I`m getting a Yamaha TRBX174 tomorrow, and I would like a small amp to use with it. I will only use it for practice in my bedroom and I wont be playing loud because of close neighbours.
I can get a Vox Pathfinder 10 for a relativly cheap price. Does anybody have any experience with this amp? Would you recommend it, or should I run the other way?
I was thinking about a Vox Amplug and headphones, but I want to avoid sound directly into my ear because of some old hearing damage.
Looking at the positive reviews it doesnāt seem like a bad purchase. I had a Vox VX50BA as my starting amp. That thing was small, nice look and with 50W it could actually go really loud. Loved that thing!
This Vox Pathfinder is 10 watt so it wonāt go very loud and has an open back so the sound could be a bit hollow because the sound will disperse front and back. You most likely wonāt be getting much low-end out of this but for an affordable starting/practice amp it will be fine.
If you are willing to spend a little bit more I would suggest aiming for 25 watt minimal. For example the Fender Rumble 25 is a really good buy.
I have a Pathfinder 10 Bass that I bought several years ago and put in the attic shortly afterwards when I upgraded. Your question inspired me to dig it out to see what I think of it today. This wonāt be a very full review because Iāve literally taken five minutes out from work to quickly noodle on it.
Firstly itās a good looking amp. It doesnāt ālookā like a cheap amp. The case is solid wood, it has a proper fabric grill cloth and a nice red metal control panel on the top like the old vintage Voxās. That said itās not light. I reckon it weighs as much as my Ampeg Pf-500 amp head.
Control wise you get drive, treble, bass and volume, a bright boost and a headphone socket. There is only one input so no second padded input. I donāt know it your Yammy is passive or active but if its quite a hot active bass you might want to look for an amp with a second padded input. I wouldnāt want to put a hot bass in a Pathfinder. speaker-wise it comes with 2 four inch drivers
As far as sounds go it produces a fairly clean tone at low volume which is perfect for practice. I only put my passive Jazz through it but I couldnāt really get a great deal of tone variations out of it even with the bright boost and cut. I was hoping to be able to get a bit of crunch by manipulating the drive with the volume but at higher volumes the sound just gets nasty and ill-defined.
The most distracting thing about this is that it does indeed have a fairly hollow sound as Paul mentioned, almost like there is a bit of constant reverb dialled in - no doubt due to the open back but it can get a bit annoying (unless you really like hollow reverb Shadows/Beach Boys type sounds).
I would think carefully about buying one. If all you want is a low volume practice amp it will fulfill that brief, but that is all it will ever do. The thing with modern D class amps is that they are fully scalable and sound just as good at any volume. My Ampeg PF-500 could blow the roof off the house if it was fully cranked but I can also turn it down so that itās whisper quiet, probably quieter than the Pathfinder in fact.
I guess what I am saying is that there is no need to limit your choice of amp just because you want something for quiet practice - budget allowing of course. If budget is critical the Vox is probably a good buy to get you started until you can upgradeā¦ The only other amps I can think of in this sector are things like the Blackstar Fly and although Iāve never played one Iāve heard so many bad things about it that Iām sure the Vox would be a better purchase.
The Blackstar Fly Bass amp is really not that bad if you know what you are buying. Itās actually one of the few micro amp solutions out there and it really doesnāt sound that bad for itās size. Itās a fun little thing that fits in one hand but it doesnāt hold a stick to any amp that can produce low-end. I would say itās an ideal solution for hotel rooms or jamming outside but for home practice I would recommend to look for a better amp. For about 60 dollar/euros more you can buy a Fender Rumble 25.
Fair comment Paul. As I said I have no experience of the Fly, Iām merely going by reviews I have read, possibly from people who expect the world out of a little practice amp. I would totally agree though that unless you really do want ultra-portability or are on an extremely restricted budget such small amps make little sense when things like the Rumble 25 are available for very little more. Mind you, I am currently gassing for a Fender Bassman 800 and 6x10 cab but then I donāt care about my neighbours so iām probably the last person who should be recommending quiet practice amps
No worries! I just felt bad for the little blackstar haha. The Fender Bassman 800 is one of the best amps I have ever heard. It sounded so deep and warm.
Thank you very much for the responses guys!
I invewsted a little more cash and went for the Fender Rumble 15W. Availability and AUX-in was the determining factor.
I bought this amp 2nd hand when I first started playing. It will get you going but the best upgrade I have done so far is to get something with a bigger speaker a 10 at least mine has a 1 x 12 - it does make a big difference and inspires you to play.
The Vox has 2 x 4 I think, its ok if you bring the drive up a little but the bright switch sounds awful so stay away from that!
I still use mine to play drum loops though and tracks whilst Iām, practicing - a cheap monitor I guess.
