Vox VT20+ Review

Vox VT20+ Review, 4.1 out of 5 based on 14 ratings

A good question to ask is, being a modeling amp, is the Vox VT20+ able to nail Vox’s own iconic AC15 and AC30 sound? The answer is a resounding yes, but that’s just the beginning as there is a whole lot more to this amp. I’ve had a VT20+ for a few years and it is my go to amp for practising because I don’t have to set up my bigger tube amp (which I often have to crank up more than is practical at home to get the right sound) with a bunch of pedals (if I even have the right ones) and the associated leads and power adapters, just to practise.

Guitarists want the power, fat driven tones, broad dynamics, pick subtleties, fast response and playability delivered by tube amps, so Vox developed their unique Valve Reactor Technology, the heart of the Vox VT20+. The power amp circuit, crucial to achieving the sonic, tonal qualities of real tube amps utilizes a 12AX7 (ECC83) dual triode tube (two vacuum tubes in one). When the signal passes through the "Valve Reactor" power amp circuit the final output goes to a VariAmp power circuit, which is "transparent" so it does not modify the tone, yet you can reduce the output volume through the 8" speaker. This unique Power Level control means you can achieve the same tone at lower volumes, ideal for practising with high gain and distortion without annoying your family or your neighbors. There is still plenty of punch available, with the VT20+ able to put out 30 watts, much more than the value implied by its name. Vox's unique technology is the key to faithfully reproducing amp models and achieving the wide dynamic range and tube response to speaker load, typical of tube amps, that is difficult to achieve using solid-state amps.

With tonal quality taken care of, Vox turned their attention to providing players with a multitude of effects. In the PEDAL section, the Vox VT20+ gives you eleven of the most popular pedal effects COMP, ACOUSTIC, AUTO WAH, U-VIBE, BRN OCTAVE, TREBLE BOOST, TUBE OD, GOLD DRIVE, ORG DIST, METAL DIST and FUZZ. In the section labelled MOD/DELAY you get another eleven types of modulation, delays and other effects including CE CHORUS, MULTI CHORUS, FLANGER, ORG PHASE, TWIN TREM, G4 ROTARY, PITCH SHIFT, FILTRON, TAPE ECHO, DELAY and CHORUS+DELAY. Lastly, there is a REVERB section on the front panel with a single knob that allows you to select and adjust ROOM, SPRING and HALL reverb effects. They all give you similar results to the stand-alone pedals they are modeled on. A couple of standouts for me are the AUTO WAH, which varies its effect depending on how soft or hard you hit the strings, the TUBE OD which models a well-known green overdrive pedal and the Bucket Brigade Device type DELAY - lo-fi but popular for its warm sound. It would cost a mint to buy them all as separate pedals or stompboxes, and they're good enough that you can do without dedicated pedals or effects boxes until such time as you need to focus in on building up specific gear for your own sound or doing bigger gigs.

Don't be put off by all the knobs and buttons it's really easy to get started using the quick start section in the user manual included with the amp. 33 of the presets are based on classic tracks of famous guitarists and recreates their sound, so dialing up one of these is one quick way to get started. Then play around and tweak the sound and use another great feature to save your own settings into memory as a program. You can create and save up to eight (two banks of four channels) of your favorite combinations of amp and effects. Recall them as you play via the amp control panel or the optional VOX VFS5 footswitch. I like to play a range of songs from blues to classic rock to metal so when I am learning a new song the VT20+ lets me dial into the sound quickly either by choosing from one of the presets, or after a bit of research on the artist's rig, manually setting it up and saving it. My one regret is I did not purchase a footswitch when I bought my amp, because apart from using it to recall your programs, you can also switch the effects on or off and adjust their speed with your feet.

The Vox VT20+ has a built-in guitar tuner that is a cinch to use, very handy for a quick tune up before playing. There is also an AUX input jack so you can plug in a CD or MP3 player if you want to jam along to songs or backing tracks. Another thing I find surprisingly cool is the headphone jack which can also be used as a direct line output for mixing or recording. This output emulates the vibe and feel of a speaker cabinet and gives you that sense of playing through speakers when your practising with headphones. With some care and the right gear you could also use this output to another amp head or cabinet if you want to use it in a master/slave system for larger gigs.

The Vox Valvetronix VT20+ Modeling Guitar Amplifier is the most portable in the range and at around $170 is excellent value for money. Delivering a unique combination of powerful, warm, authentic tube amp tone, innovative digital modeling, a stack of great effects and features that guitarists will actually use, the Valvetronix+ range also includes the VT40+ (60 watt 1 x 10 inch 8 ohms speaker), the VT80+ (120 watt 1 x 12 inch 4 ohms speaker) and the VT120+ (150 watt 2 x 12 inch, 8 ohms speakers), giving the best of both worlds to discriminating guitarists of every style and level of ability.

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