NAD: Vox L'il Night Train

[Denim n Leather]

Picked up a LNT today to add a bit of fill to the other side of the stage when I use the Studio 2. The Bright channel also works quite well with my Nashville tuned guitar. The stock valves are really bad. I swapped out the 3 no-name valves for 3 JAN 5751s, which vastly improved the tone, and removed the tube retainers.

At 1/6 the price (and size! This amp is the size of the EAST name badge!!) of the Studio 2, it is not nearly as versatile nor in the same tonal league, but I'm not trying to compete with the S2. It does not take many pedals so well, and it gets choked up with a boost in front of it, so I will be running the amp dry from one of the outputs of my Radial ABY. (The other output goes thru my pedal board and into the Studio 2.)

I will be experimenting tomorrow using both amps in concert to see whether the LNT stays or or not.

[Ian Price]

Really interested in hearing what difference the valve change makes. I've heard mixed things about these amps but think they look great.

[AndyR]

I was quite surprised to see a Lil Night Train NAD with your name on it!

I got vaguely interested in the Night Train when they first came out. But it didn't quite grab me. They look cute in pictures, but seemed just a bit too much like a toaster when I saw one. Also, rightly or wrongly, I'm a combo kind of guy...

Interesting what you said about pedals though. I only got back into amps instead of modellors recently. I got the AC4TV combo and, because it's too loud to break up at my place, I started sticking various things in front of it... I didn't like the results AT ALL :lol: - I only use it now when I can crank the little b@stard.

I then added a Laney CUB12. Now, I don't need pedals with this thing, it does what I want at all volumes... but I did put the same stuff in front of it a while back as an experiment - sounded fabulous!

Anyway, hope the LNT works out for you.

[Ian Price]

Good point about the pedals. My HT1-R doesn't seem to like anything in front of it!

[Andrew W]

Yup interesting point about the pedals. My Cornell Plexi 7 never liked pedals much, especially anything that boosted the signal whereas my Romany loves any and all, especially Tubescreamers. Hope the Vox works out for you.

[Denim n Leather]

It's a fun little amp and as I'm using it just to round out the SPLs, not my main tone device, I should be okay. Gonna load one of my 1x12s with a V30 and test it.

The 5751s solved most of the problems I had with the amp out of the box: the thinness of the Bright channel, the wooly bass on the Thick channel, and the upper midrange spike (which I'm guessing is due to the head being voiced for a particular speaker). The amp has more detail now (without sounding hyped), and much tighter.

Signal chain is:
GTR > TU2 > Descend > ABY

Output A: pedal board > Studio 2
Output B: LNT

Truth be told, my ultimate goal is to get another Studio 2 next year!

[Denim n Leather]

I was quite surprised to see a Lil Night Train NAD with your name on it!

Me, too. :)

There is a method to this particular brand of madness, in that I wanted to add a 2nd amp that I can use with a small cab on the other side of the stage, but the entire thing has to be carried on the subway!

[Denim n Leather]

Re: low wattage amps and pedals. I've found that most single-digit-Watt amps can't take anything beyond a mild boost; I'm guessing it has something to do with the available headroom and power supply (?).

However -- this is not the case with the Studio 2!! The amp takes pedals wonderfully until you drive the power valves into distortion, then your options are (obviously) limited. I use my pedals more for focusing the tone and adding textures more than overriding the tone of the amp itself anyway.

[Denim n Leather]

Big sister and little sister:



Clip coming soon!

[Denim n Leather]

The clip:

http://soundcloud.com/bena/sister-test

[_tom_]

Is it the Night Train on the right? They both sound pretty good to me but the left sounds a bit beefier and just better in general!

[Denim n Leather]

Is it the Night Train on the right? They both sound pretty good to me but the left sounds a bit beefier and just better in general!

You are correct; left side is the East, right is the Vox.