I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the Epiphone junior valve amp. Ive seen one review on youtube and it seems to sound pretty good. Ive got around £100 to spend on an amp and im currently using a Superlux D112/C mic through a 30watt laney guitar amp (a bit to metal for me). Im looking to down scale to a small practice amp and was wondering if anyone had any recomendations for that price?
I have the epiphone valve jr and its a great low budget amp and is really good for its price. I've also heard good things about the legendary pignose. ---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
The valve Junior is a very usable amp. It is loud for just 5 watts. There are many mods that can be done to tailer your tone if you are into moding it. Blackheart makes a very similar amp that has a few bells and whistles ( some tone control and a half the wattage switch that is more useful than what most people are willing to admit). That makes it more harpful if you are not into moding your amp. I would get the head version of either and make your own speaker cabs. This way you can mix and match speakers and experiment much more than what you might if you got the combo versions.
I picked up the Valve Jr combo off of Ebay and got it for less than a $120 delivered. Just make sure you are getting the latest version. The factory fixed all the issues from the early models.
From what I can tell the latest versions have a 4,8, and 16 ohm speaker outputs.
Great little amp, I would still love to get an nice old vintage Harmony but for now the Epi is tons of fun.
luke juke
Guest
Jul 27, 2008
11:11 PM
If you google Andertons music based in Guildford, surrey. they sell the valve jr for £75 for the latest version and I've seen them go for this price on ebay for an older version. This is the cheapest I have found them anywhere in england. Swap out the preamp tube to either a 12au7 or a 12ax7, this is supposed to help with the feedback issue. Ted weber also recommends his weber sig8 alnico speaker for it which is cheaper to buy online from the usa than to buy in England. The stock speaker is supossed to be much much better than the old stock once its broken in. There is a wealth of knowledge on the net about modding these amps if you fancy playing around with a soldering iron. There are also a bunch of knowledgable guys on the epiphone amps and accessories forum and they'll help you out if you have any problems. I've been thinking about buying one of these amps or saving a bit more for a harpgear. If you do decide to buy, be sure to post on youtube cos I'd like to hear a sound clip and be sure to post a report and your thoughts. Cheers. Luke
I've got my Epiphone Valve Junior - third version about a week ago. I love it! It sound really great with my Astatic or a Polish-made custom mic I was given for tests. You can hear it on 2 latest videos on my YT profile, one with Astatic 10C, second with Blacedge jr (a really good sounding and inexpensive mic). My profile: www.youtube.com/harmonicapl
Been playing my VJr on-stage over a year. It sounds best with a (relatively) low gain (& relatively low impedance) dynamic mic & a cab I built with 4 6x9s. It's a bitchin' little amp for cheap, but it does NOT like hi-impedance mics. I'm lookin' forward to modding mine - AFTER I get my '59 Bassman LTD sorted out. But that's another story. ---------- I play the Blues...
Just purchased this amp, my first! I tried a few different solid state guitar amps of friends and I am very happy I chose this inexpensive tube amp. Thanks Adam (and everyone on this post) for the recomendation.
Hi Ant, I've had my "Epi" for a little over a year. Sounded good stock, but I went ahead and swapped the preamp tube to a 12AY7. I use a Shure Green Bullet mic and a standard Lone Wolf delay. Pretty standard fare but I really like it. Good luck with yours,enjoy!
Great amp with a few mods. Go to lonewolfblues.com and check out the valve junior link, it gives step by step instructions on how to turn this amp into a really nice harp amp.
Yep it's an oldie but a goodie... The thread that is. The Amps are cool. I've modded two. The Head version I still have with the cab and a combo that I sold. Definitely follow the Lone Wolf mods Don't change the value of the pre-amp tube just put a better quality 12ax7 in it. The Mods will help with the feedback without sacrificing gain. And the idea that this amp isn't good with Hi-z mics is just wrong. I have 2 CM White Label American 99B86 element Bullets that make this little amp sing. Gotta mic it for gigs.
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2009 10:31 PM
I use one..the head version. I like the 5751 for a preamp tube. I haven't detected enough difference in el84s to make it worth the cost of switching it. I have a spare that was given to me. I don't have any feedback issues and also use low impedance mics. They actually work with or without matching transformers, but the transformer gives you a little more volume at the same setting. I have uses beta 57, and samson r21 and homemade variats with cb mic elements and the r21 element. They all are capable of great tone. I gigged last night with mine in a crammed stage where i couldn't get away from my amp. It was impossible to crank it without feedback when i was standing right on top of it in the corner of the stage. The house guy didn't want to mic my cab. I will insist next time. The volume was inadequate once the band go ramped up. Plus i couldn't even hear myself on such a low setting. As a result, I played the bulk of the night right through the pa on my beta57 vocal mic. No problem. Make sure you mic it if YOU think it needs it. Or, you could use two 12 inch cabs and fire one at you from the side and the other at the audience. Good little amp. I highly recommend the beta57 BTW for everything but total chicago dirt. You can get many different sounds with it.
Other than the tube above, mine is also stock. I use one or two 12 inch jensens.
Two weeks ago I had a guest gig with a hard rock band and unfortunatelly the amp was way to quiet :(. I didn't get a chance to mic it up so I could barely hear myself, when the rest of the band had 100watt amps. It was a small club, so the sound level was defeaning. But if you can put a mic in front of it, it's a great little amp! That's how it sounds with a high impedance ceramic (Astatic 10-C), and a 12AT7 preamp tube:
http://odsiebie.com/pokaz/4450889---a2d3.html
This helped to reduce feedback and get more of the overdriven sound from the power stage, not preamp. Bluezdude, what can I do to improve it more, and help with feedback, so I would be able to turn it up more than 40%? Please, feel free to leave your comments about the amp sound (and my playing) in that clip.
Not too shabby at all. The Epi has 2 issues if it's a version 3, no tone control and inadequate filtering pop the unit out and beef up the filter caps. This will allow you to go back to the 12ax7 and get your gain back and still get a nice warm breakup early. Next put in a treble cut. I like a bit of treble in it but the Epi is a little treble high for harp. The treble cut will allow you to trim it back a little. Both of these mods are at The Lone Wolf website with pictures and be advised the same mods work for both the combo and Head version and if it is a v3 you may not have to change out the first few resistors. Epiphone did a good job setting up a forum and used it as Beta testing and took most of the issues out by v3. You do not have to be incredibly adept or a master in electronics in truth I have some fairly ugly solder joints inside my boxes but I noticed no one looks inside it when I'm on stage. I have very limited use of the fingers on my left hand yet I managed to do the mods. After the mods I can crank an Epi up to 65%-70% cost of the components are less then $20 at a good Electronics shop or online. you need a few capacitors, a pot couple resistors, a control knob that matches the vol control knob and drill one hole in the face near the vol control.
why do you prefer it? im looking for something that can handle or produce more bass. cause with my set up when there is too much bass the speaker clips "making a farting type noise" is one way to describe it. but i dont want a speaker to eliminate the bass. i just want it to handle it.
Thanks Bluzdude for your advice. My Epi is a third version so I think the schematics are bit different, but I'm discussing that witha friend right now. Unfortunately, I'm a complete noob in this electronical stuff.You said, that if it's a version 3 I do not have o change some resistors. So, which of them should be left as is? I'm sorry for those silly questions, but I do know nearly nothing about it.
how can you tell what version you have? cause i got mine used. an i think the booklet said it was version 3 maybe? not sure, but it looks differnt in the pic then the actuall amp so i dont think its the booklet that came with the amp.
The third version has also an Eminence logo in the lower left corner and the Eminence speaker with red sticker on it. Alse, the on/off switch doesn't have any wrighting on it (no I/O stuff).
that's possible, The changes in version were done pretty low key. Shame you didn't get one of the Eminence speakers they are perfect for it. You may look at getting an Eminence swamp thing speaker to replace that matches as close to the stock speaker last time I checked. You have some flexibility because the amp has leads for different ohm loads for different speakers but make sure you attatch the correct lead or you are damaging amp. If you are considering going 12" consider getting the Epi VJr cab. for the money the Eminence Lady Luck is a superior amp for our purposes I have 2.
I have the head unit in stock form. I built a cabinet and I have a 10 inch 1959 Rola speaker in it. I'm very happy with it but this thread has sparked my interest in modifying it. I tried the matching 12 cab but I found that it was too loud for practicing in my home. For me it just wouldn't produce unless it was cranked up. That's with a 99b86 in a bullet by the way.
I like the tone of both a single 12 and two twelves. I also like that it will take a relatively low impedance mic right in without a transformer and still work. I made a mic from a cb power mic and volume control. It works with or without the matching transformer, with slightly different tones. I agree, it needs to be pretty cranked to get the chicago tone, and then it is very loud for a 5 watt amp. I measured mine at 113DBC@ 1m on 1/4 volume into two 12s. That's as loud as I can stand it in my living room/dining area, standing about 10 feet behind it. Pretty loud for practice in the house. Of course there are lots of reflections and feedback becomes an issue anyway at higher settings than that. Definitely gets you over your practice cds and mp3s...lol.
i am totally new to amps and am struggling. please help! i play harp in a 3piece band we play acoustic blues 99% of the time. we only play small venues, i know the reviews say this is a great practice amp would i be ok playing this in the acoustic band, would it be loud enough. also am i right in thinking it is a good idea to change the speaker in the amp. i want the chicago sound so can any one recommend a mic and would i need a delay pedal to make the sound right. i know this all probably sounds stupid as hell but you all seem very helpful.
Looselips - The Epiphone Valve Jr would be good for that purpose. Personally though I'd go for a Fender Pro Jr or if you can afford it then a HarpGear HG2. As for mics, I'd suggest trying a Shure 520 or an Astatic JT30 which are both bullet style mics. You don't need delay but if you wanted one then I'd suggest getting a used analog delay pedal from ebay. ----------
I have a Harley Benton GA5 which is the Thomann version of the Epi. V. Jr. They now cost around £76 plus appx. £9 p&p. I think the GA5 is better looking than the Epi. and it has a tone control. I was not that impressed with the tone control and changed it for a "brownface" unit from Nigel at Alnicomagnetic, cost £12. End result: best value for money 5w amp available. It's loud and has great tone. If I'm doing a bigger gig I mic it and the amp is plenty loud enough to serve as a monitor
Following on the heels of good advice, DEFINITELY swap out the stock...even if only for decent NOS of same type. For a bit more punch, a 7189 replacing the EL84/6BQ5 would start. Then, for pre-amp, a 5751 is the ideal sub. This will then deliver more of the Chicago tone of an early Fender Champ, being class A, SA. You will find that you can overdrive it easily at pretty high volumes before feedback. You might not want the delay pedal afterall. Working with 100 watt shredders, you'll most likely have to mic the cab to the mains, but that is an easy fix.
I have a friend that has one and plays guitar thru it. Before tube swaps, he could barely be heard. Had to be almost on top of it. He did those swaps, and now he's plenty loud. I asked to try harp with it, and it sounds way cool. Better than many fancy "boutique" units supposedly designed for harp, but costing hundreds$$$ more.
If I hadn' gotten such a good deal on my Blackheart Handsome Devil, I would be looking at the EV Jr.
