It appears that I mis-understood the USB prior to making the video as it does not act as a recording interface but only as a way to edit the sounds in the amp. Apologies for the mistake! I am planning to re-do this demo in the near future correcting this and improving the overall quality.
this is a terrific amp I had one the usb jack broke, it's too bad VOX never updated this amp , just simple things the USB to a more current one and interface for recording , if it had those features it would be killer, not many of the modeling amps have a Dumble model feature which I really loved
Great in-depth demo of the basic functions. Thanks for explaining that volume/Gain defaults to something, was wondering what was happening every time I was changing settings.
How (step by step demonstration) do you save a bank preset so as to be able to cycle thru them with your pedal while playing. Let s say I m playing on the Vox 30 clean preset and would like a overdriven Vox 30 bank to foot activate for the chorus….bank channel 1 could be the vox30 clean and channel 2 would be the overdriven….how do you set up/save those?
Good demo though I believe you got the class A and AB thing reversed. Class A has more headroom and is harder to overdrive where as class AB has less headroom and breaks up easier. The presets also confirm that by the light change on the class buttons. The AC 30, for example, has a naturally super clean sound with. Shimmering overtones because of the high headroom.
www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/class-a-vs-class-ab/14204 here is a link to a good technical description of what is going on in the different amp types. When it comes with the headroom however, higher wattage yeilds greater headroom before the tubes will overdrive and break-up, therefore a low wattage class A amplifier will overdrive very easily, and thus provide a more distorted signal at an equivalent volume level to a larger wattage class AB amplifier. I think the confusion comes when you look at amps like the AC30 which are "class A" to some extent, but in most ways are a class AB. Here is a second article (quite a technical one) that might help clear things up. www.aikenamps.com/is-the-vox-ac-30-really-class-a So it has that shimmering overtones and naturally clean sound because of its class AB nature, and how they bias everything. Ultimately in this amp you will hear a difference between class A and class AB in a more similar way to what I described. Hope that helps.
Received my Vox VT20X recently.. I noticed that the power cable lacked a ground connection. There's just the two pin plug and a hole where the ground pin should be. Is it okay to use it that way?
Abhinav B, I’m not trained in electronics in that way, so take this with a grain of salt. But my understanding is that because it has an AC/DC converter in the brick on the cable, it should be fairly safe for the amp. You only have the 2 wires actually going into the back, so the ground would only save your brick if something went wrong. That being said, any time there is a prong intended to be there, it’s best to have it. So I would go back to where you purchased the amp and ask them to replace the cable for you.
Do you get the volume drops when changing amp preset? If I'm on the present and touch the gain or anything the volume drops all the way down. Then if I hit the button on preset gets really loud. LOl
Hi Robert, Great Question. Volume drops are an unfortunate side effect of running a preset style modeling amp. All amps in this category will have the same issue, and on many there is no really good way to combat it. The VTX series however gives you 2 ways you can tackle the issue. The first way is by avoiding the presets altogether. I personally don't often find the presets useful, so I run in manual mode (to do this, press and hold the "presets" button until it goes dark, then you are in manual mode). When in Manual mode, all of your knobs positions reflect reality, so you will get a small jump in volume from your cleaner settings to your more distorted ones, but nothing drastic at all. Just make sure you turn each of the knobs slightly after turning on manual mode in order to take it out of its memory of the last time you were in manual mode. The second way to tackle the problem is by utilizing your power level knob more effectively. Many people think of it just like another volume, but really it's changing the amount of output power the amp has. This means that a lower or higher level wont change your tone, just your volume. In order for this to help your volume issue, you need to use the power level knob as your exclusive volume control. Every other volume (gain, volume and master volume) should be left in the same position no matter what preset you are on, and ideally pointing up. If you do need to add some more distortion, or take some away, be sure to counter that volume boost or cut by also turning up or down the volume or master volume knob a similar amount to get your volume to the same level overall. If you always do this, you will never have a drastic volume jump or drop as your power level knob is the one control that does not have a memory in a preset, it just changes how much power runs to the speakers. Keeping the rest in a similar zone and counter balancing them with eachother will ensure that wherever your power level knob is at will dictate your general volume level. I hope that makes sense. If you have any other questions about it let me know.
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Hey thanks man. I appreciate the help. It does this strangely enough with power at same level. But I will play around with the Manual mode more. I will look over manual again too. And for what it's worth this amp can seriously sound top notch. I love it just gotta figure this out like you've said I'll try those 2 options. Thank you.
No problem. For clarity though, I mean that it will jump if you didn’t have the presets at the same volume level even if the power level is the same. You need to basically make your amp remember all of the 3 volume knobs to be in the middle ish area in order for it not to jump, even if your power level knob is in the same place the whole time. Because where your gain, volume and master volume knobs point doesn’t mean anything when you switch between presets, it just remembers where the we’re pointing when you were there last. This is why I say you have to keep those controls around middle, and make sure you turn them all slightly once changing from one to another. I still feel like I’m not explaining it will, but I hope that helps a bit more. Lol
Are their any new tube modeling amps on the market? Recently found out about the fender super champ x2 which is basically a fender mustang with tubes. I really liked the mustang when I tried it out recently even more than the new boss katana and marshall code. But the super champ and this vox are 6+ years old technology now. I don't know of any anything new in the market any of you guys catch wind of new amps coming for 2018?
thanx James, I'll price out what I can find here in New England, and I'll get in touch with you before I buy, if you can match price I'll make the purchase from you. what are you asking for the 40?
William Bonney the Used VT40+ would be priced at $245.00 CAD. So I’m not sure what country you are in, but that will be around $200 USD I believe. Maybe a little less.
TurnerGuitarStudio1 I'm in New Hampshire, USA, I use a dedicated bank, debit/credit card to offset the possibility of identity theft, or, hackers stealing from my account. I always deposit the exact amount of the purchase I'm making just before the deal, and ok the release of funds to whomever, with my bank at the time of the transaction. if you could send me the details of the 40+, how old, condition, problems with it? and the total cost, with shipping, and a phone number I can reach you. perhaps we can close the deal by tomorrow. the price is right, and, I was. going to get the new 20×, but the 40+ better fits my budget, I can still use it at home without ruining my marriage, lol, and, I figure, j have more than enough power to cut over the drums when I get together with the guys for jam sessions. plus, the boss/wife, says, "go for it." I'm gonna jump, cuz it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. thanx again for the info, and inspiration!
William Bonney The 20+ was the previous generation, so only the 20X would be available currently. (Though I do have a used 40+ in stock). The differences are mostly in the way you control the effects, the way you can control the tube (biasing and running as class A and class A/B) and the addition of the USB output for use with Vox’s toneroom software. The basic sounds and principle is the same. I personally think the new one sounds slightly better, but I prefer the user interface on the + series, both are great amps though. By far my favourite ones in their category.
William Bonney The 20+ was the previous generation, so only the 20X would be available currently. (Though I do have a used 40+ in stock). The differences are mostly in the way you control the effects, the way you can control the tube (biasing and running as class A and class A/B) and the addition of the USB output for use with Vox’s toneroom software. The basic sounds and principle is the same. I personally think the new one sounds slightly better, but I prefer the user interface on the + series, both are great amps though. By far my favourite ones in their category.
I think from a tone and control-ability perspective the VT20X is better. Both will cover similar tonal range. But I think ultimately the versatility and tube tone quality of the VT series puts them ahead. The one way that I would prefer the Fender is their power supply, but it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
Roy Gertel it appears you are correct! I misunderstood when looking at the spec sheet on it originally. I will update the video accordingly. Thank you.
Might be a stupid question but can I play quiet enough with this amp when needed? By that I mean not disturbing the shit out of people living with me. So basically is it a good bedroom amp :)?
676 yes, it’s a great option for that. The Vox mini 5 would also be a good option for that since it has a smaller speaker and can get its wattage similarly low, but it’s a very different feature set. Ultimately if it’s just an electric guitar you will be using it for, and you want an amp that will sound good at a wide range of volume levels, this would be perfect. The power level knob is really the key as it allows you to run it at a much lower wattage which drops your volume without impacting your tone. It will get very quiet while still maintaining its tone, it also has a headphone output for those times where you really need it quite
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Great! Thanks for quick answer. And yea I'll be using it just for an electric guitar. However I've been wondering whether I should buy this amp or the Mustang 1 V2. They both seem to be great but the latter one is cheaper.
676 no problem. In regards to the Mustang, I’m not that experienced with them other than the few I’ve had come in from trades. The thing I always found frustrating with them and every other digital modelling amp is the way that they operate in a preset mode, making it hard to dial in the exact range of effects and EQ you want as every time you change your main amp sound, everything else changes with it. Perhaps they have addressed this in more recent versions of the mustang, but I’m not certain. The VT20X’s manual mode basically eliminates those issues, helps with volume level consistency across the settings, and more. I also think that they sound far better than most due to the 12AX7 pre-amp tube. Especially for the clean and overdrive tones. The only thing I don’t prefer on the Vox over some other modelling amps is the effects bank setup, it’s more versatile than most, but it is a little clunky to navigate. After a few hours of use, you do get used to it though. Hope that helps.
Xtreme Mode Sorry, I was apparently mistaken in regards to the recording capabilities of the amp. The USB can be used to edit the sounds using the tone room software. I’ve been intending to ad an edit to it, but TH-cam took away our annotation option when we have end cards. Sorry for any confusion
Michael M no not really. I personally prefer the 20+ in most ways. The ability to bias the tube differently and run it as A or AB is nice as well as the extra controls on the effects, but I personally don’t use the USB portion and miss some of the effects that the 20+ had. Tone wise they are more or less the same and they still beat out any other amps in this price range in my opinion. But it is what it is I guess. We do have a VT80+ in mint shape from a trade in if you are interested in that I can send you a link for purchase through our e-commerce page.
Stephen Poland You can use one effect from each category simultaneously, but couldn’t for example use 2 reverbs at the same time, or a flanger and a delay together. I haven’t tried messing with that using the toneroom software when plugged into a computer, so it may allow you to do that in there. Hope that helps. Sorry for the delay in replying. Been a busy time for us with a big expansion happening. If you haven’t happened to pick one up yet, but are still interested, let me know and we can get these on our ecommerce page right away if that’s something you’d like to do. Either way, thanks for your question and for watching.
It appears that I mis-understood the USB prior to making the video as it does not act as a recording interface but only as a way to edit the sounds in the amp.
Apologies for the mistake! I am planning to re-do this demo in the near future correcting this and improving the overall quality.
this is a terrific amp I had one the usb jack broke, it's too bad VOX never updated this amp , just simple things the USB to a more current one and interface for recording , if it had those features it would be killer, not many of the modeling amps have a Dumble model feature which I really loved
Very detailed review, just what I needed! Thank you!
Great in-depth demo of the basic functions. Thanks for explaining that volume/Gain defaults to something, was wondering what was happening every time I was changing settings.
How (step by step demonstration) do you save a bank preset so as to be able to cycle thru them with your pedal while playing. Let s say I m playing on the Vox 30 clean preset and would like a overdriven Vox 30 bank to foot activate for the chorus….bank channel 1 could be the vox30 clean and channel 2 would be the overdriven….how do you set up/save those?
can we record music via usb interface or headphones output?
Sounds amazing for the price👍
I was thinking about buying this but i have in mind to on a amp Vox DA15, can you recomend mi this one or the da15
Good demo though I believe you got the class A and AB thing reversed. Class A has more headroom and is harder to overdrive where as class AB has less headroom and breaks up easier. The presets also confirm that by the light change on the class buttons. The AC 30, for example, has a naturally super clean sound with. Shimmering overtones because of the high headroom.
www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/class-a-vs-class-ab/14204 here is a link to a good technical description of what is going on in the different amp types. When it comes with the headroom however, higher wattage yeilds greater headroom before the tubes will overdrive and break-up, therefore a low wattage class A amplifier will overdrive very easily, and thus provide a more distorted signal at an equivalent volume level to a larger wattage class AB amplifier. I think the confusion comes when you look at amps like the AC30 which are "class A" to some extent, but in most ways are a class AB. Here is a second article (quite a technical one) that might help clear things up. www.aikenamps.com/is-the-vox-ac-30-really-class-a
So it has that shimmering overtones and naturally clean sound because of its class AB nature, and how they bias everything.
Ultimately in this amp you will hear a difference between class A and class AB in a more similar way to what I described. Hope that helps.
Received my Vox VT20X recently.. I noticed that the power cable lacked a ground connection. There's just the two pin plug and a hole where the ground pin should be. Is it okay to use it that way?
Abhinav B, I’m not trained in electronics in that way, so take this with a grain of salt. But my understanding is that because it has an AC/DC converter in the brick on the cable, it should be fairly safe for the amp. You only have the 2 wires actually going into the back, so the ground would only save your brick if something went wrong. That being said, any time there is a prong intended to be there, it’s best to have it. So I would go back to where you purchased the amp and ask them to replace the cable for you.
Can you connect a looper to this amp?
Do you get the volume drops when changing amp preset? If I'm on the present and touch the gain or anything the volume drops all the way down. Then if I hit the button on preset gets really loud. LOl
Hi Robert,
Great Question. Volume drops are an unfortunate side effect of running a preset style modeling amp. All amps in this category will have the same issue, and on many there is no really good way to combat it. The VTX series however gives you 2 ways you can tackle the issue.
The first way is by avoiding the presets altogether. I personally don't often find the presets useful, so I run in manual mode (to do this, press and hold the "presets" button until it goes dark, then you are in manual mode).
When in Manual mode, all of your knobs positions reflect reality, so you will get a small jump in volume from your cleaner settings to your more distorted ones, but nothing drastic at all. Just make sure you turn each of the knobs slightly after turning on manual mode in order to take it out of its memory of the last time you were in manual mode.
The second way to tackle the problem is by utilizing your power level knob more effectively. Many people think of it just like another volume, but really it's changing the amount of output power the amp has. This means that a lower or higher level wont change your tone, just your volume.
In order for this to help your volume issue, you need to use the power level knob as your exclusive volume control. Every other volume (gain, volume and master volume) should be left in the same position no matter what preset you are on, and ideally pointing up. If you do need to add some more distortion, or take some away, be sure to counter that volume boost or cut by also turning up or down the volume or master volume knob a similar amount to get your volume to the same level overall.
If you always do this, you will never have a drastic volume jump or drop as your power level knob is the one control that does not have a memory in a preset, it just changes how much power runs to the speakers. Keeping the rest in a similar zone and counter balancing them with eachother will ensure that wherever your power level knob is at will dictate your general volume level.
I hope that makes sense. If you have any other questions about it let me know.
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Hey thanks man. I appreciate the help. It does this strangely enough with power at same level. But I will play around with the Manual mode more. I will look over manual again too. And for what it's worth this amp can seriously sound top notch. I love it just gotta figure this out like you've said I'll try those 2 options. Thank you.
No problem.
For clarity though, I mean that it will jump if you didn’t have the presets at the same volume level even if the power level is the same. You need to basically make your amp remember all of the 3 volume knobs to be in the middle ish area in order for it not to jump, even if your power level knob is in the same place the whole time. Because where your gain, volume and master volume knobs point doesn’t mean anything when you switch between presets, it just remembers where the we’re pointing when you were there last. This is why I say you have to keep those controls around middle, and make sure you turn them all slightly once changing from one to another.
I still feel like I’m not explaining it will, but I hope that helps a bit more. Lol
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Ok cool. I'll check that out too man 👌 thanks.
Does it do hiwatt?
Are their any new tube modeling amps on the market? Recently found out about the fender super champ x2 which is basically a fender mustang with tubes. I really liked the mustang when I tried it out recently even more than the new boss katana and marshall code. But the super champ and this vox are 6+ years old technology now. I don't know of any anything new in the market any of you guys catch wind of new amps coming for 2018?
thanx James, I'll price out what I can find here in New England, and I'll get in touch with you before I buy, if you can match price I'll make the purchase from you. what are you asking for the 40?
William Bonney the VT40+ or the new VT40X
TurnerGuitarStudio1 the used40+
William Bonney the Used VT40+ would be priced at $245.00 CAD. So I’m not sure what country you are in, but that will be around $200 USD I believe. Maybe a little less.
TurnerGuitarStudio1 I'm in New Hampshire, USA, I use a dedicated bank, debit/credit card to offset the possibility of identity theft, or, hackers stealing from my account. I always deposit the exact amount of the purchase I'm making just before the deal, and ok the release of funds to whomever, with my bank at the time of the transaction. if you could send me the details of the 40+, how old, condition, problems with it? and the total cost, with shipping, and a phone number I can reach you. perhaps we can close the deal by tomorrow. the price is right, and, I was. going to get the new 20×, but the 40+ better fits my budget, I can still use it at home without ruining my marriage, lol, and, I figure, j have more than enough power to cut over the drums when I get together with the guys for jam sessions. plus, the boss/wife, says, "go for it." I'm gonna jump, cuz it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. thanx again for the info, and inspiration!
William Bonney
If you can give me a call at 780-278-3679 when you get a chance today, We can chat about all the details.
Thanks
James
what's the difference, besides price, between the 20X and the 20+?
William Bonney
The 20+ was the previous generation, so only the 20X would be available currently. (Though I do have a used 40+ in stock).
The differences are mostly in the way you control the effects, the way you can control the tube (biasing and running as class A and class A/B) and the addition of the USB output for use with Vox’s toneroom software. The basic sounds and principle is the same. I personally think the new one sounds slightly better, but I prefer the user interface on the + series, both are great amps though. By far my favourite ones in their category.
William Bonney
The 20+ was the previous generation, so only the 20X would be available currently. (Though I do have a used 40+ in stock).
The differences are mostly in the way you control the effects, the way you can control the tube (biasing and running as class A and class A/B) and the addition of the USB output for use with Vox’s toneroom software. The basic sounds and principle is the same. I personally think the new one sounds slightly better, but I prefer the user interface on the + series, both are great amps though. By far my favourite ones in their category.
Do you think is a good beginner amp? Or a fender gt40 would be better?
I think from a tone and control-ability perspective the VT20X is better. Both will cover similar tonal range. But I think ultimately the versatility and tube tone quality of the VT series puts them ahead. The one way that I would prefer the Fender is their power supply, but it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
0:58- it doesn't have a usb interface that doing recording
Roy Gertel it appears you are correct! I misunderstood when looking at the spec sheet on it originally. I will update the video accordingly. Thank you.
OK man ! good tutorial.
Use the headphone out jk into your audio interface. Or mic it up. Amp does not function as a audio interface
Might be a stupid question but can I play quiet enough with this amp when needed? By that I mean not disturbing the shit out of people living with me. So basically is it a good bedroom amp :)?
676 yes, it’s a great option for that. The Vox mini 5 would also be a good option for that since it has a smaller speaker and can get its wattage similarly low, but it’s a very different feature set.
Ultimately if it’s just an electric guitar you will be using it for, and you want an amp that will sound good at a wide range of volume levels, this would be perfect.
The power level knob is really the key as it allows you to run it at a much lower wattage which drops your volume without impacting your tone.
It will get very quiet while still maintaining its tone, it also has a headphone output for those times where you really need it quite
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Great! Thanks for quick answer. And yea I'll be using it just for an electric guitar. However I've been wondering whether I should buy this amp or the Mustang 1 V2. They both seem to be great but the latter one is cheaper.
676 no problem.
In regards to the Mustang, I’m not that experienced with them other than the few I’ve had come in from trades. The thing I always found frustrating with them and every other digital modelling amp is the way that they operate in a preset mode, making it hard to dial in the exact range of effects and EQ you want as every time you change your main amp sound, everything else changes with it.
Perhaps they have addressed this in more recent versions of the mustang, but I’m not certain.
The VT20X’s manual mode basically eliminates those issues, helps with volume level consistency across the settings, and more. I also think that they sound far better than most due to the 12AX7 pre-amp tube. Especially for the clean and overdrive tones.
The only thing I don’t prefer on the Vox over some other modelling amps is the effects bank setup, it’s more versatile than most, but it is a little clunky to navigate. After a few hours of use, you do get used to it though.
Hope that helps.
@@LeducsOwnMusicShop Do you think the new versions are better than the one you guys reviewed on this video, being that this was in 2016?
hey buddy ...how do we record using the usb?
Xtreme Mode
Sorry, I was apparently mistaken in regards to the recording capabilities of the amp. The USB can be used to edit the sounds using the tone room software. I’ve been intending to ad an edit to it, but TH-cam took away our annotation option when we have end cards. Sorry for any confusion
She's confusing that's for sure. Great sounding amp w/ an Epi Les Paul
Is this a whole lot better than th 20+?
Michael M no not really.
I personally prefer the 20+ in most ways. The ability to bias the tube differently and run it as A or AB is nice as well as the extra controls on the effects, but I personally don’t use the USB portion and miss some of the effects that the 20+ had.
Tone wise they are more or less the same and they still beat out any other amps in this price range in my opinion. But it is what it is I guess.
We do have a VT80+ in mint shape from a trade in if you are interested in that I can send you a link for purchase through our e-commerce page.
Hi i am considering buying this amp, can you use any combination of the effects simultaneously
Stephen Poland
You can use one effect from each category simultaneously, but couldn’t for example use 2 reverbs at the same time, or a flanger and a delay together. I haven’t tried messing with that using the toneroom software when plugged into a computer, so it may allow you to do that in there. Hope that helps. Sorry for the delay in replying. Been a busy time for us with a big expansion happening. If you haven’t happened to pick one up yet, but are still interested, let me know and we can get these on our ecommerce page right away if that’s something you’d like to do. Either way, thanks for your question and for watching.