Vox Pathfinder 15

Price Paid: US $94.00

Features: 9
Bought it from Music 123.com

I believe the amp was made in 1999. Dual channel - clean and overdrive - these are footswitchable. For how I play and where - bedroom - this amp is perfect. It has volume, gain, bass, treble and a nice feature that isn't found on many practice amps - tremola. It has plenty of power for what I need, although I haven't tried the headphone out or the ext. speaker yet. It also has a line out jack. Reverb would be nice, but its absence doesn't really affect this amp's functionability.

Sound Quality: 10
I play a Dean Avalanche - strat clone with 2 single pickups and a humbucker @ the bridge. This amp oozes tone from every pore. The tone controls ACTUALLY affect the tone - esp compared to some of the other practice amps I looked at. Very quiet even with the gain @ high levels. This little gem can go from a quiet squeaky clean Fender sound to a fully saturated tube like sound with huffing and puffing. The clean channel remains clean up to the amp being dimed out and even then you can keep it clean by backing off of the guitar's volume just a little. The distortion is warm, without muddy overtones. This amp won't do metal very well, but everything else it can handle.

Reliability: 10
The amp is new, so I have no opinion...it is solid state, so it should be reliable. You could only use this amp for a small gig...unless you could mic the amp. I would use it without a backup.

Customer Support: 8
No experience with the company. The web site isn't laid out very well.
one year warranty.
-1 for the warranty
-1 for the web site

Overall Rating: 10
This is my first eletric rig. I have recently taken the guitar back up after a 25 year dry spell. This is a very versatile amp that has much more potential than any other similar sized amps that I played. If it were stolen I would definitely buy it again. I compared it to several Crate amps - they all sucked; 2-3 Fender amps - the ones in the same price range sucked...and the ones that sounded as good as the Vox were 4-5 times as expensive; and lastly Marshall - they were closer to the sound that I wanted, but the distortion was too muddy and the tone just wasn't there.
Needs corner protectors...the tolex will peel after a while.

Overall, I give this amp a 10....I know...nothing is perfect, but for the price and considering the features and the all important TONE, this is the best practice amp that you could get for the money. I know that there are some of you out there that will recommend spending 300-500 dollars on a practice amp...for a beginner, I don't think that's very practical. This little amp will do everything that you need it to do at bedroom volumes without breaking your budget.

Submitted by Mark at 06/04/2000 08:06

Price Paid: US $110

Features: 9
Purchased in 2000. Solid state, 15 watts, 1 * 8" speaker. One channel. Headphone output. Line output for extension speaker. Footswitch-able boost. No reverb.

I play a mid-90s Tele, in a variety of styles (60-70s rock, blues, 50s country, standards) and it delivers a nice tone without fuss in a small, inexpensive package. Tone is comparable to my mid-60s tube Vox Cambridge (17 watts, 1 * 10" speaker) and is surprisingly full for an 8" speaker. Haven't used it onstage yet but for home practice and low-volume jams it's very flexible. A great value.

Sound Quality: 9
Mid-90s Telecaster, single coils, no mods. Medium gauge strings (10 -56).

Tone controls on amp are responsive. Tremelo is nice. Boost is a bit harsh to my ears, but normal setting provides an elastic tone which can be controlled at the guitar (i.e. wide open volume/tone vs. volume backed-down). Distortion potential is similar to small tube amps of the Deluxe/Cambridge type -- warm without losing the clarity of the notes in chords. Haven't tried the amp with an extension cabinet. Demo'd the amp with a Gibson SG and an archtop and found that I could get a decent tone with those guitar types, too.

Reliability: N/A
No problems to report. Too soon to tell.

Customer Support: N/A
No problems to report. Too soon to tell.

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing about 20 years. I own a mid-60s tube Vox Cambridge which I used for many years gigging and recording (until it died; it awaits repair) and a mid-90s Fender 4*10 Deville, which I use as a boat anchor. I prefer amp distortion to pedals, and I like to stay friendly with the neighbors, so a smaller amp is a necessity for practice. Sound people at clubs seem to prefer the smaller amps, too. I don't know if I'd rely on this amp for gigging (that's where the Deville comes in handy) but for home use and demo stuff it's a great value. No hesitation recommending it.

Submitted by Andy J at 05/30/2000 12:31

Price Paid: $179 (Canadian)

Features: 9
This is a current VOX modeled after it's big brother the AC30(I think). Well, it's a 15w Solid State, but I could swear it sounds like tubes at times. It's a practice amp with tremolo and an 8" Blue Dog speaker, nice touch. It is a LOUD 15 watter more than I expexted from this little pup and the Trebble, Bass, Trem Speed and Depth controls are very responsive. I use this amp mainly for recording and some late night jamming and it is simply fantastic for this purpose. My main rig consists of a Mesa Trem o Verb with a 4x12 Mesa cab, this monster is reserved for live use only. I have ,however, hooked up the Vox to my mesa cab ,just for fun, and was amazed at the richness of sound that was produced. I gave this catagory a 9 , it's now the most versitile amp, but what can you expect, it is a practice amp after all. It has all the features that reside in any proctice amp except for reverb but the trem is a nice thing.

Sound Quality: 10
I currently use a fender strat modified with D Hotrails and a Gibson les Paul with this amp. Let me tell you the fender sounds great but the Gibson brings this little bugger to life! It has gorgeous smooth,tube like tone, faithfully re-creating that awsome VOX sound we all love. I has everything I need and most importantly it sounds great at any volume. Even when it's maxed it's not muddy at all. I'll take this one to the grave with me.

Reliability: N/A
Seems sturdy, but I've only had it for a short while so it's hard to rate it.

Customer Support: N/A
No Experience with them yet.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing guitar for about 15 years now and have owned tons of gear , but this unit is classic VOX tone for next to nothing, money wise. I was this close to dropping $2000 on an AC30, the pathfinder gives you the AC30TB tone at bedroom volumes. It is truly a great value and an amazing little amp. If it were lost or stolen I would easily buy another one. Just pick one up, take it home, plug into it and feel the vibe! I've paid more for stomp boxes that don't do what there supposed to, unlike the pathfinder, pure VOX tone all the way. This is an Excellant, Excellant Amp!

Submitted by Gerry Lowden at 05/11/2000 21:45

Price Paid: US $109/300 used

Features: 10
I bought the Vox brand new from MARS music center. Sound great with my Rickenbacker 330/srting, I use the 360 acoustic with my Hofner beatle bass. Sounds GREAT! You can check that stuff out about the 360 on my brothers amp review.

Sound Quality: 10
The sound of the VOX is wonderful for being so little. It is only 15 watts but it is very clean and krisp. The 360 is Great for all of the old beatle song we play. I also have a set of 1968 set of black oyster oearl ludwig ringo drums. I have them tuned just like Ringo's, nice and tight!

Reliability: 10
I can depend on the vox but, not so sure about the 360. The jack in the back of it has problems. We need to fix it one of these days.

Customer Support: N/A
I have know idea. Nice amps though.

Overall Rating: 10
my over all ratings for the amps are 10. Very nice amps if you want that BEATLES tone. All of my instruments (Hofner, Rickenbacker 330/12, Rickenbacker 4001S, Black oyster pearl ringo drums) they are all 10's as well!

Submitted by Jon at 04/26/2000 11:07

Price Paid: $245.00 canadian - about $160.00 U.S (Canadian)

Features: N/A
Manufactured in 1999. 15 watts into Blue Bulldog 8' Speaker. Normal and boost channels with volume and gain. Tremelo with speed and depth.
External line-out, headphone and extension cabinet out. Footswitch out for tremelo and boost channel.

Sound Quality: 10
This is an amazing amp for any type of vintage 60's british rock and 50's,60's,70's blues based rock -plays like a much bigger amp than it's rated 15 watts !. This amp is not designed for all-out metal distortion -but it is fantastic at reproducing those toneful Hendrix Marshall combo blues tunes (Wind Cries Mary etc) or any 60's clean to moderately overdriven rock (Who, Byrds,Stones etc). I use this with my semi-modified Squier Strat,Danelectro DC-59 and Danelectro Chorus pedal to get an amazing variety of distinct sounds. Like I said this amp requires a distortion pedal to get into any hyper metal,shred metal,death metal etc - but being older -that's not really my thing anyway. With the boost switch engaged and gain anywhere between 10 and 2 o'clock this amp can create a LOT of great tube amp sounds.It is equally effective with the boost not engaged and the gain maxed out. I tried a lot of amps before buying this one (Marshall Valvestate, Line 6, Fender Princeton Chorus,Peavey S.State etc.) The Marshall produced better all-out distortion and volume but (I may be crazy) the Vox had nicer vintage rock tone and actually emulated the vintage Marshall tube sound better. The line 6 is an awesome amp and produces a huge variety of amp sounds and effects but I still preferred the basic blues rock tone of this little amp (and a lot cheaper!). I had seen this amp numereous times while I was looking at other "real" amps and only tried this amp after reading this column - boy was I glad! As soon as I heard this amp I loved the clean full-bodied Vox tones. The Blue bulldog speaker puts out an amazing amount of tone and volume for an amp this size without sound quality breaking up. This amp has limits - it is very loud for it's size but can practically shake itself out of the cabinet. I'm going run it through my friend's Marshall 4x12 for a laugh - but realistically it is designed mostly for home/ garage band gigging and would need to be close-miked to work onstage in a club. At full out boost and gain with volume way up it is possible to tell this is a solid state amp but it isn't designed to compete with a Marshall stack. The tremelo is useful in a tasteful way but not excessive. Reverb would have been great but would be impossible at this price. I've ordered a Danelectro reverb pedal to take care of this as reverb is required for a lot of great tunes. I'm seriously considering getting a second Pathfinder and run them both to the stereo chorus out on the chorus pedal -but I need to check this out further. I am technically a drummer but I know a great sound when I hear it and this amp has it! I have a Fender Squier 15 watt amp and the tone sucks compared to this (except for all-out toneless hyper distortion!)

Reliability: 9
I am primarily a recreational musician but would feel comfortable using this as my ony amp in a small intimate venue-it requires the above mentioned changes to use as in a larger club. I have had no service concerns as I've only had it 3 months - I have used it fairly hard and it has done great. because it makes enough volume to shake the cabinet- I wouldn't try running it full out every night.

Customer Support: 9
No service issues yet and no forseeable problems at this time. It's a great amp for vintage tube sounds without the hassle.

Overall Rating: 10
played guitar recreationally x 25 years - semi-pro drummer.
other guitar equipment;
Danelectro DC-59
Fender Squier Strat
Danelectro Chorus

Submitted by Terry Orr at 03/21/2000 20:22

Price Paid: US $100

Features: 9
Bought it last year for a small practice amp to play in my home, but, what do you know, I have two now and I'm selling my Fender Princeton 112. I love the fact it has one channel and no effects loop. Headphone jack, line out, speaker cab out. No reverb, don't need it anyway. I use one for practice, two for gigging, and in both cases there's plenty of power. The bass and treble controls actually make a difference in the tone when adjusted (as someone else pointed out), which is fabulous compared to a lot of amps I've tried. The tremolo works, but it isn't heavy enough considering the rest of the features on the amp, but it'll do.

Sound Quality: 10
Amazing sound. I've been trying out amps since I bought the first Pathfinder I have, and nothing has come close to the tone I get, not even the Cambridge. Like I said, I have two now. I have an effects board I put together (delay, fuzz, wah, phaser, TubeWorks pedal) but it weighs more than the amp and I have been leaving it at home. Don't miss the pedals because the amp and a guitar is all I need. Interestingly, the two amps don't sound exactly similar, or behave similarly, perhaps because one is 7 months older than the other. It really doesn't matter because each, again, sound great.

Reliability: 9
So far, so good. Not a problem with either. They're so simple and cheap that if one did break down, replacing it would not be much of an issue. Two at a gig means if one broke down, the other is there, plugged in and rocking, which means the audience won't notice a difference or notice an amp has broken down (if one did). I plan on getting two more for the Brian May multiple Vox set-up, which furthers reduces the chances that even I would notice if one broke down during a gig. Cheap and simple, that's the key.

Customer Support: N/A
What? Who? Uhmm...

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for a 10 years. Played through a lot of amps. Can't stand Fender amps anymore. Marshalls are okay. I have a Lab 5 as well, which is great, but can you say "density?" I own an Gibson LP Special (p-90, and a freaky Seymour Duncan p-90/100 type pickup), a Gibson Marauder (see review), an Ovation acoustic/electric, plan on getting a Tele or a Strat real soon. This is a great amp. It has the sound and it's small, cheap, and simple. Perfect for the musician on a budget who wants to stack up amps behind him/her. You don't need a massive head and cabinet for gigs anymore because most places have house systems that you can plug into or mic-through. Why lug around the heavy stuff? Wait until you get famous and hire a roadie to do that!

Submitted by Toorglick at 03/15/2000 11:02

Price Paid: 99 (Pounds)

Features: 7
1999 8' bulldog. mines a GB version without the line out and some other feachers, just the one input and stuff, its all above here neway

Sound Quality: 9
i'm playing with a fender reissue '74 tele and i love it, single coils great distortion sounds. I've only bin paying for a little while but i love the warm rich tones and from such a cheap and small amp its great. I play rock stuff mainly and its just perfect

Reliability: 7
somebody mentioned corner supports or guards. I have to take mine into school twice a week for lessons and the vynl is coming away, yup definitely needs them, apart from that it still works

Customer Support: 9
never dealt with them. The website www.voxshowroom.com leaves a bit to be desired though...

Overall Rating: 10
i also run into it a zoom 3000s mulit effects box and a maxx metal rocker. nebody wanna try a great sound with a metal pedal, turn the gain up on the pathfinder to full with the boost, and on the pedal set the level to full the bass eq to 10 o'clock the treble eq to 4 o'clock and the distortion to nothing. The pedal does create some distortion and the eq really lifts the trebble for solos or riffs its great. gotta give it top marks though

Submitted by Mat at 03/08/2000 11:24

Price Paid: US $119.00

Features: 8
1999 Vox pathfinder. 15 watts. 1X12 speaker. No channel switching or effects loops. But, I bought this as a practice amp that I could easily carry to my friends house and this is perfect. Its cool that it has tremelo. Its not as intense as the Smiths' "How Soon is Now" song, which is why you have tremelo in the first place, but its not bad. You can do light Credence Clearwater Revival stuff with it.
The tone knobs REALLY affect the sound, which is cool.

Sound Quality: 7
This little booger is loud! But, I hated the distortion. I cant use it for blues, cause its too harsh no matter what I do. I cant use it for Metal, cause it just too honkin'. If you like playing Creams "Sunshine of your Love" or the lead guitar line in "American Woman", then you'll love this amp. But thats ALL you'll ever do with it. That said, the Treble and Bass really effect the sound, which is great cause you can get lots of different sounds on the clean setting that way. I use a Marshall BluesBreaker II for my distortion and now it sounds awsome. The "Boost" button on the amp does just that.

Reliability: N/A
Too small for a gig. Although, part of me wants to buy about 4 of them and stack them up like Brian May from Queen. Then, hook'em up with a stero chorus box and be GOD for a day. You could probably do a gig then.

Customer Support: N/A
Never had to call them

Overall Rating: 8
Been playing for 22 years. I have a Peavey Classic chorus, but it weighs a ton and I needed an amp I could carry to my friends so we could jam and this fits the bill perfectly. You'll have to buy a distortion box if you want good sounding distortion. My criteria there is that I have to be able to play an E chord and hear each note. You cant do that on this amp. But I'd buy it again if it was stolen cause its so cheap and versitile.

Submitted by Jon Brown at 02/20/2000 11:23

Price Paid: 295 (NLG)

Features: 8
Gain, Volume, Bass, Treble and...... Tremelo Depth and Speed. Isn't that nice for such a small price to pay ? This amp has a 8" Bulldog speaker and the power is 15 watt (transistor). First saw this amp in at a shop in the Hague. It was love at first sight. I also needed an extra small amp, but I didn't buy it at that moment. At the time I would buy it, quess what, sold out !!! It took a lot of phonecalls, but finally I got my Vox.

Sound Quality: 9
Very good sounds for such a small amp. Didn't miss anything. The tremelo is also nice. Didn't really miss the reverb. I only like reverb when it is first class quality and you can't expect that from an amp this size and price. I use this Vox during rehearsels. It's loud enough for that. I don't use it at gigs, then I only use tubeamps like Fender Hot Rod, Mesa DC3 or a Marshall JTM30. I think a take the Vox on holiday this summer. Oh yes, a real guitar junkie can't miss his guitar for two whole weeks. I don't.

Reliability: 7
Seems solid enough for what I'm using it for. Mmmh.. don't really know.

Customer Support: N/A
Sorry I can't tell. Never dealt with them. I only have it for a month now.

Overall Rating: 8
I always have owned a small transistorized amp. Like Peavy, Fender, Marshall, Samick etc. Never liked any of them really. I only played them when no other of my amps was available. Now I've noticed I also play this Vox, even when another amp is available. Doesn't that say enough. I think... I'll soon buy the AC15 tube amp from Vox. Is'nt that a nice idea ?

Submitted by Nick H. at 01/28/2000 14:26

Price Paid: US $100

Features: 9
Alright,everyone pretty much knows by know..it has controls for tremolo speed and depth, bass and treble, gain, volume, and a gain boost switch.Along with the usual line out,headphone jack,and an 8" Vox speaker.The tremolo isn't the best out there, but it does add a a really nice depth to your playing.I miss reverb,but it's no real biggy.

Sound Quality: 10
Okay,you can get some wonderfully crisp and yet warm clean sounds out of it.Twiddle with the knobs a bit,and out comes this beautiful jangly overdrive.When I first played thsi amp,I couldn't believe how "tube-y" it sounds.There is a lack in low end response with the 8",but running through my marshall 4x10 solved that.Awesome!Using this with a Danelectro Dan-echo gave up some awesome rockabilly sounds.The gain boost switch is a nice feature,in that you can,to a certain extent,set two levels of overdrive.I must say,I'm very interested to hear their new Cambridge 30 Twin Reverb,which has a bit more gigging power.

Reliability: 9
As far as using it on a gig,as long as it was miked i don't see why not.It's a solid amp and I would have no need for a backup.Besides,if i wind up playing any shows with it I'll use it in conjunction with other amps.The only real problem I can forsee is that the covering proabbly couldn't stand up to too much abuse.

Customer Support: N/A
No idea,haven't dealt with them

Overall Rating: 10
Okay,down to the nitty gritty-I like it.A lot.My current setup is either a Jazzmaster or Strat,through a Crybaby wah,DOD octoplus,DOD vibrothang,Ibanez chorus,Marshall chorus,small stone,Dan-echo,Vox distortion booster,Boss OD/distortion,Fuzzface,and hopefully soon a boss or dunlop tremolo pedal.All that into a Fender Bandmaster and a Marshall 4x10 cab.I really want to get an extension cab for the Vox and use a Morley A/B switch to run them together.In all,I'm very pleased.It makes a fine knockaround practice amp,and I'm sure it will do some neat things live.Absolutely worth every penny!!I Hope Vox keeps the affordable coolness coming.

Submitted by JP at 01/11/2000 20:07