To learn how to dial in the Vox Pathfinder 10 clean tone, (and to see exclusive videos on other great amps) please sign up for my free newsletter: mailchi.mp/f93b8bb33c64/get-more-exclusive-amp-videos Question of the Day: What else would you like to know about the Vox Pathfinder 10?
One mod that would very likely be a game changer with regard to the gain function on the drive/dirt channel would be to add a 1/4" speaker out jack. It's super easy to turn any small combo amp into a beast this way. A screwdriver, a 3/8" drill bit, a soldering iron and a couple hours of your time. There are some good tutorials on how to do it I did this mod to my Fender Champion 20 and that little amp went from a very high quality practice amp to something that, when I run it into a larger cab, rivals some of my favorite tube amps. I suspect that this Vox amp would perform similarly driving a bigger cab.
I saw this amp on Amazon for $109 and your video has me even more interested in picking one up. I’ve always used fender amps, typically 2x12 tube combos but have always been a fan of small solid state practice amps. I have an old frontman reverb that I use occasionally for recording in situations that my twin reverb isn’t suited for. I’ve been wanting a new small practice/recoding amp and had never heard of the pathfinder. I think your video has me convinced with those clean tones.
I like the crispy crunchy punch of the tone @ 4:15 The previous two gainy tones you tried sounded like they were trying to be big but we're losing tone as a result
I had the Pathfinder 15. Traded in in on an AC4 I sure wish I kept that solid state pathfinder. I should have paid full price on the AC4. Bummer. I feel your pain. ✌️
I have an AC15, and it also has no mid control. I just use an EQ pedal to boost the mids a lil whenever I need them, so you can probably do that with this amp as well
I modded this Amp to a really good little thing, but I must admit that it took me months to figure out how. And i swapped the speaker to a Celestion. This Amp is great, for practice and as a pedal platform, and, if you do mods, a wonderful small rocking thing. Don't want it to sound tubelike. They made it to span clean (wich is wonderful from the start) with high gain, so use it that way, or mod it. It's easy. Cost is about €20.- for the electronics and then a Celestion 8/15 speaker (€ 39,- ). I did not only the LED-mod, but changed also some capacitors and resistors, please see UA-cam and the modding sites. You will have an earlier and more defined "breakup" in the clean channel and a smoother overdrive in the second channel. Check out the mods for yourselves, I will not give data for the parts, as I think everyone should respect his/her Amps and find out his/her own tone. A beautiful curcuit, believe me, it is easy.
I was wondering: have you considered doing a demo of pedals (including with this amp) for gaining FX, as an alternative/workaround in the absence of FX on this amp?
I had the Vox parhfinder 3 years ago and it was awsome. Planning to buy a new one found your channel and I decided to the Orange Crush12 , I received it today and I noticed white noise or humling when the treble is up. Is that normal?
Helped a lot. I don't need 100 effects that a model amp has and especially since I use cleans, the overdrive channel won't be a problem for me. Great review!
Amps like Fender, Vox, Marshal, and others have their own specific sound. It is just how the amps were made in the older days and that sound became what they were noted for. Question is how does the Pathfinder compare to the Vox AC10, 20, or 30 in its tone. If I wanted to sound like a Marshal stack only a Marshal stack will sound like a Marshal stack and same goes with a Fender, Roland, even old Gibson amps.
Nice to see an honest vid like this. Waiting on this vox and have a Fender champr20 … all for a Gretsch electro. No worries for me about crisp or crunch.. just looking for how deep I can take a clean. Total amp Noob, 1st elect. After 30 yrs w Martin dreads
Good demo, critical and constructive. I think I would like it to have a specific sound, even with the hars treble and fizzy drive. But if you want a more rounded, normal sound it could be a problem. You pointed it out very good without judging.
I have a Boss Katana Mini and love the cleans and slightly overdriven tones on that. But I also want something a bit bigger/louder and more flexible to use at home. Thinking 20W. Currently I’m testing Blackstar ID core Beam. I’m liking it but loving it. The rich and full clean tones are most important for me. What would be better for supreme cleans? Fender Mustang or Champion?
Great video. Very informative too. I do agree on some of the things you mentioned such as when you push the gain on the overdrive, sounds like too fuzzy. I am looking to buy this so your video helps a lot so thx for posting and God bless. Rock on dude.
You said to comment, so - who da fork cranks dials to 9 and then complains? I'm gonna have to look for a realistic review of this amp. I have the bass one, absolutely love it.
Vox amps are traditionally kind of trebly, but that is also the case with a Telecaster. Maybe the treble range works better when playing a Les Paul? Too bad they discontinued the Pathfinder 15 R, that seems like the perfect practice amp.
Thanks for the great review of the Vox Pathfinder 10. Your review of the Fender Champion 20 convinced me to buy it as my first electric guitar amp and it is indeed fantastic. I wonder what you would suggest for a beginner acoustic amp as I recently purchased an Alvarez acoustic-electric guitar? I've tried it with the Fender and it sounds good, but I don't know if a real acoustic amp would sound better. Thanks again for all your great reviews!
Been playing dry as a bone now for like 15 years sheeeez since 2006 , baby. Funny thing is I in my early days, I played with heavy effects. ha ha stereo rack gear , a BB Sonic Maximizer, Furman Power Supply, DOD delys, Roland JC Chorus 120 ha!. Then later on I wanted to try dry as a bone as an exercise guitar mastery. From heavy efx to then dry as a bone. Yep. Proud of it, too. Cheers! ps Michael T Wyman in L.A. - Hollywood
I will be starting a series of videos in 3 weeks dealing with what pedals to choose, and how they interact with different amps (including this one!) Thank you for watching and commenting!
I got a Pathfinder as my first amp in 2001 the first pedals I bought was a boss Blues driver. I have moved on ampwise since then but the BD-2 has remained
I bought one of these for £40 very slightly second hand. My intention was to throw it in my bedroom as I have health problems which can confine me to my pit for a few days at a time. However, i accidentally discovered a use for this amp that you just wouldn't think of. Clean channel, everything at noon and use it as a small power amp for your modeller / guitar processor. I've tried this with the Zoom G5n, Boss GT-1 and the Boss GX-100. Obviously its not as good as a decent FRFR powered speaker, but it's a respectable noise for low volume use.
I bought one second hand and hated it immediately. I'd listened to youtube videos and thought I could get decent sound out of it but couldn't. Swapped it for an old marshall 8020. The reverb is dead but it's a much nicer amp. I don't understand why people buy new beginner amps when there are hundreds for sale second hand for next to no money.
Plus light as a feather.Phenomenal when mic'd for recording...Would love an FX LOOP..And the lack of that is not being picky but MADDER THAN HELL AT THE COMPANY FOR NEVER ADDING THEM. THE LINE OUT IS HORRIBLE ..
Agreed! They will hear it, but the headphone jack is fantastic. It has been optimized as a line out jack for recording! Thank you for watching and commenting!
I found this amp at a Goodwill for 10 bucks. I agree with your assessment, it sounds wonderful clean but the gain channel is kind of meh. For 10 bucks though I can't complain.
crunch channel is consider an effect mid is not on alot of high brand names its part of the tone and voiceing .. i get you love to review stuff but you need to understand to why things are designed the way they are ,
For $110 it is a KING..Adjust to what you like.If you add too much treble it is your fault. How can you say " PICKY " when it is your poor adjustment..For $110 it is a KING !
This is a great amp for $110. I will be revisiting it soon and make some adjustments to my settings and see if I still feel the same way. Thank you for watching and commenting!
To learn how to dial in the Vox Pathfinder 10 clean tone, (and to see exclusive videos on other great amps) please sign up for my free newsletter: mailchi.mp/f93b8bb33c64/get-more-exclusive-amp-videos
Question of the Day: What else would you like to know about the Vox Pathfinder 10?
Can u record yourself, and how. Can u show how u can use it for that use.
How can I get a black metal clean sound ?
I have the pathfinder and a fx peddle
One mod that would very likely be a game changer with regard to the gain function on the drive/dirt channel would be to add a 1/4" speaker out jack. It's super easy to turn any small combo amp into a beast this way. A screwdriver, a 3/8" drill bit, a soldering iron and a couple hours of your time. There are some good tutorials on how to do it I did this mod to my Fender Champion 20 and that little amp went from a very high quality practice amp to something that, when I run it into a larger cab, rivals some of my favorite tube amps. I suspect that this Vox amp would perform similarly driving a bigger cab.
It is a known MOD now - using this amp as a head with a cabinet and a G12M Greenback - 12 inch 25W rated speaker
It's a great amp for pedals! Takes them so well huge plus that you could hit on. As for a negative, lack of reverb was one for me.
Check out the famous Pathfinder 10 LED mod. Vastly improves the amp in overdrive mode.
I love this amp. I have the Union Jack one. It is a joy to play with and it looks like a collectible item.
I saw this amp on Amazon for $109 and your video has me even more interested in picking one up. I’ve always used fender amps, typically 2x12 tube combos but have always been a fan of small solid state practice amps. I have an old frontman reverb that I use occasionally for recording in situations that my twin reverb isn’t suited for. I’ve been wanting a new small practice/recoding amp and had never heard of the pathfinder. I think your video has me convinced with those clean tones.
What frontman are you having? I have the frontman pr241 reverb amp
I like the crispy crunchy punch of the tone @ 4:15
The previous two gainy tones you tried sounded like they were trying to be big but we're losing tone as a result
i had this exact amp and sold it/traded up for a bigger one. kinda regret that. now i'm shopping again for an amp of this size.
Just buy another Pathfinder 10. You'll have no regrets.
I had the Pathfinder 15.
Traded in in on an AC4
I sure wish I kept that solid state pathfinder.
I should have paid full price on the AC4.
Bummer. I feel your pain. ✌️
Got one! I have snipped the LEDs, but hardly played it recently, after buying a secondhand Bryce HX30!?
Exactly
Actually persuaded me to get the amp. Nice little box for home stuffs.
Great review. Straight into it, giving demos and leaving it open for us to decide for ourselves 👌
I like the high gain tone.
Been using this little amp for the passed three years,,,best bedroom amp ive ever had...
I have an AC15, and it also has no mid control. I just use an EQ pedal to boost the mids a lil whenever I need them, so you can probably do that with this amp as well
I modded this Amp to a really good little thing, but I must admit that it took me months to figure out how. And i swapped the speaker to a Celestion. This Amp is great, for practice and as a pedal platform, and, if you do mods, a wonderful small rocking thing. Don't want it to sound tubelike. They made it to span clean (wich is wonderful from the start) with high gain, so use it that way, or mod it. It's easy. Cost is about €20.- for the electronics and then a Celestion 8/15 speaker (€ 39,- ). I did not only the LED-mod, but changed also some capacitors and resistors, please see UA-cam and the modding sites. You will have an earlier and more defined "breakup" in the clean channel and a smoother overdrive in the second channel. Check out the mods for yourselves, I will not give data for the parts, as I think everyone should respect his/her Amps and find out his/her own tone. A beautiful curcuit, believe me, it is easy.
I love your vids thanks for everything because of you i learned more about amps and guitar
My pleasure! Thank you for watching and commenting!
Pure, good analog amp. Thank you Vox, and to you, for a spiffy review
solid state
im planning on buy a secondhand and your video is really helpful for me :D i like your energy too
I was wondering: have you considered doing a demo of pedals (including with this amp) for gaining FX, as an alternative/workaround in the absence of FX on this amp?
Yes! I am working on that now but it will be a while before it is released. Thank you for watching and commenting!
I had the Vox parhfinder 3 years ago and it was awsome. Planning to buy a new one found your channel and I decided to the Orange Crush12 , I received it today and I noticed white noise or humling when the treble is up. Is that normal?
Helped a lot. I don't need 100 effects that a model amp has and especially since I use cleans, the overdrive channel won't be a problem for me. Great review!
Amps like Fender, Vox, Marshal, and others have their own specific sound. It is just how the amps were made in the older days and that sound became what they were noted for. Question is how does the Pathfinder compare to the Vox AC10, 20, or 30 in its tone. If I wanted to sound like a Marshal stack only a Marshal stack will sound like a Marshal stack and same goes with a Fender, Roland, even old Gibson amps.
How could I get the Vox sound on a champion 40 ?
Nice to see an honest vid like this. Waiting on this vox and have a Fender champr20 … all for a Gretsch electro. No worries for me about crisp or crunch.. just looking for how deep I can take a clean. Total amp Noob, 1st elect. After 30 yrs w Martin dreads
Good demo, critical and constructive. I think I would like it to have a specific sound, even with the hars treble and fizzy drive. But if you want a more rounded, normal sound it could be a problem. You pointed it out very good without judging.
Can I connect this to a bigger amp like fender champion 100? Or will it degrade the tone?
Can you connect a phone to it to play along with a backing track? Thanks
I have a Boss Katana Mini and love the cleans and slightly overdriven tones on that. But I also want something a bit bigger/louder and more flexible to use at home. Thinking 20W. Currently I’m testing Blackstar ID core Beam. I’m liking it but loving it. The rich and full clean tones are most important for me. What would be better for supreme cleans? Fender Mustang or Champion?
I’m having trouble getting my loop pedal connected to this amp (I have the Vox version v9106)
Great video. Very informative too. I do agree on some of the things you mentioned such as when you push the gain on the overdrive, sounds like too fuzzy. I am looking to buy this so your video helps a lot so thx for posting and God bless. Rock on dude.
You said to comment, so - who da fork cranks dials to 9 and then complains? I'm gonna have to look for a realistic review of this amp. I have the bass one, absolutely love it.
Another advantage of this amp is the excellent sound quality through the headphone jack. It’s great for recording.
Great to have you back, by the way!
You are right! I almost included that feature in the list!
Also, good to be back!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Vox amps are traditionally kind of trebly, but that is also the case with a Telecaster. Maybe the treble range works better when playing a Les Paul? Too bad they discontinued the Pathfinder 15 R, that seems like the perfect practice amp.
Thanks for the great review of the Vox Pathfinder 10. Your review of the Fender Champion 20 convinced me to buy it as my first electric guitar amp and it is indeed fantastic. I wonder what you would suggest for a beginner acoustic amp as I recently purchased an Alvarez acoustic-electric guitar? I've tried it with the Fender and it sounds good, but I don't know if a real acoustic amp would sound better. Thanks again for all your great reviews!
Whats a cheap amp for a grunge player
It would be nice to see a video on the Mooer black and white amps from you! They are also great inexpensive amps...
Like the 15w or 30w ones?
I'm just looking for a cheap amp that'll get me close to SRV's tune, doesn't have to bw perfect
Been playing dry as a bone now for like 15 years sheeeez since 2006 , baby. Funny thing is I in my early days, I played with heavy effects. ha ha stereo rack gear , a BB Sonic Maximizer, Furman Power Supply, DOD delys, Roland JC Chorus 120 ha!. Then later on I wanted to try dry as a bone as an exercise guitar mastery. From heavy efx to then dry as a bone. Yep. Proud of it, too. Cheers! ps Michael T Wyman in L.A. - Hollywood
Very cool man! Thank you for watching and commenting!
None of the negatives are a problem. Anyone using this amp will most likely be using effects with eq. As long the overall tone is good, no big issues.
Question - I have one these. What Pedals in your opinion work well with it?
I will be starting a series of videos in 3 weeks dealing with what pedals to choose, and how they interact with different amps (including this one!) Thank you for watching and commenting!
I got a Pathfinder as my first amp in 2001 the first pedals I bought was a boss Blues driver. I have moved on ampwise since then but the BD-2 has remained
Removing a cap and 2 leds The amp sounds really really good.
removing what kind of cap?? and what is that mean "2 leds"
@@blah3624 ua-cam.com/video/Go7Ncy8FKE0/v-deo.html
How does removing led make the sound better?
@@blah3624 some circuits use led as a components. Not the led for the indication On Off
@@blah3624 this is the capacitor ua-cam.com/video/rRAv76ylAcI/v-deo.html
I bought one of these for £40 very slightly second hand. My intention was to throw it in my bedroom as I have health problems which can confine me to my pit for a few days at a time. However, i accidentally discovered a use for this amp that you just wouldn't think of. Clean channel, everything at noon and use it as a small power amp for your modeller / guitar processor. I've tried this with the Zoom G5n, Boss GT-1 and the Boss GX-100. Obviously its not as good as a decent FRFR powered speaker, but it's a respectable noise for low volume use.
I bought one second hand and hated it immediately. I'd listened to youtube videos and thought I could get decent sound out of it but couldn't. Swapped it for an old marshall 8020. The reverb is dead but it's a much nicer amp. I don't understand why people buy new beginner amps when there are hundreds for sale second hand for next to no money.
Agree. Only clean on this amp, don't touch the distortion button. 🔊 🤮
You must rip out the LEDs for it to rock
Underrated comment. I've done it to mine as soon as I've got it, so much more headroom now!
Can you play van halen stuff with this
Plus light as a feather.Phenomenal when mic'd for recording...Would love an FX LOOP..And the lack of that is not being picky but MADDER THAN HELL AT THE COMPANY FOR NEVER ADDING THEM. THE LINE OUT IS HORRIBLE ..
4:50 Yes i'm a mid controller too !
How loud it is? Lets say that you are in small apartament with neibours just behind a wall. If i put max volume you think they will hear it?
i have it about 7months theyyy willll but you can buy headphones for amp they are not expensive
Agreed! They will hear it, but the headphone jack is fantastic. It has been optimized as a line out jack for recording!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I found this amp at a Goodwill for 10 bucks. I agree with your assessment, it sounds wonderful clean but the gain channel is kind of meh. For 10 bucks though I can't complain.
Gotta demo with other guitars, baby, cheers!
Can you play metal on this?
As I have used this amp more, I would not choose this one for metal. You can get a higher gain tone, but it is not my favorite in this price range.
@@5MinuteMusic vox pathfinder 10 and marshall mg15fx and fender champion 20
which is better for metal?
crunch channel is consider an effect mid is not on alot of high brand names its part of the tone and voiceing .. i get you love to review stuff but you need to understand to why things are designed the way they are ,
For $110 it is a KING..Adjust to what you like.If you add too much treble it is your fault. How can you say " PICKY " when it is your poor adjustment..For $110 it is a KING !
This is a great amp for $110. I will be revisiting it soon and make some adjustments to my settings and see if I still feel the same way. Thank you for watching and commenting!
I use to have the same amp and the clean is good but in my opinion the gain sounds like s***. But it takes the pedals pretty good for a tiny thing
turning up the treble sounded much better, at first it was way too bassy.....
Good job 5mm.
Jovanny Shoal
Let's hear you play the Vox PB10 Pathfinder, with guitar, not bass
This crunch is disgusting.
Yeah the clean is nice but the gain sucks
Creep
The clean tones are the real deal about this amp.
Put a low volume super overdrive in front of the clean channel. 🫠