Vox Pathfinder 15/15R

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NewYorkDave

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Jun 4, 2004
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New York (Hudson Valley)
This is a solid-state practice amp that was getting rave reviews from many quarters a couple of years ago. I'd be interested to see what's inside. Anyone got a schematic? I'm not interested in building a clone--why try to clone an amp you can buy for about $100? But I'm curious to see what might set this amp apart from similar mini-combos.
 
Better than the Peavey Rage I started on as a kid. At low settings, the reverb isn't bad, but it shows off cheap-spring sound at high settings. The trem doesn't go deep/intense enough for a real trem nut (me). It's setup as a one channel with gain, master, treb and bass, and a boost switch. It is not a clean or scream amp, and that seems to be its principle appeal. Without the boost, theres a pretty smooth transition into dirtier sounds. It doesn't sound very tubey or anything, but the way it acts is a bit more like a tube amp than most solid state amps.

It isn't particularly worthy of raves, IMO, but it's a good little starter amp with some useful sounds ready to go. Don't regret buying it, but when I have a cooler DIY chasis available, it'll probably get thrown into this cabinet, as it is pretty smooth on the cosmetics.

Bear
 
Maybe it is the stock speaker. Years ago a friend bought a bandmaster cab without speakers I installed a good set of speakers (I forget the brand and model) For fun we used a small peavey SS amp maybe ten watts. It did not sound that bad. I have tried small SS amps with a marshall 77 1960 cab they almost always sound better.

I think tubes are better than SS most of the time for guitar but I think alot of the SS "sound" could be due to the stock speakers.
 
I think its the speaker too.

A friend who is a bit of a guitar amp fetishist has one and bought it for the bulldog speaker... claims it is a big part of getting that VOX sound and I've heard his results driving that speaker with a fender champ and a marshall head... really good sounding guitar speaker.

He rarely if ever uses the amp.

Sleeper
 
Vox is brilliant to label it as a "Bulldog". It is not the classic alnico magnet formulation or vintage type construction. It might well be a good sounding example of a ceramic mag speaker (haven't done a/b-ing), but it most probably doesn't live up to the name fully.

Bear
 
I built an 18watt Voxish (Old Cambridge Reverb) type of amp last year. After a little tweaking (i.e. adding large cathode bypass caps for a meatier sound) I really like the tones I am getting from it.

And yes, a big part of the sound is the Weber Blue Dog Alnico I use with it. It did; however, take a bit of "breaking in" to really sweeten it up and get the classic Vox "chime".

Me likes it a lot. I am going to add reverb to it coming up here. I think I will make it into my main gigging amp though. It also sounds awesome cranked up and when you goose the front end with hot pickups for a pedal.

:thumb:
 
just checked the new vox "valvetronix" bottom feeder amp at a shop.
I think it was the 15 watt version, costs 225 euros here in gemany.

great little amp, and the various on board-FX were pretty tasty, too.

I also had a go at the earlier pathfinder amps mentioned in this thread and they really couldn't hold a candle.
they're still good one trick ponies and have an astonishingly creamy tone for a solid state amp.

my 2 cents.


michael
 
I think it uses one of those "power amp in a TO-220" things. A friend of mine had one that I took apart just out of curiosity. A few opamps, some cheap pots, plastic jacks and an integrated power amp. Not a bad amp for the price I'd say.
 
I'll check over at the musicstore tomorrow! Repaired a couple of them but I can't remember if I needed a scheamtics! TO-220 "car amp" IC and a under-rated speaker! Changed a couple of them!
 
Dave!
Do you still need the schematics? It was layin' on my bench when I arrived to the musicstore last friday! Think a customer have ordered it!
It don't say VOX on the schematics but it shure looks like a VOX cabinet.
Output device is a LM?2030 TO-220.
 
If you get a chance sould you check if the Amp uses current feedback? The speaker is used as a feedback element with current feedback.

Basicly the speaker is connected from the output to the inverting input and a low value resistor is connected from ground to the inverting input. The gain is the speaker (MESS) Z divided by the resistor to ground.

This can be a cool sound for SS because when you look at the speaker Z vs freg the gain changes EQ the overall reponse.
 
Here's the schematics I found at work!
http://www.vintagedesign.halmstad.net/schematics/Pathfinder15.pdf

Not the best copy but I hope it helps!
 
[quote author="Tekay"]Here's the schematics I found at work!
http://www.vintagedesign.halmstad.net/schematics/Pathfinder15.pdf

Not the best copy but I hope it helps![/quote]

Awesome, thanks for this!

I've got a Pathfinder 15R that is really stupid noisy. With the gain knob all the way down, when you turn the output knob up it's got quite a 120 Hz hum. Would be nice to clean that up a bit.

Also, I agree with Bear that the trem doesn't go deep enough, so that'd be a good mod to make while I have it cracked open.

Cheers,
Leigh
 
a long time ago we discute on ampage why a small practice amp sound so bad. the speaker on practice amps are bad and cheap probably this is the main cause of bad sound . the power supply have a poor regulation, less filter, more cheap the amp.

I can´t remmember how many times I open a cheap 15w amp to see if I can make something to get a better sound. finally I sold it .

the design is similar on epiphone , fender , peavy , etc . a couple of op amps on the pre and a chip power amp.

the best practice small amp that I have listened is the epiphone.
 

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