Brian May Vox Amplug Review

A review of the amazing new ‪@VoxAmpsVideos‬ Brian May Amplug.
This is a great value device. Save yourself some trouble watching me ranting about it and just go buy one. They are really great and they get you playing more regular. More guitar playing time means more fun and happiness. Tweaking, less so.
Please pardon my cadaver like appearance. Dublin is awash with pollen presently which is my personal kryptonite...

[@mikelivingston3244]

This was the best presentation of this device I've seen so far. Keep up the good work.

[@ThomasBrunkard]

Thank you Mike!

[@FrankCampese]

Bravo Tom!!! its a little jewel i think !!! thanks for this review!

[@ThomasBrunkard]

I think so too! It's super convenient for gigs and messing around!

[@truki987]

My one is coming Tomorrow! And I watched so many videos before but I just love that you are using different guitars. Very nice! You know how to present something. 🤔✌️

[@ThomasBrunkard]

I should have dug out my old strat instead of my daughter’s one. Just thought it would be funny 😂

[@rekdinhopoetico]

Very nice, congratulations, my friend.

[@jasonw70]

Top review! Fair appraisal of pros & (few) cons. I love mine!

[@ThomasBrunkard]

I could have shaved a good 13 minutes off it by just saying it only has cons if you try make it something it's not or drop it from a height 😂

[@gplaza]

Great video as usual, TB! 🤘

[@ThomasBrunkard]

Thanks Gonzalo!

[@akajimbo1]

Great demo. Where is the actual sound coming from? Is it from that tiny VOX speaker?

[@ThomasBrunkard]

For this one I just wired it straight into the audio interface. That little speaker doesn't do much I'm afraid. If you put it into stereo speakers it's rather grand sounding!

[@flyrecorder]

A little but awesome device to play anyware and anytime without disturb no one!!!! Hard to find and just a little bit expensive here in my country!!! I'm looking for....

[@danielcotton7707]

Nice review of that little headphone amp, can see lot of people getting this as you said for backstage practice or travelling amp, sounds really good might get one for that money. How long until Marshall bring out a Slash signature version of this type of amp with welcome to jungle intro delay built in for probably 300 euros? 😂 I won't buy that one

[@ThomasBrunkard]

Not at 300 anyway!!!

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

I wish these were available here in Brazil... Now, If you had single-sized "rail buckers" on the strat, it might've worked better. I have a set on my Tagima MG-52 tele clone, and it gets surprisingly close through my VBM1 amp. I *did* add series/out of phase w/ push pull pots to get even closer, which helps, but even stock settings works well for Dr May tones. In fact, at one point he almost released a signature "rails" single-bucker pickup, but didn't work out.

[@ThomasBrunkard]

That particular strat has a couple of problems 🤣. But yes, if it had humbuckers it would do a lot better. Great work with the phase switches.

[@bigdave1302]

I wish someone would demo this with a guitar that isn't a Brian May one!

[@ThomasBrunkard]

About 04:00 has me struggling with my daughter's strat (SPOILER: it doesn't work) and at 04:31 I put my Edwards Les Paul into it.

[@davebain1982]

Using this device with a guitar other than an RS is pointless, just doesn’t work, nothing sounds as it’s meant to. The only thing you can get away with using with a different guitar, is the RS pedal

[@feduwtc]

​@@davebain1982 i kinda disagree, in this particular set the RS is waaaay better of course, but you can get your way with another guitar if you know how to play like Brian

[@Headbutter-Lettuce90]

​@@davebain1982 probably upgrading that Strat on the video with Tri Sonic pickups and the same wiring you can get close to the RS tone

[@Tryggvasson]

what brian does with that delay i thought he was doing with a pitch shifter. good video. that thing sounds dope. it would have been cool if you explained the controls, and what it can do. i'm curious what miking the "cab" would sound like.

[@ThomasBrunkard]

The little cab is rubbish. I did plug it into my Mini Rig 2 speakers and it roared. It needs to be in stereo as if you sum it you'll end up phase cancelling the top end. I think the EQ curve of the modelling is very bass heavy so it does come apart when up loud. It's fine though, it's a headphone amp and the low end is a benefit here. I found I was going on a bit and I didn't cover the controls or the drum machine which I found to be a bit gimmicky. The controls don't do a whole lot. There's a tone, a gain and a volume and you can tap through FX. That's pretty much it.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I’ve actually got a question not about the amp (which does sound awesome in a similar fashion to the Tom Scholz Rockman X100) but about those different guitars. In your assessment, Thomas, which of them has the hottest output? I’ve got several different instruments with all different types of pickups, including one that was built from salvaged Stratocaster parts and scratch plate that was fitted with Burns Mini TriSonics. Part of me might’ve been hoping that that particular guitar would sweep all the rest of them under the table when I started playing it. However, I soon discovered that it has a very weak and dissatisfying output, even compared with the TravelCaster that I turn to for that traditional Strat sound. I’ve thought for over half a decade about getting something like that BMG you’re holding, only I was curious to know whether the regular Burns pickups are actually as hot (for instance) as the buckers in the Edwards. It isn’t about chasing ‘Brian‘s tone half as much as simply having a guitar that has the sound shaping options of the Red Special, its hollow cavities, all 24 frets and the zero-tension stringing. Cheers, Eric.

[@ThomasBrunkard]

This is a potential rabbit hole. The thing is Trisonics differ. The ones that went under Brian May's signature are different to the ones that are in Brian May's actual guitar, they're different to the ones in the BMG and they're different again from the one's in the original Burns! Right now, the easiest way to get a set that are like Brian May's would be to check out yonderbosk.com/ This guitar has Adeson's but the other one in my other videos uses Yonderbosks. Once the height is correct and the wiring is right, the bridge and middle together in-phase will have a lot more punch than a standard humbucker. This device is a lot of fun but it's not the Holy Grail. That's a bigger journey and I've got very close with @IK Multimedia ToneX and Amplitube as well as using treble boosters from Yonderbosk.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I definitely appreciate you taking the time to map out those details, Thomas. It’s very gracious of you. I know what you’re saying about what a rabbit hole it could potentially be.

[@ThomasBrunkard]

@@Shred_The_Weapon the good news is that there is a large community of Brian May fans who have cracked a lot of the issues. Getting some Yonderbosk pickups are the simple answer. The "why" is the bit where you could lose a couple of hours!

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I’ll have to take you at your word, @@ThomasBrunkard, as the owner of one.

[@salt9485]

Any idea how to get the tone for bohemian rhapsody or don't stop me now?

[@spudman2000]

Nice review Thomas. If I'm understanding you correctly, you are able to output the device to an amp using a headphone cable, correct?

[@ThomasBrunkard]

I wouldn't put it into a guitar amp. I have ran it into small stereo speakers and they're great but it's bass heavy as it is designed for low volume so if you want it louder you'll need an EQ. That's fine though as it's only really meant for headphone and low volume work and for that it excels.

[@650thunderbird]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@Mr131313ck]

how to combine two effects together pls? thanks

[@rodrigobelinchon2982]

It has 4 presets and only let you adjust fx tempo and wet dry

[@danfdfdf1762]

you can connect amplug on monitoring?

[@ThomasBrunkard]

Do you mean monitoring speakers? if so, there's a standard 3.5mm output for the headphones so you can plug it into anything via that. There is a "could" versus "should" argument for some speakers of course!

[@danfdfdf1762]

@@ThomasBrunkard Yes, on Presonus Eris E3.5 ! Do you think that sound good ?

[@ThomasBrunkard]

@@danfdfdf1762 it’ll work fine on those

[@danfdfdf1762]

@@ThomasBrunkard I hope, do you think is better than amplitube ? Honestly I can't get the out of phase sound good with amplitube and I also have the impression that my behringer 204 hd sounds a little weird with amplitube, as if I still heard a very light raw acoustic sound in the back despite that I put the gain on the card at 0!

[@ThomasBrunkard]

@@danfdfdf1762 Dan I know exactly the solutions you need here. Probably not new gear. Are you on some other network where I can send pictures? If so, I’m Thomas Brunkard on all of them so hit me up on one and I’ll work through these quickly with you.

[@tiasuzelac2794]

Awesome!! Where did you get that red baby? It is identical!!

[@ThomasBrunkard]

It was given to me would you believe? It’s a KZ Pro

[@tiasuzelac2794]

@@ThomasBrunkard whatttt??? How???