Carvin Audio VLD1 Legacy Drive

Legend In A Box
0
Carvin Audio VLD1 Legacy Drive
Price: $499 (Street)
Info: www.carvinaudio.com

When Steve Vai needed a portable preamp to take on the road to emulate his signature amp tones, Carvin Audio obliged. Their VLD1 Legacy Drive is Vai’s Legacy amplifier in a box – and it travels a whole lot easier than a half stack.

Using 12AX7 tubes and circuitry found in Vai’s signature amps, the VLD1 unleashes thick lead tones and ballsy cleans. It’s housed in a solid metal enclosure with two-channels like the Legacy 1. With a clean and dirty channel, it also has the second gain stage of the Legacy 3, allowing you to add even more overdrive to your leads. A separate Cabinet Voiced output emulates the frequency response of a guitar speaker so you can send tones to headphones or a PA. It also has a true hard-wire Bypass and footswitch jacks for nifty remote switching.

You can run the VLD1 in front of an amp like a dirt box, connect it to a power amp, or run it direct into your digital workstation. The clean side offers chicken-head knobs for Master, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Volume, and comes with a Presence switch for added clarity. The gain side offers the same with the addition of Drive and Presence. A glowing Vai hieroglyph indicates the modes: green is Clean, red is Drive, and amber-yellow is for Gain in Drive mode. 

The Carvin VLD1 Legacy Drive emits beaucoup sounds that extend beyond Vai’s sonic footprint. Easier to carry than a half stack (though too bulky for a pedalboard), the VLD1 has a dark but malleable mid-voiced character. Its vibrant upscale countenance and rich clarity make playing inspiring for the heavy rocker who loves crunch and lick-friendly saturation.


This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

No posts to display