I got a Pathfinder 15 a few years ago and wondered why they discontinued it shortly after. Clearly, it was sucking sales from more expensive Vox products
Totally awesome!!! I couldn’t hear a difference until you used the fuzz pedal, honestly with the pedals the Pathfinder sounded like it had more low end and the AC15 sounded thinner. And the pathfinder was much juicier with the treble booster. Overall I say the the pathfinder was the clear winner as far as I can tell over UA-cam. Small correction, the pathfinder has an 8” speaker not a 10”. And if you plug it into a 2x12 - you will be blown away!!! Love this stuff.
Yeah, you have to be careful what 2x12 you plug into. I plugged the Pathfinder into my Bad Cat 2x12 and had some issues. It's those pesky ohms we have to be careful of.
I owned the Vox AC15. Sold it when I heard the Pathfinder… I now own 3 Pathfinder 15R’s. One for home practice. The other two I run as a stereo rig for gigs. Amps are set fairly clean with the booster off. Use pedals for overdrive. Send the line out of one of the amps (not the headphone out, it sucks) to the PA (which mimics and nails the pathfinder tone) to allow for room coverage if needed. Big and small gigs are no problem. Enough said. 👍
I have both. I use the Pathfinder 15R for smaller gigs due to the speaker being naturally smaller and the amp has a less headroom. Phenomenal amp for what it does. Get one if you can.
Man I was gonna say something similar to this but you beat me to it. The Pathfinder is awesome and I’m glad I was able to get one for 60 bucks a few years ago locally.
Fantastic comparison!! Love both amps, AC15 is such a great amp….like a big British Princeton with gain. The Pathfinder never should’ve been discontinued. Also fantastic sounding for the size, weight, and price.
Congratulations, excellent work, I read the comments, very positive... For me this demonstrates that you are on the right path!!! See how amazing a solid state is...👏👏✌✌🤘🤘
I keep an open mind about gear. Price and name brand can sometimes indicate quality and reliability, but sometimes it does not. Vox makes great stuff, so why would their solid state amps not be good too?
as I would suspect, I would likely use it for dirt tones as opposed to cleans, unless I was seeking the less dynamic cleans of the pathfinder to get a tone I was seeking
Germany, 7 o clock AM Jonathan: compares two amps, starts playing Sabbath riff Me: immediately forgett about the comparrision, start headbanging and sing the vocal line along 😂😂😂 This was a realy cool comparrision 👍👍 the idea with the external speaker cab was great. I knew that the Pathfinders are great little gems before but i did not expected that they will be so close to each other. Shure there are differences but not in a good ore bad way..just differences. To my ears the AC15 has aittle bit more chime to the overall sound and the treble boost suits the AC15 better. The crunch/distortion channel on the Pathfinder is a little bit weak in my opinion but i dont care too much about the distortion channels because i get my crunch/distortion from an EHX Bass Soul Food...yes it is the Bass version...i bought it for my Bass because my bass amp has no distortion/crunch channel and i needed one for some Joy Division stuff and things like that..the guy sold it for 30€ so it was a no brainer for me. At home intried it with my guitars too...and hell yes!! The sound is killer to my ears. I like it more then the Guitar Soul Food pedals i saw in Demos. 😁👍
Sometimes, gear designed for one instrument can be equally good on something it was not designed for. Certain fuzz pedals or EQs sometimes sound great on other instruments. Fuzz layered with a drum mix can be nice and grungy! Distorting a reverb can make it pop out of a mix. There's all sorts of things we need to experiment with. Perhaps I should do a video on that. 🤔
Still using my Pathfinder 15R after 21 years. Never needed a repair apart from cleaning the contacts. Only practice amp I have had or needed. Beginner's luck I guess.
@@TheToneLounge The AC15 is my preferred, but the price and size of the Pathfinder could convince me to go the other way. I do plan on picking up one of the two at some point. Thanks for the great content.
To me.. it just shows how important the speaker you use is. I replaced the speaker in my Princeton reissue to an alnico gold..and put a celestion blue in my ac15. Transformed both amps...for the better.
Interesting. They sounded closer than I expected. The AC15 seems to have more mids, at least on some settings. The fuzz sounded great through the Pathfinder, but that Treble Booster through the AC15 was killer. I haven’t seen a Pathfinder 15R in the wild, but I’ll keep an eye out for it.
@@TheToneLoungeFound a pathfinder 15r on goodwill's site for $100 a while back, it's an incredible value and I use it all the time through an '80s mesa 1x12
The Path has an 8" speaker, but I'll tell you what, you're still not wrong because it _sounds_ like a 10" speaker. The way Vox made the cabinet makes the speaker's best qualities shine through. edit: Of all pedals, the Treble Booster sounded the worst with the Pathfinder. I thought it would be the dang *fuzz!*
Same old sad story here, I had a Pathfinder 15, sold it back in 2012 and wish I never did. I had the AC4 also a good amp but the Pathfinder was unappreciated at the time. My bad..... looking for another
But not the speakers included in each cabinet? Pathfinder has an 8" and the AC15. Very similar sounds from your cabinet. How do the included 8 and 12 sound in a side by side? Thanks.
With their stock speakers they sound very, very different. The smaller speaker and smaller cab size of the Pathfinder 15 make it sound thin compared to the AC15. That's why I wanted to compare the circuits through a common cab. This way we minimize the differences and showcase how awesome both amps really are.
Yes, 8" speaker in the Pathfinder. I have one that I bought for $60 about 4 years ago and it's incredible. The reverb is not that great, but use an Oceans 11 to overcome that.
Yeah, it is. These little amps have a bit of a cult following. I never knew why. Now I get it. It's a great little budget amp that requires very little servicing, and can take pedals extremely well. Paired with the right speaker, it's a hell of an amp.
Thank you. Amazing how good the P15R sounds. Have we been duped into believing bigger and more expensivet tube amps sound better that solid state? @@TheToneLounge
Honestly, pathfinder is the best worth for money. AC15 in some ocasions is better but it doesn't worth 3 times the price, it's not 3 times better, maybe 0,5 better or 1x better
⚡ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:
🔴 VFP series: ua-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1kfdYcyp8bvHttqkPinQ2Wt.html
🔴 AC15 series: ua-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
I got a Pathfinder 15 a few years ago and wondered why they discontinued it shortly after. Clearly, it was sucking sales from more expensive Vox products
It was the dawn of the 'Cheapskate Guitarist Cult.' 👻
Totally awesome!!! I couldn’t hear a difference until you used the fuzz pedal, honestly with the pedals the Pathfinder sounded like it had more low end and the AC15 sounded thinner. And the pathfinder was much juicier with the treble booster. Overall I say the the pathfinder was the clear winner as far as I can tell over UA-cam. Small correction, the pathfinder has an 8” speaker not a 10”. And if you plug it into a 2x12 - you will be blown away!!! Love this stuff.
Yeah, you have to be careful what 2x12 you plug into. I plugged the Pathfinder into my Bad Cat 2x12 and had some issues. It's those pesky ohms we have to be careful of.
I owned the Vox AC15. Sold it when I heard the Pathfinder…
I now own 3 Pathfinder 15R’s. One for home practice. The other two I run as a stereo rig for gigs. Amps are set fairly clean with the booster off. Use pedals for overdrive. Send the line out of one of the amps (not the headphone out, it sucks) to the PA (which mimics and nails the pathfinder tone) to allow for room coverage if needed. Big and small gigs are no problem. Enough said. 👍
I have both. I use the Pathfinder 15R for smaller gigs due to the speaker being naturally smaller and the amp has a less headroom. Phenomenal amp for what it does. Get one if you can.
I have my eye out for a second one.
Man I was gonna say something similar to this but you beat me to it. The Pathfinder is awesome and I’m glad I was able to get one for 60 bucks a few years ago locally.
Intelligently done! Thank you so much.
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic comparison!! Love both amps, AC15 is such a great amp….like a big British Princeton with gain. The Pathfinder never should’ve been discontinued. Also fantastic sounding for the size, weight, and price.
The sound you make using the compressor is amazing... love it
Glad you like it!
Do you know VOX AC15VR? Is it similar?
Congratulations, excellent work, I read the comments, very positive...
For me this demonstrates that you are on the right path!!! See how amazing a solid state is...👏👏✌✌🤘🤘
I keep an open mind about gear. Price and name brand can sometimes indicate quality and reliability, but sometimes it does not. Vox makes great stuff, so why would their solid state amps not be good too?
@@TheToneLounge Yes, that's the way, open mind!!!👏👏👏👏
Great comparison, pertfect...both are amazing amps with very different prices....
Yes they are! Did you have a favorite?
hey hey hey! long time no see... sounds damn good, extra mids and they compliment each other nicely actually
as I would suspect, I would likely use it for dirt tones as opposed to cleans, unless I was seeking the less dynamic cleans of the pathfinder to get a tone I was seeking
Germany, 7 o clock AM
Jonathan: compares two amps, starts playing Sabbath riff
Me: immediately forgett about the comparrision, start headbanging and sing the vocal line along 😂😂😂
This was a realy cool comparrision 👍👍 the idea with the external speaker cab was great. I knew that the Pathfinders are great little gems before but i did not expected that they will be so close to each other. Shure there are differences but not in a good ore bad way..just differences. To my ears the AC15 has aittle bit more chime to the overall sound and the treble boost suits the AC15 better. The crunch/distortion channel on the Pathfinder is a little bit weak in my opinion but i dont care too much about the distortion channels because i get my crunch/distortion from an EHX Bass Soul Food...yes it is the Bass version...i bought it for my Bass because my bass amp has no distortion/crunch channel and i needed one for some Joy Division stuff and things like that..the guy sold it for 30€ so it was a no brainer for me. At home intried it with my guitars too...and hell yes!! The sound is killer to my ears. I like it more then the Guitar Soul Food pedals i saw in Demos. 😁👍
Sometimes, gear designed for one instrument can be equally good on something it was not designed for. Certain fuzz pedals or EQs sometimes sound great on other instruments. Fuzz layered with a drum mix can be nice and grungy! Distorting a reverb can make it pop out of a mix. There's all sorts of things we need to experiment with. Perhaps I should do a video on that. 🤔
I have a Pathfinder 10 and wish I had the discontinued 15R available instead. What a shame Vox stopped making them.
Still using my Pathfinder 15R after 21 years. Never needed a repair apart from cleaning the contacts. Only practice amp I have had or needed. Beginner's luck I guess.
Nice playing and comparison, both are great amps.
Thanks Jack! I agree. If you had to choose, which one would you pick?
@@TheToneLounge The AC15 is my preferred, but the price and size of the Pathfinder could convince me to go the other way. I do plan on picking up one of the two at some point. Thanks for the great content.
To me.. it just shows how important the speaker you use is. I replaced the speaker in my Princeton reissue to an alnico gold..and put a celestion blue in my ac15. Transformed both amps...for the better.
I agree. The speaker, to me at least, is more important than tube upgrades.
I've found one Pathfinder 15R for 100 bucks. After that video, I m considering to buy it.
Do it!
Did you buy it??
Interesting. They sounded closer than I expected. The AC15 seems to have more mids, at least on some settings. The fuzz sounded great through the Pathfinder, but that Treble Booster through the AC15 was killer. I haven’t seen a Pathfinder 15R in the wild, but I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Yeah, if you can find one, I highly recommend it. Even at 150-200 bucks they are well worth it.
@@TheToneLoungeFound a pathfinder 15r on goodwill's site for $100 a while back, it's an incredible value and I use it all the time through an '80s mesa 1x12
The Path has an 8" speaker, but I'll tell you what, you're still not wrong because it _sounds_ like a 10" speaker. The way Vox made the cabinet makes the speaker's best qualities shine through.
edit: Of all pedals, the Treble Booster sounded the worst with the Pathfinder. I thought it would be the dang *fuzz!*
WIth a little eq and compression the pathfinder can get even closer. Did you get the drive only with the gain knob or used the boost?
@@ClaudioRicardo-c1q I didn't use the boost
Does anyone know if the Vox Cambridge Twin 30 Reverb's clean channel is the same as the Pathfinder?
Google seemed not to know anything.
Hopefully someone will know.
Same old sad story here, I had a Pathfinder 15, sold it back in 2012 and wish I never did. I had the AC4 also a good amp but the Pathfinder was unappreciated at the time. My bad..... looking for another
Here's hoping you find another one, Jim. It would pair well with that AC4 for a stereo setup!
Vox Pathfinder 15r has an 8" speaker.
Correct! I sometimes say nonsense for some reason, I'm just happy to have people to clarify those details for me. :)
😯 very similar!
Yeah, they are. :)
Can you add the reverb pedal to that Pathfinder 15 V9158 ?
Cause it does not have built in reverb like the Pathifinder 15R V9168.
The Pathfinder does not have an FX loop but you can definitely use a reverb pedal with it.
Well, I have a Pathfinder 15R. After that, I would never drop the $$ on the AC 15.
But not the speakers included in each cabinet? Pathfinder has an 8" and the AC15. Very similar sounds from your cabinet. How do the included 8 and 12 sound in a side by side? Thanks.
With their stock speakers they sound very, very different. The smaller speaker and smaller cab size of the Pathfinder 15 make it sound thin compared to the AC15. That's why I wanted to compare the circuits through a common cab. This way we minimize the differences and showcase how awesome both amps really are.
You are not correct about the 10 inch speaker in the pathfinder, it is actually a 8 inch speaker. Thanks for the nice video
Thanks for the info! I do get some things wrong sometimes, ask my wife ;)
Yes, 8" speaker in the Pathfinder. I have one that I bought for $60 about 4 years ago and it's incredible. The reverb is not that great, but use an Oceans 11 to overcome that.
What song are you playing during the clean tone demos?
Just something I came up with for the video.
i preferred the ac15 on most things but the fuzz sounded better on pathfinder!! and the cleans sounded very comparable. great value for money that.
Yeah, it is. These little amps have a bit of a cult following. I never knew why. Now I get it. It's a great little budget amp that requires very little servicing, and can take pedals extremely well. Paired with the right speaker, it's a hell of an amp.
Vox pathfinder 15r has a 8 inch speaker.
Thanks for the clarification.
Are we still waiting for the Pathfinder vs AC4 shootout?
It's filmed and ready to go. It's due for release on June 4th, but I could be swayed into releasing it sooner. 😉
@@TheToneLounge sooner would be awesome, Jonathan!
That compressor is amazing but too expensive, besides I use mini pedals and I wouldn't have space for it.
It would be awesome in a mini format
Just to confirm, you recored them both through the cab correct?
Yes!
Thank you. Amazing how good the P15R sounds. Have we been duped into believing bigger and more expensivet tube amps sound better that solid state? @@TheToneLounge
Honestly, pathfinder is the best worth for money. AC15 in some ocasions is better but it doesn't worth 3 times the price, it's not 3 times better, maybe 0,5 better or 1x better
I see your point. My main issue with my Pathfinder is that it is really picky with exterior cabs. This is my second time blowing it up.
Is this a Pathfinder 15r?
No, just the 15 none reverb version.
The Pathfinder speaker is 8" not 10"
Indeed.
What this shows you is that a good solid state amp is as good as any amp. But you do have to eq them differently.
A great circuit, is a great circuit. Paired with a great speaker, there is no way a SS amp can't sound awesome.
heard no difference .....i own a pathfinder for 13 years now and i now know i dont need an ac 15
There you go! Do you use any pedals with yours?
@@TheToneLounge yeah i use a comp , a reverb , and a chorus
pathfinder blows the AC15c away (for me) ...Much more body and ballsy
It's a very capable amp!
+20 drop dead legs
same amps
crank them up a little, the AC-15 will bury the pathfinder... un fair comparison
True. However, mic'ed up in a mix? Not sure it would be so unfair.