Vox V830 Distortion Booster

It's easy to use: level, tone and drive controls. just tweak here and there--basic distortion pedal.

The sound is very "crunchy," and I really don't like that. it's almost harsh-sounding, not the smooth drive I like. but that's just me. I use it through a solid state 12" speaker amp. I can't say that I really care for the sound at all. I can't get good sustain out of the pedal...but sustain is what I want out of distortion.
and playing high, trebly notes (i.e. solos) is shrill and painful. there is no "ching" or "ch-" sound when palm muting...quite disappointing.

tough stuff. but, the dials turn a little too easily, so an accidental bump would really screw up your settings.

n/a

I like rock and roll, anything pre-1992.
this pedal is really for niche users. if you like this kind of sound (very crunchy, little sustain and "ching") then you'll love this pedal. don't expect to play metallica out of it. it's not heavy distortion. axlroseusa@netscape.net

It'sm hard to get a good sound.... :((( but it's easy to use - 3 knobs.

I'm using Fender Stratocaster USA with mini-humbucker SeymourDuncan HotRails. This effect really sucks.... I bought it because I wanted to get better sound than my BOSS Blues Driver. But with vox distortion booster i can get only sound like LED ZEPPELIN or GUNS'N'ROSES - On a stratocaster!!!!!! humucker and single sounds the same! it really do mess with the sound. I am uusing all-tube WEM Dominator amplifier from mid-seventies.

Friends told me that this is "a distortion BOOSTER", not distortion, but when i plug my guitar to vox, the vox to my blues driver, and to the amp, it sound only good, when vox is not it the circuit. when i turn it on, i sound like GNR. To bad :(((( I cannot depend on it. Sorry

Never dealt with them, but i think i should... :-/

Overall? Let's say it is REALLY UNDER THE good tone of the stratocaster. I don't like it at ALL. Everyone is saying that this effect is one of the greatest distortions, like TubeScreamer (TS9). Don't believe them. :(

Three knobs overeasy.

I play in a sixties garage cover band and I use this pedal for fuzz. Sounds great through my Vox C-30 twin and Carvin SX-200, both solid state. Sounds best with humbuckers. With my Epiphone Dot (neck pickup with treble at zero) I can really get that fuzzy sixties tone. It is a little noisy when you turn it up but hey, I'm in a garage band so I shouldn't really complain...

Knock on wood but I've never had any problems. Seems more solid than my Danelectro pedals which, even though they weigh more, feel cheaper. I have used it without backup on gigs. I'll give it a 9 just in case.

Don't know.

For sixties fuzzy dirty sounds, this is perfect. I've been playing on and off for ten years but just recently got a little serious, joining my first real band. If I lost this pedal, I'd definitely buy another one. It does what I want it to do with minimal fuss, which is exactly what I need.

I have never known any distortion pedal to be too difficult to figure out... This one is simple enough. Played with it for 15 minutes before I got the tones I wanted.

I play a Hamer USA Studio with SD 59 pickups through a 67' Fender Bandmaster. My amp was modified, and it now has a built in overdrive channel, but I wanted to be able to call on some really dirty distortion if need be. The v830 really just doesn't deliver. I have it next to a v847 Wah-Wah, and I keep thinking that the wah was left on. The other users who complained about their low-end being cut out were right on. This pedal simply flattens out your tone, making for a really cheap sound. However, I have found that I can really beef up my solos using the drive on about the 10 o'clock setting. If you are playing in a large ensemble and really need a riff to stand out, this pedal can really do the job, just don't forget to turn it off before playing any rythm lines.

Vox pedals are very well built. The foot switch seems like it could be a bit flimsy, but I haven't had any trouble yet. Plus, the chrome housing is soooo nice.....

Never dealt with them.

I play mostly rock, with some indie and blues thrown in. As I said before, if you just need to crank out a solo or two, this pedal can really help you out, but other than that it just doesn't cut it. Not a bad pickup for $40 bucks though, as it can be usefull.

It has three knobs, don't need to say anything more about this. You may need to twist a little with both the pedal and the amp and you can get a GOOD VARIETY of sounds.

I'm playing it with an Epiphone SG (G400), (with grovers and Gibson 57' reissues) and sometimes an Epiphone Wildkat. My amp is a Marshall 5212 (2x12 Celestions) with two channels, clean and overdrive.
It is a bit noisy on the highest gain settings, but I hardly ever set the drive to more than 14 o'clock. I use it as a distortion booster on the drive channel, and it is a great sound coming out. Doesn't destroy the guitar's sound at all. It sometimes sounds even better when I use it on the clean channel, with the treble and bass (on the amp) set at 9 o'clock. It cleans up wonderfully when you turn back the volume on the guitar. You can get really wonderful tones there. Very 70ish, which I like a lot. Could come pretty close to Neil Young's distorted sounds at times. But I like to have my own sound.
I think it's the best distortion pedal for the money, if you like 70's rock. I don't think so, I'm certain!!! :)

I've had it for almost two years without a backup. Never failed me.
It looks awesome as well. One time, a guy asked; "Oh, nice pedal, I guess it costs A LOT?"
As some have said, to change batteries is a bit time-consuming, but if you have a good screwdriver, you can do it in 3 minutes...

I play a lot of rock, blues some jazz (a lot of folkmusic as well, but I don't use this one then!!). I'm very satisfied with this pedal. I've tried a lot of other pedals but this one beats them. I'm currently interested in buying a Fulltone Soulbender. I guess they won't match each other too well, but since they're both true bypass (which I'm VERY FOND OF) it won't be any problem (except that I have to buy more batteries! :( )
I've been playing for 5 years, and i use the pedal when I'm soloing (which happens to be very often, we're really into jamming) and sometimes to get a dirty rythm sound. I find it wonderful when turning back the volume on the guitar, it's an opportunity many players forget. I never gig without it with the rock bands I'm in.
As I said, I'm going to buy a Fulltone pedal soon. I hope that won't mean I won't use this one any more. But I like to vary my sound (in that way I get inspired), and it's not because I dislike this one. Not at all.
I recommend this pedal, for the money it's awesome, and even those of you who look at the price tag and think it's too cheap, try it out!
(my rating should be 8.5!! :)
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Like most distortion pedals, its very easy to use.

I'm using this with my AX84.com Hi-Octane amp (although this is a variation that uses a KT88 in single-ended mode for around 15 watts). The guitar is an Ibanez GAX70 with duncan alnico pro pickup in the bridge. The sound of it is quite good into my amp as long as it is used as its name implies, as a BOOSTER. Whether you use it as an overdrive or an overdrive+distortion it works fine. If you use it purely as a distortion pedal, it can sound rather lifeless as some of the reviews indicate. However, since it is supposed to be a booster, I don't fault it in the least, just as I don't fault it for not being a chorus pedal. It does what it is supposed to do well.

Seems built pretty well. it has a real switch on it instead of the little plastic pads. Its always a good idea to have a backup. If it went out on me I still have my amp which sounds awesome on its own.

I play a variety of rock music, mostly post 1980 stuff. I've been fronting a 3-piece rock band for around a year and playing guitar for ten years or so. I got this real cheap from a guy and I'm a cheapskate, but I think it would be worth $50 if you bought it new, provided that you don't ask it to get awesome distorted tones without any help from your amp. If you use it to boost a good amp, it works fantastic and has a nice british type of character. My DS-1 is very similar, but it sounds a little more american in tone. Not a bad thing. They both complement my amp.

It has three knobs, level, drive and tone. turn them up or down. pretty simple.

I play an epiphone dot (with gibson pu's and grover tuners) through a 50 watt sovtek head with a 2x12 avatar cabinet. I've got a load of cheap distortion pedals, and by far and away this is my favorite one. I got it for 60 bucks off of ebay and it's been my main pedal ever since. Okay, here's the deal, I play in a punk band but hate how everyone just plays les paul's through marshalls. ick. The vox gives me a very trebly "razor blade" sound that cuts through the mix like a mofo. It does cut some bass off, but that's what I like about it. I like to turn my amp up about half to where it's just breaking up then I turn the drive on the thing to about 9 o'clock to get just a dash of distortion. It sounds really good to me, but you might want to check it out first cause I don't think it'll appeal to everybody.

I've been gigging without a backup for a couple of months now. Seems to be really solid.

never had to deal with them.

I've owned a boss ds-1, a dallas arbiter fuzz face, a big muff reissue, and a danelectro pastrami overdrive and this pedal is my favorite. It should be noted that I'm not into gobs of distortion, and I don't think that this pedal could do it so you heavy metallers look away. This is a great mild distortion pedal. would be good for punk rock, indie rock, space rock, any kind of rock.

It is very easy to use. Level, drive and tone chicken head knobs. What kind of sound I want from it depends on what other effects I have in my chain.

I use this with a Vox AC15 reissue (blue speaker), a Vox Cambridge 15, and a 67 Fender Bandmaster. I like it best with the Bandmaster, cause it really dirties up that clean Fender sound. My only reservation is that it tends to cut off the low end. But with my Telecaster switched to the neck position, it delivers a great "Sunshine of Your Love" type of distortion. When I use it in conjuction with my Vox 810 Valvetone, it acts a a true distortioin booster, magnifying the overdrive into something much nastier. Great sustain.

It was driven over once, while in the box in its bubble wrap. Still works fine.

I don't know about customer service, and I don't anticipate needing it. I sent my V-810 Valve-tone to Don "Tone-man" Butler, who replaced the cheapo caps and resistors with carbon comp stuff. I may do the same with this (cost: $45). If I could get better low end I would be really happy.

I have a fairly clean style, but if I want to play the lead from "Taxman" or something this pedal comes in handy. If it were lost or stolen I would weep and wail and gnash my teeth, then see if I could get one for cheap on eBay, where they tend to show up all the time. It looks cool and sounds cool.

I just got mine today at a pawn shop ,been staring at it for about two years I tried it on their equipment .When i got home & hooked it up I fell in love ,this is what i've been looking for.I play on a fender strat(usa),fender vibro champ (tube).I need something else to go with it, my amp doesn't have any reverb. I like blues ,suthern rock & balls to the wall heavy. From stevie Ray to Zakk Wylde.OH HELL YEAH!!!!

I need a wah ,sustainer,reverb &chorus

Simple layout, level, tone, drive. Not hard to use.

I've used this pedal with a variety of guitars. A les paul custom, an American tele, Mosrite, 70's Mustang, and even a semi hollow Fender Coronado. I run those into a Blackface bandmaster with a Rat and a musicman HD130 with the Vox into a single Park 4X12 cab which I wired stereo. It's more than sufficed with all guitars. I get a nice amount of crunch. Crisper than the rat, but not as round of a sound. With a little phase it can sound very evil. Really cuts through.

I gig with it many times without a backup. Solid construction. The housing is nearly indestructable. However, the switch sucks, replace it right away. I own 2 of these. The first one went after about 6 months, the second after 1. I replaced them with a Fultone 3PDT switch from Stewart Macdonald, it's an excellent switch, I've used it in other effects too. With the new switch I give it a 10, with the old one a 7.

Never dealt with them.

I play rock with a bit of a punk influence. I've only been playing guitar around 2 years now, but I've played bass for about 9. I own entirely way to much gear. Including the guitars above I also have a Fender Bass VI (strung B-B) an American P and Jazz bass, Mesa Bass cabs, a 30 watt sovtek (very good amp for the money) And too many pedals. And I wonder why I'm always Broke. If it were lost or stolen I would hunt down more, this is my sound, I love this pedal.