Posted on 03/12/2009
At this year's CMJ festival in NYC I was fortunate enough to meet a rep from KORG USA who showed me this cool little device from VOX called the amPlug "Headphone Guitar Amplifier."  I tried one out and let me tell you, these tiny things pack a punch!  Simply jack the unit into your guitar or bass (which runs on two AAA batteries), plug in your headphones, and blast off.  I immediately took to the concept as I live in an apartment building in Brooklyn and have to be considerate of my neighbors. 

After I expressed how impressed I was in the showroom, Vox was kind enough to send four different versions of amPlug: Classic Rock, AC30, Metal, and Bass, for me to test out and review here on okaypalyer.  A little about the amps: all have dials for controlling gain, tone, and volume.  Each is equipped with an eighth inch AUX input, into which you can plug any line-in to play along with your favorite tunes, off your iPod for instance.

Now for the part all of you musicians out there really care about... how do they sound?   My arsenal of testing arrangements includes a 1979 Guild S-70, a new Les Paul Studio, a nylon string acoustic, a 1976 Fender Precision Bass, and a 1977 Guild B-301.  I have never played a VOX amp but am aware of the reputation for quality that this brand commands.  

The AC30 model is designed for clean sound.  I tried this with my nylon string and the Les Paul guitars and got a great tone with each.  Turning up the gain will give you some distortion, should you want it.  Be careful with the volume, these things get loud!  Next up was the Classic Rock model.  The sound was warm and with with the gain all the way I was able to pretend like I can solo pretty good. The Classic was pretty rocking and I was curious to see how much difference there would be with the Metal model.   Needless to say, prepare to thrash.   I ended with the Bass model which boasts a full sound with compression and boost.  I was pleased to be able to practice and not shake the foundation of the building I live in.  Good stuff!

I am not a tone snob, and I don't even consider myself a "real musician," but I have nothing bad to say about these little puppies, and for city dwellers like myself, who live in close quarters and want to get amplified, they are absolutely perfect.   Even better is that they are inexpensive.   The suggested retail price is $56 but I've seen them on Amazon for as low as $40.  VOX is even nice enough to supply a set of batteries with each unit. Two lithium batteries gets you 7 hours and two alkaline batteries, 15 hours, functioning time.  The AC30 and the Classic Rock are likely to be the most functional for players, and there is currently only one model for Bass.   For a closer look and more details on the amPlug series, visit www.voxamps.com. I also found some videos on YouTube where you can search for other demos as well.   I had to refer VOX to Cap'n Kirk and Owen Biddle as they also live in NYC, as well as travel on tour buses where they can't plug-in.   The amPlug is truly perfect for those kinds of scenerios.

-Dantana