Vox Tonelab SE

I find that this piece is pretty easy to edit, even just using the floorboard. Editing with the PC is a little easier, and is nice since you can save your patches on your computer, but I would not consider it necessary to have a PC with MIDI in order to get around on the pedal well. It's certainly a lot easier than the PodXT Live.

I play an American Strat straight into a PA. I have played through different amps, but keep in mind that whatever amp you play through will color the sound in that way. In general, I'm a Fender tube amp and Tube Screamer type of guy, and this does a good job of recreating these vintage sounds. I don't consider many of the stock patches usable, and have created a few of my own from scratch. The Tube Screamer OD is very nice, and other ODs are good. I don't use the mod section much, but have been impressed. The delays are fine. The reverbs are good, especially the spring reverbs. I have yet to get a good, thick, ethereal verb from it, though. I am still trying to find that sound. The expression pedals sound smooth, and you will find yourself making great use of being able to set the min and max values on them, especially on the wahs and such. Does this sound as good as getting a Fender Deville and a Tube Screamer? Probably not, but its a hell of a lot cheaper, and the tones are very acceptable in my opinion.

It seems very sturdy, metal foot switches, and metal housing. Physically, it's very reliable. Electrically, I'm not yet convinced. I have heard some strange noises coming from it, even with the volume pedal off. There have been a few pops, and I'm wondering how much it was used before I bought it (I bought it used). Perhaps the tube is on it's way out? Doesn't seem likely, though. So I give it a 10 for physical reliability, and a 5 for electrical reliability. Thats a 7.

Have not yet contacted them, but might soon.

Overall, this is a very good unit for blues, classic rock, and other vintage type, tubey sounds. It is not as good as the real thing, but is a great value. Here's the thing... I'm just getting into playing the electric, and wanted a good way to get a good sound with effects, and not pay a lot of money. This has more effects than I'll ever need, and sounds great for the price. This should not replace your collection of vintage amps, but if you want a way to streamline your live setup, or get a lot of good amps and effects at a great price, then this is your thing. It doesn't do high gain sounds as well as the Pod, but those all sound like computers to me anyway. I like the blues tube sounds, and this is great for them. Go to your local music store and play it.

Easy. Using the editing on a computer with the midi interface is tits. Online patches available, some are a bit much, but with some tweaking are great.

I am using a Strat, modified Melody Maker, Hamer Echotone, and Les Paul guitars. Peavey 50 watt stereo amp, into a Marshall 4x12 cabinet, rewired for stereo. Not really noisey, some settings are though. No other effects. Found out Pat Travers uses one, had to have one.

No issues as of now,

Have not had to deal with them.

Play classic rock and blues. Been palying for over 30years, have an original Mark 1 boogie and a Fender Blues DeVille 4x10. Use them for back ups, but so far have not needed them. Would buy again if stolen.
Have had many stomp boxes, would reccomend to any one.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? Easy. Plug it in and try the various default patches...many "good" sounds right out of the box.

The real question is how easy it is to get a "great" sound out of it...and I do realize that these are subjective terms (good/great/etc), but please bear with me. To get a "great" sound out of the TLSE, you will have to have a PC w/MIDI connectivity so you can use the TLSE Sound Editor software. Editing patches via the TLSE itself can be done, but it is MUCH easier to edit patches and experiment via the TLSE Sound Editor. This is why I gave the TLSE a '6' in Ease of Use...to me, '10' is plug it in and it works perfectly...'9' is plug it in, push one button and it works perfectly...'8' is turn a few knobs etc...'7' is get out the manual and tweak knobs...'6' means you'll have to spend some time in the manual and hooking up other stuff to get at the sound you're looking for.

To echo the often heard complain about having the compressor pedal in with all the other effects pedals, I worked around this issue by putting a rack compressor in the effects loop on the TLSE. Since I run compression with everything I play, this workaround works very well for me...plus the rack compressor sounds better to me than most (if not all) stompbox compressors out there. I also run a rack EQ on the stereo outputs to give final EQ, but I usually only use it when I have to tweak for PA/venue differences.

Having said ALL of that, once you get your TLSE dialed-in, it is a wonderful sounding machine. I love mine!

(Very good manual, good patch editing software, firmware rev 1.000.)

'10' doesn't exist in this plane of existence...'9' would be owning all of the actual hardware that the TLSE emulates...given that, the TLSE is a '7' to '8'. Given the fact that I love my TLSE, I'll round up and give it an '8'.

I'm using my TLSE with:

- Guitar: Carvin Bolt-Kit (mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard, C22B bridge, TBH60 twinblade humbuckers in the mid and neck.)

- Amps: I run it through a pair of Roland MA-12C powered micro-monitors in the house. At church and abroad, I use house PA.

- Insert effects: Behringer Composer Pro MDX2200 rack compressor

- Post effects: Nady GEQ15 dual 15-band rack EQ


Can I get the sound of my favorite artists? Pretty much everyone I've taken time to try and emulate. Brian May and Sabbath are pretty easy to dial in without much trouble. (Don't expect to be able to exactly match Mr. May's sound unless you have a 'Red Special' replica and spend the necessary time in the woodshed. :) )

If you're looking to emulate a particular artist, the Tonelab (not TonelabSE) come with a lot of artist-specific patches, many are quite close right out of the box. If you have a TLSE and want to use the TL patches, you can swap them around via the Sound Editor software. (The software comes with the default patches for both the Tonelab and TonelabSE.) I'd recommend starting with those patches and experimenting until you get the sound you're looking for. It's pretty easy to get the sound you're after with a few spare hours to experiment (and yes, it can be done much quicker than 'hours'...I enjoy experimenting with my patches, so it takes me a bit longer to get new patches to where I consider them 'done'.)

I really don't use all of the effects, but the only effects/features I'm not super fond of are: 1) compression (it sounds like the cheaper stompbox MXR compressor that it was modeled after...no surprise there) and 2) noise gate (I use the noise gate on my Behringer rack compressor, as it has more settings and doesn't clamp down so damn hard like the TLSE noise gate.)

Bottom line: Very good sound quality with a few gotchas (that can be worked around pretty easily and inexpensively.)

Can I depend on the TLSE? You betcha. It is built VERY solidly. The only minor pain is having to keep a hex-wrench and spare ECC83 tube in my TLSE road case, but that's the price you pay to have tubes in your gear. :)

Would I use it on a gig without a backup? I would and I do. I've had no surprises or failures from it after 5 months of heavy usage.

I've never had to deal with customer support yet, so I can't comment as to the quality of VOX customer support.

In the sub-$1000 category, I've not found an amp modeling effects processor that sounds as good as the TonelabSE. There are others that are easier to use, but don't sound as good to my ear.

But don't take my word for it...go A/B the Tonelab with all of its competitors in this price range. At the very least, you'll find it very competitive with anything in the sub-$1000 category. I did this and eventually settled on the TonelabSE...and I am not sorry that I did. Great product!

First things First! I purchased this from an Internet Music Store and am still in the trial period. I have the option to return this item for several more weeks. So, I haven't decided if it's a keeper or not for I have a couple of issues with it (as seen below).

Easy to use right out of the box. If you are not familiar with Multi-Fx's I believe you can still be tweaking and editing in just a short while. I have had other Brands which had a much more steep learning curve.

I use a American Telecaster and a Fender Twin Reverb Reissue amp. The tonelab se goes inbetween the two.

The overall sound quality is great! I just recently sold all of my Boutique and Modded Pedals (Not calling any names here), and to my ears, this tonelab sounds as good, if not better, than the much more expensive modded stuff out there.

There are only two issues I have thus far with the Tonelab. 1)- Is that some of the Presets (even after tweaking) sound like someone threw a Blanket over my amp. That's not acceptable to me. However, there are several presets that don't; so that tells me it's just a matter of "dialing it in" when it comes to the tones. 2)- is the fact that you can only use 4 of the many, many effects simultaneously. That's a real bummer! This unit is not like my old Boss GT6 where you can stack and layer as many effects as you could shake a stick at. So, BE AWARE OF THIS BEFORE YOU BUY IT. I like to use compression on just about everything I do; but with this pedal you have to choose between Compression, Overdrive, Distortion or one of the other offerings. So, what I am saying is: You are somewhat limited here! If anyone reading this review know how to get around this issue, email me and let me in on it.

I did find out how to put the pedal in a Manual Mode within any given preset and in that mode I can use the four pedals to turn off and on any of the four categories of effects "on the fly". This is a cool feature. Let me add here that there is no delay in sound when swithing channels or turning effects on and off.


As far as the Distortions go; I haven't played a better sounding box yet! I can dial in everything from Extreme Clean to Mild OD to Full Distortion (anything beyond that isn't of interest to me).

The quality of the Delays, Reverbs, etc... are very good. Remember, I had all the boutique stuff and TO MY EAR I can't tell a difference except in price. My Boutique \ Modded Pedal Board costs well over $1200.00. This was 1\3 of that (with the limitations spoken of earlier of course).

Built like an American made Howitzer!

N\A

Over all I give this pedal the "Atttttaaaaa Boy!" It's a good investment for what it is for the money.

There's a lot to choose from.
That's what can make it hard to use.
However, all functions are always very accessible.

EVERTHING sounds a bit Voxy. So you have to like that flavour.
Effects are good, but the reverb (Pgggrrrrr)could have been better.

After an hour one pedal broke.
The new one I got is absolutely problemfree.

It's a very nice pedal.
You can get your own sounds with this thing.
The reverb is not too good.

I don't think this is the ULTIMATE thing, but it's certainly nice to have it around.

This is an update to my very early review of this product. I find the user interface very friendly and easy to master. The manual is good.

Using a custom ssh Strat. I bought this to play direct-to-board with ear monitors live. It became apparent early on that this unit excelled when plugged into a good tube amp's effects loop, but left something to be desired direct. I had to purchase post-eq to tame the raging upper frequencies. There are some very good sounds in this unit, and I miss it still, but...
1. You can't use the wah, compressor and fuzz pedals together, so I used a fuzz and wah in front.
2. The speaker modelling was not so great. There's a huge amount of energy beyond 6K (upper range of most 12" speakers).
3. It's prone to picking up stray noises.
4. I found the chorus/phaser/flangers to be spikey-sounding and hard to tweak to sound like analog pedals.
5. The whole package-large, heavy pedal, with external pedals and eq. What's the point of buying a digital all-in-one if you have to drag all that other crap around just to function?
Since I didn't have access to an amp where I gig I Ebayed my SE in search of something better. I'm currently using a Zoom G2 with a wah and VS Jekyll/Hyde in front, and I'm shopping for an amp and pedals.

Never had any problem with either Tonelab or SE I owned.

Never had a bad experience calling Vox, but my expectations were pretty low. I think there are 2-3 shops locally doing warranty work, so I would be covered if it broke.

If I had my SE back and could run it through a tube amp onstage I would probably be 80% satisfied, which is pretty good for me. If Vox comes out with a new version addressing some of the shortcomings I perceive (poor eq/speaker modelling direct to board, inability to use comp/wah/fuzz together)I might give it a listen.

There's tons of tonal options, so you'll be tweaking alot, most likely. The layout is user-friendly if you have any experience with mult-fx units. I had no problem figuring it out. The manual is decent and helped with the few things I couldn't figure out immediately.

I submitted a review awhile back (which I can't find) and, as I've had the unit for about 8 months now, I figured I'd give a better review now. My main guitar is a Jackson Dinky with the Sustainiac pickup (if I had the money, I'd put Sustainiac pickups on all of my guitars - just awesome).
For the record, none of the modeling gizmos I've tried over the years replicate the amps they're supposed to in any great detail. I've owned the original Line 6 modeling amp (the AXS 212 or something like that), various Digitech floor units, the Zoom GFX8, the Boss GS10, the Line 6 Pod (first version), the Vox Valvetronix AD 60 and tried the Johnson Millineum at a store. To my ears, all of them use different tone stacks (i.e., eq variations) to try and emulate different amp types, but eq is not the main ingredient for unique amp tones. The key factor is the grind. Is the grind fuzzy, mosquitoey (is that in Webster's?), loose, tight, smooth, obnoxious? In order to attempt to replicate different types of grinds, you would need very different circuits within any given unit, something that just doesn't occur with modelers. So to my ears, any given unit gives you one basic sound and varies the eq and gain level for different "models".
As for the TL, I like the basic distortion sound. It is a tad grainy and loose, for lack of better terms, but decent. It can ably cover 60's and 70's distortion sounds. To my ears, it can't really get a true metal sound. It lacks the gain and percussiveness. Presently, I'm experimenting with a Boss Metal Zone in the fx loop and that seems to be working decently, but I've gotta tweak a bit more. (Incidentally, I recently A/B'd the Metal Zone with the Line 6 Uber Metal and the Metal Zone won out).
To my ears, the clean and slightly overdriven sounds are the best that I've heard from any modeler - very warm and natural. Maybe it has something to do with the tube. The Digitech GNX modelers, for instance, as well as the Zoom GFX8 and the Boss GS10 suck in this regard (the new Zoom G9.2tt and Boss GT-8 may be better in this regard, but I haven't checked them out yet).
The FX are excellent. I love the fact that you can play chords with the harmonizer, although the sound quality doesn't sound very natural with distortion, but as good as most (interestingly, I tried the harmonizer in a TC Electronics rack unit and it farted out on chords, just like the Digitech Whammy pedal). The cross delay and reverse delay are a little whacky in terms of controlling the delay time - just a little hard to control somehow. Again, the distortion boxes all sound the same to me - same grind with different eq's - they are good for adding sustain to leads but you've gotta be careful not to set the gain too high on them or they'll add noise. Everything else - the wah's, chorus's, flange's, etc. sound great.
The overall sound doesn't seem to change much whether I play through my Vox AD60 or direct into my M-Audio Omni Studio through my KRK V6 monitors. I almost prefer the sound a hair more through the KRK's. When I was in a band last year, I played direct through the board and it sounded fine. I even tried playing through headphones for the first time the other day and it also sounded good - a little thin perhaps but that may have been the phones.

I haven't gigged out with it but it seems very sturdy - all metal.

I've e-mailed Vox a couple of times and they respond very quickly. When I first bought it I tried registering it online and couldn't get that to work. I e-mailed Vox - I got a reply the next day and Joseph Gilmartin had registered it for me!!!

I've been playing for 30 years or so (gone is the size 28" waist and white boy afro) and teach guitar part-time. I'm primarily into 70's progressive, hard rock and jazz-fusion but like anything that has some talent or depth to it. My favorite band is Yes but I love early Metallica and Megadeth (go figure)!! I detest rap (what is the ultimate oxymoron? - rap-artist)!!!! Last year, some girl told me that Eminem is a genius!!!! Okay, Einstein, Bach, Da Vinci, Heron of Alexandria, Frank Zappa, Buckminster Fuller - arguably geniuses. Eminem???? Are we devolving or what? Frank Zappa once said, "There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life." Enough pontificating........
Overall, I love this unit. It has tons of tweaking capability and sounds natural as opposed to digital or processed and is simply alot of fun.
I agree with some other reviewers that the footprint is too big, it should be smaller or at least more square. I'm a friggin' clutz and it's a little hard for me to manipulate at times. The expression pedals should be a little closer together too, if you want to do 2 controller type movements. If you wear a size 12 or larger you'll probably be okay.
The sound editor is very convenient - definitley saves my already battle-torn neck and back from constantly bending over, and you can save tons more presets than the unit has by itself.
If it got stolen, I might consider purchasing it again. I might also consider checking out the Boss GT-8 and the Zoom G9.2tt, as they seem like they have even more tweakability (and cost a bit less than the TL). I might check out the Fender Cybertwin SE as well. The Cybertwin seems appealing because there is less chance of sound variance in what you get. It's one whole package, as opposed to floor-based FX units where your sound can change drastically depending on what amp you use or if you go direct. Hope this all helped.

It takes some work to get some great sounds out of this unit but they are in there. It is also neat that you can download patches on the net and the fact that sounds from the desktop version is compatable.Editing couldn't be any easier.

I am no longer using an amp-I use the Se to one output into the Pa going through a beringer guitar DI ( the red one) and the other out to a keyboard amp-you need to use a full range amp with this unit. I don't find the patches noisy but if you use the higher gain settings it can be ,but the noise suppressor works well. I find the over all effects quite good and i am getting amazing tones out of this unit. No problem getting a good rythmn patch and switching over to a nice lead patch. I used to use amps like Marshall, Peavey 5150, etc.. but one day I tried the Vox desktop at a practice and lo and behold this unit sounded as good as my amps and my other bandmates agreed and were shocked how good this thing sounded( and if it didn't they would have told me) This unit does need to be tweaked ,the factory settings do not do it justice. Like someone else on the page said ,do you buy an amp and just leave the settings where they are at the store-Of course not ! This unit is more involved than a regular amp so it takes more work to get a good sound but it is in there. By the way the guys that knock this unit do not spend enough time with it-and I know we have heard guys with great sounds out of amps and the reverse is also true. I swear that if you hid this unit and asked someone to tell you if it sounds good 99.9 % would think it sounded great. I have also owned Boss ,Digitech, zoom, roland, line 6, products and the basic guitar sounds in the Vox are the best out there.Vox concentrated on good guitar sounds first not like Line 6 who give you a zillion fancy effects but the basic guitar sounds are digital sounding.Most of the effects sound geat I have been able to ditch most of my pedals and just use the Vox SE.

Seems built very well, made of steel not plastic. You should always have some sort of back up-just in case

never dealt with them

I play rock and pop music -this unit would seem to fit most styles of music out there.Been playing for over 20 years and have been through tons of stuff. If it was stolen I would definitely get another.I feel I am getting great guitar tones and do not have to drag around tons of gear. As was said in earlier posts this unit is an amp with no speakers with the right settings will sound great.

Usage is pretty straight forward. If you have some idea how these typically work you will not need the manual. It is still good to read to know all the options but then in normal use you can do without manual.
Compared to Boss GT series and Line5 PodXT Live I definitely rank this much more user friendly.

All the ratings are made against other this type of multieffects I've owned/tried and not comparing to real tube amps and boutique stomp boxes (which would not be fair...)

My "normal" setup actually contains only pretty high quality stomp boxes with Fulltone ChoralFlanger as the last one in chain and going stereo to 2 x Hughes&Kettner Puretone heads + THD212 cabinets.

I still have time to time given a change for these multigadget to see how they are doing. This time I actually first tried Korg 3000G and was impressed as it did not ruin the sound as these typically do. I was encouraged to upgrade that Korg to VOX ToneLab SE which -as far as I know- contains the modeling engine and user interface from Korg.

Factory presets will need some tweaking. They are ok to present what you can do with this but most of them are not usable in the real game.
So I did some tweaking with headphones and pretty fast was able to create some 10-16 sounds of my own. Btw this unit does not sound so stunning with headphones as many other units I've tried do but don't get depressed wait for connection to amp...
What I was extremely happy about the sound was that when I connected the pedal to real amp (and remebered to change the output from line->amp) these created patches were usable almost as such. I did only some EQ tweaking and some minor tunig with reverb and delay levels and I had all the patches created with headphones working with amp as well. This really was not the case with Boss and Line6...

Basic sound is healthy and does not ruin your original sound. Also this very well preserves the dynimics of your playing. You can also notice the difference between different guitars (I tried the ones with humbuckers, single coils, P90's...)
What is also great is that this reacts pretty nicely to guitar volume pot. I.e. sounds can go from clean to heavily distorted by tweaking the guitar volume. Not quite as real tube amp but still amazingly close (again when compared to Boss etc...). The same sensitivity is there as well for how heavy you pick.

Amp models are all very ok and you can get nice sounds out from this. Most of the effects are also quite ok for the prize but for example chorus does not match what you can get out from Fulltone ChoralFlanger (I would even not expect as this Fulltone almost as expensive as this whole Vox unit)

There is limitations that were very well described with Chirs in a review made before. Pedal section is really a compromise as there is wah, comprssion and you can select only one. Still you get good distortions with Amp models so that part is ok but if you need compression and Wag then you have a problem.

I never know if I really use this to replace my stomp boxes in a gig but still I'm happy and will not recycle this as soon as other went. When I replace my stomp box arsenal with this there is a difference in sound but I would claim not as big as a difference of prize tags...

I have not yet tried this directly to PA so no comments on that.

Anyway a really good compromize on prize and portability and you surely can also gig with this and sound good.

If there was something good with Line6 btw, it was the flexibility provided by USB connection and all the stuff they have in their web pages but I finally need a good sound and on stage usability, not computer interface...

No opinion as I've owned it for a short period only. Seems well build.

Never tried.

I play almost everything and for the sake of versatility I do check these pedals if they are in good enough level...

This one is getting close in my books. Limitations of pedal section and quality of some effects takes the points but overall functionality and good sounding amp models gain points. So I'll give 8.

Getting a good sound out of it is the easy part. Writing tones is the hard part. I have to turn some of the settings on and off, which gets annoying at times.

The online manual is much easier to use than the book. Some of the stuff in the manual you should know before hand just from expierience, or you shouldn't be owning the system, because it will be too complex for you.

I love the sounds, especially the recreations of the 60's and 70's amps. It makes my wasted amp sound slick.

I was disappointed that the heavy metal tones weren't so great, but other than that it has everything that you can expect for a band and alot more.

I leave my tonelab sitting out alot and my family has kicked it around a bit, but so far it has been dependable. I was glad to get this instead of a POD. It is around 20 lbs (?), which is good for placing it on tables and such, because most likely when someone trips on a wire, them or my amp will fall, not the tonelab.

I don't know how reliable to tube is. Anyone have an idea?

My family ordered this for christmas, so I didn't deal with any customer support.

I've been following alot of bands, a certain one most of the time. I've looked at each band's gear, and the two best ones have had tonelab so I figured it was the way to go.

I will still be getting gear, but not as much as some of my friends have. It is a great all in one processor. I find distortion pedals useful for it, though.

Classic Rock, Rock, Punk Rock, Blues, and some Metal I find a use for on the vox tonelab. It makes it funner to play guitar, and it can really annoy your family. Some of the effects are fun to play with, and some just get in the way. Whoever programmed the tones did a piss poor job on it. Over-writing them is a pain too.

I would definetly buy another one if this one was stolen. If someone stole it and I caught them with it I would beat them until they are crippled.

I've been playing for about 6 months (serious) but I am told I am way ahead of most of the people who have been playing this long. It is great for anyone who loves the guitar. It's not worth the money if you don't absolutely love the guitar, and if you have a crap guitar you need a new one.

I went to the store to compare it with a whole set of BOSS pedals, and I found three ups and one downside. The better parts were that they had alot more to program off of and the tones are all attatched under one processor, and the A/B channel switch. The downside is that to adjust the tone you have to go back and forth to how many different settings there are and the tone you want them to make when combined, (for example fuzz, amp, delay, and channel settings.)

I will still be buying a metal zone pedal to equipt it to the tonelab, and I already have my distortion pedal equipted because I had it before the tonelab and I don't want it to go to waste.

I give the tonelab a 9 for awesome, worth every penny. I'm always looking to talk to people about setting tones and guitars, so you can e-mail me: joe_petrungaro@comcast.net

It's not hard to get a good sound out of it but you do need to set it up with your gear. Patches are a bit tedious manually but with the software it's easy. If you can dial a pedal you can dial in this unit.

Third party support for users:
http://www.tonelab.net/

Great sound quality. It replaced a defective PODxt and I've been much happier with it. I use it for direct recording and live performance.


Third party support for users:
http://www.tonelab.net/

I use it all the time in live situations and have had zero problems. I think it will hold up fine.


Third party support for users:
http://www.tonelab.net/

They've always answered my questions in a timely fashion. Whether I liked the answer or not is my problem not theirs.


Third party support for users:
http://www.tonelab.net/

I use this for all styles of music. I'm using this unit with an EARCANDY BUZZBOMB 2x12 and a PEAVEY 50/50 CLASSIC. I've been very pleased with this unit for direct recording and live purposes.


Third party support for users:
http://www.tonelab.net/

Please see my article under the "sound quality" section.

Critique of the Vox ToneLab SE

The upside: The VT is a good amp modeler. The Fender, AC30 and Marshall Plexi models are terrific. The other amp models are useful. The reverbs are good, as are the delays. Other effects like chorus and tremelo are useful but not top of the line. I like the VT better than the competition because of the better sounding amp models and because its easier to program. All those nested menus and gazillion parameters per patch are not fun to wrestle with. Many patches are somewhat responsive to guitar knob volume changes or pick attack and that?s what folks mean when they say that the unit has a certain ?vibe? that they have not found in other fancy processors. Some reviewers have said that they can?t get a heavy sound out of the unit, but I have been able to get some nice Satriani like sounds out of the unit, straight lead, octave-fuzz, autowah. If you want a Zak Wylde sound you probably need those EMG pickups and a decent LP for starters. but even this short list of points is ample justification for the product.

So what?s wrong ? Well there is a certain product design ?issue?. The Vox product design team made a questionable tradeoff, presumably to keep the unit?s cost down. They put the Wah, Compressor and Stomp Box Distortion circuits under one master switch. You can pick Wah or Compression or TubeScreamer or UniVibe (think Robin Trower). Look, I don?t mean to be overly negative, but that?s just the wrong way to go. When I realized this was the case, I didn?t believe it because I assumed nobody would make that trade-off. This is the dirty little secret about this product. For example, let?s ask Vox, ?How am I supposed to craft Hendrix patches given this trade-off?? Or similarly, ?didn?t SRV combine wah, amp compression and a green effects box sometimes ?? Or for slide work, I might want to combine compression, for sustain, and a little distortion for growl, and then EQ some bass out to take out the flubby part, right ?

Some other problems for some folks will be that there is no ?final? EQ section. When programming a Boss GT patch you can always put an EQ last to try to smooth out a patch or push a patch in a certain direction. I think this is forgivable (but not optimal) since VOX sees this unit as a kind of ?amplifier + effects?, not as an ?generic effects processor.? The noise gate is average and the compressor is below average. High gain patches can suffer from buzz and hiss, especially for single-coil pickups. Crank up the gate, sure, but you lose tone and control.

I don?t relate to the logic that focuses on comparing features of multifunction processors. And then decides which one to buy based on features and cost. The number one thing is sound quality. Having 500 different ways to produce so-so sounds (or worse) is an argument for what ? The 2nd standard is ease of use and convenience. The 3d standard is physical reliability. The 4th thing is quantity of features and how they are specifically implemented. The Vox scores well enough on the first 3 but scores low on the 4th. If the VT were an Olympic figure skater you would say that her artistic score was higher than her technical score.

Where does this leave us ? I see two paths: (1) live with the unit as-is and reap the benefits of decent sound in a single, self-contained unit. You will be happy since your setup is convenient and portable. You will not have everything you really want, but you will have a dozen or two useful patches to select from. (2) add on more devices that address the main problem cited above. Let?s discuss this latter path and see where it takes us.

Use a separate compressor and wah pedal in the VT?s effects loop. The cost of this is somewhere between $50 and $400. The beauty of this solution is that you win like three times. The solution gives us independent wah, sustain and distortion effects. Also, if you get a decent compressor, your sound will improve noticeably and immediately for many patches. So, you?ve upgraded both sound and worked around the main problem with the unit. The scary part of this solution is that we?ve now opened up Pandora?s box ? again. We are back in the hunt for decent effects pedals that don?t break the bank. Plus, we?ve lost the ability to program in different levels of compression per patch. Didn?t we buy a fancy processor to solve exactly these problems ? It just aint a perfect world is it ?

Now that we have opened up Pandora?s box and decided to add a few pedals to the setup you might want to consider other effects that help cleanup your signal. Perhaps a noise gate or an ?enhancer? of some kind, or some other specialized effect or pricey boutique American made effect box will add just the right spice to the mix. An EQ pedal might give you that chance to really dial-in your sound. But now we are adding cost and complexity to our rig too, and we seem to be inching back to a spider web of cords on the floor. No one ever said the quest for guitar tone in this modern age of gizmos all marketed as having some secret magical mojo would be easy. The price tag for this solution for both the VT and the pedals could easily exceed $1000, let?s be straight up, but isn?t the quest for tone loads of fun ?

In sum, add these items to the effects chain:
? compressor(mandatory: will improve both sustain and ?sparkle?)
? Wah Pedal (mandatory, if you use wah somewhat, love Hendrix or record for the porn industry)
? Noise gate (mandatory for high gain single-coil PUPS); don?t go cheap here !
? EQ (mandatory for tone-tweaker-freaks)
? UniVibe (mandatory for Hendrix, Trower, trippy jam rock aficionados)
? Enhancer / Maximizer (optional)
? Autowah / envelope filter (optional)

What should Vox do with the next version of the product ?
? make wah and compression completely independent of *all* other effects.
? improve the compressor
? improve the noise gate
? move the UniVibe effect over to the chorus section
? make every factory patch match up to either a famous guitar player?s signature sound or a sound from a historically significant song. Every factory patch should be immediately useful to somebody. Host a user patch contest.
? add 20 second ?riff recorder?. Allow the user to edit the current patch and apply the effect to the riff. That way we can get closer and closer to the ?right? sound without constantly going back and forth between instrument and processor. Presumably, you would record a dry signal and play back the wet signal. Call it ?Super-Tweak?, ?Perfect-Patch?, ?Patch-Master?, ?Real-Patch?, ?Patch-Factory? some catchy thing like that. Good idea, isn?t it ?
? add a female AC jack to the back to plug a power strip into or one of those multi AC powersource gizmos. I?m beggin? !

I have owened the product for 14 months and so far, so good. The unit feels solid.

N/A

I *do* recommend this product. I've played one for 14 months and still like it a bunch. I play mostly rock, blues, funk, slide and a little jazz.

Note: please do your own independent product research, I could be wrong ! generally, you get what you pay for.

For high end and expensive floor pedals go to Keeley at least for research purposes.

Compressors to look at include Behringer Compressor/Sustainer CS100 ($20), Guyatone ST-2 ($70), MXR DynaComp ($60), BBE Opto Stomp ($90), Line 6 ToneCore Constrictor ($110), Aphex Punch Factory ($100).

Wah pedals to look at include a cheapo Behringer HB01 ($30), the fancy-smancy 535Q CRYBABY ($110). Vox has a nice line, Clyde McCoy.

For a noise gate try Behringer Noise Reducer NR100 ($25), Rocktron Hush ($55), Line 6 ToneCore Constrictor ($110), Dunlop MXR Smart Gate ($100), Carl Martin Noise Terminator ($130), ISP Technologies Decimator($120).

For a sonic enhancer (last in chain) see BBE Sonic Stomp ($90), Aphex 1403 Guitar Xciter ($100).

Like many others on here, I've owned tons of different effects...multi and single...and this is the easiest multi-effects box that I've ever seen when it comes to getting different sounds. Spend a few minutes with the manual and programming it becomes second nature very quickly. I'd suspect that you could get by without the manual pretty easily too. Aside from a few typos in the manual, this is the one that others should be judged.

I looked at all of the latest pedals before buying the tonelab. The final round included the Boss GT8 (good pedal, but it didn't have the right feel and I've had other Boss multi-effects that didn't live up to the hype), the Digitech GNX3000 (another good pedal, but it just didn't have the variety of sound that I was looking for and didn't sound very organic0, the KORG AX3000G (same parent company as VOX and some of the technology is obviously shared with the tonelab). I played all of them and really loved the KORG, until I played the Tonelab. It took all of the good points of the others and added to them. I was skeptical that the valve would really make a significant difference, but it does!

Again, I have or have had tons of multi-effects including a Boss GS-10, Pod II, Digitech RPX400, Digitech ValveFX, and so on. This has the best sounds of any of them. From clean to dirty I can get just about any sound that I'm looking for. I play a variety of music and it's important to be able to get credible sounds from rig easily.

I'm currently using a Fender American Fat-strat deluxe with an LR Baggs piezo bridge. Then I'm running a stereo cable to a Yamaha Magicstomp acoustic for the piezo and the magnetic pickups through the tonelab. Both go directly to the PA. The sound can be huge and round, I get a lot of compliments.

Too soon to say, but it appears to be built really well and the included gig bag is a nice touch. I would imagine that it will be very road worthy. I might get an extra tube though.

I haven't needed to use this yet, however, I was able to find the manual online before I bought the unit so I could compare features to the other pedals. They also have a FAQ (albeit almost empty) and other support features online.

I'm very happy with this purchase! I've been playing for more than twenty years and this is one of the best pieces of technology that I've seen or played. This pedal has absolutely made it possible for me to get the sounds out of my head and into the ears of the people at the show.

The tonelab SE is by far the most intuitive and easy to use floor based modeler out there. Editing patches is a breeze. Using the six amp style rotary knobs makes editing a breeze. However since they are not automated is you want to make a slight tweak to an already saved patch this is easily accomodated by using the little arrow buttons by the screen. Getting great sounds to me was a piece of cake, from basic amp sounds to effects. The manual for this product was straight foward and loaded with lots of helpful hints and important need to knows that might shed light on some of the negative reviews.

Ease of use is relative. You would expect that a single unit that boasts the ability to model a dozen amps and cabs, as well as several types of every effect imaginal all in a single piece, allowing you to create endless combinations and organize them many different ways would require some time spent learning how to use it. If you are not willing to spend a half hour reading a manual for a product of this type and complain you don't have my sympathy. In my opinion this product exceeds all other modelers of this type in terms of ease of use.
the pedal switches are very easy to press, and you can easily see the screen when standing, unlike other modelers (pod)

First a complaint: Many guitarists are more than eager to complain about the tone of modeling and other emulation devices. They expect every guitar they plug in to sound instantly fabulous through every amp, cab and effect combination built in. Of course this doesn't even work with real amps and effects. some guitars simply wont work with certain amps. for instance fender amps (distorted) sound much better with a strat than a les paul. Most of us guitarists have spent considerable time tweaking our rig, and we know just how to get the sound we like out of our particular guitar, amp, and effects boxes. We should not expect a modeler to instantly recreate that vibe verbatim simply by selecting matching components and settings on a modeler. This may be a good starting point for recreating our tone on a modeler, but thats all.
Another criticism is that the modeler is completely dependent on what it is plugged into. Is it a cheap solidstate amp, a boutique tube stack, a PA, headphones, ect..? If you plug it into crap expect it not to sound as good as the real thing.
Another criticism that should be addressed is that a modeled sound should sound completely verbatim in every nuance to the original. I seriously doubt that most of the "experts" that say they don't sound like the original have not done A/B comparision tests with more than a couple of the modeled amps, or at least not on equal terms. Playing a real mesa with distortion will sound somewhat different that a modeler of that mesa plugged into the real mesa set with a clean sound. At the end of the day I think we all can live with slight subtle differences between the real thing and the model. What matters is if you can have good sounding, musical, and responsive tones using a the modeler.
One last complaint. Do you think that its fair to expect that one of a 100 modeled effects will sound completely as good as one single stomp box that costs $100+ . Again the originals may sound better but what still matters is the ability to get overall great responsive tone out of the modeler.

I expect that the only fair review for this type of product is by comparing one to another product such as the tonelab, to the pod, or the boss gt6 or 8. (or others)

So how do I think the tonelab did. I think it has something that all the other modelers that I have played lack. it has true responsivenes and that undescribable vibe that you get from a real tube amp. It has a warmth that all the others lack. -maybe its the tube, who knows. From playing Pod xtlive and boss gt-6, found that they both lack these qualites.
You can get great sounds on all the modelers that I have played however a great sound is different than something that is playable-that responsive vibe thing that we all can't describe. For this reason I feel that the vox blows all the other modelers out the window.
I'm sick of people claiming that some of the amp models on the tonelab are noisy. what do you think happens when you crank a real marshall or mesa up all the way gain, volume and all- um some noise perhaps. You wanted the real deal and you got it. If it bothers you then start playing (the noise seems to disapear when you are playing!) Or use the built in gate which is not as good as a dedicated single $150 stomp box-but what do you expect. At least you can filter out most of the noise.
One more complaint. If you complain that the bypassed sound on the tonelab sounds a little weaker compared to plugging directly from guitar to amp what do you expect to happen. Doesn't the same thing happen when you run your guitar through a dozen stomp boxes? Besides you didn't buy the tonelab to use it in bypass mode anyway.
All in all the amps sound fabulous and the effects are good. For $500 you get a something that sounds and plays like the real deal and covers every desired tonal territory in one little box.

I would gig without a backup (and do) I'm to lazy to lug around extra gear. For 9 monthes or so it has been very reliable. Very solidly built and I don't expect any problems.

This is the only modeler that has warmth and feels real to me when playing. It is extremely simple to operate especially after reading the manual.
Only a few minor complaints. the wah's (is that wow to say wah plural) overdrive stomp box models, compressor, and a couple others are all under one section. Which means that you can't use the super overdrive with say a compressor at the same time or even under the same preset. Duh this would be easy to fix. Simply have one more knob and section that has a duplicate of the first set of choices. Keep in mind the main reason that guirarts use distortion/overdrive pedals in the first place is because it simplifies their live set up and defeats the need to use the effects loop with a couple extra cables. Well also the ability to have a couple extra distortions available with out worrying about amp switching. but when you buy a modeler Why use a model of a stomp box distortion when you can use a model of a real tube amps distortion?
In this day an age it would have been smart to include a sp/dif output for recording.
One more criticism. I often find myself using my acoustic on a few songs and I don't need the amp or cab modeling when my acoustic is plugged in. I would however like to access the tuner, and a little reverb. All the tonelab would need is an extra notch on the amp select knob for selecting no amp. (not that you can't find an amp setting that sounds ok for acoustic guitars, but still)
But those complaints are minor to me

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
=Dead easy. Plug in, select Amp/Line and start playing.
How about Editing patches?
=Piece of cake. Very very intuitive, no multi-layer rotary menus and confusing options. If you understand an amp or stomper, no problem.
How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
=Nicely written and the quick start is perfect for all impatient types.

BUT if you try this in the shop, spend some time reading up before. As previous posters have noted (though not managed to correct) it's possible to get crap sound or get confused (most likely with the Control switch, allowing the thing to act as 6 separate stomps or by selecting Line/Amp wrong)

I use a Strat and a Les Paul, Koch amp, Bassman amp, Crate amp, monitors, headphones.

The default sounds never impressed me.

It sounds better than any modelling thing I tried. The feeling is there. It can be made to sound digital, but if you leave out the effects the AMP section kills. I just play and play and play, it inspires me no end.

1: Amp modelling through an actual amp does not work well. It's a fact of life that putting a signal from a Mesa head into say, a Marshall head must suck. It does suck with my Bassman head, or my Koch combo. Ideally, a power amp is the best choice. For amp use, try the stomps and effects! Using the stomp boxes into amps sound very good. I don't like all of them, but the ones I like get a honest 10.


2: The cabinet modelling is a bit 'too much' for my taste. However I use a 4x12 anyway.

3: Not all fx sound very good. However, for the price they are more than adequate. I would anyway not consider spending $500 on a reverb, and that's sadly what's needed to make me happy, at least today.

4: Into the home stereo it's shockingly good.

5: Headphones - if you use cheap tinny crap phones, expect crap sound, right?!


Accept that of 20-ish stomps you may NOT have chosen 10 of the originals. That's the biggest and hardest compromise for VOX. I mean, I don't like the BOSS stomps and BOSS is the biggest manufacturer in the world, so they have to be there for you other guys. Fair deal.

The price for buying 5 of those stomps is at least the cost of the whole Tonelab + you need cables and powersource and a case/pedalboard and...

Below, Paul put some comments in that were quite thought through- but as he ends, the price and complexity with these features would land the thing in the >1000$ category.

I'm happy with the sound I can choose! The sounds I don't like, well, I don't have to choose them anyway.

It's sturdy, real proper switches, metal chassis. Looks well put together.

I don't have any problems with the pedals. Yet. :)

Rackmount + floorboard is perhaps better, but then the price takes a hike. The option is there, almost with the deskversion of Tonelab.

No opinion.

It fits any style, almost. The metal guys may disagree.

I played for some 20 years and my gear list is too long to write.

I love the feel and the sound. It inspires me every time.

I'd wish for global EQ, global cabinet sim on and off and some kind of cabinet 'mix' to tone down the cabinet influence a bit. I'm not too impressed with the compressor. A CD/RCA input is what I miss the most. There it loses the 10!

My personal taste in effects and such may differ from everybody elses. I therefore accept that I can't love them all.

Conclusion: Even if I only use a stomp/wah, volume pedal, tuner and some chorus the total price is dead cheap and sooo convenient compared to hauling separate stuff. You get a lot of sound and usefulness for the money.

YES it is fantastic value!

Pretty easy to use. The dials make it much easier to mess with than a Pod, which is what it's replacing. The manual is cool, editing patches is a breeze.

I'm running a pair of Godins (a Multiac Jazz and a Flat Five X) to this with the electric output, and to an Acoustic with the acoustic output simultaneously. I also use a US Masters Strat-style guitar with it, and occasionally a Danelectro U2. Now... with a truly great electric guitar amp, I think that you can always get a good guitar to sound great, but you can't dial up your favorite amp through one of these modeling things and expect to have any GTR you plug in to it sound great. You have to find the model and the cabinet and the settings that sound great with THAT guitar. I have 3 guitars I plug into this, and none of them sound good through the settings I created for the other two. That said, once you find the amp model that sounds great with your particular guitar, stick with subtle variations (different cabs, etc.) and you should find something great. Or maybe your clean sound will be one amp/cabinet and the dirty sound will be another. (Try that live on stage... in a little club or church...) Will you use every amp model that it comes with? Probably not. I only use 4 or 5. Does it replace all the amps it models? No way... BUT... every time I plug in I sound the same. I use it on Sunday Morning for worship at a church, and my sound people don't have to mess with the settings every week. I run it direct through the PA and through an Acoustasonic amp just for monitoring on stage.

It sounds super clean, the effects are great... except the rotary speaker effect is unusably awful. That's one of the reasons I'm only giving it an 8, but I AM totally happy with it.

Don't know... just bought it. I would NEVER use something like this without SOME backup... period.

No idea. the thing is so easy to use I don't need to talk to anyone at Vox or KorgUSA, who distributes them. My previous experience with Korg has been great... no previous experience with Vox. So I give them the benefit of the doubt.

Been playing 25 years, I love this. If lost, I'd probably replace it with the same thing. LOVE the form factor and the editing, especially on my mac with the software you can download. I compared this with a POD LiveXT. This had WAY more vibe and soul than the Pods, although I had the original Pod for YEARS and was happy with it. I with it had a more flexible pedal effects section, so that I could use a distortion pedal AND a wah AND a phaseer or something wackly like that, and I wish that the rotary speaker didn't stink. But the Uni-VIBE is GREAT, and I LOVE the Vox Wah effect WAY more than the wahs in the Pods.

In short, I recognize it has limitations, but it is PERFECT for me!

Ease of Use?

It's difficult to be objective with this because I've been going around the effects processor block forever. Having said that, though, I am not by any stretch of the imagination a sound engineer. I'm also afflicted with a pretty extreme case of option anxiety. Give me too many parameters to wade through to find good tone and I just shut down. There is a great deal of flexibility with this, but it's all very intuitively designed and laid out. As far as the amp models are concerned, the controls are made to work like the those on a guitar amp. Dial in your gain settings, bass, mid, and treble, presence and noise reduction, set the channel volume and then start playing your buns off.

If you have any experience with effects at all, this should not be the least bit daunting. I own or have owned the BOSS GT-5, GT-6, Digitech GNX3, and the Behringer Vampire (both rack and combo amp), and even owned the BOSS GT-8 for about 5 minutes before sending it back to Musician's Friend, and in the ease of use category this beats them all hands down (IMO, of course).

I'm giving this a 9 in the ease of use category, because I'm not sure I'm being objective and because working an "on/off" switch would rate a 10 (but this is almost as easy).

I'm getting ready to go off here, so anybody sensitive to the rants of opinionated blowhards should skip to the other posts. Let me first try to qualify things. My objective in buying or trying out every floor-based mult-effects processor available has always been flexibility. I need to cover a lot of musical ground and the concept has always made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, the execution was something else entirely. I didn't find any real guitar tone in anything I tried until the ToneLab SE, and then I found an oceanful. The irony for me is that I've always been a dyed-in-the-wool BOSS fan, and while I have been aware of the ToneLab for years, I always ignorantly scoffed at it, never bothering to even check it out. Hah! What good could come from the Vox people? They couldn't carry Roland's jock strap. Oh man, was I wrong (and this is some crow I'm delighted to chow down on).

Again, I'm no expert in the matter, but I do have some experience with real amplifiers. In the bad old days, I played HiWatt, Boogie, Fender, Music Man and Lab Series (any Ronnie Montrose fans out there remember those?) And as I write this, there's a brand spankin' new Marsall JCM2000 TSL100 that's been sitting in it's shipping container for the last two years in the other room (but that's another story). So before anybody gets their hackles up, let me go on record as saying I don't believe there's any little box that's going to put Marshall, Boogie, Fender, Bogner, Matchless, Soldano, or any other amp manufacturer out of business. And I don't think there'll ever be a guitar god getting all of their sound out of a multi-effects processor . . . because they don't have to. If I had a million dollars to spend on gear, manufacturers dying to customize their stuff to my exact specifications, and total gearheads on the payroll to manage all of it, I could sound like The Edge, too (well, not really, but with all those resources, I could pretend that I did).

OK, so much for that. Here's the setup I'm running and the reason for posting this, because I know there just has to be at least one other guitar player out there striving for flexibility AND REAL GUITAR TONE:

Guitar>ToneLab SE>BBE 482i Sonic Maximizer>QSC RMX850 power amp>Behringer BG412S (stereo 4x12 cabinet with Jensens). My guitars are all either Les Pauls or LP inspired (Gibson Custom and Standard, Heritage 150CM-CL, and a couple of Hamer imports), with the exceptions being an Ibanez S520WNF and a MIM Fender Strat. The Gibbys have stock pickups, as do the Ib and Fender, and the Heritage and Hamers have Duncans.

Let me just take a quick little jab at guitar players who are always capping on stock pickups from Gibson because they're too loud and too bright. Dude, Gibson puts volume and tone controls on their guitars for a reason. And all those screws actually make the pole pieces or the whole pickup go up and down. Pick up a screwdriver and start turning some screws and control knobs. There, I feel better now.

Anyway, in this rig, the ToneLab SE does it all for me. The amps sound and feel like real guitar amps. The QSC provides clean, uncolored power and allows the amp models to shine and the Behringer cabinet does the same for the stereo effects. The various amps actually sound like different amps, and the tone is warm, thick, complex and authentic. Do the amps sound identical to the ones they're modeling? I don't know. All I know is that they are astonishingly good. Every time I plug in, I've got an ear cocked, waiting for that awful digital sterility and that horrific aliasing, and so far, I've waited in vain. It just isn't there with the ToneLab SE.

The sound and style of effects is a subjective thing for all guitar players, and as I wrote, I've always been a fan of BOSS products. However, I've been amazed at how perfectly Vox matched the effects with the various amps in this unit. Does it have everything plus the kitchen sink like BOSS's GT series? Nope. But as another reviewer put it, I can live without them. Since I'm just opining, I think if I ever do get the Marshall out of storage, I would probably use the GT-6 in stompbox mode for my effects because I don't think I'll ever stop liking a lot of what BOSS has to offer. But as far as my current rig where live playing is concerned, the GT-6 is history.

Anyway, my experience with the ToneLab SE is that it's an honest-to-goodness, guitar-tone generator and unique among everything else out there. You may not like the tone it puts out, but you can't deny it's the real deal . . . because it is. Buy it or don't buy it based on the sound of its amp sims.

A Marshall stack cranked to the point of power tube melt down is a "10", but for my little real world application this thing gets an unequivocal 9 (and then some).

The question for this category is Can you depend on it? The answer is, I don't care. If it blows up, I'll keep buying them because it rocks.

As for gigging without a backup. I never have . . . and hopefully never will.

Never dealt with Vox or Korg.

I'm from the old, old school. Favorite guitarslingers? Blackmore, Gibbons, Frampton, Gilmour, Iommi, Andrew Latimer (Camel), David Lambert (Strawbs), Petrucci (OK, not old school), and a bunch of others. I don't care if the ToneLab SE can nail these guys sound or not. All I care about is I can finally get a varied, no-compromise, MUSICAL guitar tone - in stereo- from an easy to use rig that I can play at conversational levels when necessary (and ear-busting ones when the venue allows).

Others may disagree with me, and probably know better, but my suspicion is this is NOT a rig for full-on metalheads. Where the ToneLab is unsurpassed amongst similar floor-based processors is in it's ability to deliver astonishingly clean sparkle tones and sonically complex crunch and rich, manly, rock and hard rock tones with warmth and clarity. And it's ability to respond to changes in guitar control settings and variations in pick attack are unparalleled in this type of device.

Since nothing is perfect, I guess I can only rate this a 9+, but if I could, I'd rather give it a 10.

Vox tried to think of everything. Despite some of the reviews here I found it difficult to get a great tone out of this especially through any type of amp, even when routed through the effects loop. It worked pretty good through a PA or headphones but that is about it. It was pretty easy to edit patches and assign the exp pedals.

Manual was decent.

Like I said a one trick pony. No where near close to the sound of an overdriven tube amp. Not sure I would ever need to create all the "different" sounds this box claims to emulate. I tried to like it because it is a hassle to drag around effects pedals, a mike, multiple patch cables, and a tube amp...but I'll take the hassle.

Very Reliable. no problems.

No issues

Like I said I tried to like it. I plugged it in direct to the PA and the sound was pretty good. I couldn't dial in any pleasing sounds through my amp regardless of how I routed it. Oh well. I sold it for $400, bought a great attenuator and had my OD pedal modded at tone-jam, now I can rock at bedroom levels and keep stage volume down by miking. I am happy now. Sorry vox, nice try.

With the editor it couldn't be easier

Simply the most authentic,realistic sounding amp sim on the market. It is NOT the Numetal box that the XTL is. But it WILL do Metal, and do so without the annoying fizz that other modelers possess.

Haven't owned it long enough to make a valid assessment

Been playing for 30+ years. Love my old school Heavy Metal/Hard Rock & Shred.. This unit fits those genres very well. I have owned evry modeler on the planet, a couple times just to be sure I wasn't wrong the first time;-) As with every modeler the SE has it's weak points and strong points. The wah is unuseable imho.. And the Recto sim is middle of the road.. But all in all this unit to me is the best on the market. It SOUNDS and FEELS more like playing an amp when compared to it's competitors.. I have swapped out my tube to 3 different types. That DOES make a difference..


If Vox ever wises up and releases a rackmount version I will sell the SE and be on the rackmount instantly.. My biggest complaint about this unit is the size of the footprint.. Too big,, but all else considered and compared to the competition I will deal with it.. Best unit on the market imho but no modeler devised yet rates a 10 so I'll give it a 9

Responding to an earlier review------squeaking pedals and pedal feel/tork adjustment---------If the pedals start to squeak apply some grease......push the heal of the pedal down.....look under the pedal......apply the grease to the left and right side of the pedal on the hinges...you will need to use something long like a chopstick to get the grease in the right spot (unless your fingers are 9" long)...do not apply the grease to the bar that runs under the pedal...only the side hinges....To adjust the pedal tork flip the unit upside down......remove the cover.....under each pedal you will see a allen head screw.....by turning this allen screw you can make the pedal harder or looser, adjust this to your preferance.

Can't find a phone number....If you have one please contact me ...I want to chat with some of their techs...

Q: How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
A: Easy-Peasy, Lemon-Squeezy
Q: How about Editing patches?
A: Piece of Cake
Q: How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
A: Uneccessary
Q: Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?
A: Who gives a...

Ibanez 540S Custom, (and Wasburn Force2 c/w Roland GR-20) through Traynor YCV40.
No EXTRA noise unless you cannot set-up EQ's on any of your equipment.
Individual Tone of each Guitar Pickup configuration maximized and so it gives TONE, TONE and yet More Tone!!
FX are ALL good any cobination are useable in the right context.
Some of the Amp Modelling (which I didn't actually want, but find I need for simple and quick sound variation) are not my cup of tea.

Build more solid than the Boss GT-8, Korg AX-3000. Similar, if not better, build quality as the original Line 6 Floorboard.

Will grab another Valve one day, as my amp uses a few the same.

N/A

All styles can float my boat depending on mood, so I need them all instantly. The Vox ToneLab Se delivers them all, if not in a small box, but a well laid out and intuitive format.

Have had LOAD of FX, but normally just use my amp and guitar. I am limited without FX for quick sound change, though my "sound" is Fab without any in-line, or external device.

I bought this pedal after owning the Boss GT3 and GT6 pedals. The Vox Tonelab SE couldnt be simpler to program. After owning the GT6 for 18 months I was still struggling to hit a good lead sound for live gigs. With the Vox I had my 'killer sound' in just about half an hour of getting it out of the box. The guys at Vox designed this pedal with the stage guitarist in mind and personally I dont think they could have done a better job.

Its so simple that you could basically go to a venue and dial in a good sound within a couple of minutes. Thats its main advantage over Boss and Line 6 pedals - you dont have to tap a button 10 times to get to the setting you want. The settings are clearly marked out in front of you, all you have to do is turn the knob and hit 'write'.

The manual is one of the best Ive seen - very easy to understand and has all the recommended amp and cab set ups.

One of the big reasons why I rate this over any other pedal is the ease of installing and editing patches. You can even link the pedal up with your PC and edit sounds on screen and actually hear the difference whilst your playing your guitar which is an invaluable feature for fine tuning your sounds.

This pedal also has an A/B channel which means that you can have each patch set for a rhythm and lead settings and because you can see the exact settings of things such as volume and delay (when your editing patches with the computer software)its very easy to alter your settings for the A and B channels if you want a bit more boost for your lead or echo.

Theres a control switch that you can assign to turn on effects like delay, echo, wah etc which is very handy, or you can turn these on by stepping on the expression pedals. Or you can go into manual mode at the tap of a switch and the pedals become stompboxes where you can add echo, distortion or whatever youve got programmed for that patch, as you want it - thats a feature that you couldnt do with the GT6 unless you stooped down and quickly tapped a button.

I use a Fender '99 US Stratocaster and invested in the Tech 21 Power Engine 60 as soon as my Tonelab arrived. Im more than pleased with the sounds Im getting so far. Ive only had the pedal a couple of weeks but Ive managed to get better sounds already out of the Vox than I did in 18 months with the Boss GT6.

Many people here who have reviewed the Tonelab have given it minus marks because they couldnt replicate the sounds they heard in their headphones with an amp. The simple answer is that you need to buy an amp which doesnt colour the sound. Of course the Tonelab is going to sound rubbish if your using it through a normal amp because your sending a sound to it that is already 'amped' so to speak. The Tonelab has amp and cab simulators already built into it so you need to get yourself an amp which doesn't colour the sound and thats when you'll start getting the sounds what you hear through the headphones.

The effects are really nice and although theres a few things that my Boss GT6 could do that the Vox cannot, I am willing to sacrifice gimmicks for a good tone, after all thats what guitarists are seeking isnt it?

I found that I didnt even use most of the stuff on the GT6 anyway. Some people have said that the Tonelab can be noisy - I have a Strat with noisy pickups and its quite on most settings. I like the wah on the Vox which is the best Ive heard.

The Vox sounds the most authentic modelling pedal and thats because of the tube. This is the ONLY pedal that Ive managed to replicate a decent Stevie Ray Vaughn sound. The clean sounds are beautiful and the distortions are great too. Some people have said that you cannot get a good metal sound on the Tonelab, I would disagree. Its also untrue that you cant use the wah with distortion. I can get a perfectly decent distortion sound with wah on - you just overdrive the amp and its perfect

Only had it a couple of weeks so havent had any problems. Seems very sturdy though and is built of metal. Having used my GT6 for 18 months without a backup I cannot see any reason why the Vox should be any different.

I will buy a backup tube though just in case it goes mid-gig.

Again havent had to deal with them.

I play a wide range of music from The Beatles, Rock and Roll, Classic Rock, Police, Reggae, the 60's, right up to the present like Robbie Williams and Keane. This pedal can cope with any of the above styles. Ive been playing the guitar for 20 years and have finally got the kit that Ive been striving for. I also own a Fender Deluxe 112 plus amp and the Tonelab doesnt sound as good as it does with the Tech 21 - you have to mix and match to get the sound that you want.

What do I love about it? Everything. Hates? Havent found any yet. Favourite feature would be the ease of use and easy editing, also the ability to easily share and install patches.

I chose the Tonelab after reading the glowing reviews on Harmony Central - Im glad I chose this pedal over the Line 6 stuff.

Im going to start using it for recording, Ive heard some very good reports about the Tonelab and its quality for recording straight into a PC.

If you want a pedal that is robust, easy to use, can emulate your favourite band, easy to edit and install patches, then this is the pedal for you. It sounds sweeter than the Boss GT6 and Line 6 and is well priced.

I am used to the way Line 6 has set up there modeling units so this one does take some getting used to. Once you get used to it, it's just fine. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this on out!!!!

I was amazed with the sound Quality of everything on this thing. The effects are quality. I personally like the stereo chorus. Vox is now owned by Korg, who has been doing FX for quite some time now. I know that you don't get as many amp models as a Line 6 POD or a Vetta. I was a huge Line 6 Vetta fan before I got this VOX. I sold my Vetta and got a Line 6 POD XT Live. Man does that thing sound like CRAP. Serously, Line 6 better shape up or their going to get run out of buisness by these guys. Like I said before all the amp modles are quality. The Soldano sound like a Soldano and of course the AC30's sound great. I even like the Mesa/Boogie Rectifier sound. Anyway needless to say this thing actually sounds like a real tube amp as opposed to digitally manufactured sounds like the guys at Line 6 are crapping out these days!!!

Built like a tank. I haven't had any problems yet!! And it comes with it's own bag!!!!

Haven't used them yet. Like I said this thing is built to last!!!

If you want some tonal diversity and you don't have $20,000 to spend on guitar amps, than this thing is for you. It sparkles and shines like a tube amp, and does not get muddy!!! These guys are going to start putting Line 6 out of buisness, and I USED to be a HUGE Line 6 guy!!!

The tonelab was surprising easy to use, once you learn how all the buttons work it's much, much easier than the pod xt live or the gt8, the other two that I compared. Editing patches is easy as well.

I am using a strat deluxe into a bunch of pedals, all true bypass boutique kind of stuff into a deluxe reverb. I love my sound the way it is and I was getting kind of tired of lugging around my big old pedalboard all the time. Plus, I was looking for something that could offer lots of different sounds, flanger, vibe, and all that. I tried out the tonelab SE at a local guitar center. I plugged in a strat and then went from the tonelab into a decent fender amp and then I tried it into a set of headphones. I don't know what it is about this - I really wanted to like it, and there is much to like about it, the way it is setup is just great, really smartly put together and it seems very durible, but the sound and the effects are just not all the spectacular, unfortunately. It just didn't give me goodbumps, nor was it very inspiring. I suppose if you're starting out and are looking for something decent then this would totally be a viable option, but since I already have my 'sound' I was looking for something to complement it, it just didn't fit the bill.

I first plugged my guitar straight into the vibrolux and got a nice clean sound and then I plugged in my guitar to the tonelab and then into the amp and then I shut off all the effects, amp models and speaker cabinets and listened. It sounded muddy and, well, kind of terrible. Not in the same kind of terrible vein that the pod sounds like with everything turned off, it was definitely 'warmer' than that. but still it just wasn't leaving the nice original tone alone.

So I thought, okay well I need to tweak it. So I tried my darndest to get it back to how sweet it sounded just going straight into the amp and I just couldn't get there. It was a drag. This told me that I would lose my original sound if I used the tonelab.

okay, so how do the effects sound? well, some are pretty cool. the delays are pretty nice and all that but all the effects are kind of weak sounding. I dunno it's hard to describe but they just didn't wow me. they were easy to tweak and assigning options to the expression pedals was nice and easy, like assigning the delay feedback created a cool wall of noise thing, but it just didn't grab me.

I then gave up with the amp and plugged in the headphones. I'm not sure what I did but it sounded like sh%t thru headphones, maybe I didn't have it set right or something? I don't know.

so in sum, the tonelab sounds just 'alright' - nothing spectacular. maybe it has to do with the fact that it's only 20 bit and not 24 or 32 bit? ah well.

seems reliable, definitely built like a tank

na

I really wanted to like the tonelab se, I really did. but I just couldn't justify spending 500 bucks on it. I liked it better than the Pod Live in many ways - it definitely sounds warmer and is easier to use, plus it's a "Vox" - which gets street cred points imho, but it just doesn't sound all that great. I'm waiting for tonelab SE version 2 with 32 bit effects - I'm sure that will sound great. and I'm hoping the next version will have an option that you can use the floorboard and still retain your amps sweet tone, then I'll fork over the 5 bills.

My advice is that you probably cannot go wrong with the tonelab, but if you want a pro-sounding setup then you'll have to keep waiting - it's probably the best modeller out there, but it's still a modeller

It's not hard to get a good sound, but it takes a lot of tweaking. The factory patches were just about useless with my Les Paul Custom. The manual is well written, but not much help when most of the tweaking has to be done with your ears. Editing patches is a royal pain unless you have a computer and use the MIDI editing software, but that's probably true about most of these pedal modelers.

I use a Les Paul Custom, run direct into my sound card for recording. The sound of this unit is its best feature. The amp models are all good, as are most of the effects.

I haven't had any trouble with it, except for squeaky expression pedals. Oil and silicone do not help. I would trust it at a gig.

Forget customer support, there isn't any from the manufacturer. If you need service, call your local Vox authorized service, or the place where you bought it.

I've owned my Tonelab SE for about 9 months now, and at this point I think I have a pretty good idea of what it does well and what it's lacking.

1. The whole idea of building a pedal board with editing buttons that sits on the floor... is stupid. You can't edit with the board on the floor, but you can't use the pedals with it sitting on a table. The original tabletop Tonelab made more sense, but the next Tonelab should be a 19" rack mount unit, with a VC-12 type of pedal unit as standard equipment. The pedal unit should have a removable cord, perhaps a 15-foot cord as standard and an optional 40-foot cord for stage use. Even then, the MIDI software is still a necessity for easy editing.

2. The compressor sounds like the Dynacomp it is supposedly modeled after, which is fair. There are certainly better ones that could have been modeled, such as the DBX 165, or the Janglebox, for example. However, the compressor is such an essential part of today's guitar sound that it should be in its own section (not part of the Pedal section), available all the time. Also, the compressor routing should be adjustable, since there might be times when you want the compressor preceding or following the other pedal effects.

3. With only one Pedal section, you can't cascade a wah into a fuzz, or a fuzz into a phaser, or whatever. There should be at least two identical pedal sections. I know you can cascade external pedals, but those are patched before the Pedal section, and usually you'd want your compressor driving the next pedal, or your wah driving a fuzz or phaser, so the insert point should be routable just like the post-effects. Besides, why buy an all-in-one pedal board if you have to carry auxiliary pedals around with you?

4. And speaking of the Pedal models, I'm not a big fan of Boss OD pedals, so the Super OD and Orange Dist, are pretty useless to me. There are so many excellent and unique fuzzes out there, they could have chosen a better selection. Like the Zendrive, or Tim on the boutique side, or a classic germanium fuzz like the FuzzFace. The Fuzz sounds very little like the Maestro it is supposed to be modeled after, and I would have preferred an even cheesier sound, like the Mosrite FuzzRite. Also, my 27 year old Ross phaser sounds better than any of the phaser models in the Pedal section (I use it all the time as an Insert pedal), so they could have done better there, as well. It would have been nice if the Octavia model, which is actually quite good, could produce a clean octave-up effect without the overdrive. Notably missing is a 6 or 10-band graphic EQ, which is commonly found in the pedal chain of many well-known guitarists. Having said that, most of the existing pedal effects are pretty good, actually.

5. I have very few complaints about the amp and cab models, they're the high point of the unit. However, there is no model of a single-ended, true class A amp, like the Fender Champ. The Vox amps are not really Class A, they're push-pull, class AB with cathode bias (the British call this class A apparently, but in the US, we don't). My only other criticism would be that the amp models that use a tube rectifier should sag a little more when cranked, an adjustable sag control would be nice.

6. The noise reduction (NR) fizzes noticeably on both attack and decay. Compared to a decent studio noise gate, it's pretty lousy. To compensate for the poor NR stage, I've learned not to set it as high as I would like it. There's usually a lower setting that allows some noise through, but is a lot less fizzy.

7. Modulation section: The rotary speaker effect is the weakest link in the Tonelab SE. I almost never use it because it sounds like a bad 2-speed phaser with excessive panning. To hear how much better a rotary simulator can sound, go to the Line6 web site and listen to samples of the Roto-Machine, for example. The Classic Chorus distorts too easily. The Textrem would benefit from having an LFO waveform select. And a minimum speed of 1.0 hz is too fast to use it as an autopanner. The minimum speed should be 0.1 hz. The pitch bender is extremely glitchy at all settings, and when used as a digital whammy with the expression pedal, it randomly produces a weird flange effect when returning the pedal to the zero pitch bend position, like you can hear both direct and effect outputs even with the direct output turned off. I doubt this is a defect in my particular unit, but rather a firmware bug, as my first Tonelab SE (which I exchanged due to squeaky pedals) did the same thing.

8. All the delays in the Mod and Delay sections should have 0.1 ms resolution for delay times below 20 ms. This would give better tunability for those pitched resonant feedback effects.

9. Delay section: Better overall support of adjustable parameters for the expression pedals is needed (this goes for the Reverb and Mod sections as well). Also, the Reverse delay takes too long to kick in after you start playing (that is, if the delay time is 2 sec, you wait about that long to hear anything). It should be possible to feed the input continuously and adjust the output level or mix with the expression pedals, so there is backward effect immediately when you want it.

10. Reverb section: The reverb models are acceptable, but they're all mediocre sounding. In fact, none of the reverb models sounds as good as the ones built into my sound card (Yamamha DSP Factory). The only ones I use are Spring2 and Gate. The whole Reverb section needs improvement.

11. There should be parallel and series-parallel routing options for the Mod, Delay, and Reverb sections, not just series routing options.

12. There should be a 4-band parametric EQ between the amp model and the channel volume. It should have A/B settings for the two channels. It would be nice if it had an automatic unity gain switch.

13. The post-effects should die out naturally when you switch patches while playing. Worse yet, the post-effects glitch when you switch A/B channel (this is especially audible in the reverb).

14. The tube should be a lot easier to replace. I know Vox doesn't want people changing the tube; in fact, they'll tell you that doing so voids the warranty. How incredibly stupid. Naturally guitarists want to try different tubes to individualize their sound. If every amp and preamp manufacturer said that changing the tubes voided the warranty, it would pretty much put an end to the guitar amp industry as we know it. Assuming the next Tonelab is a rack mount unit, the tube should be on the back (forget that eye-candy, red LED thing, the tube doesn't need to be visible). The socket should be partially recessed into the chassis so it doesn't stick out too much, with a half-size metal cover. Then the tube would be easy to replace. The socket should have gold plated contacts.

15. The expression pedals on my Tonelab SE squeak intermittently (my first Tonelab SE squeaked so badly, I took it back and exchanged it). I have used both sewing machine oil and silicone on the hinges, but it made little difference (the local Vox authorized repair guy told me there is no documented procedure for dealing with this, but he recommended oil). Also, the hinge tightness is not exactly equal on both pedals, and there doesn't appear to be a way to adjust it. The expression pedals have a cheap feel to them. I have a Yamaha DX7 keyboard I bought in 1987, and its old, potentiometer-based expression pedal still works great and feels great, so I guess Vox just used an inexpensive and inferior pedal hinge design. In all fairness to Vox, though, a lot of floor modelers have problems with poorly designed expression pedals. Considering how much abuse expression pedals get, they should be individually removable, adjustable, and replaceable from the top of the unit.

16. Vox should put back the S/PDIF output, but coaxial (RCA connector) this time, not optical as on the original Tonelab. Coaxial would be compatible with a lot more sound cards.

17. Dual output support for direct PA and live stage monitoring, and an input sensitivity control with detents so you can use the same patches with different guitars.

18. A clipping LED for the post-effects would be helpful.

Have I forgotten anything? Probably. But having said all that, I love the sounds I get from my Tonelab SE; it packs a lot of bang for the buck. If Vox ever puts out a rack mount version with all the changes I've specified above, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, even if it cost $400-500 more than I paid for this unit. However, this unit works OK (given its limitations), and I certainly wouldn't waste the money on the next version of Tonelab unless it were a rack mount unit with most of the improvements specified above.

Quick Summation of Tonelab SE:

Best thing about it:
The sound. It records great. With a couple good guitar amps or a good PA, you can get a great live sound as well.

Worst thing about it:
The expression pedals. They suck big time.

Reasons I might not buy another one:
It's not a rack mount unit, crappy expression pedals, has only one stomp box section.

It is very easy to find great sounds on Tonelab SE. Of course, the buttoms and knobs are typically on the floor, but I still preferred this one-box solution.

Love the two big pedals, and the ability to easily assing any control to them. Typically I have effect mix of one effect on the left, and volume on the right. Good thinking also that volume pedal is before delay or reverb.

I run two strat style home-brew guitars with very lightweight basswood bodies through Tonelab and from there to some combo amp, the favourite being Hofner 1969 combo with A-Class 40W power amp, 2x12" Goodmans speakers and disk echo (which is weird but great)

Tonelab is the first emulator system Iave played that actually manages to produce good sounds that are between clean and full blown distortion. Those sweet sounds when you have some growl, great harmonics and natural compression. I used to to run a tube preamp to Hiwatt 50 watt slave to Marshall speaker emulator, and Vox comes very very close to that setup (I still often use the real thing for recording). My single favourite emulation on this box are Bassman 4x10 and Vox AC30.

I.m.h.o. where Tonelab fails is the speaker emulation. I think this is where all the emulators fail: the sound of real guitar speakers and how they sound in certain space. To me this not a major shortcoming, though. I use my favourite combo amps and speakers in rehearsals, gigs and recording.

The input/output jacks are not that great. Hey Vox, how about some Neutriks in there for $50 extra? Definitely worth the money.

The only one stop solution I know of. Does the magical tube power amp thing! Great controls. I only wish the knobs weren't on the floor. Should've taken the Tonelab instead of Tonelab SE....

The SE is the best modeling processor I've used. The Owner's Manual is great. It breaks things down so you can quickly understand them and start playing right away. It can be a little time consuming to tweak the sounds, but if you want to get the best tone from anything it takes time. I really like the way they explain how the Valve Reactor technology works. I would have to agree with the others that complained about the lack of 'name description' when it comes to the amps, effects, speakers, etc. Line 6 uses trademark names in their owner's manuals on everything they model in their processors and I think Vox could do the same.

I've purchased several popular modeling processors in the past, as well as a slew of top of the line analog effects pedals. The pedals always sounded better than digital, but the processors were always easier to transport. When it comes to live performance it's also handy to use a processor. The Vox SE changes all of that. Never again will I say analog effects sound better. These effects sound spot-on. The amp tones are the REAL reason to consider this unit, though. I've always believed tube amps were untouchable for tone and feel. I've owned enough modeling amps and tube effects to know they just didn't compare to my tube head or combos. After weighing the facts about the latest modeling processors I checked out the sound recordings on the Line 6 and Vox websites. I thought they both sounded pretty good but Vox was more realistic. The more I've read about Line 6 everyone always says, 'They're pretty close to the real thing' or 'they sound like a tube amp, but they don't FEEL like a tube amp'. I've compared my Vox SE to several tube amps and I'm amazed. Not only does it sound real, but harmonics, sustain, and FEEL are all there. The Valve Reactor really works. The display panel actually lets you know the tubes it's emulating: EL34's, 6L6's, 5881's, EL84's, 12AX7's, 12AY7's, ECC83's, ECC82's and on and on. I ran the Vox SE directly into a PA, and it felt like I was playing through a 100 watt Marshall stack. The notes 'sag' like a cranked, hot tube amp, and you can get this at any volume. I've owned my Vox SE for six months, now, I'm selling my tube amps. For amplification I'll run the SE into a solid state power amp. No more carrying around heavy, fragile, expensive, high maintenance tube amps.

I bought my Vox SE used. I used a couple drops of 3 in 1 oil for a squeaky wah pedal, and some canned air for a dusty pedal contact and it works as good as new. All the pedals and body are costructed from heavy duty metal.

I haven't used customer support but it was easy to download the free midi software on their website.

I'm generally a rock player. Led Zeppelin, 3 Doors Down, the Stones, Aerosmith, etc. I use Fender Bassman, Marshall Plexi, Marshall JCM-800, JCM-900 amp tones. I also like their Mesa Boogie model for more modern rock and their Vox AC30 models for blues. The acoustic simulator sounds great too. The Vox SE is definately is in a league of its own as far as modeling technology. I've tried a vast array of amps and effects over the last 16 years of playing and I can truly say this is the best piece of equipment I've heard. You may need to spend some time before you get a precise customized tone, but you can get it with this. I personally found that when using the overdrive pedals with amps you have to lower the pedal level equal to the amp level or else the pedal distortion will bury your amp tones. These are the subtle kinds of things that you need to figure out as you use it. It can easily take a couple months of tweaking before you're satisfied with your customized tones. I recommend taking the time to learn because the presets are so-so.

After a short time it became very easy to use. You DO and SHOULD have to read the manual. Once you become familiar with it you can just dig in and edit anything quickly. The manual is well written and it ws easy to find topics quickly. If you've used other similar processors you'll appreciate this set up. You pick what you want from what you see in front of you. Simple, cool. I've used new Digitech, Boss, Line 6 processors. This is the easiest and best set up. I would give it a ten but it ain't THAT easy...

I tried the Tonelab SE with a combo amp (Randall Renegade), a stereo Carvin 120 power amp and Peavey 2-12 stereo cab and direct thru PA (which is how my band plays, using floor monitors as reference). I was disappointed to note how noisy many of the presets are. You can eliminate the noise with a fine noise reduction patch but then you create some dynamic problems with light picking cut outs. Your basic sounds are excellant-flat out. I did have a hard time dialing in some clean sounds. They distort too easily but after a time you can get it right. It should have been easier. All distortions were very good whether it was rock, power rock or most modern heavy modes. I was pleased that the natural tone of the guitars shone thru. Fenders sound like Fenders, Les Pauls like Les Pauls.
Where I fell off the wagon was when it got to the effects. Most of the basics, reverb, chorus, delay are very good. The other extra's, I thought, sucked. The wha was what made me return the unit. It's got a middle of the ride break point that made it work like an on/off switch when holding a note or chord. For these bucks that's not acceptable. The harmonizer type effects were brittle and tinny and useless. For the weight and size of this monster you'd think they could use better circuits for these effects.

It seems very reliable. Weighs a ton. I always have a back up-always. The best processor, car, tv, etc can break down at the worst time but at a gig it's more than an inconvenience to YOU. Always have a back up!

NA

I play with a band that plays everything. Commercial rock of every genre. If I didn't all ready love my Digitech RP14D I might have kept this. I want an upgrade. The RP is old and has some sound quality issues also but after using POD LiveXT-which was terrible, the Digitech GNX4 which sounded fine but was too complex and this Tonelab SE which I wanted to love, I'm back in search of the Holy Grail. I do compliment this pedal for it's easy function and general sound qualities. It just isn't up to the task that it sets for itself. For the money it should be better.

It does require some reading to get the unit to do what you want, but when you do the results are nothing short of brilliant.

I use a fender highway 1 strat and plug the se into the effects return of my amp. The sound quality on this is amazing given how versatile it is. To be perfectly honest, even though the line 6 has thirty billion different amp models and just as many cab models, there is no way in hell that you will use them all. And in this case less (models) is more (tone). Each amp sounds distinct and great, although some of the high gain settings get muddy (but only when you put a pedal in front of them, which is too much gain for most people anyway). Clean sounds range from warm and smokey to icy and shimmering. And, for the price, you really can't beat it.

I've had it about two weeks, use it at practice, seems very reliable, but I'll post another review later regarding this category.

Haven't Had to deal with the company

Overall rating of nine, just because of the muddiness in some, not all, of the distortion settings. Just being nitpicky, really. An Incredible floor unit and a great buy to boot.

First: I purchased this toy for LIVE GIGGIN' performance. I'm trying to simplify my setup and get the most out of this thing after years of using a rack system. I was impressed by the combination of amps, stomp boxes, and two built in pedals, so I'm giving it a try.

The TonelabSE is EXTREMELY easy to use and program. I am using the PC software for editing and it's an absolute treat to quickly edit, audition and save.

As for easy to get good sounds, well, that takes some work (read below)...

The A/B button is very useful live, allowing quick switching from one sound to another while maintaining the same mod/delay/rev settings.

Getting around the pedals is quite easy. I especially enjoy the control button for switching on and off the stomp boxes (or whatever else). (BTW: as others have posted: it would be nice to be able to combine a OD box with a WAH, but oh well...)

The manual is good, however, I had a difficult time figuring out some of the delay configurations. I'd like to see better descriptions of the delays.

I'd also like to see a "GLOBAL ON/OFF for the cabinet emulation. Some gigs I use an amp, some are so small I'd just as soon run straight into the board. It would be nice to have this global feature, instead of having to manually reprogram each patch... *Note: I've found a workaround. With the PC software, I have two saved files, one for "into an amp" (No cab circuits) and another for "into a board" (cab emulation on). So, before I leave for the gig I can quickly dump the file that suits the gig...

I use a mix of guitars: strat, tele, 335, LP, etc...I'm running the SE into a Marshall tube power amp into a 4x12AV speaker cab. Pretty darn simple. I am NOT using any of the cabinet emulation, as I'm going into a poweramb/cab. I have the output set to "Line".
So far, after a few weeks of use and constant tweaking, my reaction is "so-so". It sounds good. But not "Great!!". I believe the engineers likely did their creating with the cab emulation on, running into a recording console. I'm sure the TLSE sounds far better in that environment. Now, having said that...

The clean sounds I'm using are pretty good. I'm using mostly the twin and bassman clones.

The lead tones, however, are a bit weak IMHO with one exception: I have been using the 68 Plexi tone almost exclusively. As for the rest of the lead amp models, I have not been able to dial in a useful lead tone for use in a live setting. They're just too thin and buzzy IMHO. A/B the TLSE against a real amp and it's night and day. In general, the TLSE just doesn't deliver the thumpin', rich, full-body tone that a real amp does. Even though I'm running it through a tube amp into a 4x12. It's "okay" and I use it, but I'm not "thrilled". In general, I'm having a difficult time dialing in "my tone" for leads. But I'm getting closer. Again, the Plexi seems to be the most solid tone.

The pedals and effects are good in general. The reverbs and delays lack sonic shimmer. But I guess I'm asking a lot of a $400.00 box...

In a nutshell, the sounds are good, usable, but not too inspiring...

Seems like a brick. I've been using it on my gigs without backup (well, okay, I have an combo amp in my van just in case...) I'm getting a little squeaking in the pedals, but I guess I can just oil them.

I sent one question via e'mail and it was immediately addressed. Nice work.

Overall, I'll give it a 7. I've been tweaking the heck out of it and I'm getting closer to liking the sounds I have programmed, but not necessarily loving them. It is a versatile and useful gigging tool, and I think it suits the purpose for which it was purchased. Of the modelers I've used, it sounds the best.

I'm using:
- Fender Twin and Bassman for cleans.
- 68 Plexi for grind and leads (putting either the TUBE OD or ORANGE OD in front of the plexi).

Improvements I'd like to see:

-More dynamic lead tones. More "creamy" and less "Buzzy".
-The ability to copy/paste JUST THE AMP SETTING from one patch to another, ignoring the pedal/mod/delay/rev settings.
-The ability to copy/paste JUST THE A or B side of a particular program to another A or B location. Example: you have a nice lead tone you've programmed that would be a great B side compliment to a clean tone on a different program. Too bad, you have to overwrite the A side as well when you copy the B side.
-Global Cab Emulation on/off as noted above
-The ability to combine a fuzz box with a wah.
-More programmability in the delays (i.e. a STEREO delay that has SEPARATE settings for Left and Right).
-Digital recording output.
-Expression pedal input.

Very easy to use: Dedicated knobs, flashing buttons and lights
let you edit and set patches pretty easy.

Easy to get a good sound. Once you understand (or if you already know) how the picked model works, it's a snap.

The manual is good. However, it's a shame they've done so much
"cover your ass" type of indirect name description of non-Vox products. If you're not familliar with the characteristics of
a modelled product and only know it by name, then it's bit of
hunt to pin point the sound you're going after, but eventually
you get familliar with all the amps and effects and you can get
what you want.

I'm using a G&L legacy, a Ric 360, and a Fender Amer Delux Fat Strat.
Playing live, I send the output to the power stage of a Fender
Hot Rod Delux. When recordng, I use a Boss BR-1600. I get very
good sounds in both applications.

When the gain(s) turned way up, you can get a lot of noise.
The noise reductoin feature helps, but you lose tad of definition though.

To me the effects are really nice. I must admit though that I have
little experience with them in the past so I can't give a well informed/experienced opinion on that. That said, I can get rich
sounding effects to match the sounds I'm trying to create. I also
like the fact that I can add an effect into the chain externally.

I don't have any experience with the actual amp models that
the the TLSE contains, however, I think the models sound really
full and distinct. I had a POD2.3? and tried the PODxt. While
they sounded good, the POD2's models didn't sound that distinct
from each other and both lacked a certain depth and warmth in sound on
the clean and overdriven sounds.
The TLSE's high gain amp sounds are good, but so are the POD's. A previous submitter commented that the POD has better high gain sounds
for metal. This might be true, but I don't play metal so I can't
really say.
As I've said, I don't have experience with the actual amps the TLSE
models. I wasn't looking for spot on recreations. I just needed
something that sounded musically rich and flexible to get close to
the sounds I was hearing in my head. The TLSE succeeds here.
However, it can only get a 9 because only gear custom created
for me could be perfect for my needs.

So far so good. Had it for 10 months. Seems very rugged.
I plan on getting one of those small Korg Ampworks boxes
to stick in my guitar case if the TLSE dies during live use.

Never dealt with them. Not sure how responsive they will
be. I've read some things that make me a bit unsure about this.
Hope I don't have to find out.

It's good match for any style of electric playing.
Been playing 15 years.
If stolen I would get another as soon as I could.
Love the tone and ease of patch creation. Dislike the text editing method (then again, it would be asking too much to add mini T9 type keypad).
My favorite feature is the VR Gain / valve reator. Really adds
depth to the sound.
Like others have said, I wish it had a post EQ.
Best signal processing box I've used so far. It really helps me
get the sounds I want.

Plug-In, (press "Global" and select "Amp" or "Line",) play.

Change sound, play on.
Hold "expression" for a sec to control the current value via pedal.
Damn easy to use.

Bank Up / Down controls could be placed better. Brits have small feet obviously.

No fuzz and wah at the same time. What were they thinking? But I still have my Crybaby Fuzz-Wah and there's an effects insert loop.

Phones-out ain't that great. Noisy. No chance using it as a record output.

Manual is ok, nothing spectacular but helpful. Reading is quite interesting.

No need for moaning or bitching. Superb sounds and many options. I play Framus Diablo Custom into a Fender Hot Rod. I am blown away. Every time again and again. Bought it 2 weeks ago. Before I bought it I read most of the other reviews and also read about that "lack of authority". Don't know what he/she/it did wrong... just tried it in the store? Even the lead sounds sound verrry good to me. The presets are not that great, but hey we all want a quite unique sound anyway, don't we?

Versatile wah and talk-mod-sounds. Nice Delays. Chorus is ok. Would have to listen more to tell you more, there's still so much to try.

I try to sound like Jerry Cantrell and Slash so the LAB was my only choice. If you want to sound like Dimebag this ain't no good for you: Buy the POD.

The LAB's built like a tank. Only the plastic knobs... I don't like plastic knob that much but even my Hot Rod has some.

Never dealt with 'em.

Warm. Valve. Value.

Don't buy it if you play metal only.
Maybe buy the POD if you want a "true" metal sound.
I play mainly hard rock, Seattle sound, crossover, punk rock.
The LAB is 100% pure rock and roll.
Great built-in effect pedals.
Fantastic value.

Easy to get good sounds, editing is pretty straightforward. Manual is OK. Original FW, non-upgradable.

I played it through a Tech21 Power Engine with a Strat and a Les Paul Standard. Clean and lower sounds are good, even great. I didn't like the higher gain sounds, which was the deal breaker for me. They're noisy and lack authority.

VERY nice delays, filtering, and wah. Average chorus, I wouldn't use it. ALERT: You can't use an OD pedal with the wah! What were they thinking?

I checked it out for many hours over the weekend.

Where is the company sponsored user's forum? I couldn't find one.

Overall, there are some things I loved about this box. The Vox, Fender and low gain Marshall models with an overdrive were really nice. Great delays, very musical and rich sounding. It seemed well-made, good switches and rockers for the pedals. Felt solid.

I couldn't get a warm, wooden, singing Eric Johnson approved lead tone with the Strat.

I find the tonelab very easy to use. It is quite simple to get great sounds of it, and save them. Unlike other all in one pedals, you don't have to scroll through an screen to make selections for almost all operations. It was also very easy to figure out how to use. Having two channels under one preset is one of the greatest features, since you do not need to have seperate presets for your basic clean and dirty sound, allowing you to keep your other effects going when switching channels, especially vital for live performance. In addition each preset also lets you choose delay, modulation, reverb, and stomp effects that can be turned on and off within a single preset. (other modelors expect you to create a new preset for every combination of effects. This makes it incredibly easy to make last minute changes in a concert, such as balancing the volumes of your clean and dirty sounds as simple as turning one knob and pressing save, instead of having to treak the volume of a dozen seperate presets.
Editing patches is also very simple and lights simply light up letting you know which feature you are editing, it also does not involve scrolling and banking and all that jazz.
The tonelab also makes editing and saving features easy by using their software.
The built in tuner works very well and you can see it very easily from standing position. Actually every light and display is easy to read and see from standing position. Other modelors are not this easy to read and see -such as the pod. As for modelors this is the easiest to use of all the other products along this line.

there were a few stomps that i wish could be used at the same time. no big deal though

Once thing that modeler skeptics seem to criticize these type devices is based on when they compare a model to playing the original. For instance playing a marshall stack at full volume shaking your house vs. listening to your modeled version through your I-pod headphones is not a fair comparision. obviously you don't have the "Wow" factor of standing in front of a real amp. Trying recording them both and listening back through the same source. Another misuse that often causes one to criticize these models is when users plug the modeler into the guitar input of there amp and assume that dialing up a clean sound and leaving the eq knobs at 12 oclock will result in an amp that is flat and won't change the sound of the modeler. (if this was true that a marshall would sound the same as a fender twing with the tone knobs set the same) Instead users should use just the power amp section of their guitar amplifier, if the desire is to authentically emulate a given amp. (you can plug the modeler into the effects return jack on the back of your amplifer to achieve this. Then you can still use the master volume on your amp to control volume. Keep in mind that the speakers that your real amp has, effects the sound of your modeled amps. Can you expect a modeled 4 12 cabinet to sound the same through a real 4 12 as it sounds through a real 1 12 for instance. This isn't the fault of the modeler, but of the user.

I don't want to over-hype the sound quality, but I was and continue to be blown away by the tone. Having played other modelors such as fender cybertwin, pod xt live. The newest boss, what ever its name is, I feel that the vox is by far the warmest, and least digital sounding.

I am not so concernded with if the models sound exactly verbatim in every nuance to the original amps modeled. What I do care about is if the amp and cab models, sound great and are inspiring to play. There is a feel that is lost quite often with digital equipment that most listeners don't hear, but the player notices. For instance when I played the pod xt live, on the surface the tone was great, but I just didn't feel the connection that you feel when playing through a real amp, and that caused my to play more rigidly, less dynamically, and simply made playing less enjoyable. That is something that the listener can hear, a guitarist that doesn't play as well.

However the vox tone lab excelled in this area. Perhaps it is because of the tube, power amp circuit, and dummy speaker load. Regardless of why, when playing this, I forget that I am not playing through a real amp. I feels very responsive to my playing, how hard I pick. My strat sounds like a strat, les paul like a les paul. It is also very responsive to the volume of my guitar, even the pick I play with. It simply feels very warm and organic.

While this modelor has less amp models than some others, it has all the essentials and all of them sound and feel real. I wouldn't trade the quality of the included amps for a million amp models with no feel. the effects are also great sounding.

There are a couple things, clearly written in the manual that would lead someone to not like a few of the ampl sounds if they didn;t bother to read. For instance on amps that didn't originally have presence controls the correct position of the prescence control should be turned completely off, NOT the twelve oclock position. should you like a little more sparkle than the original amp had, you could always dial up a little. On amps that didn't have a mid control, the correct position is twelve oclock.

One effect that really was quality was the acoustic simulator. (obviosly no simulator

Seems very solidly built. from the all metal construction, to the knobs and everything else. Don't see why one would need a backup.

never needed to

I would recommned this to any one that wants great real tone and feel

This is in addition to my excellent review below. After 3 months I am still addicted to the ToneLab. I have tried - as many recommended - a different Tube (selected JJ ECC83), but in my opinion, the Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH which the ToneLab was equipped with, did a lot better. The sound lost its clarity and definition, it became more middy/bassy and sweet but the Soldano didn't really sound like Soldano anymore, the marshall lost its cut, so I went back to the EH tube.

Regarding the amp simulations, which I had complained about. I have meanwhile minimally EQ'ed the TL output (little more bass, little less treble) and now I am ONLY playing direct. It's just great to have the additional versatility of the different cabs and to be able to play at ANY volume ANY time. Now I actually love the speaker simulation. Also did some recording and my recorded sound was never as authentic and direct as this.

I am not even using many of the effects, except a little delay, the Wah and some reverb. This with a pair of active fullrange speakers is as much as you need to play any style you could ever think of - except outer space stuff, which is even possible to some extend if you're into it.

Simple to use and great sounds out of the box the valve really does make a difference.

Patch editing is easy and the PC software is a doddle to use - Great fun

Manual is good but I didnt use it just the quick start guide.

I have strats (my 72 is my main squeeze, Les paul std, prs Ibanez rg550 and an epihone sheraton.
It can be noisy when used with the strat but otherwise is pretty good.
The effects are more than adequate but not great. The amp sounds and wah etc are very good indeed but need to be tweaked to get the best sounds.
I use this to record and to play through a marshall AVT 150.

Built like a tank.

Never dealt with vox but their website doesnt offer forums or any user discussion areas.

I play many styles but mostly, blues, jazz and heavy rock this pedal suits them all.
I have other pedals from zoom Boss etc they are all good bu the Voz is the one I go back to when i want that Brian May or SRV sound. You can hear the sound of you guitar with this pedal the non valve jobbies zoom , boss etc sound great but its the pedal eegects your hearing not your guitar.
The valve really helps you to play better as you have to use your fingers to squeeze out the tone. If you cant play through a valve amp (ie you like Line 6 or other digital amp) then you may not get on with this,

This is my second reviw (see below).
I have to convert my first statement on this...On global options be shure to set to LINE if you go straight to PA and if you go on the return (power-amp in) of you amp. Probably the only time you'll need the AMP setting is going on front of you amp (i've never tried that by the way). Generally is only a matter of equalization: AMP is really muddy (too much...) while LINE is sparkling clear (you can set it down by lowering presence and highs).

This is my second shot. I reviewed it first below, that was my first impression, now that I dig some more, I can be more critical.

* First you have really to saparate opinions if you intend to use it in your amp or with a PA system. Using it connected to your amp delivers really nice sounds, you don't need cab simulation, you get kinda more *real* sound, so if you tweak a little bit you'll got nice results. Direct on PA it's a little bit different, and that's why: I think the cab simulation really sucks!!! I've got the behringer GI100 with a general 4x12 cab sim and when I use this while the VOX cab sim's off really let this Tonelab comes alive!!!!!!! A/B them is no question, really. In fact I'm now using this setup (which is kind of sad you can imagine...). The combination VOX amp sim + VOX cab sim delivers plastic sounds, back on your band acustic stage, not really like a real thing. The combination VOX amp sim + real amplifier cabinet or VOX amp sim + behringer cab sim takes your sound to another step in terms of quality and fidelty.

* Second: as someone here mentioned before, this unit is really highs-EQ centered (with LINE option). be shure to lower down presence (a lot) and highs to avoid hiss.

* Third: this unit can be really noisy! starting from mid gain amps you get increasing noise. you can do something with NR but you'll know this is not exactly the real solution...

* Fourth: lacks a post EQ

* Fifth: they should had a separate button for wha and comp (just as NR-PRESENCE) as Digitech 2120 was (10 years ago...)

I think modulations, reverbs, stop boxes are really good sounding and made with quality (in this order). unfortunately most of all cabs simulations are bad. I dont know, they are too much EQ and plastic sounding. I think VOX engeneers went like...ok we must show different tones on cabs! so for marshalls let's +20 db mid freq, fenders let's -20 db mid freq!! I just can't find a NATURAL SOUNDING, TRASPARENT, FLAT EQ cab from this box.

So if you gonna use this unit just as multieffect you are going fine. Direct on your PA or for recording might be not really exciting.
I am really curious to try POD Xt live. the VOX made it because I really liked its superior operability, but probably in terms of simulation the pod is better (i've got the guitar port and i'm happy of it actually).

I owned the digitech 2120 artist and it's no comparision between this and Vox. 10 times better the digitech in terms of pure ritchness, fidelty and transparency in preamp section. but unfortunately the digitech is really complex and not easy operable (and it's rack + foot controller) so I sold it. I remember that few years ago digitech was say 1200 euro, vox is now 500...there must have been a difference!! TC electronics effects only units cost now 2 times the whole Tonelab...think about that...

Now comming form the Boss GT6 to this, talk about easy.

I did read the manual, but it wan't needed.

Straight forward, but with every good comes a bad, sorry to all those tweakers, not much to do.

dial your sounds save, done.

First, i changed my valve, replaced it with a Tung-sol, wow what a diiffernce. More grut, more high gain.

Now like i said, i had a GT6 for 5 months, it did have some good rhythm sounds, but it just was dead for lead. Tonelab SE has got it. I am so happy.

It did take me 2 weeks to find all my sounds, yeh it can't do everything, you can't have 50 effects all chained together.

But it reacts like a amp, you have more then enough sound options.

This is the best sound i have for a while. I also use a 250watt active speaker and my amp and go directly into the pa desk.

no need yet

no need yet

This is the best processor i have owned, i have been through a lot of gear.

I play classic guitar rock, i have no problem getting any sound i need.
acdc, deep purple, three doors down, nickleback, doors, ZZ top, status que, just to name a few.

Look it can't do everything, but what can,

Think of this as a real amp, now you get the picture, then add a few effects, and cab, your off.

It's very easy to get good sounds out of this box. Manual is ok, not great. But it shows what you have to know.

One word: great!

Chorus could have more depth, over all the effects sound ok to me.

more details under "Overall Rating"

hm ... ok, I giged several times with it without a backup. nevertheless the construction could be better. see details below.

no experience

Here I have packed my points together:

The good:

I love the sound of most of the amp-models. The unit interact with the guitar like a real amp, you can play very dynamically and control the level of crunch with your picking ? this is really great! My strat whispers, cries, smacks, growls, sings ? it?s amazing. The sounds are that good and easy to handle, that I hardly use my TriAxis/VHT-setup any more. Any questions?

A/B-switch: It?s great to have two choosable amps in one program

FX-switch: That?s what I like on my Lexicon G2/R1-combo, too? via that switch you enter the ?stomp-box?-mode within a program.

Effect-switch: Very handy ? one effect is directly accessible without entering the FX-Mode

Switches under the the pedals: assignable to a lot of parameters, great for real ?wah?-feeling.


And the bad?:

Tone/programming:
Biggest issue: It?s not possible to configure the fx-chain in a way that you could use more than one pedal in front of the amp-section (ok, there?s an insert ? but hey, this want to be an all in one box).

Some amps (rectifier?) sound muddy when driven hard (espescially the low E-string sounds flubby). Workaround: They become chunky and get bite with an Tonebooster in front ? but again (see above): In this case there?s no possibility to use the wah, vibe or other fx.

The chorus could have more depth

A pedal can only be assigned to one parameter, for example gain on amp A. If you switch to amp B in one program, the pedal is out of function.


Construction:
Shape is not very handy, it?s to wide, to heavy. (pod xt live is better here)

Footswitches are arranged in two rows (good!), but all in one layer (bad!). If you want to hit a switch in the second row, there?s a good chance you?ll hit the one in front of it (ok, my feet are big, but again: pod live is better here, as it features a two-layer-design with bigger switches).

External power-supply ? that?s a really stupid anachronism, because there?s plenty of room inside the unit. And don?t tell me about the danger of hum when the supply is inside the housing ? there are ways to shield it.

The pedal-bearings are designed too simple (metal-on-metal friction bearing): After some month of normal usage one pedal starts to quieeeeek. When I opened the housing, the surface of the bolt was rubbed deeply.

To adjust the mobility of the pedal you have got to open the hole housing!!!!

No digital out, no possibility to upgrade one

No XLR-outs

Git-input on the backside behind the pedals - so in many situations the cable hangs over the board and could block a switch or get tangled up a pedal

All software in fixed ROM ? no possibility to upgrade the operating system or amp modells let?s say via MIDI (again: pod live ist better here)


So, here's my conclusion:
Great sounds in a lousy designed box. I couldn't understand why firms like Vox make such obvious mistakes. For a lot of details there are better solutions on the market - which are from a production point of view not even more expensive.

Oh, and yes: I play a lot of music styles from jazz over funk/soul to metal.

This unit is pretty easy to use and set up. I have used Digitech pedal boards for the last 7 or 8 years so I have a background in how to approach these type of units. If you have never used a multi-effects unit like this one you may find it a little harder to use. The manual is also pretty good and straight forward. You can look up each of the different effects and amp/cabinets and read about it at will.

I use a '96 Gibson SG completely stock except I installed volume kits on both volume pots. This allows me to roll down the volume and get a real clean "strat" tone. This unit is really noisy if you like the Marshall/Mesa hi gain tones. The noise gate seems to work ok but it will cut your sustain if you go above 7 or so. I play this unit through a Peavey Classic 30 on the clean channel and it seems to produce alot of high end. I have to run my amp with the treble on about 3 and the bass on about 7 to get a good round tone. Even when I try to adjust the treble of the unit it doesn't help. I play about 50 or so tunes each time we gig so I need to replicate tones from alot of different bands. It does well for what I need in a live situation.
The amp and cabinet tones are really very good. I'm not saying they are like the original amps(that would be silly)but I am saying for a guitarist playing in a cover band that needs to be able to produce the "faux" tones from 35 different bands on the radio, it works very well. I also like the pedal effects. The "Rat" and "MXR" replicators are my fav. I run them through the clean amp model and they sceam!

I have only had this unit about 3 months. It is the only pedal I take to gigs.

No contact.

I play rock, blues, and some jazzy stuff. I have played longer than I want to admit. If this unit were stolen I would replace it. I love the fact that it is an "all in one" unit so you don't have to run patch cords and power packs all over heck. No batteries either! I did compare to the Digitech models but they seemed too complicated to me. They were so "digital" it was hard to program. I felt even with the almost $600.00 price tag Tonelab was a good value for me. As for the features I wish it had: I wish you could run two or more pedals at one time. I mean when you select the wah feature you can't run the rat pedal with it. I want to be able to add some radical wah-wah to some heavy rat distortion!

very easy for a multieffect unit. it's like having separate boxes, but with the chance to make programs too!

fantastic operability!! the inconvenient is only what turning the knobs the value jumps on the actual position of the knob (if in that moment is at 3 o'clock, you get instantly like 7 on 10 value), and therefore you loose the original setting (you must watch when the label ORIG pops on the display while turning the knob). but I have discovered that it can be obviated using the little buttons with the arrows in order to fine tuning, that way you can also see the original value before even changing it. optimal are the exp pedals, great is also to have two of'em!! you can also obtain effects like whammy that I had before with the Digitech 2120 and I had fear to have lost! brilliant also the fact that you can on/off the effect associated to the pedal pressing hard on toe as you would do like on a normal wah.

easy obtainable good clean sounds, simulations do not interest me that much, enough for me is to have a natural sounding. it seems me that the boutique clean is the case but also fenders. on the distorted sounds you must work more also because you can make many combinations using saturation amp+od pedals. the effects all of good quality truly, i like a lot the echo plus and also the filtron, very vintage like and usable even if they are not mainstream sounds.
overall probably my digitech 2120 was more "deep" and natural sounding, tonelab sounds sometimes "digital" and extreme settings but does it anyway pretty much the same and maybe more. and i sold my used digitech at 600 euros...buyed this at 440 ex-demo...

looks like it will last...
sturdy and metal solid. i like the footswitches wich are best quality and efficient (like fulltone ones, but they don't really snap with a huge "stokk" that much, they much like "click" half way like your mouse does!! i find this is usefull if you are operating with your hands especially while making your first souds and programming, just pop it on a desk at reach of hand). i didn't like the more "plastic" footswitches like pot xt live has...

none yet

I play for 15 years, i was searching for something to use live with my band, but connected to a PA. that was my choice, it made it against the pod xt live. we play pop covers, jazz-pop, some rock/blues, but not really heavy stuff. i own a fender stratocaster 62 reissue with texas specials and little 59 on bridge.
I just got the vox yesterday. this is my FIRST IMPRESSION review. I have tried it first live with the band, connected to a mixer, and then at house in the return of a Fender Deville (until 1,30 am...). the second solution was best for me, but I have understood why: in the global options you must select LN or AP wheater you are connected to a mixer or an amp. I have verified that the solution LN creates a sound too much fizzy, so I tried with option AP (only on fender)...much better! therefore is probably best to ** leave AP also using your PA!!! **. the gig bag is awesome!. they have made things with care overally. kudos for VOX, It looks an optimal purchase. sorry for the sloppy language (i'm italian). maybe i'll post another review when i'll discover more.
if you wanna share comments just use the email provided.

very simple. It's like riding a bike...

from muddy 60's to rammmstein...I love those warm tubesounds, espesially "SRV" makes me cry....

I can count on this. The box seems to be very strong....

I run little homestudio and guitarsounds have always been a problem. I do music from jazz to metal and needed something to cover all the sounds...i think i've got it now.
And it sounds great when recording direct!!!
boss no more......

Quite easy, but it is worth reading the manual first. The pre-sets are quite good on their own, but won't suit everybody.

Excellent sound quality. I used a modified Squire Strat into a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and band's Peavey PA system. The AC30 sounds were very close to the original and also felt as responsive. I set the unit up for Shadows, Searchers, Beatles, EC, Mark Knopfler, Albert Lee and was very pleased with the results at its first live gig.
The effects that I used were very good quality.

I have only had it for 2 weeks, but it is built like a tank.
The valve may prove to be the weekest link, but I always carry at least one spare.
I used it with only minimal back-up equipment and felt confident with it.

Not had to find out, so can't comment.

I mainly play 60's music in a band and have been playing live since 1962.
I would buy another if it was lost or stolen.
I like its versatility and quality of sound.
It is the sort of kit that makes you want to play more.
It will also be very useful for recording.

I submitted the review directly below this one a few days ago, but I would like to make a correction. I said that I can't figure out how to work the tap tempo, and that is still the case (I would STILL love for someone to explain it to me... the directions in the manual just aren't working out). But I said I fixed that problem by getting a Line 6 DL4. BIG MISTAKE!! Do not, I repeat, do not get the Line 6 DL4 (better known as "LIE" 6)!! I bragged on it before I really got to mess with it. If you want to supplement the TonelabSE delays (which are great by the way) with something along the lines of the DL4, get a Boss DD-20 and thank me later. I even hear that the Guyatone MD3 is quite impressive and surprisingly versatile (despite no tap tempo). I just couldn't sleep knowing that I may have cost someone $250 by endorsing that Line 6 Paper Weight. I hope I didn't offend any hard core Lice 6 fans out there (yes, i meant to say "lice"). But if you love it so much, why are you here? Why aren't you reading about the PODxtLive? Forget the details and listen to my advice. Get the TonelabSE instead! Music IS about tone... right? Oh, and it's great when your instruments actually work! My DL4 wouldn't even work when i first got it home, but it later decided to work (too bad the tone was underwhelming). I found out later that many DL4s are dead on arrival... i just thought i got that one out of a million. I've also heard that Line 6 amps have a nack for burning up. That's not a figure of speech... i mean they literally burn up. Smoke n' all! Besides, when your POD goes out (notice i said "when," not "if"), the Line 6 Customer Support may treat you like they treated me... as if i didn't exist. Do yourself a favor and get the TonelabSE.

The controls are VERY easy to figure out. I haven't really had to look at the manual (which is great b/c reading the manual is like discussing philosophy with a pot head). The manual might give good info, but i haven't really given it a chance. I've already figured out how to do everything i want to do with it. It took me a while to figure out how to use the tuner (hold the FX button for a couple seconds), but that is totally MY fault... it's written right below the button. I felt stupid when i figured it out lol. The only reason I gave this an 8 instead of 10 is because i can't figure out how to use "tap tempo" to save my life!! This isn't good b/c i'm a delay junky. I might not be able to figure it out b/c i'm a fricken moron, but i dunno... i'm pretty smart. I've done what the manual says to do, but it won't DO what the manual says it'll do. I even called Guitar Center, and the manager read the manual and still couldn't figure it out. What i've gathered from the manual is that you would have to assign a different switch (like the modulation switch) as your tap tempo. What the crap is that about??? Why not just have a "tap tempo" button available? *shrugging shoulders* I haven't read/heard any complaints from anyone else concerning the tap tempo, so I either got a defective board, no one else cares, or i'm just stupid. However, i consider this a blessing in disguise... it totally gave me an excuse to buy the monster of all delay pedals, the Line 6 DL4 *drueling* that thing is amazing. Which brings me to my next point. You are able to use other pedals with it. I haven't tried any other pedals with it, but all I do is run my guitar through the DL4, and from there to input. Presto, I have an endless supply of delays. If you can figure out the tap tempo on the tonelabse, more power to ya... you'll love the delays. But i'm glad i couldn't because i REEEEEEEALLY like the Line 6 delays a lot better (they are 100,000% more versatile). As far as stage capabilities, my Vox is very easy to use. However, though i haven't tried it, the PODxtLive looks easier to use (and the PODxtLive has a tap tempo botton right there on the board!!!). I wish you could turn the expression pedal on by stepping on it (like a Dunlop Crybaby), but that hasn't been a hassle yet. I'm just griping. I think (i haven't tried it) that you can assign more than one pedal effect to the pedal switch. That would come in handy for using the wah with an overdrive. Other than that, i don't know why you would need more than one at a time. Overall, EASY to hook up, easy to use onstage, easy to figure out (except for tap tempo), and VERY easy to transport. I've gigged with it for about 10-11 months, and i'm totally spoiled to it's portability. I even heard that Billy Idol's guitarist uses this same thing... for the same reason... hmmmm.

The first thing you'll notice when you play this is that the factory presets SUCK. Never fear though... it doesn't take long to make it sound glorious. I got this b/c I play in a lot of small venues (mostly churches), and I needed a way to get CRANKED sound at lower volumes. This definitely does that! Every time I tell someone I have one, they instantly say, "Dude, those things are amazing." One friend who plays through a POD had a "spiritual moment" when he played my Vox. Another friend who plays a Line 6 Spyder II couldn't get over the fact that my Vox has beefier crunch. I let another friend use it to record... a couple months later he bought one of his own.

BUT!!! I'll have to warn you about the sound. I plug into a P.A., and the sound can be really THIN. When overdriven, the treble can sound like someone getting a hair out of his throat. If you don't have subs in your settup, i don't know if you'll like this. We have a Mackie system, and I turn myself up in our 15" subs to beefen it up. That really does the trick. I have one more warning. I'm a huge Slash fan, and the Vox wah on the board just doesn't give you that lead-wah that he rips. That was a bummer. In fact, it doesn't sound that great with any of the Marshall settings... just not enough "wwwwwaaaaahhhh" (i guess that gives me an excuse to try out some other wah pedals, huh? lol). I use it with one of the tweed settings, and I get a great funky sound from it though.

I mostly play with the Marshall settings (i wish it had more than one Mesa setting). For clean, my amp setting is UK Blues, and my cab is UK H30... settings: gain 5, VR gain 10, treble 3.1, mid 10, bass 7.6. When i set my Les Paul on the bridge pickups, it's very bright and glassy... on neck pickups, it's very warm. Then I use the Tube Overdrive setting (simulates Ibanez TS808) to get good bluesy leads or British-ish distorsion. For heavy, i use UK 68P amp and UK H30 cab (i found that this is the thickest)... settings: gain 10, VR gain 10, treble 5, mid 5, bass 5 (i'm gonna mess with these to see what it sounds like). This is very thick and bassy. When I play power chords on the A string, I'll bar the note above on the E string (i.e. when playing an "e", bar the "b" above it). This gives a 7-string effect, and adds a lot of dark thickness and bassy breakup. This setting doesn't have the greatest sustain, but one of the overdrives will give you that. It'll also give you more gain, but makes it sound thinner, so i usually only use it for lead. You might be interested to know that I played a Marshall triple super lead at Guitar Center, and it sounded exactly the same as my "heavy" channel. I use a couple other settings for certain songs, but these are my main two... i LOVE'em. Just remember, turn yourself up in the subs!!!

You could bust pavement with this thing. My tube is still going strong after almost a year, and there isn't a single scratch on the board. When i'm carrying it in the gig bag, it bangs into EVERYTHING. So far, it's remained victorious.

I play mostly praise and worship music, but our band refuses to sound lame... WE ROCK FACES OFF! This thing gives me the power lol. It is so incredibly versatile. Whatever your style is, this'll do it. Not only that, but it will sound LIKE AN AMP!...not just an effects processor. I've been playing for 5 years, so i'm still learning how to find perfect tone. I do know,however, that this thing will produce some great tone. If it were lost or stolen, i would definitely get another one. Even if I have a whole studio with 30 amps, i would want one just to have. It's WAY too convenient not to have one. My favorite thing about it is the portability. My only real gripe is the thin, scratchy treble, and no tap tempo. Other than that, it's great.

Very easy indeed. If you know how to use a guitar amp, you don't need the manual to get started. The manual helps to get to know every feature more quickly. It took me no time to exploit every aspect of the unit. It's very intuitive to use and has more of the appearance of an amp than a multi fx unit. I want to play, not twiddle knobs all day long, so this is great for plug & play action although not as simple as a traditional guitar & amp.

I have several old Fender amps (brownface, blackface & tweed), so I won't even try to compare the Tonelab SE to them. It does not sound the same....However I believe that it does not sound inferior either.
The response to your playing style is very much like an amp. I don't know how much the valve actually contributes to the sound but I don't care because with a guitar over one shoulder and the Vox over the other and I am kitted out for gigs & rehearsals anywhere. I bought this to take to the far East where I will be touring and there is no way I could take my 4x10 Fender & my pedal board! The audience doesn't give a monkey's what you're playing through anyway. They just want to be entertained!
One thing to remember is that it takes a while to get good sounds out of it and I dicovered that to my tastes the presence control is best set to ZERO for all amp models. Whnever I tried to use it, it sounded atrocious, absolutely awful, disgusting, cheap and more like a typical DI'd digital POD sound. The Noise reduction works exceptionally well, which helps for the higher gain sounds. I don't use any of the modern type amp models, just the tweeds, the blackfaces, the Voxs and the Plexi. If you experiment with different cab & amps you can get some really nic, rich sounds.

I record a lot of guitar also and first impressions is that this records very well, but again, you need a lot of tweaking. Maybe my comments will help people cut down on tweaking time if you take my advice and leave the presence control well alone!

I play contemporary rock/pop, using classic/"traditional" guitar sounds, like Neil Young, Rolling Stones etc...Sounds that usually require just a guitar & amp, with maybe an OD pedal and a delay. This is how I set up to use the Tonelab and it is well up to the job! I prefer the fact that there are not hundereds of amp models or upgrades because the amount of tweaking I have had to do on this is quite enough already. I want to play my guitar!

However I have not had the chance to use it at a gig yet through a large PA, so I may end up hating it after all these comments! Somehow though I don't think I will.

It's already 3 months old & I have had it a couple of weeks and played around with it continuously. It seems very well built, very tough, but not too heavy to carry around. I think it will last me well, but I suppose it still pays to take care of it. I doubt it will break down in the middle of a performance. I have never bothered with spare amps etc.... anyway. I've always been lucky that way.

No idea. I haven't needed to contact them. Here's hoping I never will.

Like I mentioned before, pretty traditional guitar sounds are what I like to use. Classic amps, mainly Fender and although my music is all original and not of a "Retro" type, those are the sounds that inspire me the most. I play a 50's Custom shop relic Strat and a Jap 50's RI Tele which I have modified with Kinman pickups, an active midrange boost and an original 60's "F" branded Bigsby. So far in my use of the TLSE I have found the tweed 1x12 and the Black 2x12 to be the most organic sounding amps for clean and the AC15/AC30 models great for crunchy rhythm. The Plexi sounds good with the 4x10 cab and I swear it sounds really similar to my Brownface '63 Fender Concert!

Very intuitive, the downloadable editor for PC helps a lot.
The manual is not very explicit, but it's easy enough to inform about the features.
The knobs help in small adjusments on stage, and the "Original Value" feature is a great help!

I use my Tonelab SE with a Tech 21 Power Engine 60. Very simple setup, easy to transport and with enough power for pubs and small stages.
Some noise on extreme distortion settings, but nothing too serious.
Great effects, lot's of delay possibilities.
I'm using the Boutique for cleans, Marshall for Crunch and Mesa for distortion. Some of the other amps are great, too.
The valve adds some "breath" to the pick attack. Very good!

I'm currently using this without any backup, but I'm thinking of buying a smaller modeller, like a X-Vamp or something, just in case something goes wrong...
But I'm preety much depending on it now, and with no regrets!

I'm playing in a pop-rock covers band, so I need a great range of sounds. The Tonelab SE has all I need for a quick and simple setup, and a great sound!
I also do lot's of studio work, and the Tonelab is indeed a great recording tool. I'd love XLR outs, but you can't have it all!!...
I've been playing for 11 years now. I own an Ibanez JPM, Yamaha RGX 820Z, Yamaha Pacifica 312 and a Dean Avalanche 7. All my guitars have DiMarzio pickups, but yet, the Tonelab let's the tonal charecteristics of each guitar come out clearly.
I've had some other preamps and processors in the past, but all I needed was a great sound in a box. This is it!

very easy to use. of course u need the manual for some settings like the expression pedals. But all the basic functions are very very easy.

This unit has been made for people who like playing the guitar and hear something real. The amps are real and very versatile with 2 chanels like the original and attitude like the original. The effects are not the best out there but I repeat this is a very real unit. It doesn't put aside your guitar's sound like digitech and Boss GT6+8. The presets are ok but you need some tweaking from the beginning. Now, something important!!!! This unit uses a tube. It's very warm and more analog than all the other units. But it's still a digital unit. Don't overload the sound with reverb because u lose the originality of the amp's sound and u need it in a live situation.Most of u know that. Try to find a very noisy sound because near the drums,the bass and the keyboards, only this sound will go OUT!! This unit helps u do anything.I rate it with a 10 because I haven't heard an other pedalboard more real than this. It's very close to the real thing.

Have gigged with it only 7 times. I don't know yet.We'll see...

Very good support. Believe me!!!

If u want versatility and your guitar's sound with a pure amplification, buy this. If you are a metal addict and want crazy sounds, don't buy this. Go buy the GT-8. I heard GT-8 and it's more digital than all the GT's. It's like digitech.I have a Parker fly and I want to hear my guitar. GT-8 and Digitech GNX-4 did't leave my guitar's personality go out. VOX is my unit and I'm very happy to say this. I think that this unit was made for players who are mature enough to think and choose the more warm sound and not the more extreme. If u are ready to focus on your instrument, don't lose time. Go buy it now!!!!!

Presets are not very useful, except some few. But it's easy to find your way around. I used the editor software before I went to the shop to get a better idea of its architecture - and this definitely helps. The editor is also handy while the unit is on the floor and I am playing in the studio. Overall, this thing is easy. The reduced amount of effects and amps even was an argument for me to chose it.

I play a Hamer Sunburst with Seymour Duncan '59 and JB and an ENGL screamer top w/ V30 4x12. Having read many reviews, I didnt expect this unit to be perfect straight away. So I did as I was told, deactivated all effects and first tweaked some good sounds, having a Soldano in Bank A and a Rectifier in Bank B. I really have to say, having tested both amps some time ago, it's the real thing. Going straight into FX return of the ENGL gives a very transparent, breaking-through sound. And the models do bring across the character of what they emulate. In the shop I tested it against a Line6 PodXTLive. The POD is sounding good, very clean and very harmonic, but what I missed about it was the character of my own sound, the one that comes from my guitar and my fingers. The VOX was much better in this perspective, and I chose it although it has less features and no USB port. Line6 has some good features for recording (USB and A.I.R.), but the TL in conjunction with a tube amp has convinced me very quickly. I agree with my predecessors: combining the Wah with a Overdrive Pedal would be nice. But hey, there's enough drive on most of the amp models, so who really cares? And the Wah is great. I will sell my modded Vox847 now. My preferred models in the Tonelab are Black 2x12, AC30TopBoost, Plexi 68, Solo100 and Recto.

Very heavy. Having bought it just a few weeks ago, I can't tell how long it takes befor the tube wears out. But it is very well crafted.

I wrote an email to the customer support about connection alternatives, and I received very quickly a very competent answer that didn't seem to come out of a reply database. Very good support. On the other hand I am missing updates. I hope they will develop the software of the TL and post updates from time to time. As well there is no sound library (but maybe that's not really needed as the unit isn't so complex that it would take ages to tweak in Gary Moore, Brian May or EVH on your own).

I'm perfectly happy and don't regret my decision. Playing mainly in the high gain range, I had lots of fun doing SRVaughn or Neill Young as well as AC/DC (Plexi68, all levels on 10:) I'm very sure I'll stick with this unit for a long time.

This thing is very intuitive. The controls are solid and well placed. The only thing I had to open the manual for was to figure out how to quick-assign effects to the expression pedals.

The A/B amp channel button is a great idea.

I've been using this item non-stop for the last 4 days.

My setup:
Guitar:
91 strat deluxe with dbl fat strat humbuckers
home recording:
guitar > tonlelab se > PC > headphones
studio:
guitar > tonlelab se > 2x behringer GI100 > yamaha AW16G recorder > headphones

Effects before pre-amp:
These are great ... my favourite is the Vox wah ... combined with the right amp model (AC30) and it simply kills. There are some good renditions of vintage pedals as well. The compressor is nice, but I with it were available to put in front of the other effects in this category.

Amp Models:
I can't give a full review as I've only really tweaked with the AC30, AC30TB & Boutique CL models. All of these, I love. The sound is warm and real.

Cab Sims:
Some good variety here. It's nice to have so many choices for sound shaping. Again, I've stuck with only a couple for the time being.

Modulation:
This is where I was pleasantly surprised. The sound quality of these effects are unbelievable. The chorus mods especially. No wait ... the rotary mod ... and then there's the filtron. The sounds are clean and free of that nasty digital essence that you hear so often from other units.

Delay:
Again, I was surprised at the sound quality, and usefulness of the delays included. I had not heard the "mod delay" before, but now I use it constantly.

Overall sound:
Others have gone over this, so I go on & on. I tested this thing out at my local store and dialed in a couple of Edge's Achtung Baby sounds ... the tube simulation is very good. It has attack, it has push/pull ... I have not heard such tasty tones from a modeller before. It gets a 10.

no problems yet. I don't "gig" but I certainly go over to my buddy's studio without a backup :)

Since I'm in an apartment I can't use an amp ... direct recording is my only option right now, so the tonelab se suits my purposes just fine.

I'm your standard 30-somthing guitarist influenced by rock/pop/grunge/jazz. I play mostly originals now and the flexability of the tonelab se is perfect for song creation.

It's expensive, but I honestly think that it is the best modeller available. I'm not that good, but I have a good ear and I play better when I like my sound. With this unit, I like my sound.