Vox Pathfinder 15R

Price Paid: US $119

Features: 10
This is a 2005 model Pathfinder 15R. The amp is great for 60's and classic rock vibe and country, most everything except super hard rock. Has one channel. Everything but an effects loop but who needs it? Effects work great straight into the input. I use the amp at home and the hospital. Has more power than I really need. I think the 15 watts match the 8" Bulldog speaker perfectly. It is solid state but I like it better than my [read on]

Sound Quality: 10
I use it with my Gibson SG and Epi Casino and play mainly Beatles and 60's 70's stuff. This amp is what I've been missing since I sold my Vox Cambridge twin 30 reverb! Wow, what bass and vibe! It is very quiet and very clean but can get down and dirty for blues and rock. I run a little tremolo 1/4, treble 1/2, bass a little over 1/2, gain off and volume barely when using it with my Digitech RP 2000. I like this amp better than my Fender Champ! It really sounds this good! It has plenty of distortion for my needs and the vibe and bass--I can't get over it. It also sounds better than the mini-stack. I think the twin 10's in that mini-stack draw too much power; so, I believe the 8" speaker to be best. You will be amazed.

Reliability: 10
No problems with this amp or any other Vox I've ever owned.

Customer Support: N/A
Can't answer this. I will say that the instruction manual is about the corniest written manual I've ever read. The writer of the manual writes like he is high on dope or something. I think I'll mail a copy to Jay Leno for the Tonight Show. It is really silly.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing 30 years. Own Microcube, Vox AC-1, Digitech RP 2000, Fender Champ, Gibson SG, Casino, other odds and end guitars. I would buy it again in a flash. In fact, I kick myself for not already having bought one. I see why it's overall rating from 60 someodd people is 9.6! It is really that good. I love everything about it. I compared it to Rolands, Marshalls, Peavey's and Fenders and it is the best bang for the buck and many more bucks. All I can say is give it a try. By itself it is not a huge distortion amp nor will it stand up to 50 or 100 watt amps, but for clean to mild distortion styles I don't see how this amp can sound so good and be so cheap and....be a solid state! With sounds like this--who needs tubes!

Submitted by mike baggett at 05/30/2005 19:48

Price Paid: US $113.00

Features: 9
I picked up this little guy about six months ago. For it's price and size I have to give it a nine on features. Spring reverb, tremelo, boost button. It also has a filtered line out, headphone out, extension speaker out and footswitch jack. That's a heck of alot of stuff for the price. I've used all of the outputs and they work just fine!

Sound Quality: 8
I have been a gigging musician for over forty-five years. Yea, I know, I'm old! My first real gig was in 1959. I usually play clean with just a little break-up. I bought this amp for one reason and one reason only: I wanted a small lightweight amp that I could throw in the car and go or just move it easily from room to room. I looked at the other Vox offerings (AD Series) as well as the Roland Cubes. This little amp has very good cleans and with gain up a bit you can get a little dirty. It can get loud but lacks gigging headroom. I mean, what do you expect from 15Watts & a 8" speaker. Tremlo and reverb sound nice but don't expect Eventide effects for 100 dolars. In all, it has nice cleans and can get decent dirt for it's size but again don't expect JC-120 cleans or 5150 distortion.

Reliability: 9
Has held up well. Input jacks are plastic so you have to treat them as such. I don't baby my equiptment but I am careful with it. If you take care of it, it will take care of you!

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't had to deal with them.

Overall Rating: 10
As stated earlier I have been playing a long time and I currently have some super gear. My amps consist of a Two-Rock Custom Reverb, two Traynor CV40's, Bad Cat Hot Cat and a few others. I have the normal assortment of Strats, Teles and two Gibsons (135, 175). I couldn't see spending the extra hundred dollars for the Roland Cube or Vox AD series amps when this little guy really met my needs. All I wanted was a small , light amp that sounded good. With the tremelo and reverb as an added bonus, I can't see how you could go wrong with this little amp.

Submitted by Vincent at 05/26/2005 18:00

Price Paid: US $88.00 used

Features: 8
I bought this amp slightly used but in mint condition.I have owned it for several months. I use it at home for recording, and practicing. It will put out enough volume at 15 watts to keep up with a full band unless you play at high volumes using Marshall stacks or 100 Watt Mesa Boogie's.
It has two channels one clean, and one boosted with increased bass response. The lead channel sounds good if you can turn the amp up, however in my small practice room/studio I have to use a pedal. As I said it's a loud 15 watts.At lower volumes it's not very pleasing to my ear. The amp also has a Headphone out, and line out which I never use.I do use the tremolo sometimes though, and the speaker out to drive a 12" speaker.
The amp is really great for clean sounds, and for the price of an effects pedal I'm quite pleased. I wish they made one like this with just a clean channel, and bass and treble controls.I'll rate it down a little for it's headphone out and line out, but as I said I really like the amp clean.

Sound Quality: 8
I own several guitars, but mostly play and Eric Clapton Strat. (That guitar makes everything sound good in my opinion.)I play Blues, and Rock and am currently writing songs.At 55 the band thing seems to be over after almost 40 years. I did use it for a few practices with my last group.(drums, keyboard, bass, and two guitars.)It worked fine and the gain was about 1/4 up with the volume at 1/2.I also found the amp to be very quiet.The distortion cleans up nicely when you turn the guitar volume down, and sounds better at higher volumes.I forgot to mention the reverb it's definatley not a Fender Super Reverb, more like Marshall reverb.If it was a $2,500 amp I'd rate it lower, but it's a $100 solid state amp.

Reliability: 10
So far it seems to be built quite well no problems, and no tubes to deal with.

Customer Support: N/A
I've never dealt with the company.

Overall Rating: N/A
I've been playing since a band called the Beatles came out. For amps I own a Paul Reed smith Harmonic Generator(Extremely rare, A 35 watt Fuchs overdrive supreme, A old brown Fender Princeton, A silvertone piggy back bass amp. (Danelectro). For guitars. Avery old Fender telecaster, A martin acoustic,1990 Paul Reed Smith CE 24,A 74 Telecaster Custom, and a Bass I put together from parts.
You may ask why do I need a under $100.00 Vox with all those other amps.I ask myself that to but to be honest it looks cool, and it puts out a decent clean sound.

Submitted by rockndawg at 05/23/2005 12:09

Price Paid: US $120

Features: 7
Solid State 15 watt. Gain, Volume, Bass, Treble, Tremelo depth and speed, Reverb. Has headphone jack and effects loop capability. one channel.

Sound Quality: 3
I play Classic rock Blues and Jazz, and this amp does not really handle any. I play it with an Epiphoen Casino with P-90 pickups. The reverb is extremely weak, although the tremelo is ine. The distortion can get very brutal, but does not sound natural at all. Clean sounds sound sythesized with absolutley no sag.

Reliability: 9
Pretty damn durable. It is solid state.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 5
The amp is slightly more worth it than its sound indicates, only because it is so cheap (which is why I was fofrced to buy it in the firts place). However I bought a low value tube amp (a Fender Blues Jr.) as soon as I could and was far more pleased.So, get this is you absolutley have no money, but if at all possible get a low end tube amp instead.

Submitted by Nave at 05/14/2005 18:54

Price Paid: US $120

Features: 7
I got this amp new from Zzounds in September or so of 2004.

The reason I only give it 7 stars is that it has only one channel, and the headroom is fairly limited.
Besides that, it has tremolo, which is a quite lovely feature, two tone controls (Bass and Treble), and reverb. The reverb is quite subtle compared to most, so take that into consideration.

It has a headphone jack, which is a 1/4" socket. Most consumer headphones come with 1/8" inch plugs, but you can get an adapter pretty cheaply.

There are also outputs for an external speaker cabinet, and one for a line out. I have not used these, but I'm sure they work fine.

I'm in a band that plays rock/blues and it gets loud enough for practice, but in bigger gigs it gets drowned out by our other guitarist who has a Fender Deluxe Reverb. I don't usually play guitar for my band because I'm their vocalist, but ocasionally I'll whip it out to play. The main power consideration that I have, is that it's pretty limited in clean headroom, so don't expect to play clean very loudly.

Sound Quality: 8
I use this with a cheap-o Yamaha Pacifica with stock pickups. Naturally, these don't sound the best, but I still think it does pretty well. I especially like the clean tones, which are crisp and clear. I don't really care for much of the driven tones, but I've found a spot with the gain at half, and the bass and treble at about 9 o' clock, that suits my bluesy-rock style. Anything up to about halfway on the gain is pretty good, but after that, it starts sounding pretty lousy. If you get a decent overdrive pedal, your problems will be solved here.

It has a "boost" switch, which I rarely use, because it generally sounds pretty bad. If I need a kick up in the volume though, it gets me over the cliff. The optional footswitch has a button to control this boost switch.

As I mentioned before, the reverb is really subtle. You don't get any concert-hall style effect, or anything. It's just two short (4" inches or so) springs hooked up to a pair of transducers in the chassis. I sometimes will rock the amp back and forth to get wild sounds out of the reverb unit, because it makes the springs rattle around in the back.

I don't use the tremolo much, but it seems pretty good. It's got a depth control and a rate control, which are pretty much all you need. It's sine-form tremolo, so don't expect to get any square-form stuttering effects out of it or anything.

Reliability: 10
Well, it seems to be built really well. I was riding my bike to band practice and I dropped it to avoid a collision with a car, and it still sounds fine.

After the infamous dropping from the moving bike senario, I took the chassis off, and looked around inside to make sure I hadn't dislodged anything. Everything seemed fine, and the speaker was still intact.

The reverb unit looks a little flimsy, but it's on a weird spring shockmount thing on the chassis, so it's made to bounce around a bit.

Customer Support: N/A
I've never actually dealt with Vox, and I don't plan to.

Overall Rating: 10
The scoop is: For the price, and for what it is (a practice amp) it's amazing!

I definitely recommend this as a practice amp. Pretty much unbeatable price for the quality.
You can use it for small gigs, and you could mic it, or use the line out for bigger ones.

So remember, the dirty tones are not very good, so think about investing 60 bucks or so for a decent overdrive pedal.

Also, for you guys who are starting out, your tone is mostly dependent on your technique and your ear, so don't discount an amp on the fact that you can't get a good tone out of it while learning.

Submitted by Trevor at 04/18/2005 23:34

Price Paid: US $120.00

Features: 9
Now that I've been using my Pathfinder for exactly a year, playing small club gigs approximately three times per month, with band rehearsals approximately once per week, I just wanted to supplement my previous reviews on this little gem of an amp. In my opinion, it's the best-kept secret out there!

Sound Quality: 9
I use a standard Fender Stratocaster that I bought in '73. The Pathfinder allows the unique character of the Strat to shine through. The vocalist in our band often describes the sound of the guitar coming through the Pathfinder as "shimmering." Although I use a Digitech RP-50 processor to get some more pronounced distortion, or other effects, for certain solos or certain tunes, the Pathfinder does very well all by itself, simply by making adjustments of the "Gain" knob relative to the "Volume" knob. I also run a good quality cable from the external speaker jack into an old banged-up 1x12" cabinet with a Utah speaker in it, and the doggone amp just pushes that cab superbly. After playing numerous gigs with this setup over the past year, I'm very satisfied with the way this amp performs. I have never felt like I've had to stress it out in the small club venues we play. For larger gigs, I'm sure it'll mic up just fine thru the big P.A., but I haven't had occasion to do that yet. I'm not a huge fan of using "line out" for live performances, although the Pathfinder does have that feature too. My bandmates still can't believe that this little guy is doing the job so well for me. I always show up at rehearsals with the Pathfinder on the front passenger seat of my car, with the seatbelt around it, and they like to call it my "date." It's so lightweight, and such a great change from the heavy stuff I used to lug around!

Reliability: 10
Totally reliable. Never a hint of a problem!

Customer Support: N/A
No contacts with manufacturer to date.

Overall Rating: 9
Overall, just an amazing little package. Again, it may only be 15 watts, but remember-- these are VOX watts!!!!
And just a little "P.S."-- After I had owned this amp for a couple of weeks, I decided one day to get some brass cleaner and clean the built-up grime and tarnish off my cable plugs. I was shocked at how dirty they had become after years of use, and pleasantly surprised to notice a substantial jump in the volume of my guitar! Suddenly I didn't have to turn up the amp as much, to get the volume I desired. So, consider cleaning up those cables. It truly does help your amp perform more efficiently!

Submitted by Bill Sheehan at 04/03/2005 10:08

Price Paid: US $119

Features: 10

I bought it brand new the end of January'05 It was built in September '04. As most of you have stated it's the best practice amp out there. I made my decision to buy soley on what i read on these reviews. It has the single channel as well as line out, headphone, speaker and footswitch jacks. I'm really amazed at the clean sound's with single coils. What really impresses me is the way it relate's each guitar's individual voice. This amp was bought to be used for every purpose it's capable of and fill's the bill in every aspect.

Sound Quality: 10
I own two Gretsch's G6129T, G6118T, RIC 360, DeArmond M77T,a Dot, Paul two Strat's, a Dean Boca 12 string and EPI acoustic electric and every one of them sound's great through the Pathfinder.I'm thrilled I can get those Brit-invasion tones that I was missing from my Marshall and Fender amp's are also solid state. I prefer solid state for thier consistancy, I live in Florida and the weather play's havoc with tube amp's, at least to my ear. I've gone through most of the major brand's tube wise and just find it frustrating to hear a difference every time the barometer changes. Although I am toying with the idea of getting one of the new VOX AC30 models coming this spring. I'm that impressed with the pathfinder's look and tone, having it's big brother might be a must have. I basically use the cleaner sound's on the hollow bodies with just a hint of gain, the RIC sound's incredible...

Reliability: 5
Now the bad new's, When I recieved the amp it had a malfunction with the boost switch. It would jump from boost to clean after a few minutes of operation. I'm not into dealing with manufactures with warrenty issue's. So I pulled it apart and checked it out and it revealed a cold solder joint on the boost switch, resoldered, removed all flux residual with contact cleaner, let it dry and I'm in business. I also found that the speaker sounded a little tight and mid-rangy so I installed a Jensen C8R and to my taste it's perfect. My Strat now has that clean HENDRIX wind cries mary tone that I wasn't getting out of either of my other amp's. I don't gig anymore, I'm in my mid fifties and find that I just like to fool around recording and playing along with records like when I started playing back in the sixty's. Would I gig with it? Yes if it were miked up, sure! Because I had the problem with it I have to drop the mark but I still love it...

Customer Support: N/A
Like I said, I try to handle these thing's myself so I wouldn't know about customer support. If the problem wasn't corrected it was going back to the retailer.

Overall Rating: 10
In my forty year's of playing I've pretty much ran the gamut in gear. If it were stolen ? It would be out of my house and I'm sure there would be a whole helluva lot of other gear gone with it. But for what I paid, definetly I would buy it again. I love the sound , the look and the size. That new AC30 weigh's in at about 70 pound's and this thing goes about seventeen. At my age that's an ass saver but it tempt's me I must admit.
Basically I was looking for it to fill the bill as far as the Brit tones as I stated earlier, and it does that in spades.I highly recommed it, even with the slight problem. Prop's to this forum for people to get some great info before they throw thier money down...Thanx!

Submitted by Doug at 03/27/2005 19:59

Price Paid: US $9.95

Features: 9
Made in 8/04. This little screamer is versatile for what I use it for and would make a great recording amp. Very ballsy sound for an 8" speaker, especially with the boost on. Nice tremelo, not too over the top and quite useable, as is the spring reverb . I've been using a Behringer GX110 and the Pathfinder is soooo much better than the Behringer. I use this around the house and to take to friends places to jam with . Just the right size and power for jamming .... My only complaint is the lack of a foot pedal ... but, I'll get one .

Sound Quality: 10
Playing a Tele , Silvertone 1 pickup and a Strat copy I built with S/S/H pickups. This amp handles each one fine and allows each guitars tones to shine through . Both channels have their own sounds and can be used with most music styles. This amp handles pedals well too. I use a DS-1 and Big Muff along with the built in gain channel. The gain channel can get pretty nasty without eating your tone to much.

Reliability: N/A
Just got it, but I expect it to last quite a while .

Customer Support: N/A
Haven;t dealt with them, so don't know !

Overall Rating: 9
This is a kickass amp for the bucks. No digital crap ( like the Behringer ). Sure it's solid state, but who says that's a bad thing ? If this one was stolen I'd buy another . Like i said, i wish they would throw the footswitch in with it.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/20/2005 15:50

Price Paid: US $119.00

Features: 9
These little powerhouses are the best kept secrets out there.......

Sound Quality: 9
For a solid state amp these guys are spectacular....clean or crunch....reverb or none....with trem/without ..whatever your choice.Excellent.

Reliability: 10
Havent had any problems with either....I own 2 ....run in stereo...nice!

Customer Support: N/A
Never had to deal with them

Overall Rating: 10
I used to lug my fender twin to "jam sessions".....now I use 2 pathfinders and a vox tonelab and that covers all my needs. I just love these amps...They are built great...they look great ....and they sound great.Been playing 20+ years.....use Fender Guitars and amps......but I seem to use these little wonders more and more. So Versatile.

Submitted by BPV at 03/20/2005 13:21

Price Paid: US $119.00

Features: 8
Made in 2002. Very simple, yet versatile amp. All the features have been covered well, so I'm not going to repeat them. I truly believe this is THE best solid state practice amp out there. For $120.00, you can't go wrong with this amp. I am only docking it points because it is solid state, and it doesn't come with a footswitch.

Sound Quality: 9
I have a Gibson 1967 Les Paul, with two humbuckers, an Epiphone Les Paul Special with two humbuckers, a Washburn X Series Professional Model with one humbucker and two single coils, and a Fender Standard Strat and Standard Tele. Sounds great on all the guitars, but shines the most on single coils on clean and humbuckers for crunch. I play basically whatever my mood is, country, classic rock, native american indian music, hard rock, blues, whatever. This amp handles all that very well. It is NOT a heavy metal amp, but with a good petal, I'm sure you could get some metal sounds with it. Clean channel is clean...turn the gain up and you get crunch, push the boost button and you get a moderate distortion. Distortion is not brutal, but then again, that's not what I want for tone.

Reliability: 10
Had it for several years and it's still chuggin along. Never broken down.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with VOX.

Overall Rating: 9
Been playing well over 35 years. I've got too much shit to mention. I've been addicted to collecting amps and guitars for 30 years. I'd get another one if it were stolen or lost. Didn't compare it to anything. Decided I wanted it and ordered it online.

Submitted by Mike at 03/08/2005 03:24