I had never owned a Vox product until today.

I am such a tool.

I posted a video the other day of a discussion of the Korg NuTube which is an attempt at coming up with a modern, efficient, not-ridiculously-fragile answer to those ancient vacuum tubes that make guitar amps from the ’50s and ’60s sound like musical dreams come true.

Vox is using these things (Korg owns Vox) in a micro amp series called the MV50 series.  I promised myself that I was done with solid state amps.  I’m tubes or bust from now on.  I’m also super paranoid about something going wrong with those delicate tubey beauties.  What if I’m at a gig and my Fender Deluxe Reverb just gives up the fight?  I should have a back up amp, shouldn’t I?  Well, those little Vox MV50 suckers would make a nice backup, right?  Maybe with a nice 12 inch speaker?  Worse comes to worse I can run the speaker emulation out directly into the PA.

 

But then again… even if you call the NuTube an actual tube, it’s still only tube in the pre-amp stage.  The power amp is solid state.

Until now…

The NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants) is either underway right now, or it’s about to start.  Turns out Vox has announced a new line of NuTube amps that use NuTubes in the power amp stage as well as the pre-amp.  The MVX150.  They won’t be little micro amps that I could fit on my pedal board, and they are saying it’s 150 watts which makes it sound like a solid state amp, but still… take my money.  Just shut up and take my money!

I’m literally taking pictures of everything today. Somebody stop me!

Someone stepped on our AppleTV remote!

I have so many fuzz pedals now that I want to start sharing the wealth. I left a Nano Bass Big Muff at Mike the bass player’s house and it’s his if he wants it. Today I bequeathed this Nano Big Muff to my step son. May his fuzz tone be filthy, and may he fall in love with the sound the same way I have.

I ordered four items from musiciansfriend.com last night.  Some in preparation for the RPM Challenge.  Some in preparation for band practices.  Some just cause something broke.

The last time I tried recording band practices by mic’ing up the rehearsal room our drummer was using a headset mic.  Now he’s using a mic on a stand.  That means if I want to start recording again I need another stand.  I ordered one.

If I want to use the stay at home pedal board when I record my RPM Challenge project, I need a wah wah pedal.  It’s the only thing missing from the stay at home board.  I ordered a very inexpensive Vox wah pedal.

The handle broke off of my ES-335’s case recently.  I was sad, but it’s not an original Gibson case or anything so it’s no collectable loss or anything.  I ordered a new case.  It’s a foam padded soft shell case because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.  I think it will be okay.

I don’t need it.  I don’t have a serious use for it.  It’s effectively a waste of money… but I wanted it so bad and I have no will power.  I ordered the new Op Amp Big Muff reissue.  I want to use it for at least one RPM song.  I want to layer a crap load of rhythm guitar tracks and sound absolutely gigantic like Billy Corgan and James Iha.  In reality it is going to sound like mud, but I want to do it anyway.  I ordered yet another fuzz pedal (in my defense, this thing is really inexpensive).

The wah pedal and the mic stand are scheduled to be delivered next week.  The fuzz pedal and the case?

Back ordered until mid-February.

Damn it.

Is this the future of guitar gear technology?  I’m guessing no.

Be jealous of our gourmet (sp?) Fuffernutter Dinner.