Night Train NT15H Head
VOX
PRODUCT REVIEW
BY JORDAN WAGNER
In every aspect of technology in the current
age, it seems as if miniaturization and portabil-ity is all the rage. Cellular telephones, television
sets, computers and (as we all know by now)
guitar amplification have all been caught up in
the trend toward packing more and more features into ever-shrinking containers. In the case
of the Night Train, VOX Amplification’s newest
addition to their guitar amp line, the design
considers technologies that lie both in the past
and present, merging both into a deceptively
potent tone machine. A dual-EL84 tube power
section coupled with a dual-12AX7 preamp
allows the Night Train to pump out either 15 or
7. 5 watts from its retro toaster-sized packaging.
Loaded like a freight train
At first glance, the Night Train seems like a
less-than-imposing creation. Its small, compact
design sits at just a little over a foot wide,
and it’s dwarfed by any cabinet larger than a
standard 1x12” (like the V112NT, VOX’s companion for the Night Train with a custom-voiced
Celestion Greenback speaker). The construction
quality is extremely solid: the chassis is a combination of brushed and mirror-finished steel,
weighing in at slightly less than 17 pounds.
Thankfully, VOX didn’t cut any corners with
building materials, as the only plastic parts that
are exposed are the classy, off-white chicken-head knobs that adorn the faceplate. The thing
I noticed about the Night Train right away is
how streamlined the build is. All of the screws
joining the chassis together are recessed, and
the corners are slightly rolled. This might not
seem like a big deal to some, but it really
shows the attention to detail and presentation that it’s designers put into the head. VOX
describes it as an “armored lunchbox,” and
the solid, smooth design helps ease worries
of dropping the amplifier on an exposed foot
or off the edge of a stage. In addition, it just
looks really cool, like a space-age toaster of the
future that a 1950s sci-fi writer would dream of.
Transportability was a major factor in designing
the Night Train, so VOX also included a sturdy,
padded carrying-case with a shoulder strap for
taking the amp to jams and recording sessions.
Flyin’ like an aero plane
Eager to hear VOX’s new creation, I plugged in
a 2008 Fender Telecaster and set up the head
with an Egnater 1x12” cab with a Celestion
Vintage 30. Following some careful dialing, a
very nice clean with a surprisingly chimey top
end poured out of the speaker. The front panel
of the amplifier has a simple, comfortable
layout consisting of Gain, three-band EQ, and
Volume controls. Nestled between the Gain
and Treble knobs is a switch labeled Bright/
Thick, which produces a highly perceptible difference in the voicing of the amp. Rounding
