Vox V810 Valve-Tone

EZ..

at one time i had a vox v837 distortion and it just didn't work out for me at that time w/that rig (no disrespect) but becuz of that i was a little aprehensive about buying this V810 pedal but i got a deal, & based on some of the reviews i read here... i say what the heck
This time i was NOT disappointed and also I'd say thet the reviews i read here were pretty right on the money .. i was REALLY surprised at how good it was , i A/B'd w a Ibanez TS-10 a Boss SD-1 and it held it's own and then some... i agree w / a reviewer below about how well it handles chord work ... of course i'm keeping all the above pedals but the point is the V810 valve tone is not 2nd to any of them - i was mainley switching back and forth between a 88 USA Fender Tele and another dual PAF tele but also a 84 jap strat - it was outstanding all around - the funny thing is that earlier.. i was already planning on selling it before i even got it home, i wasn't expecting much from it at all , but it won me over right away - now i'm giving it a 9.6 but i'm rounding up

one note here.... mine does not pop when i switch it off & on - i didn't notice anything sub standard about it at all...

cmon man, you know your on your own...

the v810 valve tone (imho) is kinda between the Boss SD-1 and the Ibanez TS-10 but it has it's own flavor too - you can also tell they're all from the TS family - the sd-1 can be so smooth (w/strat) and the TS-10 can be smooth too but REALLY shines when it screams (w/tele) while the V810 covers almost the same territory as the other two but i think i like it BEST w/ pafs - don't get me wrong i LOVE it w/ strat & tele too ! and also these are not being made any more so grab one while you can for not too much money ... even better that way... OH ONE MORE THING before i got this i tried to listen to sound samples on you-tube but the ones i heard sounded like the V837 distortion (which wasn't my fav) so don't trust that... TRY IT YOURSELF !!!

The Vox is extremely easy to use, I bought it used, so I dont have a manual, but it functions pretty much exactly like any other overdrive. With a bit of tweaking, it functions as a dirty boost, distortion, etc. Its my favourite overdrive, and i've found it comparable to my Hot Cake overdrive. Almost any setting will deliver a great tone. I personally favour a 10 o'clock volume with tone and gain at 12.

I normally run this overdrive with an Eric Johnson Strat and a 1962 Vibrolux, and it sounds great. Its not noisy, theres no hum, and it works exceptionally well with my Sovtek Mig60, as well as my les paul/Starfire IV

Now, this is unfortunate, as this is where this pedal takes a turn for the worse. Now, granted, i bought this used, but frankly, broken pedals arent terribly useful, and ive been having a constant struggle with this pedal to get it to function properly. My gain knob died, the volume cuts in and out unexpectedly, and the tone knob occasionally ceases to function as well. If this pedal didnt sound so damn good, i would have tossed it by now.

No contact.

As an eclectic musician(blues/jazz/country/rock/etc), i have never been let down by the sound of this pedal. The only thing that is not worthy of a ten is the build quality, which is highly suspect, as I read reviews from others having the same problems. If you can find and or afford this pedal, and you dont mind having it fixed once in a while, its amazing. Otherwise, find a Hot Cake or similar pedal.

no brainer... gain, tone, level

After all these years, it's still my favorite low-gain OD pedal. I use it to push the front end of my tube amps. Tried just about everything & always come back to the VT.

This pedal has a nice "Voxy" mid freq that puts a punch to the mids on a clean amp, or pushes a clippy amp into full OD. I like to use it with the gain almost off... typically 9 o'clock & the level at 3 o'clock.

Sounds great with all guitars & all amps. (I typically use a Matchless lightning, Bad Cat Cub II, Vox AC30, & a 60's Fender Vibrolux Reverb. Guitars are strats, teles, LPs with P90s, & sometimes a Gretsch)

It has it's shortcomings. I suggest... 1) Replace the bypass switch with a good one & wire for true bypass. Add 1Meg bleed resistors to prevent "pop" 2) some early version pedals had a little yellow cap & resistor on the output jack to ground... I remove it if it is present. 3) Replace jacks with high quality switchcraft. 4) Replace LED with high brightness RED or BLUE. Do these mods & the pedal will work flawlessly for years.

Does not exist...

With all the hype surrounding OD pedals, I am surprised the Valve-Tone doesn't get more attention... I own TS9s like everybody else, but still favor the VT for lower gain OD. I own several of these & haven't paid more than $50 for any of them. Great value, grab one if you can. If you don't like it, email me & I'll buy it from you. :)

Bought mine used, no manual, no problem.

American Series Strat (ES335/Carvin DC200)->CMAT Mods Compressor->Vox Crybaby->Vox Valve-Tone->EHx Holier Grail->t.c. Nova 1 Delay->BBE Sonic Stomp->Hot Rod DeVille 4x10.

Great, smooth sound for blues, rock, jazz. I keep the tone set at "0" for most applications.

Zero problems so far. Heavy chromed case, appears to be well-made internally.

Discontinued; mfg support n/a.

Purchased used, with a BRIGHT blue LED and a Fulltone switch already installed. No popping, on/off status easy to see day or night. It's a permanent part of my signal chain (as much as anything ever is). If lost or stolen, I'd try to find another.

As easy as it gets. Three knobs, and it's actually hard not to get a nice sound out of it.

A very nice vintage-sounding overdrive, and the added noise is very reasonable. I like it better with my Les Paul Special, and it sounds kind of thin to me with my Strat. Plays all the 60's stuff you want - the Kinks, the Small Faces, the Who, the Beatles - you name it.

Seems solid enough to me. I'm not too hard on my pedals though. The slanted footswitch problem that someone her had mentioned - well, I've never found the footswitch to be particularly vulnerable. All the glossy chrome requires a lot of wiping though.

no idea

This is the way to go if you want something different from a generic tubescreamer. I wouldn't exactly call it 'versatile', it's more of a one-trick pedal and does not do more than overdrive. But it's definitely a great-sounding overdrive.
These used to sell fo under 50 bucks at Guitar Center back in 1998, I wish I was smarter and bought one then. They get increasingly hard to find and the average price for a used pedal is about $90 now. I got lucky to get a new one for a hundred, and hell, I'll make sure it doesn't get stolen, becasue I'd hate to go looking for another one.

Simple as 1-2-3.

This is a follow up to a review I did three years ago for this pedal. The footswitch broke after a while and I tried to replace it with a switch from Maplin (big mistake) but that didn't last. I then replaced it with a heavy duty switch from an amp manufacturer (local) and it has been trouble fre ever since. In fact it has been very well used for gigging and recording.

Fantastic quality overdrive, nice and smooth. Has the sound and looks of a much more expensive valve powered pedal.

Since I replaced the switch, no problems and no audible popping sound when switched.

Never tried to use them.

A wonderful pedal at a bargain price. I have yet to compare it to a true valve overdrive, but I have a fender deluxe with inbuilt valve drive channel. I often prefer the VOX sound to the amp's own overdirve.

I can see this VOX on my pedal board for a very long time indeed.

I plugged it in, stepped on it, played for a while and got some great sounds from it; Beatles-taxman and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, to the who-my generation, love that the 9v input is on the side(saves space on my pedalboard). Manual is ok and has all the information you need.

This is the best overdrive i have ever tried. Rock'n'Roll all the way! I just fell in love with it. Perfect for BritPop (Oasis, Blur, Verve..). I use a fender japan tele, TU-2, CS-2, V810, TS9, Muff, Maxon CS-550, DD-6, PN-2 throug a fender Princeton and a Hot Rod Deville 212.

Have had no problems yet, and dont belive I'll ever have. Buildt in a beautiful stealbox with quality rubber on top and feet, matches perfectly with the v-847 wah. I don't have backups for any of my gear. Just pray before gigs, has worked 140 times so far.

Have played for ten years, mainly british rock. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy a new one and keep it in my underwear to protect it. Vox should reissue this one, but on the other side I like that people ask what it is when they see it.

I first reviewed this pedal four years ago. It hasnt' went anywhere since.
That should tell you plenty in this overdrive of the week market we're in.
Very easy to use. 3 chickenheads. No muss, no fuss. The only problem I've
encountered is the dim, amber colored LED. None too easy to see. So I'll give it
a 9 here.

I go from Peterson Strobostomp tuner > Crybaby Classic wah > Vox Valve Tone >
Fulltone OCD > Maxon AD999 delay > Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb

The key to my tone remains the Vox. Harmonic content, perfect low end, definition,
musicality. A truly stellar pedal, better than any tubescreamer or variant I've tried.
Again, this comes after four years of consistant use, so this is no honeymoon. It's a
marriage. This pedal goes to 11 in terms of quality tone, but HCs max rating is 10.
10 it is for tone.

Ok, here's the only place where I have to scold my little Vox. The exterior is rock solid.
The components, particularly the chip, are top notch. However, the switch has always
popped a little on the first engagement. It's now popping pretty much everytime.
These discontinuned gems orginally sold for 60 clams. (Now fetching 100 clams due
to its reputation.) So what do you want? Give her a 9 here.

Discontinued pedal, so this doesn't really apply. I plan on sending my little buddy
to analogman, or some other pro to install a new switch and a bright blue LED.
Then she will be the puuuuuurfect OD pedal. They better not damage it, or change
its tone in any way, or they're cruisin for a brusin. Still a fantastic pedal after four years.
Think I might hunt down another for a backup.

Not much left to say. If you're looking for a transparent overdrive that doesn't
sound like all the others, this is the prime ticket. Works great for the Blooze, everything
from Chicago to electric Delta. Slappy and fun for funk, particularly with some wah.
Will do Beatles chimeydirt. Will put a grin on your face.

It's just as easy as a tube screamer or any other overdrive pedal, just three knobs and a switch.

This is really the important part. I come from a background of blues, so I'm going for the traditional sound of an overdriven tube amp. I have a TS-9 modded by Analogman, and I also have an original TS-10 with the JRC4558 chip, both sound just right for that blues sound (SRV). I've put this Valvetone side by side with the Tube Screamers and I can hear NO difference. It's just as nice!!! Actually, I like it more just because it has slightly more overdrive when the gain is cranked. But it's nice and smooth with the gain down. It has the usual midrange hump like the tube screamers. All-in-all, it's a boutique quality pedal, for a really low price! I'll give it a 9 only because there's a slight pop when you engage the switch, but that's not uncommon for a 3pdt switch.

It's been very dependable. I would definately use it without a backup. It's extremely solid and heavy, with that chrome cover and solid housing, you can't go wrong.

Never dealt with the company.

These were discontinued by Vox after only a couple years of production I think. I got a first year pedal because as soon as I heard it I knew it was a bargain. You can find them on Ebay once in a while for cheap. Not only do they sound fantastic, they are BEAUTIFUL pedals, and they are built like a tank. Another plus, if you have one of these, not many people do, so they get noticed, it's like having a rare boutique pedal. I use it every gig. The only problem is the LED which is a very dim yellow color. I had it modified by a local tech with a bright blue led, but it's really just a cosmetic thing.

my son of three knows what to do with it.....

very good, crunchy, I used it a lot for rithme and when playing leads I pushed it up with a Boss SD-1 to get a very rich tone.
If you want to play solo on this thing my guess is that it's to dusty or muddy sort of speak, but for chords it's very good

No f****** chance, the layout of the pedal is wrong, the surface where the switch is on is angled to much. Maybe it's just me, but I had to replace it twice already, ok , in 6 years. I do gig with it, but I only use it when I need to break out of the mix now as it is in front of my Mesa V-Twin. I replaced the switch myself, even that is childs play. ;-)
The nuts drive you nuts as well..... ;-)

never dealt with them as I repair my own stuff.

good nifty little thing, but if you don't use it a pedal case or something (so I mean a loose pedal that you pack in a softbag every night ;-) you will have to buy ten of them not to have a problem.