Vox Pathfinder Amps

[Ryan]

Hi All,
I was having a look at the Vox Pathfinder amps on the internet the other day. The 1's i was looking at (and would be interested in), was a pathfinder 10 and a pathfinder 15R, Would these be any good to play Shads tunes on? Also would be wanting to use Zoom G3X pedal, (which i have yet to get my head around as only had it today) plugged straight into it. I live in a flat, so it must be able to play well at low volumes, but i still want a nice sound out of it. I think i would be leaning more towards purchasing the 15R due to it having spring reverb on it, so i have the choice of plugging straight in if i want. Or would i be better off sticking with my Roland Cube amp that i already have and using the zoom G3X? Basically it's for home use playing along to UB Hank backing tracks.
Thanks in advance for any replies
Cheers
Ryan

[dave robinson]

Ryan if you are going to the Hankies next week I'll show you the Vox AC-4 and what can be done with the G3X. I'll put some echoes in if you like.
I've been playing with mine today in the house and it's just a great sound. With the AC-4 you can go as low as a quarter watt in power if you need to be quiet.

[dave robinson]

OK I just had a look at the Pathfinder 10 & 15 and can see that they are less expensive that the AC-4.
I haven't tried one, but I've no doubt that the well known Vox sound will be there.

[kipper]

the pathfinder 15r is a really good amp. i dont think they make them any more but you can still find them for sale. its about the best solid state at the price (and higher) that i have tried. the ac 4 is i think the better amp with valves. for use at home at low volumes the 15r is great, but it is louder than you may think same with ac 4. i havent tried or heard the Zoom G3X pedal myself but but have heard great things about it, and the gx5 which has a pedal. thats a great offer from dave as well. peter

[Mikey]

I have had a Vox Pathfinder 15r for quite some time and am very pleased with it. With reverb, tremelo and distortion all footswitchable, it's probably the best "bang for your buck" of any practice amp....and yes, it is loud....if needed. I used to have a Vox AC15 CCI but it was very heavy and this better suits my "bedroom guitarist" situation. I'm no expert on "that sound" but with a Vox amp and my MIM Hank Marvin Signature Strat it's got to sound pretty good, even with my skill level ( 40+ years playing and still learning).
The AC4 would be the prefered option but you could do a lot worse than the Pathfinder. ..but go for the 15r because without reverb the sound is too "dry" unless you use a pedal with the Pathfinder 10. As for noise, you can always use headphones!

[RUSSET]

I too have had a Vox Pathfinder 15 (Without Reverb) for about ten years now. It only cost me about £80 new about 10 years ago. Yes, it's a small solid-state practice amp with a 10" speaker, but punches well above it's weight, & as others have said, it is very loud. I would never part with it. It is an excellent small, lightweight practise amp, which I dare not use above half volume in the house. You can get near enough to Shadows tones with a decent echo etc. OK, it's got no valves, but it's still a great sounding amp. There is a Gain channel accessed by push-button, & the Gain knob gives even greater volume.
The other small practise amp I have is the 15w Fender Superchamp XD, which has valves & amp & effects modelling. This is also excellent, but of course costs a little more. Over £300 now, I suspect. It is also now available with an amp head & a 1 x 12" cabinet.

Tony.

[dave robinson]

It looks like the Pathfinder has a few admirers here so it must be OK. I have yet to try any of the smaller budget Vox amps that don't have the signiture Vox tone, so they are a good starting point.

[Didier]

I too have had a Vox Pathfinder 15 (Without Reverb) for about ten years now. It only cost me about £80 new about 10 years ago. Yes, it's a small solid-state practice amp with a 10" speaker,

It's not a 10" speaker, but a 8" speaker. I once had the opportunity to check a Pathfinder 15R amp to see if it was possible to fit a 10" speaker, but the cabinet is not large enough for that. Using a larger speaker can only be done using an external speaker cabinet.



Top : 8" Bulldog speaker from a Vox Pathfinder 15R amp.
Bottom left : 10" Celestion speaker from a Vox Cambridge 30 amp.
Bottom right : a 10" Celestion G10 Vintage speaker (notice the much bigger magnet).

Both 10" speakers have the same basket, so the Cambridge 30 speaker can be replaced by the G10 Vintage without modifications, bringing better sensivity, hence louder and better sound.

Didier

[Ryan]

Just to say thanks to everyone who answered this, seems they are popular and you've all answered my questions i had about it
Cheers
Ryan

[RUSSET]

I too have had a Vox Pathfinder 15 (Without Reverb) for about ten years now. It only cost me about £80 new about 10 years ago. Yes, it's a small solid-state practice amp with a 10" speaker,

It's not a 10" speaker, but a 8" speaker. I once had the opportunity to check a Pathfinder 15R amp to see if it was possible to fit a 10" speaker, but the cabinet is not large enough for that. Using a larger speaker can only be done using an external speaker cabinet.



Top : 8" Bulldog speaker from a Vox Pathfinder 15R amp.
Bottom left : 10" Celestion speaker from a Vox Cambridge 30 amp.
Bottom right : a 10" Celestion G10 Vintage speaker (notice the much bigger magnet).

Both 10" speakers have the same basket, so the Cambridge 30 speaker can be replaced by the G10 Vintage without modifications, bringing better sensivity, hence louder and better sound.

Quite right Didier; I got that bit wrong. It's so good, I forgot it is the Bulldog 8" speaker. I have actually used it with a 10" ext. cabinet connected & it sounds even bigger.

Tony.


Didier