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A few weeks ago I made a subtle comment that I wasn't 100% thrilled with my Line 6 Spider II 30w amp:
slejhamer Wrote:But in hindsight I wouldn't pair (my guitar) with the Line 6 amp, which, now that I've played it a while, seems too metal / punk. ... Unfortunately I'm past the 30-day return window, so I'll live with it for a while and upgrade at some point down the road.
One of the things I didn't like was that the clean channel wasn't very clean - there was a constant buzz that grew increasingly irritating, and the amp's built-in noise gate was far too aggressive and made the channel unusable. I swapped cables thinking that was the problem, but no luck with that. The amp made the same noise even with the guitar unplugged, so it wasn't the guitar either.
Even though I was past the 30-day return window (it has been more like 75 days!), I decided to call Guitar Center to see if there was some sort of return credit I could get if I wanted to buy a different amp. After I explained why I was dissatisfied, they offered me full credit toward an upgrade!
I took the amp in, but unfortunately the one I now want - a Vox Valvetronix 30w - is out of stock. They gave me a store credit and will call me when the new amp comes in. So I am ampless for a week or two, but this is the amp I wish I had bought in the first place and I'm definitely looking forward to getting it!
Vox Valvetronix AD30VT
![[Image: ad30vt_ad15vt.jpg]](http://www.voxamps.co.uk/images/products/valvetronix/ad30vt_ad15vt.jpg)
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Wow! That was very nice of them! 
Some news - my bro de_axeman recenlty got a new amp too! I think it's a Fender Blues Jr 15W valve amp..
I'll get him on to post more details.
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Please keep us informed, (on both).
Cave canem
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I thought the blues jr was a tube amp  my friend got one, but I still haven't had the chance to try it 
My next amp is the Peavey Classic 50 (*hopes*)
but at the moment, my money is being spent on some camera gear (I just came back from the shops, which didn't have stock of it this week)
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Oh valve, tube... same thing lol...
What new stuf, adam?
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LOL, in the Vox user's manual they actually poke fun at the "valve" vs. "tube" naming. And the UK amp models are, of course, called valve amps, and the US models are tubes... 
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new stuff = Vox AC30! haha *joking*
On my list of things to get include the
70-200 f/4L, 'the puppet' bag and a lens hood for my 17-85
maybe next week, or the week later, if not this week 
and still waiting for the guitar shop to call me back regarding power supply I ordered in for my multi-effects (didn't use it for more than a year because of broken power adaptor!)
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adam Wrote:new stuff = Vox AC30! haha *joking*
The Valvetronix AD30VT amp has models for both the AC15 and the AC30 Top Boost! Okay, it's only got a 1w tube and the rest is solid state, but the emulations are supposedly very good.
adam Wrote:On my list of things to get include the
70-200 f/4L,
Great lens! It made me a believer in "L."
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Sorry to hear the Spider didn't work out for you slej. But yes, I agree that the Valvetronix is a much better amp. Now if only you could get your mitts on the fx board as well!
Yes, I went and bought meself a Fender Blues Junior last weekend. The 'Tweed' special edition one at that too! 15 watts tube/valve blues heaven with a Jensen Special 12" speaker. Apparently those speakers (the originals, not the reissues) go far around $600 to $1,000 each!. Frankly, I don't know if I'll be able to tell the difference between a re-issue and the original....
The amp sounds really warm and sweet - like a tube amp should - compared to my Marshall solid state, which now sounds harsh and brittle by comparison.
I haven't taken any pics yet, but here's a link to some pics of the Blues Junior Tweed edition.
http://www.chickenbone.net/music/blsjrtweed.jpg
Mine didn't come with the brown cover though...
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I've heard great things about the Fender Blues Jr. Probably the best tube amp in that price range, and used by a large number of pros from what I understand. Enjoy it! Just a bit out of my price range though.
One thing I like about the Vox is that is has a variable power switch, from 1watt up to the 30watt max. So I night I can turn it down but keep the tube warm and thus retain the nice tones. Should be the ideal practice amp!
Funny you mention the brown cover for the Fender - there's a web shop selling the Vox amp with a "vintage" brown grille cloth for an extra $40. 
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Is that how you get that 'brown' sound?
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de_axeman Wrote:Is that how you get that 'brown' sound?
Ha! They should have invented that phrase, instead of letting their UK rivals get away with it!
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Wait slej! Don't get that Valvetronix yet! This one's much better....
http://www.vintone.com/the_rig.html
Muahahahahaaaa....
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A tube amp is like an L lens
*a lot of money
*very nice result
*many people try to emulate
*can be more expensive that guitar/camera
*it's the guitarist, not the photographer
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adam Wrote:*it's the guitarist, not the photographer
:ROFL: !!!
Axeman, LOVE the vintone! And it's so portable!
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I was sort of rushing when I wrote that
It's the guitarist, not the guitar
It's the photographer, not the camera
Give me the best guitar in the world, I'll play, you listen, I'll make it sound lousy,
Give me the best camera in the world, and you'll think that I used a phone-cam
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No no, "it's the guitarist, not the photographer" is perfect!
I'm going to use that one frequently!
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Which do you get excited more about? The pro photographer with super cool gear taking pictures of the pro guitarist with super cool guitar?
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Hmmm, now that is tough!
I've watched some pro wedding photogs shoot with cool gear, and have to say it wasn't much fun to watch. But I've also seen a commercial product photographer's studio and it was fascinating watching him work. I have to admit that much of the fascination was with the gear - large format, medium-format, digital backs, chrome proofs, etc.
But watching / listening to a great guitarist is fascinating regardless of gear, though I do find myself paying attention to how they use the gear to modify their sounds - the pedal boards, amp configurations, etc.
Short answer: GEAR IS COOL!
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I guess that watching a photographer at work, is similar to watching a guitarist play, but not hearing anything;
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