Pathfinder Bass 10 2x5 inch 10-watt Bass Guitar Amplifier w/Headphone Jack

I'm not a speaker designer, but I've fiddled a lot with amateur audio, including building my own speakers, crossovers, etc. I also just started playing bass (Squier Modified Vintage Jazz Bass), so I don't yet have the experience that many musicians do. With that said, I'm going to go on and tell you that this is a very nice unit. It's solidly built and a bit heavier than expected. For what I need, a small practice amp to keep at a friend's house, it's perfect. However, Vox has chosen to leave a portion of the back open. This causes a couple problems. First, if you place it near a wall or flat vertical surface, sound reflects from the exposed backs of the speakers off of the wall. It's kind of like a Bose reflecting speaker. Second, the bass is not particularly tight and full, since the bass waves from the backs of the speakers can travel around and cancel out the waves from the front. (This is why sealed speaker enclosures are called "infinite baffle" designs. With these designs, the waves from the backs of the cones can't reach the fronts of the cones.) I'm fairly sure they did this to effect a sort of "ported" enclosure to take better advantage of the limited amp power (10 watts). The end result with the Pathfinder 10 Bass is that the bass is not very satisfying. But never fear. Go to a home improvement store and buy a little piece of 3/8" white pine. Trim it to fit the rear opening and paint it black. Cut a small notch for the power cord and screw it in place. (There's a lip on each end of the opening that makes this easy.) Voila! It sounds MUCH better. The volume may be a bit lower, but it has some kick to it. (If you don't believe this will help, take the unit and turn it on it's back on a carpet or some surface that will seal the back opening. See for yourself if it doesn't sound better.) I'm not responsible for what damage you may cause to the unit, but this really made a big difference in mine. I guess you could even put a couple hinges on the piece of wood and use the space inside to store the cord when you move it. Overall, a nice unit.

Nice little amp that fits performance, price and size gap between the lousy micro amps and more expensive small amps. Full and loud enough sound to make practicing on your own pleasing. The thin cabinet depth means it tucks nicely in front of a wall or under a desk. Of course has that nice vintage look and vinyl style covering looks and feels nice. I would stop short of saying this would be a good bass amp for practicing with acoustic guitarists though. I'd rather use a bigger amp with reserve volume and depth than push an amp like this. That's not to say the Vox doesn't do what it's made for though. It's great for what it is and it's price. Hopefully it'll stand the test of time. Made in Vietnam.

I bought mine in 2012. With any luck, their QC/QA has improved since. One of the speakers had a screwdriver-shaped hole in it (removed speaker; patched with black cloth tape). The wire 'trim' around the outside of the cabinet bulged at the corners (a few minutes with a plastic-faced mallet knocked it into proper shape). I didn't like the speaker cable so I soldered in some aerospace-grade wiring to replace it. The cabinet is made of basically the same materials as a larger amp (and thus seems solid as a brick). Still; it's astonishingly lightweight. Everything I've plugged into it over the years (basses; guitar; microphones) sounded pretty good. Tweaking the balance of 'Drive' and 'Volume' elicits a range of tones from 'clean' to 'creamy distortion' to 'reverberating waves of feedback' (reminiscent of the Old - tube-driven - Vox amps). The circuit looks to be about as simple as it can be given the feature set and the components look to be of decent quality (which is high praise). An XLR output would be nice but I have plenty of microphones (to condense the sound made by twin 5" speakers down to an SM57 then reamplify them via PA system). The headphone jack is apparently a line-level output but I haven't had occasion to use it. TL;DR: It's an excellent 'practice amp' for the price. Go ahead and buy it. P.S. - If you're going to experiment with closing the back of the cabinet, I recommend cutting a block of acoustic foam to fit. Wedge it into the opening (firm upholstery foam should work, too). It's easily removable if you want to change back to an open back (there are acoustic situations where it's desirable). Also; I like using the open back to store the power cable during transport.

Great Product

Buen amplificador, llego antes de lo esperado, una gran calidad de materiales y buen audio.

I was pleased with the customer service and received the order on time and in perfect condition. Set up is very easy - plug in, set controls and play. I like the versatility of the settings on this amp. Offers a number of variations on the sound, including a ‘Bright’ setting that enhances the tone. I’m particularly impressed with the mellow sound when playing with nylon strings on the bass. Highly recommend as a reasonably priced practice amp with a few features to get whatever sound you’re into!

Je m'attendais pas à quelque chose de fou pour le petit prix . Et très content au final car le son est vraiment correct et suffisant pour joué dans un garage chambre maison. Prise casque de bonne qualité

Für die Größe ist der Verstärker echt gut! Super verarbeitet und zum üben alle Male ausreichend. Wenn man gegen Gitarren spielen muss, sollte man in lauter drehen, aber über 3/4 Volumen nicht, denn dann fängt er an zu scheppern. Ansonsten klare Kaufempfehlung!