The Vox Straight 6 Drive is an overdrive pedal from Vox's Tone Garage range, announced in 2013 as one of the line's tube stomp effects. Unlike most overdrives, it runs a genuine vacuum tube, an ECC83/12AX7, in a high voltage design that Vox says is there "for maximum tube tone"12. Vox pitched its character as "classic British overdrive with wide range of dynamics"1, and MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen wrote that "Vox obviously had its iconic AC30 in mind when designing the Straight 6"3.
What it does
The Straight 6 Drive is a valve-powered overdrive in the tradition of Vox's AC30 amplifier. The 12AX7 sits in a prominent housing on the chassis, taking advantage of the Hi-Volt technology Vox developed for the Tone Garage range, which also included the V8 Distortion and Flat 4 Boost35. Alongside the usual drive controls, a bright switch "kicks in some top boost chime"3.
One control sets it apart from ordinary pedals: a standby/on switch, as you would find on a valve amp. In standby you get neither silence nor the effect, so it is a switch to use deliberately rather than as a mute3.
Power and running costs
The pedal is powered by six AA batteries, and Vox supplies six AA alkaline batteries in the box for verifying operation. Battery life is approximately 7 hours2.
Six AA batteries is an unusual power arrangement, and with a 12AX7 heater to feed, roughly 7 hours of battery life2 means most players will want a plan for mains power or a stock of batteries before putting this pedal on a board.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review of the Tone Garage Straight 6 Drive summed up the pedal's appeal in two points:
"+ Valve-powered AC30-inspired overdrive. Rugged construction."
The same review noted the solidly built chassis with its prominent valve housing3.
Where it sits in Vox's pedal range
The Straight 6 Drive belongs to the Tone Garage family of tube and analog stomp effects Vox announced in 201334. Vox has since returned to valve-flavored pedals more than once: the company later introduced the Valvenergy series built around Nutube technology, which includes pedals such as the Vox Silk Drive and Vox Fuel Injector. Other Vox drives in the wider family include the Vox Ice 9 Overdrive and the Vox Big Ben Overdrive. For a sense of how tube-flavored drives differ from the more common transistor circuits, see the site's overdrive pedals page.
Videos
Sweetwater
VOX Amps
Vox Türkiye
Sources (5)
- Vox Announces Tone Garage Series of Tube/Analog Effect Pedals, Guitar World, 2013-07-18
- Straight 6 Overdrive, Vox Amps, 2019-04-09
- Vox Tone Garage Straight 6 Drive review, MusicRadar, 2013-11-05
- Vox Announce Three Tube Stomp Effects & Two Analog Stomp Effects Pedals, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2013-07-17
- Vox Announces Tone Garage Line of Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2013-07-11
