Vox ToneLab

It's reasonably easy to figure out how it works. And, it's reasonably easy to change settings on the fly. Those are good points.

Here are some not so good.

It was hard to turn the tuner on. You have to press two buttons at exactly the same time. If you're off by a bit, you get a different preset, not the tuner. If you do it right you get the tuner, but you don't silence the guitar. To do that, you have to hold it down. More often than not, I'd have to try several times to get the tuner.

There is a switch on the back which has PA, Fender, Marshall settings. And there are a great many options on the face of the unit. That switch essentially multiplies the number of possibilities by 3. Plug into a new PA (as I had to) and see if you can figure out what's best without a soundcheck. I can't recall if the switch setting is remembered as part of a patch.

The manual was ok.

I'm a jazz player. I wanted a very clean sound for comping and just a bit of warmth for soloing.

I was able to get an adequate solo sound. But, I could never get an adequate clean sound -- and I tried every option.

In front of a JC55, the guitar sounded much better without the Tonelab. It has bypass, but then you don't even get EQ.

Maybe this should be in the ease of use category and maybe it's not fair, but this happened. I had to plug into a PA at a jam where there the players were surrounded by PA speakers (no audience) but without monitors. I tried to stay clean on comping and reasonably clean on soloing. What happened was that when I tried to increase my volume for soloing, inevitably it got very dirty. I'd guess that I'd have figured that out with more experience, but I couldn't that night.

Seemed well built.

No experience.

45 years playing. I play mostly Brazilian jazz, but it's high energy music, including some, hopefully, scorching leads.

Too much gear to list. I played this unit with a 335 type by D'Angelico and a Godin nylon multiac.

I wouldn't buy it again or replace it if stolen.

I bought it for a situation in which I had to play directly into a PA with no guitar amp. I'd never done that before. Hard to say based on just a couple of nights, but I'd still be more comfortable with a mic'ed amp.

Looks more complicated than it is. If you can use a cell phone you should have enough brain cells. Manual could use a chart of the amp models and how the knobs map to that particular amp, since the knobs change function by emulated model. But you can find that online, use your google-fu.

This is what sold me. I live in an apartment and have been using a Behringer modeler amp (which has a tube too, but it distorts like ass) and/or a Fender Princeton Chorus (solid state and distorts ok) into a mixer then headphones, so I was in a situation of trying to get good tone from modeling stompboxes and such.

I was trying out various modelers in the store thru a keyboard amp (Pod, Zoom, etc.), and when I fired up the Tonelab it was like "Oh yeah, this is the one". Sounds much better than the rest, warmer, better distortion, and good response.

Since I didn't get the pedals for it, and I still wanted the option to use the completely clean channel on my amps, I've got the TL at the end of my effects chain switchable with an Boss line selector pedal. Kind of an "uber-pedal" if you will. So I keep the TL on, and have a MXR comp -> Jeckyll n Hyde -> Danelectro EQ/Boost feeding the TL. The amp can now be kept completely clean and the best part is that the TL responds great to overdrive coming into it. Yay! So I have the TL set to a somewhat mild Blackface 2x12, and feed it what a real amp would eat.

The is some noise in some situations, but like others said, judicious level and NR tweaking can take care of that.

Effects are good, as usual, some better than others, but I usually only run a mild reverb and chorus, if anything, anyway.

Giving it a 9 since universal law state there is always something better, and there's no 11 on the rating scale here.

Can't say yet, but seems solid. Given that it has a tube in it and all, I'd probably handle it a bit more gingerly than a stompbox you chuck in the trunk.

Not used, so no opinion. Deal with it.

I'm a wanker. I've been wanking for 7 years now. My style could be described ad self-medicated classic rock/blues wailing.

If it were stolen I'd get another, after I dispense karmic justice on the thief.

As above, compared to other products, and it stood out for it's tone and response. Now I've got a SansAmp GT2 to sell :P

Only had this a few days so I thought I would give my initial impressions as vox seem to be doing very little to publisize this unit
I went for this model as I record directly into a computer soundcard I don't play live, so the LE seemed a bit overtop for what I required. I've read the excellent reviews of the LE, and seen the Youtube demos so took a chance on this unit, the logic being that as this type of technology keeps improving then it should be at least be as good as the LE!! But smaller and cheaper.
When it arrived a couple of days ago it was even smaller that I expected, but seemed robust, and well put together(my wife thinks its cute).
The layout of the unit is logical, the controls are solid, and work well and the manual is understandble

As mentioned Im plugging straight into a soundcard and outputting to a pair of decent active speakers(using the Line level switch on the back of the unit).
There are 33 different Amps and 11 different Cabinet set ups. and I'm slowly working my way through the combinations, but I've already found a lot of great tones worth recording. I usually play clean'ish, so can't really comment on whether the high gain stuff, is authentic(although it sounds pretty good + useable to me) and thers a lot of high gain tones on this unit.
Not had a good sound from the acoustic simulator yet, but perhaps I've not done enough tweaking yet.

Looks solid to me - but whether it would stand being thrown about at the back of a Van - who knows!!

No idea - but I am quite suprised how little Vox seem to be pushing this Model.

This is only a first impression review
very happy with it so far -
small neat logical everything works well and it sounds great
how it compares to similar units I do not know.
On the minus side the USB connection is a waste of time for me and probably for a lot of other computer users. the only way I can use the USB as input to my DAW is by setting the unit up as my sound card, which may be great if you are new to DAW's and do not have a card already, but useless if you already have a decent card.
The librarian software also looks very basic.
Improvements /additions : I think a digital output(as on the LE)would have been useful, and some kind of clear/reset button would be really useful. So that you could clear all the settings belonging to the previously loaded patch, when you want to create a new patch.
But so far its lived up to my expectations

To really get your hands dirty with this thing it takes some doing. However, for basic tweaking, which is what most of us will be doing, this thing is easy to use. If you understand amps and pedals you can dial in a good sound out of this thing no problem.

OK, I'm going to cut straight to the chase. I used to own a Line 6 PODv.2. I idolized that thing and saved up $400 to get one. It had every imaginable sound but after a while I realized it sounded like harsh digital fizzle. Granted, if I ever decide to have a POD in my studio rack I'll probably go back to the original or v.2 over the newer ones, but hey, this is about the vox, right!!

Anyhow, the 12ax7 tube makes all the difference in the ToneLab. No more digital fizzle. It has less options but you get better quality out of the options it has than anything I ever got on the POD. The sound is warm instead of harsh. You don't get these things for the effects features (although there are some pretty decent ones that manipulate very naturally), you get them for the amp emulation, and that it does very well. It is Vox, after all.

I've moved it in and out of my studio rack and that's about it. I guess once to play one song at a church performance where they complained about it (they complained about just about every piece of gear I ever used so what's the common factor here :) Point is, I've never had any issues with it. Any sound issues have always been a result of other pieces in the rack (old patchbays, bad compressors, hot effect units, etc.) that I put in the chain, not the Vox.

Never had to deal with them.

There is a good possibility that the floor version is better than this simply because it's more functionl for live use (I'll probably eventually get the foot controller). Although, it's the same teachnology / features just with pedals and foot switches. For sutdio use this thing is great. Takes up a lot of space in my rack but I like having it there for when I need it. I wish they'd make a rackmount version.

Put it this way, I have three options at my disposal for studio sessions. Some great real amps, some great plug-ins, and the Vox ToneLab. On many occasions I've used the Vox ToneLab and the result has been fantastic. You can't go wrong with it.

A Little more "in depth" that a pod, of v amp, but the options are a good thing. Pretty simple to make a good tone, but you have the option to really put the time into it and make a great tone.

I have been playing for about 10 years. Have owned some middle of the ladder tube amps, no dumbles or two rocks, but some crates, and a Genz Benz or 2. For what i have been exposed to thus far, this is great. Effects are better than a Pod. Not quite as good as a couple of my stomp boxes, but not as expensive either. Great for direct plug ins, like recording. I have this running straight into a mixer, then into my computer and running Cubase, and i get very little noise, and very studio quality sounds out of it.

No problems yet, but i havn't used it live either.

Never had any issues, so i wouldn't know.

For those of you like me, not making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to spend on a " hobby " as my wife so beautifully puts it,( more like a life in itself) this is wonderful. If you are like me, and dont have the money, but you still want quality sounds for what you are paying, this is amazing. I thought about the SE or the LE, and i couldnt see spending that much on something that has as few upgrades over this. Haven't used one of the above mentioned, nor do i plan to. This will be with me until i win the lotto and can afford a hand-wired head and cabinet for each sound i want. Dont waste your money on a lifeless pod, this thing breathes like a true tube amp, and although nothing is as good as the real thing, this gets as close as any pedal of it's kind i have used, and i have used many. Spend the cash and make more use out of your time and money. Almost everything you need is right here. Dont pay attention to the people *****ing about the delay not being as good as >>>>> or the gains not stacking up to their **** Get it and you will be happy you did i swear.

It does not get any easier than this to use. Good traditional knobs control 95% of what you are going to do with this unit, and the other 5% is very easy to get a grip on.
The manual is straight foward, and there is not a whole lot to it, but it covers all the aspects of the ToneLab very well.
My unit has been upgraded only in the fact that the original processors are no longer soldered directly to the main board, but seated in sockets for easier troubleshooting/replacement. Some of the filters and caps were also replaced.

This, without a doubt is the best all-around sounding modeler preamp I have yet to play with. I used this preamp with a Danelectro Nifty 50 which let it come through in all its sonic glory. You could not tell the setup apart from a top-shelf tube amp.
The effects are limited, but very good. It has pre-preamp (pedal) effects including a couple of distortions, a compressor, treble boost, an univibe clone. The modulation effects work fine; the chorus, flange, and phaser are all very good. The controls (again) are knob based. You have very few parameters that you can change, but they are the important ones. The tremolo and rotary effects are top notch. The delays are very good and have the all-important tap tempo button. The reverbs are extremely limited, but they work great when combined with the delay.
This unit has a very good noise gate that does not kill your sustain, and "hi gain" models can be noisy without it engaged (like a typical tube amp).
I like mid-gain amp tones, and the TL delivers it in spades!
Hi Points: good amp models, good modulation & delay
Lo Points: reverb, only able to use one "pedal effect" at a time

My unit had to be defective due to damage in transit to me.
It had a loud buzz accompanying the guitar output being cut in half.
It took a couple of months and a fluke trip to a buddy who does electronics at a guitar shop fixed it. For 2 months. I believe one of the knobs was a main culprit, but never found out for certain. I had it foxed a second time and sent it on the way to a new home where it would sit in a studio and no longer travel.

Korg USA repsonded to my emails, but gave very little help outside of telling me where I could send it (yeah, I laughed when I wrote the last phrase too). I found more help at www.tonelab.com. they have all the schematics and service guides for the ToneLab and ToneLab SE at this site along with some of the most helpful forum members this side of stombox.net.forum or instituteofnoise.com.

I play on a worship team, and my style varies with each song. Jangly clean strumming, to blues, rock, jazz, a little metal here and there too. I have been playing for 20 years now. My favorite weapon of choice is my Jeff Beck Custom Surf Green Strat, Followed by a 1993 PRS CE-24.
Had the ToneLab worked 100% I would never have gotten rid of it or thought twice about buying another. The ToneLab replaced a Vetta, a PODxt and a Digitech Genesis 3. But now the hunt is on again.
My main amp is a Traynor Custom Special 50, and my practice amp is a Danelectro Nifty 50.
If you have one that works, get the best case you possibly can to protech it. This unit is gold when all works as it should.

It takes some tweaking to get a good sound, but the same is true with every setup I've used, tube, modeling or solid state. It was a lot easier to get a good sound out of this than any Line 6 gear I've used.

I couldn't get exactly the sounds I wanted for everything, but at every turn I was impressed with the quality of this unit. The effects models are good, and the amp models, with the possible exception of the Mesa and Dumble, are very good. I should mention that although I had hoped it would be a "one stop shop" I did end up feeling the need to run an EBS MultiComp before it and a HUSH pedal after it ... the onboard compressor isn't bad, but I wanted to be able to have a compressed sound in addition to their distortion pedal models. The noise reduction system is ok, but especially for the Soldano I felt more comfortable with the Hush after it, in addition to the onboard NR. I tend to prefer a more cleaned-up sound, so the Tonelab's NR might be ok for most people (although it seemed the attack and release were a little off).

The distortion sound seemed rich, full, and natural to me. Not perfect, but way better than Line 6. I am fully confident replacing my tube rig with a ToneLab, especially because it sounds good at any volume, instead of just cranked to the max. Some folks have said that this unit can't do metal -- it seemed ok to me. It took a bit of tweaking, but I got a good metal sound out of it using the Rat and Soldano, with a little hint of chorus. The Mesa model sucks, but it's kind of hard to model 5 preamp tubes and 5 power amp tubes if you're only actually using one. In general I found that it was easier to get a useful heavy sound than it had been with my old Fender tube rig.

I run this thing into a full range bass amp (Epifani PS 600 into Dr. Bass Neo 2260). This seems to be the best way to do it, since it doesn't color the sound after the cab models, and gives me a lot of clean power and stuff like pre-eq DI out.

It seems reliable. If I was rich and touring, I might buy a backup, but I don't see any real need for it. I might spring for a USB MIDI cable so I can back up my presets, though.

My needs are fairly simple, but a unit that can provide me with a good gritty sound, a good crunch sound, a good glassy delay, and a solid heavy sound, and switch them all at the touch of a button, is perfect. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to "real" amps after this -- it's just too easy; and being able to run it through my bass amp means one expensive rig instead of two. A+.

This unit can do what ever you need it to. You need to read the manual because the controls work differently with different models and you need to understand what they(each control)do to get the best tone from each model. The manual is fine for people who are willing to take some time to read it. I suspect that people who complain about this sounds from this unit have not taken the time to read the manual or figure out how to eq the amp they are using with it. There is a certain amount of volume required to really get the best out of this unit and it varies from amp to amp.

I have used this unit with a THD Bivalve and a 2x12 cabinet, a handwired Bassman clone, a fully restored '66 Super reverb, and a Peavey Delta Blues 115. It sounds very good with all of them. It takes a little while to get all the settings just right to get the best tone. With the Bivalve it is simply breathtaking. The THD Bivalve is one of the best sounding amps made and by itself it has unbelievably nice tone from clean to hi gain distortion. But having said that,it is hard for me to go back to just the bivalve after I have used the Tonelab with it. That should tell you something. I play Les Pauls, Strats and Tele's with it and they also sound fantastic with the appropriate settings. The models are not exact replicas but they close enough to be recognizable by ear. You can set it up to serve for any musical genre.

Seems very well built. Take a back-up pre-amp tube if you are going to gig with it. It is fairly light weight and I have not quite figured out how to secure it so it won't get knocked around at at gig. The SE (floor pedal) version is probably the one to have for gigs.

No experience here.

I play rock, hard electric blues, and basically the same thing but with modern country rock. I've been playing for many years and I have first hand experience with the basis amps that are being modeled. I also have a Fender CyberDeluxe which I really love. They kind of overlap but also do some different things. The keyboard (and occasional rhythm guitar) in my band has the Digitech Modeler...it sounds like crap. Don't know about Line 6. I have also open-mic'd with a guy that uses the Boss modeler. It does not sound too good, but I am not sure if it is the unit or something else. If it was stolen I would probably get the floor pedal model. I might do that anyway. Anything that has as many features as this thing does will have things that different users will complain about, But for what it was designed for I have to give it a 10.

I bought this piece of equipment when it was quite new, and I've used it several times a week ever since. Partly since I don't have enough money to buy the amp of my dreams, but mostly since I still like it.

Easy to work with, plug in your headphones and just have a good time tweaking. Most of it is intuitive. But don't skip reading the manual because you might miss out on stuff. And some settings on some of the effects can not be done without hooking it up to a computer (not to my knowledge at least).

This depends a lot on your genre. Since I play more and more metal these days, the Tonelab makes less and less sense - it's main weakness is the high gain sounds. They're very muddy and unconvincing. If you mainly play metal, don't buy this machine.

On the other hand, for everything else, from jazz to hard rock, the Tonelab is a very pleasant experience. the different amps and cabinets gives you great versatility, and both clean and crunch sounds are great. The tube/valve actually seems to give some life to this effect box, because it responds well to your playing and has "feeling" (more so than various Pods and V-amps I've encountered). It even works quite well for heavy leads - as long as you don't try to play metal riffs on it.

The effects are generally quite good, although the dist boxes don't hold a candle to the amp distortions, and the wahwah drives me crazy (it sounds like there's an "open" a "closed" position, that you can switch between with a pedal, only they forgot the inbetweens). Reverbs are fine, Delays very nice and flanger/phaser/chorus etc all work well when not overdone.

Then, of course, there's the problem that all amp modelers deal with. It sound's great through your headphones but crappy through an amp, and boring through a PA. And it sucks in a studio environment (I've heard the Pod is a good studio tool but I haven't tried that), always making you wish you had a real amp and a real mike instead.

I actually dropped this from my bike - it was in a thin bag and I wasn't going too fast, but still, it didn't seem to notice it. It's a tank, nothing less.

Never dealt with them directly.

If you play metal, forget it altogether.

If you want something to gig with, only buy this if you can afford something like the Atomic Reactor as well - and try them together first.

If you want something to practice at home on, with earphones or through your computer/stereo, and for easy demo recording, and you play anything but metal - this is the thing for you, I'm sure you'll love it. I've loved it - and hated it, for several years now.

This desktop unit is easy to use, with separate sections for amp models, cab models, effects sections and separate EQ dials, all of which are clearly layed out. Patches are easy to store. MANUAL mode is easily attained, and is a nice feeature to use for moving around and experimenting with different config's. The two "Gain" dials make sense and are functional, once you understand what their intended purpose is.

Here's where i differ from much of what's been said about the TL. Valvetronix is good, to be sure; and definitely gives a tube flavor to your tone. However, all the models are just too closely aligned, and not distinct enough. For example, instead of having the full complement of amp models, for instance, you really end up just 3-4 REAL models, broken into groups serially across the amp model dial; this is because the models really end up sounding pretty much the same, as you rotate CW. The same holds for the cab models. (Recording is a somewhat different story; today's modelers are expert at generating good direct signals; but live play will be a bit of a disappointment.) The effects sections, overall, don't have enough variation either. For example, all the reverbs sound so much alike that the unit might as well just have one reverb dial. Now, the caveat here is that a modeler's signal is colored too much when running it through a normal guitar amp, which is designed around its own particular architecture. So, you can overcome this blending effect of individual models, to an extent, by connecting directly to a powered PA speaker or power amp. (If your primary amp has a direct port to the power section, you could try that option, thus bypassing the pre-amp. However, note that not all FX loops are constructed the same nor work the same as a Slave IN, and sometimes playing through it will not produce the intended results.) Or, you could try out an Atomic Amp (www.atomicamps.com), which sells specially-designed all-tube amps without a pre-amp section, intended to provide un-colored amp'ing of modellers. Just be aware that the TL is NOT as diverse a unit as you might expect, given all the positive feedback about it. (The feedback is deserved, as far as what it DOES give you, because the tones are rich and full-bodied.....but sound "processed".)

Several of the dials have developed static when rotated (my unit is less than one year old.) Also, the "Gain" and "CH Volume" dials have little spikes in volume transition as they're rotated, which is annoying when trying to make small adjustments. On the plus side, the 12AX7 tube is easily accessed on the top panel; i've swapped it out a couple of times and the results can be good, if you're looking for smoother performance than the stock tube provides. (I've also experimented with a 12AT7 tube, which is a lower-powered pre-amp version of a 12AX7, and this is nice for some of the models, but not so good for others.)

No opinion.

I wouldn't recommend the TL to anyone who's never tried other processors and modelling pre-amps, unless you buy from a retailer with at least a 30-day return policy. This is because you may very well end up finding another processor, for less $'s, that you like better. For example, Digitech's new RP350 goes for less than the TL, with greater diversity and options, and sounds great. That goes for the Behringer modeler as well .... less expensive, and a good variety of features. Vox has a good product here for sure, but it's NOT the only player in town, in this price range.

Simple enough.
How easy was it to get good sound? Easy enough. Much easier than with the other modelers, which produce good sound only after hours of tweaking, if at all. Doesn't mean that you can't get bad sounds, but the percentage of good sounds is astronomically higher than with the other modelers.
Didn't care much for the manual, it seems like a collection of "the worst of the POD manual" (which I hated). It's almost as bad in trying to be oh-so-humorous (while it actually isn't) and much worse in giving out even less information, for example it omits the names of the real amps and effects that are being modeled, except for the VOX/Korg models (which they own the trademarks to). To be on the safe side (and to make the matter even more laughable), they dare not even name the bands that used the amps. The reader has to deduce/guess what is being modeled! Uggh. Why couldn't they do this like Line 6 with the trademark disclaimer to protect them from lawsuits? I haven't heard Line 6 ever getting sued for naming the amps they are supposedly modeling.
Besides, they seem to get the details wrong anyway. The gentlemen "who rode the lightning" had already lost their Marshall gear by the time RTL was recorded. In fact, one of the RTL songs (Fade to Black) was inspired by the theft of the Marshall gear. They should have said gentlemen "who killed 'em all" rather than "who rode the lightning".

I've been looking for a modeler that would replicate the tone of my favourite amps at an acceptable volume (as determined by my wife). Or at least something that would produce good tone at a modest volume if one-to-one imitation is not possible. I've been through lots of gear in my search for such tone; including several units by Line 6, Boss, Korg, Johnson, and others. All of them were disappointments. You can find my reviews of the units on the HC pages. The only major manufacturers whose modeling units I have never owned are Digitech and Zoom (I heard samples on the Net and thought that they were terrible).
With the VOX Tonelab, I am happy to say that I have finally found a modeler that does not abuse and insult my ears. The sound is appreciably lusher and thicker than that of, say, PODxt. The tube breakup is almost natural. The sound is especially tasty for vintage sounds. This unit can take you easily from the early years of the electric guitar to the 1980s. Some say that you cannot get metal distortion from the Tonelab. In my experience, this is not quite true - or maybe it depends on your definition of metal. I can easily get the classic metal distortion up to and including Justice/Black album Metallica. I hate grunge, nu-metal, metalcore and other newer crap that gets sometimes classified as metal, so if the unit cannot produce those sounds, I could hardly care less. Some have also stated that unit is too bright and lacks bass. Not in my experience. The PODxt is tons worse on both accounts (plus it sounds totally digital, to boot). The POD2 and Johnson J-Station are perhaps a little bassier but sound lots worse.
But I do have some complaints. First, it is difficult to get enough edge to the attack. Even with the Treble Booster, the attack tends to sound a little mushy. Secondly, the unit does NOT sound like a real tube amp. I've owned a couple, and this does not sound anything like them. The Marshall models stretch my imagination just far too much. The Rectifier model is even worse.
Compared to any other modeler that I have tried, this is definitely a 10 - no contest, as the VOX ad stated, I can subscribe to that now. This is the only modeler that I have ever encountered that does NOT sound overly digital. Especially the crunch/semi-clean tones; those tend to be terrible on digital modelers (Line 6, ugggh! think metal skeletons making love on a tin roof) - here the Tonelab really shines! In an A/B test with my PODxt, the Tonelab totally devastated the POD.
However, compared to a real tube amp, the Tonelab only gets 7. Its tone lacks body and punch of a quality tube amp.
This averages out to 8.5 which I rounded up to 9. Heck, I fear I even gave one of the PODs a 9 (what was I thinking!?!?!?), and this deserves at least as much.
Once someone produces a modeler whose sound and feel I cannot distinguish from a tube amp, that will be a 10.

No issues so far. However, I have observed a peculiarity that probably derives from the fact that the unit actually uses a tube. I had just booted up the Tonelab and started playing in a very warm room. The Tonelab sounded unusually mellow and mushy. I was sweating a lot, so I knocked down the heating a bit. Soon after that I noticed that the Tonelab was sounding much tighter and better focused. Could it have been the tube warming up? Or maybe it was just my ears (psychoacoustics).

I've never had a Korg/VOX product crap out on me.

I've been playing for a little over 20 years. My favorite bands hail from the 1970s and 1980s. This unit is an excellent match for their music plus my own music. Your mileage may vary. Especially if you are into "modern metal" and play NOTHING except metal (not even an acoustic part here or there), you *might* be happier with a POD. Do give both units a thorough test, though, and let your ears decide.
The effects section could use some improvement. The effects sound pretty much like the Tonelab effects in the Korg units, I suspect that they use the same algorithms. They are not terribly good but ok anyway. There could be an EQ, but it is not vital since the unit sounds pretty good without one. The compressor could be improved and should be in a separate block of its own. Then again, I don't normally use much effects anyway. Give me a wah pedal, an occasional chorus and some delay/reverb, and I'll be happy. The Tonelab does all of them except the wah (since there's no pedal included, duhh!), so I'm using an external wah/volume pedal with the Tonelab and am happy. The more spaced-out weird sounds that Korg or Boss units can produce can be fun, but not something I want to regularly do.
At the current street price, this is really a no-brainer. You would have to whip out at least as much cash for a single boutique OD/distortion pedal that incorporated tubes, and here you get as good a tone plus lots more versatility.
The Tonelab has really the fully-digital units for me. They sound like digital crap to me now.

See my original review .... nothing's changed here.

Just one additional note to my original review: I swapped out the stock tube with a JJ Electronics-recommended 12AX7, and the results are absolutely splendid. The entire sonic character of the TL is now much more clearly defined, with lows, mids and highs coming through beautifully, without any unwanted distortion or graininess. The gain and EQ adjustments are now very clearly discernable, and produce a dramatically improved sound across all frequencies. THIS IS A HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENT!

No change from 1st review.

No opinion.

See my comment under "Sound Quality". Other than that, there's no changes from my 1st review. This is a HIGHLY recommended product for all "tube purists." Valvetronix truly DOES work, and beautufully so. For any experienced TL user, the 12AX7 swap mentioned above is the crowning touch, which will have you totally thrilled. ALSO .... try this baby in stereo .... and get ready to SLAY with glee!

Everyone has a take on this unit - here's mine.... I find the easiest way to use the Tonelab is as a preamp with the outs going to two Fender Stage 112SE amps for stereo. I control the Tonelab with the VC12 footswitch so I can turn on/off the effects like an old stomp box rig. I use the unit in manual mode and don't use the presets. I select the amp model I want to use as a baseline pre-amp sound, and the footpedal controls the various options for effects. Makes it easy and simple and perfect for recording and live stage work. I've been playing for over 25 years and hands-down this is the best rig I've used with the most versatility. There isn't a sound that I can't achieve, period.

I dumped all of my other effects and stomp boxes with the exception of a custom Fender Tube Reverb, since I'm a fan of the old surf sound, among many others. I use a 73 Strat (stock) and a Ric 12 and 6 string for the 60s tones. I also replaced the stock tube in the Tonelab with one of the new Ei 12AX7 tubes which smoothed out the tone range and gain, and took out some of the brittleness caused by the stock tube. I can use the Tonelab direct into the amp guitar inputs or run it through the power amp section, both work real well, although I think I prefer the standard guitar inputs. I turn off the cabinet simulation, and match the Tonelab's gain output so I don't overdrive the imputs of the amps. The two Fender 112SE amps I use are monsters - loud and strong, and only weigh around 25 lbs. No tubes, absolutely excellent built-in tone circuit - you'd swear you were playing on a tube amp. One of the best amps Fender ever made, and you can pick them up for under $200 on Ebay. I got rid of all my Vox amps and everything else and only use the 112SE models now. Well, to be truthful I did keep a Vox Pathfinder 15R for the garage.....
The effects are usable and ok, nothing to get swell in the head about, but they work, same goes for the wah effect. The Vox footswitch has a level pedal and a wah pedal so I can control the wah without any problem. I didn't want the TonelabSE model because I don't like changing controls on the floor, so the Tonelab tabletop model works just fine with the added VC12 footswitch - best of both worlds.

Haven't had any problems in 4 years.

??? never dealt with Korg.

I play old style Surf, to Hendrix, to funk, just about everything except heavy metal. Being an old guy, my tastes in music were grounded in the 60s and 70s. I've had just about every amp and guitar I ever wanted, my current rig is staying just like it is, the Tonelab, the VC12 footpedal and a couple of cheap and reliable Fender 112SE amps. Everyone that hears my rig is absolutely blown away and it works for me.

The Vox Tonelab is extremely easy to dial in the precise sound one is looking for in many styles. The downlodable sound editor looks very nifty, but have had little opportunity to explore in great detail.

IMHO, this unit preovides most everything one could want in a modeling preamp. The controls are well thought out, changes to the sound can be tweaked on the fly and the effects are dead on to having a string of stomp boxes sitting at your feet.

Built like a tank. Metal enclosure and solid construction.

Never had to utilize their customer support - all the questions I had were answered by the manuel and their website.

I play guitar for our church???s Contemporary Worship and with all of the various styles that are being incorporated into modern worship, I can get them all with this unit. I would by another one if lost or stolen (have been checking out the auctions to see if I can get a back-up unit) but am using a full blown amp in worship (the modeler is for home use - the presets are tweaked on the Tonelab at home and transferred via a VOX pedal board to a 60 watt VOX Valvetronix at our sanctuary) and have no doubt that this type of setup is the most practical for my situation.
In many ways, this unit allows me to get sounds that were in my head out into the air and has boosted my playing by allowing me to create sounds that would cost many dollars to emulate. I???ve played through everything from 10 watt all tube screamers (think Champ and Wabash) to Music Man and Mesa B's and everything in between over the last 38 years. Sold afew of those that I wanted to get back until I stumbled on the VOX modeling series.
Can you imagine what a Marshall 50 watt head - full out - would sound like through a little 10 inch open back cabinet?
I can tell you...
How about a Princeton through a full 4-12 closed back cab?
I too, know how that sounds...
The ability to create sound combinations that cannot be reproduced due to manufacturer's necessary competition are now open to sonic experimentation (without spending an arm and a leg).
I must add this one comment - if you do not know (nor understand) the difference between class A and B power stages or how a gain stage's output can change the resultant input attenuation of said power amp configuration, just get a Twin or Mesa or Dumble and be happy in life. For those who are willing to spend a little time in finding those sounds that you've only heard in your inner ear, check the Valvetronix out. Think of all the music you might be missing...

Fairly easy to use, but you have to get used to working with the various controls over the presets when you want to tweak your own sounds which you will want to do. Instead of tweaking one knob at a time to create your sound, I suggest hitting all the effects that are engaged on a particular patch and turn everything to 7:00 o'clock and start over. Even turn all the amp, cab and effects knobs all the way to the left. When done write this patch and start from the beginning. This way you can become acustomed to the full array of sounds you have at your disposal and go from there. Don't forget to save your Noise reduction setting for each patch separately as different patches require different levels. If you use more than necessary, it appears to suck some tone out of the sound.
As most all the other folks have commented, the presets suck and quite frankly I think sales would be better for this unit if they were better. Luckily the salesman showed me how to tweak some basic sounds in the store (guess he was aware of the bad presets as well0. Anyway, the manual gave a a good overview. Im giving this an eight because the presets sucked so bad, that it required a from me a complete retweak of the unit.

Here's where it gets subjective. It amazes me how many folks have different opinions of the various things this device offers. Some say the delay is excellent, others hate it but love other things that other folks hate. Almost seems like a wast of time for me to throw in just another opinion, although I can say that I have recorded with this thing for two years on and find I can tweak just about any sound I want. I am mainly a hard blues player who uses a Strat and Les Paul. The Marshall sounds are my favorite.
Guess I have to say the biggest disappointment for me is the compressor effect. I just can't get a descent sound with it and it buzzes excessively. The "recto" amp model is also a dissapointment for me. And I wish instead of a very weak acousitc guitar simulator they could have squeezed in something more useful for the type of player that would by this unit. Maybe another compressor model that actually works perhaps.
It sounds great through headphones as well.
I ALWAYS leave this on the amp setting in back. The line adds too much brightness and unless you want to recreate each of your live tweaks for lineout, leave this switch alone. It makes a nice sounding unit sound like crap real fast if your not careful.
Also no one so far has raved enough about the Fender bassman sound this thing gets. I owned a Deluxe reverb and a Bassman. The deluxe recreation is about a 7 on a scale of one to 10, the Bassman is a 9.5. And yes, try it for your bass in a studio setting. It resonds magnificently.
Overall I give this unit a 7 soundwise because although it is one of the best things on the market for the price, there is still room for improvement. It needs a USB out as well as a universal Noise reduction, and a better compressor and it would get an 8 from me.
If they added a second output tube to "seal the deal" on the tube response it would get a 9. 10, of couse is the REAL tube sound is just plain impossible since this can only simulate the sounds at best.

I am sole a studio musician right now, but I would not hesitate to gig with this unit. It is built like a tank and I appreciate that Vox took the pride in their design to go the extra mile and put this in an all metal enclosure. But since I haven't road tested this unit, I have to refrain from leaving a score.

Haven't had a need to service this unit yet. There is at least one online community dedicated to Vox Tonelab where you are probably best off getting questions answered. At least this has been my experience with most products that have dedicated online communities. Again, since I haven't dealt with the company, I can't honsestly leave an opinion.

For the money, this is a damn nice unit. I write and record blues rock songs and have released one CD so far.
This baby did me proud so in the end, For the type of music I play which has it's roots in classic rock it is great. If you are a death metal head try POD XT for it has much more intense distortion tones with a midrange that will cut through haed death metal drums.
It really was a bargain for me considering how much you get for the money despite the fact that that I find 20% of the resources available unusable, I give it an 8. I give it an extra point in the end for value.

This desktop unit is quite easy to use, emphasizing dials over switches, which "Feels" better to me. Very easy right out of the box ... just switch to "manual" mode, select your models, any effect(s), EQ, volumes, and you're off. A few tips: watch the rear-panel "Level" dial - i set it to about 60-70% open, because any more for me and it begins to "fizz" on the high-end. Also, for live play i've tried both "Amp" and "Line" mode, and "Amp" definitely sounds better. You can experiment with running through the frontend or your FX loop ... it works better for me through the frontend like a stomp. Also, here's a kicker ... you can feed TWO amp's for a stereo setup ... this is killer (see the manual.) ALSO ... VERY important ... play through a good-quality amp CLEAN channel, to minimize preamp boost and external distortion. The TL is more or less a "preamp" amyway, so you don't want to destroy it's own signal. Now, for some DOWNSIDES ..... the TL Desktop unit requires an external footswitch unit for remote pedaling & control, so this version of the TL isn't the best for live play (the SE overcomes this). Also, you can't turn off the Amp modelling, which may NOT sound too bad at first (and usually isn't), until you want to set up a TL effects chain while using your own amp's sound. With my rig, i can generate beautiful clean sounds, and i'd love to dis-engage amp / cab modeling while being able to use TL effects, but can't. (The SE version DOES allow this.) Again, not a show-stopper per se, since i bought this unit for modelling in the first place (as well as the price.) My suggestion for ease-of-use -- buy the SE (at higher cost) for more functionality and a few extra effects too, basically for LIVE play ... then .... hook up a laptop on-stage via the MIDI ports using Vox's interface software to the TL SE and use the laptop on a stand for your control, thus avoiding having to constantly bend down to read & adjust. The computer interface is EXCELLENT. Vox apparently made a good engineering decision by designing the physical device for cost-effectiveness, then providing free software to implement the best user interface. Oh yeah ... one MORE comment, sorry .... you've heard this before ... you can't chain more than one "Pedal" effect in your chain per patch. This is a bigger deal for some players than others. Overall the effects sections are designed well and are easy to use, and sound pretty good too. (The "Compressor" pedal isn't very nice, but i use external compression anyway so that's not an issue.) The thing that gets most players is not being able to chain the Wah pedal with either the Univibe or a distortion/OD pedal effect.

I play a Strat (my favorite) and a LP Custom vintage 1970's. Both guitars tend to lose varying amounts of their natural "character", depending on the model selections .... but that should be expected with a processor of any kind. The ToneLab (TL) is capable of a WIDE variety of sounds. Overdrive / Distortion is EASY to achieve in the models, esp. the higher-gain ones (naturally). My favorite amp models are the Vox ones, esp. the AC30TB ... BEAUTIFUL ! The various Marshall models are good too. Each model has a definite "character" that can be fiddled with via EQ'ing and effects. (Tip: some users seem to get confused with the different "Volume" / "Gain" options. Read the manual is all i'll say here. They all work well, and make sense once you realize what they're intended for.) Also, contrary to a few comments i've read, it IS possible to obtain good Clean tones .... you just have to fiddle. (AND, i mean fiddle with everything, including the rear Level dial, CH volume, Gain(s), on-board EQ dials...everything; TL offers alot of signal-tweaking options, so sometimes you just have to "get down and dirty".) Actually i like the "Boutique CL(ean)" model, because it starts off as a "weak"-sounding model, which you can build on with boost/gain, EQ'ing, effects, etc. I've gotten some of my best sounds using this one. ALSO ... the Cab models are GOOD for setting an overall sound/tone environment....USE them. (You CAN dial-off the Cab model with this TL, but i suggest using them.) I have found the effects sections to be good overall, and you can create some really nice patches by applying one or more effects sections thoughtfully.

So far, so good. One comment here ... when the 12AX7 goes bad, as tubes tend to do, the TL will of course sound bad, since valvetronix uses the tube to good effect. It's easy to access the tube via the front panel, so that's not an issue. Some players have played "swap the tube" with the TL, to achieve different sound quality. I haven't, but i don't doubt that it would have an influence. Also, some players (apparently) have received their TL with a bad tube, which resulted in a bad review. I have found the TL to be an excellent product, so if it sounds "bad" to you, you probably have a defect of some kind, or have set it up in a less than optimal fashion in your rig. I mentioned some of these things above ... i.e., the rear "Level" dial, the "Amp/Line" switch, Gain / CH Volume dials, etc. ALSO .... i'm sorry to say that my Les Paul with humbuckers can produce un-controllable feedback between notes/chords, on the higher-gain models, and has to be severely cut back on gain. That's an issue that i haven't resolved ..... but i play mostly my Strat, while running my LP through an un-processed (non-TL) chain, so it hasn't stopped me. But, you should check this out for yourself, if you play guitars with high-output Pups, as it might present a problem for you.

No opinion. (Overseas support ... ? well hopefully i can avoid this one.)

I said it all above (perhaps too much .... sorry!) Thanks for "listening".

Takes some tweaking but I am satisfied with tones I am now getting.
Pretty user friendy, easy to edit.
Take the time to read the manual.

I bought this unit for direct recording and headphone jamming, I also own a PODXT and a Behringer V-Amp Pro. I wanted to see if the tube did make a difference I was looking for that warm tube break up, and mikeing my tube amp is not an option in my home as I do most my recording and playing after the kids are in bed. I've had some tube pedals (Tonebone)and amps that delivered, and I read some nice reviews in the mags.
It is quiet and the noise gate can be used to quiet higher gain settings.
Out of the box my first impression was "what a disappointment" I found the majority of presets to be very pedestrian, but I expected them to be generic. I went away from it for a few days then really sat down and started tweaking, there are a lot of options what with the different Amp models and Cab options. I shut down everything but a touch of reverb and went to work. Thus far I have been able to get some nice Fenderish clean Robert Cray like sounds, a nice Joe Walsh Rocky Mt. Way type of rhythm OD, and a Hiwatt (though that is not one of the amps modeled) like sound ala Wont' Get Fooled Again, and a nice AC\DC rhythm tone. With the AC15 model I can get a nice warm break up for blues. The effects are OK not great, I particularly like the Univibe (the POD XT is the only one that has a really good rotary, Leslie like sound) but I am not big on effects anyway except compression on high gain stuff.
I have some other 12ax7 tubes lying around , JJs, GT, and one from a Marshall preamp probably Sovtek, so I wil see if swapping the tube makes any difference.
Bottom Line: do not be put off by the presets. With some tweaking there are a lot of nice sounds you can get. You do get some nice roll off with you guitar volume control, so it would appear the tube does influence the sound some what.

Seems like it is built to last.

N\A

I play mostly blues and classic rock and some harder 80s stuff
Been playing for 35 years or so.
I am currently using a Schecter Black Jack C-1 that has Duncan 59\JB pickups and a 5 way switch for coil splitting, (a damn nice guitar for the price. I've owned more amps and guitars than I can remember.
Between the PODXT, V-amp Pro, and Tonelab (IMO)out of the box the PODXT beats the ToneLab but after some serious tweaking The Tonelab has become my favorite, though the PODXT and V-Amp does the higher gain stuff better. I will give the folks at Behringer props for putting out a quality product at such a great price too.

The more I tweak the more I like it, as Bogey said "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

it is actually the most easy unit on the market. i have tried many multieffect units and i have to admit that this is the best. Editing patches is so fast. The manual is just ok, nothing special.

i can get the sound i have in mind so easily...it is amazing. The amps are the best around for modeling. i have tried Pod xt live and boss gt8, and well....in this category nothing can beat the tonelab at the moment. It-s not noisy at all. i use it with different amps: a real vox ac15, a fender deville and with other tube preamp and pa. i found them great with the tonelab. i can get a very good tbe sound from them together.

no problem for now.

vox it-s not so bad as many people think.

for blues, rock. pop and simiar style i think it is the best around in these times. i am very happy to bought it.

It's the best in ease of use. Editing patches it's so fast. Very intuitive. the knobs are self-explanatory.

Don't listen to the guys (as the one who reviewed the tonelab just below mine review) that have just tried the tonelab for 2 days. They don't know how good this uint is. You can't judge a thing if you don't use it for a while. I agree with most of the people here that have a very good opinion of this unit. The tone is absolutely the best, talkin' about modeling. The high gain stuffs aren't the top, but they are good anyway. So i have to give this unit a 10.

Never had a problem with it.

Not the top, but sufficient.

As a modeler unit, can't be beaten at all. that's all.

The unit is fairly easy to use. Most of the buttons are self-explaing. The display could be a bit bigger, though...

Before I got the tonelab, I was using a POD XT Live. I got rid of that, because I didn't like the high-gain tone that much. My hope was, when buying the Tonelab, that their "Valvereactor" stuff would make the difference. Well, I'm sending the Tonelab back today. Don't get me wrong, the clean sounds are alright and so are the effects. But the distorted sound sounded all really bad to my ears. They all sounded like they came from a cheap solid-state amp. Lifeless, harsh and pretty much all the same. Exept the "recto-model" that one was particularly bad. It sounded nothing like the original. So, after five hours of tweaking I wasn't able to get a distorted sound out of this thing that I liked.
I might even get another POD. I really liked, that you could connect it to your PC via USB and where you could place the effects in the signal chain...

I only had the device for three days so no comment here.
Looks well made, though.

See "Reliability"

Well, to me the unit was a big disapointment. I was planning on using it for direct-recording, but I didn't like the tone I was getting at all.
So, the search for that perfect equipment you can use at home without getting your neighbours to call the cops on you continues...

Piece of cake to use. Works exactly like an amp.

Had the pod xt and all i was able to get out of it was death metal and pristine cleans. This thing does about every guitar tone under the sun. The warmth and tone is better than some of the actual amps. It is that good. I mainly use this for lined guitar recording but when i plugged it in to my Marshall JCM-2000 WOAH! The pod sounded like crap in my marshall but this thing is WARM!

Seems sturdy enough.

Don't know about this yet.

This is a dream come true! Now i can record and play guitar at any hour i want to. Thank you VOX!

Very easy to use. I read the manual only after 3 months.

If you understand your amp, you'll dig this box.

Editing is also very easy and I do NOT have any extra pedals or midi.

That's where it shines. I do not play metal so I replaced all those metal presets with nice sweet Fenderish Twin or Dumble sweet sounds.

I play this baby often through my Fender Deluxe Reverb class A 112 tube combo and the marriage works well. I still use the Morley volume, wah, disto up front and also the baby Blue OD or Zen Drive but I can use ToneLab to vary my basic sounds a lot and I can keep the FEEL of the tube dynamics and get a great classic sounds.

The effects are not the best in the world (Lexicon is better) but you need as little as possible on stage and in the studio I use other boxes too.

In short, this is clearly the best modeller, so I sold my POD, VG-88v2 or my Yamaha DG-stomp, J-station, Behringer, Digitech, Boss .... as I said this is the only one that doesn't sound digitalish ...

It deserves 9 but I give it 10 to compensate for some idiotic reviews.

Bought it used from the USAS and it works :-)

No idea. Who needs Korg anyway ?

Even if you a tube freak, and I am and I own only the very best tube gear including THD Univalve class A, or Gibson GA15RV class A ... this thing gives very useful sounds and you can use it WITH your tube amp !

I bought it for $175 and it's an unbelievable value !

I play since 1960 and I wish we had anything like that in those days.

Journalists lie - as Vox, marshal and even Fender in those days did suck and rarely did we have any decent guitars while these days you can get all these fabulous toys and even Asian guitars are better than some of the Gibsons of the '60s ... have fun guys !

Yes, I like this toy and would buy another one.

Strongly recommended to all baby boom guitarists.

metal kidz and esoteric people stay away.

Dials are intuitive, like using an amp. Just a few buttons. Easy to get into "Manual" mode and start wailing.

Of all the things i COULD say about the ToneLab, i will emphasize this ONE specific point here: Valvetronix really DOES work. I am most interested in Live play, and i presently play through a Marshall Valvestate amp. Let's face it - with a Solid State power section, you're not going to rival an all-tube design for those vintage tones. BUT .... here's the kicker ... the ToneLab can get you SO CLOSE to a true tube experience, that you'll end up not worrying about it. My Valvestate is a good amp, and has a good Clean channel. But the Overdrive channels, though powerful, sound solid-state all the way. The ToneLab has opened up my live play experience to levels that i could only have dreamed of before. The many amp and cabinet model combinations are truly AWESOME. I get tones that are absolutely authentic in every respect .... the real "crunch" sounds; the special pick and string attack sounds reminiscent of tube amps; the REAL DEAL with power section overdrive/distortion, not just pre-amp OD. Both the Amp AND Cab models work extermely well; DON'T turn off the Cab option, use them .... they open up vistas that are not available with only the amp models. The ToneLab with a Stratocaster is, well, ...... Heaven On Earth sounds a bit pretentious, but you catch my drift. My primary chain is : guitar --> Carl Martin Compressor --> ToneLab --> Wah (optional) --> Amp (Clean Channel), with an MXR Graphic Equalizer in the FX Loop to sculpt the signal going into the power section. That's basically it. The sounds are endless. With my setup i can find basically any tone i'm after, from any period. END OF STORY. The ToneLab is IT. (I didn't bother to review any of the many other features, setup, etc., here, as i only wanted to emphasize the TONAL aspect. The Pedal effects are good too, as are the other effects categories, to one degree or another. But for me, the TONE was the main thing. I was looking for amp/cab emulation; the ToneLabe is a 10+)

So far, so good. Live and recording have been awesome thus far.

NO (personal) opinion. I've read several good remarks about Vox over the phone. (Of course, you'll have to bite the overseas bullet with that one if you need to talk to them....but it might be worth it.)

I said it all above. For amp/cab emulation tonality, the ToneLab rules. The closest you'll ever get to all-tube amp'ing without the thousands of dollars you'd have to spend for only 1 or 2 physical amp's. There's absolutely NO comparision for value here .... the MANY quality tones that you can attain with this product are un-rivaled. Just play through a good clean channel of a basic quality amp, either tube or valvestate (don't know about all solid-state), and you'll be smiling from ear-to-ear 'til the cows come home. AND .... all of this functionality is yours for only $300 (desktop model) ..... not much more than the price for a SINGLE good stomp.

Pretty easy to use. Just a few banks and a lot of turning knobs. Also is editing no t very hard. It is definatly missing and input for a CD player to jam along.
The computer aid is useless.

I play classic rock for 25 years. Jimi is definatly my man. Play in a band wth pro's and in all the years I have been able to collect the stuff I like: mainly old and new handwired Marshall's (tuned by Dutch Ampmeister Peter van Weelden, the best in Holland. Guitars are Gibsons of diferent kind and effects mainly Keeley, Analog Man and Teese. Now I am very happy about the sounds I can get.
The Vox I wanted to use to play at home without noise together with my favorite CD's.
Now the sounds are, despite the bragging about the tube inside, mediocre. The cleanish breakup sound a la Fender are ok but the other sounds are no more than mediocre.
So if you are used to the real stuff: don't buy. I sold mine.

Had it too short to judge.

Don't know.

Not a keeper. It is a little better than a POD (AAAH!).

The ToneLab is very easy to operate. I started in "Manual" mode and just began working with the Amp & Cab models .... no problems. The control layout is excellent ... rotaries like an Amp ... very "touchie-feelie" and intuitive. The hookup is easy ... you can go in through the front like a stomp, or use your amp's FX loop. (I go in the front as i like this mode better, but it's up to you.) The user manual is excellent and fun to read. Editing patches is easy ... just press a couple of buttons and that's it. Compared to other modellers, the ToneLab is a breeze. I own the desktop unit; for live performance, the separate foot switch (or the SE model with integrated FTSW) would be mandatory for quick switches. However, bending over alot to adjust things, and having to read dials in the dark, would NOT be "easy". I would suggest the FTSW. But for working at home or in a studio, the desktop unit, set up on a table, is best.

The ToneLab can produce some excellent tones & sounds. The Amp models really DO work, and combined with the Cab models, you've got wide flexibility for finding great tones. (Hint: USE the Cab models, even if playing through an Amp. It makes a BIG difference. Plus, you can combine them in any way with any Amp model, for some fabulous results.) The Amp models are all capable of being over-driven, and you can really come up with some great and powerfull pre-amp and power amp OD. (Read the manual to understand how the ToneLab acts regarding its "Gain", "VR Gain" & "CH Volume" - it's very easy, but some reviewers seem to be confused about this.) I play mostly a Strat, and i'll tell you, the multitude of tones i can produce with my guitar's 5-position PUP switch, coupled with the ToneLab, is FANtastic. (In general, a player's set up is important, naturally ... i.e., what guitar you're using, the PUPs, whether you're going through an Amp or PA, or recording direct; etc. etc.) I use external graphic EQ'ing on both ends of my signal chain, so i can add some additional boost and/or frequency tweaks to suit, but basically, the ToneLab is excellent right out of the box. DON'T believe it if anyone says the ToneLab is weak or thin. These players just have to set things up properly with their equipment, and adjust the ToneLab correctly - i.e., the rear "Level" dial, setting the "Amp" switch, whether they're going through the frontend or the FX loop, what Amp they're playing through, etc. The ToneLab is truly powerful and full-bodied, and can produce the most excellent tones in a huge variety of ways. The effects sections are excellent as well. Certainly, a particular player is going to have his "perfect rig", including the requisite stomp's, and can come up with some "signature" tone that he loves. The ToneLab is amenable to existing stomp's/effects chains, and can be treated like a real Amp in this regard. It's also excellent as-is. The choice is YOURS! (There's ONE limitation about the "Pedals" section - only one pedal effect is available per program. This IS an issue, though for me, it wasn't too big of one....certainly not big enough for me to resist owning this baby.)

Has been great so far. I haven't dropped it yet :-) Heavy & solid.

No opinion.

I play "classic" rock, light jazz, BLUES !! (The ToneLab can SCREAM too, ala "metal" ... don't believe otherwise.) AND ... someone said that the OD/distortion pedal emuations were weak ... NOT SO. The "FAT OD" in particular is OUT OF SIGHT. The player that knocked it must be going deaf, or have a dead amp. (Check your power tubes, bro.) AND, learn how best to hook up the ToneLab for YOUR best results, and how to adjust it (Leveling, CH Volume, "Amp" switch, etc.) Believe me, there's NO limitations regarding output with this baby. You can generate any degree of preamp and power amp overdrive/distortion in virtually any of the models. There's SO many combinations available ... amp model + any Cab model; OD pedal effect; plus modulation/delay (wicked when coupled with an overdriven Amp model and the Compressor pedal ... how do you spell "Robin Trower"... ) Don't bother swapping out the 12AX7 with other versions (like a 12AT7 or whatever) ... just use it for awhile, and eventually you'll have a good handle on the ToneLab's capabilities and range. (12AT7's are weaker output-wise; one player said that he had better results with it. I guess he was looking for a "Brown Sound" or something to that effect....?) Anyway, you'll LUV the ToneLab ... ESP. at $300!! What can compete?

Easiest processor I have ever used and I have been playing Bass and Guitar for 20 years. Just put it in manual mode and dial in whatever you want with the knobs in front of you and then save it to a patch. No sifting through menus or screwing with some convoluted parametric eq. Just tone, gain and effects.

My first amps were classinc Fender twins and Fender Bassmans. I currently play through a tube SWR. (I play a baritone guitar) If you love vintage tone like fender, vox and Marshall, well no processor will be exact and if you will not compromise a little, then go buy the amp. But, when it comes to an all in one, this is the best I have ever heard. That little tube gives a warmth and dynamic that you just cant get through anything else I have tried, including the pod. If you cant get the real amp, or stomp boxes, or if you need a direct in or headphone rig, this is the best. Just as in all processors, ditch the presets and make your own. With this unit it is not easier said than done. Manual mode --> Twist Knobs --> Save.
It has less effects than the pod and others, but you have as much control over the ones you do have as you would on any stomp box. And I think they sound just as good. The pedal choices are run before the amp stage and all the others are ran after as you would in a studio. This is one thing that you cant do with an amp and stompboxes in a live setting. The result is the ability to have a great polished sound or a gritty grimey dirt that other processors simply cannot produce. There is no ping pong delay and the reverbs are the vintage style spring/room/plate, so it will not make as many sparkling shimmering sounds as the pod, but I think those are overdone anyway. The mod section has vintage style as well, but these effects worble through the stereo field adding huge depth without sounding overproduced.
I almost got a pod, and I am so glad I got this instead. Would I have been happy with the pod? Most likely, but it still seemed like I would have had to run am overdrive stomp box and have to deal with a considerable learning curve. With this machine, I feel like I can get nearly any sound I want and I have only spent a total of 3 hours on it.

I picked this up used, and it works great, so based on that it seems reliable. But it does have a glass tube in it, so I wont be tossing it into the truck like I did my old Korg Toneworks.

Have not dealt with them.

I am only giving this a nine because no emulator is going to sound just like the amp. I just dont belive it is possible. So if that is what you are looking for, then stop. However, this is really close. I have never had a processor with overdrive that was worth a crap. I have always had to suppliment with a stomp box. I will not have to do that this time. The effects are really close simulations of what I would have spent $500 or more on a good day. And I can send a digital direct to my computer or sit on the couch with headphones. Not to mention, it sounds even better through my amp. After all these years, I have finaly found the all in one, easy to use, sounds as vintage as its gonna get in one machine, machine. If it proves reliable, I think I will have this for years to come.

It can be a little tricky to get really great tones out of this thing because of what appears to be three gain stages (Gain, VR Gain and Volume) and the granularity of effects and tone controls, but the fact is that you CAN get really great tones out of it. Not so with any other pedal I tried (and I tried them all).

If you spend the time to really dial in the sound you want, you can get anything, without having to stretch your imagination hardly at all. Everything from Dave Grohl to Brian May to Wes Montgomery. With my stock Strat I can get some really nice Eric Johnson, Clapton, Malmsteen, SRV... With my Les Paul, I've got pretty much everyone that uses humbuckers, from jazz to metal.
I've never plugged in any active p'ups.
I use this to go direct to an optical-in on an Akai DPS, or into the line in on a 2-12 Fender DeVille. I also use it to jam through headphones with a band where the drummer Roland e-kit. My Tonelab inspired another member of that band to ebay his Pod.

I've done several gigs with it and the optional VC-4. Never a problem. I carry it in a laptop case.

Never dealt with them.

I play in a progressive rock band, a Rock-a-Billy/C&W band and I record my own pop/rock stuff and it works great for all.
I've been playing for 27 years. I tried to buy in to the modeler thing early with a Quadraverb GT (which sucked) and I think the technology is finally good enough to get it right. I can't imagine in another 27 years.
If it were stolen I'd immediately buy another one.

Really good manual, lots of information. The knobs are for the most part intuitive or self-explanatory. However, if you have a saved patch and switch to it, the physical knobs will not reflect the actual settings. This is a pain and can be a big problem if you are switching between patches without having your levels under control.

A second issue is that the knobs behave differently depending on the type of amp simulation selected. Vox does this to improve vintage amp authenticity, but it makes it harder to just dial it and go, or know exactly what you are doing.

Using the Vox with a Gretsch Country Classic, Rickenbacker 330-12, Gibson CS-336, and a Guild X-170 jazz box. As you can probably tell from my instruments of choice, I am not into screaming metal or raging distortion.

I found virtually all of the presets to be useless. I wanted to get the sound of various clean, slightly overdriven, and hard overdriven Fenders, Voxes, and boutique amps. However, by throwing out their presets and building my own, I have created very satisfying amp models. The hardest tone for me to get has been a really sweet, bassy sound for my jazz box.

Still, this is the ONLY modeling product I have used thus far that I can stand to listen to. I have played through other digital modeling products, and as I turn up the volume, pick harder, or subject them to other real world tests, they don't respond and FEEL the way real amplifiers feel. It's like their digital models are frozen in time and overlayed on the amplifier. I hate 'em.

The Vox responds as though it is a real tube amplifer. Of course, it has the 12AX7, but their circuit has other emulations designed to work with the tube that really makes it feel like you are playing a full-on tube amp, even through headphones.

The unit could use more bass, as indicated by other reviews. It has a hard time getting muscular bass patches or really woody jazz patches.

Effects are for the most part good. The echo and reverb are acceptable, but limited and bland. The echo in particular is weak, only useful for slap-back and a few other special effects. The fuzz is very poor, it sounds like it was put in as an after-thought.

The midrange control is of limited use, with little tonal effect.

Extremely well built, metal chassis, sturdy and reliable.

I've been playing forever... about 40 years. I know what the old amps sounded like. This is without question the closest product I have every used for duplicating a good mid-60's amp. I love to put my Gretsch and Rickenbacker through it. It can crank up pretty good for a crunchy blues solo as well. It is less satisfying as a jazz amp modeler, it seems the designers had their ears tuned to other tones. It doesn't do bass or low mid range tonal colors particularly well.

I don't like the fact that the knobs change with different amp models. I also wish I knew what my settings were when I change patches. The effects are mostly good, but the fuzz, reverb, and echo are below par.

Still, I would replace it if it broke. If I didn't own it, I would have to get a fancy boutique amp, and THAT would cost some $$$.

I bought this for KEYBOARDS !
It is very easy to use but if you already know something about amps, it?s no failure.

A wide variety of amps and cabinets.
I especially like the british ones like VOX AC 30.
I use this in connection with an FS 1 R Module from Yamaha. I am a keyboard player.
I use a very clean signal from the FS 1 R, a DX 7 like Patch (FM) or a guitar patch and modell this with the Tonelab.

I get AWESOME lead sounds out of this gear.

Sometimes I also use it with organ sounds (WAH WAH).
This piece has brought a new quality into my playing. I have a very special lead sound.
Effects: not so good. I only use the Univibe, the flanger, sometimes the rotor and also a little of delay (Tape delay) and reverb.

Don?t expect to get a good leslie sound out of this box. For this purpose I use a real leslie or a Dynacord DLS 223. Rotomachine of Line 6 is also not bad.

But for distorted lead sounds it is unbeatable. FS 1 R (DX 7) has a very wide dynamic range. You can sound like a special guitarist.The tube inside the tonelab brings nearly everything to life.
It is important to use a clean signal (no internal effects on the source) !!!!

I love this piece !

Looks solid.

Did not need yet.

One of the best things about this unit is its ease of use. As other reviewers have said though, you need to refer to the manual to understand some of the less obvious tone tweaking on some amp models.

Editing patches is real easy and the manual mode is great for just noodling around with.

There are very few annoying menus to deal with and 99% of the time you'll be turning knobs as opposed to scrolling through menus.

I bought this unit for its authentic sound quality. I was sick of crappy overprocessed pedals multi effects units. I wasn't fussed with the effects etc and tend to use them sparingly. It was probably the in built valve that initially attracted me to this unit over say the POD - still undecided about whether the valve is responsible for the unit's quality of sound but whatever's going on in there it works.

I'm using a US Strat with Kinman Avn Blues Pickups and an Ibanez RG1570 with a Bare Knuckles VHII in the bridge.

I did find that the low end on highly gained amp settings was not quite tight enough and its necessary to bring in the treble boost 'pedal' to make things a bit less flabby. The Rectifier amp model is in particular need of this.

One gripe is that the wah is not able to be used with the other pedal effects. I have the VC4 foot controller and its a shame the treble boost or distortion pedal at the front end has to be sacrificed when using the wah. I guess I could grab an external pedal for this though - apparently they work well with the Tonelab (never tried).

Now, up until recently I was using this unit with a solid state Marshall combo (via the effects return) and was real happy with the sound but sometimes had concerns about not quite enough low end. I recently upgraded to an all tube Marshall TSL601 combo and the difference is amazing - huge low end and of course the tube dynamics which honestly sound so bloody good with the tonelab it makes me smile as I write this. This is not a review of the TSL but together they sound awesome, tight low end plenty of fruity crunch and playing around with the guitar's volume knob you can dial in all manner of highly usable sounds.

Using the tonelab with a tube amp really makes it shine.

It is so sturdily built you can bet you can depend on it.
I don't use it for gigs - I could but its not really intended for this - this is why they built the SE. I mainly use it for recording and practice and its the badger's nadgers for both.

Had the tonelab for over a year and a half and never had a problem with it.

I mainly play rock and blues and this puppy more than suffices for all sounds I could be looking for within these genres.

Been playing about 17 years now and have had a fair amount of gear over the years - this is the best preamp I have ever owned.

Would I get it again if it were stolen - yup, its become part of my sound.

I've been tweaking away on this thing for ages but I still haven't expolored all the sounds - the Dumbles for instance. I've spent so much time with the Fender and Marshall amp settings that its time I tried the others out properly (not to mention the Voxs).

As I said earlier I wish the wah was separated from the other effects.

It's pretty basic really, parameters are the same or similar as with any FX. Got to watch the preset levels though, especially if it's being used live, as in on stage...what sounds great at rehearsal volume might blow you off stage. What is truly wonderful is the size and weight...load out is unbelievable. Instead of a 65 - 70 pound combo, this thing is about 3 pounds. Even with guitars, rack mount amp and cab...it's one trip. I would recommend running a back line even if the out is through a board and mains...those level issues...

Surprisingly good. I am able to closely mimic the tone and timbre of a couple of vintage combos,both clean and driven. The "feel" isn't quite right, which I attribute to the rise and fall off of a tube rectifier. Critics out front tell me that they don't really hear much difference. Band mates are surprised at how good it sounds.

Haven't had it long enough to judge.

There are a bunch of questions with this catagory that are worth answering one at a time...

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
Upscale blues / low brow jazz, yes

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
20 years, a couple vintage tube amps

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
buy it again

what do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
size and weight, do need to watch the levels pretty close

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
yes, voodu valve (not the online) & jmp-1, half to quarter the price respectively

Anything you wish it had?
rack mount capability

Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
it helps, if anything it enhances. Bringing a valuable vintage amp into some clubs is simply stupid. Bad wiring, creeps watching loadout a little to closely, all of it gets in the way of the moment. This thing is just there.

I haven't gone into too elaborate detail in its controls, but overall it was easy to change the presets and save them. You can download a editor from Vox that I'm sure allows for much greater fine tuning. I bought it to use while I'm on a six month business trip in Boston - I can't haul all my amps with me, so I figured this would be suffice.

OK, this is not so cut and dry. D
oes it sound ok? yes.
Does it sound like the amps it models? Depends on the model. Most non-musicians can't tell the difference between a Marshall, a Boogie, or a Bogner anyway. So as far as the average listeners go, they will think it sounds great.
Does if "feel" like an amp? Well, when recording direct, no. When playing through a tube amp, then the feeling returns due to the amp. Overall, though, it does have convincing tones, just the feel is not there.
If I had my way, I'd like for Vox (or someone) to create a modeller without all the effects - just amp and cabinet models. To me the models are much more convincing without the built in effect "fluff". Instead of using the overdrive pedal modeller, just plug in a real OD in front. Instead of its built in reverb, I use my Valverb. I also run it through my Valvex 6 channel tube mixer before going to my computer - all this really helped the tone - the recorded sound was much more believable. However, the "feel" still isnt' there. But then again, I didn't expect it too.

I've been playing with it for 2 days now, and the enclosure seems very sturdy and solid. Hook a midi pedal up to it and you could probably gig with it. I probably never will, though. I'll use my real amps for that.

No experience with them.

I maily play rock & metal. This supplies some conviencing tones for that. I've been playing on and of for about 18 years, and have owned just about every amp this thing models, save for the Vox models. If it were stolen, I'm not sure I'd buy another one. For what it does and how it sounds it is good deal, and I did like it better than the Line6 POD's. I probably won't buy another modeller for a few more years. I think that at technology advances they will eventually be able to create even more convincing modellers, but until then, I'll just save my money for the real deals.

At first i bought it, and it look a bit confusing, but one thing is for sure... READ THE BLOODY MANUAL!!!!
when you learn about how u can use it, it is pure awsomage

I think it sounds really good as it has many different sounds you can create manually or use it as a present, and save it.
One problem i have is the clean channel. I use an Epiphone Les Paul, and i find i need to turn down slightly on the guitar to stop it from being distorted.
All the effects on it are brilliant. You can also change the parimters of each effect, so instead of having delay on ur amp, you can adjust the time the delay goes on for(not sure if that is the right word but still) or the flange on there you can adjust the speed of it, the flange presonance and everything. so other than that, the qualitly is fantastic.

I have only gigged it once. I have the 30watt amp, and i am not kidding, i was playing next to 100watt Marshall, and it was loud enough!!!!
amazing!
VERY RELIABLE!!!

well, ive never needed to!!

I play alot of rock,blues and acoustic stuff, and i find this amp is just really useful for everything. ive been playing for 3 years now (and im just about to do my grade 8 exam) and the only other effect i have is a cry baby wah wah, and i dont need anhything else, because its on the amp!
i have to say, the most genius thng about it is the output mode at the back. If you are just playing at home, then u can lower it on the back, and by doing that, you dont loose any of the valve sound.
Overall GREAT BUY!!!

Took a bit of experimenting with different options eg. clean channel and direct input of a Roland Cube 30 (disappointing on both options), before finally settling for going straight to the mixer and then power amp and near field monitors. Editing patches is a breeze, just read and follow the very well written and plan English manual.

I use the Tonelab with a stock standard Fender Strat Delux. The unit was initially noise but this was easily corrected by tweeking the volumes settings between Tonelab front (about 25%) and back panel (about 70%), plus channel fader (guess 50%) on the mixer and there is zero noise. I didn't really buy the unit for effects, just wanted to get a range of better overdrive sounds than I was previously getting from the Roland Cube 30 which I thought sounded like crap. The Tonelab IMO is as good on the cleans as the Roland (clean, Fender), but is still very good on the extreme overdrive sounds. The Roland has now been packaged away.

As I've only had the unit for a couple of weeks its still to early to comment. Everything seems solid.

See above

I play mostly 80's rock and just getting more into country. Been playing for about 30 years. My son is just getting into guitar and likes heavy metal, AC/DC, etc. If it were stolen I buy another in an instant if I could get one. The reason I say this is because Yamaha who are the distributor in Australia have apparently made a decision to only disribute the SE in Australia. Stupid decision Mr. Yamaha. Yes the SE is a far better option than the desktop unit for a live gig situation (floor mounted, A/B channels, external effects loop). However, for home experimenting, limited space, desktop mounted, etc. I think the compact unit is by far the better options.

I would highly recommend this unit to anyone wanting a broad range of good amp sounds. I just tweeked the "Nashville" setting a little, and I'm in country heaven. If you want a zillion effects, look elsewhere. This is an amp modeller that offers really only about 4 practical effects (comp, overdrive, fat overdrive) one at a time on the input side of teh amp, and the standard reverb, modulation, delay on the output side. IMO, it does this very well. It is NOT a multi combination effects pedal.

Reflecting on a number of reviews that I read before buying the unit regarding needing to tweek the default patches. After operating the unit for a little time now, my comment is why would anyone not expect to have to do this. The selected amp's treble, mid, bass, and master volume are part of stored patch settings. You'd expect to at a minimum adjust these to suit your guitar, sound system, and personal preference. Tonelab gives you a mirror set of the default patches for the very purpose of adjusting and saving while retaining the originals. Couldn't be simpler. 2 pushes of the button.

The Tonelab is quite easy to use right out of the box. Editing patches is a breeze. However, the manual is very well written, provides lots of valuable info, and explains things in a logical fashion. It definitely wouldn't hurt to spend some time with the manual after you've messed around with the Tonelab and explored what it has to offer as is.

Sound quality is a very subjective issue. In my experience and for my tastes, I found that many of the built-in patches weren't to my liking. I'd suggest that you spend some time with them...but the real magic of the Tonelab comes into play when you start creating your own sounds from scratch or by editing patches that have bits and pieces that you like.

That said, I have a Vintage Mahogany LP with Burstbucker Pro pickups and a Fender Strat w/ Van Zandt Blues model pickups. Both sound amazingly well through the Tonelab into my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headsets for quiet practice.

The built-in effects seem pretty strong. Reverb is amazing in this thing. I can do without many of the effects, but that's what makes the Tonelab great for lots of different people. Since we all have our own tastes...no one should have any problems dialing in exactly what they are looking for, no matter what musical tastes you have.

I did find that certain combinations yielded some humming, but that could be due to shielding issues, wiring issues in my walls, lighting, conflicts with other hi-fi equipment, etc. One great feature is the noise reduction capabilities of the Tonelab. Slightly adjusting the NR allows me to filter out most of those ambient noises without affecting my overall tone.

When I choose to go into an amp, I go from the Tonelab into the Efx Return of my Peavey DeltaBlues 2x10. As long as I zero out all the settings on my amp, make some slight tonal adjustments on my guitars, and switch from Line to Amp on the Tonelab...I am very happy with the results. Heck...even going into the Aux1 connection on the back of my Roland Microcube puts a smile on my face!

Again, sound quality is subjective...but if you're willing to spend some time tweaking the unit to get the sound YOU want...I think you'll be happy with the outcome.

No issues to date but I've not had it very long. The thing is built like a tank. Very solid feel to it. Nothing that screams: we skimmped on these parts to save a few bucks, but we'll see how it stands the test of time.

Not dealt with customer support.

I'd definitely give this a 9 overall. I've tried other modellers, but this one takes the cake. The sound is just different than all the others. Hard to describe, but I think others have stated it better than I can. The Tonelab just has the "it factor" to it. Maybe it's the tube.

I know I've only scratched the surface as to what the Tonelab can do for me and my eternal "tone quest", but I'm happy with it. I spent an entire weekend adjusting and tweaking patches and have come up with many samples within my favorite music genre (Blues) that appeal to me. Of those, I'd say that 3 to 4 are just spectacular and that I wouldn't hesitate to use them in a live situation.

Since I use a laptop at home, I also purchased the M-Audio USB Uno MIDI Interface at my local Guitar Center. It's a must-have if you want to easily use the software you can download from Vox's website to create, edit, move, arrange, delete, download/install, and/or backup your Tonelab settings and patches. Couldn't be easier to use. I didn't even have to use the supplied driver CD. WinXP picked it right up, installed the drivers, and had me connected via the MIDI connections to my Tonelab in a few seconds.

I think the key is to spend time with the unit. Mess around with it for a bit, but you must really dig into it to make it shine and produce the sounds you like. I found it handy to turn everything off and then experiment with one thing at a time. Sort of like layering: a little here and a little there. Spend time getting a feel for what each setting will do, how each knob adjusts that setting, and working with the different combinations.

Pretty intuitive design, patches very easy to edit. The manual is actually fun to read. Never thought I'd say that.

I bought this to take the place of my Vox AC50 from 1964. I normally would plug my vox into a THD hotplate and directly into the PA system. It's a nasty, abusive sound. I really like it.

But Carrying around a couple of grand each night to dirty bars had me worried, plus I have been touring internationally and didn't want to mess with foreign electricity problems etc. etc. etc.

So, I bought this. I must say, for live, it gets the sounds I like and more. It's a really fun box to play! The effects are alright, I really like the spring reverb setting set very muffled. I don't really like any of the effects in the Modulation section except the Tremolo, but I don't like any of the pedals it models anyway, so I won't comment here.

What I really dislike is the way that the delay clicks when you adjust the delay time. Most pedal boards are like that, I guess, but I really love the sound of my Dan Echo pedal getting those crazy Syd Barrett sounds. Can't do that here.

I plugged it in at a studio I was working at and wasn't impressed through the Genelecs and Yamaha NS-10s. Even with the speaker emulator turned off it wasn't my trusty AC50 with all of it's hissy goodness. But, then, what is? It does give me a close approximation of that glorious Vox sparkle, and it sounds so much better than the POD. So much better than any other emulator I've heard.

Haven't seriously gigged with it. No comment.

Haven't dealt with VOX before.

I've been a pro player for about a year now, have been playing in Bar bands since I was far to young to be. I'm pretty well seasoned (some might call me salty).

I play dance music like the Rapture, LCD Soundsystem etc. etc. The tonelab gets me the sounds I need for it.

Above all things I look for simple, no frills gear that sounds great. This little box is incredibly useful for me, and I appreciate its qualities, and can ignore the bad.

Plug and go, it doesn't get easier.

This is a processor that costs $300. It will not replace a stack worth thousands of dollars. This seems to come as a surprise to some people.
If you have had little satisfaction with other processors then have a go on a Tonelab. It comes by far the closest to the real thing, not only in sound but in response to playing technique. It is however not the real thing, nothing can replace a real rig.
The effects are not mind blowing but adequate.
The distortion for me personally was the selling point as it is closer to warm tube than the scatchy digital sounds of POD, etc.
The Tonelab sound can sometimes saturate the tone of a good guitar, it can also sound a bit on the glassy side. In some settings it is somewhat noisy, and that's with humbuckers. Like I said, it is not perfect.
However, if you are a fan of tube then this is probably the only guitar processor worth considering.

So far so good.

No response to direct E mails.

There would only be two real reasons why someone would not like this. 1) It doesn't compare to a real stack, an excellent mike and studio. Of course it doesn't. When I can afford to sound proof a room and get expensive gear I will. For now, this does the job and very well.
2) You prefer more of a digital sound. Amplitude, Guitar Rig, Pod would suit your needs.
Tonelab is a very useful bit of gear which has me playing for hours. It is in my opinion the best in its class.

Reading and understanding is one of my major advantages in life. However we all hate reading manuals; reading the manual of my high priced keyboard makes me nauseous and unmusical, reading the manual of the Vox Tonelab makes me happy and musical.

Nothing sounds as good recorded (to me) as a small amp properly mic'd. However, in the modern age and perhaps living in an apartment, amateurs that try to make music must adapt. In my case, it's a Boss BR1200CD coupled with a few guitars, a keyboard, a Pod and now the Vox Tonelab.

I've used most patches and some I like, some I don't. Most of the effects sound very acceptable to me if that's what you want. I'm only printing to recording and not using it "live" so you be the judge. With recording, some settings can be noisy but it never makes the unit unusable. When I attempted to make music with any of my historical and famous amplifiers quite a number of them were very noisy. I like noise, I like leaving mistakes in the music if it's musical. If I were a drummer I would pound those skins into oblivion, so I like noise in rock and roll. It's more exciting. Too noisy for you? I have no idea.

beats me

don't know, yet

I think everyone agrees that tubes or valves improve the tone of electric guitars for rock and roll. If the world had never produced a tube guitar amp and only produced digital musical equipment, then I think most guitarists would agree that the digital guitar processor with a tube or valve sounds better. An expensive toy, but the value increases if you need to create music quietly without disturbing neighbors.

Totally idiotproof. A monkey could run this thing... Everything is pretty much self explanatory. I've heard other posters say that you really need to read the manual and I suppose that is a good idea but I never did. It's pretty much like using a regular amp, no menus to scroll through. Just tweak it until it sounds good and hit save twice.

I have two gibsons... one Les Paul studio and one flying vee. I always run these digital modelers in the the line in of a tube amp or straight into a tube power amp (mesa 50/50). Note: if you have a shitbox solid state amp dont expect miracles. I like the marshall jcm 800 and plexi models the best. They seem fiarly realistic. The rest of the models are sufficient I guess. Everything this thing does sounds more organic than a line 6 or those piece of shit digicrap gnx modelers. I absolutely hate line six. there is only one explaniation for there huge success and that is a huge advertising budjet and every guitar magazine giving them a fucking blowjob in their "how to get this tone, how to get that tone etc... section of all the tablature. If i were to rate the sound quality compared to other digital boxes, i would give it a 10 but compared to a real amp it is an 8.

I have had it almost a year and have had no problems. It is built way better than the line six (obviously!) or the johnson J-station. I would gig without a backup definately.

Never had to deal with them and hopefully I never will.

I play classic metal, early Metallica, Savatage, and alot of my own remedial neo-classical for idiots as i like to call it. Ok, so I'm not malmsteen.. who the fuck is? It has a really great high gain lead tone. The Delays are pretty good. Reverb is ok. I could pass on most of the modulation effects and the rotary & tremolo pretty much suck too. At least compared to the real thing. In all fairness its pretty hard to beat a vox or fender tremolo though. Oh year, the US High Gain setting is pretty good too. I think thats supposed to be the Soldano SLO 100 model. I have to give it a 10 compared to the other stuff out there because it just sounds so much more organic and real. Not as good as a real amp but then again to get all of those tones you would have to have a warehouse full of amps and spend close to 50K.

Definitely must read the manual. The manual is thick 'n loaded with all the info you need to get started. If you're used to a more 'linear' approach to pedals and multi-effects, the 'bank/channel' patch layout might be confusing to you (it was for me). I lost a couple of patches that I created by accidently overwriting them. Overall, easy to use for a very sophisticated unit but a bit arcane in it's approach.

I have a '52 American Reissue Telecaster, stock and a Peavey Classic 30 (with a bunch of mods). Here's where this thing shines. I've had all sorts of 'modeling' units (Digitech RP50, POD) and the Vox Tonelab blows them out of the water. The 12AX7/ECC83 tube in the preamp makes all the difference between the thin, digital output of the other units and this unit. The distortion/high gain settings are fat and singy and the 'clean' amp models really do have an open, warm tone to them thanks to the Tonelabs circuit design. I've never heard most of the 'real' amps this unit simulate, but I can only assume they're close to as spot on as you can get. Although, the "blackface" amp seems to be a bit to gainy for a blackface. The pedal models are all above par except for the octaver. Completely unusable there. The Tonelab seems infinitely tweakable and very well thought out to be a REAL lab for guitar tone. The only complaint is how it saves the -main- output volume (channel) settings. You can get the crap scared out of you when you think the volume is set to minimum (because of the dials physical position) only to jump out of your skin while 'surfing' the presets and the volumes were saved at a high level.

Don't know. Only had it a week. Seems very solid. Metal chassis, rubber non-skid feet.

The search may be over for an 'all in one' amp modeler and effects pedal. I'd like to see a decent octaver effect and a harmonizer, but without a doubt, the best sounding amp modeling device I've ever heard/used. Very open-ended and tweakable design, well built and well thought out.

Read the manual. It is easy to use if you just give it a little time. If you are using the the existing programs (there are 48 in all)all you need to do is select the bank and then the program. If you are creating your own programs you will spend a lot more time, but you will get much closer to what you want.

I am using a Les Paul classic plus and a Casino with this unit. The tonelab uses an extremely low powered tube power amp to produce it's amp model sounds. In my opinion this makes it sound much more like the real thing.

The unit can be noisy just like the real amp originals but you can program in noise reduction. This helps a lot.

1. In my opinion all sixteen of the the amp models are great.
2. The speaker cabinet simulations are pretty good also.
3. The stomp boxes are ok althouh I don't particularly like the compression model. Tube overdrive is good and fat overdrive is good. I have some use for the octave, auto wah and vox wah models.
4. Modulation effects are OK although I am having some difficuly getting just the sound I want from the phaser.
5. Delay effects are good. I use a lot of multi tap.
6. The reverbs are ok. I like the plate better than the others.

I am using this with a Peavey ValveKing 212 and going in directly through the effects recieve using line level on the tonelab. I tried using the amp level and going through the clean channel. I think the effects return method sounds a lot better.

All of the patches are descent. I think the Carlos patch with my Les Paul sounds very close to the real thing. Tons of sustain.

The crunch1, crunch2, and beatles patch sound good with the Casino.
The Queen patch is also great.

Have only had this a little over a month. I take care of my equipment so this is not as much of an issue. That being said this thing is built very well. It is cased in fairly heavy metal(no pun intended). And all of the controls seem substantial. It has a tube so that is a consideration. I would not take a backup but just plug directly into the amp. I gave it a 9 because it seems well built.

Haven't dealt with vox yet.

My music style is eglectic

I have been playing for close to 30 years
I would replace this if it were lost or stolen.
I love that this unit is able to sound so much like the amps and effects it models. These are really good.
I was originally going to buy the Korg Toneworks AX1500G. Changed my mind when I read the reviews

I definately makes the music better

I have read the manual first and instantly I could dail up nice tones manually without any problems. It is very easy to use and this I like a lot. I have read many of the posts about PODxt, Magicstomp, Digitech and Behringer before buying this second hand. I would like to emphasise that I like the 70's and 80's rock sound. I have owned a Marshall Lead II valve amp and really liked to have the valve sound again without spending lot of money.

I have own just one guitar and that is a Gibson SG special and a solid state Marshall CD10 amp.

I like the modeling section but I don not know if the sound is accurate regard to the real ones.

It has all the effects I want and to me they sound good. But then again I just play some rock and blues.

I agree upon the fact that the FAT OD (proco rat) is weak. I like the rotary and tape echo effect very much and the flanger and phaser also sound great.

I don't know I bought it recently.

For me it is great device and I intend to use it for recording as well.
I have also tried the PODxt and Digitech GNX series which to my ears sound digitally, also I tried the magicstomp which has great effects.

Excellent !
Whether on the box or on the pc it is easy to tweak and save.

Excellent !
Im rating this product very highly, see my overall comment at bottom.

Havent had it long enough but to be fair I cannot call it 'built like a tank' because the pots do not appear to be bolted to the chassis - does not bother me because I use the pc editor for everything but it has to be mentioned and im knocking a few points off.

In the u.k. they are helpfull and know their stuff but cannot give a rating because I havent had any real problems to deal with.

Ive rated this highly for 2 reasons :

1: It really is as good as it sounds on the demos.

2: Ive recently tried all the new pods, zooms, black box (crap) etc etc and it wipes the floor with all of them for realistic amps, effects and overall feel. I never thought I could have a desktop box that gives me the dynamic response of a real amp, even when plugged into a laptop with crappy internal speakers !

Lastly, I play all styles but love to shred and although this isnt the ultimate 'shred box' it is by far the best overall for quality, realism and FEEL.

easy! please read the other reviews. i just want to share a really good experience.

here we go: the sond was okay out of the box. but it had a certain harshness to it. you could not really get anything "sweet". then i took atrip to my local musicstore, and replaced the valve with one from the czechian company "JJ". and bang! now the tonelab sounds like i wish it would. cant be happier. a very good 12 euro investment. n ow the thing delivers the rare and expensive "ry Cooder"- flavours in any way i want to. plus with the excellent tremolo that is built in and the tape echo i can get any desert-slideguitar sound. very very good. i use the tonelab for recording with my mac, gearageband and drums on demand vol. 4 (very good tooo!!!). and for playing around with, checking amp and cabinet combos for fun. the sounds are breathtaking!

looks sturdy.

no idea....

i play sort of ambient countryish music, slideguitar, roots rock and surfstyles. the tonelab is absolutely fabtastic. and since it feels like a amp in a way it is a cool thing to have around. does feel or look like a plastic playtoy at all. . i use it with studioquality k 240 akg headphones. very nice sounds. for "real" guitarplaying i use a tubeamp with a nice collection of analog stompboxes. the tonelab makes it easy to duplicate those sounds. i really like it and it widened my horizons in a big way.

I have found the unit the be quite simple to use, despite the fact that I have never owned anything more complicated than a Rockman. Once you start making adjustments, it's very easy to get any tone you are after. Read the owner's manual and it all makes perfect sense. I have not used the editing software yet, but that also seems well laid out.

I use an all maple guitar that has a bridge X2N direct wired to the jack, so I expected the Tonelab to be trebly from reading previous reviews. Not so, I was amazed with the sounds I got. On high-gain settings I did need to utilize the noise-reduction(gate) feature, but other than that, no unwanted noise. I have tried it with my Peavey Bandit 112 and found that my Koss Pro4AAA phones sounded far better. I then run it through a pair of Klipsch Promedia 2.0 speakers and that made all the difference, perfect tone. My main influence is Yngwie Malmsteen, so I was very interested in getting his tone. The effects are certainly adaquate, but their range of adjustment could use improvement. I have to say that this really has the feel and dynamics of an actual tube-amp.

I like the fact that it's not plastic, the housing seems like it should last. I'm not happy with the way the knobs wiggle, it's pots aren't mounted as solidly as they should be. Compared to other amp-modellers, it's very sturdy.

Here is where I had problems, I tried to register the warranty online and the form kept rejecting it. I emailed and no reply, I called and still got nowhere. I may not buy another Vox product if I feel that they only care up to the point of purchase.

I play neoclassical shred and I'm very happy with the sound I'm getting. After playing for 20 years and owning amps from Fender, Marshall and Peavey, I'm still very impressed. I would get another if it were stolen (after hunting down whomever dared). I did compare this to everything else out there and found it to be the only one with a "real" amp feel. I think that it's inane that Vox considers changing the tube a void of warranty. I have heard the difference between the various tubes, and there IS a difference. After using this I have actually decided to keep my eye on future amp-modelling breakthroughs and abandon my previous intentions of getting a large tube-amp. I play at bedroom levels and this solves my needs.

The ToneLab is easy to use in the way that the knobs are all there and give pretty logical responses. However... it's still hard to get the right sound. More about that later, but I recommend to read the manual before you start working with it and then re-read the manual when you've been playing with it for a few months.

I run a Progressive Black Metal band and have released four CDs now (www.emanceronline.com if you're curious). The last three albums were recorded in my home studio with direct recording Line POD 2.0 for guitars, so I wanted to try something new and hopefully get a more 'believable' guitar sound without the "blanket over cabinet" sound of the POD.

For the first 6 months I was pretty frustrated with the ToneLab. After trying the software for editing things went a little better and I've now almost managed to replicate the guitar sound of Opeth's last album with the Recto simulator. It took a LOT of time though... and I had to record songs over and over again just to find what I wanted. Main problems are that in order to make the sound have edge and brightness it also sounds fizzy. To get growl and punch it quickly gets muddy. And it's impossible to get just the right mid-tone overdrive. The mid-tone is just a bit boring.

Still, the sound is way more hi-fi and has more of a 'quality feel' than the POD (I haven't tried POD XT, though). As for clean and semi-clean sounds, I haven't worked that much with them yet but it sounds very good so far.

It's been good so far. Feels reliable. I haven't thrown it in the wall or dropped it on the floor yet, but I have been travelling with it a bit.

No idea. Downloaded the software from the website, that's all...

I will use it for my next album as a direct recording device and I'm pretty sure people will agree that the sound quality has moved up a notch since when I used POD. I'm going to try it out live as well now, since I can control it with a pedal board through midi (a Digitech RP-12 actually).

At first I was disappointed in this unit. Now, I'm pretty satisfied with it. I wish there were some updates to it, because I'm pretty sure it's capable of even better distortion. I think it's suitable for most kinds of Metal, maybe not tight and fast Death Metal (Engl Powerball lovers) or traditional Black Metal, but anyone who likes Mesa Boogie sound or Marshall-like thrash metal distortion should be pretty happy about it.

This is as simple to use as any multi-effect/amp modeller. It's got knobs on the front and when you find the sound you like you just press store twice.

The available software download couldn't be much simpler either.

To me this unit does a very convincing job of sounding like a real amp. The in-between tones esepcially are really good and the clean settings can really sparkle. If you want saturated overdrive, your options are a bit more limited. Yes, you can get good tones but I never felt I was spoilt for choice like you are with some of the software amp modellers (Guitar Rig for example) and some settings compress in a very unattractive way when you run out of headroom.

The effects are solid, although I don't tend to use them much as I use other gear for FX.

The unit does tend to be quite noisy on high gain settings and the noise gate is ineffectual. A gate before is a definite benefit.

If you use a lot of high gain sounds this unit may not be for you.

Very solid construction, gave no signs of ever proving unreliable. You have to remember that it's got a real valve in the power stage, so if you are gigging with it carry a spare.

No opinion - not used

I've recorded some lovely tones with this unit, but the noise levels on high gain are beginning to get me down. As I only really use it for recording, I'm now using more software solutions as they're more flexible and you can re-amp.

For practice with a pair of 'phones, though, this is as good as it gets.

Fairly easy to use AFTER you read the manual. I need to make this clear: You must read the manual to truly understand how to work with the ToneLab. Once you get up to speed it's fairly easy to use.

What people need to understand going into the ToneLab is that it's not so much a all-purpose modeler like the PODxt. It's a very specialized instrument that can be used to get you great tone if you know how to use it, sort of like a super-stompbox. Where with the PODxt you sift through menus for hours tweaking tones to death, with the ToneLab you basically dial up tones with the knobs like a real amp. Once you figure out how to work the gain and VR gains controls properly, you can pretty much dial up any sound you want.

Overall you will get a great tone with the ToneLab. The amp models are spectacular and as accurate as you are currently going to get with a modeler. The cab models could be better, but do the job. The pedal effects are mostly good, with the exception of the Rat and Fuzz models which I find lacking. There's plenty to play with and you can have it for months and still manage to dial up new sounds the more you play with it. The money shot is that you'll get natural overdrive/distortion out of it thanks to the Valve Reactor technology which creates a mini tube power amp inside the box. Honestly, the PODxt can't hold a candle to it for most tones.

For recording everyone up to the most trained ear would be hard pressed to differentiate it from a real amp. For live sound, you may be better off with a real tube amp but it's still pretty damn good.

It's built pretty solid. I wouldn't want to drop it or anything. Having a real 12AX7 tube makes it a bit fragile I suppose and the tube is not easy to swap out, nor do I recommend doing so.

Thankfully, I never had to contact support.

Great value overall if you understand you are not getting a total of 47 real world amps, cabs, pedals, and effects for the price of the ToneLab. It's an excellent tool in the right hands and tremendous value overall.

Quite easy to use, the manual is well written and easy to understand

The tube for all its hype gives it a better "feel" than regualar emulations ie pods and the like. Not as "digitally" either.

Had it a couple of months now without dramas so i can't really comment, though seems like it won't break

Haven't had to deal with them

I play mainly rock/blues. Play with a strat and a tele through this thing. It appears to like the tele a little bit more. Once you get used to tweaking it this unit will keep you inspired. Because of the range of amps/cabinets/effects i've found myself playing heavier stuff than i would have through my "real" amps, so its helping my break new ground musically and creatively as well.

The Tonelab is very easy to use but it?s best to dig into the manual because different controls do different things depend on the Amp type, I had mine about six months before I finally got around to reading the manual and suddenly I could improve virtually all my patches simply by knowing who the various controls respond on each amp sim. Basic editing in fine but you can go a lot deeper with the excellent computer based editor, especially in terms of effects. And surprisingly the manual is well written and very easy to understand as it?s been written for musicians rather then computer programmers.

I?m using the Tonelab for recording only, so it?s hooked up to a mixer, but the sound quality is where the Tonelab really scores, because it behaves like a real valve amp and you can use your guitars volume and tone controls to coax out a huge amount of sounds. For example I usually start off by finding a good rock tone then drop the volume with my guitar volume control to clean it up, I use a lot of guitars and with the Tonelab their individual sounds/character come though and isn?t lost in the modeling process like with POD?s etc. I?m also impressed with the effects at a quick glace they may seem basic compared to some units but the sound quality is excellent, in general as good as stomp boxes. The highpoints in terms of sounds is just about anything to do with electric guitars from Clean Jazz to high voltage rock tones, crunch tones being especially good compared to other units, however the units is not great for clean bass or acoustic guitars.

The unit seems solid enough, but I only use this sort of thing in the studio I keep my live rig as simple as possible with a real amp and a couple of stomp boxes. If you goig to use something like this live you want the SE version.

Vox are wonderful people always very helpful, and quick to respond to emails.

I do a lot of session work and so use the Tonelab for a lots of different styles, I?ve been playing for around 20 years professionally, I have a huge amount of guitars pretty much all customized with different pick-ups etc, I also use a transplanted variax. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another as they are so cheap at the moment but I have a feeling VOX are about to hit us with something new quite soon. I?ve been using amp sims since the days of the Rockman & Nobels units, so here is a quick rundown on the major units: PODS 1 & 2 quite good but muffled sounding, not great for clean sounds and your guitars character is lost in the modeling process, you really notice this is you try various brands of the pick-ups in the same guitar? they all sound the same. PODXT better but the sound has gone a bit digital and again the guitars character is lost but quite an improvement over previous units. V-amp2: surprisingly good for the price it has a very Hi-Fi processed sound that sits well in the mix, good for very clean or very high gain tones, not so good for classic 70?s rock sounds, and these units tend to fail after 6 months. Boss GS10 the amp modeling is very digital and the rock sounds remind me of the Marshall AV digital amps in that they sound fizzy to my ears, but the effects and EQ are great, and it?s brilliant for bass & acoustic instruments, it is very much an effect units and doesn?t behave in any way like a valve amp, it reminds me very much of solid state amps. The Tonelab is about the best amp sim I?ve ever used for real valve amp sounds straight to the desk.

Very simple to use. Haven't saved or edited any patches yet. I have only had it two months and use it at home.

I Use a Les Paul and USA strat with Duncans. It is only noisy on high-gain amps, as you would expect on the real amp. I have a "Modern Marshall" JCM 2000 tube amp, and with a huge amount of tweaking it comes close, using a Fender tube amp. I also have a blackface twin, and the model for that is way to sterile. The chorus works, but is weak. The rotary speaker is the best of the modulation effects. The reverbs do not sound very good to me. I can not get a good acoustic sound. The best it can do is using the Botique Clean, 2x10 speakers, presence on 10. The octive pedal is horrible. Most of the pedals are.
I got a much cleaner sound using the return loop of my effects loops than I did going through my amp's input. The speaker simulation is almost worthless. I only use three amp models. Botique clean, Twin (blk2x12), and Some of Marshalls 1968 Plexi, JCM 800, JCM 900, JCM 2000. The rest are blah.. I tried changing the tube using several NOS tubes, not worth the effort. Lacks bass response.

It seems relaiable, but it is computer chips on PCBs inside, so don't drop it. I would not use this at a gig, to expensive for that.

Korg? Are you kidding?

I would not recommend this unit for live performance. Use pedals. Might be good in the studio, but as a multi-effects box, it sucks. As an amp modeler, you must use a good amp to begin with. It will not improve a crappy amp's sound quality.

I have not opened the manual after three weeks. Still in its plastic. Normally I am a manual hound, reading it down to the credits before plugging in. But after plugging this into the console and getting around so easy, been having too much fun to even reference the manual. Bottom line, very easy to use. Have used many others, plug-ins etc, it is intuitive and straight forward: amps, cabinets, pedals, effects. Combine, switch, whatever...peice of cake to find familiar great tones and awesome new ones as well.

I have used every guitar amp modeler on the market. There are some I really like for the tones they produce. Some sans amp models are really great, the Pod stuff is rather canned in my opinion, but you can still tweak out some goodness. I own three of the major amps these models are built on. Has some noise here and there to deal with, but so do the amps combined with the pedals that it emulates. Try sticking a fuzz pedal in front of any amp and getting zero noise...uh...yeah.
This little blue monster produces some of the best tones I have heard out of a modeler to date. The sounds are realistic to a fault on most and the ones that don't exactly hit the mark have character all thier own, enough to make this a great recording tool. Fantastic clean sounds. Great low to mid gain sounds. Really nice JCM 800 and Vox models. Effects are good enough to get the job done in a pinch, but I choose to leave them off most of the time. I use pro outboard and get all I need for recording.

So far so good. Alimunum and steel, heavy and solidly built. I don't use it for gigs, just recording, so not terribly concerend as it will sit in the studio for probably all of it's life. If I was to take it on location, I would not be to worried by appearance alone. Would not want to hurl it down a flight of stairs, but it seems well built, especially compared to the "plastic red one". Knobs are good and acurate. Display is bright and clear, not much bs...tells you what you need to know.

Don't know, have not dealt with korgmarshallvox much. I'll toss them a 7 bone because the limited interactions I have had in the past have been semi-good to semi-poor. Perhaps they have improved.

I play all styles from rock, thrash, punk, jazz, alternative, blues, modern rock, funk, etc. Been playing and performing for over 25 years. I own a small production studio that is getting off the ground quickly. This is a killer unit for getting on the fly great convincing tones to record. Best out there right now (in my humble opinion.)

I's easy to use ,but if you dont read the cool and informative manual you will miss many important details. It's no-nonsense. I like the fact that if you are editing a sound and you switch the unit off,without saving anything,when you switch it on again the tonelab is exactly as you left it.However those are minor things,I think...the sound is the all-important bit.Read below

Ok. First of all,I dont like and dont use digital or transistor overdrive. bleah. What sold me on the Tonelab was the attractive idea of having a miniature valve amp in a small box,complete with cab sims,powerbrake,effects (although I only use reverbs and EQ...could not care less about choruses and swirls,I want a crankin' GUITAR sound,man,first and foremost.).

The good news about the tonelab:it has a valve power amp. I think it sounds excellent. Whoever designed this is nothing short of a genius. A real valve power amp in a digital modeller! In my opinion,that alone makes the tonelab far superior to the line 6 Pod and all the other ones,in matters of sound AND feel.

Effects are high quality,I would say very high quality.
But,I really dont care about them other than reverb and eq,as I said.
the eq on the tonelab is excellent too,but I think they should have included at least a master graphic eq at the end of the chain,if not one before the preamp too.
But it's not too much of a problem for me,as my sound ends up in my trusty laptop anyway and I can correct it there and add whatever I want to it.

The bad news: the tonelab's preamp is still solid state. I can definitely hear it and feel it. Pinched harmonics on the Crunchmaster, are as loud and harmonically rich as a trumpet. Just like any other valve amp. They are bright,alive and jump at you with authority.

On the tonelab,they are weak and more harmonically dissonant and 'unmelodic'. Typical of solid-state or digital distortion.
The 'Valve Reactor' (the tonelab's valve power amp) aids considerably to sweeten out those solid-state characteristics,but to me it's still half-way because,I mean,Vox designed an excellent power amp in the tonelab ....it would have made a lot of sense to add another 12axt7 to be used as the preamp modeler,instead of going solid-state like Line 6 and the other companies do. I would have paid a bit more and get the full package.

Even a single preamp valve that is boosted by a clean I.C. would do excellently. Hughes & Kettner do that in their excellent Tubeman,Cream Machine and Crunchmaster and it works great.(the I.C. function merely as a clean booster and does NOT create solid state distortion. it is sort of like adding a powerful clean boosted signal in front the input of your valve amp. The first valve will distort a lot more).

I have an Hughes & kettner Crunchmaster,a real valve amp in a small box,smaller than the tonelab. It has about 3 watts and can be connected directly to a console.
This gizmo has been heavily modified (by me)....it's a sort of marshall in miniature,it's not identical,but just different. It has an old marshall kind of sound,very similar to early Malmsteen or early Troy Stetina stuff,lots of crunch and powerful single notes,and killer pick attack.

It has a very aggressive and harmonic overdrive. It uses a built in Red Box to filter out the high treble and to round out the sound for D.I. recording.I used that to compare to the tonelab.
I added some software cabinet simulator to the Crunchmaster,and went as close as the ones in the Tonelab as possible. Here are the results:

1)overdriven harmonics on the tonelab are considerably more 'dead',again because of it's solid state preamp.

2)because of that,overdriven intervals such as thirds and sixths were also more artificial compared to the crunchmaster's.
On the latter,minor thirds or whatever came out with far,far more 'drama',and were harmonically a lot richer.

3) the tonelab's overdrive is more blurred and murky compared to the crunchmaster. This blurring is one of the main reasons why I dislike solid state or digital distortion.
I tried some bluesy overdriven triads ,such as ninths etc,and that blurring was all the more apparent to me.
Understand,it is no more blurred than on a Line 6 Pod! solid state acts the same,whether you have a Tonelab,a Pod,a Sansamp or a Korg.

the crunchmaster was meant only as a guideline,you can substitute that with even

I think it's casing it's outstanding. Beautiful blue aluminium.
It sits very well in a studio,a bedroom or what have you.
However,the pots feel as if they are not bolted.
that means that you stress their solder joints,so be careful.
an 8 only because of the pots ,otherwise it would have been a 10.

never dealt with Vox,so I dont know.

I play instrumental music. I would say that if you are not as fussy as I am,the Tonelab is highly versatile for any style,much more than the other modellers.
I have been playing for about 10 years.
I have owned a bunch of valve amps,but nothing ridicolously esoteric or expensive. Just stuff that sounds good to me and that I could buy used: Peavey valve amps,Seymour Duncan amps etc.
Used to have a Korg Pandora when I had no alternative...those are just toys.

About the Tonelab,I would certainly choose that if I had to choose a modeller.

Easy to use straight out of the box. The manual is very good (possibly written by the same bloke who did the line6 stuff?) Very imformative and slighly jokey. This thing is set up so even us dumb guitarists can understand it.

This is the important bit. In my opinion (and that's only MY opinion) this device sounds brilliant through headphones. It's like playing with a real amp and at a good volume. I can get sounds that my GT6 will never achieve. I would use it to record direct onto tape through the desk, and that's saying something.
BUT plug it into my live set-up (a Marshall EL84 20/20 plus greenback 2x12 stereo cab, and it's a bit iffy. Too much treble and harsh. The GT6 blows it away live. I'm giving it 5 which should be read as 8 recorded and 2 live.

Mine had an unusual problem. The amp selector pot failed after a couple of days. I opened her up, removed the pot and found it was faulty. It was fairly easy to mend and not a fault of Vox, but their supplier. This sort of thing can happen to any manufacturer, my GT6 had a similar problem with a duff connector. I've been in contact with the Vox service people, and they were pleasent and helpful. Having opened the thing up, I can say it's well made and easy to work on. Probably will never fail again.

As I said above, very approachable.

I play all sorts of stuff and have been playing for 30 years. I use a PRS and Les Paul and a GT6 through a Marshall EL84 20/20 plus Greenback cab. If it was stolen I'd probably buy the SE verion as a replacement. It's very good, but I can't make it sound good live yet.

it's all there, right in front of you...very rare that ALL the useful features are at your fingertips.

The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because it could use some deeper bass with the EQ. It's still nice & warm, but it would be cool to pack a little more 'umph' in it. I probably have just been too lazy to find the right tone...

throw it in my backpack and play out usually twice a week. No problems...

never contacted them

I play a lot of styles, from folky to trance to jam band. I use this mainly for trance/jam stuff.

I MOSTLY use this with a Honer Clavinet when I play out. It makes any vintage keyboard sound dy-no-mite. The delay mixed with amp/cab settings are freakin sweet.

I LOVE the clean sounds I get out of this. I guess it has fantastic distortion/dirt as well, but I prefer to have a nice clean, liquidy sound for my music.

Look, if you're in the market for a multi-effects machine, don't even bother with the others. This thing is hands-down the best sounding, easiest to use effect box/amp simulator I have ever used.

I could write all day about how awesome this thing is, and how it totally opens up your musical potential, but the best thing for you to do is go out to a local shop and mess around with a ToneLab.

No problem to quick play and modify some patches without read the manual, but you need to read if you want to discover all the magic of the tonelab.

I have fender strato usa, Ibanez rg320dx and a washburn cs780 chicago series, for amp i use a Laney PA system and a 120W Crate amplifier, the tonelab sounds great with both, but if a preset sounds good in the Laney PA, in the amp doesn't sound great, you need to tweak again to obtain the same quality. But this not a problem because you can save any preset. The sounds are very good, the fenders amps are amazing, I dont know if sound exactly to real ones but who cares if sounds that good, in my opinion there are enough amps to choose your favorites, higain, cleans, whatever you want tonelab deliver. And for the effects i try i few of them, the acoustic pedal sound very good, and the mudulations and delays are superbs, the auto-wah is good but is "auto" and you can't control it at all.

sure it looks very well constructed, but time always has the last word.

i dont need it, for now...

I like rock and metal since 20 years ago. I'm Project Engineer but music and guitars are my passion , i play from classics like Pink Floyd to Black Sabbath, and more actual like symphony x to dream theater and the european monster of Ayreon. The tonelab is good for everything, pristine clear with vox and fenders, full heaviness with the rectos, UK's and US gain models, and a great variety of stompboxes and effects all with good quality. I always use digitech effects, but in modeler section vox is superior and by far, the tube like sound that deliver tonelab is impressive, really, really impressive. you dont really need to invest much money to have a great tone. Thanks to Engineers of Vox

I may have had an unfair advantage, having migrated to this from a Vox AD50VT, but even so, the manual is very thorough and easy to understand. Out of the box you have tons of cheesy presets to work through but it's easy to build your own sounds from scratch. There's software available from their website to do a SYSEX screen dump and save your patches from your computer, but you can't audit the sounds in realtime. For a multi-effects unit, it's about as easy as you can get.

I was pretty impressed with the sound of my Valvetronix, but thought it would be nice to have something with amp modeling for direct recording. The Tonelab sounds GROUND-SHAKINGLY beautiful. I've had it for about two months now and have played it with my 335, an Italia Modena, a Mosrite, a Yamaha electric 12 and with a Gretsch Sierra Jumbo acoustic.

The built in effects are better than average. I'm partial to the OD's and fuzz, but the chorus is light and shimmery and the tremolo has a great swirling autopan mode. The built-in reverbs aren't quite the caliber of my EH Holier Grail and the wah isn't going to cut it if you've got a V848. Other than that, it's a completely workable unit in & of itself. I found it plays very nicely with my other effects including a V810 Valvetone, a Fuzzface, EH Small Clone, Dan Echo, Echo Park & Holier Grail.

The amp models are where it's at. I usually stay on the left side of the dial (Fender Twin, Fender Bassman, AC-15, AC-30) and use effects for distortion. The cabinets are also great, and the manual also includes what the standard matching would be between heads & cabinets for the uninitiated. All of these emulations are extremely musical to my ear. I play shoegaze music in the vein of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, and BRMC. I can get GREAT sounds out of this little unit, arguaby better than from the Valvetronix amp.

I've been tossing it unprotected into a suitcase and dragging it through the subway to my practice studio and it hasn't crapped out on me yet, but I cringe each time I have to do it. I would have preferred if the tube was covered by a metal plate instead of sitting out exposed as it is (there's a plastic plate over it), but I suppose I understand where they were going from a design standpoint. The pots and switches all seem sound, and there's nothing on this unit that gets stomped on. I don't have the footswitch because I use this primarily for the amp mods and leave it to my pedalboard for the effects. So far, so good.

I've been playing for several years now and have more gear than I have room to keep it all. These are a remarkable value now that they've reduced their price-- you can buy one of these with the VC-12 footswitch from North Coast Music for a few bucks less than the Tonelab SE.

For $250 bucks on ebay you get a world of amps, cabinets, and effects. It's the most musical emulator I've tried, oceans ahead of the Boss GT's, PODs, V-AMPs and the like.

Out of the box, I got a couple of great tones that were so inspiring, I wrote a song right then and there, recording it, got it on my CD. It is a rather intuitive device, especially if you've owned a Pod or other modeling box. I've owned a couple of Pods (classic, XT) and the ToneLab blows 'em away in terms of the true-to-the-amp tones it does produce. Right, it's not the same as the amps (no modelers ever are), but boy does it come awfully close.

I agree with the dude who said read the manual! After my first successful venture on the ToneLab, I had a hard time dialing in any good tones. The presets were good, but whenever I dialing in something, it sounded crappy. So I read the manual CAREFULLY and took my time. Vox has set up the knobs to correspond to the original controls of the amp and you HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THIS in order to get the really good tones. If you just start dialing willy nilly, you may get lucky, but you will probably become frustrated. Understand that a 1x12 Fender Tweed has two knobs: Volume and Tone. The ToneLab is configured for this, but you got to READ the MANUAL!!!

One minor complaint - it took awhile to understand the difference between the GAIN and the VR GAIN, which apparently is British for Volume and Master Volume. However, once I understood that these knobs do different things on different amps, they didn't cause any problems tonally.

My gold top Les Paul Classic sounds really good through it. Also, great for my Strat and Telecaster, especially the Vox AC30 and AC15 models. In fact, I would say the ToneLab does a great job with the Vox amps and a so-so job with the Fender tones. The "Blackface" just doesn't sound like a Twin or Super Reverb to me. But then again "it's only a model."

I do run it through my Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb with great success. Make sure to switch it to the "Amp" setting and plug into the "bright channel" for best results.

Best thing about the sound, I think, it's WARM, especially compared to the Pod. This has a lot a to do with the real tube in the ToneLab. It just gives the tone that nice warm feeling of a good tube amp.

The effects settings are exceptional, especially the reverbs and delays (dig that tube echo delay!!!). They sound very analog and warm. The chorus is analog and the phaser has a classic British edge too it. Warm. Can you get where I'm going with this.

THE TONELAB IS WARM!!!

I'm only giving it a 9 because of the suspect Fender tone.

Only had it for a month. So far so good. Going to try it out live with an Atomic Amp soon.

Haven't dealt with Vox yet.

I play everything from country to classic rock to jazz and blues and the ToneLab fits right into all of these. In fact, I'm working on a rock opera about Evel Knievel (www.ekrockopera.com) which requires a lot of classic 70's rock tones, fast-switching between sounds and versatile amp setups and so far, the ToneLab seems a perfect fit. I've only recorded with it, so I need to gear up and get it live to see how it plays out for the opera.

I would definitely need to get one of the foot pedals for it.

I was about to give up on amp modelers after my experience with the Pod (in all of it's incarnations), but I'm glad I gave the ToneLab a try because I'm sold. With the Pod, I would buy through some internet shop to make sure it delivered the goods, but I always ended up returning it. But with the ToneLab, I'm keeping it.

Did I mention READ THE MANUAL!!

Like mentioned before this takes a few times just to find your feet with how everything works, luckily i had been using models from the valvetronix line (AD15 & AD30) before i purchased the Tonelab so i had some idea, but it's so easy to use ,the info bar basically highlights the word 'orig' when you turn a knob to the point that it is in the preset so it takes a secornd to reajust and edit to your hearts content.

Second to none, you can't say enough about how amazing the sounds are. Any record i want to knick a guitar sound from whether it be Clapton, Scofield, Metheny, Peter Green, etc it can be acheived ,the only one that is a challenge is hendrix as there isn't a preset for 10 4x12 cabinets (oh well maybe on an upgrade, ha ha)
The clean tones sound like they're ringing down from heaven, you won't believe your ears. And anyone who say's this thing doesn't have enough distortion has no ear for music.

I would recommend getting the 'Atomic' amp for live perfomance, these amps are biult just for amp modelers (Tonelab, Pod, V-amp) your modeler just slots in the top of the amp and bam! you have all your tones in an amp that won't colour it. Perfect and a good price too.

No troubles at all, and i dropped it when getting out of a car, still looks fresh outta the box and works the same

Not needed it yet, touch wood

Buy this product if you are a guitarist of any type, you won't put your guitar down for days at a time, first day i got mine i plugged in and didn't put my guitar down for the whole day just as you think to yourself oh i must go and ...... your ear catches another beautiful characteristic of this amp simulater, the tube makes a big difference, the warmth makes this in a league of it's own, i have played through pod and v-amps in the studio before and always felt the sounds laked depth and roundness, this has it all, i'm currently demoing ideas for my new CD and whatever amp sound you want it delivers (I keep trying to think up the most mental cominations of players sounds to see what it would sound like, oh yeah and the fact that you can mix and match whatever cab to whatever amp adds even more to the characters you can create) Brilliant!!!.... infact just typing this has made me eager to get back to it and plug in. I am dying to hear the Cooltron pedals too (a tube in an effects pedal, what next??) Vox are the past present and future!!!!!

Even though (or perhaps because) I am a pretty technical guy with a career focus on user interfaces, I found the Tonelab pretty hard to get used to. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the physical dial positions are not always the actual positions of the dials relative to the patch you are on. I also did not find the process of saving patches or renaming patches to be very innovative. For the first time since I can remember, I had to go to the manual to operate a piece of equipment.

That said, once I got used to the interface, using it was a breeze. It took a while for me to make the mental shift from the software way of looking at things to the analog hardware way of looking at things, but once I did it was a no-brainer.

It's all about the sound and that's where Tonelab delivers. It models the following amps; Vox AC15, Vox AC15TB, Vox AC30, Vox AC30TB, Marshall JTM-45, Marshall JCM800, Marshall JCM900, Marshall JCM2000, Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier, Soldano SLO-100, Dumble Overdrive Special, Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Tweed, and Fender Bassman.

All that really can be said about the sound is; any sound you can imagine, you can create with the Tonelab. The first thing I did was sit down with the manual and plug in amp models into the presets based on the manual's suggestions. The thing about the Tonelab is YOU MUST READ, no make that, MUST _STUDY_ THE MANUAL. This is especially true if you plan on using the older amp models. Many the people who bitch out the sound probably never read the manual.

Every sound I want, I get. When I hear something on an album I want to play, I can always recreate it or at worst come within 90% of it. I have presets for most of the Beatles sounds, AC/DC, The Who, punk, twang, etc. I started getting into the Raveonettes this week. Last night with the Twin Reverb model and a little tremolo and reverb I nailed their sound. Yes the factory presets suck. That's because you cannot take presets from another guitar with another set of pickups and expect it to sound good on your guitar and your pickups.

Some people complain the Tonelab cannot do high gain. I know the sound they are talking about; highly compressed, plasticy, dull, metal tones. Ok, if you want that tone, do yourself a favor and skip the Tonelab and get a POD XT, 'nuff said. Now for everyone else, if you can't get your tone with the 16 amp models, 10 cabinets, compressor, acoustic, two wahs, u-vibe, octivator, treble boost, Tube Screamer model, ProCo Rat model, fuzz, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, rotary, three delays, three reverbs, and noise reducer you either don't know what you are doing, or are hopelessly grouchy.

I can go on and on but there's dozens of other reviews here that all say the same thing -- Tonelab rocks. Do yourself a favor and try it out.

Can't really say but I just know I am going to drop it one day *gulp*

I pray I don't drop it and have to get support from Vox. Seeing how they are across the pond I have no idea how that would work out.

Been playing for four years. I play everything from the Beatles to punk rock and everything in between. Tonelab has everything I need. Seeing how I have owned it for a month and not gotten tired of it, it must be good. Last night I plugged in my digital modeling amp (Roland Cube) which I used to love and suddenly the models sound like garbage. OMG! I am a Tonelab snob now :)

Note to "vintage snobs": Yeah the real amps and cabs sound much better but, hell can you buy a Fender Twin or Vox AC30 for $299, much less those and 10 other amps?

I placed a review a few down about this product, and I was only playing it in the studio. Everything as I said before & then some...its a great product.

Ok I did my latest CD with the Tonelab, and it sounds awesome. When I play live I use a Demeter TGA head & a vintage Basketweve Marshall 4-12 cab. This rig sounds great and gave me all I ever wanted, but the CD sounded better, and I was having a hard time duplicating the tones. I took some players advice and tried the tonelab live. I tried it in the effects loop of the Demeter, and did'nt like it at all. I then ran it in the channel I allways play in, and did'nt like it. But then I ran it into the clean channel with the gain up and the treble set higher then flat, with the hi boost on...Now it sounds fantastic.
I can't believe it sounds this good live. I know I am running it into a killer tube amp & a great cab, but it really has some kill'in tones, and its quiet, even with the effects on. I really love the 68 plexi amp mod, and I leave the cab mods off. I run the noise reduction at about 74. The master volume & VR are about at 12:oclock, and the EQ is set to taste. I get all the killer tones from the CD and then some...My new CD will be out in April 05 on cdbaby.com, the name of the band is Caligator. I did the whole CD on the Tonelab, and it sounds just awesome. (killer studio helped too.)

I did the whole CD with out a burp. I even tried some N.O.S. tubes, and everything sounded great. I will start useing it at live shows, that will tell how it holds up..

never had to deal with them.

Playing forever, Pro band, Pro studio, and a line of custom guitars. I have played every boutique amp & amp Simm's out there and the Tonelab just flat sounds right to me. It really did a fantastic job on my new CD, and now it will carry over to the live shows..I'm just very jazzed it can sound this good live...A Good player friend plays POD stuff, and he allways sounds fake live. This sounds just like a killer old tube amp in everyway possible. For $300...its one of the best deals in music...

Very easy once you mess with it a little. Easier than anything else out there. Kind of like tweaking knobs on a real amp anf stomp box.
Storing patches couldn't be easier and the free software you can download is a beauty in the studio.

I have made several reviews here on Harmony Central. I own a studio so I have literally gone through every directr recording tool out there to find out the most convincing.
(Pod, Pod Pro, Pod XT, Pod xt pro, V-amps, digitechs....all of them!)....

After various research I found that all of these units have the same flaw. Great preamp sims but it's the Cabinet modelling that fails to nail it (Minus Behringer whom have done an outstanding job at that).
So I started experimenting with analog Cab sims and tried the Voodoo Lab, a Palmer and finally a $39 Behringer G-100.....The Voodoo lab was $99 and the palmer $279.....the $39 behringer blew them away. It simulates a 4x12 with vintage 30's so that is the only option you get but it sounds exactly like the real thing!

Anyhow, like I expected, the cab sims on the Tonelab are pretty good, but like all amp modellers when recorded, it sounded like it had a blanket over the speakers.
But....when plugged into the Behringer G-100 it sounds and acts like a real tube amp!
(I turn of the Cab sim on the tonelab)

The tonelab is by far...let me rewrite that BY FAR the best amp modeller out there.
Every amp on this unit sounds awesome. I don't care about faithfulness, I care about how it sounds on a pro recording and this is the only unit that doesn't sound like a fricking toy!

I am currently recording my new album with my project band Earthcubed with this unit and I am so amazed at the sound. No digitalness and feels awesome to play.
It almost gives you the same feel of being plugged in to a cranked up amp.
Coupled with the Behringer I didn't hear any of the high range harshness some have talked about (again, I believe all of these units should use analog cabinet modelling).
Also, my favorite music is metal, from Yngwie Malmsteen to Children of Bodom and I can get all of those sound out this unit. Anyone who says it doesn't have enough distortion is out of there mind!
With all distortion sounds I always have the "Treble booster" always on with all settings half way, I find this opens up the sound a lot without being harsh. But I can also play full six string chords and hear every single separate string clearly.
Coupled with the behringer I also had plenty of Bass. Not a lack that others talk about.
When recording you don't want to use too much bass anyway. Thats what the Bass Guitar is for! ( When are most guitarists going to take some recording,producing lessons??? ) and if needed you add bass to the guitar in the mix. Not before it!
But again, I found myself with the Bass knob around around 11o'clock (less than half way up) and get plenty of "chug" (Again, maybe it's the Cab sim).

Note worthy. I find this whole "stereo output" thing amusing too. Live, only the people in the center would be able to tell the effect, anyone who is slightly on the right or left doesn't get the stereo image. In the studio hardly any guitarist records a stereo track!
Unless you are using a clean sound with a particular effect (which most of the time can be added later in production anyway), the stereo output sounds only cool to the guitarists ears when in a small room. So I basically just use one output into the Behringer G-100 like you would with a real amp.
That said. I don't use that many effects. I was looking for the best organic tube sound without the hassles of tube amps, mics and loud volumes.
The Tonelab nailed it. The VR gain is my favorite feature and have it on MAX the whole time.....I love poweramp gain and some of the best recorded guitar tones are Poweramp gain.
It gets a nine, just becuase to get an AMAZING sound you need the $30 extra for the Behringer G-100 direct cab-sim. (I have used this thing with all units and real amps....it blows my mind how good it sounds!).

It's built like a tank. Nice and sturdy. It's bigger than the average modeller, but it also sounds better. For live use I would reccomend the Tonelab SE. I wouldn't gig with this. Not becuase it's not sturdy, but it is clearly made for desktop/studio use. Although I can wait to try it into one of those ATOMIC REACTOR amps. Then maybe I'll write another review.

No opinion. Although the fact that Vox is merged with Korg doesn't sound good to me. Had to deal with Korg in the past and they are downright careless in their customer service. But I don't foresee any problems in the near future with this unit.

I play all styles being a studio session guitarist and producer. But my own main thing is Metal and Prog-Metal. Been playing for 18 years straight now and have never sounded better! My main guitar is the new Fender 50th anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster which is FRICKING AWESOME (Up yours over priced Tom Andersons!) and coupled with the tonelab I can get any TUBE tone I want. I love the bare sound of this thing. Somthing the other modellers fail at. They sound good with a ton of effects on them (Try taking the reverbs off the Line 6 models....uhh, ugly) but none have that in your face dry killer tube sound. The tonelab does. I wish the floorboards were'nt so fricking expensive and I feel all of these companies (exept for Behringer) are ripping people off for something as simple and cost effective as a foot controller (Believe me, they cost a lot less to make than the modelling units themselves and cost almost as much to buy!). But hey, they have to make a living somehow right?
I'm extremely happy with this unit. It is staying with me and if stolen I would buy another one.

I purchased the Tonelab at the same time as a PODxt (V2 upgrade). I use a custom built Valve amp for live use but for recording I always use an amp sim. Whilst the PODxt has far more amp models, cabs, parameters, FX, etc The Tonelab is my first choice for recording. Both these sims are relatively easy to use and both are capable of giving excellent results.

My first impression with the Tonelab was that it had far too much treble and less bottom end warmth but trying different combinations of presence/treble in particular and VR gain soon overcame any misgivings I had and the final takes sounded excellent. I tried to replicate them with the PODxt and I have to say that it took a lot of tweaking to emulate the Tonelab tones. Clean tones are excellent, and if you like setting a valve amp for that sweet spot where the guitar volume control takes you into crunch and backing off takes you to clean then the Tonelab excells and responds extremely well to pick dynamics. The effects are very good though I found the compressor a bit too fierce. The Higain models in particular need careful tweaking of the Presence, Treble and VR gain to remove any harshness. A lot depends on what style you play and what tones you need, but for Classic rock, Blues, Pop, Country, funk, etc it delivers. I still use the PODxt for for some HIgain models, particularly for Tones that need less edge. The Tonelab wins in terms recording and sits in the mix with far more life and sparkle and I prefer it to my live rig for hassle free takes.

Unfortunately, my Tonelab has developed a random popping noise during the first 20 minutes of switch on, it will need to be looked at and I will require VOX service support. If I have any problems I will update this review.

Watch this space!

Been playing for 40 years, Pro and semi, played most styles but always though a Valve amp. Use a Gibson SG, Fender Telecaster but mostly rely on my Vintage Ibanez Artist. I have 4 or 5 tones that I rely on, don't need any more than that and do not use stomp box effects, or reverb but prefer a little bit of delay for live use.

The presets are okay,but tend to be heavy on effects.It is pretty easy to tweak it into something usable.The manual is good for basic operation then let your ears be your guide.

I'm using this for direct recording into my computer(PC w/tracktion).I like the tape echo and reverbs the best.Noise has not been a problem.It has the capability to produce lots of tones.

I haven't had any problems.It sits on a desk,so no gig damage.I ran one thru a power amp at the store before I bought it and it sounded very good

No problems so far.

I play a variety of styles(rock,jazz & blues).This unit covers alot of bases with minimal effort.I've been playing close to 20 yrs.I use a strat & gibson nighthawk for most of my projects.If lost or stolen I would replace.My s/u is simple but it works.I get a idea, plug in and see if it's stellar or cellar.A friend has a podxt and it sounds ok but the distortion sounds too processed.

The Tonelab is the easiest modeler out there for editing, and the sounds it produces are top notch. They easily rival tube amps, especially those lower to mid gain models like Fenders and Voxs. The manual is refreshing helpful and gives you everything you need to know quickly and even entertainingly. But you really won't need it because the Tonelab is very easy to operate in the general sense. The one thing you should look at is the descriptions of the individual amp models because in some cases these describe the uses of the gain, tone and presence knobs as they relate to that model. But even if you don't ever read the manual, you will be able to get great sounds out of this box. Be sure to set the Amp/Line switch appropriately! The best thing about this unit is that everything is right there on top, ready to go and has a knob and not some menu. In fact, the only time you even need to use a menu is if you get something you want to keep -- and then you save it into one of the user presets. Pretty slick I think.

I am running my Tonelab through a mixer and into a pair of Tech 21 Power Engine 60's which are basically a portable PA. I have the Tonelab output set to the Line position (as oppossed to Amp) which is appropriate. I also have a optical digi-cable between it and my Korg D1200MKII digital recorder. Is it noisy? Well, no it's not that I can tell. But I am judging the noise of thew unit itself, not that of the amps it is modeling. For instance, the blackface model is very quiet as you would expect but the recto model has a significant noise floor. Higher gain amps have ambient noise associated with them -- that's why they make noise gates! The Tonelab does have a noise reduction facility in it and it seems to work very well. So far I have been able to get all of the tones I have tried to get out of it. Most of these were artists that use either Fender or Vox amps such as SRV, the Beatles, Tom Petty and the like. These things it does very, very well. I also dialed in a bit of the Zeppelin and Hendrix vibe with no trouble. The effects seem very good to me overall, but they are as extensive as say a POD. But, what is there is very good sounding and to me at least, there is all I need. Overall I rate the Tonelab as the best sounding digital based amp and effects modeler out there. Vox has taken the lead in this regard over all the rest I have ever tried (Line6, Behringer, Korg Toneworks, Boss, Digitech, Johnson J-Station), and the only reason to even consider another modeler might be if you want some of the more esoteric amp/effect models.

Well, I have only had mine for a couple of days. I have played around with the Tonelab a lot since it came out, but now that I am setting up a home studio I have the need to own one. I haven't heard anything negative about the reliability of the Tonelab recently, so benefit of the doubt. It will be used exclusively in my home and it is made of burnished aluminum so other than drop-kicking it I think it will be fine.

Never dealt with Vox. My only reservation is that they seem to have a rather diminished visibility here in the United States. The dealer I bought it from claims to handle all of the warranty claims should I need one and I trust them on this point.

I have either owned or otherwise extensively tested most of the digital modelers out there today and the Tonelab is simply in a whole other level. The fact that they use a 12AX7 tube is in no way just hype. I worked on electronic circuits for many years in the Air Force, specifically vacuum tube circuits and what they have done with their Valve Reactor technology is sound. While others (including Vox with their Cambridge amps) have used this tube is the preamp of a hybrid circuit, the Valvetronix takes a better approach by making the 12AX7 tube into a miniature push-pull amplifier. The more I thought about it, the more I realize that this is the only way to make a modeler play and FEEL like a tube amp. You can even feel and here the sag of a note when you dig in hard on the AC-30TB model. I am so impressed with this sound! I was beginning to think my PE60's weren't the right tool for the job but man was I ever wrong there. The Tonelab connected to these beast is the real deal. I dialed in several of my favorite amps, amps which I either own or otherwise have first hand knowledge of like a DRRI, a Twin, Bassman, AC-30TB and a Marshall Plexi and they all sounded great. I used each of my Strats and my Tele with each one and I made sure to check each pickup position because so many other modeler have sounded good in the bridge but lousy in the neck position. Not the Tonelab. true to form in all combinations that I tried. Not being a big fan of the heavy grinding sounds of today, I really can't comment too much on those models. They sound pretty good to me but I am no expert. But for low to medium gain amps -- this is the best there is out there right now and if your into recording, this is a God send.

Very easy to use, but confusing because all of the knobs are pointing to settings which may not reflect their actual value.

After hours of tweaking, I was able to dial in a very nice clean tone on one model. Most of the crunch tones were good out of the box. I could not get the high-gain/metal types distortions.

only had it for 2 days.

I was looking for a (lighter) replacement for my all tube class A amp. This box would have done me well for the clean tones (surprisingly), but not for the super balls out distortion.
They should also have included an effects loop.

This box is awesome! Some of the presets need tweaking but that's why we have knobs. Editing patches is a breeze after the first couple of times of use. I would definitely recommend documenting your patches and here's why... with the twist of a knob you can come across "the" tone but wanna get back to your preset or keep moving through patches without storing so yeah, it's a good idea to have a pen and paper close at all times. The manual is very easy to understand although once I got my sea legs I never used the manual again!!!

The sound is amazingly real! I do run the unit through another spkr. simulator into a vintage pre which definitely gives it more punch. I haven't really noticed much noise other than the usual amp noise you would normally expect form the real thing. The effects are a great bonus! The verbs are awesome, the delays are superb and user friendly as are all the effects. I purchased the Tonelab strictly for D.I. recording and it HAS NOT disappointed. Most of the tones I've used have been overdriven-AC30 based for the most part which is interesting because you can crank up the gain and get a very Neal Schon type of singing sustaining tone and it feels like your playing a big mic'd up amp blowing air in a big room down the hall!!! I still like a real Dual Recto for the heavy stuff (although I haven't tried the Tonelab for heavy stuff yet) but this box can easily pull off Petty, U2, Beatles, all that Vox based stuff to the T!!!

I keep this inside so it hasn't been beat up but it's built very sturdy...

Haven't needed support yet but I have spoken with Korg before and they are friendly and easy to get ahold of...

I personally play rock guitar influenced by Morse, Trower, E.J., Beck, Blackmore, Holdsworth. A lot of what I look for is the "feel" of an amp responding to pick attack and fingers and an overall dynamic touch. The Tonelab has that capability. I own tons of vintage pedals and a few cool old amps so it's easy to recognize a crappy gtr. processor. The Tonelab isn't one of those...

Its very easy to use once you know each function, but to learn them all you can spend a hole day tweaking and tweaking before you get a great sound. Unlike other amp modelers i've owned, the Tonelab has a great thing. Doesn't matter if you don't tweak enough the knobs, you will always get a decent sound that later can be modified until perfection.

I use the Tonelab with a Fender Stratocaster USA and monitors.

I've first used it in the input of my marshall, it sucked. Once y plugged it into muy normal computer monitors, with the LINE selection, i've found that it just sounded GREAT. Very real, each amp has is own personality and dynamics, unlike BOSS COSM simulation, that is lots of the same (shit).

Almost all the presets suck. There are for example presets of Angus Young and Slash. Compared to the ones i've made, they are completely usless. I can get sounds of AC/DC of the intro of highway to hell, just like the song, in less than one minute. The 12AX7 valve is a very important part of the sound.
Clean and Overdriven sounds are amazing. I can get Eric Johnson sound almost exactly.

Don't waste time and money buying other products, try the Tonelab in a GOOD P.A system or monitors, with the LINE/AMP selector in LINE; and discover a new reality.

I can depend on it. Maybe the Valve window can be a bit fragile, but I don't worry about it.

I would use it without buckup because to use it live you need a midi controller who is the one getting al the stomps, the tonelab can be in a table or something like that

Didn't dealt with them yeat

Im just 16 and I've been playing for 2 years and its my fourth pedal being used with my third electric guitar.

I WISH IT HAD A FUCKING HARMONIZER!!! (WHY VOX?)

Except from that, a 10 for the tonelab...

Very easy to set up & to save your settings..The EQ works great and the Effects sound good. The OD pedals all work great.
The Manual is in real life playing, lots of easy help.

I had one of the very first POD's sold in America, and used it for over 20 CD's...The POD was a very friendly time saver in the studio, but still had some tone issues & thickness on the recording. The Vox seems to sound more like really micing a live amp. The EQ sits in the mix better, and the feel & tone is spot on. I only use it for recording, and that is why I bought it. The effects & pedals seem to be perfect for the amps settings, and I love the VR volume control, so you can add as much tube life as you want, what this does is change the way the guitar sits in the mix, more tube, more in your face tone, less tube, in sits more in the mix, and not in your face. I like the Noise reduction alot, it can keep the notes clean but kill alot of hiss. The 3 OD pedals really sound spot on, I have the live versions of them and ran them into the front end, and could not tell a difference between them, only the ones in the tone lab were more quiet. The Vox models are the best out there, and the plexi & JCM800 are the shit...they sound awesome..work with the master volume & the VR and you can get so many killer tones...I love this box...

I only had it a short time, but it seems to be built very good. It will never leave my studio so it should last a very long time..

I called them asking about it VS. the newer POD's, and they were very open & honest. The thing that killed me was how cool they seemed when they talked about amp tones, like they must be killer players them selfs...

I have been playing over 30 years, and I have a 24 track recording studio with top of the line gear. I have recorded some of the best guitar music that has come out in the past 10 years. I still mic live amps, and was told by a group of hot LA producers on a project I did, that the guitar tones were the best they ever heard. They were a combination of live & POD..I think I will only get better with the tonelab in my hands. I am doing a CD in Feb. with my band, and a solo guitar CD of my own in April, and will use just the Tonelab on all teh guitars...I like it that much...

WAY better than POD - everything is right in front of you and can be adjusted on the fly (NO MENUS TO SCROLL THROUGH)! Editing patches is a breeze! Manual is great but you won't even need it hardly. Finally, something thats intuitive!

Running the guitar through the VOX Tonelab into a keyboard amp (for minimum tone coloration). I have always been a POD 2.0 bigot, I love the 2.0 POD but was looking for that tube FEEL as well as tone. Boy, does this Tonelab deliver!! GOBS of tube tone!! Very cool! I can get any sound of any artist within seconds. Effects are excellent and realistic - more importantly - usable! Clean sounds are a 10, High gain is extremely realistic (a bit bassy though, but not bad). The POD is on ebay now - what does that tell you? I have never found anything that could match a POD through a keyboard amp in terms of tone - I have finally found something I like better.

Built solid, don't expect problems, its all metal.

Uncertain. Sould be no problem though.

You need to be real careful about the amp you choose to run a modeler through. A guitar amp will likely color the tone on any modeler (and usually not in a good way). Either run it through a power amp and a cab, or get an amp without an opinion (like a basic keyboard amp). This will allow the true tones of the modeler to come through without coloration. But in the final analysis - this is the best of the amp modelers if you want that magic tube sound. POD is great, but it does not feel like a tube amp, this one does! Buy one! Pull the trigger! You will be glad.

This pedal is as easy to use as any multieffect processor I have used. In fact,the GT-6 was a pain scrolling through all the menus. The ME-50
was a simple turn of the knob but no amount of turning could get an acceptable sound. On the tonelab, tweak if you want but for the first time ever out of the box presets were actually awesome.

I have not yet gotten to use with anything other than through PA system
with a Les Paul studio. This is the same way I have evaluated many other processors and pedals and there is no comparison. This scores an 11 out of 10 in my opinion. Not only are the distortions creamy, you can actually close your eyes and point to the direction the rotary speaker is facing.

I don't know yet. Seems sturdy but I don't know about tubes.

Not dealt with them.

Modern distortions to Queen classics. Rotaries to flanges. To the purists, ok fine this isn't THE amp it is modeling. How many amps, pedals, and effects can you buy $300.....?
Well then, shut your cakehole!

Purchased to record with to replace a Vox AD120VT amp. I love the AD120VT and it records just great (tip - use an old DBX 117, 118 or 119 to defeat ALL the amp noise without changing the signal attack or tone - email me for details). The ONLY reason I sold my AD120VT was because it was taking up too much room and was too heavy for me to carry anymore (I recently injured my leg and can no longer carry heavy amps). So I figured I would do a side-by-side comparison between the Tonelab and my beloved AD120VT. The Tonelab won. It's easy to use, especially in Manual mode, gets every sound my AD120VT did and even more, is much more controllable and tweakable, and most importantly, when plugged into a stereo mixer with headphones, it sounds great and is every bit as responsive as my AD120VT. Don't just this unit by plugging into it with just headphones, put it into a mixer and crank up the inputs - you'll have what you're looking for.

There are hundreds of reviews below so I won't repeat them. Suffice it to say that this unit will allow you to dial up any sound you hear in your head or have every heard from another amp. There isn't anything that it won't do. That statement is in relation to the amp model tones/gain stages/ and overdrive sounds. The efx are pretty much what you would expect, general digital sounding patches that are fully adjustable. Other than a real good sounding spring reverb (I use an Orban 111B), this unit does everything else and I've sold my pedals. I'm still holding onto my Boss V-wah until I get my Vox VC-12 footpedal (on it's way) to see if the wah functions/sounds are usable, and then I'll get rid of the Boss V-wah as well. Ah - I like reducing gear to it's essentials, less wires, less fuss and muss.... If you want to record, there is no better device out there than the Tonelab, and if you aren't into saving hundreds of patches, just set it to manual mode, tweak the sounds you want, and press the record button.

Appears to be built like a tank - the other Vox gear I've had has held up very well.

I've not dealt with support for my various Vox products - believe it or not they all worked just fine including my first run Vox AD120VT amp, which will shortly be going to it's new owner (sniff).

Buy one used for around $250, you will be very happy with what you can do with this device, including using it as a front end to drive other amps. It's complete stereo so 2 amps will do the trick, or plug it into a mixer and into a recording setup. Tip - use an old DBX 117, 118 or 119 to eliminate any noise from the unit without changing the attack or tone in any way. You can find them on Ebay for around $50 (don't pay more). The DBX is my secret weapon - much better than any noise reduction althought the Tonelab has it built-in. Unless you absolutely must have a floor-standing unit (Tonelab SE), get the Tonelab and mate it to a VC-4 or VC-12 footpedal, save the bucks and play your heart out - the Tonelab will work for you. Forget the Pod and the other modelers, I've had them all and they don't hold a candle to the Tonelab - way to go Vox!

Recently brought home a Lind 6 pod XT, and a Vox Tonelab for A/B comparison to see which one would ultimatley make it into mysetup...

Lets put down the steps to get good tone from this unit:

1) Plug into amp or Powered PA cabinet (perefer PA cab)

2) plug in guitar

3) turn on tonelab and amp/pa

4) hit both the down and up arrows at once

5) turn knob to desired amp/cab

6) tweak EQ

7) add effects

8) play

How do you save patches? Same way, just add step 9) press three times, enter in patch name, then press write and the bank you want to write too.

Compared to the PODxt, I had a good tone in 15 minutes, the XT, I needed over an hour!


Now if you wanted to use this thing as a pedal... you would have one, or the SE. So it gets a 10 beacue Vox cares.

numerous setups revealed incredible sounds. The only problem I had was pluging into the effect loop of my dual rectifier. This created a lot of noise and just wasn't very useful.

The amp models are pretty much dead on. The speaker cab modeling could be a little better, and the high gain (soldano OD and Recto) modes could be improved a bit more. In fact I felt that the Recto mode was closer to a Rivera Knucklehead than a true rectifier. The Vox AC30 model was perfect! (clips from direct in recordings can be found at www.rolodexmusic.net after Nov. 30 2004)

The multihead echo sounds so incredibly like a real Vox Multihead echo! (I actually had the pleasure of playing one of those for a while.) The Treble Booster patch...well lets just say that for that effect alone it makes the TL worth getting! Why? A real one will cost you over $300!!!! And the emulation is pretty damn good. The Univibe is pretty solid as well......but the best job of modeling this thing does it the AC30... no modeling unit I have ever heard can recreate the classic class A tone than this unit...I would have been very disapointed if vox did any less on it's own amp.


Only gets an 8 because no modeling unit can ever replace a real amp, and the fact that the highgain models are really not all that great.

As I said in my review of the PODxt... its a computer, I don't trust them. Would I gig without a backup? Since I gig with it in my effects chain of my Mesa boogie dual rec....I already do gig with a backup!

Vox are wonderful people to deal with. Their shpping service is very speedy, and they usually have an answer for my questions.

I use various gibson and epiphones over the last 15 years, and have played through many amps from Vox AC30/AC15, Redknob twins, JCM800 2 channels, today a Knucklehead Rivera with a Los Lobottom cab, and my current fav: a Mesa Dual Rectifier. I play a variety of styles, and my band seems to incorperate a lot of them into our sound.

My current stage setup goes:

Guitar - vox wah - ibanez lofi - boss tremelo- danelectro danecho - korg ampworks - tonelab - mesa boogie
in the effects loop I got - boss flange, danelectro cool cat

all effects besides the vox wah, lofi, trem, and danecho are contained in a effects rack for ease of setup and use.

I have a VC4 floorboard and the mesa floorboard that I use on a regular basis.

This unit is the best modeling unit out there right now! Definatly gives Line6 a run for their money.

Not very easy to use, takes time to find to sounds you want. But, so it should!! Everybody has their ideal tone, and you wont find it easy to get. No effect unit is a magic box which sounds good to everybody and through every amp straight away.

I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard 1996, with SD 59s fitted, then the tonelab, then instead of an amp I use two powered monitor speakers.
The monitor have a very flat response, which gives me an exact representation of the sound out of the Tonelab. THIS IS INPORTANT - I SWITCH THE AMP/LINE SWITCH TO AMP. This gives me a much more bassy sound than the 'line' setting. YOU SHOULD TRY BOTH SWITCH SETTINGS.

The sounds quality I get is exceptional. If you tweat the Tonelab you should be able to get the sounds get want. I play - blues, hard rock, metal, and occasionally clean stuff. This can do all these styles very well. The only drawback is the harmonics aren't as good I would would like them to be. The delays and reverbs are good. The chorus is very good. The main advantage is there are two gain controls - One effectively controls the preamp gain (GAIN), and the other controls the power amp gain (VGAIN). This allow you to blend the sound to your desired taste. The VGAIN gives a more compressed, bassy sound. The GAIN control gives a more distorted trebly sound. Also there are effects pedals which you can use including overdrive effects, and others.

Seems very good built, like a tank. Definately Vox styling.

NA

Best digtal effects unit there is, for now...

easy to use

i wrote a review here for this product some time ago , and said that it was dissapointing and unrealistic .
well , after having spent hundreds of hours tweaking it and recording with it , i now have to say that it is the most fantastic piece of equipment ive ever owned .
it truly makes the POD sound like it has a blanket over it .
absolutely awesome !
one tip - roll back the VR gain slightly and cut the prescence - this takes away the very high end treble when using high gain models . totally transformed my sounds by doing this .

cool

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i play mailny metal - marshall , soldano and boogie models are fantastic ( as are all the others ). i also dabble with the tweed and bassman sounds .
i had gotten so used to using modellers over the last few years that i had forgotten what a real tube amp sounds like (including the negative aspects ) - using this has reminded me of all the pros and cons , and when you realise that you have to treat this like a real tube amp to get the best sounds its fantastic .
you cant treat it like a POD ( where any setting produces an acceptable sound ) .
i own 8 different gibson models , and until i started using the vox i didnt realise how different they all sound ( thru the POD they all sounded nearly identical ) .

Extremely easy to understand an use. I've owned quite a few products over the years and this is perhaps the most straight-forward, advanced piece of gear I've ever used.
Adjustable parameters are directly accessible and very easy to comprehend. Indeed, I ended up reading the product manual more for the fascinating historical information on all the modelled amplifiers and cabinets. The Tonelab was obviously designed by guitartists for guitartists. I've never owned a piece of gear which was so well layed out and so intuitively simple to use.

The best sounding guitar preamp (for my taste) I've ever used...I've owned an ADA MP1 and a SansAmp PSA1 in the past.

I kind of bought this unit on a whim after reading various reviews (Electronic Musician and Guitar Player) and feeling a little bored after 7 years with my Tech21 SansAmp PSA-1. I was looking for richer and more authentic tube tones and this unit did not disappoint!

The Tonelab does a fantastic job emulating the old Vox tube sounds and this was the precise sweet-spot I was aiming for. While the other emulations (Marshall, Fender & Mesa) and also extremely good, the Vox ones are stunningly good. I've been struggling with trying to recreate the sound and feel of bands from Beatles to Radiohead with my current gear. Within five minutes and one run through the Tonelad presets, my search was over. The effects are also better than I expected and very easy to comprehend and operate.

Full, deep, rich and sweet are the words which come to mind when contemplating the sounds which flow from the Tonelab. While my PSA-1 could produce similar sounds, they were never this authentic and even more importantly, I would have to tweak the box endlessly to even approximate the sounds which the Tonelab produces without a fuss.

For my wants/needs, this unit was absolutely 100% spot on.

Made like a tank!..brushed aluminum with very little plastic. I've only owned it for two weeks and so far no problems or complaints.

Never had a reason to contact support.

I'm a 41 year old male who's been playing since I was 10. I currently play a G&L Legacy and a Yamaha SG2000. I use this unit soley for recording, practice and threatening the neighbors.

Criticisms:

1) I wish the ditial output S/P DIF connector was RCA instead of Toslink.
2) I wish the Tonelab had word clock for the digital output.
3) The unit uses 20bit D/A & A/D converters and while it sounds stunning, I irrationally wanted to see 24bit on the specs. Yeah, I know this is stupid since I gave the Tonelad a score of "10" on sound quality.

Overall: This is the perfect preamp for me. The Tonelab effortlessly creates the sounds I've been looking to record for years. It's built like a tank and it's extremely easy to understand and use. This unit never gets in my way...I have an idea of the sound I want and the Tonelab always seems to deliver.

I wouldn't consider the Tonelab as the most versatile preamp on the block. I think my PSA-1 probably has a greater variation of sounds it can produce (after mucking with the front panel for ten minutes) however I like the sound of the Tonelab better. Also, as I said above, the Vox emulations are slightly better than others and the effects, while perfectly mated to the unit, do not have the endless pages of adjustable parameters available on some units.

Conversely, my experience with other pieces of equipment has made me realise that such complexity often gets in the way of making/playing music. Once again, the Vox Tonelab never gets in my way...it just works and sounds great along the way.

If you want the sound of old British & American tube amps, you can't go wrong with the Tonelab. If you want to approximate every amp ever created and endless effects options, you'll probably want to look elsewhere.

Easiest to use from all amp modellers I've tested. Every parameter has it's own knob. There are some hidden parameters, but these can be edited with the software.

I don't care about a 'tube sound' or how well it simulates real amps. I was just looking for a good guitar tone to record directly into my pc (without annoying my neighbours :), and the Vox did very well compared to PodXT, Adrenalinn and Boss GS10. The others had more amp models and fx, but none of them sounded as warm and powerful as the Tonelab. What's the use of more amp models if they don't sound right!?

I don't have it long enough to comment, but it seems very well built.

Not dealt with them yet.

If it was stolen I would buy another or maybe wait for a more professinal version. As good as the amp models are, there some things lacking which would make it ideal for recording to pc. I think about the tempo syncable fx of the Adrenalinn or a USB connection to re-amp guitar sounds. All in all, if a good amp simulation for direct recording is the most important feature you're looking for, then Tonelab is the one to go for!

I have been in search of the best direct recording device since the POD 1.0. I have owned all 3 versions of the POD, a Digitech RP 100, a Johnson J Station, two Pandoras, and some other devices that I cannot remember. So, I was very tentative about purchasing yet another modeler. For ease of use, this compares well with the others, except that it is hard to tell what settings have been selected for the patches. I wish it had a scroll wheel like the Pandora, and I wish you could click thru the settings for the patches.

One word. OUTSTANDING. I have used it in recording applications, with headphones for practice, and through almost all of my amps live (VOX AC-15; Fender Deluxe; Marshall JCM 2000, Ampeg Jet). Compared with the devices mentioned above (see ease of use), well, there really is no comparison. This box is all about tone, and it truly what it lacks in features, it makes up for in tone.

Seems pretty well made. I have several electronic devices made in China...including the high end Mac Powerbook that I am using right now. So far, so good, but the jury is still out.

No experience.

I play in a metal band. I record my own jazz/prog music (http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer), and I play in a worship band. So I have a bunch of guitars and amps for all occasions. I own four classic Rickenbackers, two American Strats, three Les Pauls including a 58 Historic Figuretop (all of them recent Gibsons, not Epis), a reissue Jazzmaster, and a Guild Starfire. I have played for 36 years continually, so I have lots of stuff. I really am enamoured by this Tonelab. It simply sounds terrific from pristine clean Fender tones to triple rectifier Boogie mayhem. It is way more accurate and convincing than the POD, and it works much better live than my POD ever did. My POD seemed to have its own mind when it came to setting volume levels in the memory. The POD also sounds boxy and fizzy when wound up. Even the effects and the reverbs on the Tonelab are well voiced--with the possible exception of the tremolo which I can't seem to get quite right. But the most important things, the amp models and the speaker models, are amazing. They capture the character of their prototypes very well. Again, if the display offered more information, this would easily get a 10. I tried the software using my Mac and everything worked fine, but unlike the POD, you do not need the computer interface to accomplish deep editing. It can all be done with the unit itself. I am going to reassemble my pedal board and make this its centerpeice.

I can't really imagine a modular that's easier to use. Just turn the knobs till you're happy! Cause you'll be happy! I have not tried the TL PC editor yet so I won't say anything about that.

Here's the most important part. I use a Sadowsky Stratocaster, ENGL Screamer 50H, Marshall 1922 and lots of pedals on live gigs and I'm really happy with that. But i've been looking for something for my studio and although Amplitube sounds great i missed having a little box on my desk so I decided to try out the TL. (And something The must fun about having the hardware is that it's easier to turn the knobs as you play rather than using the mouse all the time and experiment with new sounds. When I first turned it on and hit a chord I understood why so many talk warm about this unit. It actually had some of the feeling you get from a all tube amp. It did not sound as digital as i expected from it, which of course is a good thing. The clean sounds are warm and you can get a nice twang or a more flow like sound. The crunch is just how i like it. Really dirty and if you like to play around you can add a lot of chorus and get a real 80's funk sound. I like that :-) The lead channels are ok. It doesn't come near my ENGL, but i'd never expect that from something digital anyway. It tends to get a little thin and is not too tight when you turn up the gain knob. The effects are easy to use and sounds great. The only negative thing is that I'd like it to be more delay types, but I just use my DD20 when I want to play The Edge stuff. Works great. I give it a 9 because of the lack of power on the hi gain channels.

So far so good.

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First off, I will say that I was looking at the XT and this sucker before buying. The reviews which I read on here are what led me to buy the Tonelab instead, and I am very pleased with my decision. It is fairly easy to get a good sound of this unit, all it takes is a good ear, and a basic knowledge of pedals/processors. The ability to write in your own names/labels for your custom tones really appeals to me, and makes them very easy to sort/find.

I run this thing threw a few different guitars, and I must say its fantastic! I have so many of my favorite artists tones so close to the originals that is it almost disgusting. The built in noisegate works great, eliminating whatever amount of buzz/hiss from the different distortion levels you can dial in. The pedals are great, and every different amp model and cab model sounds a good deal different, unlike some processors Ive played on. The fx are great, giving you all of the fields any decent pedal would provide to you(Speed, Depth, Level, Tone, Feedback etc). The only effect I can complain about is the phaser, I cant seem to dial in that light Phase 90 tone Eddie used on his leads.

This thing is absolutely amazing and I dont think Ill ever go back to anything else. I plan on buying a nice tube power amp and running this baby through a 4x12. I highly recommend anyone looking to buy this, does so without hesitation.

I have only had it for a couple of weeks now(waited atleast that long to discover its tones/downfalls) and I have good faith in this little box. Vox and Korg are very good and highly thought of companies, but only time will tell.

I play Metal, Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz, Classical, the works. Ive been playing for around 2.5-3 years, and I can tell the difference between your buddies Marshall MG and his Plexi. I am very anal about my tone and this thing is just wonderful...all the different distortions, cleans, overdrives I dial in with this are absolutely amazing. My favorite thing on it has to be the cab models, which seem to be the key to unlocking all those tones you love, and discovering your own. This unit just screams tube tone. It doesnt sound as good through an amp as it does straight into a mixer/computer but I would safely assume this is because I have not taken the time to work on the EQs on my amp to suit the Tonelab. Go buy this thing now, I really doubt youll be disappointed. :)

HANG ON A SECOND! I wrote that I controlled Volume and Wah via a Roland MIDI controller. At the moment, I can't seem to turn the Volume control OFF on selected patches, so the pedal wah function is therefore useless (as the volume changes simultaneously), except for subtle soundscape textures. I'm sure I'll work out how to do this, I'm just not very good with MIDI. However, do not assume a third party MIDI controller will work just because I said so! You will only have limited control anyway because on the VOX controller you can tap the delay times and activate the tuner among other things.

Very well thought out. This is the most intuitive effects unit I have ever come across. Just twiddle the knobs until it sounds good, then press WRITE twice to store a program. I got rid of the J-Station because I couldn't remember all the numbers and secret handshakes you had to do to change the effects. This takes me seconds. A monkey could use it. I know, I am a monkey.

I play a stock American Series Fender Strat, straight into the Tonelab, and control patch changes and dynamics (wah, volume etc.) with a (borrowed) Roland MIDI pedalboard. It works a treat but I wish I had some different guitars to play through it, like a Gretsch and a Tele. I preferred this unit because it felt like I was really connected to it. I could detect what felt like a slight latency with the POD XT. This thing really feels like an old fashioned piece of hardware. The sounds are juicy and warm, with plenty, although not extreme tonal flexibility. The effects 'pedal' section really sound excellent (I can vouch for the authenticity of the RAT emulation) and I've found the Treble Boost to be absolutely invaluable in giving my tone a kick up the rear end. The modulations are also great, and the delay section works a dream, although you can't manipulate it to the full extent of say a BOSS DD3 or Line 6 DM4. The reverb algorithms, although perfectly useable, are nowhere near as good as Line 6's, and with only a sensible amount of control. The valve in the output stage is said to add more 'warmth'. That is subjective, but it does add more bass, top end and crunch when pushed over half way.

It feels rock solid, and the only thing I can really see going wrong is the valve burning out, but I'm sure that won't happen for years.

They didn't provide the editing software on a CD. Bad VOX. But they do have it as a free download. I haven't got internet access so this is a bummer.

I play pop, rock, folk, alternative guitar. Lots of spranging twanging and delayed textures. The Tonelab is now my one and only tone source. It's not as versatile as it should be, but the sound, especially with the crisp, grinding presence of the valve, has the closest sound and feel to playing a real amp of anything out there. The POD and POD XT are amazing pieces of kit, but they both sound like you're playing a RECORDING of a guitar. This seems to turn your stereo, PA, monitor etc. into a guitar amp.

ABOUT ME: I have been playing guitar for about 14 years. I primarily use an Australian made Soundworks Custom guitar with Brazilian mahogany body and Canadian rock maple top. Pickups are HB-SC-HB and are all Seymours. I have used many different amplifiers including Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Peavey, Fender and Soldano. I have also had a lot of luck with a Yamaha DG212 100 watt digital amp. Before purchasing the ToneLab I spent a lot of time testing the Line6 PODxt, Behringer Vamp Pro, Tech21 Trademark 300 and Yamaha DG Stomp.

I play rock, fusion, progressive metal, alternative pop/rock and whatever people ask me to play. My tonal demands are varied and very well defined. I am using the ToneLab (TL) straight into the digital SPDIF input of my DSP C-Port 2000 soundcard. I record audio via Cakewalk Sonar. I am using the Sound Editor software downloaded from the Vox site. I highly recommend this software for a few reasons outlined below. If you are at all interested in the person writing this review check out my music website http://members.optushome.com.au/sonicart

SOUND EDITOR and PHYSICAL KNOBS: Firstly, the software makes editing sound patches extremely efficient and far simpler than using the dials on the unit. Having said this, the controls on the unit itself are quite simple. The only failing is that when you change patches the knob positions have no bearing on the actual patch settings.

Motorised pots (like the Soldano X99 and Yamaha DG Amp series) would have been cool but expensive. A cheaper option would be infinite dial knobs rather than fixed position. Changes would be made with one touch to activate and read the setting and put the ToneLab in edit mode for that particular variable. A second touch would modify the setting before being written to memory. Simple. Unfortunately, it is not what Vox decided to implement.

Secondly, the Sound Editor software is a great way to manage your Patch library. If you are anything like me the first thing you do when testing out a multi patch unit is to filter through a few sounds you like and then start building your own banks of sounds minus all the sounds that do not apply to your own taste and style. The sound editor software makes it extremely simple to manage your own settings whilst not losing the ability to roll back to previous versions.

No matter how Vox organised the knobs on the ToneLab I can?t imagine any solution simpler than the Sound Editor software, so it might be best they didn?t spend too much money on motorised knobs. However, the infinite dial option would not have cost much at all, surely.

One thing that is definitely missing is a patch audition function allowing a user to listen to the currently dialled patch vs. the original patch to check if modifications are making the intended improvements or not. It is something that I find very useful that the ToneLab does not have which forces you to make two copies of a patch and then modify one before comparing it to the original.

CONSTRUCTION: As far as construction and design goes, I wish the ToneLab was a rack mounted device. It takes up a substantial footprint at my desk and I am not a fan of desktop sound gear due to the increased likelihood of spillages etc ? no matter how careful one tries to be, a unit is always safer mounted in a rack case than on a desk surface. It would also aid mobility greatly. The ToneLab SE is not relevant to my needs as it is too bulky and does not have digital outputs. Vox, please build me a rack unit incorporating the extra sound choice features of the SE model! Until then I am considering a second tier shelf on my desktop to put the ToneLab and similar devices out of harms way.

INTITIAL IMPRESSIONS: The ToneLab does produce valve like tone, and the tone is faithfully reproduced when recording via my STAudio DSP2000 Soundcard. I didn?t like terribly many of the presets and only migrated half a dozen across to my own personal bank of sounds. I have a pretty good understanding of guitar amps and have played through many of those that are being modelled so didn?t really need the guide tones to get started. The presets aren?t bad, but they just aren?t suitable for my playing.

Within two hours of turning on the ToneLab I had dialled up a very convincing Soldano SLO100 patch, a very accurate Satriani Lead tone, a very thick Mesa Boogie Rectifier tone as well as some very classy fusion style cleans and some great traditional Vox breaking apart overdriven tones. I have not achieved a very good ACDC rock tone yet, but I only spent a minute or so trying. I did get a great Marshall JCM patch from the yahoo ToneLab group and would encourage any ToneLab owner to join and participate in this forum. In short, the tones are very usable and extremely convincing. They are not perfect but they are the best modelling tones on the market today.

EFFECTS: The effects are a little bit hit or miss. I really like the reverbs; they remind me of the really warm reverbs on my Yamaha DG212 combo. The delays are really nice too, and I am especially fond of the tape echo. The compressor is okay, but gets noisy if you dial in too high settings. I don?t know why this is but it is completely annoying. However, I was able to tame it and actually make it usable. Bottom line, the compressor works, but isn?t fantastic ? if anyone knows how to get around this please let me know. Tube OD is modelled on the tube screamer, and is pretty good. Treble Boost is an excellent effect that I had a lot of luck with making some great amp tones. There are some others, but these are the ones I found most useful. The Fat OD looks promising as well, though I haven?t used it much yet. I don?t use many effects in my Mesa rig, so I am certainly not going to use many in a ?virtual? setting. The good news is that the ToneLab sounds are good even without effects applied ? unlike the PODxt which seems to hide bad digital artefacts under mountains of effects for most of the presets.

12AX7 TUBE SUBSTITUTION: I had read many user reviews of the ToneLab and heard various sound clips prior to purchase. I decided that I would also purchase an additional 12AX7 Valve to replace the stock component of the ToneLab. After a few hours of messing around with the ToneLab I installed a Mesa Boogie 12AX7. The results were a smoother tone, with a more focussed upper range and a slightly tighter bottom end. I found the tone to be improved by the tube replacement. Your mileage may vary, as may your taste in what makes a good tone. For me, the results were positive.

If you want to do this yourself you will need a hex key (allen key) to remove the Perspex cover. Make sure the ToneLab is turned off and disconnected from the power supply before beginning this process. Gently pull at the valve until it detaches from the base unit. The valve is a glass globe like device, so be gentle! At the base are a few pins that plug into a white circular plate. The pins are configured something like a larger PS2 female connector but without the rectangle block ? ie the pins form a partial circle. When you replace the valve you just need to make sure you line it up properly and gently slide it in to place. Replace the Perspex cover, power the unit on and you should be fine!

Warning: I don?t recommend or discourage this process, so if you blow up your hardware, too bad. I have also heard of one user?s ToneLab not producing any sound after making the change. Be warned, and take responsibility for yourself! It is not essential you do this, though, as the ToneLab sounds pretty good out of the box if you know what you are doing with preset configuratio

No idea.

I don?t know. I have never dealt with Vox, but I believe they are owned by Korg and Yamaha. I have dealt with Yamaha tech support before and was not at all impressed. I have no experience with Korg or Vox but I can say that Vox have not answered an email I sent them two months ago regarding a few technical issues.

OPINION: The ToneLab is a tool to achieve a certain outcome, and the tone is certainly good enough for me to record my song ideas and present them with the best sound possible given I do not live in a professional recording studio and have Bob Rock as my own personal producer and sound engineer.

OTHER PRODUCTS: I also tried out a Line 6 PODxt and have discovered why the Microsoft Word spell checker tries to auto correct the model name from PODxt to ?poxy?. The PODxt has some good clean and hybrid sounds, but the distortions and lead tones are just unusable. It is massively overpriced given the output tone quality. I figure they spend many, many research and development hours on microphone and cabinet emulation options and have forgotten that the root tone of the guitar amp modellers is the most important element of any tone generator.

Some people swear by the POD units, but I have never been a fan. I have also never had much use for Vox gear though, so I am not exactly biased one way or the other. I have used many brands of gear and don?t really care what the label says ? I know what I like to hear.

The Behringer Rack Vamp made some nice distorted tones but they were more of a caricature rather than a useful recording tone. They are the kind of sounds you can just dial through and play for a while for fun but shouldn?t really be set free upon the listening public. Again, I know other people that are very happy with the Vamp Pro. The Tech 21 Trademark 300 was completely not what I was looking for and I have reviewed that elsewhere. The amp simulation via XLR sounded fake to me, and not at all warm.

The Yamaha DG Stomp is a limited unit, and although I love my Yamaha DG212 combo, the DG Stomp doesn?t create the sorts of sounds I want in a direct recording format. Neither does the XLR output on my DG212. I use the DG212 for rehearsals and smaller live shows. It is a great amp for that purpose. The cabinet simulation of the DG212 and the DG Stomp just lacked something to make it sound real. The ToneLab does not.

I also own a Korg PX4. Direct recording from the PX4 is fun and easy and you can actually run it in stereo to your recording console if you have the right cables. It actually produces some good tones, and I would rate it above the Behringer and the DG Stomp as well as the Tech 21 offerings when used for direct recording. The POD possibly produces nicer sounds but so it damn well should at that price. I like my PX4 for practice and personal jamming. It rocks! I never actually bought it for direct recording, but just gave it a go to see how it would fare. For many hobby guitarists it would certainly be adequate for direct recording as well as performing many practice functions as well.

BOTTOM LINE: I believe that the ToneLab is good enough that I can record with it, and then show people the results without saying ?yeah it is okay but wait until I record it with my Mesa?? Not having to justify a tone is an indication that it is a good tone. Can you use something without explaining why and making excuses? I call that the ?justify? test. I feel that using the ToneLab for recording is justified. I would definitely go out and buy another one if this device was stolen by aliens. I would never use it live. I have a purpose built fireball from heaven in the form of a Mesa Dual Rectifier that suits the live environment perfectly?

USER FORUM: Link to the Yahoo ToneLab user?s group: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ToneLab/ You will find much discussion of the product as well as many mp3 clips of home users as well as ToneLab patches in the TLP file format. Get in there amongst it and upload some of your own files. Communities are only as strong as user input.

I have played guitar for over 10 years, styles include blues, 70's-modern rock, British heavy metal, anything that is challenging on guitar. The past few years I've spent most of my time playing with distortion for a Randy Rhoads, Adrian Smith, Dan Huff type tone.

I have owned far too much gear, Marshall and Laney valve amps/heads, stompboxes, almost every modeller that has been made as well as modelling amps (AX2, Valvetronix, Flex2/3, Sansamp). I am a IT engineer and am fascinated in digital modelling and recording technologies - infact I spend far too much time tweaking (and Ebaying) musical toys with flashing lights on than playing!

I have given up on the band scene and nowadays I just want an amazing guitar tone at home volume, eg the same as you hear from my studio monitors if you listen to a commercial album.

The Tonelab looks the business. Much prettier in person than in the photos.

Turning off all FX I was very surprised to find that comparing the overall sound of the Tonelab and PodXT was like comparing apples and apples. Very similar really. The Tonelab has slightly more treble and clarity, which certainly helps the clean and crunch tones creep ahead of PodXT and for clean/crunch the tones from the Tonelab are very usable for recording. But the heavier distortions are less complex by a long way in texture compared to the PodXT and more buzzy. The high gain tones in the Tonelab seem very similar between all the amp models and the stompbox distortions dont do much to change the tone, just seems to add more of the same distortion. I think Line6 have the lead in authenticity of character with distorted amp sims.

The cabsims sound pretty much the same as any other modeller out there. In my opinion, heavy handed in high cut which gives a very dull sound to tape no matter where you put the tone controls on a modelling unit. Nowhere near the clarity of a SM57 up against a real guitar amp. Again, clean and crunch tones dont suffer too much in this area because you can set the cabsim to no cab and get a nice clear bright sound without it being harsh (like would happen if you set a distorted sound to no cabsim).

The FX (reverbs, delays, chorus - forte of any modeller) are not as good as the PodXT (which has a very pro sounding reverb) but is more authentic than the GNX series.

The VR Gain knob adds more distortion, bass and treble to the tone, I guess this is simply overdriving the valve slightly to grit up the signal post cabsim which gives a bit of high end back into the output compared to PodXT. I tried swapping the tube between EH, a Harma STR and a Chinese Ei and unlike others have mentioned, I could not note any real change in tone.

I tried it into my current guitar amps (Laney TT 1x12, Marshall MG). Ensuring cab sim was off and the output setting were correct I found that the Tonelab suffers the same as the PodXT into an amplifier. Both units suffer from a distinct lack of real bass/mid/treble alteration range resulting in a bland mid-based tone all the time. And a distant quality is always there. Compare the range of the eq on PodXT/Tonelab units to any guitar preamp or guitar distortion pedal and you'll find a basic pedal has a very large range in bass and treble to shape the tone - the sound from a distortion pedal+amp is totally in your face compared to distant sound of a modeller. Cranking the bass or treble does not considerable change the overall tonal character of the Tonelab/PodXT. Bear in mind these units are designed primarily as recording tools and I dont think the same signal translates well to being run direct into an amplifier. The Tonelab Line/Amp switch seems to be just a high filter switch. I found the Amp setting too dark for any of my amps even with the amps treble and presence on full (sounded like a blanket was over the speaker).

I a/b between the Tonelab+guitar amps and a good distortion pedal+guitar amp while a friend was over and we both decided there was no comparis

Read the manual-- very well written. Go to it and have fun.

Quality is great. I use an American made strat, a Gibson es345 reissue and a Taylor 414ce. My Basses are a Nathan East by Yamaha and a Gary Willis by Ibanez. I go into my cube amp inserts and go into my mac thru a tascam 122 into Peak, Garageband and Deck. Also record onto my Boss 1600. Tweak it and you'll find it.

Seems very dependable

Great manual, good website

Jazz, Blues, Standards, Rock, Country. It does it all

It's easy to use and get a good sound out of it, but maybe not so easy to get the sound *you* want. As far as working the controls it's simple, but it takes an understanding of what's going on "under the hood" to really tune in the tone you're lookng for.

If you take the time to experiment and learn its quirks (maybe like 30 hours) you'll come to get what you want out of it pretty quickly.

Here we come to my main reason for writing this review. The bad opinions I have read here reflect the inexperience of the writers more than anything else. People talk about "tone" when they play through 5 pedals and their guitar's strung so low that a passing mosquito drowns it out acoustically.

I'll jump straight to the conclusion here then fill it out. As an amp modeler nothing made today touches the ToneLab. I won't even mention the others except to say that the only thing I've heard that's nearly as good is the AmpliTube software plug.

What makes the ToneLab best? Simple, it's the models and the controls interaction with them. The Valve Reactor stuff is a good idea and it does a good job of simulating power amp responses in the real world; but really it's the software running on the DSP chips that's giving you the frequency and dynamic response of a real amp.

Is it perfect? Well if it were there wouldn't be a single complaint from anyone here, you'd be able to just turn it on and sound like anything you'd like. Every amp manufacturer would go out of business. So what went wrong?

Well, sometimes you can have too much control. Vox/Korg 'could' have put out a unit on which it was impossible to get a bad sound, but they didn't. They gave us enough flexibility in the controls to get more sounds than the actual amps are capable of. Too bad that control didn't extend to the effects.

My recipe for getting great sounds out of ToneLab is to turn the effects off. It would be unfair to say they "sucked", but my own pedals and outboard effects are not only better, they give me the flexibility I need. Sure the plate reverb is a great algorithm, but there are only 2 or 3 usable settings for it.

Probably the biggest problem with too much control (and the effects) is that you can overload the input to the effects quite easily. I would guess that all the complaints of "digital noise" here are the result of a too-hot signal going into the reverb section. See if turning off the reverb doesn't clean those up.

Another problem is that, like anything else, Tonelab is going to sound and feel different depending on guitar, pickups, set up, and player. On top of that it's going to sound different going through different playback systems. My headphones are Sennheiser HD600. The sounds I hear through those I can duplicate on hard disk recording. But you have to spend some time setting levels into and out of the ToneLab to get the sound you want, and do it again when you change patches. Tough break, but it goes to prove the point: you can't just buy "good tone", you need to work at it.

If you're thinking about buying one don't go by the presets. The unit is capable of a lot more but the programmers played it safe for the sales floor. Once you know how you can get much more bass, volume, distortion, and yes, noise. It all depends what you plug into it and what you plug it into.

Well, I haven't said half of what I wanted to here (looks like a web page is in order) but I hope I made the point. The proof of any guitar amp sound quality is in the clean sounds. Use a real fuzz, wah, and reverb and the ToneLab will give you the best amp simulations available today.

My rating is only 9 because if there were no effects we'd have all the processing power for models. Korg's little AmpWorks has a "112BLK" cabinet model that really belongs here.

Sturdy case, pots and jacks seem to be of reasonable quality for this price range. Mine doesn't heat up much so I expect it will last at least as long as my other digital gear has. My Akai S1000 is getting pretty old now and it still works fine.

I wouldn't really use something like this on a gig. I think it's sad that a guitarist would.

Customer support is always directly related to the price paid for goods. People are totally unrealistic about that. If you've ever had the responsibility for answering the phone at a job you'd know that people call for the dumbest things.

Korg does a decent job with customer support. E-mail is the best option for questions, though it make take a week or so for an answer. If you think you need to return your unit, I'd get on the phone.

I've been playing all styles of music for over 30 years. Tonelab works well for everything except classical.
I've played all the amps modeled except the Dumble. I've never heard 2 Marshalls that sounded exactly the same, however, all 9 volt batteries sound the same to me when they're new.
My main amp is a Rivera TBR-1 (the original "boutique" amp). It's probably the best Ebay buy there is today. When I needed cash I chose to sell my Tweed Twin instead of the Rivera; I think that says it all.
I've got Strats, Teles, and Humbucker/P-90 Gibsons.

I hope Vox does a "ToneLab Pro". A rack mount, able to do 2 amps at once. The best guitar sound I've ever had was with a Twin/Marshall combination. Too bad I can't do that at home.

Before the ToneLab I had a Tech 21 PSA-1. It's a great unit and I recommend it to those who are looking for distorted sounds only. It does everything well except Vox tones, but for clean/ semi-clean, the ToneLab is much richer.

Compared to everything else that's available, and for the price the ToneLab is a great value. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is that the editor program is Windows only. I would appreciate that portion of my money back.

Keep an eye on Google for a possible "ToneLab Tips" web page around Summer '04. I still have a lot to say.

This unit is very intuitive and easy to use. There are very few menus to scroll through. You may want to consult the manual for a few parameters, as some amp models make different uses of the tone controls.

I own a number of multieffect units, and this unit ranks up there as one of the best for direct recording. I find its sound to be more realistic than that of the Pod 2.0.

I bought it used and have used it for a few weeks with no problems.

I have had no reason to consult with Customer Support, so I have no comment.

I have been playing for about 40 years and own a ton of gear. I have recorded with this unit, and it sounds great. I own a number of amps, both stock and handmade. This unit is a great replacement for the amps, especially when volume is an issue. The sound quality, coupled with the ease of quickly dialing in your tone, makes the Tonelab a winner!

I have tried it in a music store, seems well built with easy access to the main settings.

Tested with a Fender strat + headphones.
It's a little bit noisy, but for this range of price i that's ok.
I have mainly evaluated the basic amp emulator settings without all this "toys" effects.
Distortion / amp sim / cab sim / room reverb.

Clear sound are Ok, less muddy than a POD.
However, I was epecting more from this thing, especially for distortions. I mean, that's Ok to work at home, but it doesn't seem to be THE new amp simulator system. Always this sensation "something is missing", "buzzzzyyyy high medium sound".
I compared it to the "old" TUBEMAN (H&K), for the preamp and the cab emulator sections, I don't think that is better.

No opinion, seem very robust.

Never used

I think that it is ok for the price, Ok for home playing or small gig backup, not the ultimate tool to play without guitar amp.

This is an addition to a previous review I posted. I've been playing even more with it now and I really love it. I love how it reacts so well to picking/volume and tone pots. I'm a Brian May/Queen nut and I'm very happy with the Brian may sounds I can get out of this thing. At first I thought it would be disappointing in accuracy area but I really love how well they modeled the Vox amps...

Very simple to use, all knobs on top.
In some ways quicker to use than the pod, since you do not need to scroll through pages to adjust effect settings. However, it is a little more tricky to see what the original value of a setting was when you are adjusting a preset. For some settings, the pod shows you where the knobs were before you moved them.

I got this unit after trying out the podxt. I found the podxt dissapointing for a few reasons. The distortion was very digital to my ears and the compression did not add the sustain I needed. The Tonelab is amazing in these areas. I cannot vouch for how 'realistic' the simulations are, as I do not own any expensive amps. I can say however that the Tonelab reacts to your playing as an amp would, moreso than the pod does. People can split hairs over which amp simulators sound more like the original amps, but I can tell you that overall the Tonelab is a better simulation of an amp than the Pod.

The sound I wanted was an overdriven sound with lots of sustain. The Tonelab does it. It's distortion sounds much more natural and warmer than the Pod, which you notice more the less distortion you use. For metal sounds the pod is fine, (and so is the tonelab), but for cleaner sounds the Tonelab outshines the pod in leaps and bounds.

Here is the problem with the Tonelab, they produced a bunch of bad ones. The first one I had was very noisy and had serious problems picking up radio stations. I checked everything, cables, settings, tried different mixers, and it was definately goofy. I really couldn't believe that it was just naturally that noisy.

When I bought it, most of the sales staff agreed that they wanted the Tonelab to give the pod a run for it's money, but they found that the Pod sounded better, and that the Tonelab was noisy and not as nice. It turns out they had been comparing the pod to a broken Tonelab. (the one I bought)

I brought my Tonelab back, and they ordered me a new one. (excellent customer service). However they tested the old Tonelab and determined that it was fine and resold it to someone else, (who didn't return it.) I guess some people just accept that level of noise as natural for an amp simulator !!

When the new Tonelab came in, I took it home and it was like day and night compared to the first one. It had less noise than a regular amp. It was not picking up radio stations, it did not have strange hissing fits, and it sounded soooo much better overall.

So, reliability is an issue if Korg is putting bad units out on the market. That's the bad news. The good news is that if you get a good Tonelab, it will sound excellent, and will not be noisy. I assume that any previous reviews that claim the Tonelab is noisy, or nasty sounding is a result of someone buying a broken unit. I hope that over time, my unit will not get knocked or banged and then end up like those broken units out there !!

In terms of longevity, it's too early to tell.
In terms of getting a good Tonelab out of the box, this thing gets a 5 out of 10. Shame on you Korg, don't you realize you have made many buyers lose faith in this product !! Look at what happened to Syquest !

No idea, never had to use them.
My local dealer had no problem getting me a new Tonelab even though they did not believe that mine was broken !

Overall I think this unit is much better than the Pod.
I also own a VF1, and the tonelab is much better than that.
(If you add an overdrive pedal to the VF1, it can sound better than a pod due to it's natural distortion, but it is not as flexible as the pod, so it sounds better only for some types of sounds.)

I really wish this unit had an effects loop out so that you could add another effects unit after the pre-amp and before the reverb/modulation effects.

The main reason I wanted to do a review of this thing was because I realized that some units are shipped broken, and I believe that some reviews are of those broken units.

Numerous items here: dials turn smoothly digital readout in one-tenth increments. Easy access to banks with a push of a button to preset sounds, customized sounds, or to manual mode for individual guitar amps and effects. Pushbutton on/off no warm-up time! The manual is nicely illustrated-with the guitarist in mind. The best and easiest I've ever seen!

There is some debate in this category, but for certain (from those who own and USE Tonelab) there is more flexibility in this department than you can attain short in investing in $30-$40k in gear! I can firmly say regarding the ac30tb that the sound vs my 1995 Korg ac30tbx is just as jangely and, obviously more flexible because of the plethera of effects that can come into play. The designers carefully thought this through because though Tonelab is a digital effects unit, the power amps within are 100% analogue. This is due especially to the 12ax7/ecc83 tube/valve output with a REAL output transformer to satisfy! Class A or AB are replicated perfectly through the Valve Reactor. Effects, as in a real-world scenario come into the signal line after the cabinet models--which are in itself an incredible feat of modeling! With a host of different cabinets you can mix and match amps with cabinets which can yield exciting results!

100% perfect to date--no pops, no radio stations (as some have mentioned) no shorts just tone tone TONE!

I've been playing for over 20 years and have gigged mostly with tube amps especially the Vox/Korg ac30tbx. The sound of the ac30tbx is authentic--I play mostly British Invasion stuff. Nothing can beat the tone of the ac30tbx period! The Tonelab, however, embelishes the tone specifically due to the variety of different options. Tones can be embellished individually through possible tweaking of controls that weren't even on the original models! That is to say: you can either tweak an amp like the ac30tb to suit that particular sound, or overdrive it way beyond the perimeters of a vintage or reissue ac30tb or tbx respectively. This medley of interplay is available in all the amp models of Tonelab.

This is a very usable unit. It starts off with some very cool presets, but the most fun is when you get in there yourself and start messing around with the controls yourself. Very, very easy to use.

I love the sounds you can get. I've heard of people getting digital noise, but I've not experienced this problem. I'm using a Godin G-1000 USA series, sounds great through a HSS setup. I have to say to those people who are bashing this thing because it doesn't sound that great through certain amps, you have to experiment. I've tried it through a tube amp and through a solidstate Marshall, and the Marshall sounded better. I suppose it doesnt' change the initial sound as much as a valve amp would. Don't give up, it takes a little bit to get used to how to dial in a sound, but very easy once you figure it out. Give it a chance!

I depend on it, seems solidly built. Don't gig much, but I expect it would hold up as long as it wasn't beaten around.

Never dealt with them.

Overall, it's great.

I posted this before, but it seems it got lost:

About the digital distortion.
Try lowering the mastervolume of the patch. Also some high damping on the reverb will make it sound better.

Simple to use. Very straightforward. Most versatility is found in the "manual" mode, but the presets arent' too bad.

This is where it gets a little complicated. I've tried a lot of modeling tools out there and this is by far the best. The clean and moderately distorted amp tones are excellent. I don't find the high gain sounds to be very useful, but I don't use numetal gain anyway. The amp simulators aren't as great as the amps, but they're good enough. The effects were a really pleasant surprise for me- they are high quality and very useable. The auto wah and treble booster are my favorites. I wish the unit had a bit more bass available, but an outboard eq can help that. For just jamming in the house I feed the tonelab through a boss GE-7 equalizer pedal to pump up the bass a little bit, and then into a summit audio td-100 tube direct box with headphone out. It sounds fantastic through this setup and this is what I've been using so far to get the tonelab into my computer. So here is my only issue with this device: it seems that when using distorted tones there is a little bit of a digital distortion 'grtchh' or crackle that happens when I hit the guitar hard. I have messed with the settings and output levels endlessly to eliminate it, even exchanging it for another tonelab at the music store, but I can't seem to get rid of it. It is very subtle, but it is there, and it is really annoying and prevents me from considering this unit to be a serious recording tool. Too bad, because it has so much potential. If anyone has found a solution, please contact me. I use this with a '73 les paul/ and an sg supreme with p90's.

Other than the ghostly digital distortion, it seems to be pretty solidly built.

I'd like to see the speaker simulators improved and for korg to address the digital distortion issue. I'm going to try a few other 12AX7's in the tube stage to see if that helps. I have tried a 12AX7 from my fender superchamp in the tube stage and it made the clean tones positively beautiful, but rendered the distorted tones way too mushy. I'm going to try eq'ing out the very highest frequencies to see if that helps the digital distortion. For just rocking out, this thing is fantastic and blew my pod pro right onto ebay; 90% of Brian May is in here/ kinks are in here/ early zep is inside so it's clearly a useable unit. For recording and critical applications I'd hesitate, but hopefully I can fix that one pesky issue and really love this thing.

this unit is very easy to use. the knobs are set up in obvious configurations. tweek a knob and unit responds and a "original" led lights if you want to go back to the original saved setting. i figured out most of it without reading..though thats not always smart.

this is the important catagory. i think the sound is truely great. when i tried it at the music store, the stock setting alone sold me on it. the tube makes a huge difference! this unit makes me want to play! the feel is incredible. the stock settings are a good starting point but have found "manual mode" to be my most used setting(manual is when you start from scratch and you select everything in the chain). i have read some complaints about some of the gain settings?? i wonder if they incorporated the "treble boost" pedal in the marshall sound they were trying to get..cuz this thing has gobs of gain! i can only compare it to my rocktron chameleon but this blows that "tubeless" unit out of the water. uk90s amp with a number of cabs sound great..and the versatility is highly advantagous. from pristine clean to thick n raw. i dont need too much effects and this thing serves all my needs. oh..you definitely need to turn the noise reduction on for the high gain setting..mine came defaulted off on some of the high gain settings and i didnt even know it came with a nr..turned it on and my annoyounce went away.

ive only had it 5 days so havent dealt with this issue yet(knock on wood)

havent needed it yet though i am going to visit the vox sight and see what is offered there.

overall i think this unit is going to serve me well. i bought it for my recording projects..pc recording can sound cold and thin..and i write anything from hard rock, metal, country, folk to pop. i needed this to warm up my tracks as well as the versatility of changing sounds without having to scroll through peramaters that are still not obvious to me(on my chameleon). most of my electric gtr need to be recorded direct(married with kids) and this unit blew me away. i wish the unit was cheaper though..of course who doesnt? for vesatlity,size,sound,ease of use, this unit has it all. knock 1 off rating for price.

very easy- all knobs and chicken heads. very few button pushes. analogue interface overall.

I use a Brian Moore guitar (Humbuckers with single coil tap) and a Les Paul Custom. They both sound great with the tonelab. The tonelab is the best modeller I've heard. This thing reacts to your playing and dynamics - just like an amp. I bought it to get a nice high gain presence without all the digital harshness found in other modelers (roland for example). It has stunning presence and brilliance without any harsh tone. For those who think it has a "fizzy" sound- you have to experiment with the VR gain and the tone controls more. I use the tonelab for recording only- through event monitors. It's a little noisy, but not more than an average amp. All the effects are good. There are less parameters to tweak than something like a roland VG-88 (my other modeler)- that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you want to control. Since I use it for recording only, I don't use the effects too much. I just wanted it for the amps and that's why I'm so pleased.

seems solid, but I have no idea really. Buy some extra tubes for sure though!

seems weak. there are two sites for patches, however. The yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ToneLab/ and the valvetronix group (similar product to the tonelab) http://www.patchtronix.com. Soon more people will be sharing patches I hope!

for recording guitar direct, I am extremely pleased. I am an electric guitar tone freak and I couldn't stand recording direct until I got the tonelab. I love the Optical outs (S/P dif). If it was stolen I would order another right away.

Very easy..more playing less Tweaking.

Well this is the best Digital Modeller available.
But as you all know,it's not completely digital,now is it.
Only one Tube,but enough to make this unit sound like a guitar amplifier,unlike the POD products.

I use the three main guitars with the Tonelab.....a LPaul,a Tele,and a Strat.They all sound different,they all sound good.

The effects....more than enough,my old POD XT had way to many that I never even bothered to use.

I have to rate the sound quality a 10,because this is the best there is at the moment,so it cant be a 9.
I would rate my old POD XT a 6,5 in this category.

Too soon to tell.

Very dissapointing indeed.
VOX dont even have a Forum available for us clients to use for communicating with one another.
As for the VOX Talks Forum.....no thankyou....I've stopped talking about the Beatles 20 years ago,but the guys on that forum dont know when enough is enough.
I mean really,they even talk about Ringo.LOL

At this point in time this is the best Modeller on the Market,and I've owned a POD,an XT,a VAmp,a Johnsson and a DG Stomp.

If I had the opportunity to participate on the VOX forum Id like to ask a bunch of questions.
Is the Tonelab upgradable in the future.
Will VOX create a site where we can share Patches,and when.
Why did VOX release the Tonelab,and then so soon afterwards release the SE Model......I know the answer to that question.
Because they've learnt from Line 6 how to confuse the public into buying one product,and then another and another and so on and on.
I dont like those tactics but I sure like the TONELAB.

After reading all the posts for the TL, I have come to the conclusion that it is not the difference in players but a lack of consistancy in the product itself. I have one that just totally kicks butt and a friend of mine has one that sounds tinny an cold.

For me it sounds great and I have used it in a recording situation twice now. I like the fact that I don't have to hook up my guitar to a computer to get the most out of it.

The sound quality is fantastic. I like the Fenders except for the Bassman. It is really buzzy. The Marshalls are all good except for the Blues Combo and the Soldano is the best. I am not a huge Vox fan but the AC30 and AC15 models sound really nice and are quite usable.

I don't know yet. I NEVER use digital stuff to gig with ( more of a phobia than rational thought).

No Idea.

Overall I really like this thing. I have had all the PODS (still have the POD XT which I like a lot). The major difference between the two is that the POD sounds very high fidelity, like a high end sound system, and the Tonelab is more like a real amp. The TL is much more sensitive in terms of feel and settings and can be tweaked to sound good regardless of the guitar used. One thing I noticed with the TL is I spent a lot less time tweaking and a lot more time playing.

I also have a Genesis 3, a J-Station and a Sans-Amp Classic. I wish I still had my POD 2.3 but thats another story. Overall I really like the Tonelab the best because I think it makes me a better player.

I have been playing guitar for 39 years and still play out at least once a month. I have been collecting guitars since about '71 and have played a number of them thru the Tonelab. It really does preserve the
character of the guitar.

This is a quick review. Others have complained about the sound quality. I wanted to like it too. Sounded a bit "fizzy and noisy". Took it back and bought a POD. Mistake. A/B recordings showed that in fact, despite the "fizzy noise", the Tonelab had a much more open and dynamic tone. Took back the POD, brought home a different Tonelab. No "fizzy noise". Same guitar, same cable. First unit was bad, probably a cold solder or bad board or whatever.

Easy to use. Remembers each patch as well as parameters. Just rotate the knob and effects are there (or not). Press save and it's saved.

Second Tonelab sounds awesome. Direct use to BR8, master to MD. The dynamics come through very clear. My Tele bridge position is not thin at all. P-90's scream. HB's grind well and clean up when volume knob is rolled off. First one was noisy and noise gate did not help. Second one - gate is barely used. Fits well in the mix. Effects are musical and open. Makes the POD sound like a tranistor radio. Really fun to play through, "feels" like a tube amp. As expected, the Vox amp models are spot on. Fender amp sounds are there too, as are Marshall. Mixing amps and cabinets is enjoyable, and always results in good tone. The POD requires a lot of "tweaking time", which would be OK if the end result was good. POD always has a digital haze. Tonelab is clearly the best choice out of all of what's out there.

Well...one was bad and one was great.

I've heard the horror stories. I'm not worried about the long term, as this unit appears ok. Tube can be replaced in 5 minutes for $15.

Blues and rock. Playing 30 years, lots of gear and many guitars. Only thing really not on this unit are ping pong and other stereo kinds of sweep effects and swells. Sound of the unit more than makes up for the lack of those. I'll take tone over fluff every day. Effects on the unit are great, and happily, the presets are not overdone like most products.

This is a followup to a review I did a short while back. After using it, or trying to use it, I have to completely change my opinion due to a high end distortion that makes it unusable in my studio.

This hurts. I really wanted to like this unit and through an amp it was alright. But when put through my console and monitors I can not use my Telecaster with it at all as it becomes so tinny and harsh that it ruins anything I attempt with it.
My strat is not much better off. My SG sounds better, but that top end, probably digital noise is always there and makes it impossible to use as a recording tool.
Sorry, but this doesn't do it.

The concept is great. I have used the Valvetronix amps to record with before and they were great! This gave me great hopes for the Tonelab. I waited months for one and then tried my best to make it work.
Somewhere between the Valvetronix and the Tonelab a mistake was made. As an R and D tech for a high end teleconferencing manufacturer specializing in digital audio I think I can be considered an expert.
This is not a usable device.
Sorry Vox, I really wanted to love it.