Hi there
I currently use a Stagg 10 watt amp and am looking to upgrade while not increasing the footprint of my amp greatly.
I've heard good things about the Pathfinder 10 - what do people on here think? I've asked previously about amps on here but, now that I have got some decent practice under my belt and picked up a few pedals, I have a better idea of what I'd like.
The thing is, the Stagg sounds quite good on certain settings. I'm not convinced it does well with pedals though, but that could just be my perception. It's many years since I owned a "proper" amp.
The Vox appeals to me as it looks the part, is below £100 and I believe it handles pedals quite well. I'm under no illusions that I'm going to emulating my guitar heroes with it, but I would like my focus to shift from my amp as something I'd like to/ need to upgrade.
Martin
Comments
I took the Stagg apart when I got it and it seems quite well built for what it is.
Vox small amps usually have good speakers - a good match for the combo anyway. If you can find a Pathfinder 15, I'm sure you would be very happy with it. They are a bit over 100 now, but it's money well spent. There's no shortage of small practice amps these days and some of them get excellent reviews. I tried the Blackstar ID Core a while ago and it was very good and had stereo with a big wide sound.
If you want to actually upgrade, spend a little more on a small valve amp like a Blackstar HT1/5, or get a Vox AC4.
Budget would be £100 - £150. Space is a big issue so picking up amp x for a good price second hand wont work if it's a big one. The pathfinder seemed a good choice based on size.
I wont be gigging any time soon. I am more likely to record at home, and at the moment I am studying for o e of the rock school exams.
Genre is a tricky one. I definitely want to approximate J Mascis' sound as well as Johnny Cash, half man half biscuit... (in the living room) and I guess i would do that with effects.
I also had a VOX AC4tv and it was probably the most disappointing amp I’ve ever had. Harsh, boxy, grating, poorly made and impossible to get a nice sound at home levels. I tried changing Valves and speakers and it didn’t help. This is my own subjective opinion of course but the Pathfinder was better in every respect IMO.
FWIW, the bass player in my band has the Pathfinder 10 and is pretty happy with it, I can’t say I’ve tried one to compare to the 15r though
You can still find them cheap on Facebook and Gumtree if you look about though. I paid a mighty twenty quid for a very tidy 15R from a bloke down the road from me last year! And even now, I can see there's one on Facebook ads for £40. (It is Kilmarnock, mind.)
Fender Champion 40?
Problem with Facebook is I'm not on it! But I will keep an eye out for the pathfinder 15 on gumtree etc.
My main go to at home amp is a Vox Cambridge , it will make nice noises, two channels, two foot switches, tremolo and spring reverb, its not that much bigger than the PathFinder but its a totally better amp by miles.
Looking for its spec I found this,
''I know there were two iterations of this amp. The first run from serial number "0" to about 600 were under powered and had some components that weren't ideal for the circuit.''
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/vox-cambridge-30.1506576/