Vox AD60VT Head - Review

Type of Gear: Guitar Amplifiers

Brand Name: vox

Model: vox ad60vt head

Price: ?250

Review - Please try to include as many specific details as you can: i originally bought this amp with the idea that i could use it to explore different sounds to see what would suit me best, rather than lash out on an amp that turns out to be no good for me. as far as modeling amps go i suppose this one is pretty good. it offers a lot of variety in both amp models and effects.the general build quality of the chasis seems very rugged and would probably stand up well to fairly rough treatment. however i have found the amp to have quite an articficial sonic feel. i would like to note that i am not a valve loving traditionalist, but i do still feel that this amp lacks any real personality. this is probably unavoidable given its nature but even its replications of other amps feel quite cold and souless, to me. i suppose thisis the nature of the beast in terms of digital amplification. i must say however, in defence of the vox, that leaving aside the, at times, excessive staticy hissing at high volumes, it does produce a sound with a good deal of clarity. the value of my comments so far realy amount to issues of personal taste, if you prefer a clear sharp sound at the expense of a natural feel, then this amp should be fine. although my vox developed a fault within 3-4 weeks of purchase, in that it began to glitch between two patches intermittently when sustaining a note. vox (or more accurately korg), are quick to sort out faults and quickly organise new replacements. in my case problems were enhanced by the way the retailer dealt with my problem but that is hardly a reflection on voxor korg. regardless of the quality and exspeedeancy of vox's (and/or korg's)service i still have no intention of keeping this amp for reasons i have discussed earlier. even in a fully functional incarnation, this amp does not suit my purposes and i dont have any great affection for its tone. due to the vox name i was expecting a lot more from this amp than it delivered, although it seems unfair to rubbish what is quite an impressive amp, simply because it didnt live upto my expectations. generally speaking it seems to be a good amp, and it does have a lot of the aesthetic charm of its predecessors. the controls are responsive, and i have heard reports of some of the jacks and controlsbeing 'twitchy' and overly fragile but in my experience they have seemed as robust and coherent as the rest of the amps construction. also i must say that the software functioning and interface are about as simple and user friendly as i can imagine possible, whist clinging to the traditional appearance and layout. also the technical manuals are very helpful and comprehensive, which does tend to make the transition much smoother.

Rating (On a Scale of 1-10): 5

Additional Comments/Final Verdict: overall a good amp 'if you like that sort ofthing', but still entirely contrary to my taste. i feel it perhaps tries too hard to be all things to all people, which is why in future i think i would tend to stick to amps that have their own personality and character, factors which to me seem to be lacking in the vox. to some the variety of the vox would compensate for this, but to me it falls short.

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