GEAR SPOTLIGHT
ISSUE 202 O C T O B E R 20
Z. VEX
‘ 59 S O U N D
REVIEW BY ALEX CLAY
STREET PRICE HAND PAINTED: $349.00
VEXTER $219.00
The ‘59 Sound is the latest
from the Z. Vex crew, aimed
at conjuring the tones of the
much-coveted 1959 Fender
Tweed Bassman, derived
from the core of the Box of
Rock, but modified to match
those ever-elusive tones.
Immediately out of the box,
the compact design and
simplicity of the controls
were nice to see. It’s not a
box of frills, but more so a
tiny box of truly authentic
and phenomenal tones.
There are four knobs,
controlled by two
footswitches: Volume, Tone,
and Drive are activated
via the footswitch on the
right side of the pedal.
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G EA R S POTLI G HT
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The left footswitch enables
the independent boost
circuit, with the level being
controlled by the Boost
knob. Under the Boost and
Gain knobs, there are labels
that say “Crackle OK.”
That was something that I
immediately wanted to look
into upon plugging in. I was
very pleased to find that it
wasn’t so much an obtrusive
“crackle” but more of a
rubbing sound, and as long
as the knobs are turned
slowly, there is minimal to
no discernible noise—much
less than the labels would
indicate.
I started off using my Crook
Telecaster into my stock Hot
z. vex ‘ 59 s o u n d
Rod Deluxe set completely
clean, with the EQ set flat.
With all of the controls at
noon, the ‘59 Sound jumped
out of the gate, providing
full and crunchy overdrive
that felt like my amp had
grown into a 2x12. True to
those classic Bassmans, the
deep low-end growl gave
extra girth and snarl to
my single coils. Adjusting
the Tone control, it went
from very warm and dark
sounding reminiscent of
Clapton’s “Woman Tone,”
to bright and chime-y,
where the strings ring out
clearly with a percussive
quality. The range of the
Gain knob allowed me to
dial in a plethora of tones