Vox AC4TV8... Anybody record with this thing?

[g_rogers]

Given my luck with the Vox Pathfinder, I'm wondering if this little guy might make for a good low-volume recording amp:

http://www.voxamps.com/us/modernclassic/ac4tv8/

Thoughts? Experiences?

[jgimbel]

I've got a Pathfinder that I LOVE. I tend to love small amps - tubes especially, but when they're as good as the Pathfinder, solid state too. Naturally when I saw the AC4TV I thought it was something I couldn't live without. Went to a local music store - hated it. It had a lot of the qualities that I many times don't like about solid state amps - too harsh/brittle, not much range in driving it, kind of either quiet, cleanish and thin, or louder, distorted in an unpleasant way. It sucked, I wanted to love it. It's got a great price and just seems perfect. It's not that it sounded horrible, it just sounded very similar to amps like my Danelectro Dirty 30 - decent for blown out effects where things need to be really bright, but not worth the price in my opinion. I've tried them a few times since then, and I've had the same response. I thought at first maybe I just had it on the 1/4 watt setting, but I've tried all of the settings and had a similar response. Maybe it's a matter of breaking them in (tubes, speaker), but I've never found that a problem when trying out new amps. I've heard occasional decent reviews of them, but most videos/samples I've seen/heard have been pretty accurate to what I've found. This one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-hjjv9tJJ0 I think is a decent representation of it. Maybe you'll love it, it's just not a sound that I find usable. This guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnHgw1jKI7k makes it sound pretty great, but it still has a micro-crush/honeytone kind of sound to me - perfect for some things but not what I'm looking for in a tube amp.

[LazarusLong]

(review)

Yup. That is EXACTLY my experience with it. Want to live it, but it just isn't happening. Might be nice with a really dark Gibson... maybe.

[g_rogers]

Oh well, I'll save my $200 and stick with the Pathfinder. Ain't broke, won't fix it.

[Syngriner]

I actually had the opposite issue with my Vox ATC4V. I have an Ibanez Artcore semihollow body with humbuckers. These pickups are on the brighter side compared to other humbuckers that I've had experience with. I found that the amp had a lot of low/mid muck which got worse as I cranked it up (this was with the tone control at full up). It had a very creamy sound but just too much mud. I played around with different tube combinations which did help but to me it still was not livable. Just messing around, I put an old Digitech RP50 guitar multi FX unit that I had laying around inline and rolled off the low end (the EQ is all I used everything else is bypassed) and bang!! all of a sudden it sounded very good. Now it had that nice smooth crunch on cords and cranking up has a great lead sound. It now has what they advertise, a great tube amp crunchy sound at a very livable level. I have not recorded it yet but based on what I hear coming out of it, I know I am going to be happy with the results. Just FYI I ended up with a new JJ EL84 for the output and NOS GE JAN 5751 in the preamp position.

[jgimbel]

(review)

Yup. That is EXACTLY my experience with it. Want to live it, but it just isn't happening. Might be nice with a really dark Gibson... maybe.

Sad to hear, I wish I just used some bum amps. Yeah it seems like it might work as one of those amps when you want to use generally muddy humbuckers and give them a little high end thump, but I've always thought the Pathfinder even does that really well (that and my Reverberocket II have the best EQ on amps I've ever used).

[these_go211]

i've been loving my vox4actv for the last 5 months or so. sounds great with a les paul or sg classic.

[kinger]

I read some reviews stating that the model with the 10" speaker was much nicer sounding (can't remember exactly how) than the 8" so I picked up the 10. I'm really digging it with my Epiphone Dot; I don't find it too thin or thick and I get great clean and driven tones. When recording, I find I have to use a "brighter" mic with it as it comes across a little dark.

Reading back on my post, it's about as clear as mud; hard to use words to describe sounds. Anyway, I dig this wee amp!