VOX Amplification amPlug Brian May User manual

1
Thank you for purchasing the VOX amPlug Brian May Head-
phone Guitar Amplifier. To help you get the most out of your
purchase, please read this manual carefully.
• 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.
2. PHONES jack
Connect a pair of headphones, a
mixer, recording device or an amPlug
Cabinet here.
3. 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” (see page2)
“Selecting a channel and adjusting the tone” (see page2)
4. GAIN control This adjusts the amp gain.
5. TONE control This adjusts the tone of the amplifier.
6. VOLUME control This adjusts the overall volume of the
amplifier.
7. 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” (see page2)
While rhythm is playing back: “Using the rhythm” (see
page3)
8. 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” (see page2)
While rhythm is playing back: “Using the rhythm” (see
page3)
9. AUX jack (stereo)
Connect this jack to a portable music player or similar de-
vice 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.
Input (left)
Input (right)
Ground
Fig. 4
Input (left)
Input (right)
Monaural output
Ground
Fig. 5
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.
Owner’s Manual
En E 1
Fig.
3
Table of Contents
About the VOX amPlug Brian May . . . . . . . . . 1
Part names and functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Turning the power on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Selecting a channel and adjusting the tone . . . . 2
Adjusting the effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using the rhythm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Auto power-off function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Restoring the factory settings . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About the VOX amPlug Brian May
The amPlug Brian May is a unit that can be plugged
directly into the jack on your guitar to achieve a distinctive
Brian May guitar sound, as well as a traditional VOX crunch
sound. This unit features four different effects as well as
nine rhythm functions that are useful for practicing.
Part names and functions
1. 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 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.
VOLUME control
6
1Input plug
3STANDBY/ON/CH
button, lamp
2PHONES jack
7FX/RHYTHM lever
switch
8TAP button
9AUX jack
GAIN
4
TONE
5
Fig. 1
Fig. 2

2
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 nick-
el-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. Leav-
ing 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.
Turning the power on/off
1. Rotate the VOLUME control counterclockwise to turn the
volume all the way down.
2. Long-press the STANDBY/ON/CH button to turn the power
on (the lamp lights up).
3. To stop playing, long-press the STANDBY/ON/CH button
to turn the power off (the lamp goes dark).
Remove the plug from the jack.
Selecting a channel and adjusting the
tone
1. Press the STANDBY/ON/CH button to select channel 1
(green) or 2 (red).
• CH1 (green): traditional VOX crunch sound
• CH2 (red): routes the signal through a treble booster
circuit for a sparkling tone with bite that’s distinctive of
the Brian May 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.
Fig. 6
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 you switch the effect types and 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)
1. Off
2. Delay (Brighton Rock)*
A stereo delay that pans from left to right.
• Lever switch L/R: Amount of delay sound sent to the mix
• TAP button interval: Delay time (40 ms–1 s)
3. Delay
A stereo delay that slightly varies the L/R time to create a
sense of depth.
• Lever switch L/R: Amount of delay sound sent to the mix
• TAP button interval: Delay time (40 ms–1 s)
4. Phaser (Keep Yourself Alive)*
A recreation of the phase effect sound used in this song.
• Lever switch L/R: Modulation depth
• TAP button interval: Modulation speed (0.1–10 Hz)
5. 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)
* Brian May signature effect
Time/Speed
−
Time/Speed +Time/Speed −
Type +
Mix/Depth +Mix/Depth −
RHYTHM : OFF
2
2, 4
1
3 3
TAP HOLD
4 4
4Fig. 7

3
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 you switch the rhythm pattern and 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. We Will Rock You* 2. Rock 3. Pop1
4. Blues 5. Funk 6 Jazz
7. R&B 8. Pop2 9. Metronome
* The tempo for “We Will Rock You” returns to its initial
value when you turn on the power or select this rhythm
pattern.
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.
Tempo
−
Tempo +Tempo −
Pattern +
Volume +Volume −
RHYTHM : ON
OFF
2
2, 4
1 5
3 3
TAP HOLD
4 4
4Fig. 8
Restoring the factory settings
The channel, effect and rhythm settings are saved auto-
matically. 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 coun-
terclockwise, 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:
10 hours/16 hours (using alkaline batteries, when FX or
RHYTHM is on/off);
3 hours/5 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: two AAA batteries
* Specifications and appearance are subject to change
without notice for improvement.
* All product names and company names are the trade-
marks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
1 Harrison Close, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PA. UK www.voxamps.com
© 2022 VOX AMPLIFICATION LTD.
Vox Amplification Ltd.
Published 3/2023
© Copyright Duck Productions Ltd. 2022