Modelling Amplifiers

I know a guy in a punk band and a standard bar band,, his line 6 aint no toy he works it to death ,,, it freaking kicks butt!  + you can get the floor bd that goes with them.  Vox kicks butt also.  nephew has a vox 50watt modeling  head with a 4x12 vox cab.  not shabby at all.

I have a Mustang I. Admittedly it is not a III but I like it. I got it for xmas last year and was not real happy with it. I made changes to the map banks and fiddled to no avail. Then I saw a vid of a person reviewing it. He just played the amp models as they come stock and it sounded great. I went back and re-set the amp to factory pecs and now I love it. If I want a different sound I adjust the fx knobs and I get what I want. It can be very loud too.

Thanks for the opinions, ladies & gentlemen ...

Everyone has their reasons for liking or disliking an amp, so I do appreciate everyone being candid. With a preference for cleaner tones (modified or otherwise) the VOX has a warmth to it that the others don't. As soon as I plugged into it and started with a few Dire Straits tunes, that warmth stood right out. And when I poured on the syrup (reverb + delay + phaser, like Pink Floyd's "Breathe") it really shined (shone?). The VOX uses a 12AX7 tube in the power stage, so that's likely why ... the other two are 100% electronic.

A few of the on-line reviews about the VOX mentioned a humming problem in some instances, which was covered by warranty and replaced. It would seem to be an isolated happenstance, so no worries.

Thanks again; the choice is becoming clearer.

I'll second the VOX props.  From a modeling standpoint those guys do a great job.   Their Valvetronix line has tube inputs so you can even enjoy that in a modeling amp, which is pretty sweet.

And you're exactly right about the tube warmth.

So now the VOX VT80+ is sitting here in the rec room, and I've had a blast with it this evening. I ended up setting it alongside the Fender Mustang III at the local Long & McQuade's shop, and went back and forth for a while to compare. To my ear, the Mustang just sounded "thin" in comparison. Another unexpected bonus is the adjustable power level on the VOX. It can be adjusted way down, so that all of the effects / tones / models sound just as good at a lower volume. The Mustang really died off when the volume was turned down. The VOX was about $50 more moolah, but well worth it IMHO.

As a side note, it has a surprisingly realistic acoustic guitar mode. It was cool to play right through Led Zeppelin's "Over the Hills and Far Away" using the foot switch to go back and forth from acoustic to electric. New friends are great to find!

Thanks to you all for the opinions ... it all helps.

MY first amp was some small cheap thing that I bought at a fle market.  I don't even remember what kind it was anymore it's been so long ago.  Anyway it finally broke down.  Than I was at a friends house and he had just purchased a Fender Twin Reverb 65' reissue and it sounded so great that I just had to have one.  I went to EBAY and started to search.  Finally I found one and started to bid on it.  I won and couldn"t beleave it !  I paid around $1000 for it, but let me tell you it was worth every penny.  85 amps, two twelve inch speakers and plug-ins for four guitars.  What a sound !  I bought a Fender Stratacaster guitar to go with it and am loving both !  I don't mean to brag, but I am glad I sacrificed and spent the money.  It sure was worth it.

It seems that some of the humming / hissing troubles in some of the VOX amps is due to their using the Ei ECC83 version of the 12AX7 tube. One site mentions it as a great tube when working, but also being inconsistantly problematic. A higher rated and problem free 12AX7 is the Preferred Series 7025.

http://www.thetubestore.com/12AX7-Tube-Review#summary

Mine sounds fine, but I'm wondering if anyone has swapped out tubes and what make(s) of 12AX7's you would recommend. My main goal is the least amount of tube noise, hiss, hum, pop, etc. possible. Your thoughts?