Vox revealed a new range of five effects pedals in 2013. Vox named the series "Tone Garage" to symbolize the hot rodded nature of these new stomp boxes. The series completely abandoned the use of digital circuitry. The fully analog circuits designed for the Tone Garage pedals were constructed retro style from discrete transistors, resistors, capacitors and in the case of the Double Deca pedal, "bucket brigade" delay chips. All five Tone Garage models incorporated the Vox "True Bypass" circuit utilizing a miniature relay.
A 12AX7 tube was included in the signal path of the "Flat 4 Boost," "Straight 6 Drive" and the "V8 Distortion." Vox developed their proprietory "Hi-Volt" technology for the Tone Garage pedal series that allowed the 12AX7 to be operated at ~200 volts while being powered by just six 1.5 volt AA cells. However, Vox recommended that the Tone Garage pedals be powered with an external 9 VDC power supply such as the Korg KAC102 due to their current draw. The average battery life for these pedals was just two hours.
At about 3⅜" wide, 5¼" long and 2½" tall, the Vox Tone Garage pedals will consume a significant amount of real estate on your pedal board. The considerable size of these pedals was necessary to squeeze both a 12AX7 tube and six AA cells inside the case.
The Trike Fuzz had an MSRP of $200.00 USD and was typically offered at a discount price of $139.99 USD. The MSRP of the Double Deca, Flat 4 Boost, Straight 6 Overdrive and V-8 Distortion was $210.00 USD and were typically discounted to $159.99 USD. Counttry of Origin: Japan.
The Vox Trike Fuzz was an all analog, multi-function effects pedal that combined fuzz with a multi-octave generator.
Vox claims in promotional literature for the Trike Fuzz pedal that the fuzz circuit utilized hand selected diodes. The intensity of the fuzz is controlled by the gain control.
The multi-octave effect created by the Trike Fuzz is most effective when playing single note leads. The octave mode is selected by means of a three position toggle switch.
With the toggle switch in the left, or "-" position, the Trike Fuzz is in "1-2 Down" mode, adding notes pitched both one and two octaves lower than the note played on the guitar. A rotary control labeled "-2 Vol" near the top of the pedal adjusts the volume of just the lower pitch.
With the toggle switch in the right, or "+" position, the Trike Fuzz adds a tone that is pitched one octave higher than the note played on the guitar. A control labeled "+ Tone" adjusts the brightness of this added "octave up" tone.
When the three position toggle switch is in the middle, or "Octave Both" position, tones pitched an octave above and two octaves below are added to the pitch played on the guitar.
The Vox Double Deca Delay was an all analog delay pedal featuring three old school V3205 analog bucket brigade (BBD) chips that offered up to 900ms of delay time.
The term "bucket brigade" helps to explain how these chips operate. Think of a bucket brigade as a single file line of people who receive buckets of water from the person standing directly behind that are then passed to the person standing in front of them. As each person handles a bucket, some time is expended.
All bucket brigade chips have a delay line comprised of a long sequence of capacitors, each capable of storing a small amount of audio. When an audio signal is inserted into the start of the delay line, it passes sequentially through this line of capacitors. Each capacitor introduces some delay to the audio signal, much like the buckets of water moving down the brigade described in the analogy above. When the audio signal reaches the end of the delay line and is mixed back into the original (dry) signal, the sound of an echo is simulated.
Controls: The Level control adjusts the volume of the echo (wet) signal that is mixed with the input (dry) signal. The Modulation control adjusts the depth of the internal modulation (warble) effect. The Feedback control adjusts the amount of echo regeneration. The Time control adjusts the length of the echo. The three position toggle switch selects between a long echo, a short echo or a mix of long and short.
Flat 4 Boost - Three pedals in the Tone Garage series were designed to increase gain and overdrive. The Flat 4 Boost was, as the name suggests, primarily a boost pedal. It increased gain minimally. Based on the Vox AC-30, the Straight 6 Drive bumped up the gain to a intermediate level. The V8 Overdrive offered the greatest amount of gain. To create the most naturally overdriven tones, all three of these pedals was equipped with a 12AX7 vacuum tube.
Under normal conditions, the nine volt battery in an effects pedal would be incapable of powering a 12AX7. Vox solved this problem through the development of their proprietory "Hi-Volt" technology. The Vox Hi-Volt circuit made it possible to generate 200 volts from the Tone Garage pedal's internal battery pack, sufficient to power a 12AX7.
Depending on the control settings, the Flat 4 can provide either a boosted clean or a mildly overdriven tone. It can also function as a treble or mid booster.
The key to achieving cleanly boosted tones on the Flat 4 is by minimizing the Gain control. Create clean yet boosted tones by keeping the Gain under the mid position. However, dialing up the Gain control past the mid position will introduce a mildly ovendriven "crunch" ideal for bluesy guitar riffs. Watch the Flat 4 video below featuring Freddy DeMarco from Vox for more tone tips.
Straight 6 Drive - Vox christened the three overdrive pedals in the Vox Tone Garage series after the number of cylinders in auto engines. The Flat 4 Boost pedal, named after the four cylinder engine, was primarily a boost pedal, offering the least gain. The Straight 6 Drive suggested the more powerful six cylinder engine. The Straight 6 pedal offered increased gain and drive over the Flat 4. The V8 Distortion, nicknamed after the mighty V8 eight cylinder engine, provided the highest gain and overdrive.
All three of these pedals were equipped with a 12AX7 vacuum tube to provide a smooth and naturally overdriven tone. Under normal conditions, the nine volt battery supply in an effects pedal would be insufficient to power a 12AX7. Vox solved this problem through the development of their proprietory "Hi-Volt" technology. The Vox Hi-Volt circuit made it possible to generate 200 volts from the Tone Garage pedal's internal battery pack, sufficient to power a 12AX7.
The Straight 6 Drive was designed to recreate the wide dynamic range of both a clean or an overdriven Vox amplifier. It offers the essence of a top boosted AC-30 in a pedal.
Controls: The Vox Straight 6 Drive pedal included rotary Volume, Bass, Treble and Gain controls. It also featured a Bright switch and the Vox "True Bypass" circuit driven by a miniature relay. Watch the Straight 6 Drive video below featuring Freddy DeMarco from Vox for tone tips.
V8 Distortion - Taking a cue from the radical performance of the automotive engine it was named after, the Vox V8 Distortion offered guitarists massive gain and extreme overdrive. If your goal is to find a pedal that is capable of recreating the tones of a fully dimed British stack amplifier, you've come to the right place.
The Vox V8 Distortion was equipped with a 12AX7 vacuum tube to offer the best response and naturally overdriven tones. Under normal conditions, the nine volt battery supply in an effects pedal would be insufficient to power a 12AX7. Vox solved this problem through the development of their proprietory "Hi-Volt" technology. The Vox Hi-Volt circuit made it possible to generate 200 volts from the Tone Garage pedal's internal battery pack, sufficient to power a 12AX7.
Controls: The Vox V8 Distortion pedal included rotary Volume, Bass, Gain and Tone controls. The Tone control on the V8 Distortion pedal affected both the upper mid and treble fequencies. Also featured was a Mid Shift switch that altered the midrange response of the pedal. Finally, The V-8 Distortion included the Vox "True Bypass" circuit, driven by a miniature relay.
Watch the official V8 Distortion video below with Freddy DeMarco from Vox for tone tips.
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