Vox Pathfinder as a practice amp?

Sparks69 · April 8th, 2006, 04:24 AM

OK guys - I'm thinking of picking up a Pathfinder 15R this weekend. I've played bass most of my life and just picked up an MIM Standard a few weeks ago (see yesterday's newbie post in the Tele forum). I won't be doing any performing, recording, or anything important but I would like to be able to play around with my tone somewhat. Will I be able to get some variety with this or should I maybe step up to the AD15VT?

tdu · April 8th, 2006, 08:25 AM

The Pathfinders are a great amp for a great price. But if you want a bunch of effects and amp models, you'd be better with the AD15VT. That Pathfinders are just a great sounding amp without the bells and whistles of the Valvetronix.

Oskar · April 8th, 2006, 09:27 AM

This is probably one of the most versatile "practice" amps out there. Great sound, spring reverb, very good tremolo, overdrive, 15W, headphone jack, line out, and if you want to plug it into a cab, whether it's a single 12" or 4x12 you will be more than pleasantly surprised. You can find them used for around $60-$75.

saunders.jesse · April 8th, 2006, 09:39 AM

If you're looking for a lot of "misc." effects (chorus, delay, etc) you'd definetly prefer the Valvetronix, however if you don't need lots of bells & whistles the Pathfinder will fit the bill perfectly.

By playing with the gain knob & boost switch you can get a fairly broad range of drive tones. I've taken to practicing w/o an OD box and just adjusting the amp for a variety of tones.

The reverb & trem are pretty sweet too. The reverb can be thin when purchased new, but I played with the reverb cranked for awhile and it seemed to help it's tone once I put it back to 'normal' levels. I have no idea if a reverb tank can be broken in or if i'm going crazy and hearing things, but that's how it seemed to work for me.

Overall, GREAT practice amps. They can get fairly loud too; I'd have no worries taking it to a small jam if the drummer was under control or just miking it up and putting it through the house.

tdu · April 8th, 2006, 10:41 AM

ya the other thing is, I actually use mine for jamming as well. They can get pretty loud, especially plugged into an exteneral speaker/cab. They also sound fantastic run into a good $12 speaker cab.

Sparks69 · April 8th, 2006, 03:56 PM

I'm definitely not looking for a lot of effects - just hoping that the gain, boost, reverb would give me a little variety. I'm by no means a great guitarist - I would just hate to have a setup that only gets one sound.

Hey Jesse - I see you're in Austin. I graduated from UT in '94. Grew up in Houston but I consider Austin to be my Texas home. Is Rusty Wier still around? I know, he's not a Tele player but I was just thinking about him the other day.

April 8th, 2006, 04:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sparks69 TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Beverly Hills, CA Posts: 28	Vox Pathfinder as a practice amp? OK guys - I'm thinking of picking up a Pathfinder 15R this weekend. I've played bass most of my life and just picked up an MIM Standard a few weeks ago (see yesterday's newbie post in the Tele forum). I won't be doing any performing, recording, or anything important but I would like to be able to play around with my tone somewhat. Will I be able to get some variety with this or should I maybe step up to the AD15VT?

April 8th, 2006, 08:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
tdu Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 32 Posts: 2,531 11 Photos	The Pathfinders are a great amp for a great price. But if you want a bunch of effects and amp models, you'd be better with the AD15VT. That Pathfinders are just a great sounding amp without the bells and whistles of the Valvetronix. __________________ Torn Down Units brand Rock n' Roll My Solo Stuff:

April 8th, 2006, 09:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
Oskar Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northampton, MA Posts: 3,191	Go with the Pathfinder This is probably one of the most versatile "practice" amps out there. Great sound, spring reverb, very good tremolo, overdrive, 15W, headphone jack, line out, and if you want to plug it into a cab, whether it's a single 12" or 4x12 you will be more than pleasantly surprised. You can find them used for around $60-$75.

April 8th, 2006, 09:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
saunders.jesse Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 101 4 Photos	If you're looking for a lot of "misc." effects (chorus, delay, etc) you'd definetly prefer the Valvetronix, however if you don't need lots of bells & whistles the Pathfinder will fit the bill perfectly. By playing with the gain knob & boost switch you can get a fairly broad range of drive tones. I've taken to practicing w/o an OD box and just adjusting the amp for a variety of tones. The reverb & trem are pretty sweet too. The reverb can be thin when purchased new, but I played with the reverb cranked for awhile and it seemed to help it's tone once I put it back to 'normal' levels. I have no idea if a reverb tank can be broken in or if i'm going crazy and hearing things, but that's how it seemed to work for me. Overall, GREAT practice amps. They can get fairly loud too; I'd have no worries taking it to a small jam if the drummer was under control or just miking it up and putting it through the house. __________________ '72 Tele Custom RI & a Taylor 110 and I'm a happy guy!

April 8th, 2006, 10:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
tdu Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 32 Posts: 2,531 11 Photos	ya the other thing is, I actually use mine for jamming as well. They can get pretty loud, especially plugged into an exteneral speaker/cab. They also sound fantastic run into a good $12 speaker cab. __________________ Torn Down Units brand Rock n' Roll My Solo Stuff:

April 8th, 2006, 03:56 PM	#6 (permalink)
Sparks69 TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Beverly Hills, CA Posts: 28	Thanks Everybody I'm definitely not looking for a lot of effects - just hoping that the gain, boost, reverb would give me a little variety. I'm by no means a great guitarist - I would just hate to have a setup that only gets one sound. Hey Jesse - I see you're in Austin. I graduated from UT in '94. Grew up in Houston but I consider Austin to be my Texas home. Is Rusty Wier still around? I know, he's not a Tele player but I was just thinking about him the other day.