Vox's VTB-1 is a treble booster pedal engineered to capture the tone that defined British rock—the legendary pairing of a VOX AC30 and a vintage Germanium booster heard on records by Rory Gallagher, Brian May, and Marc Bolan. Rather than rely on temperature-sensitive Germanium transistors with their inconsistent performance and noise, Vox developed a Silicon-based design using a hand-selected Silver Can BC108 transistor that authentically emulates Germanium's nonlinear behaviour. The result is a road-ready booster delivering the smooth onset of drive, singing overtones, and volume-knob cleanup of the originals with modern stability and reliability.
At its core sits a precisely biased single-transistor gain stage that expands the sweet spot into that expressive edge-of-breakup zone. Roll back your guitar's volume for sparkling, chimey cleans; push the Boost control for harmonically rich overdrive with massive headroom. A Fat Switch broadens the frequency boost to suit different guitars and playing styles, while thin-film resistors reduce noise far beyond what carbon-composition parts of the 1960s could achieve. The compact, vintage-style enclosure integrates with modern pedalboard power supplies and flexible signal-chain placement.
The VTB-1 paired with a VOX AC30 or AC15 unlocks the dynamic, touch-sensitive character that shaped rock's golden age. Its single-transistor design preserves traditional clarity and responsiveness, making it as expressive for studio engineers tracking guitars as it is for gigging musicians needing interactive, reliable overdrive in real-world conditions.
Features
- Hand-selected Silver Can BC108 transistor with custom bias circuit
- Silicon design authentically emulates Germanium nonlinear behaviour
- Single-transistor gain stage for clarity and touch response
- Fat Switch expands boosted frequency range for tonal flexibility
- Exceptionally low-noise performance at high gain settings
- Compact vintage-style enclosure, pedalboard-ready
- Period-correct voice tuned for VOX AC15 and AC30 amplifiers
- Volume-knob cleanup and expanded sweet spot throughout range
