HumphI've found a modelling amp I like ... rats!

OilCityPickups

My usual 'go to' gigging/rehearsal amp is my trusty tube Laney LC30. But of late the back has been giving me aggro, so I tried my business partner's little Vox Valvetronix 30w into 10" combo. I was expecting nasty, overly processed pseudo-sounds. And didn't hold out much hope taking that, and the Oil City Vintage V100 LP equipped with a Blitz Spirit in the neck and a NightFighter in the bridge to rehearsal yesterday (along with a backup Strat).  Okay so the little Vox had sounded pretty okay in my lounge, but it's tiny, and light, surely it couldn't compete with our super-loud drummer and bass player. It was bound to sound pony with a full band wasn't it?
To cut a long story short, I had a ball ... no back pain humping in the gear, and a really warm set of very convincing tones. Okay so the 'metal' presets are a little 'tizzy' and over done, but the 100w marshall emulation is really nice, as are the various lower gain Fender and Vox classics. And boy is it loud for a 'little box'. It suited the V100 perfectly, and I could get all the classic rock tones I wanted reasonably easily. The top panel is a bit of a confusing dog's breakfast, and the built in effects are okay but not stunning ... but in general the overall tone was brilliant ... oh, and it takes a Tubescreamer in front of the 'Dumble' preset to do a very nice SRV,
Sadly the 30 watter isn't fitted with an effects loop so I don't think I could entertain it live ... but it's got me thinking.
Am I going senile? Is valve combined with modelling, like the Vox the way forward?

 

randomhandclaps

I got a AD120VTX that I left in a 'slightly dodgy' rehearsal space in Willesden Green, just in case, and it was actually damned good.  Far and away better than any other modelling amp I had tried up until that point - not tried any since.  A guy offered me £450 for it as it had the hardcore foot controller with it.  At the time I wanted a project HRD so let it go, but it was a really good workhorse.

digitalscream

Don't feel bad. I've been saying it for years - the models might not be 100% convincing representations of the amps they claim to be based on, but the Valvetronix amps are some of the best-sounding amps around in my opinion.

I had a Vox AD100VT-XL 2x12" combo (the grey ones) back when I first got back into playing, and even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing it was hands-down the best tone I had until I got my first Jet City amp.

Their way of doing it - digital preamp -> tiny valve power amp -> big solid state power amp - is actually pretty damn clever and it's vastly superior to all of its competitors.

I just wish they'd do a "pro" version - make it a 100W head and give it MIDI patch control, then put it up against the Blackstar ID series. Instant win.

ThePrettyDamned

I used to have the AD100vt and it was excellent.  I sold it to a mate, and I do sometimes miss it.

The onboard effects are meh, and you only get 3 sounds with the footswitch (or two plus effects on/off) but it got me through my first gigs and I sounded significantly better than a guy who had a solid state Randall and another who had a Marshall AVT150.  

And, despite what others say about digital kit, you can hear the differences between different pickups and guitars.  It doesn't make everything sound the same.

EDIT: The original blue ones had quality cabs and neo speakers, and the amps sounded amazing, but were unreliable - they were known at the time for being the amps behind a nickelback record (lol - you can't argue with the good tone, even if the music is...).  I had the first metal front one, which is in my opinion the best sounding, closely followed by the XL mentioned above.  There was one range that did sound a bit useless, and had loads or 'artist' presets which were beyond useless, but dialed in, it sounds great.  

OilCityPickups

Funnily enough we re-valved the little bugger a couple of months ago with a well worn in Electro Harmonix preamp tube, spare from my Laney, as the sound had started to be a bit unreliable. And I think that has improved the tone.
Yeah, a pro version, with midi, effects send and return ... I'd buy one like a shot.
As it is I'm going to have fun playing with this little beast, at least at rehearsals and saving my spine!

I'm not 100% a modelling convert, but the Vox feels like a proper amp ... and to me the feel and dynamics are really important. For recording I'll probably always stay tube ... but live ... I am pretty close to doing a u turn.

randomhandclaps

ThePrettyDamned said:

EDIT: The original blue ones had quality cabs and neo speakers, and the amps sounded amazing, but were unreliable -

This is very true.  Fairly regularly and completely randomly you would switch it on and the be either no sound, thin sound or squealing.  The biggest problems related to sticky jacks and crap soldering on the PCB.  I swapped out all the jacks and resoldered any suspect joints and it never played up again.

digitalscream

randomhandclaps said:

This is very true.  Fairly regularly and completely randomly you would switch it on and the be either no sound, thin sound or squealing.  The biggest problems related to sticky jacks and crap soldering on the PCB.  I swapped out all the jacks and resoldered any suspect joints and it never played up again.

It wasn't just that - I seem to recall that some of the higher-powered ones were fan-cooled, and had trouble with overheating (especially when the fans got clogged with dust).

I'd definitely have one if they made a pro head version - perfect backup amp.

smudge_lad

The singer in my band has used one of those for the past 3 years or so, at every gig we've played and it's always sounded great!

He's only recently upgraded to the 120w 2x12 model which also sounds brilliant!

I've always played through a valve amp with the band, and spent loads on pedals and guitars - and I've always been jealous of his tone!

So much so that I recently bought the VT20+ and footswithc for home noodling and for using at some smaller gigs we'll play. The lack of FX loop is a bit annoying, however with the footswitch you have added control over things like delay - you can control feedback/time/level just like a normal pedal. It's also designed to work in different ways depending on whether you have the amp set up.

You can also push the amps softer or harder than their wattage rating - mine can run at 30watt which is more than loud enough to gig with!

Mine is up for sale at the moment, which may have you wondering why I'm bigging it u so much now - it's only because I've bought too much other stuff recently so need some money back! if it wasn't for that reason, I wouldn't be parting with it!

OilCityPickups

Someone should snap that up ... as I say ... I'm a total Luddite really, but the little VT30 has quite turned my head!

steamabacus

I sat in on a friend's band's rehearsal the other day (I had done some emergency setup/repair work on the bass player's bass) and was pleasantly surprised at the sound of the guitarist's Valvetronix combo. It was a 2x12" combo, 'VTX' model I think?. The only modellers I've experienced much 'in the flesh' have been endless Line6 Spiders - which invariably sound totally pants.
The Vox gave a very useable proper-amp-like sound and held it's own against bass and drums.

It had just returned from being repaired by another mate, though, so maybe a bit fragile as people have said.

ThePrettyDamned

TheGuitarWeasel;223928" said:

Someone should snap that up ... as I say ... I'm a total Luddite really, but the little VT30 has quite turned my head!

I never had any reliability issues on my ad100 so you should be fine gigging it. Maybe take the Laney as spare

In fairness, the lc30 is a brilliant amp, too. You've got yourself sorted

My fave models were uk70s and UK 80s, closely followed by the ac30tb (which had the best dynamics I think).

EricTheWeary

Anybody mention Jeff Beck yet? He is an occaisional Valvetronix user

JayGee

Rhythm guitarist in my last band had a Valvetronix (can't remember the model but it was loud as hell so I suspect at least 50 Watts...) and it was really rather fine. Had some issues with a dodgy pots with "dead areas" and "scratchy areas" (at least that was always his excuse for turning it up to ear bleeding levels!) but otherwise a perfectly usable workhorse.

It's unfashionable but I think the Fender Frontman DSP series are pretty good as well. Youngest Son has the 65 Watt 1x12 version and it has a very nice sounding "clean'" channel (which I believe is actually plain vanilla solid-state analog) and some very usable models (the "Tweed" variants are particularly nice) on the dirty/modelling channel.

guitargeek62

Lenny Kravitz was another user of them, think it was just the early blue ones though but he used them on tours for a while.

GIJoe

I used to have one for a while - boosted it with a H + K tubefactor (valve pedal) + ran it through a Vintage 30 1 x 12, sounded superb!

thermionic

I haven't tried that many modellers but my old desktop Vox Tonelab (with the ECC83 allegedly simulating a push-pull power stage like in the Valvetronix amps) is by far the most valve amp-like in feel that I've played with. The DA-5 sounds alright through a better cab (or recorded direct) but the Tonelab is something else.

close2u

the older AD VT models were great

 

also

check out peavey vypyr 30

12" speaker too to shift some air

very giggable

Forge

I use my daughter's GDec15 for late evening practice...not as user friendly as the Vox but still a very nice little amp with backing tracks or metronome for solo work.

ThePrettyDamned

thermionic;225065" said:

I haven't tried that many modellers but my old desktop Vox Tonelab (with the ECC83 allegedly simulating a push-pull power stage like in the Valvetronix amps) is by far the most valve amp-like in feel that I've played with. The DA-5 sounds alright through a better cab (or recorded direct) but the Tonelab is something else.

How does the tone lab do for direct recording via an interface?

thermionic

L+R line out jacks into the interface, very good indeed. I don't understand why Vox discontinued them really, a desktop modeller for quick and easy recording seems a better idea than a floor unit to me.