Vox MV50 Clean

V
ox has always been
about innovation, right
back to the early days of
the original AC15, so
we’ve come to expect
the unexpected from the Brit amp
co. Yet its trio of MV50 amps
caught more than a few by surprise
at this year’s NAMM show. Micro
amps are becoming commonplace,
but very few use valves, and none
use the valve Vox’s MV50 packs
into its small but perfectly-formed
steel chassis.
That valve is the 6P1, a brand-
new design that uses Vacuum
Fluorescent Display (VFD)
technology. VFDs are very similar
to valves in the way they work:
there’s an anode, cathode and a
control grid, however, the 6P1 is
the fi rst VFD product specifi cally
designed for audio. Housed in a
slim, integrated circuit-style
package, the 6P1 has its own
dedicated circuit board that sits on
shock-absorbing supports, with a
multi-pin plug for easy
replacement if it’s ever needed.
The new Vox MV50 amps are
small enough to resemble toys –
except they’re not. That 6P1 valve
is hooked up to a specially-
designed Class D power amp that
puts out an astonishing 50 watts of
guitar-friendly power, all from a
package that’s not much bigger
than a stompbox.
There are three diff erent
fl avours of the MV50: Clean is
inspired by the great American
valve amps of the early 1960s, AC
is a miniature recreation of all
that’s good from the classic Vox
AC15 and AC30, while Rock off ers a
classic Plexi-inspired tone that’s
fl avoured with extra strong
jalapeno. All three share similar
control panels and a cool backlit
VU meter; the AC and Rock have
three knobs for gain, tone and
volume with impedance switches
on the rear panel, while the Clean
has volume, treble and bass
together with a three-position
attenuator. These diff erences
aside, all three have in common
an aux in, a headphones/recording
output as well as a separate
speaker output.
Despite their tiny dimensions
and simple controls, the MV50s
are real tone monsters. The Clean
has a spanky treble and snappy
bass response, but turning it up to
around three-quarters or more
unleashes a seductive edge that’s
great for blues or country and
simply superb with single coils.
The MV50 AC is astonishing,
capturing the complex midrange
and treble of its full-sized
counterparts with great
authenticity. You can easily nail
everything from The Beatles to
Rory Gallagher and more,
although we felt just a touch of
extra gain was needed to properly
get the full-on Brian May eff ect
without turning to pedals. The
MV50 Rock’s Plexi-inspired tones
combined with a good humbucker
is equally fun – lower gain settings
cop Joe Perry’s riffi ng on Walk
VOX MV50 AC, ROCK AND CLEAN
A loud as hell valve amp in your pocket!
£199
AT A GLANCE
THE VOX MV50S ARE SMALL
ENOUGH TO RESEMBLE TOYS...
Photography: Joe Branston
REVIEW
93
AUGUST 2017 ToTal GuiTar
TYPE: Valve preamp/
Class D power amp
OUTPUT: 50W
SPEAKER CAB: BC108
1x8" ported
VALVES: 1x 6P1
CONTROLS: MV50 AC &
ROCK: Volume, gain,
tone, MV50
CLEAN: Volume, treble,
bass, flat/deep EQ
switch; 4/8/16ohm
impedance switch
(AC and Rock models),
3-position attenuator
(MV50 Clean only)
SOCKETS: Guitar in,
aux in, headphones/
recording out,
speaker out
WEIGHT: 0.5kg
DIMENSIONS:
[HxWxD] 75mm x
135mm x 100mm
CONTACT: Vox
Amplification Ltd.
01908 304600
www.voxamps.com
1
SEE HOW LOUD
YOU CAN GO...
The ‘none-more-loud’
VU meter on the front
panel is the MV50’s
most obvious feature,
with just a hint of
Spinal Tap
2
RECORD OR
PRACTISE
IN PEACE
All three MV50s have a
speaker-emulated
headphone recording
output that can be
used without a
loudspeaker
connected
3
VALVE POWER
Through the
display window you
can see the 6P1 valve
flickering away as it
works hard
3
1
2
TGR295.gear_lead.indd 93 22/06/2017 13:24