I picked up a used Cambridge 50 for $195 US. I love it. It’s way loud and only 19 pounds. I rigged up an extension speaker jack and plugged it into a 2X12 cab. WOW! Incredible! Next, gonna seek out a Katana and compare them.
I have played both and I like the Vox Cambridge more. I find it to be more natural sounding and has the ability to create that great vox tone. Vox does Vox better than anyone. Same with Fender. Fender does the Fender tone better than anyone.
Another thank you for covering the Vox Cambridge 50. I talked a friend into buying a Katana 50 a few years ago, and I felt like there was something missing in terms of feel. This is where the Cambridge beats it in my opinion. I recently bought a Cambridge 50 and believe it's the best starter/practice amp thanks to the attenuator and it has the ooomp to club. Also, it's magically Fendery with a Strymon Iridium in front on the round setting and the Vox set to "deluxe."
I watched this because I found a cambridge online for $130 US and couldn't believe after everything you picked the Katana everyone I've ever heard just sounds thin maybe its better for a mix but for jamming in my living room I think I'll be happy
I agree that between these two, the Vox has a midrange scoop, but to me the Cambridge EQ/tone seemed more authentic and balanced than the Boss Katana. So I was surprised that you liked the Katana more than the Cambridge between the two. Also it would be fun to hear some John Sykes riffs! Like Billy by Blue Murder, one of my faves.
the cambridge captures that analog tube nuance from your fingers better . . . but then again it does have a tube (nu tube is fluorescent light design vs normal tube is similar to standard light bulb design)
I just buy Vox MV 50 with Nutube + cab for clean tone and use another tube premp with Katana for heavy distortion =). Not all Vox clean channels work correctly with pedals.
Greetings from Sweden! Thanks for this great comparison! They both sound great! I am interested in a 50-100W amp with inbuilt USB-interface. Now you made it even harder to choose. I also have to checkout the Mustang LT50
Great shoot out and thanks for the tips, I'm checking out the Fender next. Btw I noticed the volume is very low on some of your videos including this one.
The Boss I had sat really well in a mix with my band (2 guitar 90’s inspired rock). It sounded meh by myself in the bedroom though. One thing I liked about the katana was the acoustic channel. You could use it almost like a FRFR amp and run modelers or pre-amp pedals into the acoustic channel with EQ to taste.
I use only the acoustic channel with the overdrive stock yellow channel cranked gives you the evh tone. And with the fender yjm pedal in front for Dio and Whitesnake songs.
Elmo...it's not nice to pick on people but the way you pick on that guitar is awesome...my right hand doesn't always know what the left hand's doing, also I heard a bit of Brian May in your playing today, am I right? To my ears the Vox sounded a bit fuller, especially with the overdrive. I am wondering when Hiwatt is going to jump into this affordable modeling game, they could have some great presets like Who Live at Leeds and 70s era Rush for example, thanks much Elmo, Bruce.
i think your ibanez needs to be adjusted on string action.. a little bit buzz. or the nut is too shallow a bit. coz i have the same guitar with the same problem, so the buzz ring me a bell
Is the boost feature on the Katana operated using the foot switch? No mention of the Nutube technology on the Vox. Is that a real “thing” or just marketing? Phenomenal playing by the way!
Awesome comparison, thank you Elmo! I have been thinking to get one of these, and now I kinda like the Vox more. It sounds more interesting with its slight fuzziness than the generic Katana, which sounds good but a bit boring. Only thing is the lack of mids, gotta go test it myself first before deciding. My other options at the moment are a bit older vt100x to which i already have a footswitch and Katana 100 mkii. So hard to decide...
I have both the Katana 50 and the Vox Cambridge 50. The Vox has the edge on sound quality for the clean to moderate drive blues and classic rock settings I like. However, the Vox does not have an EQ control for mids on the panel. In playing either the Vox or the Katana, especially at lower volumes, the 'secret sauce' for me is the Joyo American Sound pedal after an overdrive pedal, then into the amp. The American gives a ton of tone tweaking options without getting into computerized magic. I much prefer to tweak in real time with knobs to adjust amp sound to the guitar of the moment. The American pedal ($40 on Amazon) allows precise EQ adjustment for low, mid and high frequencies. Plus, you can adjust the output level to determine how hard you hit the amp's preamp circuit. Likewise, the American pedal has a Voice control that can range from full, sweet Fender cleans on up to more wooly Tweed amp breakup. Also, the American has its own Drive control, to tweak the amount of OD you feed into the amp. These tone shaping controls on top of a basic canvas (e.g.: the clean voice on the Katana, or for me, the Fender, Vox top boost, and basic Marshall like voices on the Vox Cambridge) allow some satisfying tweaks at bedroom volumes on both these amps. Yes, I still have and like my Fender and Marshall tube heads. However, as a retiree, more and more I enjoy low volume playing with tone versatility and exploration. The Katana and the Vox, with the American pedal, give me plenty of adjustment/experimentation options.
@@robertstager6538 thank you for the tip, Robert! I certainly have to check out that pedal you mentioned. Have you tried how loud the Vox amp gets, and does the sound become mushy when driven hard? I would also mostly play it a home at low volumes but sometimes it would be nice and easy to take a light amp like the katana or c50 to play with friends and loud drums.
@@bearinthewoods82 Hey Mikko, it would be interesting to know which one you decided on in the end? I have tried both and it is still hard to decide. The Katana II has full range speaker which sounds much better with backing tracks. The boss has a powerful EQ on tone studio which should be enough to get any sound the vox can do. The vox sounds better out of the box but with some tweaking I think the boss is a winner.
@@mahmoudzannerni8718 I actually went for a used katana 100 mk1, it was such a bargain and had a old celestion speaker in it. In my town there wasnt a cambridge 50 to try on, and connectivity is much better in katana. But, I do think Vox has something going on here with the nutube tech and I will definitely keep an eye on their future releases. I still think based on this video that i like the sounds better on the Vox, but just by a small margin. My wishes would be to make the cambridge 8 ohm at 50w and better line out options.
Today 10/24/21 (1 year later and under Covid inflation) you can get the Vox Cambridge for $249 at guitar center in the US... this will make the choice easier (cheaper than the Fender Mustang LT50 which has no discount).
Elmo which amp do you recommend with Bluetooth so I can play tracks to jam to? Under $350. Just for jamming in my house. Don't need to blow out windows.
Ahh. You blew the dust of the Ibanez secen string. Cool. I think overall I liked the sound of the Boss better. It sounded clearer to me for some reason, and maybe some eq would be in order. I used to have a 2 x 12 Vox hybrid that had a preamp tube and it sounded good, but it just stopped working. So I'm not big on that company.. I use the Katana with just no apps at all.. Like you I hate apps. My 50 is the first version. They are so cheap I might buy a couple more and run in Stereo for fun. I want to try the Fender 50 watt. I hear good things about it, and it would be better with pedals I understand. Great honest reviews. You are a meastro sir.. Take care my Finnish friend.
Hoosier Daddy I’m curious to try the LT50 too, I had a Mustang IV V.2 and it was an absolute monster of an amp and I honesty think they deliberately made the Mustang GT line worse because the modelers were so good they were cannibalizing sales of their more expensive tube amps... but it seems they want to go back to high quality modeling again, so we’ll see.
Katana handles pedals better. Built in effect better on Vox Cambridge. With a strong guitar pickup,, the Vox does nice distortion and overdrive modes. The cleans on both amps are great. I own both. The off and on switch on the Vox Cambridge is flimsy and I just leave it on and unplug it when not in use in use.
I’m about to pull the pin on an amp in this price range. I like the idea of the valve aspect in the Vox. The Vox vt40 is that good enough for Metallica, iron maiden, a7x and alter bridge. My concern is the Vox was never a metal amp. So would it struggle with those tones.
@@doublewhopper67 yea looking back on what I wrote, kind of a silly comment. As Tony iommi for sure used vox. I got so caught up in reviews at the time. Confused the fuck out of me 😂 I now own a PRS SE Tremonti and have barely touched it. Laziness more than anything. So glad at least for now I haven’t bought a nicer amp yet
good review , Cambridge sounds more organic, and I love less , but maybe I am bias I own a VOX VTX 20 the VOX just has this sound that sounds real fuller, the Katana sounds can't put my finger on it, but still take the VOX,
I have the VOx Cambridge, There are a few amps I like, the Brit Plexy model and the Rectifier are my favorite. I own a tubed Marshall DSL and there is no way I can say that the vox sounds like it, but in this mix it would be quite convincing, the Real Marshall is woofier for sure., the vox (At least my model) does have a hum and it is neither bassy or loud. Unsure if it would keep up with a drummer. The attenuator seems to introduce some sag which is awesome at bedroom levels.
Yes it’s a pretty loud amp even on it’s low settings it can be heard through out my house it’s the first amp I ever had that my dad told me turn it down and it was on a low setting lol
The Boss sounds really boxy in this video. The Vox sounds a bit fizzy, but it sounds fuller and just generally "bigger." than the Boss. I have heard the Boss sound great on other videos, so I am sure recording has an effect on the tone. I am intrigued by the Vox.
The Vox wins and it's not even close. Particularly with the crunch sounds and the way it gradually breaks up is so much more convincing in the Vox. I have no idea why everyone is convinced the Katana is the standard in digital amp modelling (pretty sure everyone has been manipulated by paid content creators) as far as I'm concerned Vox is now the gold standard.
by using tone studio app's eqs and pedals with PC, katana can replicate any tone (even better than that vox) , but katana will sound bad, if you are just using tones on the top panel. that is why katana is more versatile , but it is not for the people who want to plug in n play a good tone quick sorry for my bad english: :)
Katana : amp designed in a anti-bacterial sterile cleanroom. It probably is a great amp enginering wise, but to me it sounds exactly like the "electric guitar" patch on an expensive keyboard.
The Vox sounded better in every scenario and you seemed more into playing through that and yet you like Katana more? I played both and have been playing for 30 years. It blows Katana out of the water. If you’re a kid buy the Katana so you can be like your friends. If you’re a man buy the Vox.
@@MrPolevaulter here too, the extrem set up is a dream ,no fiddling and searching, no saving, now memory bullshit, ,and then I bring in to the perfect sound, some DIGITAL chorus and DIGITAL reverb, just to remark that the perfect sound is flexibel. then I turn off the light and go to bed looking forward next day playing again on the amp.
The Vox prices have gone crazy. This is $399 now. The VT20X IS $280. They added like $100 to the price of every speaker. I’ve been shopping for an amp and kept watching these videos about how cheap the vox ones are, I think the VT20 was like $180 on a video I saw. Now the Cambridge 50 is like $30 more expensive than the Katana 100 model. Heck the Katana 50 is $249 now...
My take - the Katana is a bit of a thug of an amp but makes no pretensions to be anything else. the Vox on the other hand tries to be all grown up but fails badly and leaves you wanting more of what it can't deliver despite promising. I suspect through a decent cab would change things in both their favours. Simple Marshall all valve combo would be my preference.
Of the two amps you demonstrated here for us and after hours of intense deliberation with myself in front of my bathroom mirror...I’ve reached my decision...I’m going with the Roland Cube...😎🎸🔊🎶🤘🏻PS: just so you know I wrote my opinion BEFORE you gave us yours at the end of the video...great minds think alike! Lol Thanks Elmo!
I watched his video as a beginner and bought the Roland Micro Cube GX to replace my Epiphone 10w amp I got with my LP Special ii. Got it 2/days ago and it’s so fun having all those different amp setting’s. Just not good at dialing in tones yet?
I used to be a fan of Vox 20 years ago. But atm all must bow to the Katana basically. I have the luxury to own my own my own house, and since I don't live with guitarhaters I'm able to use my Laney Ironheart-stack as a practice-amp. But I would definitely go for the Katana if I wanted to downsize for whatever reason. Great comparison-video Elmo Jitti Karjalainen 👌.
David Kay well,I have the vt120+ and it's very good and the vtx series is the next generation from the vt+ series,so i think vtx is better,and vtx series have a 12x7 preamp tube on it,sorry for my english😁
Thanks for an interesting comparison and good review of the basic tones on both, which I liked. I'm actually with you on the Roland Cube, I'm keeping my Cube 60.
Hey I had a Roland Cube 60 and clean on it was good but the Distortion on it sucked especially on the rectifier setting it sounded like Nails going through a metal grinder I tried to keep it and played it for about 2 months and even bought a distortion pedal for it which made it sound better but I couldn't take it I called Roland and told them about it and they are the ones that told me to get a distortion pedal for it well I couldn't put up with it any longer so I sold it $125 and bought me a Peavey vypyr original 30-watt which sounded good to me the clean and the distortion and before the Roland Cube 60 I had a crate 120 cxl which had okay clean but the distortion was worse than the 60 so I sold it
@@googlesucks5087 I actually have a Vypyr30 too, as well as the Cube60. I haven't found a good enough 'on the edge of breakup' tone with the Vypyr, although it's good for heavy metal tones if that's what you want. I do use the Classic setting on the Cube60 with the gain turned down a bit which sort of does it for me. I'm now using a Digitech RP360 multi pedal, into any clean channel, which does it all for now quite well. Yet to try a Boss Katana..
The Katana's cleans sound better; but dang! the Cambridge's dirty tones sound pretty killer! (Although I prefer to kick a distortion unit in front of a clean channel for my dirty tones). Still not sure which one to get. 🤔 Thank you for doing this comparison. 👍
I’ve had multiple Vox nutube products, and I have a BOSS ME80, which is like a katana. The boss tone is definitely more flat, but the only people who will notice are other people with a tone fetish. Someone above mentioned that Vox nutube doesn’t always sound good with a pedal. I concur with that. The boss sounds amazing when I run it through the clean channel on my Fender Superchamp XD2. Some of the boss tones sounds better on the solid state channel of the superchamp though. Having said that, I just bought a Vox VX50 GTV 1x8". I bought it because I love the VX50 Bass so much.
In my quieter (no noisy loudy Iranian-made Kamikaze/Shahid drones buzzing through my skies) part/corner of the Earth, the SE of A, the Vox Cambridge 50 costs almost as much as the Katana MkII 100
Another great review from Elmo... Kat still king for what its for and price... Shame though you did not use a Kat MKii. The variations are somewhat better in some instances than the standard but hey just my 2 pence worth.
I happened to have the old version lying around, but no access to the MK II. Would have used that otherwise. On the other hand, I actually like the MK I more.
Of all affordable practice amps I tried, I only kept the Marshall DSL-1, which sounds like Holy Grail to me with a simple booster in the front end. I'm very familiar with the Mesa Boogie and Marshall 80s tube heads sound and to me it's very hard to get the tone I need with something else. In other words: Solid State amps... leave the hall!
I like both the Vox and the Boss. I own 3 Vox amps and i have only ever owned 1 Boss amplifier. So, there it is. I love the Cambridge 50's simple user interface, 12” Celestion speaker, and wattage control for pushing the amp for better tone at lower volume levels as i play small bar/coffee shop gigs and nooble a bit at home / jamming with friends.
Thank you for comparison! Based on your recommendation I saw this video about Fender Mustang ua-cam.com/video/Peuxg2To42A/v-deo.html and found this amp too much bright and high gain sound is very smeared and not clear on the bass strings; and in general Fender Mustang sounds more synthetic than VOX.
Yes. Or buy an Amp. Sell your pedals and put the money in health insurance. Only on sound, not "features", the Vox wants to stay up, go out, and dance along the edge.
After having the Boss katana 100 for a few years ........ Id like to say I Hate Modelling amps. - Why cant that take the technology that they use to make all this so complicated & give all these varioations ..................... and put out an amp that cab go from pretty clean to maxed out gain like the katana has .........In otherwords cut out all the presets & cut out the channel memories & cut out the usb file option & simplify the amp down to just a killer sounding amp, thats NOT amodelling amp. - The knobs arent very accurate ..... you can turn one up & not remofgve your hand...and turn it back to the original position & the sound will change drastically .... you dont get that on a Non modelling amp. I use from Clean to - Tom Petty gain, to death metal gain ..........dont need the rest. Its just clutter to me, but Katana gets that killer distortion so Im stuck with it.
Thing is, the Katana is not a modeling amp. It isn't trying to replicate another amp; it just has its own sounds, and that's what you get. If you want to connect to a computer, you can, but it is 100% not necessary. I've had the Katana 50 for a while now, and I have had zero issues with anything. Never heard anything from anyone about inaccurate potentiometers, and I very highly doubt Boss would let it happen. They've been at the forefront of solid state and digital audio technology for over 30 years. The presets are there for people like you, who don't like to mess around with knobs and buttons constantly, so I can't understand why you hate it so much. Katana works like any simple amplifier if you want it to. No one is forcing you to use every single feature. Just ignore what you don't use, and it'll be there if you ever need it later. But if you don't take the time to sit down and fine tune your tone, you'll never be fully satisfied with any amp. Sounds to me like you're just impatient and running on preconceived judgment.
The eternal shoot-out of the lower-end "practice amps" ; you have my sympathy Elmo in dealing with the fanbase behind any of these products! I rate the Katana 50 for its solid-state clean channel - anything regarding its gain channels make me feel very feel very ill! Its a solid-state/modelling hybrid amplifier that offers nothing new (apart from the UI and effets) for me compared to a Roland Cube, Peavey Bandit or Marshall MG from back in my school days! The Vox Cambridge is another modelling amplifier in the same leagues with Blackstar TVP/SilverLine, Line 6 Spider, Marshall Code, Fender Mustang ; these amps seem to "Improve" every year with "re-designed" voicings and features. Honestly I have owned so many of these amplifiers (for teaching/practice) that I feel I have been re-buying the same product time and time again... I have demod dozens of these amps for my students (and for myself) and the guitar store I work in part-time, as I am 95% sure we are buying the same amp year after year after year.... And the fanboys argue for an eternity....
Drives me bonkers when people review gear and can't put bookmarks in the right spots. This is a comparison video and you have exactly 0 skip points relevant to the Cambridge marked. You also have 0 visual queues as to what amp is being played at a time, meaning I have to watch the entire video to listen to you talk to get a sense of what is being played. It's a comparison video, make your A/Bs deliberate, visually mark what is being played at all times, time stamp your video with links DIRECTLY to each component (Katana clean, Cambridge clean, Katana crunch, Cambridge crunch, and so on). Embarrassing that content creators need to be told this. I'm here to compare amps, not watch you play, with all due respect.
Elmo, I raise all my hats very high for what you are trying to do for beginners and more advanced guitarists alike. However, even being the greatest of players, owning the best camera and editing equipment etc, wouldn't help at all when doing gear demos if one falls embarrassingly flat in replicating the actual sound the gear. That is after all the only reason people watch these videos. I have tried to watch several of your amp shootouts and reviews, but I've been unable to finish any of them because every amp in every video I watched sounds just horrible. Worse even than the hamburger sized 30€ micro amps. You really need to think about how to capture the actual sounds of the amps. I'm pretty sure that the amps are directly facing the mic at a distance. Have you ever put your ear in the same location? If not, why the heck not?! It's where you put the listeners' ears. If you were playing for a friend in the same room, would you make him/her sit there? Please, put your head where you usually put the mic, and ask yourself, is this a good or realistic representation of the amp's sound and character? I strongly suggest that you'd consider one of these two approaches: 1) Walk around in the room while you play, and find a spot where the amp sounds the best for you. Then put the mic exactly where your head is. Simple as that! When having two amps, make sure the amps are positioned perfectly symmetrically in relation to the mic. 2) Actually educate yourself on close micing techniques, and experiment enough to find the one that gives you the sound, frequency balance and the character of the amp on both clean and distorted sounds. A good dynamic mic in a 45° angle either at the center of the speaker cone or pointing at it are reasonable starting points. You are absolutely not alone with this issue, but you are the one I'd hope the most to have this area covered. People talk about the mystical UA-cam compression that ruins all sounds as if there were nothing you could do about it. Honestly, that's bollocks. I can listen to any music video and enjoy pretty much the same sounds I would on an actual CD. Andy Timmons for example still has a great sound no matter which video quality I choose. The problem is that people don't give a rat's ashes worth of a though into where they toss the mic. Or what kind of a mic they use. It is very simple: Find the best place with your ears and put the mic in that exact spot, and you're 90% there! Even a smartphone can capture the amp's character that way. I know this was a long rant, but if you can't provide the watchers and listeners the actual sound of the amp when demoing an amp, what's the point really?
I've been recording guitars for ages and have done all the things you describe in your rant. These amps sound the way they sound, because that's the way they sound. I've also recorded them differently in different videos. In this one they weren't even close miked.
Check out some more amp reviews here: ua-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNHNo5bubVjV1OW04gkqU8rM.html
I picked up a used Cambridge 50 for $195 US. I love it. It’s way loud and only 19 pounds. I rigged up an extension speaker jack and plugged it into a 2X12 cab. WOW! Incredible! Next, gonna seek out a Katana and compare them.
the Vox has a fuller sound. plus this guy likes showing off (but he can)!
Cheers :)
I really like the Katana but every time you start playin on the Cambridge it seems like theres no camparison to me. Voxs sound is amazing
I have played both and I like the Vox Cambridge more. I find it to be more natural sounding and has the ability to create that great vox tone. Vox does Vox better than anyone. Same with Fender. Fender does the Fender tone better than anyone.
Another thank you for covering the Vox Cambridge 50. I talked a friend into buying a Katana 50 a few years ago, and I felt like there was something missing in terms of feel. This is where the Cambridge beats it in my opinion. I recently bought a Cambridge 50 and believe it's the best starter/practice amp thanks to the attenuator and it has the ooomp to club. Also, it's magically Fendery with a Strymon Iridium in front on the round setting and the Vox set to "deluxe."
I watched this because I found a cambridge online for $130 US and couldn't believe after everything you picked the Katana everyone I've ever heard just sounds thin maybe its better for a mix but for jamming in my living room I think I'll be happy
I agree that between these two, the Vox has a midrange scoop, but to me the Cambridge EQ/tone seemed more authentic and balanced than the Boss Katana. So I was surprised that you liked the Katana more than the Cambridge between the two. Also it would be fun to hear some John Sykes riffs! Like Billy by Blue Murder, one of my faves.
I love my Katana 100 1x12, but the VOX sounds freaking great! LOL. One of those days, man! lol Thanks for sharing the bloopers!
Bloopers make everything a bit more fun :D
Came to check out amps & find myself leaving wanting that guitar. 🔥
Just love your expressions. Knowing that no one is perfect, you handle it perfectly. Keep it up Pal! You make me laugh.
Cheers Mike :)
the cambridge captures that analog tube nuance from your fingers better . . . but then again it does have a tube (nu tube is fluorescent light design vs normal tube is similar to standard light bulb design)
I just buy Vox MV 50 with Nutube + cab for clean tone and use another tube premp with Katana for heavy distortion =). Not all Vox clean channels work correctly with pedals.
Greetings from Sweden! Thanks for this great comparison! They both sound great! I am interested in a 50-100W amp with inbuilt USB-interface. Now you made it even harder to choose. I also have to checkout the Mustang LT50
Great shoot out and thanks for the tips, I'm checking out the Fender next. Btw I noticed the volume is very low on some of your videos including this one.
Yeah, that's on some of my older videos. It's sorted these days :)
Great analysis, thanks for the review. Can you make a heavy sound with the Mustang LT 50? Is it possible to play grunge rock with that?
Probably.
The Boss I had sat really well in a mix with my band (2 guitar 90’s inspired rock). It sounded meh by myself in the bedroom though. One thing I liked about the katana was the acoustic channel. You could use it almost like a FRFR amp and run modelers or pre-amp pedals into the acoustic channel with EQ to taste.
I use only the acoustic channel with the overdrive stock yellow channel cranked gives you the evh tone. And with the fender yjm pedal in front for Dio and Whitesnake songs.
Dave Simpson uses Katana 50's acoustic channel only with his pedal board.
Have to give that a try.
I'm the opposite...Kat sounds killer at home but gets lost in the mix a bit with the band.
Elmo...it's not nice to pick on people but the way you pick on that guitar is awesome...my right hand doesn't always know what the left hand's doing, also I heard a bit of Brian May in your playing today, am I right? To my ears the Vox sounded a bit fuller, especially with the overdrive. I am wondering when Hiwatt is going to jump into this affordable modeling game, they could have some great presets like Who Live at Leeds and 70s era Rush for example, thanks much Elmo, Bruce.
Cheers Bruce!
i think your ibanez needs to be adjusted on string action.. a little bit buzz. or the nut is too shallow a bit. coz i have the same guitar with the same problem, so the buzz ring me a bell
Is the boost feature on the Katana operated using the foot switch? No mention of the Nutube technology on the Vox. Is that a real “thing” or just marketing? Phenomenal playing by the way!
Awesome comparison, thank you Elmo! I have been thinking to get one of these, and now I kinda like the Vox more. It sounds more interesting with its slight fuzziness than the generic Katana, which sounds good but a bit boring. Only thing is the lack of mids, gotta go test it myself first before deciding. My other options at the moment are a bit older vt100x to which i already have a footswitch and Katana 100 mkii. So hard to decide...
Glad to be of help. Personally I prefer the Roland Cube series, but that's just me.
I have both the Katana 50 and the Vox Cambridge 50. The Vox has the edge on sound quality for the clean to moderate drive blues and classic rock settings I like. However, the Vox does not have an EQ control for mids on the panel. In playing either the Vox or the Katana, especially at lower volumes, the 'secret sauce' for me is the Joyo American Sound pedal after an overdrive pedal, then into the amp. The American gives a ton of tone tweaking options without getting into computerized magic. I much prefer to tweak in real time with knobs to adjust amp sound to the guitar of the moment. The American pedal ($40 on Amazon) allows precise EQ adjustment for low, mid and high frequencies. Plus, you can adjust the output level to determine how hard you hit the amp's preamp circuit. Likewise, the American pedal has a Voice control that can range from full, sweet Fender cleans on up to more wooly Tweed amp breakup. Also, the American has its own Drive control, to tweak the amount of OD you feed into the amp. These tone shaping controls on top of a basic canvas (e.g.: the clean voice on the Katana, or for me, the Fender, Vox top boost, and basic Marshall like voices on the Vox Cambridge) allow some satisfying tweaks at bedroom volumes on both these amps. Yes, I still have and like my Fender and Marshall tube heads. However, as a retiree, more and more I enjoy low volume playing with tone versatility and exploration. The Katana and the Vox, with the American pedal, give me plenty of adjustment/experimentation options.
@@robertstager6538 thank you for the tip, Robert! I certainly have to check out that pedal you mentioned. Have you tried how loud the Vox amp gets, and does the sound become mushy when driven hard? I would also mostly play it a home at low volumes but sometimes it would be nice and easy to take a light amp like the katana or c50 to play with friends and loud drums.
@@bearinthewoods82 Hey Mikko, it would be interesting to know which one you decided on in the end?
I have tried both and it is still hard to decide.
The Katana II has full range speaker which sounds much better with backing tracks.
The boss has a powerful EQ on tone studio which should be enough to get any sound the vox can do.
The vox sounds better out of the box but with some tweaking I think the boss is a winner.
@@mahmoudzannerni8718 I actually went for a used katana 100 mk1, it was such a bargain and had a old celestion speaker in it. In my town there wasnt a cambridge 50 to try on, and connectivity is much better in katana. But, I do think Vox has something going on here with the nutube tech and I will definitely keep an eye on their future releases. I still think based on this video that i like the sounds better on the Vox, but just by a small margin. My wishes would be to make the cambridge 8 ohm at 50w and better line out options.
Elmo, you play a great solo!) How do I learn to play like you? What exercises did you use?
Hello Elmo, which is your preference between Cambridge 50 and VT40X please ? 🔈
Cambridge.
@@MrPolevaulter Thank you !
this is exactly what I have expected especially after checking what nutube is
Do you think the clean channel can be used for Jazz?
Probably.
Tube is valve no matter how tiny!
It can be discerned of it's organic voice in the manner it saturates n break up like a shattering glass.
Today 10/24/21 (1 year later and under Covid inflation) you can get the Vox Cambridge for $249 at guitar center in the US... this will make the choice easier (cheaper than the Fender Mustang LT50 which has no discount).
When I got my Cambridge, I sold my boss the Cambridge is just better
Is the Vox Cambridge just as good with high gain as the boss katana?
Elmo which amp do you recommend with Bluetooth so I can play tracks to jam to? Under $350. Just for jamming in my house. Don't need to blow out windows.
Ahh. You blew the dust of the Ibanez secen string. Cool.
I think overall I liked the sound of the Boss better. It sounded clearer to me for some reason, and maybe some eq would be in order.
I used to have a 2 x 12 Vox hybrid that had a preamp tube and it sounded good, but it just stopped working. So I'm not big on that company..
I use the Katana with just no apps at all.. Like you I hate apps. My 50 is the first version. They are so cheap I might buy a couple more and run in Stereo for fun.
I want to try the Fender 50 watt. I hear good things about it, and it would be better with pedals I understand.
Great honest reviews. You are a meastro sir..
Take care my Finnish friend.
Hoosier Daddy I’m curious to try the LT50 too, I had a Mustang IV V.2 and it was an absolute monster of an amp and I honesty think they deliberately made the Mustang GT line worse because the modelers were so good they were cannibalizing sales of their more expensive tube amps... but it seems they want to go back to high quality modeling again, so we’ll see.
You too :)
I thought the LT25 was quite good.
Katana handles pedals better. Built in effect better on Vox Cambridge. With a strong guitar pickup,, the Vox does nice distortion and overdrive modes. The cleans on both amps are great. I own both. The off and on switch on the Vox Cambridge is flimsy and I just leave it on and unplug it when not in use in use.
I’m about to pull the pin on an amp in this price range. I like the idea of the valve aspect in the Vox. The Vox vt40 is that good enough for Metallica, iron maiden, a7x and alter bridge. My concern is the Vox was never a metal amp. So would it struggle with those tones.
@@doublewhopper67 yea looking back on what I wrote, kind of a silly comment. As Tony iommi for sure used vox. I got so caught up in reviews at the time. Confused the fuck out of me 😂 I now own a PRS SE Tremonti and have barely touched it. Laziness more than anything. So glad at least for now I haven’t bought a nicer amp yet
good review , Cambridge sounds more organic, and I love less , but maybe I am bias I own a VOX VTX 20 the VOX just has this sound that sounds real fuller, the Katana sounds can't put my finger on it, but still take the VOX,
sick guitar mate!
I have the VOx Cambridge, There are a few amps I like, the Brit Plexy model and the Rectifier are my favorite. I own a tubed Marshall DSL and there is no way I can say that the vox sounds like it, but in this mix it would be quite convincing, the Real Marshall is woofier for sure., the vox (At least my model) does have a hum and it is neither bassy or loud. Unsure if it would keep up with a drummer. The attenuator seems to introduce some sag which is awesome at bedroom levels.
I'm planning on getting the vox. Can it get loud? Maybe enough for a small gig?
Don't remember. It's ages since I did the video.
Yes it’s a pretty loud amp even on it’s low settings it can be heard through out my house it’s the first amp I ever had that my dad told me turn it down and it was on a low setting lol
I feel like the Vox would cut through the mix better live, but the Katana would probably record better.
The Boss sounds really boxy in this video. The Vox sounds a bit fizzy, but it sounds fuller and just generally "bigger." than the Boss. I have heard the Boss sound great on other videos, so I am sure recording has an effect on the tone. I am intrigued by the Vox.
I purchased the Fender LT50 and I'm satisfied with it. Glad I watched this vid.
Glad to be of help.
That amp its a shame shit
The Vox wins and it's not even close. Particularly with the crunch sounds and the way it gradually breaks up is so much more convincing in the Vox.
I have no idea why everyone is convinced the Katana is the standard in digital amp modelling (pretty sure everyone has been manipulated by paid content creators) as far as I'm concerned Vox is now the gold standard.
by using tone studio app's eqs and pedals with PC, katana can replicate any tone (even better than that vox) , but katana will sound bad, if you are just using tones on the top panel. that is why katana is more versatile , but it is not for the people who want to plug in n play a good tone quick
sorry for my bad english: :)
How would you compare sound quality (or maybe in other word: "lamp sound") to vt40x with lamp pre-amp? Of course it's not about Watts power now ;)
I haven't tried the VT40X, so I can't really say.
Katana : amp designed in a anti-bacterial sterile cleanroom. It probably is a great amp enginering wise, but to me it sounds exactly like the "electric guitar" patch on an expensive keyboard.
Yeah, something along those lines.
Vox has way more juice and can most definitely be squeezed of it's tube voices.
The Vox sounded better in every scenario and you seemed more into playing through that and yet you like Katana more? I played both and have been playing for 30 years. It blows Katana out of the water. If you’re a kid buy the Katana so you can be like your friends. If you’re a man buy the Vox.
I just think both are a bit boring.
What kind of solid state amp would you recommend? Or tube?
Depends what you need it for. That being said, the Harley Benton Tube15 is outstanding for the price.
HECTIC VON KAOS thanks
Elmo Karjalainen I bought the Blackstar studio 10 6LS. I love it so far.
Elmo Karjalainen it’s not available at my area. Anyways will keep an eye on that
@@pupmusic2281 there is a monoprice amp that looks exactly the same that you may be able to order from.
Is it fair to compare a valve amplifier to a no valve one? The Vox one is a valve amp, isn't it?
Nope.
Vox Cambridge has a nu-tube in the pre-amp section, so it's an tube-digital hybrid amp.
you forgot the intro theme :)
Oops! :D
is the sound better than the Roland micro cube? this is objective very difficult..
For me? No.
@@MrPolevaulter here too, the extrem set up is a dream ,no fiddling and searching, no saving, now memory bullshit, ,and then I bring in to the perfect sound, some DIGITAL chorus and DIGITAL reverb, just to remark that the perfect sound is flexibel. then I turn off the light and go to bed looking forward next day playing again on the amp.
The Vox prices have gone crazy. This is $399 now. The VT20X IS $280. They added like $100 to the price of every speaker. I’ve been shopping for an amp and kept watching these videos about how cheap the vox ones are, I think the VT20 was like $180 on a video I saw. Now the Cambridge 50 is like $30 more expensive than the Katana 100 model. Heck the Katana 50 is $249 now...
My take - the Katana is a bit of a thug of an amp but makes no pretensions to be anything else. the Vox on the other hand tries to be all grown up but fails badly and leaves you wanting more of what it can't deliver despite promising. I suspect through a decent cab would change things in both their favours. Simple Marshall all valve combo would be my preference.
Yep. Even a budget valve amp beats them.
Men great reviews as always! Well done!
Glad you like them!
Vox takes the cake with a Celestion 🔊 speaker 👍🏻
Of the two amps you demonstrated here for us and after hours of intense deliberation with myself in front of my bathroom mirror...I’ve reached my decision...I’m going with the Roland Cube...😎🎸🔊🎶🤘🏻PS: just so you know I wrote my opinion BEFORE you gave us yours at the end of the video...great minds think alike! Lol Thanks Elmo!
Great minds indeed :D
I watched his video as a beginner and bought the Roland Micro Cube GX to replace my Epiphone 10w amp I got with my LP Special ii. Got it 2/days ago and it’s so fun having all those different amp setting’s. Just not good at dialing in tones yet?
I used to be a fan of Vox 20 years ago. But atm all must bow to the Katana basically. I have the luxury to own my own my own house, and since I don't live with guitarhaters I'm able to use my Laney Ironheart-stack as a practice-amp.
But I would definitely go for the Katana if I wanted to downsize for whatever reason.
Great comparison-video Elmo Jitti Karjalainen 👌.
Jitti? :D
@@MrPolevaulter Litmanen=Litti. J=Jitti. Needless to say an accolade of the highest regard 😁.
Dunno what you're hearing bud.
Hey are the Boss Katana 50 do four gigs in bars???thanks:-)
Yeah, you can play gigs in small places with it.
You can gig a stadium with it if you mic it up to the sound system
What is voxs best modelling amp that you would recommend? Many thanks and great video. Keep up the good work
Don't know too many. Cambridge of those I know.
Vox vtx
@@rifkyr76 are they any good? Or would you recommend something else? Would be after the vt100x. Would this be suited for gigging with
David Kay well,I have the vt120+ and it's very good and the vtx series is the next generation from the vt+ series,so i think vtx is better,and vtx series have a 12x7 preamp tube on it,sorry for my english😁
Thanks for an interesting comparison and good review of the basic tones on both, which I liked.
I'm actually with you on the Roland Cube, I'm keeping my Cube 60.
Hey I had a Roland Cube 60 and clean on it was good but the Distortion on it sucked especially on the rectifier setting it sounded like Nails going through a metal grinder I tried to keep it and played it for about 2 months and even bought a distortion pedal for it which made it sound better but I couldn't take it I called Roland and told them about it and they are the ones that told me to get a distortion pedal for it well I couldn't put up with it any longer so I sold it $125 and bought me a Peavey vypyr original 30-watt which sounded good to me the clean and the distortion and before the Roland Cube 60 I had a crate 120 cxl which had okay clean but the distortion was worse than the 60 so I sold it
@@googlesucks5087 I actually have a Vypyr30 too, as well as the Cube60. I haven't found a good enough 'on the edge of breakup' tone with the Vypyr, although it's good for heavy metal tones if that's what you want. I do use the Classic setting on the Cube60 with the gain turned down a bit which sort of does it for me. I'm now using a Digitech RP360 multi pedal, into any clean channel, which does it all for now quite well. Yet to try a Boss Katana..
Shame they didn’t release a 2x12 version
True.
And no FX loop. Blackstar Silverline - same probem.
@@sanddiverxsand1088 Check the manual, on silverline (and the old id TVP series) the line in and the headphone out can be switched to fx loop.
@@denesszabo Thanks.
I’m very very surprised to hear you say you liked the Mustang LT. I’ve heard nothing but terrible things about it.
The Katana's cleans sound better; but dang! the Cambridge's dirty tones sound pretty killer! (Although I prefer to kick a distortion unit in front of a clean channel for my dirty tones). Still not sure which one to get. 🤔
Thank you for doing this comparison. 👍
No problem. Glad if I can be of help :)
I’ve had multiple Vox nutube products, and I have a BOSS ME80, which is like a katana. The boss tone is definitely more flat, but the only people who will notice are other people with a tone fetish. Someone above mentioned that Vox nutube doesn’t always sound good with a pedal. I concur with that. The boss sounds amazing when I run it through the clean channel on my Fender Superchamp XD2. Some of the boss tones sounds better on the solid state channel of the superchamp though. Having said that, I just bought a Vox VX50 GTV 1x8". I bought it because I love the VX50 Bass so much.
Vox ac30 doesn’t always sound good with pedals. Depends what pedals though.
That ibanez is sick!!!
Nice video
Has any amp ever beaten the Katana in these type videos? Lol
For me the Roland Cube does.
@@MrPolevaulter is fender gt as good as Fender LT sound wise? Are you going to do a Spark video? Your videos are very honest on demos
In my quieter (no noisy loudy Iranian-made Kamikaze/Shahid drones buzzing through my skies) part/corner of the Earth, the SE of A, the Vox Cambridge 50 costs almost as much as the Katana MkII 100
My Boss broke down on me so I got rid of it and on impulse bought a Vox VT40+. Then I found this video. lol
And yes! He said it! He loves the fender lt25 / 50!
Did I say love?
@@MrPolevaulter No but you don't hate it!
The fender lt 25 is pretty good and the 50 has a 12 inch speaker and is even better
@@svarfinnbogason3645 Absolutely !
Which one is louder?
Dunno.
Another great review from Elmo... Kat still king for what its for and price... Shame though you did not use a Kat MKii. The variations are somewhat better in some instances than the standard but hey just my 2 pence worth.
I happened to have the old version lying around, but no access to the MK II. Would have used that otherwise. On the other hand, I actually like the MK I more.
Of all affordable practice amps I tried, I only kept the Marshall DSL-1, which sounds like Holy Grail to me with a simple booster in the front end. I'm very familiar with the Mesa Boogie and Marshall 80s tube heads sound and to me it's very hard to get the tone I need with something else. In other words: Solid State amps... leave the hall!
You can't gig with a 1-watt amp. That's really the point with these modelling amps, that they are good from bedroom to stage
I'd be interested in trying the 1 watt handwired Marshall thing they did a few years ago. Can't remember what it was called though.
Thanks I subbed for that performance :) Vox sounds awesome in overdrive. I like the katana artist as well.
Thanks for the sub!
The vox eats the boss katana alive!
i have both... Cambridge gets played more
Vox is the Boss of the Boss
I like both the Vox and the Boss. I own 3 Vox amps and i have only ever owned 1 Boss amplifier. So, there it is. I love the Cambridge 50's simple user interface, 12” Celestion speaker, and wattage control for pushing the amp for better tone at lower volume levels as i play small bar/coffee shop gigs and nooble a bit at home / jamming with friends.
The Vox Cambridg-50 is also 5 pounds lighter to carry around than the Boss Katana too.
did you use the tone studio app?
Vox!!! All the way... It's the best 👍
Why are your videos such low volume? Don't you know us musicians are all part deaf??!??!?!
:D
How weird. I own a Katana 100 and it sounds great. This 50 you're using sounds not good at all lol
btw this is not a dig, the review is great and i subscribed
I thought the same thing. My Katana 50 MkII sounds so much fuller, and I keep my knobs at around 12 o'clock.
Why recommend to viewers to spend their money on the Fender LT50. Read and watch reviews on the LT50. It's bad, very bad.
Thank you for comparison! Based on your recommendation I saw this video about Fender Mustang ua-cam.com/video/Peuxg2To42A/v-deo.html and found this amp too much bright and high gain sound is very smeared and not clear on the bass strings; and in general Fender Mustang sounds more synthetic than VOX.
Cheers!
Ethereum 🎸
我喜欢boss Katana
Vox好听。可惜卖家把mkII已经发货了
that happens when speaking a lot 😂😂😂
fark, way to help people hate an amp. both sounded horrible.
Yes. Or buy an Amp. Sell your pedals and put the money in health insurance. Only on sound, not "features", the Vox wants to stay up, go out, and dance along the edge.
You can't beat the Boss, Starscream Kotipelto!:-7
They both sound the same.
Vox is the best..
After having the Boss katana 100 for a few years ........ Id like to say I Hate Modelling amps. - Why cant that take the technology that they use to make all this so complicated & give all these varioations ..................... and put out an amp that cab go from pretty clean to maxed out gain like the katana has .........In otherwords cut out all the presets & cut out the channel memories & cut out the usb file option & simplify the amp down to just a killer sounding amp, thats NOT amodelling amp. - The knobs arent very accurate ..... you can turn one up & not remofgve your hand...and turn it back to the original position & the sound will change drastically .... you dont get that on a Non modelling amp. I use from Clean to - Tom Petty gain, to death metal gain ..........dont need the rest. Its just clutter to me, but Katana gets that killer distortion so Im stuck with it.
I know what you mean.
Thing is, the Katana is not a modeling amp. It isn't trying to replicate another amp; it just has its own sounds, and that's what you get. If you want to connect to a computer, you can, but it is 100% not necessary. I've had the Katana 50 for a while now, and I have had zero issues with anything. Never heard anything from anyone about inaccurate potentiometers, and I very highly doubt Boss would let it happen. They've been at the forefront of solid state and digital audio technology for over 30 years.
The presets are there for people like you, who don't like to mess around with knobs and buttons constantly, so I can't understand why you hate it so much. Katana works like any simple amplifier if you want it to. No one is forcing you to use every single feature. Just ignore what you don't use, and it'll be there if you ever need it later. But if you don't take the time to sit down and fine tune your tone, you'll never be fully satisfied with any amp. Sounds to me like you're just impatient and running on preconceived judgment.
If you want a modelling amp which really a replica of a tube amp, check out Fender Tone Master.
@@PramukoAji Done with Modelling amps. Bought a Peavey 6505mh, Emenince 12, in a nice cabinet ...Best Tone Ive ever had .
The eternal shoot-out of the lower-end "practice amps" ; you have my sympathy Elmo in dealing with the fanbase behind any of these products!
I rate the Katana 50 for its solid-state clean channel - anything regarding its gain channels make me feel very feel very ill!
Its a solid-state/modelling hybrid amplifier that offers nothing new (apart from the UI and effets) for me compared to a Roland Cube, Peavey Bandit or Marshall MG from back in my school days!
The Vox Cambridge is another modelling amplifier in the same leagues with Blackstar TVP/SilverLine, Line 6 Spider, Marshall Code, Fender Mustang ; these amps seem to "Improve" every year
with "re-designed" voicings and features. Honestly I have owned so many of these amplifiers (for teaching/practice) that I feel I have been re-buying the same product time and time again...
I have demod dozens of these amps for my students (and for myself) and the guitar store I work in part-time, as I am 95% sure we are buying the same amp year after year after year....
And the fanboys argue for an eternity....
Yep. The fanboys can be really annoying. I still get hate for the Code videos :D
@@MrPolevaulter Oh dear - keep your sanity mate! I didnt realise the CODE cult was still going hah
But Spider, Marshall Code and MG cabs = total sh*t.
@@sanddiverxsand1088 its all the same really hah
Drives me bonkers when people review gear and can't put bookmarks in the right spots. This is a comparison video and you have exactly 0 skip points relevant to the Cambridge marked. You also have 0 visual queues as to what amp is being played at a time, meaning I have to watch the entire video to listen to you talk to get a sense of what is being played. It's a comparison video, make your A/Bs deliberate, visually mark what is being played at all times, time stamp your video with links DIRECTLY to each component (Katana clean, Cambridge clean, Katana crunch, Cambridge crunch, and so on). Embarrassing that content creators need to be told this. I'm here to compare amps, not watch you play, with all due respect.
Ok I want to play Metallica songs in my room. Which one?
Either I'd say.
Vox
Let’s be honest compared to plexis everything sucks
Absolutely :)
@Ben Hackett what is voxs best modelling amp? The vtx?
Vox..
👲
Elmo, I raise all my hats very high for what you are trying to do for beginners and more advanced guitarists alike. However, even being the greatest of players, owning the best camera and editing equipment etc, wouldn't help at all when doing gear demos if one falls embarrassingly flat in replicating the actual sound the gear. That is after all the only reason people watch these videos. I have tried to watch several of your amp shootouts and reviews, but I've been unable to finish any of them because every amp in every video I watched sounds just horrible. Worse even than the hamburger sized 30€ micro amps.
You really need to think about how to capture the actual sounds of the amps. I'm pretty sure that the amps are directly facing the mic at a distance. Have you ever put your ear in the same location? If not, why the heck not?! It's where you put the listeners' ears. If you were playing for a friend in the same room, would you make him/her sit there? Please, put your head where you usually put the mic, and ask yourself, is this a good or realistic representation of the amp's sound and character?
I strongly suggest that you'd consider one of these two approaches:
1) Walk around in the room while you play, and find a spot where the amp sounds the best for you. Then put the mic exactly where your head is. Simple as that! When having two amps, make sure the amps are positioned perfectly symmetrically in relation to the mic.
2) Actually educate yourself on close micing techniques, and experiment enough to find the one that gives you the sound, frequency balance and the character of the amp on both clean and distorted sounds. A good dynamic mic in a 45° angle either at the center of the speaker cone or pointing at it are reasonable starting points.
You are absolutely not alone with this issue, but you are the one I'd hope the most to have this area covered. People talk about the mystical UA-cam compression that ruins all sounds as if there were nothing you could do about it. Honestly, that's bollocks. I can listen to any music video and enjoy pretty much the same sounds I would on an actual CD. Andy Timmons for example still has a great sound no matter which video quality I choose. The problem is that people don't give a rat's ashes worth of a though into where they toss the mic. Or what kind of a mic they use. It is very simple: Find the best place with your ears and put the mic in that exact spot, and you're 90% there! Even a smartphone can capture the amp's character that way.
I know this was a long rant, but if you can't provide the watchers and listeners the actual sound of the amp when demoing an amp, what's the point really?
I've been recording guitars for ages and have done all the things you describe in your rant. These amps sound the way they sound, because that's the way they sound. I've also recorded them differently in different videos. In this one they weren't even close miked.
Push the gain and play some fucking brutal metal!🤘