Testimonials

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"VRX's clean channel offered gobs of "California" punch. Its overtone-rich clean sound produced as much Strat-like quack...

Channel Two's more pronounced midrange and more aggressive gain produced a thick, British-flavored tone with much more substantial overdrive when called upon...OD pedals need not apply!

Both channels responded well to pick attack and dynamics, and cleaned up nicely using the guitars' Volume controls.

Master Volume; ...brings volume to a manageable/bedroom level."

September 2009 Issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine –Excerpt from the Vintage Guitar Magazine Vintage Rox VRX Amplifier review.
Vintage Guitar VRX18 Review

 

"I have to say that I have played through many different amps in my 40 years of playing and I have NEVER played an amp that has the tone, and versatility of the 45R (Custom 45R 1x12 Combo). It draws tons of attention everywhere I go. I've put my Marshalls in storage... The sound of my Les Pauls through the combo is Heaven, both live and in the studio. I even use it when there is a back line cause I want my tone!

Bobby Young – the highly talented blues guitarist, based in Northern California. Bobby is using the ARACOM Custom 45R 1x12 combo with a custom ARACOM/Weber speaker for live peformance and studio work. Be sure to check out the following links:
www.bobbyyoungproject.com/index.html
www.reverbnation.com/thebobbyyoungproject
 

" ....absolutely WONDERFUL!!! Both channels are beautiful - the great tones I hear in my head are on this amp! It looks gorgeous too, the vanilla finish and brown handle are sweet and it's very solid as well.

Jeff, I want to thank you so very much for all you've done. Owning this amp is and will be a great pleasure. "

All the best,
Adrian

Adrian Clarke – referring to his customized VRX22 head with Vanilla Tolex and chrome end corners. He has been playing the guitar for about 32 years and is involved in two bands: "JB Quartet", a Funk/Soul Jazz/Fusion band and "The Marion Weston Band", a Country band. Adrian's guitars include: a Fender Custom shop 54 Reissue Strat, 2006 Gibson Les Paul, a customized Tex Mex Strat and a Tacoma parlor sized acoustic guitar.

 

"First of all, I really love the VRX22. I can't believe the beautiful sounds I can make with it hooked up to my TT (Tone Tubby Speakers) 2x12. And it is so versatile! Clean to tweedy in Ch.1, and amazing overdrive in Ch2. I swear I can get sound from classic VOX to classic Marshall, with all the tweed in between. Every penny was well spent. "

Mike Frank – regarding his VRX22 Head that he plays through a 2x12 cabinet loaded with Tone Tubby speakers. One of Mike's favorite guitars is his Collings 290, a beautiful LP Special style guitar loaded with a pair of P90s. Nice high end rig!

 

"PHENOMENAL!!!

SHE IS AWESOME!!!"

Lee Moore – talking about his higly customized MPL50-HR (Hot Rod). This is Lee's second ARACOM Amplifier. He loves his ARACOM Evolver so much that he had us build a custom, "one of a kind", 50 watt amp to his specifications. ARACOM is happy to be part of Lee's extensive collection of vintage guitars, amplifiers and speakers/cabinets. We sure do appreciate Lee's repeat business!!! Have a look at Lee's MPL50-HR with the Snakeskin tolex in our Gallery section: ARACOM Gallery Page.

 

"I had high expectations and they are satisified. You have done a great job designing this amp.

The ability to play the amp at bedroom levels without an attenuator is better than any two (2) power tube amp I have come across, it makes it an easy amp to just plug in and play. The ability to maintain good tone at low volumes is a real plus. Even in the high voltage mode the master does a good job of maintaining tone at relatively low volume levels. Low voltage as advertised brings it down some more.

I am a big fan of 6V6 tubes and as advertised the two channels allow these tubes to be expressed beautifully clean and with considerable gain. Very effective tone controls makes the amp really easy to dial in jazzy cleans and cleans with lots of treble. Also useful to maintain clarity as the gain increases.

I play a lot in the beefy cleans and mildly overdriven ballparks and I can tell already that I like the VXR22 capabilities at these levels of gain.

It seems to me so far that with the circuit you have, and the strong tone controls, your amp is not going to be as finicky with speakers as some amps are. The different speakers seem to bring out and accentuate different qualities in the amp.

Jeff, thanks for a great amp. "

Lyle Cook –Avid Guitarist. Lyle is referring to his VRX22 amp. He also owns at least a couple of other lower powered boutique amps and we are happy that he has added an ARACOM VRX22 to his collection. One of the custom guitars in Lyle's collection is configured with a chambered alder body, along with a mohagany cap. The guitar is equipped with a humbucker, a P90 and a regular single coil, all from Bareknuckle Pickups(UK). With this setup, Lyle can play through 3 of the most popular style pickups all from one guitar! We sure would like to hear this custom guitar with its unique combination of wood and pickups. Lyle also has a few high end attenuators, but based on his comments, it does not appear that he will be needing the attenuators with his VRX22. He is able to get the "cranked up" tone at low volume levels with the amp alone. Lyle will be making his own hardwood cabinet for his VRX22 amp. We will post a pic of his cabinet as soon as it is completed.

 

"When I first tried out the VRX22, my immediate feedback to Jeff was that he was really on to something with this amp. There was something magic in the tone of this amp that I had not heard with many amps I've played and I've played and reviewed a lot of amps on my blog at GuitarGear.org. That "magic" hit me from the first note I played, and since I've had the amp, it compels me to just sit back, close my eyes and let my fingers do the talking.

On top of that, the VRX22 is a chameleon when it comes to guitars and effects. I've played several guitars on this amp, and all have sounded amazing, from my Strat all the way to my very aggressive Korina Explorer. With effects, the massive clean headroom on Channel 1 makes it an ideal channel for using pedals. The cleans on that channel are bright, but also really lush and thick.

Channel 2 breaks up nicely and can produce a very smooth and subtle overdrive to massive gain. It's great with pedals as well, but I find that getting the organic, natural overdrive from this channel is the best way to use it, though I'll qualify that with this channel sounds absolutely KILLER with a great clean booster that'll slam the pre-amp. The result with that is an incredibly touch-sensitive, super-sustaining, open overdrive that brings a smile to my face. And speaking of drive, the 6V6's don't compress as much as other tubes when driven hard, which means the amp retains a lot of its dynamics despite being driven hard - yet another thing that sets this amp apart from the competition.

Finally, I've said this several times in my reviews at GuitarGear.org: Jeff simply makes the best master volume in the business. Even as you squelch down the power, unlike many other amps I've played, you never lose your tone with Jeff's master volume. That is such an important feature to me as I work out guitar parts in my home studio.

I've been raving about this amp to everyone I know. I have its pure stock configuration, and even though Jeff has offered to make some convenience mods for me, it sounds so good stock that I just don't feel the need to tweak anything. To me at least, the VRX22 is the perfect amp. "

Brendan Delumpa Guitarist/Singer/Song Writer. Brendan is referring to his Vintage Rox VRX22 Head mated with a VRX 1x12 Extension Cabinet. We initially loaned Brendan the VRX22 for him to evaluate and do a product review for his guitargear.org site. Brendan was so impressed by the tone of the amp that he immediately placed an order for one! We consider this an awesome compliment coming from someone who has played many amps and has written a lot reviews on them. Within the 1st month of purchasing his VRX22, Brendan used the amp for many live performances, recorded several songs with it and provide us with a few very nice sound clips. Check out Brendan's Guitar Gear review site at:guitargear.org

 

"I would like to thank you for this beautiful work of art! The sound is very musical and dynamic. And, there is no unwanted noise from the amp at all.....AMAZING!!!!

Jeff has customized my amp to be a single channel and also at my request put a rectifier tube into the circuit and some other options I asked for. I have owned many hi end amps through the years and found this to be in a class of it's own.

This amp is going to become a classic in the guitar amp world!

I will be buying another in the near future. "

Chris Eagan –Professional Guitarist / Inventor. Chris is referring to his hot rodded VRX22 head and 1x12 extension cabinet. He wanted a straight forward, no nonsense, "plug in an play" amp. Chris's custom, single channel VRX22 head is configured with a 5AR4 tube rectifier providing an authentic vintage tone. His amp is minus the Master Volume Control and Hi/Low Power Switch. The matching extension cabinet is equipped with the newly released Jensen 12" ALNICO 100 watt Blackbird speaker and he likes the speaker a lot. Chris has owned quite a number of boutique amps throughout the years and he knows tone. He will be using his VRX22 for live performances in Vegas! Note: Chris liked the VRX22 so much, he purchased a second VRX22 head and extension cabinet. He is running the VRX22s in a stereo mode. Check out Chris's VRX22 and other custom ARACOM Amps on our “More Info – Gallery” page.

 

"" I've been looking for my "last" amp for upwards of a year now. Half the fun is learning about new manufacturers, and new models. But now that I have the VRX22, that's it. Done! Don't need to look as intently any more. Now I can get down to the business of ... playing !! ""

Kevin Brown – discussing his "Quest for Tone". He is referring to his Hot Rodded VRX22 head that he plays through a matching VRX 1x12 extension cabinet equipped with an Eminence ALNICO Red Fang speaker. Kevin knows a lot about tone. He was looking for the "cranked up" tube tone, without using effects, at a volume level that would not disturb his neighbors and a tone that would keep his ears happy. The Vintage Rox VRX22 amp satisfied his requirements. Have a look at Kevin's setup in our Gallery section: ARACOM Gallery Page.

 

"While I have played many tube amps, I never really appreciated pure tube tone until I got my Evolver 45. Each of my guitars produces a different, yet incredible tone through this amp. One of my guitars is equipped with a Duncan Phat Cat pickup and the amp produces a very cool vintage breakup. Then another guitar equipped with Duncan active Blackouts, the amp get so much heavier, but continues to keep its clarity and tone.

I used to run two separate amps for live gigs. However the Evolver's channel switching feature allows me to select 3 different tones on stage including the use of the built in tube overdrive, therefore my days of running a two amp setup is over. "

Richie Valencia – “Back in 72's” Lead Guitarist. He plays his custom tolexed Evolver 45 through a 4x12 cabinet equipped with vintage Celestion Greenbacks. Richie and two other "Back in 72" guitarist used their ARACOM Evolver amplifiers on their soon to be released CD. Check out more information on the “More Info – Latest News” page.

 

"The Evolver 50 rocks the house, Jeff! I love the flavor and voicing and find it incredibly fun to use with the O.D. Boost/3rd channel and the multiple 'bright' switches and 'bite' switch. There aren't many tones you can't get with this amp! It has an incredible Plexi vibe and does everything from classic blues to hard rock - can you say Led Zeppelin or the Allman Brothers?

In terms of speakers, the Evolver 50 sounds awesome with Vintage 30's, Vintage and New G12M's, New G12H30's, Alnico Blues & Golds, JBL D120F's and EV SRO's. The speakers really change up the flavor.

After testing the amp with all the speaker combinations, I recommend you use the V30's, G12M's & G12H30's for classic/standard rock, connect the Alnico Blues and Golds for some raunchy, deep south blues, and wire the JBL's and EV's for the Allman Brothers Band vibe.

Overall, this amp really shines and is superb just the way you sent her. I don't feel the need to swap out the tubes or adjust the set-up. She's perfect from the inside out, including the incredible job you did with the Snakeskin Tolex! She looks awesome!

Without a doubt, I am very happy with my experience and look forward to purchasing another amp from Aracom Amplifiers. Thanks for everything, Jeff! "

Lee Moore – talking about his customized Evolver 50. As you can see in Lee's testimonial, he has tried his Evolver amp through his extensive collection of speakers and cabinets. Have a look at Lee's Evolver with the Snakeskin tolex in our Gallery section: ARACOM Gallery Page.

 

"Awesome sounding amp providing vintage to modern tones. Lots of versatility and easy to dial in. I wish all of my gear inspired me to play as much as my ARACOM Evolver!"

John Catanzaro – “Back in 72's” Guitarist/Singer/Song Writer. John and two other "Back in 72" guitarist used their ARACOM Evolver amplifiers on their soon to be released CD. Check out more information on the “More Info – Latest News” page.

 

"ARACOM Amps provide me unsurpassable tone and put the control of that tone in my fingertips. You gotta try these amps!"

Jeff Nunes – “fourwayfree’s” Lead Guitarist. Jeff used the ARACOM PLX BB 18 R and PLX 45 on “fourwayfree’s” hot new CD “Deeper”. Check out more information on the “More Info – Latest News” page.

 

"To me it is a tone that is not only heard as a robust tube tone, but a feel that is incredible, very dynamic in picking attack to subtle changes of your guitars volume knob for a full spectrum of color. Much more than an old dog in a new box, each channel voiced for a unique headroom or gain structure making external channel switching between channels a sheer pleasure. Were talking real power tube overdrive that is full and round at a variety of volume levels coupled with the high/low power switch that allows my ARACOM MPL 50 to purr at a perfect stage volume for small to large clubs. It doesn’t matter if you plug into the ARACOM 18 or 50 watt amps, everything in his line up is a tribute to real tube tone and hand wired attention to detail. Real tone is actually really simple."

Gene Baker is a professional player, owner of Fine Tuned Instruments LLC and master luthier of the "b3" line of electric guitars. Gene uses the ARACOM PLX 18 and MPL 50 for live gigs and recording sessions. Check out more information on the “More Info – Latest News” page.

 

"I feel very confident using this single amp for all the various styles of music that I play. At 18 watts it is easy to dial in and hit all the sweet spots for Blues, Rock & Jazz. This hand wired, all tube amp with its various tones (clean or dirty), far surpasses any other 1-12 combo that I have played in the last 25 years. The looks and vibe of this amp make me want to play all day & night. Kudos to Aracom."

Pat Curtis is the “The Fast Lane Band’s” Lead Guitarist and Vocalist. Pat has played his ARACOM PLX BB 18 R 112 Combo in over 50 gigs in the past 2 years! www.thefastlaneband.com

Excerpt from the October 2009 American Blues Blog review on the PLX BB 18R

"Today there are literally dozens of boutique builders in the U.S. and Europe. I have owned several and have played hundreds of gigs with them. I recently purchased a boutique amp from Jeff Aracom (of ARACOM AMPLIFIERS - www.aracom-amps.com) who is a builder in Northern California. His line of amps received outstanding reviews and had certain features I was look for.

The amp I purchased from Aracom was the BB 18R model. Its output is 18watts, has reverb and tremolo and used two EL84 tubes. It is based on an old low wattage Marshall amp. I have used the amp on many gigs with my blues band (the Kara Maguire band) and it sounds awesome. I have played it in small clubs and larger rooms. It projects well and can easily be heard over the drums and other guitarist. It sounds a bit different from the Fender based boutique amps and this was why I bought it. It has a switch in the back that allows you to cut the power in half. It doesn’t lower the output by half, but what it does, is cause the amplifier to break up at lower volumes. It really produces a sweet sound. The amp also has two channels, the reverb and tremolo channel and the drive channel; both sound sweet.

I have gotten many compliments on the sound. Also, it works equally well with my old Gibson Special with P90 pick-ups or my new Tele. I haven’t tried it with Humbuckers yet, but I would bet anything it would sound phenomenal with those too."

Jerry Rosen - Jerry is the sensational blues guitarist and song writer of the Kara Maguire Band. Check out the complete PLX BB 18R review and ARACOM Amplifiers interview at: www.americanbluesblog.com

 

" All I can say is WOW!. Great sound, smooth distortion, and the controlls interact very well together. It's very versatile at getting any sound at any volume, which is exactly what I was looking for. A great quality amp at a very reasonable price, you've got a customer for life. Thanks again "

Robert Trevett - Robert is refering to his Vintage Rox VRX18 head wrapped in Red Tolex. Check out Robert's VRX18 and other custom VRX Amps on the Vintage Rox - VRX Series Gallery Page.

 

Related Pages:

PRX150-Pro Testimonials

Reviews and Raves