krisalis
7 posts
Feb 23, 2010
4:32 AM
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Just tried one out... and was mighty impressed - really punchy, great bottom end. Used my Shure 545s. The guy in the shop hooked up a fender champion 600 as well - I had to check it was switched on - thin and tinny in comparison. My question is - I could only get the volume up to about 1/3 max in the shop before there was feedback. Might putting in a 12ax7 replacement give me a bit more headroom? I also want cabs for my guitar, so I'm thinking of getting the head and 2x12 cabs (he's offered me a good deal).
Any suggestions how I could make a rig like this work well for me would be appreciated. At gigs in the past I've either plugged straight into the PA, or run it through a fender or vox guitar amp, depending on the size of the room. I prefer not to mike a small amp - I'm sure it can be done, but I want have a rig where I can hold my own jamming whenever there isn't a PA.
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Kingley
903 posts
Feb 23, 2010
4:59 AM
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Yes putting a 12AY7 in the pre-amp would give you more headroom.
If you can get the head and cab at a good price then I'd go for it. The beauty of that is then you can easily get other cabs to try out what works best for you (speaker configurations, types, sizes, etc). If you plan on playing harp and guitar through the same amp then I would tube it up for harp and just use an overdrive pedal for the guitar to get that extra boost when needed.
At 5 watts though this rig will only compete at reasonable volumes without being miced up. It all depends on how considerate the other players are as to whether you'll need to mic it up or not.
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toddlgreene
860 posts
Feb 23, 2010
5:09 AM
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Ditto Kingley, plus if you keep it stock, you've only got one knob-the amp gets only so loud, then just dirtier and dirtier. Check out Randy Landry's mods on www.lonewolfblues.com-this is the way to go with the Valve Jr.
I've posted some vids on here last week with 12ax7, 12at7 and 12ay7 tubes in my stock Epi(as far as a pre-mod tube swap, I've stayed with the 12ay7), plus what it sounds like with the 12ay7 stacked against an old Kalamazoo.
I live near Randy Landry and will be getting him to mod mine in a couple of weeks, but the mods are relatively easy-a few folks on here have done them as well(me and soldering irons don't get along well, or I'd do it myself). You'll have a separate volume control, a tone knob(basically a treble cut)plus some caps and other components to make it sound fatter with more bottom end, and a line out.
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2010 5:21 AM
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toddlgreene
863 posts
Feb 23, 2010
5:51 AM
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Grrr...I suck at html
Epi V Jr with 12ay7 thru Extension Cab
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/557370.htm
Epi V Jr with 12ax7, 12at7 and 12ay7 preamp tubes
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/557365.htm
Epi V Jr with 12ay7 vs Kalamazoo Model 1
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/557374.htm
(see if you can figure out which harp i've had to re-adjust the gapping on since these shoots ;-D)
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2010 5:55 AM
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krisalis
8 posts
Feb 23, 2010
8:37 AM
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Thanks for the advice guys. Kingley, that was what I was tending to think about the head and cabs - cheers. I might put in a compression pedal if I start using it for guitar (awesome tone, but no place to hide with that amp, and my guitar playing kind of sucks). Todd - great video clips, so helpful to see the different tubes in action.
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toddlgreene
872 posts
Feb 23, 2010
8:51 AM
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Krisalis, glad to be of assisstance-Also, do take a look at those LoneWolf mods. If you can't or won't do them yourself, you can probably get them done cheaply by any electrical hobbyist.
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2010 8:52 AM
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Joe_L
39 posts
Feb 23, 2010
8:57 AM
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"I prefer not to mike a small amp - I'm sure it can be done, but I want have a rig where I can hold my own jamming whenever there isn't a PA."
You didn't mention where you were planning on playing this amp, but I'll tell you a 5W amp w/ an 8" speaker is going to need to be mic'ed in most instances when playing in a public setting with a band. If you want an amp that is going to hold it's own with a loud band, you should be looking for something bigger with several speakers or a harp specific amp.
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krisalis
9 posts
Feb 23, 2010
9:59 AM
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Joe - I'm not a great expert on the wattage thing, but my 30w guitar amp wasn't giving me what I want on the harp. I also tried out a 15w blues junior - feedback city, like listening to My Bloody Valentine. A low wattage class-a amp with some 12 inch speakers seems like the way to go for me, from what i've read. I've only ever played in a big theatre-sized venue once, but everyone goes through the pa then.
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bluedogg
48 posts
Feb 23, 2010
10:04 AM
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I have an Epi, and i love it for practicing at home, but even at rehearsal i can't hear it. Check out a Fender Pro Jr. (15 watts vs. 5) I can hear that one even at a louder stage volume. I have a 12AU7 and a 12AT7 in 1 and 2 on the Fender and a 12AU7 in the Epi)for gigs i have been using the Pro Jr. with an H&K redbox DI Speaker simulator, even more than my 59 bassman RI. (way easier to carry) I am mainly a bass player and only playing between 6 and 10 songs a nite on harp or I would take the bassman.
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markdc70
21 posts
Feb 23, 2010
12:10 PM
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I have a Vjr combo that i turned into a 2x8 by mounting a small custom cab underneath the combo, and adding another weber style valve jr speaker in the cab. It added a significant amount of volume, enough that I have been asked to turn down since adding the cab, whereas before I couldn't hear myself alot of times. I was pleasantly surprised with the results and don't think I will ever need a different(bigger) amp, but of course that doesn't stop the wanting!
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Bluzdude46
505 posts
Feb 23, 2010
1:18 PM
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oy
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The Original Downtown Philadelphia Fatman... Accept No substitutes!
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toddlgreene
882 posts
Feb 23, 2010
1:34 PM
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vey
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
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congaron
562 posts
Feb 23, 2010
6:36 PM
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The mic you use can have a profound impact on feedback issues, as will your cup and playing technique. I am currently using the valve junior head with 2-12 inch jensens. It keeps up on stage as a monitor with our whole band, but needs to be mic'd for anything bigger than a medium/small club.
I run it with a British 12ax7 my guitar player gave me..not sure the brand, it's wiped off. He said it is british. I'm taking his word for it. the el84 is stock sovtek.
I am wireless, but my microphone is a cut-down samson vocal mic. I have ZERO feedback issues with the 12ax7 at any volume knob setting when in a real stage environment. I use a digitech pedal to control on/off volume, but feedback is not an issue even at full volume. Speaker placement affects this, but I can always find a placement that works without feedback.
I can vary my tone a lot with my cup, but even a very open hand yields no feedback. Last night at practice, I got a very dirty chicago tone without any trouble at all and a trumpet-like or even sax-like tone by varying my playing style and airway. I didn't even use my dirty setting on the pedal. I think the more I learn, the less the preamp tube matters. I used to prefer a 5751, but now I go for the full gain...it is giving me more tone options with fewer adjustments.
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