Vox Pathfinder Owners

Are you getting a significant boost in level when you stop on the BD-2 set this way. I do think it is a great way to use the pedal. The problem for me is that when I set it up that way (regardless of amp or guitar used) I get a SIGNIFICANT increase in level. So it doesn't really accomplish what I needed (more crunch at similar volume). I could achieve the same thing by turning up the amp volume, which works better for me (I like to turn up the amp rather than hit the amp harder).

Please understand, I'm not criticizing you. Or saying my way is better. Or anything like that. I'm genuinely curious if my playing style pumps the volume of the BD-2 more than others. Or if you do get a significant level increase your way but it works well for you. The problem for me is that the BD-2 set like you say SOUNDS much better to me than to drop the level but leave the drive up, unfortunately.

Thanks.

 

Also, I just joined the club (thanks Evan, TDPRI member).

Shockingly good for what it is. My goal was to find a nice amp for home practice. I leave my gig amp for each band at rehearsal space. And have a couple extras at home (smaller, for smaller venues) but those are still in the 12-14w range which for me is much too loud to take advantage of the tube goodness.

It occurred to me that if I was using a SS drive pedal to try to simulate "at volume" tube goodness at home quiet volumes through my tube amps, but STILL TOO LOUD (because my tube amps at least are completely dull and lifeless below about 2 on the dial, where the all the sudden start to come to live but also get pretty loud), then why not try a SS amp?

Mission accomplished. Everything on that amp is well thought-out and functional. EQ is great. Trem is even better than my TR-2 (high praise for me) even without the wave shape knob. And there is no volume drop from the trem that I can tell. The rate goes nice and slow. All of the knobs seem to do something through their entire range (rare, and very useful).

I even like the boost function. Gives just enough to punch through if I did want to use it live (and I think I could with the quieter country band, in small venues). Or just a different EQ/gain structure. VERY responsive to pick and volume knob. This morning when giving it a test run I went from nice chimey cleans to almost infinite feedback, all at basically conversational volume. And unlike even most drive boxes for me, it seems to sound good with the level way down around 9 o'clock and the drive up around 3 o'clock.

When I opened up the volume, the speaker seemed to hold together surprisingly well, and be surprisingly full.

But my real goal was to get a Voxy vibe AND have an amp that actually works for home practice when my wife and kiddos (not to mention the neighbors) are asleep. Mission accomplished!

 

Even though I basically do the same thing with my tube amps (small Fenders with plenty of clean volume on their own) which is to use some kind of OD always ON (most of the time) and control all from the guitar volume knob, I use the method with the Pathfinder, specifically to generate a little more clean volume ( call it cleanish, with a great Voxy-edgy) than the Pathfinder is capable of putting out by itself.
My Pathfinder's clean limit (i don't use or like the Boost switch) is basically Gain at 11-12 clock and Volume at 2-3 clock and that's it! If turn either control more it is distorting. SO with that in mind, if I set the Blues Driver say all controls at NOON (turn ON, leave ON), then at about 1/2 guitar volume, pedal ON, I'm getting the same basic volume level/tone here as if I had the pedal OFF and guitar all the way up. It's that simple. Leave pedal ON, roll into what I need from the guitar: Clean> louder, with bite/growl> overdriven. It is not perfect, but it works for me as I get what I want at quiet amp volumes (say if I'm using Fender amps in small rooms), or need to give the Vox some more volume. The amp really just needs to provide a clean tone
* BTW not all amps' clean tones are really pleasing- they can sound spiky or just flat/like going direct. I think Fender BF/SF clean is kind of my benchmark of clean tone, and the Vox clean tones, which I do think the PF 15 emulates really well, are a close second

 

Congrats and welcome to the group! That was a quick acquisition! Glad to hear the PF has lived up to your expectations. I'm not surprised it gets your thumbs up.

 

Congratulations on finding a Pathfinder, I recently scored another one so that I can run stereo at home, they are ideal for that purpose. I agree, the Tremolo on the Pathfinder is really nice, it can do a very cool slow swampy vibe. Built in amp tremolo always seems to sound better to my ears. Wonderful little boxes.

 

Mine got here, bedded in. Early days but liking it.

 

I suggest trying to set your volume all the way up, and the drive at about 11:00 for a clean sound to get a maximum volume while staying clean. I leave it there and adjust the volume on the guitar when I want less volume. If you want to go into distortion you can goose it a little past 12:00 and begin to drive it. I don't particularly like the boost, but I keep it clean most of the time anyway.

 

I'll give it a shot for sure! Cheers.

 

Has anyone here tried running their PF15 through a Greenback or one of the WGS clones?

 

It would be great for there to be a Pathfinder project that paired up the amp with a variety of popular speakers in a shoot out. .

 

It would also be cool if someone with good Vox experience and tonal descriptive ability do a comparison of non-reverb PF15s vs PF15R, and if there are any sonic differences between the Korean and Vietnamese versions. Or black cloth vs brown cloth. And toss in a few modded ones for comparison.

I guess the difficulty would be getting all the versions in one place for a shoot-out.

 

I was surprised to see this 'good as new' PF15R

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161666269550?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Go for £205.00. Is that the most expensive one sold?

I always think sellers that are happy to post items will do so much better than those who insist on collection, but ........

 

I have a black face and a brown face and I forget where each of them come from, and when I put them side-to-side and compare I do hear slight differences between them, not enough that I would recognize one over the other in a blind test. I have since done a mod of removing the leds on one of them and that definitely alters the tone some, as well as increase the output volume a little.

 

Wow, I read through every page of this tremendously helpful thread and then finally got my first Pathfinder 15r! I'm relearning after a 10+ year hiatus, as I have a couple of months free before I start an extremely time intensive job.

I was expecting to be a little underwhelmed given all the praise that's been heaped on this amp, but boy does it sound great! I got one with the LED mod for around $120 with shipping and feel that it was a very good deal since it's so often priced above $100 nowadays (and I definitely preferred the overdriven sound with the LED mod based on "before and after" YouTube videos). Just like so many have mentioned, the Pathfinder is incredibly responsive and dynamic and the tremolo sounds great, too. It's such a shame that there aren't more current solid-state offerings like this one that focus on tone over modelling capabilities.

I read here about a few folks who plug the Pathfinder line out into the effects loop of an older amp (e.g., Behringer GM110) and I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for good, older solid-state amps for that purpose (with a 10"+ speaker) that might weigh less than 20 lbs., or might that search be so difficult that it'd be better to look into 1x10 or 1x12 cabs? (I'd prefer the former as I imagine running two amps via the Pathfinder would be louder than the output from a cab alone).

Lastly, I've pre-ordered a Blackstar Fly 3, a fantastic-sounding little battery-powered amp that I hope to take with me into work so that I can get some practice in when I'm done for the day but don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic, instead playing for a bit on-site until I head home. It seemed like a good complement to my stay-at-home Pathfinder and I will report back after I get to try it out!

Thanks again to everyone for all the encouraging advice about the Pathfinder 15r!

 

I guess we all need to meet in a stadium somewhere......

 

Welcome to the club TigerEye. . .you've got a great couple of little amps to keep you going until BIGD5 finds us a stadium. .

 

MAN...funny you said that. I just talked yesterday to someone about the new Braves stadium they are building here and they wanted more than I could afford for the weekend. Maybe we could come up with somewhere else more centrally located.............

 

Thanks for the warm welcome! Well the Pathfinder is awesome but I haven't purchased the Behringer amp yet, just thinking about it because I'd love a small gig-ready rig but a lot of the cabinets I'm stumbling upon are too huge or super heavy! I'm a weakling when it comes to upper body strength.

I got a great tip from some review of the Pathfinder that the Fender Pro Jr amp cover fits the Pathfinder perfectly and indeed it does! Photos attached showing mine, which arrived today. I just wish that there were some kind of covering for the bottom, because I do like to set the amp down on the ground when I'm loading up the car and that could be difficult when it's raining harder outside (I live in Seattle). Hmmm... I'll see if I can jerry-rig something...

 

^^thats where the milk crate you set it on to be heard comes in handy.

 

I'm still just knocked out by how timeless beautiful (that VOX style!), great-sounding, portable, and useful (as is, stock!) the Pathfinder is- 2 years+ of local small-room gigging, and The Honeymoon isn't over yet!

Headstock Tuners and Pathfinders- modern classics!