Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp Black (Used)
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Review Snapshot®
by PowerReviewsPros
- Portable (10)
- Warm / comfy (10)
- Excellent sound (8)
- Easy to use (7)
- Good power output (5)
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur recording (8)
- Home studio (8)
- Performances (5)
- Outdoor events / games (3)
- Professional recording (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Experienced (7)
Most Liked Positive Review
What a great little amp.
I tried this baby out at a local music shop and I was very impressed. I have done a lot of research on amps and I had my heart set on at least a 10...Read complete review
I tried this baby out at a local music shop and I was very impressed. I have done a lot of research on amps and I had my heart set on at least a 10" speaker and 40 watts. This amp doesn't carry those specs, but it is plenty loud and has quite the spectrum of tone. With all the extras built into this thing your choice of sound is pretty limitless. I enjoy playing rock and metal, but the wife likes to hear country so I play a little bit of everything. With its programming, you can go from a specific sounding amp with a specific stomp box you like and switch to the sound without the stomp box or a new stomp box if you like. If you play gigs I would deffinitely recommend you get the footswitch. The vt20+ is plenty loud and very clean. Instead of using one of the "heavy metal" selections of amps, I like to use the US 2X12 with a heavy metal distortion box to play "Crazy Train." You can also get almost exact sounds to play "Sweet Home Alabama" and it sounds superb. After all my research I did not buy what I was expecting to buy, but I got a whole lot more than I expected.
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Most Liked Negative Review
Good Amp Crippled By Hiss
I recently decided to move up from my Line 6 Spider IV 15, which is just a lousy amp. I was looking for a versatile, mid-sized amp with a warm tone, and preferably ...Read complete review
I recently decided to move up from my Line 6 Spider IV 15, which is just a lousy amp. I was looking for a versatile, mid-sized amp with a warm tone, and preferably modeling capability. I did a lot of research and a/b playing, and settled on the Vox VT20+. First off, let me say that the features on this amp are fantastic. 33 amp models, 99 presets, 22 pedals in two banks, 3 reverbs, and 8 user channels. The attenuator, master volume and channel volume allow you to dial in that crunchy tube breakup, and clean or distorted tones sound great and organic. I don't play metal, but found applications for even the nine "metal" models on this amp.Unfortunately, this amp has a serious hiss problem, one I didn't notice in the noisy Guitar Center where I played a demo. On every channel, there is low-level background hiss. When you strike a note, the hiss jumps to meet the volume, then trails off as the note dies. The nature of the problem means that the louder you're playing (i.e., the more people you're playing for) the worse the problem gets. I found it debilitating. On fast playing, it makes you sound sloppy, and on slow, sustained notes, it is absolutely agonizing. I have now played five separate units of the VT20+, and one VT40+. Every single one had this hiss. It's heartbreaking, because the amp is excellent in every other respect. Sturdy, sounds great, lots of tones and effects...a real shame it has this problem. Luckily, the guy I bought it from is a good sport, and he's crediting me the cost so I can switch to a Fender Mustang II--definitely my second choice, but no hiss. If you don't think you'd mind the hiss, then go ahead and buy this amp. For me, it was a real issue. I'd definitely play this in person before you buy it.
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Reviewed by 32 customers
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Pros
- Easy To Use
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Portable
- Powerful
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Practice sessions
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
Big Sound at a small price. Delivers everything I need for practice and jamm sessions. Warm tube sound with depth and versatility. Blues, Rock and Roll, Jazz all sound great through this little dynamo.
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Lots Of Different Sounds
- Portable
- Powerful
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Studio
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
I like the size, sound, and portability.
Pros
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
This is a great sounding modeling amp. Both the models and effects sound good. I particularly like the Cali-Clean and US blues models for blues and blues-rock. It is not the absolute easiest amp to use, but with a little work, it becomes manageable.
Pros
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Great Value For The Price
- Portable
- Powerful
- Versatile
Cons
- Effects Grouping
- Needs More User Channels
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Jamming
- Performances
- Practice
- Professional Recording
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
Every time I go to a music store to try out a guitar, I plug into one of these. So, I was delighted to find this under the Christmas tree. The sounds from this amp are magnificent. You can do anything with it. I have yet to gig with it, but I intend on hauling this bad boy on stage with me ASAP. I'm not too worried about the 8" speaker as this thing sounds tremendously huge. Lots of sound from this little guy. The tone is immense. For the price, this cannot, in anyway be beat. If you have a tiny budget, any VT series Vox amp is worth checking out. I would take this over anything else in this price range. There's just no comparison.
All I would do to improve this amp would be to separate the modulation effects from the delay effects so as to be able to control them separately with the foot switch. Also, it could do with more user preset patches. Otherwise, this amp is an absolute godsend!!!
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Portable
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Performances
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
I bought this amp only because I wanted to get a Beatles Vox AC30 amp sound without forking out a grand. I have to admit that I was extremely surprised to find out how well this amp could model vintage amps and amazed at the quality of sound. The VT20 sound quality stands right up to my modded Fender Blues Jr. and Marshall tube amp. It reacts very well to different picking techniques and is sensitive to subtle nuances of styles. It sounds amazingly like a cranked-up high powered amp, even at lower volume settings. It can crank-up nice and loud for a 20+ watt amp, but I think the 8 inch speaker sounds best at moderate volume levels. The onboard effects are very good, although somewhat limited in settings, but are better than I expected them to be. The amp also works well with pedal effects. I use my Boss ME70 pedalboard for volume and other effects.
Overall, I am blown away by this little amp and I highly recommend it.
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Good Warmth
- Portable
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Practice
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
I bought this amp for one thing and one thing alone, practice. It has nice volume for what I need it to do, and I was able to get some decent sounds out of it without really even exploring it much. I have a 60 watt tube amp that just isn't suited for practicing at home because I have to crank up the volume to get the tone I want. Let me be clear, this is not a tube amp, it is not at all suited for performing, and some of the built in effects are useless. That being said I found that the tone is a bit of an improvement over a straight solid state amp, and the reverb as well as the amp models are nice. I got exactly what I paid for which is a nice practice amp that has some good features.
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Good Warmth
- Portable
Cons
- Reverb Resets
Best Uses
- Traveling
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
A very good amp in all, very functional, and still yet to blow the speake Remarkable being in my hands). Has very good tone, but not the 100% pure-warm tone, but does have a 80% tone, which i understand and does not really qualify as a con, as it has one tube. Like all amps with a tube, it sounds best when cranked and hot. I wish i would of bought the vt 40. Again great amp, well worh the money. The amp has influenced my style sufficently, even after years of playing. The presets are so- so, I mainly use it in manual to get the tones. I do dislike how it resets the reverb and volume each time when i change from clean to us 2x12.
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Portable
- Powerful
- Unlimited Possibilities
Cons
- Hiss With Some Effects
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
I bought this amp to use as a practice amp because I'm getting too old to be dragging my back breaking Peavey Classic from house to house. But as soon as I plugged in and started learning how to use it I quickly realised that My Peavey was gonna be getting some badly needed R&R. Because of the kind of music I play, none of the factory presets work for me. But in manual mode I have been able to create and save every sound that I've been looking for. I have only had the hissing problem others have mentioned when using certain effects. Specifically the accoustic effect. But by increasing the noise reduction and decreasing the treble it can easily be reduced to an acceptable level (the loss of treble can be compensated for using the guitar's tone controls). Bottom line? Awesome amp!
Pros
- Cleans
- Effects
- Portable
Cons
- Metal Tones
- no footswitch
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Performances
- Practice Amp
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
I got this to replace a Marshall MG15DFX as my practice amp. Overall I'm happy with my purchase. The VT20+ has many effects at disposal and several amp models to choose from. Though the metal amps take some tweaking to get a decent sound out of, and even then you'd be better off with a Peavey Vypyr or Roland Cube. However the cleans and slightly crunchier tones are great. And for its purpose (a practice amp) its very good for the price. I also plan on using this at open mics around town as it has plenty of volume to spare for that purpose. A footswitch would've been nice to include though.
Pros
- Excellent Sound
- Good Warmth
- Portable
- Versatile Toneful
Cons
- Not immediately intuitive
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Practice small ensembles
- Professional Recording
Comments about Vox Valvetronix VT20+ 20W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp:
Best clean and country tones for under $500 (maybe more). Won out over three Fender modeling amps and a Blackstar HT-5R. I was looking to match Brad Paisley's tone and this came the closest. Even the digital effects are useful and musical. I'm just getting into the gain tones and they, like the cleans, have an authentic tube vibe. The patented valve reactor technology is no joke and elevates the Valvetronix modeling amps way above the competition. It incorporates a continuously variable power soak (attenuator) that actually works like you hope it will. The kicker is that the thing costs about the same as a boutique pedal, only you get so much more. For practice and recording, nothing can beat this. Buy it. If you need to gig, they make bigger louder ones

