So, why does the Vox Pathfinder 15 R...........

[Jbnaxx]

..........sound so good. It’s small, light, SS and cheap. It really breaks all of the rules.

I had just finished testing different speakers and tuning a 1x10 cab for my small amps. Just for grins, I drug my old P15R out of the closet and plugged it into the 1x10......WOW! After all that, that cheap little P15R sounded so good through that 1x10 cab....and has trem and reverb built in??

In a day where Quilter, Fender and others are making fine SS amps at a price point approaching $1000...... Here is the P15R at the price of a pedal that does everything many of us need (8 inch speaker excepted) with a cab plugged in.

Why did Vox discontinue it? ....and why can’t any other companies make something to fill that void?

 

[fozhebert]

I'm guessing profit margins and intended audience.

The trend seems to be a lot of amp models and effects packed into 1 box.

Vox seems to approach the old patfinder niche by having the Pathfinder 10 practice amp and the MV and super Beatle series for the 1 amp sound setups.

 

[burntfrijoles]

In a day where Quilter, Fender and others are making fine SS amps at a price point approaching $1000...... Here is the P15R at the price of a pedal that does everything many of us need (8 inch speaker excepted) with a cab plugged in.

Fender also makes SS amps and modelers for under $150. Obviously the Pathfinder is no longer made for reasons only Vox knows. It was not because it threatened their tube amp sales.

 

[Thin white duke]

Why did Vox discontinue it?

Because it sounds so good and Vox wasn't selling no more AC 10....

 

[Jbnaxx]

Fender also makes SS amps and modelers for under $150. Obviously the Pathfinder is no longer made for reasons only Vox knows. It was not because it threatened their tube amp sales.

I don’t think the PF15R threatened Vox tube amps.......I think it was a corporate cost/demand decision....... Like a lot of things, demand went up when they were discontinued.

I had a small Frontman years ago.... I don’t remember it sounding as good as the Vox. I tend to dislike modeling.

We consumers are a bit fickle as well...... if they were plentiful, we would not want them.

 

[burntfrijoles]

I had a small Frontman years ago.... I don’t remember it sounding as good as the Vox.

I think the Fender Champion series is a step ahead of the Frontman series.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Both the Pathfinder 15R ( 7-8 years now) and Frontman 25R ( last year)
have been just about perfect portable ( yet plenty of power) amps for the smaller gigs I do anymore.

( not like I ever did huge gigs-just louder, more work, and less $$!)

They are a godsend as they sound like the amps that they are trying to sound like (close enough for me), and are lightweight- a big deal for a fat guy who can't carry anything!( bad back)

And are ( were) really cheap!

* in 2018 I did 40 dinner theater dates ( Patsy Cline show) with just my Pathfinder ( no pedals) and my Danelectro RI- talk about a budget rig!

 

[DougM]

I owned one, and I think that all the hype over this amp is just that-HYPE. It doesn't live up to its legend. It's a good sounding $100 practice amp, no more, no less. There are plenty of those around, from a lot of brands. There's nothing magic or super special about it, other than the people all gushing over it. It's the Klon or Dumble of SS practice amps, with the reputation, and cost of a used one, exceeding the reality.

 

[Jbnaxx]

The PF15R won’t be going back in closet anytime soon. It’s a near perfect solution for my practice space...... and I’m not heat cycling my tubes several times a day.

 

[Jbnaxx]

I owned one, and I think that all the hype over this amp is just that-HYPE. It doesn't live up to its legend. It's a good sounding $100 practice amp, no more, no less. There are plenty of those around, from a lot of brands. There's nothing magic or super special about it, other than the people all gushing over it. It's the Klon or Dumble of SS practice amps, with the reputation, and cost of a used one, exceeding the reality.

I tend to agree to a point...... off the shelf, it is very average...... used as a head into a suitable cab, it’s really good....... at that 100.00 price point..... rivaling rigs that cost much more.

I also very much agree that the used prices are rediculous.

It’s the concept.... no modeling, trem and reverb, speaker and headphone jack and cheap that make it special.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

I owned one, and I think that all the hype over this amp is just that-HYPE. It doesn't live up to its legend. It's a good sounding $100 practice amp, no more, no less. There are plenty of those around, from a lot of brands. There's nothing magic or super special about it, other than the people all gushing over it. It's the Klon or Dumble of SS practice amps, with the reputation, and cost of a used one, exceeding the reality.

Well, IMO, the hype did not come from Vox at all,

It was never hype, but came from repeated ( and still ongoing) testimonial about the sound and utility from thousands of owners- most of whom were genuinely surprised at how good the amp sounds.

I personally got mine as I thought " This is a cool looking home amp..." no idea that it would be my main gig amp ( I'm the only electric guitar in my bands)

So to me, ( and I did learn about the Pathfinder here at TDPRI), no hype, just folks who love this amp, and for many of us, it is not just a practice amp.
It's a fantastic amp.

 

[jvin248]

.

Many SS practice amps can be improved by running external cabinets




Or just using low cost amps

 

[Tarkus60]

Yes I have tried to find a one, few and far between and the ones I can find are to much money. I am patient in my older years.

 

[oatsoda]

Had a 15R and regret letting it go. Stellar little cheapie. Those frontman 25 s are fine, but not as sweet as the earlier iteration, the Princeton 112 plus which was made in California. Awesome little gigging box that, especially with the footswitchable reverb and dirt. Sold mine, regretted it, but was able to buy it back.

 

[Twang Deluxe]

The main reasons for buying my Pathfinder 15r were that I wanted a little amp with Tremolo and Reverb and a classic design.

IMHO it sounds nearly as nice as my 1973 Fender Champ

 

[Jbnaxx]

I’ll add some context here. I’m speaking in terms of clean, full, country-ish sounds. I’m very partial to a smokey Tele and Strat neck pickup tone. I love the way you can switch from neck to bridge and get good sounds both ways..... that is something I find lacking in modeling amps I’ve tried. Players using high gain my have different opinions.

 

[nojazzhere]

..........sound so good. It’s small, light, SS and cheap. It really breaks all of the rules.

I had just finished testing different speakers and tuning a 1x10 cab for my small amps. Just for grins, I drug my old P15R out of the closet and plugged it into the 1x10......WOW! After all that, that cheap little P15R sounded so good through that 1x10 cab....and has trem and reverb built in??

In a day where Quilter, Fender and others are making fine SS amps at a price point approaching $1000...... Here is the P15R at the price of a pedal that does everything many of us need (8 inch speaker excepted) with a cab plugged in.

Why did Vox discontinue it? ....and why can’t any other companies make something to fill that void?

Like EVERY amp or guitar you can name, you'll get replies from praise to hate on the Vox Pathfinder 15R here at TDPRI. I first heard about them years ago when I was frequently on a Vox owners forum. I kept hearing love for this lowly "practice' amp, and finally came across one for sale. At the time I was a diehard tube advocate, and the few solid-state amps I'd tried fell way short of my expectations....but I was flabbergasted (in a good way) with the PF 15R. What I expected to be a little practice room amp soon became my gigging amp of choice, with the purchase of a custom made cabinet with one 12" speaker. Over time, I picked up another, and built another cab for that chassis, with four 8" speakers. That one sounds massive.
With some respect to @burntfrijoles, I don't think you can say with finality that discontinuing the PF 15R was NOT due at least in part to affecting sales of more expensive tube amps, like the AC 10 and AC 15. That may have been a contributing factor, at the very least. If production costs were the sole reason, Vox could easily have raised the price of the PF 15R a reasonable amount.....continued building and selling it.....and (I believe) maintained a good demand by the buying public. Personally, I think this small, inexpensive amp cut into sales of not only the AC 10's and 15's, but of the Vox VT (modelers) series amps. I owned a Vox VT 20+ modeler, and it was very disappointing. Vox probably acknowledges they have to compete with Fender and all the other amp makers out there.....but didn't want to compete with themself for marketshare. Why build an OPP (opening price point) amp when nothing you offer, at a reasonable price, is good enough to move up to?
BTW, there was recently a PF 15R on my local Craigslist for $225.....and it appears it sold within hours. I'm just grateful I bought mine when I did. The "hype" is fact for me.

 

[That Cal Webway]

All I know is I had one and stupidly sold it
and would like to get a used one
But the prices are nuts.

Have a Katana 50- its fine, plus a nice Mesa head and a cabinet.
That's enough.
But the Pathfinder really really was good for my needs as a clean player!!

 

[burntfrijoles]

With some respect to @burntfrijoles, I don't think you can say with finality that discontinuing the PF 15R was NOT due at least in part to affecting sales of more expensive tube amps, like the AC 10 and AC 15. That may have been a contributing factor, at the very least.

Maybe so. I guess I'm think it was more due to competing with and hurting sales of their Valvetronix, VT, VX or AV hybrid and modeling lineups . My premise was also that there are tube guys who want a tube and wouldn't be interested in a cheap practice amp. (A bit of tube snobbery so to speak).

Hell, maybe sales fell off the cliff and it wasn't worth it.

 

[nojazzhere]

Maybe so. I guess I'm think it was more due to competing with and hurting sales of their Valvetronix, VT, VX or AV hybrid and modeling lineups . My premise was also that there are tube guys who want a tube and wouldn't be interested in a cheap practice amp. (A bit of tube snobbery so to speak).

Hell, maybe sales fell off the cliff and it wasn't worth it.

As I mentioned the VT+ series (and others) later in my post. I was a diehard tube fan until I was astounded by the sound of the PF 15R. And, as you say, perhaps the introduction and sales of the modelers actually cut into the sales of the PF 15Rs.....the reverse of what many of us think. Who knows?