# Practise Amp Vox vs Roland



## jaggiegill (Mar 3, 2007)

Hi there everybody, I recently sold my First Act practice amp (I don't know why I still had this piece of junk lying around)







to buy a new one that can produce the tone that I'm looking for .

What I'm trying to achieve:

The Hendrix type 60's rock tone sdsre tube overdrive sound.

The modern day Steve Vai tone

Well I'm really looking for an amp that can kick out some nice different and customizable tones, nothing too digital like the Line 6 Spider or anything like that. 

A 15W amp that doesn't blow my budget of $150CAD

Something that I will have and cherish for a long time being a Beginner-Intermediate guitarist. 

The two choices that I came up with were the Vox Pathfinder 15R and the Roland Cube 15x. 

















My question is what will be a better "long run" and better sounding amp for my needs. If anyone has experience with these two amps please share it here. Any other suggestions appreciated!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

i dont think either of those will really do modern steve vai leads too too well, but im not too sure.

if you can find a 30W model with a 112 size, that would be your best bet. A/B the amps to see which one does the tones you want best


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## calluses (Nov 8, 2007)

pathfinder! pathfinder!

well...it's a beatles fan's (my) bias for vox.

but have you seen FEIST perform live with it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZZ1Gd5qjc4


i'd also look into the vox valvetronix series (AD15VT, for example) if you dig digital modellings. if you're into the whole brown grill cloth look, you can get the AD15VT modded with brown grill cloth at North Coast Music.


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## noobcake (Mar 8, 2006)

The Pathfinder is a fine practice amp, but it won't get you any where near modern Vai tones without the help of a pedal or two, the Cube at least can get you in the ballpark. The Vox AD15VT is also a fine alternative. But The Cube 20X and 30X are worth the extra coin, since they not only have more power than the 15x, but they also have a lot more features.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

You'd likely not regret getting either. The Vox maybe more to your liking, but from what I've read the Vox is more likely to have something go wrong.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...the pathfinder has it all over the roland for clean and mildly overdriven tones.

for steve vai settings, you might be better off with a processor.

or, a/b the roland cube series against the vox da series.

-dh


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## jaggiegill (Mar 3, 2007)

Thanks everybody for your opinions, at the end it came down to the Vox Pathfinder 15r !! I hear that the Vox AD15VT has some issues with quality and in many reviews I find and many music experts I've talked to , they say that the build quality on the high end Vox's have decreased a lot. If I'm not mistaken they are now made in China instead of Korea? 

Surprisingly the Steve Vai's sound comes from mostly the traditional Ibanez and Dimarzio setup , he usually only uses the Boss DS-1 to drive the Evo's and Breed pickups a bit more. I know this because I've tried the Evo's on my RG and the sound imitates that of a JEM about 90% of the way, they are awesome! 

I'm not a big fan of all the digital hoo-ha processor this, processor that stuff, a 1/4 cable in my guitar with a pedal at most into my amp is my perfect setup. 

By the way the "post your rig" thread has some nice rig's , you guy's must be spending a fortune eh trying to get your "perfect tone"? 


Thanks for all your help . :rockon:


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## GuitaristZ (Jan 26, 2007)

that vox sure is a sweet amp. Might be getting one for Christmas this year.


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## Voxguy76 (Aug 23, 2006)

Has anybody seen the Pathfinder 15r with a brown grill cloth that wasnt modded? I see Pathfinder 15r's popping up for sale with Brown grill cloths. Are these the newer versions?


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

noobcake said:


> The Pathfinder is a fine practice amp, but it won't get you any where near modern Vai tones without the help of a pedal or two, the Cube at least can get you in the ballpark. The Vox AD15VT is also a fine alternative. But The Cube 20X and 30X are worth the extra coin, since they not only have more power than the 15x, but they also have a lot more features.


 
I agree with Noobcake on this one. I have a Pathfinder 15R and it's an amazingly good SS practice amp - but like he said, you will have to use some pedals to get into the Vai ballpark. I agree with him on the choice of Roland Cube and Vox ADVT models.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Had my first 'in hand' experience with a Peavy Vyper 30W tonight, and was very impressed with the tones and models and efx. Much more full featured than the 15W model. May pick one up. The one I saw was $250 at Axe.

Supposedly there's a 60W all tube Vyper coming. Haven't looked at specs yet.


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