Can't help feeling a bit sad and disappointed about Vox...

Voxman

Monstronaut said:

The MVs are fantastic. Nutube is as interesting a concept as anything from any other manufacturer at the moment. I wouldn't say they've lost their way.

I did say the MV50 was a great concept ...and I'd like to try an MV50 to run my TLSE/LE through. But the MVX150 pricing means it's doomed...at £739 for the head and £869 for the 1x12 combo it's massively overpriced like the VTX150 and will devalue like a brick dropped from a 3 storey building.  A Vox AC15C2 custom twin 2x12 is £759 and a Vox AC30C2 is £718.   Which do you think would hold its value better and be easier to resell...nano tube mvx150 or a traditional valve amp?

Voxman

photek said:

Fortunately Vox have made this:

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Vox-Starstream-Type-1-Plus-Black-Frame-and-Black-Body/2ATP

Guaranteed to bring back interest in the brand.

You think so? I'm not convinced. As a talking point maybe but actual sales have been very lacklustre and I know no one who has bought one yet ... has anyone here bought one? 

rico

The only Vox I have used is a practice room solid state AC30. Horrid amp. 

ICBM

rico said:

The only Vox I have used is a practice room solid state AC30. Horrid amp. 

Is that an “AC30VR”? I thought they were horrible too, until I tried one through good speakers. (Not really on purpose, I was trying to identify a fault.)

The stock speakers are some sort of relabelled 70/80, which goes along with what Voxman said earlier. Try one through V30s, and it’s rather different! I imagine a pair of Blues would be even more impressive... although they would cost more than the amp.

digitalscream

I had the AD100VTX 2x12" combo (poor decision for ergonomics there) as my first amp when I got back into playing about 10-11 years ago (ish), and it was honestly the best high-gain tone I had until I went down the Jet City/Soldano route. The VTX range were a bit limited, but jeez...they sounded great.

I could never understand why they didn't make head versions.

ToneControl

To be fair, it's almost impossible to find a guitar shop with top-notch amps for sale. 90% of guitar shops have nothing remotely special, even when they have a wall of guitars that include many over £2k

p90fool

ToneControl said:

To be fair, it's almost impossible to find a guitar shop with top-notch amps for sale. 90% of guitar shops have nothing remotely special, even when they have a wall of guitars that include many over £2k

That's true, it's almost as if good amps are some kind of niche market, whereas good guitars are a status symbol and an easier sell. 

Voxman

digitalscream said:

I had the AD100VTX 2x12" combo (poor decision for ergonomics there) as my first amp when I got back into playing about 10-11 years ago (ish), and it was honestly the best high-gain tone I had until I went down the Jet City/Soldano route. The VTX range were a bit limited, but jeez...they sounded great.

I could never understand why they didn't make head versions.

Hiya @digitalscream ;; -  I think you may have got a tad confused re the model designation as there was no AD100VTX (Not counting the current Vox offering, only three of the older Valvetronix had the VTX designation - the original upgraded 'Blue' AD60VTX and AD120VTX, and the later 1x12 VTX150 Pro Neodymium (launched 2011).  The 'Blues' were also offered as heads (AD60VTH and AD120VTH - in hindsight I wish I'd have opted for the AD120VTH plus 2x12 AD212 cab instead of the AD120VTX simply because of weight) So I think you possibly meant either:

1. The AD100VT 'Chrome' Valvetronix which was the first of the 'new' Valvetronix with only 2 memory slots and 11 amp models. Heavy bugger at 64lbs!  But they did do a head version of this which was the AD100VTH:  

http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100.html ;
http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100vth.html

or

2. Vox also did the XL series that was specifically designed for high gain players, with different high gain/metal amp models - the 2x12 version was the AD100-VT-XL  - http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100xl.html

This was finished in a matt dark grey to differentiate it from the regular 'Chrome' Valvetronix.  Apart from the colour and amp models, the design & controls were exactly the same.  They didn't offer the XL as a head, so was it the XL you had?

or

3. In 2009 these 2-channel Valvetronix were replaced by the 'VT' series which largely looked the same but had double the amp models (22), more effects, & 8 memory slots.  These could also be floor operated by a VFS5 controller rather than just the 2-button VFS2 for the first generation chromes. But I don't think it was one of these second chrome generation as this was after your 10-11 yr time-line and had more features.  

mbe

Old VOX Pathfinders fetch the same as Katana 50s on ebay.

digitalscream

Voxman said:

2. Vox also did the XL series that was specifically designed for high gain players, with different high gain/metal amp models - the 2x12 version was the AD100-VT-XL  - http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100xl.html

This was finished in a matt dark grey to differentiate it from the regular 'Chrome' Valvetronix.  Apart from the colour and amp models, the design & controls were exactly the same.  They didn't offer the XL as a head, so was it the XL you had?

Yeah, that was the one. In my defence, it was a very long time ago...

ICBM

Voxman said:

I think you may have got a tad confused re the model designation as there was no AD100VTX (Not counting the current Vox offering, only three of the older Valvetronix had the VTX designation - the original upgraded 'Blue' AD60VTX and AD120VTX, and the later 1x12 VTX150 Pro Neodymium (launched 2011).  The 'Blues' were also offered as heads (AD60VTH and AD120VTH - in hindsight I wish I'd have opted for the AD120VTH plus 2x12 AD212 cab instead of the AD120VTX simply because of weight) So I think you possibly meant either:

1. The AD100VT 'Chrome' Valvetronix which was the first of the 'new' Valvetronix with only 2 memory slots and 11 amp models. Heavy bugger at 64lbs!  But they did do a head version of this which was the AD100VTH:  

http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100.html ;
http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100vth.html

or

2. Vox also did the XL series that was specifically designed for high gain players, with different high gain/metal amp models - the 2x12 version was the AD100-VT-XL  - http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ad100xl.html

This was finished in a matt dark grey to differentiate it from the regular 'Chrome' Valvetronix.  Apart from the colour and amp models, the design & controls were exactly the same.  They didn't offer the XL as a head, so was it the XL you had?

or

3. In 2009 these 2-channel Valvetronix were replaced by the 'VT' series which largely looked the same but had double the amp models (22), more effects, & 8 memory slots.  These could also be floor operated by a VFS5 controller rather than just the 2-button VFS2 for the first generation chromes. But I don't think it was one of these second chrome generation as this was after your 10-11 yr time-line and had more features.  

This post perfectly illustrates one of the main problems...

Confusing model names, no consistency, restrictive model formats, odd target market choices.

ThePrettyDamned

ToneControl said:

To be fair, it's almost impossible to find a guitar shop with top-notch amps for sale. 90% of guitar shops have nothing remotely special, even when they have a wall of guitars that include many over £2k

Yes, absolutely - or, they have a premium amp (like a nice custom one) surrounded by low end stuff  rather than a full range. 

I'm sure it's not always the shop's fault. 

Voxman

ICBM said:

This post perfectly illustrates one of the main problems...Confusing model names, no consistency, restrictive model formats, odd target market choices.

Definitely @ICBM ;;;. And whereas every patch in the 'Blue' Valvetronix and TLSE/LE were fully programmable, in all the later versions Vox compromised on processing power and gave the amps loads of over-processed 'factory settings' that couldn't be permanently changed unless saved into a 'user' slot.  Another big issue was its choice of cheap Chinese speakers in several of its amp ranges, and inconsistent quality control. 

And Vox has been known to be, shall we charitably say, somewhat 'imaginative' from time to time with its marketing.

1. Amps advertised as 'hand-wired' and/or all valve that have pcb's etc
2. Changing the original Valvetronix 'valve-reactor' design to a cheaper version that doesn't do the same thing, yet were still called Valvetronix and when the chrome amps came out they were originally marketed with the same Valve-reactor diagram and 'inside story' text as the Blues - even though they worked differently and the vari-amp circuit didn't read and react to speaker impedance changes. Whereas the Blue Valvetronix ran at full valve voltages, the subsequent re-design meant only low-voltage was going through the valve which wasn't enough to noticeably make the valve glow - so Vox added an led bulb to make the now more visible valve look like it was glowing. 
3. Advertising the 'Blue' speakers in the AC30 with pictures of the UK built Celestion Alnico Blues, yet the amps came with Chinese versions that used different cone material and so didn't sound the same (Vox took some stick for that one...following which the 'Vox forum' on its website was discontinued).
4. Saying that the TLST/TLEX could use 'x' number of effects together when (and let's be generous here again) their arithmetic had gone shall we say a little 'awry' even allowing for Vox' inclusion of a noise-gate as an 'effect'...hmm.

ICBM

This is also disappointing...

I've just been lent one of these, which is for sale. It's an AC15C1TV Limited Edition.

https://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/vox-ac15c1-tv-bc-limited-edition-two-tone-tv-front-1137058.jpg

It looks and sounds great, but it has two major design faults. First, the cabinet is made from 3/4" MDF, so it's *extremely* heavy for a relatively small and low-powered amp - 49lb, which even for me as an ex-Mesa Trem-o-verb owner is too much for something this size. And secondly, although it does have a pretty decent speaker - a Greenback - what does it really need? A Blue, obviously... but the cabinet is about 5mm too shallow to fit one without it hitting the valves.

Just stupid decisions for what should be a premium amp.

daddyash

I had the handwired ac15hw1 which was a brilliant amp. Well made and sounded great. Wish I’d not sold it. I will buy another but probably with the blue in, as soon as I can sell a few things I have up for sale.  

Freebird

p90fool said:

There are some rose tinted glasses in use here, Vox were trashy, flimsy and unreliable almost from Day 1, it's just that some of that trash sounded awesome.

They seem pretty reliable on my Kemper  

Dave_Vader

I have a surprisingly rare V15 which weighs very littl,e looks like a proper vox and makes a sensationally 'garage' sound.

It is not for everyone, but I am very fond of mine.

ICBM

Dave_Vader said:

I have a surprisingly rare V15 which weighs very littl,e looks like a proper vox and makes a sensationally 'garage' sound.

And quite bizarrely for such a light thing, has two top handles when it would be much easier to lift with one!

I have to admit to not liking the one I briefly had very much, but that was because I hoped it would sound like a small AC30.

Hattigol

daddyash said:

I had the handwired ac15hw1 which was a brilliant amp. Well made and sounded great. Wish I’d not sold it. I will buy another but probably with the blue in, as soon as I can sell a few things I have up for sale.  

I bought one of these secondhand recently, with the blue speaker (£600 - bargain?). I had been using the Fender Mustang GT200 modelling amp (which I still think is an incredible piece of kit) but having inadvertently tried a Vox AC10 in a shop whilst checking out a guitar, I realised that the sound I was always trying to get on the modelling amp was essentially a Vox.

It's a brilliant amp and unlike previous Fender valve amps I've had, it drives sweetly at pretty modest levels with the assistance of the master volume. 

May sound bonkers but I plan on A/B'ing the Vox and the Fender at a gig to make what will hopefully be a splendid racket.

Difficult for companies like Vox. Gretsch also spring to mind. They'e known for a certain style which people want. If they stick to it, they get accused of living in the past. If they try and tweak it, they get destroyed by critics...

impmann

Freebird said:

p90fool said:

There are some rose tinted glasses in use here, Vox were trashy, flimsy and unreliable almost from Day 1, it's just that some of that trash sounded awesome.

They seem pretty reliable on my Kemper  

Jokes aside... trashy? No. Flimsy? Not at all - far from it, I think you could knock a wall down with one. Unreliable? Hmmmm, modern valves don't work well in the old ones, I grant you. But a friend has his dad's 1965 TB model that his dad gigged around SE London from about 1972 to when he retired in about 2001. It still has its original valves, speakers, transformers etc - its had new filter caps and a new mains cable (as you'd expect) and I know the pilot light is blown! My old '64 had ancient Mullards (may have been original), plus original transformers etc and that had come from a back room of a dingy rehearsal room near Kings Cross...

Yes, you can blow them to pieces - I have too! My 65 turned into a firework on stage one night and took out the OP. Thankfully the 64 kept going, to finish the gig.

I don't think they are actually any worse than other British amps of the same period - and even the stuff that came later, such as the Marshalls weren't exactly bulletproof.

So no... not rose tinted. The original AC30 was brilliant - it wasn't like anything else, and to be honest *nothing* sounds like a real one, to this day.

I understand the OP's comments - I'll be honest, I can't understand why they don't stop fucking about and make a proper AC30, using the correct spec components/layouts etc but build them in the Far East to keep the costs sane. If folks are prepared to pay £3k for a worn original, I'm sure there would be a market for vintage correct ones for around half that.