NAPD

[Sheepdog1969]

From time to time, I find myself in a situation where I am unable to play through my amp because my daughter, (or another house guest), is in bed sleeping. Additionally, I have been hesitant to take an electric guitar on vacations , (instead of a bulky acoustic), because of the amp requirement. Years ago I did pick up a dual cab Blackstar Fly 3 that has a headphone jack, is relatively small (since the additional cab can be disconnected), can run on batteries or ac power, has some built in effects, and has an AUX input. It has gotten tons of use since I bought it. It's great for playing at the campfire clearing in woods on "my back 40" behind my home, and it kills as a corded (1/8" male to 1/8" male) mp3 player too. It works well as a "headphone amp" when needed, and it's rugged enough to take on the road. However, it does require a 1/4" cable, or 1/4" wireless guitar input to work with an electric guitar. To often I chose not to take one of my "inexpensive" electrics on vacations because I needed the cased guitar, a cord, the Blackstar Fly 3 with batteries and/or it's power supply, and quality wired headphones, at a minimum.

Then I heard about amp plugs that are tiny, plug directly into your guitars output, run on batteries, have multiple built in effects, have aux input for "play along" functionality, and output through a 1/8" headphone jack for wired headphones. After doing some research I decided to buy the VOX amPlug 2 Classic Rock guitar version for just under $50.00 + tax. There are multiple versions of VOX amPlugs for guitar and bass, and the VOX amPlug 3 is coming out soon, but may be at a higher price point.  They fit in the palm of your hand, weigh almost nothing, and run on 2 AAA batteries. Mine has a volume control, a gain control, and a tone control, a 1/8" headphones out jack, a 1/8" aux in jack, a on/off button that doubles as a mid-boost switch (off, low, high), and an effects switch that switches between chorus, delay, reverb, and no effects, Additionally, each effect has three variations, which are changed by holding down the "effects" button and pressing the on/off button. There is also an auto shut off feature to save your batteries. I should mention that only one effect can be used at a time with, (or without) gain (3 settings with adjustable levels). Apparently the VOX ac30 amPlug  adds tremolo to the effects chain. Check out the multiple versions of VOX amPlugs @      https://voxamps.com/

When I tried it out with my Epi ES-335 and a pair of high end wired headphones, starting with no effects, no gain, and with mid-boost set to off, (and with the volume set to just above zero), I experienced no hum or buzz or "noise", while playing or with the strings muted/guitar volume controls at 0.  I was impressed with how it generated a full spectrum sound that mimicked how my 335 sounds through my Fender tube amps clean channel. Each change I made on the guitar volume/tone pots and/or selector switch produced the same familiar and expected tonal changes  my 335 would produce through my tube amp.. I also was impressed with each of the OD (mid-boost) settings, especially with the ability to fine tune the gain/OD level. The reverb met my needs, the chorus was OK, and the delay sounded clean, but I didn't try two of the three delay settings, so I can't say if there are three different delay "tempo's" or just different delay levels. Obviously, my impressions of these effects will be different that others, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Beware of the fragile, plastic construction of this amPlug and how it's tiny buttons and controls take a bit to get used to. I found it take two hands to change between the three variations of each effect. Depending on where your guitar's output jack is located, if you are playing standing or seated, and how you run your headphone cord, this two hand adjustment could prove quite cumbersome/impossible. Oh, and if your guitar's output jack is located anywhere other than on the top (like my 335 or a Strat, etc.), expect to break your amPlug if you set your guitar down, or in a stand, without removing the amPlug first!!

For $50.00, I love it. It fits easily in the pocket of my gig bag or the storage compartment of a good hard case. (thankfully the large pocket on my gig back fits my wired headphones too.)  Add a strap and you can walk around as far as you want with nothing stopping you save for your endurance and battery life. Plug a male 1/8" to male 1/8" male connector into the phones out and a portable speaker with a 1/8" in aux and make some noise. Attach that speaker to your belt or strap, and you become a travelling show. With the proper adapter, you can connect to a recorder or portastudio.

Let me know what you think, and/or let me know what amp plug you have and like. 

[ksdaddy]

I’ve been using this one for 20 years or more. I bought it used. The power is on when something is plugged into it, which meant I would forget to unplug my guitar and drain the battery. I installed a mini switch and then ground the lever shorter so it would be less likely to break off or snag. It’s a good sounding little headphone amp. I’d like to try others as well. 

[tx-ogre]

I bought the AC30 version of the Amplug many years ago.  I use it when I am traveling and can’t schlep an amp with me.  Quite a handy little gadget.  I also purchased the Amplug speaker cabinet.  Have always been happy with both.