspreacher]

Ok, I know you've said you wanted to hear more about the 30 watter than the 15 watter...but since the technology is the same, let me say this. I was able to purchase an AD15VT at the right price. IMHO, Vox is light years ahead of any of the other modelers out there. I wasn't big on the idea of modeling, but it's amazing how authentic these jokers sound with some tweaking. The two volume controls on the amp and the vol/tone on my Tele really make it easy to adjust the amount of touch sensitivity available. And FWIW, I really get into the Tweed 4x10 setting, too. I wish I had found a deal on an AD30VT, with the variable output. But, if you can find a deal on the 15 watt, and you play in the house only, the 15 watter would be more than adequate. If you ever used it onstage, you could always hang a '57 in front of it. Awesome amps for the getus!!!

 

[vic108]

I got one and swapped out the cheap Chi-com tube
for a Mesa Boogie fire bottle and swapped out the
ho-hum speaker for a Celestian Tube 10 and I love
the results. It's worth a try and the price is right!

 

[J-man]

I love my AD30, to answer your question, yes the wattage control (which doesn't appear on the 15watt version) does allow you to drive the amp at any volume you like.
It's a VERY versatile amp, the built in FX are great, much better than those you normally get in amps in this price range.
The amp models are pretty good, I'm a little dissappointed with the higher gain models, but the lower gain models (AC15, AC30, Blackface etc) are really really great!

 

[Joe-Bob]

There have been several posts about adjusting the noise gates, and drastically improving the sound. Otherwise, most people seem really happy with them.

 

[RJB]

The line out/ Headphone jack is BEFORE the tube based "Valve Reactor", but after the DSP. If you're planning on headphone use, listen first. Also I have a copy of the service manual the only real difference between the 15,30,50, and 100W models if the speaker driver chip used, it's the same circuit board. If you're handy it wouldn't be too difficult to add the master/master volume on the back of a 15W model.

 

[Poppatwang]

You could use...

a Hughes & Kettner Red Box to get a line level off
the speaker output.

 

[popthree]

ad30vt

i had one for about a month. it sounded pretty good, but it really wasn't for me. i just couldn't stop noodling with the controls, and it was tough for me to easily reproduce tones i found and liked the day before. even with the 2 custom user banks...it didn't cut it for me. also, you are talking about driving it at low volumes (using the wattage attenuator gizmo).....i dunno, yeah you can get some distortion and breakup at fairly low volumes, but it doesn't sound nearly as good as the breakup you get at higher volumes(wattage). and i don't think you ever really get tube saturation. i cannot imagine swapping tubes would make much of a difference...but i could be wrong.

all that said, i demo'd a tonelab at guitar center and it rocked. from what i understand, it's basically the same circuitry. the thing about the tonelab is you get a whole lot of custom banks..so you can save a bunch of your tweaked tones...not just 2 like with the ADXXVT's.

 

[Teleagain]

I'm going to take the plunge

first, a big thanks to all who responded. I wanted to hear from some people that had one for a while to see if after time they still liked the amp. Sometimes it's hard to tell with just a short try out with something new.

I realize that for the money, it can't be a perfect amp..it seems like a good amp for the money. I can always buy a more expensive amp someday..for now, I'm hoping this will do it. The new Tele got me playing more and hopefully the new amp will keep me playing. I haven't done much playing in YEARS.

So, after supper I'm off to buy one. I think I'll go with the 30 watt model.

If you hear awful noises coming from the Pacific Northwest later this evening, it's just me and the new amp. Hopefully as time goes by, the noises will sound a little better.

Michael

 

[Coach]

I use the AD15VT live on a weekly basis when playing at our church. Rock and blues oriented stuff with a loud drummer, another electric, 2 acoustics, piano, bass, and 5 vocals. The 15 is plenty loud. If I was out gigging in clubs I would probably buy the 50. The key to these amps is:
1- Turn off the noise gate completely. It sucks bad.
2- Learn the controls. They do different things depending on the amp model you are on.
3- If you don't need to switch the effects on/off, you can set it up as a 3 channel amp.
You can still have different effects saved for each channel.

As noted earlier, this amp does clean to mid-gain wonderfully. It will do high gain and do it very well but it needs more tweaking and the right guitar to get there. I'm using it for 2 of the heavier Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs at our Christmas service and can nail that high gain tone easily. I'm actually considering buying the 50 as my main amp, but I'm waiting to hear how the 15 sounds with the Tele I have being delivered this afternoon first.

 

[Teleagain]

I did get one

I did get the 30 watter Monday evening..

made in Vietnam it is.....I thought it might have been China.
For the price, it's amazing.

I hope Vietnamese electronic equipment is OK, I once had a
Philips CD burner/player, it was made in Hungary (I think it
was), it was terrible, unreliable, they kept breaking down...

I still have a LOT of fiddling with it to do to figure it out.

I e-mailed their customer support and heard back from them, they said they had adressed the fragile input jack problem.

Michael

 

[Coach]

The biggest recommendation I can make is READ THE MANUAL! I've found that many guys who don't like this amp don't know how to use it.

 

[Dennis68]

The biggest recommendation I can make is READ THE MANUAL! I've found that many guys who don't like this amp don't know how to use it.

+1. And that can go for nearly all electronic devices with a menu system of sorts. As much as I love to unbox and play, I always for myself to "read the book" first on items that may not be so intuitive at first blush to get the most out of the device...

 

[popthree]

The biggest recommendation I can make is READ THE MANUAL! I've found that many guys who don't like this amp don't know how to use it.

or they simply despise the method in which it must be used.

 

[Cobra8272]

the ADxxVT innards

If your interested follow the link to have alook inside an AD50VT amp.
very interesting and answers afew queries.


http://www.patchtronix.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=2947#2947

rgds
Cobra

 

[Coach]

The biggest recommendation I can make is READ THE MANUAL! I've found that many guys who don't like this amp don't know how to use it.

or they simply despise the method in which it must be used.

Which is why I made the salesperson get me the manual while I was in the shop. Why would you buy something in the first place if you don't like the way it works. It is actually one of the easiest modelers to program. Simply set up your tone up on the manual setting and then save when you've got what you want. It's pretty easy to adjust on the fly as well since the LED blinks when you move a control to the spot where it is programmed and then you can adjust from there.

 

[tdu]

What is the warranty like on these amps? I have been considering getting one as well to gig with. I am starting to play in a project where I need a lot of different tones.

All the electronics in these amps make me a little nervous though. It seems like there are too many things that can break in it. I know my tube amp can take getting dropped (only have to worry about the tubes). What happens if one of these gets dropped though?

 

[maxbruch]

I have owned both the AD30VT and the AD50VT. Played the 30 awhile and took it back and got the 50. Let me say I loved both these amps for home practice, but I found in a band rehearsal situation they turned to mush and disappeared from the mix. I took the 50 back and got a H&K Tube 20. Great amp and loud for 20 watts. Then bought a Valveking as a backup, but the Valveking is getting most of the playing time these days.

 

[Coach]

I have owned both the AD30VT and the AD50VT. Played the 30 awhile and took it back and got the 50. Let me say I loved both these amps for home practice, but I found in a band rehearsal situation they turned to mush and disappeared from the mix. I took the 50 back and got a H&K Tube 20. Great amp and loud for 20 watts. Then bought a Valveking as a backup, but the Valveking is getting most of the playing time these days.

That's odd. My AD15VT cuts through just fine.