Tried the best practice amp yesterday

T

Thurisarz

New member
Getting tired of my Roland Micro cube so i talked to the nice guys at the local music store and we had a discussion about what tone i'm after and what amps that would suit me. So it was down to either a Tech 21 TM10 or a Hughes and kettner(?) edition blue 15. So i tried the HK and it did not sound good IMO, very unclear tone and plastic sounding OD channel. So the HK was out of question. i have tried the Tech21 before and it is one of the best practice amp ever IMO but it costs more then i can afford. So i went home and thought about it and i came to think about Vox amps, they had 2 vox's in the store so i went back the next day to try them out.

First i talked to them to see what they thought about the amps. They said that the Brian May amp they had was "crap", it is a very good amp, if you play queen/brian may covers but for the rest it's crap. So i took there word and asked about there other amp, the Pathfinder 10. They said that it sounds like any cheap practice amp it only has the classic Vox design. So i tried it and d*mn, i fell in love with the amp! The OD channel sounded VERY plastic but i'm only after the clean channel because i use my pedals.The clean channel sounded very clear, clean, nice and warm. It invites you to do anything!

So i talked to them about maybe getting the big brother the Pathfinder 15R, it has a 8" speaker, Reverb and Tremolo!? I don't use the tremolo effect but it's kinda cool that' it's in a Vox amp :cool2:

Has anybody else tried this amp, and what did you think about it?

Should i change the speaker to something better to get the most out of the amp or should i let it be? Does anyone make 8" speakers?

Thanks! :burnout:
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

I think that amp flat out rocks...I like the distortion channel alot, it has tons of sustain and a mellow sound to it.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

Guitar center, a while back, used to have a seperate Vox 15R pathfinder head and a small 2x10 closedback cab. It was about the finest SS 15 watt amp I've ever tried. Vox has their act together on this stuff.

I'd imagine the newer low powered Vox modeling stuff is pretty darn good as well.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

that tm10 is a great little amp!! i think it sounds better than its bigger brothers.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

I had the Pathfinder 15R and replaced it with the Vox Valvetronix AD-60. The 15R is a nice amp for practice (clean). However I found it hard getting it to sound good at the low volumes I need at home. It was either a hair to low or a hair too loud. The overdrive was not what I was looking for. I would als0 consider the Vox 15 watt Valvetronix. It's not much more and I think it would have everything the Pathfinder has and lots more.

By the way, the Brian May amp is more for driving bigger amps like an AC-30. It doesn't sound too good on its own. It's more like a big effects pedal.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

I tried a Valvetronix 120 head and the 60 watt combos, both the neodog version and the original one as well. I prefered the open back design, but I found the overall cabinet to be knida cheap. It was a darn nice amp though. No doubt about it. If I were only allowed to own one amp, I'd probably have one of the 120 combos. Very versatile and lots of good FX as well.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

Vox made a 2x10", 30 watt version with a tube driven lead channel similar to the Pathfinder. Perhaps you might like that model as well, if you can find one to try out.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

Scott_F said:
I tried a Valvetronix 120 head and the 60 watt combos, both the neodog version and the original one as well. I prefered the open back design, but I found the overall cabinet to be knida cheap. It was a darn nice amp though. No doubt about it. If I were only allowed to own one amp, I'd probably have one of the 120 combos. Very versatile and lots of good FX as well.
Click to expand...

If I get a chance, I'll probably get the 120 watt head someday. The cab quality is cheap on the open back, it's particle board. The closed back cabs are baltic birch plywood. Based on recommendations, I recently added a EQ pedal in the effects loop and that helps overcome the low end cab & speaker. It really helps the distortion settings. For clean settings, run the EQ pedal in front of the amp.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

i own a Pthfinder 15r. it's one of the best practice amps i've used. the clean channel, with a touch of reverb, is great. notes are clearer on this amp, compared to my MG50. get one, you won't regret it.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

Hi

I have 2 Pathfinder 15's, both have tremolo but neither has reverb. One uses a 12AX7 tube (I assume in the overdrive/ preamp stages), the other does not.

I am a tube-amp guy through and through, and the first one of these amps I bought simply for the cabinet and control panel, with the plans of installing an all-tube circuit. The second one was left with me by a guy who had me build him an amp....he paid me and left his Pathfinder with me as well.

Using these amps showed me something i have always suspected with Vox solid-state gear.....they still somehow retain the classic Vox tone, despite not using tubes. The basic tone is probably a lot better and more characteristic than most small transistor combo's like this. The speakers are cheap and will break up in a not particularly pleasant way, but keeping the volume below that level, some good tone can be had.

The overdriven/ distorted sounds impressed me at first, but after a few minutes i find it somewhat harsh and irritating, and would prefer to use a pedal. But i must say that is probably one of the better driven sounds to be had on a small SS, economical practice amp of this type.

The tremolo works very well and the headphone jack is a great thing for a small amp.

I really cannot pick a difference in any of the sounds between the one that has the tube in it and the one that doesn't.

Because I build and work with tube amps, these 2 Pathfinders mostly just get used for setting up and testing guitars (pickup changes, hardware changes, electronic mods etc.) so i mostly use the clean setting, although sometimes I'll punch in the dirt. These are great little amps, I don't think there's anything in their price-range that would come close. The speakers may be below average, but Jensen make a couple of ceramic 8" speakers that could be an improvement. I'm not sure if anyone currently makes an AlNiCo 8.
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

crusty philtrum said:
Hi

I have 2 Pathfinder 15's, both have tremolo but neither has reverb. One uses a 12AX7 tube (I assume in the overdrive/ preamp stages), the other does not.

I am a tube-amp guy through and through, and the first one of these amps I bought simply for the cabinet and control panel, with the plans of installing an all-tube circuit. The second one was left with me by a guy who had me build him an amp....he paid me and left his Pathfinder with me as well.

Using these amps showed me something i have always suspected with Vox solid-state gear.....they still somehow retain the classic Vox tone, despite not using tubes. The basic tone is probably a lot better and more characteristic than most small transistor combo's like this. The speakers are cheap and will break up in a not particularly pleasant way, but keeping the volume below that level, some good tone can be had.

The overdriven/ distorted sounds impressed me at first, but after a few minutes i find it somewhat harsh and irritating, and would prefer to use a pedal. But i must say that is probably one of the better driven sounds to be had on a small SS, economical practice amp of this type.

The tremolo works very well and the headphone jack is a great thing for a small amp.

I really cannot pick a difference in any of the sounds between the one that has the tube in it and the one that doesn't.

Because I build and work with tube amps, these 2 Pathfinders mostly just get used for setting up and testing guitars (pickup changes, hardware changes, electronic mods etc.) so i mostly use the clean setting, although sometimes I'll punch in the dirt. These are great little amps, I don't think there's anything in their price-range that would come close. The speakers may be below average, but Jensen make a couple of ceramic 8" speakers that could be an improvement. I'm not sure if anyone currently makes an AlNiCo 8.
Click to expand...

mine is the one with trem and reverb. when did you buy the Pathfinder with a tube?
 
Re: Tried the best practice amp yesterday

I'm a huge fan of the vox valvetronix amps.. only the blue ones though!.. especially the ones with the neodog speakers (much better than the stock ones).. it's so cool how you can buy that footswitch and basically have a bradshaw type rig for cheeeeap!.. the new grey and black ones only have 2 channels I believe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Rex_Rocker
What is IYO the best Tune-O-Matic?
2
Replies
22
Views
492
Rex_Rocker
Rex_Rocker
F
Ceriatone 18W Questions
Replies
0
Views
200
fretburner
F
uOpt
Anybody tried the Mesa JP-2C (John Petrucci signature amp)?
Replies
12
Views
674
d1dsj
d1dsj
FuseG4
Incoming amp
Replies
9
Views
316
Solarflares
S
D
Nut - the least friction
2
Replies
36
Views
1K
GuitarDoc
G
Back
Top