Epiphone Valve Junior Combo

One Channel, one volume control, 8" speaker. The amp is rated at 5 watts, has one preamp tube and one power tube.

Tone is irritating and muddy at high levels. The Valve jr lacks complexity, texture, is one dimentional, and I find it boring to play. Most usable sound is between nine and one o'clock. Seems to like single coils better then high output humbuckers. I play a Fender MIM deluxe player's strat, a Dean Cadillac equiped with Seamore Duncans JB's (neck) and Jazz (bridge) and it actualy sounds decent at low volumes with my Gibson acoustic/electric Songwritter deluxe, but not above nine. Look, I have to be honest with this amp. I have owned it for over 2 years and in my opinion, there is no way this amp can be rated 10. I don't know how this amp reached the rating as high as it is. Most of the reviews I have read on the valve jr. usually start by saying I added this speaker or changed this tube or whatever. Im sure you guy's put alot of hard work into modifing this amp, and the overall sound has been improved but let's be truthful to the people who want to buy a good sounding inexpensive practice amp and are reading our reviews for some advice. If an amp needs a new speaker, new tubes, new whatever, it is not a very good amp to start out with, and being that this is a practice amp with no features other then a volume nob, an 8" speaker and a couple of tubes, I would ask you to think twice before you spend that kind of money upgrading this amplifire to sound decent. So why not save your cash and just buy a good sounding practice amp with a few good effects already built in to the amp? I would recomend VOX's Pathfinder 15r, It has a very natural, tubelike sound. with usable tremolo, a volume nob, both bass and treble control, a real spring reverb tank, a line out, a headphone jack and even has an 8 ohm external speaker jack so you can send the output to any cab you wish. You don't need to modify this amp, in fact, I wouldn't recomend it becouse it already sounds good. I owened the Valve jr for 2 years. When I recently went to sell it the buyer gave me 80 bucks, my wife almost blew the deal by exlaiming "for that?!?" That about say's it all. When I asked the buyer why he was interested in the valve jr. he said he wished to modify it. I just rolled my eyes.

I owned it for 2 years, it never broke down.

Did not contact epiphone.

Its ok, ive played better at this price.

I bought it a year ago.
Version 3.
cons: class A 5w and a volume pot, multiple outputs, portable, look, $$$
pros: no stand by switch, small speaker.

I own a laney lc30II, I bought the VJ V3 for practice.
I read all the good reviews here, and many of the web sites dedicated to mod it, so I decided to try one. I took me a couple of chords and riffs to say to the salesman "ok, I buy it", even though the lady luck sspeaker was a little harsh sounding... but hey, it is 8"!!!
Despite this fact, it is a nice amp for the money I paid.

The first thing I did was to check bias current, mine is at 48 mA @ 12.2 Watts IIRC, just in the limit. So I??m not planning to add a trimmer to adjust bias. It is a tube eater but it is only one tube.

I read that this amp begins to sound good after many hours of playing.
I??ve been using this for a year and it sounds way better now.

Sound quality when using the onboard speaker is what you can expect from a small 8". It lucks bass, so it is like a high pass filter. But this can be tamed with an EQ or TS.
But with an extension cabinet it is another thing.
With those 22uf caps across the cathode resistors it gets farty when cranked, not as a Fuzz Face but near.
It gives me "you shook me all night long", "money for nothing" or "at the woodchoppers ball (live)" sounds just with a tweak of the volume pot and the guitar controls.
I use it mostly with my DIYs Rangemaster, Red Fuzz and P90. (check aron nelson??s forum)
A variety of execellent tones, nice touch and feel. And it is very loud!

If you do not plan to take it to small parties with your friends like I do, you should consider buying the head and the cabinet duo.

I took it from Palma de Mallorca to Buenos Aires, had some hits. Looks tough.

I cross my fingers...

I owned some boutique amps in the past. But after years and years of playing I prefer lower wattage amps. To me a low watt true class A is just perfect.
Epiphone did an excelent product, and most of all, they improved the amp based on users reviews. I hope they include a stand by switch in the future, a bias trim, and consider a 10" speaker.
I??m very happy with it. If lost I would buy another.
I also consider the posibility of doing my own clone with better capacitors, and with a hammond 125ese.

Epiphone Valve Jr 5 watt Head has one volume knob and on/off switch. Mine is the new 3rd version with the 4, 8 and 16 ohm options for speaker out.

Sounds very dark with my Gibson Les Paul Standard, has no compression.
Is VERY loud, too loud for an apartment, breaks up nicely around noon on the volume but is too loud, so I play it with the volume around 9:00 and I use a pedal. Ive tried many pedals, the Fulltone Soulbender fuzz pedal sounds good with this amp. This amp will sound better with a Fender guitar, its a dark sounding amp and needs a bright guitar. Amp is quiet, has no hum. I run it into a 12 inch Jensen speaker housed in a Songworks closed back cab.

I already dropped it about from 3 feet in the air to the ground and nothing happened, still works, no hum.

Decent amp, very loud, needs a Fender guitar, is dark sounding, has no compression, a Maxon OD-808 overdrive tubescreamer would be perfect.

I know, it's only got one knob for volume and that's it. However, I love the absolute simplicity of it, and that one knob gives you one hell of a range of tones! I play harmonica, and playing with different settings for the amp volume and harp volume can give you everything from pristine clean to dirty, gritty, over-driven blues-harp-from-hell tone.

I love playing blues harp through this thing, because it accentuates the natural tone of the instrument rather than burying it. As one reviewer noted, this amp will work with what you give it. If your tone isn't good to begin with, don't expect it to sound good out of the amp. But if your tone is solid, it's great. The full spectrum of the tone comes through, low to high. When you open the volume to just under 3/4 (the sweet spot for me), the tone doesn't degrade into a growly mess. Instead, the tone remains strong, the overtones remain strong, all of the subtleties of your playing remain intact, and the amp simply adds beautiful, warm-sounding distortion on top of and around what you're playing. The definition of the notes aren't lost in the slightest, either, which is great for harp as you can still get all of those great percussive effects, hand effects, etc.
I'm sure there are boutique amps out there that sound better, but for $149 this has got to be one of the best values out there - I would still be impressed had I spent double or triple that amount!

So far so good.... only had it about a month. Seems to be very solidly built, though.

Have not had to deal with costumer support. However, I am impressed with how Epiphone improved this thing through the different versions (I have version 3). It seems as though they have really listened to what musicians were saying about the amp, and improved on most of the issues that were in the first and second versions. For that, I'll give an 8.

I've been playing blues hamonica for about 10 years (keyboards for 20), and this is by far the best amp I have played through. I used to own a Fender Blues Jr, and in my opinion this thing is miles ahead in tone quality! It's simple, well-constructed, and perfect for blues harp! Given the price tag of $149, this has to be one of the best deals on the planet!

I did a review on the Valve Junior Combo ( Version #3 ) in 2008 on Harmony Central and this amp is still just what I need,"Simplicity at it's Best". What I have done since my last review is I have changed out the speaker and it has made a HUGE difference.In place of the stock 8" speaker I put in a Ted Weber AlNiCo Signature 8 eight inch speaker .
http://www.tedweber.com/

I rated this section a 9 because it is what it is , back to the basics.

The stock speaker was loud as heck but it was VERY HARSH for playing harmonica through but the Ted Weber Alnico "Signature" 8" speaker brought "TONE" to the equation that is warm/responsive and when pushed it has a very smooth and chewy attack.I have been through a LOT of different brands of 8" speakers and the Webers are the BEST!

I have been abusing Weber Speakers for years now and nary a problem,they just sound better the more you play them.

Ted Weber is possibly the nicest person I have ever dealt with ! He listens to your needs and can special build to your situation and usually for cheaper than what you would pay for a stock speaker.

I have been playing harmonica for about 40 years now and amplified for 29 years and I think his speakers and the Valve Junior are about as good as it gets for my style of playing. You can check me out at
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SteveHarvell&view=videos

I just bought this amp today, I usually wait a few months before I review to see if it lasts. But I wanted to write one now. Features are basically non existent on this amp. But they aren't needed. Input Jack, Volume knob, Off/On Switch, and you can hook different cabs up to it too. 5W, all tube. I use this amp in my bedroom or anywhere that doesn't involve a drummer. I'll give it a 5, but the amp isn't about features. Play one, and you will see.

I use an epiphone dot, and a fender telecaster deluxe. The humbuckers in the dot create a breakup at lower volumes, while the wide range in the fender stay clean for a bit longer. They both sound great through this amp though. This is natural tube over drive and it makes me drool. It's so warm and full and beautiful... I just can't say enough about it. If your looking for a real clean amp, this isn't the way to go though. Get a fender tube w/ reverb in that case. If the overdrive is this nice through an 8" speaker , I can't wait to see how full it is through a 12". Compared to $2000 tube heads, I'm sure this isn't equal. So for the price, I'll give it a 9.

Again, I just bout it today, so I'm not sure yet. Sorry. But my dot has held up. I know for a fact that Epiphone is a quality company who produces things for real musicians. They care about there products unlike other big companies like fender. You won't have any quality issues buying from Epiphone.

I've dealt with Gibson before a few times, and they were great. No problems.

I have played guitar for about 8 years now. I'm a simple man, with simple things. I know good sound when I hear it, and this amp sounds great. It really inspires me to write. It blows my fender hot rod's overdrive out of the water(fender clean is where its at though). My advice is that you play it, and see if its right for you. Reviews are nice, but they don't mean that much in the grand scheme of things. Sit down, play it, get inspired. If you don't like the sound, move on to the next amp. I love this amp.

I picked up a V3 VJ. While it only has one control (volume) it's responsive enough that you can get a variety of tones out of it by changing the settings on your guitar, or simply modifying your attack.

In a practice room with a drummer with full kit, it had just enough head room. Add a tube screamer, you should be able to keep up.

I play garage/punk/blues/dub, and between my Jaguar and my Stratotone I find this little tube amp has the appropriate tone for most of the songs we play.

However, in my experience anyway, this amp needs a little work before it starts to meet its potential. The stock tubes (a Sovtek el84 and an EH 12ax7) provided a reasonable tone until about 11 o'clock on the dial. Past that, and you got fuzz and buzz, not a warm breakup. I switched the Sovtek for a JJ and the EH for a Tung-Sol, and I was surprised by how different the sound became. Now, the more you turn it up, the better it sounds.

Switch the tubes, seriously.

I haven't had it very long, but I've probably run it full out for 8 hours or so. So far, no problems. But it's a tube amp, so don't bang it on anything or leave it out in the cold.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I needed a little amp that was easy to move around, but still had enough power to practice with a drummer. After the tube switch, I have no regrets picking this up. You can really get it howling with the volume wide open, and when it's turned down, you get nice string definition and some warm chime.

I chose this amp over the Fender Champion and the Vox Pathfinder 15r. I would certainly buy this amp again, although I would have to factor in the cost of picking up new tubes as well (about $30).

versio 2 combo unmodded

Heh heh, yeah well I own a friggin '69 marshall superbass and comparing the two is completely retarded. I mean, dude? What the f?%k! I can't play the marshall in my house without the neighbours going nuts (I've got an se100 and it just ain't the same), and I for sure as hell ain't gonna mod it even though it's been through hell! dumbass. The little VJ is about hot-rodding, you idiot. You know, those early chevys and fords weren't so hot either, but... I still have faith in my version 2 combo and there's something in there... makes you wanna get in under the hood. Something running flat out. But all that being said- I do agree that $300 to spend on a $100 amp- well you can find old fenders and gibsons not too far from that and well... man the choice is yours.

good so far

no need

playing since '89 on mostly strats amstd 86, fullerton 84 '57, fuzzes rat 2, muff, way huge, marshalls jcm 800, '69 superbass. The EVJ sucks out of the box, but...

through ads....

Hah-Ha-Hah.., With all advancement of music gears with reviews, people are still on their way to rock bottom believing that this is a fine amp. Bottom line is you'll be spending more time and money on improving the sound of this amp that I believe the only thing you can salvage is the case. Lets face it, most of the reviewers here never even had the chance to own a real amp like an early marshall.

Product is good for low-end user...

Single channel, single ended 5 Watt all tube amp. Just volume control. Mine is a rev #3, with multiple impedance outputs and Eminence speaker.

It all comes down to what it's been thought for, I think. This puppy was thought to be an easy, plug-and-play, no frills combo, and that's what you get.

After reading lots of boards I have opened mine just to find that many of the mods suggested on the web have already been implemented in the latest revision. Things like using Alpha volume pot, DC heater, proper output transformer primary impedance, better tube quality, correct values of resistors on input voltage divider and things like that have already been addressed.

Mine came with an EH 12AX7 and a Sovtek EL84.

Despite the lot of people complaining about this combo being shrill, I must disagree: mine sounded very dark and muffled.
I have made some mods to it, like installing Mallory caps and a Tweed-like tone control, and now it sounds very good to me.
It gives a very spanky sound that's prone to distort quite easily. Too bad the 5 Watts combined with the small 8" speaker are just too loud to crank it home.
It's kind of a vintage-sounding amp. Dirty and punchy. I just love it.
It takes stompboxes very well, so I can get good saturated tones at bedroom volumes with my TS9 (with 808 mod).
It used to be dead quiet when it was stock, after the mods it's a bit noisy but much better sounding to me.

I bought it because I wanted an amp that was different from my main amp (a Mesa/Boogie Mark IV combo), and that could give me some fun modding it. No complains, it just does the job.

I play it with a Tom Anderson Drop Top and a custom made guitar.

Rating is for the stock sound. After the mods, it deserves at least a 7.

Just had it for a month. Anyway, I've taken a look inside and it looks like it may last forever. Despite it's made in China, it's very well done. Component quality looks quite good. It's a very easy amp, there's not much that can fail inside that black little box, I'd expect it to last long enough to get fed up with it :)

No idea.

For the price I paid for it, it's a bang for the buck. For less than 100 Eur you get a good cabinet, a good chassis, a big power transformer, a suitable output transformer, two good tubes, a well done pcb and a bunch of passive components. Even if it does not sound as you wish, every monkey that knows how to use a welding iron can modify it. There's plenty of boards, schematics and suggestions, it can provide hours of fun just by experimentimg new changes to the circuit.

I really can't complain about the available features, as anyone who looks at this little combo will clearly see it was designed to be very simple.

The one feature that I really would have liked to have seen on all versions of the combo would be 4/8/16 ohm speaker outs on the rear panel. Most of the speakers I've ever wanted to try with this amp have been either 8 or 16 ohms. Happily, I see the newest revision of the combo has this feature.

The revision of the combo I had sounded a bit stale to me with the stock Sovtek tubes. So like most other Valve Jr owners I replaced the stock tubes with some new ones. I used a JJ EL84 and a JJ 12AX7.

I'm really impressed by how well this amp takes to pedals. I use a Maxon OD808 reissue for my overdrive sound and that really sounds warm through the Valve Jr. It's extremely easy to get a solid, warm overdriven sound. For heavier sounds, I use a Krank Distortus Maximus. This pedal also sounds really great through the Valve Jr, and I'm actually able to get some reasonable sounds for metal (n.b. it's an 8" speaker.. don't expect miracles!!). My Holy Grail and DL4 also sound quite full with this little monster.

I think that the worst thing about the sound this little combo produces is that it is very mid heavy and can be a little muddy sounding. There is a relatively easy fix for this. I've found using a GE-7 (or favorite eq pedal) can do a lot to tame the wild mids.

I think the stock speaker is for the most part quite good for the price of the amplifier. I think the only think I could want more there is a little bit better bass response. But hey, it's an 8" speaker. Maybe I want a bit too much.. :)

I have tested the amp with both passive (SD59/JB) and active (EMG81/85) pickups, and I have been very happy with the performance with all pickups. Of note, I think the Seymour Duncan 59 sounds particularly impressive. I really love the creamy tone I get out of that pickup with this amp.

I've had it for about 5 months now and no issues.

Haven't had to speak with them. I have had zero issues so far. I know others who have had to deal with warranty work though, and their experience was positive.

I bought this little combo for home practice and recording, and I really can't say that I've had any disappointments. It's served it's purpose well, and other than the lack of 8/16ohm speaker outs, I'm quite happy to keep singing it's praises.

This little amp is as simple as they come but in the blues , "Less Is More" !

The Valve Junior Combo version #3 has improvements that now make this the best deal on the planet . Wow is exactly what came to mind after about 2 minutes of blowing my harp through the new Valve Junior Combo version #3 . I absolutely loved version # 2 head and combo that used a 4 ohm speaker but this new version has upped the stakes considerably !

The new version is so open-fat-rich and full sounding that it is like a 7 to 10 watt amp that is completely hand wired ( which it is not) . The 16 ohm "Eminence" speaker ( engineered in the USA and made in China ) that comes standard in the new version is the loudest 8 inch speaker I have ever played through . At first I thought the speaker was a bit harsh but after about 10 hours of playing it has now transformed into a keeper ( most every speaker has a break in period before it reveals the true sound it is going to produce ) . After getting the 16 ohm "Eminence" broken in it has turned into a speaker that has a very aggressive growl and penetration that will cut through the mix in a band setting . Really , this amp will do fine on it's own in a small club setting unmiked .

What I like to do is turn the Valve Junior Combo version #3 about 3/4 wide open and back off 3 or 4 clicks on my harp mic for rhythm and backup playing . She stays a bit clean this way but still a touch of hair and grit when ya cup the mic tighter and blow a little harder . And when you reach over with your pinky finger and turn the volume wide open on the mic , it is like having a tiger by the tail . The power and touch dynamics are so organic and bottomless that it makes playing and practice fun again .

The speaker and amplifier circuit are very well thought out and matched . I tried the combo with other speakers and the "Eminence" 16 ohm speaker ( that it came with ) did the best job of bringing out the full potential-range and depth of what this amp is capable of . This amp is pretty even across the board as far as the low-mids-highs are concerned . But it does lean a bit more toward the mids to highs . But when tried with various other speakers the amp acts like a chameleon and adapts to them .

For playing amplified harp this is the BEST I have ever played through so far ! The Valve Junior Combo version #3 can be a little kitten and cleanly purr , but crank the volume and you unleash the "TONE BEAST FROM HELL" . How in the world can they make and sell such a quality amp like this for $149.00 ? Heck , the cab alone is worth that , it is built like a tank .

Mic this baby and it is mind blowing ! Take 2 of the Valve Junior Combos and a "A/B/Y" pedal and you are good to go with a loud band . With the pedal , use one combo for rhythm and then kick in both for a scorching lead solo . Two of these at the same time , cranked , is like having a religious experience .

I give the Valve Junior Combo version #3 my highest rating , a (7) Harp Salute . It also deserves my next coveted award , and that is my "Nasty Harp Award " , When ya crank that volume knob on the Valve Junior Combo the tone gets so fat and nasty/chewy , the way Chicago Blues should sound and be played . At one time I was a bit obsessed with tube heads and extension cabinets , but they take a while to set up and there is more to carry . I still like them but there is something to be said for the portability of just grabbing the little Valve Jr. Combo and running out the door to the gig.

Epiphone has hit a Grand Slam with the Valve Junior Combo version #3 !


http://bluzharp.tripod.com

I have only had this version # 3 for about 2 months but I have a version # 2 head and combo that has seen more biker bars and spilled beer than a
a motorcycle .

Awesome !!!!! I have had contact with Bob Burns and other techs there and they are a delight to deal with .

This is like my wife ! This is the amp of my blues harmonica playing dreams !

This is my second review. Don't want to be a bore but do want to pass on what I think greatly improves the amp.

I have owned this amp for a year and read about all the different mods you can get. Well, all I did was replace stock Sovtek tubes for JJ Tesla's (cost ??18) and it is now fantastic.

If you want a clean sound then it's great.

If you want natural power amp distortion then it's great.

As others have said before me..turn the amp on 30 minutes before playing it.

Solid so far.

A totally brilliant amp.

It needs tone controls. Mine had big treble boost problem.

The cab with it looks great but the speaker sounds bad-Too much treble...the Head Its like a bad pedal tone nob that doesnt give enough bass freguency; I think it needs a larger value in the head circuit too allow more bass. Im not a mod expert but I think it might be cap on the guitar input that needs a larger value probably?
My vox valvetronix 30 sounded much better. I took the junior head and attatched it too a few great speakers and it was much better!!It still did not beat my vox with stock speaker. Heres the bad part. I then hooked up a small cheap crate practice amp to this same great speaker and the little small amp sounded better than the tube head.
I can only imagine what my vox could do with this cab. In all fairness the Junior head was pretty good alone with a different speaker. I returned it to Gc mostly because I hated the speaker cab. I love Epiphone and play their guitars. I did love this little head, but mine was just way too bright. I posted this just too help balance the reviews as these reviews influenced my decision to buy. The head did sound good with a $400 cab, but was way too bright.

I can't say, I didn't own it long enough-looked well made.

I give it a 6 only because of its low cost. Mine was too bright and unusable without heavey eq. I might try the Blackheart amp designed by the same russian guy who desiged this head; it has tone controls and a cut switch to 3 watt. Oh and the VJ head was too loud to actually practice in mid to full overdrive. Im sure the Valve Junior head can sound great with the right voicing mod -I just dont have the skills or time to fiddle with it. I hope I didnt ruffle anyones feathers with this review, I did love this little head, I may have just got a bad unit with too much variance in a couple circuit parts that didnt complement each other.

One volume pot some speaker inputs and one internal speaker all you need.
I know it's not any features really but thats what this amp is a 5w class a valve combo practice amp!

It does one sound a straight very strong and warm clean sound! i use a few guitars on it a Fender Japan Tele a PRS Custom 22 and an Ibanez hollowbody and it sounded great with all of them and worked really well with all types of pick-ups.
If you want a distortion sound just pick a pedal you like and run it through the front easy as and sounds great and has a surprising amount of volume!

Now i ordered this via the internet and i recieved one and it made no sound whats so eva, probaly due to the speaker or the jack input which was a big let down so i swapped it for another one and exactly the same problem! so i thought i'd try one more incase it was me being stupid and the third one worked fine! i hate to knock it down points but 2 in a row is pretty bad.

There is no customer support in the Uk for Epiphone! the shop was alright but the lack of company help sucks.

If you get one of these that works then is a great amp and does exactly what its supposed to!

This amp only has an on/off switch and a volume control on the front panel, but on the back it has speaker outputs for 4, 8 and 16 ohm. Based on the the range of clean to over-driven tone that results as an increase or decrease in the volume level, the option to use a variety of external speakers, and the really loud 5 watts that this amp puts out, I find this amp to be both simple and versatile.

This amp with an 8 ohm 12 inch Mesa closed back cabinet and an Fender American Telecaster produces a nice range of sounds. The low level clean sound has just the right amount of bite and drive. The high volume level distortion also sounds good with the Telecaster.

This amp appears to be very well built. It is solid and the attention to the detail of fit and finish is as well or better than many amps costing significantly more money. The manufactures 5 year warranty seems to imply that the amp will be reliable. I use the amp without a backup for small gigs and rehearsals.

The amp has a 5 year warranty on every thing except the tubes.

I purchased this amp based on the previous reviews, the low cost of the amp, the ease of changing tubes when and if desired, the low wattage, and the company name. The great sound and quality of the amp is a bonus.

It's just a simple straight forward EL84 amplification circuit. The output transformer but mainly the speaker provides all the tone it has to offer. Tube amps can't get more simple in design than this.

The circuit and ouptut transformer are fine. But the main thing is the speaker and that is crap. It is efficient and loud but at the same time it sounds very brittle and metalic. In no way this is a vintage tone as they claim.
No amount of mods will improve this. I've connected this speaker to another amp and it sounded just as bad specially when driven hard.
Even at low volumes I can't get a decent sound and EQ don't fix it when recording tracks.
It sounds good when I use it for keyboard though because it's so bright so no need for a tweeter.
Sometimes I use the amp just as a head to a decent speaker cabinet and that makes all the difference. It sounds "normal".
This amp just needs a good speaker that's all. No mods or anything else.

Extremely well build amp. Almost an overkill. It's nice to see somehting build so well these days, specially in China. It'll probably work for a 100 years privinding you change the tubes couple of times.

Not needed.

Cheapest tube amp available, mediocre sound for guitar, ok for keyboard with it's original crap speaker.

Volume, line out

This amp is pretty dark. If you are looking for nice cleans, I would stay away. This amp is made to be pushed, not to the extreme, but definitely pushed. I have used it with a strat HSS and a tele. This amp treats effect pedals well. I have tried it with a humbucker into a metal zone into a 7 band equalizer and it got a great metal tone. You can get everything from Black Sabbath to Mastodon. It would not do Nu Metal or chain-saw type distortion. It does blues very well. I like a lot of alternative and indie rock, so it is a little to dark for me, but an equalizer helps a lot. I also use a weber attenuator with it to get good power tube saturation.

Built like a tank

N/A

I have been playing for 5 years now. I play a custom guitar into a couple effects into either this or my Ampeg Jet. I would cut my losses. I really like it, especially in combination with an equalizer pedal and an attenuator. I love how easily tube saturation is achieved, but I wish it was voiced a little brighter. At the end of the day, I am glad to have it in my arsenal.

input jack, volume control, power switch. only play at home.very loud when cranked.

great for old school blues and rock. starts to get a bit gritty at 10'o clock with humbuckers, at 3 o'clock it's very loud & very dirty! will sustain for ever - gary moore style. with single coils it starts to get gritty at just over 12'o clock and gives a great blues tone. if you need any more, use a good overdrive/distortion pedal.

bought mine in october 2005. hummed and buzzed like hell! took it back to sound control in stockton-on-tees, and they changed it for a newer model-this one is really great.

never used epiphone as sound control sorted out my problem. however, i understand epiphone do supply a 5 year warrenty.

i have been playing for around 30 years, on & off. this little amp sounds great for what i do. i have, over the years, owned a lot of good stuff, mesia boogie, fender, marshall etc, and this amp is up there with them - honestly. if anything happened to it i would buy again, without hesitation.

no need to explan the features...
bought it 1 jear ago..

sounds nice at all.changed the tube for EH 12AT7 for more clean headroom,sounds nice after about 50 hours.the tubes need some time to "warm up",about 20 min.i play mostly bluesrock and some dirty pop with a fender strat(made of different strats,with a tele neck).this guy is very honest with nearly no compression.you get what you give,means it shows every wrong note and mistake.you need to have tone in your fingers,so this is no beginners amp.it breaks up nicely at about 1 o clock(with gainboost mod).i dont like its sound,when the vol is full,sounds to damaged.guess its a speaker distortion.the speaker is ok at all,but too small,to give a real punch.gonna build a new cab with a jensen 12" to get more volume and punch.it works in a band,but you have to mic it.the sound is "classical",it has no modern rocksounds and no metal attitudes.he likes tubescreamers and stuff,but sounds muddy with modelling stuff.different guitars have very different sounds on this amp for there is a very short signal chain and no toecontrol at all.it can be modded very easily.it doesnt sounds like a marshall or a fender,it has some kind of its own sound

gigged a lot with it.still workin

i??ve been playin 4 a while.i have seen lots of equipment,and this one i pretty cool.no boutique tone,but its ok since i like unpolished dirty sounds.u can play the blues on a highend superamp,but with this one,its more authentic i think.best partner is a good guitar a good cable,a booster or tubedrive and the vol knob at the guitar.crappy guitars will sound crappy.you can get a lot of different sound,as long as u know how to get them from your guitar.you get,what you give

Mine is a newer version - likely 2007 with the newer hum reduction design. Have to give it a 2 because it is what it is - very basic class A 5 Watt tube amp. Don't interpret that as bad.

This amp is simply outstanding. At lower volumes, it is quite clear and clean, crank it up and it gets very dynamically responsive to your attack and breaks up beautifully. After one day, it is my favorite amp ever - even with the cheap stock tubes.
This is an amp that you have to understand though. I think those reviewers who call it "dark" sounding have to consider what the amp is and is not. There not much in the circuitry coloring your sound. I spent about 3 hours with it yesterday - no effects with an american tele. On the bridge pickup, the sound is quite bright and cuts through nicely. With both pickups on, the I got a quite nice rhythm sound and with a little turn of the volume knob got some nice growl. On the neck pickup, it is admittedly "darker" sounding, but might be a good sound for some jazz and other uses. I would anticipate the same "darkness" with a neck humbucker, but with an earlier breakup because of generally higher output. The point is, this bad boy amplifies what it gets. Start putting the tone control circuits in and all the other bells and whistles and you start gaining more control at the expense of the short path between you and the tubes and the speaker. I think the criticizm for being "dark" sounding is a reflection of the lack of ability to color the sound by boosting the treble or cutting the bass. I submit that all that can be fixed with an equalizer pedal like a Boss GE 7 or the like if you want more control. But, appreciate this amp for what it is - a great sounding, very responsive amp.
Lots of mods are possible and well documented on the Internet. I contemplated quite a few before getting mine, and am now contemplating far fewer if any. This little guy just screams with creamy smooth distortion and the most responsive dynamics I have experienced. Still has just a little of the hum when cranked, but quite tolerable. May try to tweak that a bit, but this amp is quite good out of the box when you understand that it is simpy going to amplify what you put in. Want color, treble, bass? Get an equalizer and one of these and I don't think you'll regret it. The sound just doesn't get much better than this.

Survived shipping, but can't comment otherwise.

no experience

I have about 18 guitars and 7 amps. Have been playing for 40+ years. I would replace it in a heartbeat, and would buy another if I spot a deal just for fun. As an electrical engineer, I might investigate some of the mods suggested on the Internet. Perhaps add a little more power supply filtering, and mod of the input circuit and the voltage divider between the preamp and power amp stages just for fun. But I'll be thinking long and hard about it or buying another for mods.
Haven't done the calculations, but it appears that the bias may be a little high on the output tube (decreases tube life) so I might tweak that, but trust me, this guy is AOK right out of the box. I might get another just to experiment with, but really it is an excellent amp as is. Some allege that the parts are cheap, but that is an issue that only time will tell, and it is so simple and cheap, it can easily be fixed or replaced. BUY ONE.... or three.

There is everything i expect from the amplifier - power switch for starting it up and volume button for adjusting volume. There is no need for any more stuff, it would just ruin this lovely layout.

when you turn it on, it sounds... well, something you expect to come from a tube amp. not bad at all, but nothing special either.

but hey...

let it warm up... for about 20-30 minutes. then turn it up to near breaking up level and play... play with your heart and soul, with all the mojo you have got!

It would be 10 if it would reach that tone faster than 20-30 minutes.

PS! it loves Tube screamer as well:)

built solid... sometimes i have heard some kind of fizz or smth... but that can be from the poor electricity i have in my home. Its a V2, so there are no other noise problems:)

dont know.

I love this sucker for its small size and great tone - not your usual package... If it were stolen i would buy another one.

As a long admirer of Fender Champs and simple Class A amps, I had to see what these were about after all the reviews. The simplicity is a major plus, and swapping the tubes is a piece of cake- no need to bias. My only wish is that there was a stand-by switch.

Ok- I first bought a VJ head and paired it with a nice 2x12 cab- plenty of power/volume. The nice part is that this can be pared with pedals to get the best of huge/classic amp tone with the ability to play & record at room volume- not like your playing a stadium gig.

So I was impressed enough that I wanted to see if the VJ combo was just as good....WOW. -Let's just say it's the only amp I play. In both the VJ head and the combo I've basically just swapped the 12Ax7 tubes to Groove Tube Gold series. Nice warm tone. I use this amp with a Digitech RP 250 in a classic "Bassman" type setting and the result is perfect. I play various electrics from my '77 SG, a Squier '51, but by recent fav is an '57 Epi LP Jr which I swapped in a true 'P90' to replace the excessively hot P100 it came with.

What a tone!

No issues yet.

From my experience and my playing style, this thing does it all and does it well. I gave it the true love/hate test the other night by playing out live with my lil' jr. I play a lot of slide and I basically played with a piano and a bass player and didn't need to mic the amp. Mic'ing the amp though would have definitely brought a more fuller sound to the room, but I basically played with the amp at 10 o'clock and had all the volume & projection I needed. If I bring in some drums, I will definitely go the mic'ing route. The piano player was floored on how great this amp sounded. I'm even leaving the "drink rings" on the amp for character..

For features, there are tubes, transformers, and a speaker. It even has extra features like a volume knob and a cabinet to hold all of it with a great eye appeal. I like the amp.

I've been playing for about 40 years, so I've heard and played a lot of amps. This little amp sounds pretty darn cool. If you are at all familiar with Hank Williams Sr. and have hear his old music, the old raspy, hot, clean and dirty at the same time is what this amp delivers. I took it into the tiny club I play at last night. I put it next to my other amp and I just kept going back to the VJ. It did not have the clarity of my other cool amp, but it had a tone that was very pleasant. I bought it because my other amp is 40 watts and I never get to turn it up. I bought the VJ after reading about it so much. It filled the club with truly acceptable tube-tone. I have JJ Tubes coming for it already from Eurotubes, because I believe in them and recommend them. I will probably switch out the speaker at some time in the future. I only ran the amp at about 10:00 or so. I use pedals for other tones. People loved it. In a live situation it was great. I run an Analog Man Sunface NKT, Mini Chorus, Juicer, and a AR20DL Delay into whatever I play through. Without these, the amp didn't have a lot of life. Plug in good stuff and it is fantastic. I didn't even get any hum. It's a decent amp. It is what it is: a 5 watt tube amp. Pedals bring it to life. If you hate effects that is a personal choice thing. I try to give my little audience the best listening experience I can with my limited abilities. But, sorry, nothing gets a 10 in my book except the genuine 59 Strat I had a long time ago.

Fortunately I know one of the best amp tech in the US is there in Arkansas, so if I ever had a problem, I would pay him to do what he does for a living: fix stuff.

I wouldn't bother sending in the warrantee on an amp I paid $120 for. Deal with a reputable company to begin with and deal locally.

This amp sounds old fashioned. Old school. Minimal in every way. I used it live and I loved it. I would use my big amp in a big venue, but for a small club where you want tube tone at a resonable volume, this amp does it for me. Use your effects to bring it to life or not.

Newer model EVJ. Meh, it has one input, one knob, and one switch. That's plenty for me.

After reading the many reviews on this little beast, I had to try it myself. It's honestly just the thing I'm after. I do more home recording than anything else and if I need a big rig to play on, I know plenty of gear-heads to sort me out. The sound is just what I was after! When people say to at least A-B a couple of them in store, listen to them. The first EVJ I tried was good but on a hunch I asked if they had another I could try. Sure enough, the second was amazing compared to the first, to the point that the clerk serving me remarked on the difference. There is a point where the tubes fizz and isn't that pleasant but that's when pushing it almost full-circle. I put a Crowther Hotcake in front of this thing and the good times kept rollin'. Got slightly Smashing Pumpkins tone outta the thing which was rather splendid. Also, no hum issues with this one as it is a newer model.

Hasn't broken, looks simple to fix, and if not, I'll buy another!

Probably wouldn't bother them

The tone you get for the price is wonderful! It's worth it, but do try and compare multiple versions as the quality control isn't that groovy.