Vox Mini SuperBeetle

REVIEW
95
OCTOBER 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
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t’s Vox’s 60th anniversary
year, and by way of
celebrating it, we’ve been
blessed with a stream of new
and highly-tempting
products, one of the more recent
being this Superbeetle mini stack,
which takes its inspiration from
the AC100 and Super Beatle stacks
Vox made in the UK and USA
during the 1960s and notably used
by the Fab Four at some of their
biggest gigs.
Clad in black basketweave vinyl
and diamond grille cloth, the
Superbeetle looks like a classic Vox
from every angle, including a
scaled-down vertical logo and
tubular stand for the 1x10
extension cab, and a grey/black
control panel with chickenhead
knobs. The electronics are based
on the MV50 range of mini heads,
combining a Nutube 6P1 valve in
the preamp with a class D power
stage that can produce up to 50
watts into a 4ohm load. The mini
Superbeetle also benefi ts from a
digital spring reverb and tremolo,
powered by Nutube for a vintage-
style eff ect. Nutube is a new valve
type developed by Vox’s parent
company Korg, in association with
Noritake Itron, which uses vacuum
fl uorescent display technology.
Normally seen in microwaves and
washing machines, VFD’s operate
very much like a traditional valve
– they have a cathode, anode and a
control grid to switch display
segments on and off . Nutube is
the fi rst VFD designed for audio
and eff ectively replaces a 12AX7,
taking up much less space and
using a tiny fraction of the power,
with an estimated lifespan of
10,000 hours.
The Superbeetle provides a
stunning recreation of classic Vox
tones based on the legendary AC30
Top Boost channel, with a warm,
slightly boxy midrange at lower
gain giving way to a harmonic-
laden chime that’s itching for a
decent Rickenbacker or Gretsch –
it sounds bigger than its 25-watt
rating. The digital reverb is superb,
going from natural ambience at
lower volumes to a deep cavern
eff ect that doesn’t totally
overpower the guitar. Add a decent
delay and a Strat, select the bridge
pickup and you’ll get an uncanny
recreation of the classic Hank
Marvin sound that powered The
Shadows hits of the early 60s. It
also covers classic blues and rock
with ease and nearly gets into
Brian May territory with the gain
maxed out.
As well as being a perfect
addition to any living room based
on its looks alone, the Superbeetle
is a great tool for home practice
and recording, with low enough
noise levels to deliver pro-level
results into a computer or DAW
from the speaker-emulated
headphones socket.
Nick Guppy
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LOOKS
The Mini
Superbeetle’s classic
style extends to a
chrome steel tubular
stand, with the
correct trapezoid
vertical logo on the
1x10 Celestion-
powered cabinet
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EFFECTS
To nail those
classic sounds from
the 60s as well as
more up-to-date
stuff, the Mini
Superbeetle includes
reverb and an
excellent Nutube
valve-powered
tremolo
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POWER
The Mini
Superbeetle delivers
25 watts into its own
8ohm cabinet, but
can produce up to
50 watts into a
4ohm load
TYPE: Hybrid valve/
digital/solid state
OUTPUT: 25W into
8ohms, 50W into
4ohms
SPEAKER: 1x Celestion
custom 10"
VALVES: 1x NuTube 6P1
CONTROLS: Gain,
volume, bass, treble,
tremolo, reverb, eco
switch, EQ deep/flat
switch
SOCKETS: Guitar in,
headphones/
recording out,
speaker out x2
WEIGHT: 9kg
DIMENSIONS
[HXWXD]:
596x323x180mm
CONTAC T: Vox
Amplification
01908 304600
voxamps.com
AT A GLANCE
A STUNNING RECREATION
OF CLASSIC VOX TONES
£349
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
Photography: Adam Gasson
VOX MINI SUPERBEETLE
The sound of the 60s – in miniature
TGR311.gear_vox.indd 95 13/09/2018 11:13