The first thing I noticed when I pulled the Valvetronix Amp out of the box is that except for a 2 digit LCD screen there was no visual way to distinguish this amp from any other Vox amp. Working with the amp was very easy – simply select a pedal you want to have before the amp, pick and amp and tweak away. The control panel section was very easy to navigate. There are 8 banks of 4 programs, scroll up and down through the banks and hit one of the 4 preset buttons to listen to one of the factory presets. There is also a chromatic tuner, and a fully manual mode.
When I put the AD60VT through its paces, I was really impressed with Manual Mode. Basically, what you see is what you hear. In other words, each time I tweaked a knob I could hear the differences instantly. After I got a sound dialed in that I liked I was then able to store it to one of the preset locations – it couldn’t have been easier! Even when I was not in manual mode, the AD60VT gave me full control of the amp. When you call up a preset it instantly changes the sound to the new settings – no delays or noises involved which is great for live performance. There’s even an LED that blinks when you turn a knob past the preset point and it stays on for a second when you hit it exactly. Once you turn the knob through that point you again have full control of that setting. Another show of its friendly ease of use.
The AD60VT is filled with a lot of great sounds, and plenty of versatility. It can model a number of stomp boxes before going to a variety of amp model – including Vox wah, which can be controlled via the optional footpedal. You can also have one each of each of the following in the signal chain: a modulation effect (flange, chorus, etc.), a delay, and reverb.
When controlling the amp models there are enough controls for the amps gain, volume, and EQ to cover all of the amps. Due to this there are models that end up with some extra EQ and/or gain controls over the originals. If you leave those controls et at 12 o’clock you will end up with the original sound of the amp, and from there you can change them to create ‘custom’ versions of those old amps which I had a lot of fun with.
I thought the sound of the Valvetronix was excellent. Another perk for practicing at home is its ability to sound great while set to low wattages (even my in-laws thought so). Its real advantage is the ease of use. Anyone who has used a guitar amplifier before is going to feel totally comfortable with this amp.
