any Vox Mod Vs. Wampler Thirty (or other) amp in a box....?

Vox sounds are tough. Bright, jangly, restrained midrange, throaty, edge of breakup, open, etc..... all these terms describe what a Vox sounds like but no one except a vox can do it well.

I have a DIY Vox mod I'm playing with but really I don;t expect to make it much better.

I run a Bogner Blue pedal in front of my Duoplex and it is the ticket to that sound. It's perfect. I also have a number of cleaner options for base sounds, Selma, Supra, Twinface. Since the DIY vox mod doesn't really make it into a slot because of it;s shortcomings I have been listening to pedal demos. The Wampler stands out as being the best one.

Does anyone have any experience with any amp in box Vox pedals? Unless someone comes out with a Magic Module that can be proven via clips I'm not biting......

hmm..Mike P did some samples of the new JF VX30.I thought they sounded really good.They didn't exactly scream Paull Weller at me, but it sounded to me like that mod has a lot of potential.

didn't sound like that to me. I'm sure we all interpret the vox tone differently, though

While I appreciate all the work Mike P put into the clips of the new JF modules, I also had trouble with the Vox sound as well as a lot of the others. By playing the same thing through different mods, the clips don't really show what the mod is truly capable of. In a lot of ways they sound a lot alike. I can make a lot of my mods sound the same but each mod has it's own uniqueness. Like the Vox with a hollow body or semi hollow body with the gain down getting that cool Beatles sound. Or a Fender mod with a strat being played clean and getting that classic spank. Most of those clips of the low/mid gain mods all were played with about the same amount of break up. I got the Chiefton and it sounds nothing like the clips. It is much cooler than that, so I assume that Rob's new AC30 would also sound a lot cooler than the clip. Like you said though, we all have a different idea of what an amp should sound like.

ricky said:

While I appreciate all the work Mike P put into the clips of the new JF modules, I also had trouble with the Vox sound as well as a lot of the others. By playing the same thing through different mods, the clips don't really show what the mod is truly capable of. In a lot of ways they sound a lot alike. I can make a lot of my mods sound the same but each mod has it's own uniqueness. Like the Vox with a hollow body or semi hollow body with the gain down getting that cool Beatles sound. Or a Fender mod with a strat being played clean and getting that classic spank. Most of those clips of the low/mid gain mods all were played with about the same amount of break up. I got the Chiefton and it sounds nothing like the clips. It is much cooler than that, so I assume that Rob's new AC30 would also sound a lot cooler than the clip. Like you said though, we all have a different idea of what an amp should sound like.

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I'm sorry that the recording didn't work for you.

The idea behind the recordings was to be a neutral as possible. I used the same guitar and the same setup for every mid-gain and clean module, which basically meant that you'd need to use your imagination as to whether or not you could get the tone you're seeking with a different guitar and cabinet.

The entire project took quite a bit of time to produce and I had used a semi-hollow body or a hollow body for some modules (Chiefton, VX30, etc.) but not for others, it would have skewed the idea of staying neutral.

I chose to use my Warmoth/Charvel clone but I felt it was most similar to what I've seen described in the forum. Had I chosen to use my Sheraton w/Lollar Imperial Low Wounds and aftermarket tuners and bridges, the results would have been very different and in most cases, far different than what most guys in this forum normally play. The same could be said for my Casino w/Lollars or a Les Paul Custom with a Burstbucker Pro.

As for "cool", that's a very objective word. Personally, I thought the VX30 and Chiefton were super cool as is, although both would obviously sound much different with a Gretsch, Casino or Rickenbacker.

But the short of it is that the files did serve a purpose: While you didn't feel like they sounded "anything" like the actual modules you received, you like the modules better than the recordings I provided.

I my opinion, that's a win for Rob and all of his hard work.

back t the original intent of the post........

does anyone have a favorite VOX in a BOX pedal as I find, just me, perhaps, that the mods don;t do it.

I had a Catalinbread Galileo and while it did have that brian may on max sound, it did not excel at a typical Vox or Top boost tone. The Wampler Ace Thirty or Thirty Something demos really seem to have what I'm missing

just fishing for opinions on these kinds of tones.........

I got Wampler Thirty Something last week. Haven't had much time to play with it yet, but if you have a few particular sounds in mind I might be able to put a video together this weekend.

Vox / clean modules I have available for comparison: Super V, Top Boost, JF Superpro, Salv Twinface

hey, that's mighty generous of you, thanks.

Two tones I'm particularly interested is the edge of breakup tone of the AC30 non top boost. That mid wooden, warm yet jangly point where heavily hit strings break into light distortion. A la stones, I guess.

the other is the top boost wide open sound not necessarily Brian May

I know these are standard descriptions for a Vox tone but I have no other way to explain it. I'll look for some Youtube clips that might demonstrate what I'm trying to say.

I've had the Matchless and the current modded Top Boost mod I now have. Neither could get the EQ right and the gain structure sounded very typical of Marshall type sounds.

sorry if all this sounds like BS.

The Randall SuperV never got the recognition it deserved. If you can score one cheap, all the better.

withmittens said:

I know these are standard descriptions for a Vox tone but I have no other way to explain it. I'll look for some Youtube clips that might demonstrate what I'm trying to say.

Click to expand...

A few specific songs would help too. I personally tend to favor bright and spanky over warm and woody, so hearing what you're hoping to achieve in context would be a good reference.

this is the best I can do at the moment...Proguitar shop video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcrgNYjwMTM AC30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5RSaECdCrQ AC15

these tones seem to really cover what I'm hoping the pedal does that the two vox mods I've experienced can not

Thank you much, I really appreciate your input

...I'd also be looking at what speakers are in the Vox amps there if I was chasing that tone.

that's totally true. I find that most pedal in amp things are voiced to match that kind of sound, in varying degrees of success.

Ya'll need to remember that the cab and speaker(s) are a HUGE percentage of any amp's tonal signature, so if you're looking for typical Vox tones you really need a open backed cab with Celestion Blues/Silvers to nail it (preferably with the same dimensions as the Vox cabs).

The preamp is only part of the tonal signature, along with the cab/speaker(s) and power section.

A sold state pedal Vox will sound like a solid state Vox, not a tube Vox.