Epiphone Valve Junior Combo

One control labelled "volume". If you think all it does is control how loud the amp is then you're mistaken. The one volume control on this amp effectively does the same job as the thirty knobs on your Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectumfryer. You can completely change the tonal contour of the amp just by messing with the volume control. I've added a switch to change from 4ohm to 8ohm output - useful if you want it to drive an outside cab.

The hum of this amp is well documented and can be fixed easily by adding some additional filtering and improving the grounding. I won't harp on it here.

Stock, this amp has a very ratty, raw vintage sound. Perfect for blues and classic rock. You may or may not like it. At five watts, it's not going to stay clean for very long, but it's definitely not a quiet amp. I've played several small gigs with it (30-40 people) and it was plenty loud provided you don't mind a little grit in your clean tone. The nice thing was, the sweet spot of this amp was at an acceptable volume level - not something that I'm used to.

The tone of the amp is fabulous - full of your typical class A 3D overtones. With such a small cab and ceramic speaker the actual tonal character of the amp is understandably focused in the upper midranges - again, perfect for rock and blues. The stock speaker is excellent - has great bite that really cuts through the mix nicely. Very aggressive sounding.

Now, I have made some changes to the amp. First off, the sovteks that come with the amp absolutely suck. The el84 was microphonic and the two of them both sounded realy harsh. Yanked them both and replaced the 12ax7 with an EH and the el84 with a JJ. The JJ took away the harshness, and the EH helped add clarity to the entire frequency range. A $12 upgrade that should be done right away.

I also changed out the speaker. Like I mentioned above - the stock speaker is excellent. However I'm more of an alnico man myself. So I picked up the weber sig 8 alnico ($25) and threw it in there. The result was a less agressive sound with more compression and sparkle. The alnico was also noticably quieter than the stock speaker. The overall sound after the change is more up my alley - so I'll keep the alnico in there. However, if you're content with the stock speaker then don't change it - it's the same speaker that's used in the $600 Dr. Z Mini-Z. Actually come to think of it, the Mini-Z and the Valve Junior seem very similar - perhaps a little too similar.... I'd be curious to see a schematic of the Mini-z.

Chinese labor is the best. I don't care what anyone says. The cabinet is crafted as good as anything out there, and the assembly is top notch. I trust that this thing will stand up to many gigs out - and hey, if it doesn't, you can buy a new one for a $120.

I've been playing for 11 years. I won't go into the gear I own, but let's just say I know that top notch tone usually isn't available at Guitar Center. At $120 this amp is the steal of the century. The only thing I would change about it are the cheap tubes and the MDF cabinet. I wish epiphone would just pay the extra cents for real pine and better tubes. Other than that - great job!

Current (2005) production tube combo guitar amp, with a 12AX7 Preamp Tube, EL84 Power Tube, and 8" speaker.

Front panel: Input Jack, Volume Knob, Power Switch

Rear panel: AC Inlet (removeable power cord), Speaker Jack

Nice warm clean tone at lower volumes with both a Strat and a Les Paul. It sounds bigger than any Fender Champ that I've ever tried.

Good blues tone as you increase the volume a little bit, especially with neck pickups selected.

Unfortunately, the speaker starts farting out as you crank the volume beyond 50%. The resulting sound is kind of harsh and flabby. The circuitry seems to be more at fault than the speaker. Perhaps one of the coupling caps is simply too big???

Also, the amp gets quite noisy with hiss & hum as you turn it up. I bet this can be fixed with improved power supply filtering and/or better internal wiring.

Too early to tell, but it seems very solid.

The transformers & circuitry are covered by a 5 YEAR WARRANTY! Unfortunately tubes & speaker are only warrantied for 90 days, but these should be relatively easy to replace if/when necessary.

I've been playing electric guitar for over 15 years. This is a really cool little amp for practice and small gigs. I was looking for a small rig for coffee house size gigs & playing music at parties & family get togethers. This amp seems like a great choice. It looks GREAT, and has a very usable clean tone. I'm confident that the cranked up sound can be improved. For now I'm quite content using an overdrive pedal when necessary. I love the way I can just focus on my playing without worrying about any knobs to fiddle with. The tone simply blows all of the little modeling amps out of the water.

features? this is VINTAGE style. with amps like that,the only 2 things you can rely on are how authentic and responsive your sound is and how good you play. the first requisite ,the sound,is delivered with a lot of dignity from this little amp.

so you get only a jack input and a volume control and you are forced to crank the amp up. that way you hear it's power tube distortion. to me that is one feature that absolutely trashes digital crap amps.yeahhh.

and dont forget that we are getting a class A valve amp for # 99....I have no complaints,the amp only has a sound ,but a killer one! better than having 1000's crap sounds with lots of features,they tend to be distracting because the player is constantly trying to get a good sound but there is always something missing: a real tube circuit!

I think that this amp ,with almost no features at all,beat digital amps anytime.

I use it with both sngle coils and humbuckers. I absolutely loves both combinations. You get a very alive clean sound with the volume control at 10 'o clock or an excellent raunchy and grinding El 84 overdrive with the volume maxed out. On amps like that one,the volume control felles like a gas pedal on a car!

the amps is not noisy,but if you want the least possible noise you should invest in some good valves,although the amp's stock Sovteks are the industry standard nowadays even on much more expensive amps.

the amp's distortion is,how can I say it...AUTHENTIC! it's not the mesa-mondo distortion sound,think more Steve Ray Vaughan,which it's not exactly a wimpy sound!!! and I am not exactly a blues player,but i do use those sounds,'cause they are real sounds.
this amp has to be bought on sound alone!

the construction seems very solid and high quality to me. this amp has a solid steel chassis. I saw other small valve amps and some of them did not seem anything as solid as the Valve Junior.
plus,it looks very pretty!

I dont know about this one,but if they offer a 5 years warranty on the amp plus a 3 months warranty on tubes,on a # 99 amp, it seems to me they mean business without clowning around!! impressive warranty!

been playing for 13 years. been having many valve amps,Peavey,Marshalls,Laney,Seymour Duncan.
I absolutely love the Valve Junior in all aspects,I think Epiphone did an amazing job on a # 99 amp.

it looks like chinese labour kicks ass ,if they are able to do what they do on that amp for that kind of money.
Even although the amp has only a volume control,it really makes me harking back to vintage amps...it's 'lack' of features it's totally justified because IT IS vintage amp AND because it's ridicolously cheap. I remember having a small Marshall 15 watts and a small Laney ,also 15 watt's....both had effect loops etc, but neither sounded as good as the Valve Junior in my opinion,even though they both were (are) valve amps.

the Valve Junior it's KILLEER value!

5 watts, Class A, one ?preamp? tube (12AX7) and one ?power? tube (EL84), both Sovteks originally. Single channel. No separate gain or anything ? distortion only happens by turning up loud. No EQ controls either. Output for connecting to an external speaker cabinet (4 ohms).
One volume knob.
Errm?input jack?

So, not a whole lot of features. The one thing I wish it had is an effects loop. Would be useful for reverb. Having said that, the big advantage of this amp is power tube distortion at non-ear-splitting volumes. Since effects loops always come before the power section, the reverb would be distorted. Therefore, it?s no different really to sticking a reverb in front of the amp, which of course you can do with the amp set clean.

Basically, for me personally, everything I want and nothing I don?t. Oh, except a headphone jack. That would be handy.

Note that I only use this amp for home playing. I don?t gig, and as such can?t comment on its volume in a band setting. Home volume is discussed below.

I think it deserves 8 because it's fine for me, apart from an effects loop (maybe...) and a headphone jack, and the tubes, in my opinion, need replacing (See below). This is a small point - tubes are quite cheap and easy to install.

I'm currently using a cheapy Yamaha ERG-121, which is pretty much stock. Not exactly brilliant, but it is a guitar...

I like classic rock, and perhaps what you might call a modern take on classic rock. Although I love the more modern playing of Vai, Satriani, etc, this amp isn't ideal for that (not enough gain and not smooth enough). However, most of these players use distortion pedals anyway, so, do that! And this amp does provide a great backing for a distortion pedal. Combining the amp distortion with stomp-box distortion is great, as it provides a musical howl that solid-state devices are generally lacking on their own. It's more common, I believe, to use a pedal with a clean amp - to anyone unsure: combining one distortion with another does not produce ill-effects, and this amp puts into place what a pedal lacks on its own.

Someone below somewhere said this amp sounded like a turd (in a good way). This is quite the case. I?ve come to the conclusion that there?s such things as ?real? vintage and ?pseudo? vintage, and ?real? vintage takes some getting used to. You might say ?pseudo? vintage is what one might like to imagine vintage guitar sounds to be like, when in fact ?real? vintage is far harsher and has far less definition.
Low notes are always a bit farty, high notes can get piercing.

What is wonderful about tube amps if you're used to solid-state is how they respond to pick attack. With this amp you can go from perfectly clean to big distortion just by picking harder. Whereas with solid-state things you sort of get a bit more or a bit less, no matter what you do.

Thing is, out of the box this amplifier was?rather disappointing. It was fine when clean, very nice, quite rich. Just when distorted, it sounded rather uncomfortable, like something was misbehaving. It was very, well, farty is in fact a good word. It got a little better with time (as in, a few days) as it sort of bedded-in, but the real change came when I replaced the tubes with JJ?s. Obviously, the general tone of the amp remained, but the higher-quality tubes seem to have added more upper-midrange and removed some of the farty low-mids and bass. It?s much more balanced and rounded, and the transition from clean to overdrive is much smoother. I specified an early-break-up EL84 from Bob at Eurotubes (great place to order from by the way) and it is now pretty clean up to maybe between 10 and 11 o?clock on the volume. Maxed out, it?s maybe the heaviest vintage distortion I?ve heard, but simply isn?t a modern high-gain sound. Overall the amplifier is far more ?musical? now, and far better for solos, where before it was very much more suited to rhythm.

It?s worth pointing out that this amplifier does not give you that legendary power-tube distortion at ?bedroom? volumes. Or at least, not unless your bedroom is the size of my house and you?ve no neighbours (note - I live in a semi-detached house). But this amplifier can, unlike more powerful ones, be turned up full in a house without ripping anyone?s head off. What I do is put it in the next room and run the guitar lead under the door, which is closed. I then get a very nice volume, loud but not worryingly so, even at full volume.

The amp is a bit noisy, but you only notice that when you're not playing, so, like, who cares? Well, not me. It's perhaps not ideal for studio work, but frankly, if you're working in a studio, you can probably afford a more expensive amplifier...

9 because it just sounds so great but isn't...well, orgasm-inducing.

It hasn?t broken yet, although I?ve only had it...less than a couple of months. I certainly don?t feel like it?s going to stop working ? it seems high-enough quality. It?s so simple, there?s not much to go wrong compared to many other amps.

Can't comment.

I've only been playing for two years, but hey, I'm kinda decent. I have a Yamaha ERG-121 guitar (think modern strat-clone with H-S-H pickups). I use a Danelectro FAB distortion pedal sometimes, if I need a more modern sound. I also have a Danelectro EQ, which I use less with this amp because it has a better basic sound than my previous amp. I feel like a better guitar would open this amp up a lot. It seems to be responsive like that. What you put in is what you get out.

"Would I buy it again" is an awkward question. Yes, in that I'm very happy with the amp, but in reality, I'd probably save up for something more expensive (Carvin Vintage 16 tickles my fancy).

I got this amp because it's a good tube amp for cheap! Simple.

Really, this is a truly wonderful amp for me. Your mileage may vary, obviously. If you want a modern high-gain sound, either for grunking power chords or Vai solos, either use a distortion pedal or look elsewhere. If you want a vintage sound, this is pretty much it. Just be sure you want ?real? vintage, which is not quite as lovely as you might think! If, that is, you?re a bit naive, like I was. It took some getting used to, this amp, especially the way it responds to your playing, i.e. a lot. Two-handed tapping and long legato runs take some re-learning if you?re used to a high-gain sound!

But basically, I find it hard to imagine (although I cannot be sure) that anything else this cheap would sound this good. Have you been playing through a solid-state amp? Relying on a multi-effects processor or pedals? Want to move up to a tube amp?
This might be great for you.

9 for just being great, particularly considering the price.

2 tubes /class A /VALUE!!!!!!

I just got it a few days ago. Stock out of the box it sounded great.
I did change the preamp tube I tried a few I had lying around and
ended up using a JJ. The new Groove tube 12ax7r was too bright. I also replaced the speaker with a jensen C8R it's a good speaker and it is under $30. Make sure you get 4 ohm. These mods made it a bit more dynamic and musical. I will probably replace the power tube with a JJ. BUY a matched set then you got a spare.The amp as a bit
noisy but I love what one reviwer said when he started playing the noise went away......I should be playing this amp instead. I've just played my strat and ts808 through it. NO complaints a guitar a dirt box and a good cord and you got a low watt low price channel switching amp that's got tube tone and does get loud someone may even tell you yo turn it down. $120 what does that buy in the age of boutique gear. other amps THD univalve , fender deluxe reissue,
other fender champs , bruno amps , and aroland micro cube {gotta have a battery amp!}

to soon to tell but it is solid more than it looked in a picture.

hopefully I will not need it.

I have been playing for 30 years seen all the gear evolve . Every year a cool piece of gear comes around but it,s usually big bucks!
Not like the days when a new ts808 sold for $40 now it's reissue this and reissue that custom shop, master built, limited run and bend us over. So this is that cool piece of gear that someday you wish you had baught .

well not much to say smple as it is that is the best way to go all tube amp why repeat my self after everyone one volume controld what else you need

well who ever though this amp was not for metal i will ahve to desagreed i use a modeling dist from behringer with it and i am getting that dual recto soud i will not sd which modeling due to it is a secret, but i also replace the 12xa with gt 12au and i get cleaner sound you can't find any tube amp for the price , i will sd a stand by switch will be handy i hook it up to my 412 cab with celestions 75x4 switched to 150 w and it sound very good , for 5w amp it is pretty fucking loud

don't know yet but it seems to be very well assebleded solid as a tank

n/a

i was looking for a small tube amp with no dist i wanted somethign clean to use with my pedal just to play at home , i was going to by the behringer 15w tube combo but after i try this one i just fell in love with it i broght my pedal to the music store to try it out and i was almost in tears , i almost had an orgasm for real best tube amp for the price you won't get any tube amp for this price buy it

This amp is as simple as it gets. One Volume. The rest is up to you. The reason I'm giving the such a high rating is because this is all I need. I'm not a big fan of all the features, I like to keep it simple. And this does it. Also...
It's a 5 watt class A tube amp. Enough said.

So far, I've run an Epi Les Paul Standard, an American Strat, a Parker Nitefly and an Epi Elitist LP Standard through it. They all sound great. This amp breaks up amazingly, and be cause it's only 5 watts, you don't have to rattle the windows to get that break up, all though that's not always a bad thing.
This amp also responds beautifully to your playing. You can take it up to 10 and get ridiculous drive, but back your picking off and you can get it very clear. It could benefit from a better speaker, but this Epi will do the job for now.

So far I've had no problems, but it's only been a couple months. I like the metal corners, though.

I haven't talked to Epi about it, but Musician's Friend was awful. It was suppsed to be under a week til I got it, but after 3 I found out that it had been sent to the wrong place, and instead of sending it the right way, Musician's Friend got it sent back to them, and instead of sending it to me, they sent me a different one, which took another couple weeks. Shameful.

Overall, this amp is amazing. If you can afford the $600 for a boutique practice amp, go for it. If not, this amp will do the job. It is ridiculously affordable, and sounds amazing. I'm looking into Epi's Valve Standard.

All the features have pretty well been covered here.....one EL84,one 12AX7,and one knob! A little recording amp,couch jamming (no drummer),or teaching tool.

Been playing 38 years,I have one of almost everything.....it seems to work best with single coils.I have to say that I changed the stock Sovtek EL84 to a Groove Tube,and the response came alive.Before,it was
a bit muddy,and as one reviewer stated "Pignosey." (LOL)
It does what you would expect a tweed Champ to do,but with a little less volume.The distortion sounds best to me at around 1:00,kinda bluesy with dynamics.I originally had the Valve Special with tone knobs and DSP,but decided to go with a simpler signal path.
I must say that both models have a hum,which I've noticed other reviewers mentioning....maybe there is a hum balance somewhere.It isn't too critical.

I've only had the amp for a week,and bought it to tote to drummerless rehearsals and recording.

See above----I registered it online.Hopefully I won't need any warranty work.

As stated above,38 years playing been around the block a few times.I have collected old gear for quite a few years,although at this point it doesn't have to be old to be good.I wanted something like a tweed Champ in it's simplicity---I have a nice little collection of original tweeds,but they are all larger ones.I like this little amp to this point,and I'll bet it will sound great with a few pedals.I chose this amp for the design,simplicity,and price....it's hard to buy a design overdrive for this price.The amp is built very well,and seems really solid.

Bought it on August 5 in GC in Santa Ana. Has one volume knob - that I (and you should too) just keep at 2 pm - that's all: read on ...

BTW I used to own $750 boutique CORNFORD Harlequin class A 5W but it had BOXY sounding 12" CELESTION AND THIS HUM that's also here as it's class A, yet my THD Univalve head masterpiece doesn't have any hum :-)

I switched it ON and left it on for some 6 hours BEFORE playing it for the first time: to make sure it's really warm :-)

Immediately with all stock options I had a great class A tube sound (with a Strat and Paul ...) and then I added the H & K Tubefactor up front and then I had any sound you can possibly imagine.

My Strat Plus by Fender is well shielded so hum is low and the sound is great as others reported.

I play since 1960 and have only class A small amps like Gibson (Trace Eliot made) GA-15RV 15W 112 combo that is sweet or UNIVALVE that I use as a preamp with usualy 6V6 tube ... and then I use also small Laney LC15R as it is light and versatile ... this Epiphone fits nicely and sounds sweater than My Gibson GA-15Rv in 'sweet' pentode 5W mode
and I did NOT change tubes or the speaker.

Surely I can notice that if volume is max the speaker runs into problems yet that's not important if you play it with a pedal up front; still I may change it eventually with a very efficient design.

The tubes are fine - 5 have plenty to try (from my THD Univalve collections) so will report on that too eventually.

In summary, it's THE bluesy sound but let the amp warm up for 1 hour or even longer (I keep it ON all the time !)

It survived the slow postal shipment of 2 months across the ocean !!!

No idea. In Switzerland it's probably zero.

As I said, I am very experienced and 100% independent. Used to own Fender Prosonic combo or Marshall stack, Cronford boutique etc and many guitars ... this is a STEAL if you are baby boom guitarist who loves to play witha FEELING and if you use your SOUL rather than finger gymnastics to generate a heart-communication and express yourself artistically ... this is NOT for metal and nu kids or pop-shreders ...

Test your amp in a store and as long as the hum is not very high with a well shielded test guitar, you can safely buy one. Keep it ON for a day and then play it ... change the tubes if they are bad and plan for a different speaker eventually - that's for those like me who want an ultimate boutique-like sweet class A tube sound: this baby offers that and that's for $120ish entry-investment.


BTW, you really do NOT need a reverb as it sounds dynamic and 3D.
Loves good pedals up front (I have many and all work fine ...)

The best buy of year 2005, no doubt !

New model this year. Amp is all about tone - based on Gibson GA5. Got no features whatsoever, just one input, volume and on-off switch. Lots of other reviewers have layed this out, so won't bother covering the same ground. Sounds excellent after some upgrades - details later.

I use Ilott guitars made for me by Scott Ilott - amazing luthier from Vancouver Island - one strat style and one tele style, but way better than any Custom Shop Fender I've played. Strat style has Lollar Specials, tele has Kinmans, both excellent pickups. This amps suits my style perfectly - mostly blues and blues-flavored rock. This amp does hum a fair bit, even withthe volume turned right down, but the TONE more than makes up for it, especially after replacing the somehwat toneless tubes (Sovtek) with JJs. I ordered a Weber Sig 8 Alnico during his 8" sale he had on for the last couple of weeks. Other owners have said this makes a big difference, although it already sounds great, especially for the money. Will update after I install the Weber. I like it around 1 oclock where it breaks up just great, and you can ride the guitar volume to bring it down to a nice warm clean rythm. Now here's something else I stubmled on - I've had a BK Butler Real Tube pedal kicking around in my closet for awhile. It's an o.k. pedal (apparently Billy G likes them a lot) but it just wasn't matching up with my other gear. But with the little Epi it's a match made in tone heaven. I replaced the original 12ax7 in the Real Tube pedal with a 12at7 to make it more usable, and with the Epi it's like having an added tone stack and an estra preamp - sounds great and makes the amp even more useful. Highly recommended!

I don't gig with this, except in a restaurant/club setup in a duo. I think it would sound fine miked up though, might try it sometime. Will definitely bring it along as backup for my Traynor YCV40, although probably won't need it - the Traynor has been bulletproof.

Haven't had occasion to deal with them - the thing seems built really well.

Been playing 45 years. Would buy again - in fact, liked it so much, I bought 4! (Cheap enough for gifts).