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Vox amPlug £35
The neighbour-friendly answer to the sonic boom of a pumping valve amp on full
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 20 Nov 2007, 1:42 pm GMT
We receive our fair share of what could be described as gimmicky products, and these new headphone amps seemed to be another in a long line to be pointed at, then forgotten, but how wrong we were.
Put simply, these AmPlugs could well be the practice tool of 2007. There are three separate units designed to offer different types of tone - Metal, Classic Rock and AC30 - and each is designed to plug directly into your guitar's input.
Plug a set of headphones into the relevant output and away you go; it's that simple. Each is equipped with three controls - gain, tone and volume - and there's an aux input to allow you to plug your CD/mp3 player in for private jam sessions.
In use
The reason all three units will surely blow people away is that they sound staggeringly good across the board. The level of girth from the Metal AmPlug is extremely satisfying, as is the sheer level of gain, while the Classic Rock option is surprisingly versatile and full.
The AC30 option, however, is the best of the bunch as it genuinely sounds like that classic 2 x 12 combo. Clean it offers that lovely boxy character found on those Fab Four recordings, while turning it up gives an authentic crunch tone that's not too dirty or too sparkly. Really great stuff.
Try taking one or along to your next studio recording session and watch the look of disbelief on the engineer's face as you get more-than-useable tones direct to desk.
Verdict
We honestly can't recommend the AmPlugs highly enough and from a stocking filler to a realistic practice tool, everyone reading this should get hold of at least one, if not all, of these.
MusicRadar rating:
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User comments (5)
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I got the Classic Rock a couple of months ago and when i first tried using it it didn't give me a good tone. But now that i've figured out how to get the tone i want it sounds brilliant. so a good piece of gear. but the only problem is that when you turn the distortion all the way up, it completely lowers the tone. leaving the distortion at about 6 gives a really big tone.
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Just bought the Vox amplug Metal yesterday. Played with it for about 3 hours last night, its truly awesome. It sounds great with gain and tone cranked up, and means I no longer have to practice in a freezing cold conservatory! My only gripe is that its made out of plastic, and its likely to get broken easily in my house...
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The AC30 amPlug is pretty amazing. Clean and lightly overdriven sounds best. The only drawback is the controls are too fiddly to adjust easily.
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I own the classic rock one and have to say it's impossible to fault, it sounds superb and does exactly what you want. Well worth owning one if not all 3!
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Had the AC 30 Vox for a few weeks now and must say that I am very impressed.
It seems to work best with the gain set highest but it does give a very good simulation of the classic ac30. Probably the most valuable little rehersal tool out there and its great fun to use
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
The great tones across the board. Loads of fun!
Cons
A 6.4mm output jack would have been the icing on the cake
Verdict
We honestly can't recommend the AmPlugs highly enough and from a stocking filler to a realistic practice tool, everyone reading this should get hold of at least one, if not all, of these.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
Where to buy
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Specification
amPlug
- Price:
- £35
- Features:
- Available in three styles: VOX AC30, Classic Rock, and Metal. 100% analog circuit
- AC Power Supply:
- false
- Batteries Included:
- true
- Inputs:
- AUX in jack
- Type of Battery Required:
- AAA Alkaline
- Type of Practice Equipment:
- Practice Amp
Gallagher
Mon 13 Jul 2009, 10:52 am BST
User rating 4 of 5