[Rich_S]

Recently decided I need a second amp. My DIY 18 Watter clone sounds great and has been very reliable, but when it has a problem I'm the only guy who can work on it. When I'm too busy (all the time) I can go for months at a time with no amp, as I have since March.

I got the hots for an AC15C1, but I only gig once a year so spending that much on a giggable amp is pointless. I need something for home, that will be there ready to go whenever I can find a few minutes to play. I need something that will play nice with my pedalboard: delay, chorus, flanger, overdrive, distortion, tremolo, phaser. I'm an '80s guy, into Andy Summers, early U2, Pretenders, etc. Single channel amps are how I roll, guitar up for crunch, guitar down for clean, kick on a stomp box for solos.

My first thought after the AC15 was the AC4; it seemed the logical step down. I realize it lacks headroom, but I assume it can bridge the clean/crunch zone given my extremely modest volume needs. Its 10" speaker is a plus. All-tube is good. I saw a demo on YouTube with a Memory Man that did a great "Street With No Name" sound. I don't need metal levels of dirt or bass.

Then I started reading all the guys around here who love their Pathfinders. It seems a lot of people think it apes the classic Vox sound better. I assume it's 15 watts of SS power is about equal to the AC4's tube output stage in terms of practical volume. The 8" speaker is a minus. I don't fault the PF15 for being solid-state; I've found that non-modeling SS amps can sound good, and do a decent imitation of tubes. (My Vox Amp Plug Classic (Marshall) is a good example.)

So, what do you think? What else do I need to know? I'm headed to the big city (Albany, LOL) next week on business and there's a GC right down the street from my hotel, so I'll be able to try them both, but you guys have more practical experience with both amps than I'll get out a quick demo at GC. Share!