Pathfinder 15R Review

With the classic good looks of its bigger brothers, 15-Watt, 1 x 8" Pathfinder 15 combo packs a profusion of VOX style and sound into a highly compact and affordable package.

Features:	8.4
Sound:	8
Reliability:	7.2
Impression:	8
Overall rating:	7.9
Users rating:	7.9
Comments:	11

overall: 10

Featured review by: Chiggity, on january 28, 2004

Price paid: $ 139.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This amp is perfect for basically anything you can go from warm sustain to crunchy distortion you dont need any pedal all you need is on this amp the tremelo sounds just like a chorus if you set it right and the reverb is great. // 10

Sound: This amp sounds great the distortion isnt like death metal but it can get fuzz and sound excellent, if you want an amp that looks vintage and is pretty loud this is for you. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The amp gigs really good I wouldn't need a backup all I would need is to hook its line out to a speaker or something and I could play it for hours. // 10

Impression: It looks very nice like I've paid a thousand bucks for it, it's also pretty big for something that less then $200. All and all this amp is perfect for Les Pauls. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 14, 2007

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

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: angus69, on april 27, 2006

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

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: perfec_circl, on october 06, 2003

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

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 22, 2006

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

Comments

[eskycorp]

It'll pump out whatever style you throw at it (except country).

We all know how much torture country music can be on amps.

[marcjimmypage]

how can you make the tremolo sound like a chorus?

[chunkey]

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

[wildyoda2]

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.

[Kjoyea]

This vs. a Line 6 Spider III 15
what wins?

[one vision]

lul... obvioouslythis

[Jk3y]

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

[Jk3y]

*lids=mids

[guitar789lover]

is the distortaion any good? for like hard rock like ac/dc, kiss, that real hard rock distortaion sound

[krnkink7]

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.

[Hiker]

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.