ANDREWZAR
12 posts
Jan 30, 2010
9:33 AM
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HAS ANYONE TRIED THE EPI VJR COMBO AND THE HALF STACK SIDE BY SIDE? I'M THINKING OF THROWING THE EXTRA $100 AT THE HALF STACK IF IT SOUNDS BETTER. I CAN'T FIND ONE LOCALLY TO CHECK OUT. I'LL HAVE TO ORDER IT. I DID CHECK OUT THE COMBO. I REALLY LIKE THE AMP! THANKS FOR ANY IMPUT.
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Rick Davis
127 posts
Jan 30, 2010
9:35 AM
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Half Stack! The 12-inch speaker in it's own cab makes a world of difference.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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jonsparrow
1975 posts
Jan 30, 2010
9:44 AM
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i prefer the combo.
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ANDREWZAR
13 posts
Jan 30, 2010
10:00 AM
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HEY SPARROW, THANKS FOR THE YOU TUBE VIDS ON THE COMBO. THEY REALLY HELPED A LOT!!
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saregapadanisa
94 posts
Jan 30, 2010
10:22 AM
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Hey Andrewzar, you've amped your keyboard too ? No need to type that loud (I mean Caps).
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pharpo
117 posts
Jan 30, 2010
10:42 AM
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Rick...have you heard any "modded" Valve Jr heads....if so..is there a huge difference ? I think this is the direction I want to go in but am not sure. If it's miked can it compete with a full band ?
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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ANDREWZAR
15 posts
Jan 30, 2010
10:46 AM
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Sorry, I'm not yelling. Just wrote quickly.
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saregapadanisa
95 posts
Jan 30, 2010
10:49 AM
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Don't be sorry. Just joking.
(and not being very helpful regarding your question, too)
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Rick Davis
130 posts
Jan 30, 2010
11:30 AM
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pharp, yes, but I am still impressed with the new stock Valve Jr Half Stack. Best bang-for-the-buck small amp out there. Gary Smith uses it sometimes; told me he likes it a lot. Gary made the video a few years ago about amped tone for harp.
And the Valve Jr is certainly suitable for gigging if it is mic'ed. Personaly, I prefer a line out. You might think about using the H&K RedBox DI instead of mic'ing it. It pluges inline in your speaker cable, and gives great harp tone through the PA via an XLR cable.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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congaron
493 posts
Jan 30, 2010
11:36 AM
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Mine is basically unmodded and it will keep up with the band to a point with 2 12 inch jensens. In a gymnasium-sized room with hard walls and a guitar amp wailing beyond the PA's ability to keep up, no. Mic'd in any normal venue, yes.
I like the 5751 tube in the pre-amp, but haven't gigged with it yet...lol. Mine is essentially stock with 1 12 inch speakers.
I would love to have two of those lady luck cabs instead..they are about 5db more efficient/watt @ 1m! Two of those should really crank.
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2010 11:37 AM
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Rick Davis
132 posts
Jan 30, 2010
11:51 AM
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Congaron, those are 16-0hms, which the head expects to see. Hooking up 2 of them would present an 8-ohm load. While most tube amps can tolerate a 2 to 1 impedance mismatch, it is not really a good idea.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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pharpo
119 posts
Jan 30, 2010
1:49 PM
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Thanks Rick...good to know !!
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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Bluzdude46
422 posts
Jan 30, 2010
3:30 PM
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There is an 8 ohm option to either the combo or head version. I have modded both I sold the combo only because I can use the speaker cab for my Bogen amp too. Both amps are safe to use with an 8 ohm load inf you use the right input. Now Bridged together the 2 amps wailed.
i kept up with a guitarist using a Fender Super and a crazy bass player using a Peavey stack
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The Original Downtown Philadelphia Fatman... Accept No substitutes!
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congaron
495 posts
Jan 30, 2010
3:32 PM
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I run two 8 ohm 12s off the 4ohm tap all the time. I would run the full stack off the 8 ohm tap if I had the two epiphone cabs. But, reality is I can't even afford the one.
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2010 3:33 PM
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toddlgreene
689 posts
Jan 31, 2010
4:28 PM
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I've played thru the cab with another head, and the cab is great. My combo is being shipped right now, and will go straight(more or less) to Randy Landry to mod it. Here's what i would like to do: Get the cabinet, too. I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, the 'speaker out' on the combo overrides the built in speaker. I'd like to see about modding it to where I still have the combo speaker AND any cabinet I power from it both working at the same time. Has anyone done this?
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Todd L. Greene, V.P.
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Luke Juke
87 posts
Jan 31, 2010
10:36 PM
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@toddlgreene. I own a modded head and cab version. I also own a g5222 with a 4ohm 8" weber. The cab I own has an 8ohm speaker so I simply plug the weber speaker into the 4ohm output and the cab into the 8ohm output. I cant remember if I read it on Randy's forum or sewatt.com that that is perfectly acceptable. I think that if the combo and cab have the same ohm speaker then you could either wire the combo speaker to another jack or wire it up to one of the other speakerjacks. I'm sure it can be done and Randy's the Man
Last Edited by on Jan 31, 2010 10:37 PM
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Bluzdude46
423 posts
Feb 01, 2010
2:45 AM
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Todd, there is an actual 1/4 cable that runs to the speaker wiring on the combo. Using an A-B cable you should be able to plug 2 1/4 connections into the 8 ohm female. Always look for the eaasy out Bro'
On the line out feature. Using a line out cuts out one of the best features of Epiphones VJr for harp bypassing either the 8" speaker in the combo 8 & 10 speakers universally accepted as being good for harp, or the 12" Lady Luck in the cab version. I still say the eminence Lady Luck is the best 12" speaker I've come across for harp and I've playede with a lot of speaker combinations. The Line out plus is ONLY the amount of feedback from stage sound entering the signal. I've used the Vjr's seperately and bridged ALOT on stage and if mic'd properly the benefits far outweight the cons. Why send a signal from your amp to be reprocessed by a PA amp into Big PA speakers that will not give you the real nice break up that amp speakers will? you might as well just use a pre amp directly to PA in a sense that is what you are doing.
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The Original Downtown Philadelphia Fatman... Accept No substitutes!
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Bluzdude46
424 posts
Feb 01, 2010
2:50 AM
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pharp, yes, but I am still impressed with the new stock Valve Jr Half Stack. Best bang-for-the-buck small amp out there. Gary Smith uses it sometimes; told me he likes it a lot. Gary made the video a few years ago about amped tone for harp.
The current VJr is a version 3. Epiphone did a very smart thing by setting up a forum just for this amp and then monitered it and actually incorporated the "fixes" that ampheads that wqere playing with these lil 5w bombs were doing and changed their tooling and made the good changes to make the amp better. Something almost unheard of in todays overseas build them cheap factories. It's fairly expensive to change tooling and design the v3 is better then the original, but still a guitar amp, needs modded
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The Original Downtown Philadelphia Fatman... Accept No substitutes!
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congaron
498 posts
Feb 01, 2010
10:41 AM
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I find the tone is anything you make it with the valve junior head and a 12 or 2 12 inch speakers. No mods necessary. I also use it for guitar and with my effects or analog modeler patched into it, it's the same way. Any sound you can imagine and all the old classics you recognize.
I also have an 8 inch speaker in acabinet, and have experimented with tv speakers, PA speakers, subwoofers up to 18 inches, the tv and guitar speakers all have great tone, the volume is the one big difference. That's why i run 2 of the jensens since they are about 5 db less efficient than the lady luck. Two lady lucks would positively scream. Even one would probably be a little louder than my 1 12s when you do the math. I have measured a 3 db difference between one of the jensens and two from the same spot 1 meter in front of the cabinet and all other things being equal. This is pretty typical when you double up on speakers. Two of the lady lucks should give 102db/1 watt @ 1 meter...mine would be 97db/1 watt @ 1 meter...just using manufacturer's specs.
Point is, there doesn't seem to be a bad sounding speaker for this amp...volume seems to be the difference. Also check out Steve Harvell's reviews of it..and speakers. I found thosae after I bought mine and have to agree.
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2010 10:49 AM
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