Vox ToneLabST and Night Train Video

LIMS 2009: VOX Night Train + Tonelab ST from Piköp.hu on Vimeo.

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Vox AC15 Heritage

Just watch and listen. This is the tone that drove so many of the classic 60's and 70's songs. Just drool worthy.

Vox really seems to have gotten everything right with the new Heritage Handwired AC15 head. Vox has created a superb line of guitar amps that don't just live up to their esteemed heritage as master amplifier builders, but surpass it and offer something truly unique as well. Vox is obviously not a company content to rest on their laurels.
The AC15H TVH head will inspire shock and awe the moment you see it in person. It's simply a lovingly constructed, beautiful amplifier to behold, so much so that you may just want to display it in your living room like a fine piece of handmade furniture. The creamy blond tolex is striking, and the brown leather handle and gold Vox logo perfectly compliment the characteristic diamond-pattern grill cloth. The hand wired AC15 just might be the sexiest amp ever built.
Of course, cosmetics are irrelevant if an amp doesn't sound good. Fortunately Vox has always made amazing guitar tone top priority, and that dedication is reflected more than ever in the Heritage Handwired series. Plug it in, and the Heritage AC15 head immediately impresses. It practically reeks of classic Vox. Sparkling, harmonically rich clean sounds abound, and a flick of the volume knob will transport you into Brian May style overdrive creaminess. The distortion sounds are thick and punchy, and respond to the subtlest of changes to your guitar's volume knob. You can go from raging British overdrive to spanking clean without stepping on a single pedal.

One of the cornerstone's of the characteristic Vox handwired tone is the EF86 tube preamp section of the first channel. The use of this tube is a return to form for Vox, who used this classic Pentode in the early versions of the AC-15. The EF86 lends itself naturally to rich, even-order harmonic overtones and sensitive dynamic response, with an incredibly smooth, creamy overdrive when pushed hard.

Vox also had the forethought to include a few very handy modern features on these otherwise vintage style amplifiers. Two channels (each with a high and low input separated by 6dB), one with the classic EF86 preamp and the other with the 1963 Top Boost Circuit, offer amazing vintage tonal flexibility. Add to this the option of Pentode and Triode operation in both the EF86 channel and the Output section (for half power), a three position brilliance switch, and a two position bass shift switch, you have a seriously flexible amp with a wide range of vintage guitar tone options.

The Vox Handwired AC15 is an absolutely smokin' head, and it's really fantastic to have a new amplifier of this caliber available from this venerable company. The old adage "they don't make em' like they used to" does not apply in this case!

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NAMM 09 : Day One Highlights

WOW. Talk about overload. NAMM 09 os proving to be a huge smack upside the head with releases after release. I'll do some individual posts on the items that I'm really keen on, but I'll do a general wrap each day on what has been and gone.

So here are my highlights from day one of NAMM 09.

• All of the PRS releases, in particular the amps and acoustics.
• Radial Engineering's four new Tonebone Pedals
• Elixer release antirust plain steel acoustic strings
• For us computer geeks, IK Multimedia StealthPedal
• EVH Wolfgangs have got some new variations. Still not sure what I think of these.
• New RP series pedals from DigiTech.
• A new Satriani wah from Vox. Looks "wah"esome!!!
• I'm jealous. The new G5135PS Patrick Vaughn Stump Signature Series Gretsch Stump-O-Matic Electromatic Corvette Guitar. No I am not making that name up! I love this guitar.
• I know I don't like relic for relic's sake, but as a signature model I dig it. And I dig the new James Hetfield ESP.
• A reverse Iceman - I love it.

Thanks to all the great websites that are posting up the info. Great for a poor Aussie like me sweltering in 40degC+ temperatures on the other side of the world. More highlights coming soon as well as individual summaries of my favourite announcements.

I love the smell of Marshall in the morning.

Found at GearTrap.

Ahh... Marshall. Although my love of amps is constantly evolving and going through phases, i always come back to Marshall. To my ears, they have just the right amount of clarity, the right amount of dirt, the right amount frequency spread.... I just love them. I may have flirted with Orange, followed ZZ Top with Crate, dabbled with Vox, but my heart lies with Marshall.

Get Marshall at our store:

Satriani in a pedal…

... well not quite, but Vox have announced a deal with Joe Satriani that will see them releasing pedals designed by the man himself. Not only will we see pedals that reproduce some of the signature tones of Satriani, he is helping them develop brand new pedals.

More news to come in a few months time.