FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Vox

Question:
I've just bought one of those AX1500 (in fact it was Santa who brought it to me, ho-ho-ho), in order to use it with my Rickenbacker 1997, my American Std Fender Stratocaster and my Les Paul Custom Replica made by Suzuki with a by-the-bridge-installed Seymour Duncan PU. As it's obvious, you could ask yourselves why is he asking us about the kit, he dumb, if he has it already? Well, the questions are: a) How does it work on stage? Do u feel allright with it? is it useful (I mean, the buttons and the bank/program system)? b) How did you set the user programs for using on stage? Considering the show (it's to say, first song/first effect in bank 0, program 1, second effect in program 2 and so on) or Considering the using in future shows (it's to say: ordered considering the kind of sound, distorted all toghether, chorused all toghether, etc)? c) R u satisfied with the soft-mellow effects, I mean, not with the Overdrive, Saturation and Distorted sounds? d) Do u realize why did they set there the Bells effect? Is it usable? e) With which amp r u using it, and how does it go? I'm playin it through an AMPEC 25w amplifier, setting off the reverb (of course) but I'm not satisfied at all(In fact, It's a long time since my satisfactions with such a shitty amplifier got over). I'm studying to buy a new amp,. considering an AC30 or a Fender (HotRod De Ville 410 2x12', maybe??). I've been playin the VOX and a Vintage Fender with my main guitars (Ric & Fender) and I only concluded that Fender plays Fender better, and Vox was made for lovin' Ric. Could somebody give me opinions? Any other brand&model, fitting my guitars AND the Korg? The price would be max 800/1000€, but, of course, I'll receive any information about brand-new bargains very pleasefully. I would like to exchange experiences concerning the Korg. Or the guitars. I think there r another places, specially for another kind of experiences exchanging

Answer:
I play a Rickenbacker and a (jap) Fender through a Vox AC30, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. I also use a J-station for recording purposes. As for Fender playing Fender better, then I have to say that in the past the only fender amp I've ever used has been a squier 15, that did give marginally better results with a strat-style guitar than with a rickenbacker. However, the same amp also did very will with a rick 12. The vox suits my playing style. It's the first decent amp I owned. I've had it since 1993. It's not in mint condition - the tremelo doesn't work properly, for example - but it does for me and the sort of music I play. I've tried other amps occasionally (I have a sessionette which is particularly nice, esp when you don't want to be lugging a large vox round) but the Vox does fine for me. To give you some idea of the music I play, I tend toward 1960s music such as the Kinks and the Beatles. I'm in a Kinks tribute band, and I find that a Gordon-Smith Gypsy II through a compressor and a vox distortion pedal into the bright channel with the tone turned down gives me the early kinks sound. A strat plugged into the same channel with the tone up will give you a shadows-style sound, specially if you have a tape echo. The Rick also goes through the bright channel with a little overdrive from the compressor to get a very jangly sound. I used to use the same amp with my Rick 350 and a zoom 1010 to get a similar effect. The main thing to realise with the Vox is that it doesn't have a distortion channel, and so you either have to turn it up so it distorts (not recommended) or use a decent distortion pedal in front of it and tweak the channel. They're also bloody heavy beasts to carry as well. I haven't really used any other fender amps and so can't comment on them extensively. If you like I can make a little recording of the Vox in action next monday and put it up on the net somewhere, as I'm planning to make a recording of the rehearsal anyway.