VOX mini superbeetle 25 stack

first play
VOX AC30S1 COMBO & MINI SUPERBEETLE 25 STACK
26
Guitarist september 2018
VOX AC30S1
COMBO
PRICE: £735
ORIGIN: Vietnam
TYPE: Valve preamp, digital reverb
and valve power amp
OUTPUT: 30 watts rms.
VALVES: 2x 12AX7, 4x EL84
DIMENSIONS: 658 (h) x 550 (w)
x 265mm (d)
WEIGHT (KG/LB): 24.5/54
CABINET: Ply
LOUDSPEAKERS: One Celestion
Custom VX12
CHANNELS: One
CONTROLS: Gain, Volume, Bass,
Treble, Reverb level
FOOTSWITCH: None
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Series
effects loop, extension speaker
outlet
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: None
Vox Amplification
01908 304600
www.voxamps.com
VOX MINI
SUPERBEETLE
25 STACK
PRICE: £349
ORIGIN: Vietnam
TYPE: Valve preamp, digital reverb
and solid-state power amp.
OUTPUT: 25 watts rms into 8 ohms,
max 50 watts rms into 4 ohms
VALVES: 1x Nutube 6P1
DIMENSIONS: 323 (w) x 596 (h)
x 180mm (h)
WEIGHT (KG/LB): 9/20
CABINET: Ply/mdf
CHANNELS: One
CONTROLS: Gain, Volume, Bass,
Treble, Tremolo, Reverb level, EQ Fat/
Deep, Eco on/off, switchable output
impedance
FOOTSWITCH: None
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Two
speaker outlet, speaker-emulated
headphones/recording out
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: None
PROS Compact, good-looking and
great tone you’d expect from this
British institution
CONS Over-bright mains LED, and
no strain relief for power cable
PROS More portable than a 2x12
AC30, without sacrificing too much
volume or tone
CONS It would be nice if the loop
was footswitchable
8
8
It’s great fun to use, especially when you
watch other people’s response to hearing it
for the first time: any expectations that it’s
a toy are quickly dispelled. The Mini is also
a class act going into a recording desk, with
very low noise from its speaker-emulated
headphones output and the same quality
digital reverb as the AC30S1, saving you one
aux send or the processing power of a good
reverb plugin.
Verdict
Vox was originally built on innovation and
over the last 25 years that pioneering spirit
has continued to flourish under Korg’s
ownership, allowing the brand to achieve
its true potential as one of the world’s top
musical instrument brands.
Both these new amps are perfect
examples of that. The Mini Superbeetle
25 is a great recording tool as well as being
ideal for home practice, while its cool
vintage looks make it a unique conversation
piece for any man cave. The blue ‘on’ LED
needs to be toned down somewhat, and
it would be nice if there was a strain relief
hook for the DC power lead, but this is
really all we can whinge about.
The AC30S1? It’s an ideal no-frills AC30
for players after a modern interpretation
of the Top Boost tone wrapped up in
traditional looks. It’s certainly more
portable than 2x12 versions, without
sacrificing anything significant in terms
of tone or volume. Despite its simplicity,
the sounds are very versatile and well-
suited for 60s, indie, classic rock, blues,
country… and much more.
So, two more great amps in Vox’s
catalogue and two more niches effectively –
and very temptingly – filled.
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
4. The Mini Superbeetle
has a speaker-emulated
headphones socket
that doubles as an
excellent low-noise
recording outlet
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GIT437.rev_vox.indd 26 08/08/2018 16:06