Hmm… two VOX product announcements in a week. Well, VOX has been coming out with some pretty interesting stuff lately. Think about it: VOX is a venerable amp company, having played a HUGE role in defining the sound of rock and roll. But over the years, despite their trials and tribulations of ownership, VOX has always managed to produce a bunch of different products from guitars to organs, and of course, the Wah-wah pedal. But talk to a guitar player about VOX, and the first thing they think of is amps, and they have a new one: The “Night Train” NT15H.
As VOX puts it, the Night Train was made for the musician on the go, and comes with a power cord and carrying case to support that claim. But it’s how it sounds in the clips that has my attention. Powered by a pair of EL-84s, this is pure VOX goodness, and $499 street, it’s a low-powered amp that is something to seriously consider. I’m going to have to try one out ASAP!
Here are some clips that I got from the VOX site:
Night Train 15 Watt Bright Mode Clean and Gentle Alnico Blues
Night Train 15 Watt Bright Mode Texas Alnico Blues
Night Train 15 Watt Bright Mode Dirty Gain Celestions
Night Train 15 Watt Thick Mode Drop D Celestion 4×12
Night Train 15 Watt Thick Mode Crunch and Rhythm Celestion Greenback
Night Train Triode Thick Mode Hi Gain Leads Celestions
Night Train Triode Thick Mode Humbucker Rhythms Greenbacks
Finally, here’s a video from the NAMM 2009 show.
Guitar Gear 
The low powered amp head market is looking really good right now. The Orange Tiny Terror, Egnater Rebel 20, and Vox Night Train are all fantastic looking choices.
I’m looking forward to playing a Night Train. If you haven’t played a Rebel 20, you should try it. It allows blending between 6v6 and EL84 tubes, which is a really nice feature.
Totally looking forward to playing with the Night Train, but my Aracom 22Watt head is pretty tough to beat and it’s all hand-wired for a modest $895.
That said, I just dig that EL-84 mojo. And at $499, I wouldn’t mind having another low-power head. 🙂
Certainly Mr. eff is right, the other day I had the chance to try a Tiny Terror and I found it a very pleasant amp to play.
Through the demo I watched and listened to in the internet, the amp that I like the most is the Egnater Rebel 20, but as I said, the TT sounded much better live (as expected) than in the demos, so I have to try the Rebel and HT personally before taking a decision.
“Live” is the operative word. The danger about the internet is that samples are very easy to come by. As I review a lot of gear, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been disappointed when I finally hear a piece of gear in action. Definitely try these amps live.