Pathfinder 15RFeatured review by: UG Team, on january 28, 2011 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 120
Features: The Vox Pathfinder 15R is a 15 watt solid state amp with Gain, Gain Boost, 2 band EQ (Bass and Treble), a spring reverb and tremolo speed and depth controls. The Pathfinder has a headphone jack, it has a record out jack, it has a jack to hook up to an external cab (8 ohm), and has a jack for the optional footswitch. This is a single channel amp with an 8” Vox speaker. The 2 band EQ actually gives you a fair amount of control over the EQ, though I prefer a 3 band. This amp gets pretty loud for a 15w solid state amp, and would probably be okay for jamming, band practice and small coffee shop type gigs. The reverb sounds very nice. The tremolo on the other hand seems overpowering even at the slowest speed and near the lowest depth. The optional footswitch allows you to turn the gain boost and tremolo effect on and off. This amp seems fairly versatile, but it seems to really want to sound like classic rock – seems like it takes a lot more dialing to get other sounds out of it. It has enough gain to play most hard rock and metal until you get into the realm of black metal, death metal and things like that. The Vintage chicken head knobs are attractive on the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder also has a faux leather carry handle. This amp costs $120 US dollars brand new. // 7
Sound: I played several guitars through this amp. Listing the guitars would be – Ibanez Artcore AXD83P, Ibanez RG350, Squier Bullet Strat SSS, and a clone of a double cut Les Pau with an upgraded Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge position. I played some classic rock tunes (Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Kansas, Dire Straits), some metal tunes (Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Metallica), some Blues Rock tunes (Joe Bonamassa, Robin Trower) and some pop rock/alternative tunes (White Stripes, Radiohead, Nirvana) through the Vox Pathfinder 15. This amp is not noisy at all (with the exception of single coils at high gain). This amp has a very warm tone, and it sounds like it is trying to emulate tube tones, but it doesn’t quite pull it off.
The clean settings (no gain boost) has a lot of character, but isn’t the sparkling clean you would hear from Fender amps. It doesn’t seem to distort until you get to around 3 o’clock or so on the volume dial. Just noodling around with the clean ‘channel’ and some reverb, playing arpeggios, I got some really nice tones out of this amp. It really has a Vintage rock type of sound and sounds exceptionally nice for a solid state amp at its price.
The gain immediately sounds good with overdriven blues and classic rock tones easy to dial in. Playing just random blues licks was really enjoyable, and again I was getting really good tone out of this solid state amp when you take into account the price point. I ran through several songs and played through a few solos, and I was really impressed. I definitely think the Vox Pathfinder shines when playing mildly distorted classic rock. This amp handles metal fairly well (in my definition metal would be older Metallica and Megadeth, etc.), but the tone gets muddy around 3 o’clock of the gain knob with the gain boost engaged. It was a little worse with the Seymour Duncan Invader than it was with the stock pickups in the Ibanez RG350.
Unfortunately, I don’t play black metal, death metal, etc., and can’t comment on those besides saying that this amp will not get that distorted without pedals.
The tremolo to me is far too extreme even at its lowest settings, but would probably be nice for someone wanting to play old surf music. I personally felt like the base tone of the amp was hurt when the tremolo effect was engaged. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This amp is really sturdy and I think this amp would be reliable for some gigs in small venues. I think this amp was really made to be portable for small gigs and practice, and I think it could take the abuse that would naturally occur. It is heavy for its size and feels very solid. The carry handle seems to be very sturdy. I would personally like to see corner guards/bumpers on this, just because it would make me feel better, but I think this amp is very durable as is. // 6
Impression: I would have liked to play around with the footswitch with this amp, but I do not have it. It would probably be worthwhile to purchase the footswitch. It would also be nice if the reverb were controlled via the footswitch. The amp has a lot of sonic options and every dial on the amp is useful (with the exception of the tremolo effect which is useless in my personal opinion). If I could go back in time I would have liked to have started out with this as my first amplifier. I started out with a Line 6 Spider and this Vox is far superior. The base tone available with this amp is just far superior to what you would expect from a cheap solid state amp. Really, for this price, I am comparing this in my mind to a Line 6 Spider and a Roland Cube. The Vox has far less in the way of effects – having only reverb and tremolo – but the base tone is just so much better. This is a good amp for practice and small gigs, and I would suggest it for beginners to intermediate players who are in the market for a solid state amp. // 7
Pathfinder 15R
Reviewed by:
FunkySpider, on may 25, 2010 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: € 130
Purchased from: -
Features: One channel, twist knobs for Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth & Reverb. A Power Switch & a Boost knob (wich adds more gain). It also features a headphone jack, footswitch jack, line output & ext. Spkr jack. I find myself never using the boost knob, almost never the tremolo, but the reverb is used quite often. The look is really good! // 8
Sound: I don't have any exiting Vintage guitars, I play a Squier Strat through some pedals: Dunlop wah, Boss OD-3, DS-1, Little Big Muff & ending with a Boss CH-1 chorus. I keep the treble round 11'o clock, while I keep the bass fully engaged. One of the reasons for this setup is that I think the treble is way to trebley & when you get the treble around 3'o clock or further it start making a really quiet buzz in the background.
But I must say, this amp is wonderful. Its a one of its kind, both in price & wattage. It suits my style (Funk-Rock, Pop-rock, Hard-Rock naming: Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer, John Frusciante, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix). It works very well with my pedals, but it also has a beautiful clean tone, especially with the bass up. It is definitely a great practice amp! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I would not gig with it, because it starts to break up at a certain level. But it is great for practice at home, or with a band. It hasn't let me down yet and I don't think it ever will. It looks & feels solid. The handle is really tough, nothing to worry about. // 9
Impression: I've been playing for around 1,5 year now, have had one other amp so far, a Vox DA5. If it was stolen, I would probably get an other amp, just in search of tones. But if I had to pick a good amp in this price range, this one would be it.
Overall: I'm really happy with this amp! (I'm sorry for any mistakes in the language, I'm not a really good English speaker) // 9
Pathfinder 15R
Reviewed by:
angus69, on april 27, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 143
Purchased from: guitar center
Features: It has everything you could possibly need in a practice/small gig amp, without any of the useless digital fx gee-gaws that still seem to be prevalent in this price range. I still wish that the footswitch was included, but they're easily had for $25 or so. One feature I've come to realize more fully with time is just how amazingly well voiced the tone knobs are. They are very interactive with each other, making a 2 knob EQ very versatile. // 9
Sound: I paly an Epiphone LP and a Strat (Fender) and I use a Tubescreamer with it. I use this Vox amp when I have my classic rock, Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds, rockabilly and pure country moods, which are frequent. I have had Vox amps for a long time and they are all very quiet, haven't seen an exception. The clean channel is very clean and you can set it for bright and twangy for country or warm for soft rock type stuff. Turn the gain up without the boost switch and you get a very nice "crunch" similar to The Stones, Steve Earle and Springsteen. It has a very good variety of sounds, unless in my opinion you are trying to get that heavy metal sound. You can get it on this amp, but you will need a pedal for it. Sometimes a pedal is a hassle though and personally I like the boost sound distortion of this amp, reminds me of the old "Who" stuff. For metal, if that is solely what you are into, go for the Marshall. The clean channel does not distort, even at full volume unless you crank the gain up. The distortion is Vintage distortion. Cream, Hendrix, even Zeppelin stuff you can do fine with it. Don't expect Metallica, Iron Maiden or Sabbath from this amp. Great amp for Queen, Brian May stuff, especially on a strat or telecaster. This is an awesome little amp and the sound is pure classic Vox. I can't really tell the difference between it and my AC30 except of course for volume. // 10
Reliability & Durability: It is built like a tank. Have had many Vox amps and never had one break down on me. It isn't what I use to gig with but for practice, this amp will suit most everyone's needs. Nothing to change, burn out or break as it is solid state. I've played the shit out of this for over six months and it still kicks ass and it has been knocked about a bit too. // 9
Impression: I have the gear I mentioned above, plus a bunch of acoustics. I would get another one if it were lost or stolen, but that ain't likely. I ain't gonna lose it, and I have two rotweillers that love to eat people. I compared this to all the other amps in it's price range. Crates, Fenders and Peaveys are no match for it in a 15 watter. The Marshall MG15RCD is equal. I chose this one because between it and the Marshall I can get any sound I want. // 10
Pathfinder 15R
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 14, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 94.5
Purchased from: second hand
Features: This is an older model Pathfinder, it has no reverb and on the back there only is a headphones out. The other features are the same as in the other reviews so I won't name them here again. Since it has few features there's nothing on it I don't use. You gotta learn how to work it to get a good sound though, but once you've got it it's very easy to even create a sound on the guess, without plugging in your guitar. It's also f'in loud, I could still hear myself when playin in the bedroom with 2 other guitarists, a bass player and a drummer. I'm upgrading to a 40-50 watts tube amp for Live playing though, but for bedroom practice this amp's perfect. // 7
Sound: I use a Cort S2600 electric with it. The guitar has 3 rail pickups wired with a coil split. This amp really is quite versatile, clean sounds very warm, deep and 3 dimensional. Slight overdrive is very Hendrix-like and then it goes from SRV to Bloc Party/Interpol and then to almost Muse-like fuzz sounds. This amp's great for blues, Indie, clean guitar styles, grunge, garage rock and so on. No metal on this one without a pedal. It really is quite versatile, clean sounds very warm, deep and 3 dimensional of very funky, sharp and thight. Slighty overdriven it's very Hendrix-like and then it goes from SRV to Bloc Party/Interpol and then to almost Muse-like fuzz sounds. This amp's great for blues, Indie, clean guitar styles, grunge, garage rock and so on. No metal on this one without a pedal. // 8
Reliability & Durability: It never really turned me down but the input jack broke once and I had to have it replaced. Was quite a hassle to get the right input though, I eventually just took a Marshall input and 'modified' it to fit the Vox. I would use this in a gig but when miked I'm sure it'll work just fine. I just wouldn't use it because for gigging I prefer a 2 channel amp for more effective rythm/lead switching. // 7
Impression: I play a whole lot of styles, from blues, funk and garage all the way to metal and some shred (John5). I've been playing for about 2 years now and don't own much more than this amp, my electric guitar and a steelstring acoustic. I wouldn't buy this again because I need something bigger right now. What I love the most about this amp is it's responsiveness, using only my guitar's volume knob I can already get a lot of different sounds. It also respond well to picking dynamics. All in all I find this to be one of the best cheap practice combos because it sounds a lot better than most of it's rivals. // 7
Pathfinder 15R
Reviewed by:
perfec_circl, on october 06, 2003 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 120
Purchased from: Harris Music and Sound
Features: It has a couple of built in effects (overdrive, tremolo, reverb). It'll pump out whatever style you throw at it (except country). It has channel switching for the overdrive and tremolo. You can do it on the amp or purchase the pedal that plugs into the back. Some people hear that the amp is "15 watts", don't let that fool you, it pumps out plenty of power for a jam, especially if you buy the cellestian speaker version for a bit more. // 10
Sound: Not only does it have the classic Vox low, rumbling distortion... it has an excellent range of tone. It only has a 2 band equalizer (treble and bass) which usually makes people think that this is a piece of shit. I can't even describe it in words. Note: I use single coils (standard Fender strat) and humbuckers (sd invader). // 10
Reliability & Durability: I won't lie to you, I've never had to tour or gig with this amp, only jam with friends and stuff, so if you buy it and use it for that, feel free to tell me all about it. Note: I gave it a rating of 4 for reliability but that can vary. // 8
Impression: I bought this amp about oh. A year or so ago. As soon as a walked in the store, grabbed an ax, and plugged it in, I was highly impressed. I play the blues, punk, classic rock, metal, and everything in between, and I haven't had a problem with playing any of them. I've been playing for 2 or 3 years now. This was not my first amp. My first amp began blowing more and more as I progressed in playing and I finally lost it one day and went on a quest for the perfect amp. That is how I came across the Vox Pathfind 15R. If the price is more than I paid, you can probably negotiate it lower if you're buying locally. // 10
Pathfinder 15R
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on december 22, 2006 0 of 3 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: The main appeal this amp had for me was that it had reverb and analog tremolo in a small amp. This is very appealing for low-volume playing in the home studio with noise constraints. The amp, like most of the Vox amps with the exception of the chrome-grilled modeling line, is very attractive. // 6
Sound: These had a level of self-noise that made them unusable for me at low volumes, so the rest was irrelevant. High noise in a new unit is the sign of a lousy amp, but because of the other actual defects in the amp circuits in these individual units, I never even bothered to trying to experiemnt with the sounds and volume levels. // 2
Reliability & Durability: I went through three (3) sealed units in two days and all three were bad straight out of the box. The first one had almost zero tremolo depth. The second one had a very bad pot that dropped out and the third had a problem that I've forgotten. All went back and I gave up on the amp. Aside from the actual gross defects, all three were hideously noisy, even through a filtered, noise-free studio AC outlet. The problem was mainly hiss rather than hum/EMI, and there's nothing a user can do to cure that in a solid-state amp. It's just a matter of noisy, cheap components or poor circuit design. This may not be an issue to people Who play louder or don't know any better. The relative simplicity of the analog circuit suggests that actual failure of the amp is unlikely, assuming one is good to begin with, which none of these were. // 2
Impression: These amps are wholly consistent with the rest of the cheap Vox Chinese imports: Lovely looking, interesting circuits, cheap components and totally awful quality control. I have had the same type of problems with other Vox models (these problems are typical of cheaper Asian import amps of other brands as well). Many people love these amps, but either they are luckier than I've been in their selections, and getting a good amp should certainly not be a matter of luck! Or they have low expectations and experience with amps. I've used, bought, sold and serviced guitar amplifiers for almost forty years, so my perspective is a bit broader. // 3
I used to play on Pathfinder 15R but the sound was awful, now i have bought crate G15R and i am much more satisfied, it has better sound and clearer than pathfinder. Patfinder15R is just thrown money out of the window
I can only guess that the Guitar Center where you bought your three amps got a lousy batch. This is generally a GREAT small amp. I have 30 years of playing experience. I can only say I wish I had bought one sooner. I have owned a Peavey Backstage Plus, a Fender RockPro 1000 half stack, a Danelectro Nifty Fifty, an Acoustic G20, an Electar Tube 30, a Pignose, and a mini-Marshall. I prefer this amp to ALL of them. I have also owned a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, an Acoustic 150, and an Ampeg Gemini and although I don't prefer the Vox over these it is quite comparable and more quiet than the Fender and the Ampeg. Sorry you got three bum deals but don't knock the product and all amps from China. Your experience is not representative.
I own it, its awesome, not so much for live gigs but just practising or jamming with friends...that's what it was made for, this amp takes a while to get a good tone out of it, but sounds great on my epi LP, I didn't need FX because pedals are more convinient and FX just add to the price, don't see how you got a chorus tone though, I also would've liked a lids knob...apart from that, awesome amp, much louder than expected from a 15W
hey guys i have a question..i got one of these amps yesterday and i'm getting lota small feedbacks that get annyoing..and also is it just me or if u put an Bad monkey in front of it then it sounds terrible? i read many great reviews about this amp but it sounds terrible in overdrive. but cleans = excellent.
Bought the Pathfinder 15 used without the reverb. Not using it beyond 5-6 on volume & gain. Very satisfied with it as a home, practice amp for Tele and Strat. Some guys are buying two of these amps to play on-stage-that's my plan for some-future gigs.
I bought one of these for home use and I think it's great for the money. Having said that the first one I tried in the store was faulty so I guess it's try before you buy. The built in tremolo is a nice touch but I've heard better spring reverbs. Lack of other FX is no problem as I already have various pedals which sound better than most built in FX anyway.
the sound of gain are quite noise even those doesn't need any effect distortion, you gotta brought this amp... just plug and play guys or get those VFS-2 for more easy to switch clean, boast gain & tremolo on/off... even though i didn't use any tremolo (i love plug and play) but when i try to do some tremolo sound, awesome, you will not be regret... reverb quite not really impress me or maybe i didn't turn the volume into 3 o'clock so can't heard any reverb but multi-effect will do much better... for those guys just wanna be plug and play, sound of impressing DIRTY, BASSY & CRUNCHY, high reliability, beautiful sound of clean for finger picking, great for the value of money, 15watt for beginner or home user, YOU SHOULD NEED BROUGHT THESE AMP IMMEDIATELY AT THE STORE RIGHT NOW... between, VOX will be my signature amplifier all the time... buy valvetronix for the best and bigger result if you want to...
I just ordered a new one. I had a non-reverb version for several years and it was a really good sounding amp with a telecaster. This new one will replace my venerable Supro 16T.
I've been playing with my new 15R for three weeks. I really like it. For $119 it's hard to beat. The tone is versatile and satisfying, and if I fall asleep or otherwise forget to turn it off there's no big deal. I find the drive control most useful below eleven o'clock, and especially between nine and ten. Lots of volume for a 1X8; probably not loud enough to keep up with your typical non-dynamic drum monkey, but very capable and musical in the right venue. The trem slow speed could be a bit slower. The reverb shows best through an extension ten or twelve, but it's okay as-is. I use an Epiphone Sheraton and a MIM Strat through this one, and it sounds terrific with both axes. Haven't tried any pedals yet with the '15R. Very nice clean with the gain below nine o'clock, and the guitar volume rolled off a tad. The line out is very good and very quiet for the price. This amp is a great little tool for the home studio, and I think likely useful with some ensembles live, especially with a decent extension speaker. I don't know of anything close for $119.
Bought the Pathfinder 15 used without the reverb. Not using it beyond 5-6 on volume & gain. Very satisfied with it as a home, practice amp for Tele and Strat. Some guys are buying two of these amps to play on-stage-that's my plan for some-future gigs.
I very much doubt that two 15W amps can be used in a gig, even in a very small one. You need at least 50W for a small club stage, and 15Wx2 make only 30 of them.
There is another problem your buddies don't seem to be aware of. Amps are generally designed to deliver more at their highest levels. An amp with 30W output will have a better gain (reverb, overdrive etc.) than 2x15W. The bigger, the better is the law that works with the amps.
And, anyway, as a proud owner of a Vox Pathfinder, let me tell you straight: this is the best PRACTICE amp in the world. Outside my bedroom, however, it needs to be replaced by something else. Unless you are a very rich guy, so you can afford a AC100 head cum cabinet, or a AC30 hand-wired, "something else" also means "of another brand": at around 50W, Vox sells only toys. Its stupid Valvetronix line, with those ridiculous DSP and incorporated effects, cannot be used in a gig. Unless you are a clown, of course.
I recently bought the pathfinder 10. The loudest 10 Watts I ever heard and two channels. I was shocked to find no cabinet corners and it could use a reverb, external speaker and line in. Some good guitar sounds and 55 well spent at Hollywood music.
Use 2-12's and mic or lIne it out like it should be for a more even gig sound. Great amp and has plenty of tones. I use a Boss OS-2 to drive it and it sounds great. It's the tone we are looking for and this has it. Mic'd you could play in a 50,000 plus stadium!
I just put a Weber Blue Pup AlNiCo in my '15R. Right off the bat the texture is better and the amp is more lively. Many call me a clown, but I would never show up for a gig using the '15R for power. This amp is wonderful in the studio and for general use at home writing, figuring things out, et-cetera. Great tones without blowing yer brains out. Moving the big stuff into and out of a gig is a big pita, and I love this little amp that can come along to a rehearsal (we don't set up the whole two tons to learn a tune). Now that I've had it for a little over a year, I will say this is the very best little household music tool I own that doesn't require strings. I suppose you could use one live if the drummer played bongos. I'm fairly certain the designers of this box didn't have in mind slaying the Hiwatt brand. What it does, it does better than anything under around four hundred bucks, and that makes it a winner for me. Fender makes a line of solid-state amps with enough power to cover a room, but they are too loud to be useful at home for writing, diddling, or whatever. For $119, this Vox Pathfinder 15R is a remarkable value. Just know going in that you cannot ride it over Niagara Falls.
Remove the two red LED's, speaker out to two 12s and you can play small to medium gigs. You can get more creamy tones than a 100 watt Marshall that isn't being pushed. I don't use the pushbotton overdrive on the amp. With the gain at 9 and the volume at 12, I was easily able to throw out 94-95 db's at about 8-10 feet. Boss OS-2 level was at about 12. This amp is amazing! Again, if you mic it, the sky is the limit!
I don't know the Orange amps because I never bought one after trying them, too hard rock for me. I've played 47 years, and I've owned two Pathfinder 15Rs. There are lots of good small amps now -- Peavey Rage 258, Fender Mustang I -- but the Pathfinder has the best "base" sound, as a guy said above. The only amp that comes close in their class, IMHO as a small amp freak, is the Kustom Contender, a GREAT 18W lightweight hybrid amp that's a little more pricey. The next step up is the Fender Super Champ XD, bigger, heavier, nearly 3X the price. For the price the Pathfinder 15R is the best blues rock amp out there. It's a practice amp, sure, but you can gig with it, because it has line and speaker outs to run to the house system. When people ask me what amp to buy for their first amp, this is the one I name.
We all know how much torture country music can be on amps.