The Vox MV50 Brian May is a Vox amplifier, currently around $221.69. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the 1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead. It pairs well with the Audiocade 1974 Colorsound Tremolo Clone and the Greer Soma.

Vox MV50 Brian May

Vox · amplifier

The Vox MV50 Brian May is a signature version of the Nutube-powered 50-watt micro head, developed with the Queen guitarist. May's sound is built on Vox AC30s driven by a treble booster into a distinctive layered lead tone, and signature versions of this kind voice the amp toward that specific target rather than offering a general-purpose Vox sound. Nutube provides genuine valve behaviour in a package small enough to hold in one hand. It suits players chasing May's specific lead voice in a portable format.

What stands out

  • “A genuinely full, Brian May's signature treble-rich, singing sustain voiced with his input voice from a palm-sized head, the Nutube circuit lending warmth and dynamics that belie the format”

    — from the reviews

  • “Players love the MV50 Brian May for delivering surprisingly full, Brian May's signature treble-rich tone from a tiny, lightweight head that fits in a gig bag, ideal for grab-and-go rigs and backup”

    — from the community notes

  • “May's sound is built on Vox AC30s driven by a treble booster into a distinctive layered lead tone, and signature versions of this kind voice the amp toward that specific target”

    — from the listing

  • “The Nutube stage gives a more amp-like feel than its size suggests, and the speaker-sim output is handy for recording”

    — from the community notes

  • “At 50 watts it is loud enough to gig into a real cabinet, and the speaker-simulated output makes direct recording easy”

    — from the reviews

  • treble
  • full
  • treble booster
  • amp like
  • direct recording
  • rich
  • stage
  • low end

Good for

  • Live
  • Practice
  • Studio
$221.69View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 23, 2026

Genres the Vox MV50 Brian May is commonly used in

  • Doom Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Blues Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Blues
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Pedals that stack with the Vox MV50 Brian May

Audiocade 1974 Colorsound Tremolo Clone

Audiocade

21% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Audiocade 1974 Colorsound Tremolo Clone's smooth voice goes after Vox MV50 Brian May in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Vox MV50 Brian May's own bright character

Goes in front of the amp

Greer Soma

Greer

21% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

Greer Soma's warm balances out the bright tone

Goes in front of the amp

JHS Angry Charlie

JHS Pedals

21% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)

What JHS Angry Charlie brings here leans toward crunchy — that's worth building a pairing around

Goes in front of the amp

Greer Amps Royal Velvet

Greer

21% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)

Greer Amps Royal Velvet leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Goes in front of the amp

BBE OptiComp

Bbe

14% match
$109.99via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

BBE OptiComp's own dynamic character is the real reason this is worth trying

Goes in front of the amp

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte

Caroline Guitar Company

12% match
$199via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes in Vox MV50 Brian May's effects loop — it's not there to compete with Vox MV50 Brian May's own bright character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Sits in the amp's effects loop

Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler

pedal

12% match
$370.13via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler in Vox MV50 Brian May's effects loop, clear of Vox MV50 Brian May's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Sits in the amp's effects loop

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive

Solidgoldfx

tonal match
$152.15via Reverb

Goes in front of the amp

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Cheaper alternatives

Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper

Mooer

72% similarity
$81.56via Reverb

Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge

Vox

72% similarity
$152.82via Reverb

Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone

Audiocade

72% similarity
$149via Reverb

Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Vox MV50-CE Rock

Vox

43% similarity
$128.99via Reverb

Shared character: gig, need, warm

Boutique & premium upgrades

3rd Power Phantom Dragon 45

3rd Power

51% similarity
$2799via Reverb

Shared character: treble, full, stage

Mesa Boogie Mark I

Mesa Boogie

45% similarity
$1468.12via Reverb

Shared character: treble, full, stage

Peavey Invective 120

Peavey

45% similarity
$999.99via Reverb

Shared character: gig, stage, lead

Marshall JCM800 2203ZW

amplifier

42% similarity
$6615.83via Reverb

Shared character: lead

Bogner Ecstasy 3534

Bogner

41% similarity
$1247.16via Reverb

Shared character: rich, warm, full

Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head

amplifier

41% similarity
$1666via Reverb

Shared character: rich, treble, warm

Similar character

Strymon Iridium

Strymon

72% similarity

Strymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead

Marshall

58% similarity

Shared character: treble, full, stage

Soldano 2x12 Straight Classic Cabinet (Purple)

Soldano

53% similarity

Similar role and voicing

Laney GH100L

Laney

45% similarity

Shared character: gig, stage, lead

Two-Rock TRCR100HD 100W Classic Reverb Tube Guitar Amp Head

amplifier

42% similarity

Shared character: treble, stage

Fender 'Black Panel' Vibro Champ Amp (1964-1967)

Fender

41% similarity

Shared character: full, stage

See all alternatives to the Vox MV50 Brian May (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Vox MV50 Brian May?+

The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the 1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead, the Soldano 2x12 Straight Classic Cabinet (Purple). Budget picks: Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper, Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge, Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone. Boutique upgrades: 3rd Power Phantom Dragon 45, Mesa Boogie Mark I, Peavey Invective 120.

What pairs well with the Vox MV50 Brian May?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Audiocade 1974 Colorsound Tremolo Clone, Greer Soma, JHS Angry Charlie — Audiocade 1974 Colorsound Tremolo Clone's smooth voice goes after Vox MV50 Brian May in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Vox MV50 Brian May's own bright character.

How much does the Vox MV50 Brian May cost?+

Around $221.69 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).

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