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I don't think they're worth the dough new but, used yes. I had one along with the VC12 for a bit. I gigged with it a few times too. I thought it sounded great and never even used the 60 watt X 2 setting (highest I went was 30 X 2 and only for gigs) because it sounded great with the volume dimed and the master up around 2 o'clock. I sold mine to free up some cash and bought the AD50VT to take care of my Valvetronix fix.
I had the AD120VTH head for awhile. I think it was well worth the $599. I ended up returning it to Musician's Friend, but I'm kinda fickle when it comes to amps (and guitars, too, now that I think about it). [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Anyway, here's a mini-review:
Pros:
The amp is VERY organic and tubey sounding, to my ears - I'd say more so than any modeler I've had, (Behringer V-Amp Pro, Pod XT, and Pod XT Live w/Metal Pack). The effects are simple and somewhat limited, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, IMO, and in this case it wasn't. The effects were nice. That amp was very forgiving, and tended to make me sound better, even when I wasn't playing so hot. This goes along with the tube sound it had, which was both a blessing and a curse for me. More on that below.
Cons:
On the downside, the footswitch was overpriced, and I could never get a really metal, Zakk Wylde sound out of the amp, or any of the super heavy, modern sounds. This is the curse that goes along with the tubeosity (new word for ya) [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] mentioned above. The sound was warm, with rounded edges, not crisp and clear, like a solid state amp, and to be honest, I like to have some edge to my sound. My Tech 21 amps have been better at delivering that edge. Of course, with the fire-breathing Livewires you've got in your Charvels, you could probably ramp up the gain to Zakk levels. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
The Vox was more like classic, 80s hard rock/metal (along with Bryan Adams, and all sorts of pop sounds, if you're into that). Also, if you know what you're doing (I don't), you can get a great SRV sound out of it. I tried one at a Guitar Center, and the salesman dialed me up in no time, but after I got one of my own, I could never get that out of it.
If you're interested in the twin combo version, I'd check out Chris' Guitars, where they have 2 of 'em for $650 apiece, with the longboard (I'm assuming he means the $279 board). Please note that these appear to be the "AD120VT," which was the precursor to the "VTX" series. I think the differences are that it had a cheaper cabinet (some said it was chipboard), and didn't have the "NeoDog" neodymium speakers. Please also note that I've never done business with Chris' Guitars, but I have read good things about him on this site.
Good luck, and let us know how you like it if you get one. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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