What is "chime" in Vox amps?

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codedog
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What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by codedog »

We speak of lows, mids, highs, etc. In those terms, and other sonic related lingo, what makes up the "chime" commonly attributed to Vox amps? I'm in love with that clean sound. Ideally I would love to know what actually contributes to it, and how it can best be described in the spectrum. Just curiosity... not that I'm going to build an amp or anything.

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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by jeremyb »

Kind of brightness in the upper mids? not super trebley but on its way there, that is my kinda feeling on the matter :)
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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by GrantB »

It's a fair bit to do with the "hotness" of the Vox circuit. Everything is blasting in the power section to feed it just the right amount of pre-amp juice and you get a very satisfying chime.
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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by codedog »

I wonder if the circuit responsible for that "very satisfying chime" is also responsible for the weight of the darn thing?

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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by Reg18 »

GrantB wrote:It's a fair bit to do with the "hotness" of the Vox circuit. Everything is blasting in the power section to feed it just the right amount of pre-amp juice and you get a very satisfying chime.
Probably why Vox amps go through a set of power tubes so quickly?
I would say top end sparkle is a way to describe it but there is a kind of bloom Around the note as well, like if you pluck a single string it rings out nicely and overtones or harmonics kind of envelop the note making it sound ‘chimey’??
Ive had a few voxes and they all sounded glorious when up loud in the sweet spot but generally thin and unpleasant at most of the volumes I’m allowed to play at.

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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by kdawg2a »

Every description of a Vox amp made me think it wasn't something worth persuing but subsiquent years of use tells me that the 'chime' equals creamy grit with no loss of high end clarity.
That great 'clean' tone that's on the edge of break up but smoothly moves into overdrive with harder pick attack.
That's my attempt at a description anyway.
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Re: What is "chime" in Vox amps?

Post by goldtop0 »

'Chime' was a term first coined in the '60s when the Beatles first took their Vox rigs to the USA.
A lot of Brit bands were using Vox amps at the time of the British Invasion of America, and whereas the American 'sound' was based on Fender equipment the Vox sound was evident and more melodic(chime) because of the Celestion alnico speakers used in their equipment.
Fundamentally it's the Vox circuitry(like the AC30) and the use of the alnico speakers that gives that 'chime'. Other terms are jangly, sparkle, ringing tone etc.
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