New Amp Day - VOX VX50BA

[Killed_by_Death]

we are talking a VOX for 200 bucks VS a Marshall DSL costing 800

I had designs on getting a Mesa hybrid head & a RevSound 2x8", & that would have cost me at least $1K.
Like I told the guys at the shop where I bought the VOX, this was much smaller of a risk.
I might have gotten the Mesa & realized it didn't have enough gain. People don't realize when I talk about GAIN I mean pinch harmonics-level gain.

 

[BamaBird]

funny-- I was looking at a Walkabout Combo MESA (I have an F30 I dearly LOVE) -- but the Walkabout has been calling me -- 850 was the lowest I found-- the vox -- USED for 135 was the ticket-- (no its NOT a WALKABOUT) but thanks to the IRS an 850 purchase aint happening till maybe 2020......very very pleased with this thing -- very pleased

 

[Mikeus]

i've found one of these vox VX50BA amps
for sale used 2nd hand in my neighborhood. i'm going to buy it today.

 

[G-Dog]

i've found one of these vox VX50BA amps
for sale used 2nd hand in my neighborhood. i'm going to buy it today.

Good on you, Mikeus! Let us know what kinda shape it's in and how it sounds.

 

[Mikeus]

Good on you, Mikeus! Let us know what kinda shape it's in and how it sounds.

this thing pumps nicely! have spent the whole afternoon with it. it sounds very nice considering the size and weight of it!

 

[G-Dog]

FYI, I just posted in The Combo Club a review of yesterday's bluegrass jam and today's church service with my VX50BA, if you're interested.

TL;DR - I love the tones, and the ultralight weight of this amp. Still SO glad I got it!

 

[Nebula24]

Was sold on this until i heard studio40 so traded my rumble40 for studio40 (+ a guitarcenter giftcard).

But i still love my pathfinder's size as its perfect for visiting inlaws or afterdark at home. Even after weekend of loving my studio40's amp modeling/effects I still love the vox tone from the pathfinder (just want to be able to squeeze out a a bit more).

Not sure why my mind cares about having 2 amps. Not like i have 2 basses...yet Traded fender for a fender. So going to trade vox for a vox. Makes amp sense.

Played my pathfinder way more than my rumble40 (just easier to lug it out of closet/storage) so i somehow I will survive playing and tweaking the studio40 while i wait on getting a vx50ba shipped. [I shall love them both!] (Can see me practicing with vx50ba and tone chasing with studio40)

Dear vox please add amp modeling.....so i just need 1 amp.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

They might be heading that route. I just noticed yesterday they have a new modeling version of the VX50:

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[Mikeus]

could the 8 inch speaker in the vox be replaced with a 10inch? would it even fit?

 

[G-Dog]

They might be heading that route. I just noticed yesterday they have a new modeling version of the VX50:

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Interesting. No dedicated line out, but USB could probably go to a mixer board for FOH?

Only about 9 lb.s!?! I would guess a much lighter-duty speaker than the VX50BA, so bass guitar might not do so well at high volume.

could the 8 inch speaker in the vox be replaced with a 10inch? would it even fit?

Dunno. Open it up and send pics. We'll give you our guesses.

If it does, though, it's gonna weigh more'n 10 lb.s afterward. Oh, the horror! A 12 lb. modded VX50BA w/10" neo!

 

[Nebula24]

Uggg....guess i will have to hold in amp gas....

I get the vx50ba and later they release a modeling vx50....nooooo

Or i wait for a modeling vx50 amp..they never release one.....

 

[G-Dog]

Uggg....guess i will have to hold in amp gas....

I get the vx50ba and later they release a modeling vx50....nooooo

Or i wait for a modeling vx50 amp..they never release one.....

Whoa, Nebby. Nothing says it's a modeling bass amp, much less anywhere near the same class as your Rumble Studio 40. I just took a glance at the manual. Might be semi-comparable to the new Rumble LT25 in modeling abilities. But probably needs, at least, a speaker upgrade to handle bass freqs.

 

[Mikeus]

Dunno. Open it up and send pics. We'll give you our guesses.

If it does, though, it's gonna weigh more'n 10 lb.s afterward. Oh, the horror! A 12 lb. modded VX50BA w/10" neo!

i only paid 250$ for this amp. they're 400$ new here in australia. this thing is so unbelievably light weight that it can afford a little extra...but just measuring now from the exterior, it looks like a 10" wont fit.. unless it could be installed on an angle. i know a guy...i might take it to him for a look.

but i've also got an ibanez promethean 1x10 combo, the speaker cab can be separated from the amp. i think it's a 250 or 300w combo from memory..

 

[leerod054]

Been trying to make some quality time to spend with this little jewel so I can learn to work it better. But I already LOVE the low weight, low gain, low volume, rich clean tones.



Not surprised by the power brick, since being a laptop pc fan the past couple decades.

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But was surprised by the thoughtful cable hook right next to the power plug on back! No accidental disconnects! Wish my laptops had that.

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At first play, with low gain and low volume and "flat" EQ it sounds very good! The EQ can go from rich deep to quite bright, and everything in between. As heard in an online video demo, the compressor switch is actually a boost at low gain & low volume, which is new to me! Anyone seen this before?

Cranking the gain and/or volume gets dirty and loud, but too much of either, and especially both, is not good, IMHO. I'd like to blame the new, stiff, little 8" speaker needing some break-in time. But, it could be the plastic cab, though hopefully not. The ports really pump a lot air at high gain and/or volume!

Sadly, the 50 watt Vox doesn't, yet, get as loud and clear as my 10-year-old(+/-) 30 watt, 10" Fender B-DEC modeling amp, which is over 20 lb.s heavier in a wood cab. I'm hoping for a lot of improvement by the Vox as it breaks in!

I neglected to d/l the manual before buying, so I was disappointed to read that the Direct Out is totally unaffected by EQ, compressor, overdrive, volume, and cab sim. (Cab sim is in headphones only, I believe.) Not thrilled, but I can live with it.

My main goal here is as an ultralight stage monitor for church. The soundman will have to deal with the dry direct out. When fully recovered from recent back surgery I may go back to the B-DEC, if the Vox doesn't break in to cleaner louder tones.

Why did you not get the Rumble 40? Ultra light weight, a single 10", has Bright,Contour and Vintage buttons along with the 4 band+ eq. Has overdrive capability at the push of a button. XLR out that delivers same mix as cab. I use it as a monitor behind me on an amp stand.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I owned a Rumble 40 when I bought the VX50BA, because the VX50BA just sounds better. It's a hybrid tube amp.
Now I've got the Rumble Studio 40 & some of the amp models on there sound tube-like also.

 

[G-Dog]

Why did you not get the Rumble 40? Ultra light weight, a single 10", has Bright,Contour and Vintage buttons along with the 4 band+ eq. Has overdrive capability at the push of a button. XLR out that delivers same mix as cab. I use it as a monitor behind me on an amp stand.

I'm well acquainted with the Rumble amps. In fact I have, and thoroughly enjoy a Rumble 500 combo. And I will, someday, have a Rumble Studio 40, with all the Rumble 40 has to offer and much, much, oh so much more! But, for now, nothing beats the combination of great tone, with available compression and/or overdrive and direct out, and the 10 lb. weight of the Vox, for when I'm doing my own load in/load out. When I get stronger I will carry my Fender B-DEC 30 again, that has served me well for over 10 years. When I need the big guns, my grandsons will help carry my Rumble 500 combo and/or Bassman 500 with 115 cab.

Did you not see where I wrote this post in this thread?

Ah! @Bass V, my B-DEC buddy! How's it going? Have you got the footswitch, yet?

LOL! I dunno if it's physically possible for the Vox 8" plastic case to compete tonewise with the B-DEC 10" wood cab, certainly not with all the various modeling settings in the B-DEC!!

But for my recovering back, the 9.9 lb. Vox is literally just what my doctor ordered, instead of the 33 lb. B-DEC. (I asked for a prescription, but no dice.) Plus, the more I play it, the more I like it, especially for rock lead guitar. So, it's a great little switch hitter! But, I'm also getting some very nice bass tones out of it now, too, even as I learn to push the right combination of gain and volume to get louder without too much breakup. Maybe the speaker is breaking in, too, as I put more playing time on it.

Not sure I'd have gone for the VX50BA without my frail back. But I'm learning to enjoy it, as I hoped I would. Although the 19 lb. Fender Rumble Studio 40, with modeling, remains in my future, I'm quite happy with my Vox right now, and my B-DEC, and my Rumble 500 combo, and my Bassman 500 w/115 neo cab. I can recommend the Vox VX50BA if you're looking for ultralight weight, tube-ish tones and a very dry direct out.

 

[Mikeus]

The thing actually runs on DC, but 19 Volts. If you had two 12 Volt batteries you could run those in series, with a regulator, to power it.

could i use a 12v 60ah lithium ion battery?
how much battery life going to get from 2x 12 volt batteries?
i'm trying to sort out the battery setup. i'd want a minimum 10hrs battery life because i plan on going out some days for all day. with breaks in between of course.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

You'd need two of those in series & then a Voltage Regulator to step down the Voltage from 24 VDC to 19 VDC.

The up-side of having two batteries is that on paper they'd last you about 35 hours.

 

[leerod054]

I'm well acquainted with the Rumble amps. In fact I have, and thoroughly enjoy a Rumble 500 combo. And I will, someday, have a Rumble Studio 40, with all the Rumble 40 has to offer and much, much, oh so much more! But, for now, nothing beats the combination of great tone, with available compression and/or overdrive and direct out, and the 10 lb. weight of the Vox, for when I'm doing my own load in/load out. When I get stronger I will carry my Fender B-DEC 30 again, that has served me well for over 10 years. When I need the big guns, my grandsons will help carry my Rumble 500 combo and/or Bassman 500 with 115 cab.

Did you not see where I wrote this post in this thread?

Me..???? Actually no...I did not. To tell the truth I just purchased a TC Q250 Thrust 250watt bass head for that Fender 2x10 cab I found for $40. Cannot wait to fire it up.

 

[Mikeus]

You'd need two of those in series & then a Voltage Regulator to step down the Voltage from 24 VDC to 19 VDC.

The up-side of having two batteries is that on paper they'd last you about 35 hours.

sorry i'm a dumbass when it comes to this stuff...i don't understand..

a 12v 60ah lithium ion battery + inverter = normal mains power.
vox VX50BA plugs into mains power, with its power pack converting that to DC

i'm in australia too btw if that makes a difference.. USA is 110 volt AC? we are 230 volt 50hz

the power specs on the vox here are..

Output Power: Maximum approx. 50W RMS Speaker: VOX Original 8” speaker Power supply: AC adapter (DC 19V ) Current consumption: 3.42A