VOX amPlug 3 Headphone Guitar/Bass Guitar Amplifier Owner’s Manual

VOX amPlug 3 Headphone Guitar/Bass Guitar Amplifier

Product Information

Specifications

• Model: VOX amPlug 3 Headphone Guitar/Bass Guitar Amplifier
• Power Source: Two AAA batteries
• Input Jacks: Guitar input, AUX input
• Output Jacks: Headphone output, amPlug 2 Cabinet output

Product Usage Instructions

1. Input plug: Connect this to your guitar. Adjust the plug angle according to your guitar type.

2. PHONES jack: Connect headphones, mixer, recording device, or amPlug 2 Cabinet here.

3. STANDBY/ON/CH button, lamp: Long-press to turn the unit on/off. Press to switch between channels.

4. GAIN control: Adjusts the amp gain.

5. TONE control: Adjusts the tone of the amplifier.

6. VOLUME control: Adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier.

7. FX/RHYTHM lever switch: Start/stop rhythm. Set effect and rhythm.

8. TAP button: Sets effect and rhythm speed.

9. AUX jack: Connect to a music player or recording device with a suitable cable.

FAQ

• Q: How do I adjust the effects and rhythm settings on the amPlug 3?
• A: To adjust effects and rhythm settings:
  • Long-press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to start or stop the rhythm.
  • Press or rotate the lever switch to set the effect and rhythm.
  • Different controls apply when the rhythm is stopped versus when it is playing.
• Q: Can I use the amPlug 3 with a music player or recording device?
• A: Yes, you can connect a portable music player or similar device to the AUX jack using a suitable cable. Adjust the playback volume on your connected device accordingly.

Thank you for purchasing the VOX amPlug 3 Headphone Guitar/Bass Guitar Amplifier. To help you get the most out of your purchase, please read this manual carefully.

About the VOX amPlug 3

The amPlug 3 is a headphone amp that you can use right away, by directly plugging it in to the jack on your guitar or bass guitar.
Each model features effects that are highly suitable for each amp, as well as a rhythm function that’s useful for practicing.
See the explanations below for the characteristics of each of these features.

• “Selecting a channel and adjusting the tone”
• “Adjusting the effects”
• “Using the rhythm”

Part names and functions

Input plug

• Connect this to your guitar. Swivel the plug as shown in Fig. 2.
• Adjust the plug angle according to the guitar you’re using. When using an amPlug 2 Cabinet, connect it to the AMPLUG IN jack on this unit.

CAUTION

• When unplugging the amPlug from your guitar, grasp the unit near the base of its input plug. Grasping it at the end may break the unit.
• Turn the volume of the amPlug all the way down if you want to use the unit without connecting it to an input plug. Failure to do so may make the input signal unstable, resulting in loud noise.
• Disconnect the amPlug from your guitar before leaning your guitar against a wall or laying it on the floor. If you fail to do so, this unit or your guitar may come into contact with the floor or other surface and break.

PHONES jack

• Connect a pair of headphones, a mixer, a recording device, or an amPlug 2 Cabinet here.

STANDBY/ON/CH button, lamp

• Long-press the button to turn the unit on/off.
• Press this button to switch between channels.
• “Turning the power on/off”
• “Selecting a channel and adjusting the tone”

GAIN control

• This adjusts the amp gain.

TONE control

• This adjusts the tone of the amplifier.

VOLUME control

• This adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier.

FX/RHYTHM lever switch

• Long-press the lever switch to start or stop the rhythm.
• Press or rotate the lever switch to set the effect and rhythm.
• This control works differently when the rhythm is stopped and when it is playing.
• While rhythm is stopped:
• “Adjusting the effects”
• While rhythm is playing back:
• “Using the rhythm”

TAP button

• This sets the effect and rhythm speed.
• This control works differently when the rhythm is stopped and when it is playing.
• While rhythm is stopped:
• “Adjusting the effects”
• While rhythm is playing back:
• “Using the rhythm”

AUX jack (stereo)

• Connect this jack to a portable music player or similar device with a 3.5 mm TRS (stereo mini) cable (Fig. 4). Adjust the playback volume on the connected player accordingly.
• You can record the output audio from this unit to a device such as a smartphone or tablet if you use a CTIA-compliant 3.5 mm TRRS cable (Fig. 5). This is a monaural output.

CAUTION

• When connecting the amPlug to external equipment such as a mixer or recorder, turn down the volume to the minimum position on your external equipment before connecting this unit. After connecting this unit, turn on the amPlug and then adjust the volume of your external equipment accordingly.
• Use a cable that’s no longer than 3 m (for the AUX and PHONES jacks) to prevent malfunctions.
• Be sure that the audio equipment you connect to the PHONES jack supports a stereo connection. Also, be sure that the plug is firmly inserted all the way into the jack.
• If you connect monaural equipment or fail to insert the plug all the way into the jack, the device may perform unexpectedly or the batteries may run down more quickly.

Setup
Installing the batteries

1. Push and slide on the triangular mark on the battery cover at the rear of the unit to remove the cover.
2. Insert two AAA batteries as shown in Fig. 6, while making sure they are correctly oriented.
   If you’ll be using this product for an extended period of time, we recommend that you use alkaline or nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The lamp lights dimly when the battery power is low, and the lamp turns off when the battery power is depleted. Here’s when you should replace the batteries:

• For nickel-metal hydride batteries: when the lamp lights dimly
• For alkaline or zinc-carbon batteries: when the lamp goes dark

CAUTION
Remove depleted batteries from the unit immediately. Leaving depleted batteries in could result in malfunctions such as degradation of rechargeable batteries, electrolyte leakage or other problems. You should also remove the batteries if you will not be using the unit for an extended period of time.

Making connections

1. Connect the input plug of this unit to your guitar. Adjust the plug angle so that it’s easy to use.
2. Connect your headphones or other monitoring equipment to the PHONES jack.

Selecting a channel and adjusting the tone

1. Press the STANDBY/ON/CH button to select channel 1 (green) or 2 (red).
   AC30 The AC30 sound that needs no introduction!

   • CH1 (green) : Warm-sounding normal channel

   • CH2 (red) : Top-end boosted channel with a cutting edge
     UK Drive 100 W stack amp sound, made in the UK

   • CH1 (green) : Full-bodied vintage sound

   •  CH2 (red) : Sharp, sustaining distortion sound
     US Silver Combo amp sound, made in the U.S.A.

   • CH1 (green) : Crystal-clear yet warm, clean sound

   • CH2 (red) : Smooth and soft drive sound
     Boutique Traditional boutique amp sound

   • CH1 (green) : Clean sound, bursting with fullness

   • CH2 (red) : Bright and silky overdrive sound
     High Gain Modern high-gain amp sound

   • CH1 (green) : Sparkling, clean sound

   • CH2 (red) : Sharp, aggressive high-gain distortion sound
     Bass Standard bass amp sound

   • CH1 (green) : Wide-range sound

   • CH2 (red) : Fat, punchy overdrive sound
     Modern Bass Modern bass amp sound

   • CH1 (green) : Clear and bright sound

   • CH2 (red) : Edgy high-gain distortion sound
     NOTE: When using CH2, you may notice some additional noise, and some feedback may occur depending on the settings. Use caution with the volume settings.

2. Use the GAIN, TONE and VOLUME controls to adjust the tone and volume.

Adjusting the effects

1. Long-press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to stop the rhythm when the rhythm is playing.

2. Press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to select the effect type.
   Hold down the TAP button and press the lever switch to switch between types in reverse order.
   When the effect returns to the first setting (effect off), the lamp briefly blinks orange.

3. Rotate the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to adjust the effect intensity.

4. Press the TAP button two or more times to set the effect time and speed.
   Rotate the FX/RHYTHM lever switch while holding down the TAP button to fine- tune the value.

Effect type (Type)

| OFF| FX1| FX2| FX3| FX4
---|---|---|---|---|---
AC30| Off| Tremolo| Chorus| Delay| Reverb
UK Drive| Off| Chorus| Delay| Reverb| –
US Silver| Off| Tremolo| Chorus| Delay| Reverb
Boutique| Off| Chorus| Delay| Reverb| –
High Gain| Off| Chorus| Delay| Reverb| –
Bass| Off| Compressor| Chorus| Delay| Reverb
Modern Bass| Off| Chorus| Delay| Reverb| –

Chorus
A stereo chorus that creates a wavering sound that’s rich and spacious.

• Lever switch L/R: modulation depth
• TAP button interval: modulation speed (0.3–10 Hz)

Delay
A stereo delay that slightly varies the L/R time to create a sense of depth.

• Lever switch L/R: mix volume of the delay sound
• TAP button interval: delay time (40 ms–1 s)

Reverb
A stereo reverb with dense reverberations.

• Lever switch L/R: mix volume of the reverb sound
• TAP button interval: reverb time (400 msec–8 sec*)
• A TAP button interval time of 100 msec–2 sec multiplied by four results in a reverb time of 400 msec–8 sec.

Tremolo
A tremolo effect that cyclically changes the dynamics of the sound.

• Lever switch L/R: modulation depth
• TAP button interval: modulation speed (1–10 Hz)

Compressor
Compresses louder sounds to make your picking sound more uniform.

• Lever switch L/R: degree of compression

Using the rhythm

1. Long-press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to play the rhythm.
   The lamp blinks in time with the rhythm.

2. Press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to select the rhythm pattern.
   Hold down the TAP button and press the lever switch to switch between patterns in reverse order.
   When the pattern returns to the first pattern (rhythm 1), the lamp briefly blinks orange.

3. Adjust the rhythm volume by rotating the FX/RHYTHM lever switch.

4. Press the TAP button two or more times to confirm the rhythm tempo.
   Rotate the FX/RHYTHM lever switch while holding down the TAP button to fine- tune the value.
   You can set the tempo over a range of 40–240 BPM.

5. Long-press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch to stop the rhythm.

Rhythm pattern (Pattern)

| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
AC30| Rock 1| Blues| Surf| Pop 1| Pop 2| Funk 1| Metal 1| Jazz| Metro
UK Drive| Rock 1| Rock 2| Blues| Pop 1| Pop 2| Funk 1| Metal 1| Jazz| Metro
US Silver| Rock 1| Blues| Pop 1| Pop 2| Jazz| Disco| Funk 1| Metal 1| Metro
Boutique| Rock 1| Blues| Pop 1| Pop 2| Pop 3| Jazz| Funk 1| Metal 1| Metro
High Gain| Rock 1| Metal 1| Metal 2| Funk 1| Pop 1| Pop 2| Blues| Jazz| Metro
Bass| Rock 1| Jazz| Pop 1| Pop 2| Blues| Funk 1| Funk 2| Metal 1| Metro
Modern Bass| Rock 1| Blues| Pop 1| Pop 2| Metal 1| Funk 1| Fusion| Jazz| Metro

Auto power-off function
If no buttons or controls are used or there is no signal input via the input plug for approximately 30 minutes, the unit automatically turns off.

CAUTION

• When the input level is extremely low or there is very little change in the sound, the unit may determine that there is no input.
• The unit may interpret noise as input depending on the settings and environment, even if the guitar is not being played.
• The auto power-off function will not engage while a rhythm is being played back.
• Batteries are not included, so please obtain them separately.
• Specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice for improvement.
• All product names and company names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Restoring the factory settings
The channel, effect and rhythm settings are saved automatically.
This shows how to restore these settings to their factory defaults.

1. Turn off the power.
2. While keeping the FX/RHYTHM lever switch rotated counterclockwise, long-press the STANDBY/ON/CH button.
3. Once the lamp slowly blinks red, take your finger off the button and lever switch.
4. To execute, long-press the FX/RHYTHM lever switch for approx. two seconds.
   The lamp lights up green, and the command is executed.
   Once the settings are finished, the power automatically turns off.

To cancel, long-press the STANDBY/ON/CH button to turn off the power.

Specifications

• Input/output jacks: Phones jack (3.5 mm stereo mini phone jack),
  • AUX jack (CTIA-compliant 3.5 mm TRRS mini phone jack)
• Power supply: Two AAA batteries or AAA nickel-metal hydride batteries
• Battery life: 11 hours/17 hours (using alkaline batteries, when FX or RHYTHM is on/off);
  • 4 hours/6 hours (using zinc-carbon batteries, when FX or RHYTHM is on/off)
• Dimensions (W × D × H): 87 × 33 × 39 mm (3.43″ × 1.3″ × 1.54″), with plug folded down
• Weight: 40 g (1.41 oz.), not including batteries Included items: Quick Start Guide

CONTACT

• Vox Amplification Ltd.
• 1 Harrison Close, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PA. UK
• www.voxamps.com

© 2022 VOX AMPLIFICATION LTD.

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