Epiphone Valve Junior Head

what features? 4 8 & 16ohm outputs
1 input i volume knob

i play metal and put a digitec hardwire metal pedal infront of it
and it's the best sound for home recording/ practice i've found
it can get pretty loud not enough to keep up with a drummer but that's what i have a 100watt head for- but for recoding guitar and lower volume practices this is the best sound i've ever heard.

i just got it time will tell

i bought a 2year warranty from the place i bought it

$150- no solidstate combo amp in this price range comes close
i really love this thing

Yes ten. Everything you need and nothing you don't: input, knob, switch, outputs for 4, 8, and 16 ohm cabinets. Version 3 I think, made in '08-ish. It's loud enough for what it is... certainly loud enough for a mic to pick up, so yes it's powerful enough. It's not going to blow your drummer away, but the whole point of this amp is that you can get real tube character at lower volumes. My last couple amps were Fender tube amps, most recently a hot rod deluxe, which only gave up the real tubey tone at a very high volume level. The Valve Junior is perfect for recording and live situations without too much stage volume. Not a stand alone rock gig amp... However, properly mic'd and monitored it would work. Or, given the price, you could buy two or three. I play classic rock mostly, and a little blues, and this amp sounds great. Other amps have sweet spots that are sometimes difficult to dial in. The Valve Junior doesn't really make any bad sounds.

I've played a variety of guitars through a variety of cabinets, and with a couple different preamp tubes, and most combinations were great. Single coils ring with harmonics. Humbuckers will make it break up sooner. It's not at all percussive or harsh. A 12AT7 instead of the 12AX7 dials down the overdrive, but IMO it also takes too much of the character of sound. I installed a Groove Tubes 12AX7 instead of the stock Chinese 12AX7, and that made it even better. It sounds like straight-up classic rock tube tone. I didn't want to believe the hype, but I saw it on Ebay for $75 and I couldn't resist. My expectations were high, and I am not disappointed. It's responsive in a way that makes you aware of nuances in your playing. It likes pedals, but doesn't need any to make great sound.

Time will tell.... It's so simple; what could possibly go wrong?

N/A just got it.

I've played for 20+ years, through every imaginable combination of gear... I love the sound of this amp. I would replace it if it were stolen. I'd like to see a 20W version for club gigs.

On/off switch, Volume, 4/8/16 ohm output. So for features, I give it a 2. For QUALITY of the features, I give it an 8. It does everything it should. Sounds good as soon as you plug it in. It rocks. And is the loudest 5 watts I've ever heard. So I'll average and call it a 6. If your looking at this amp, you know what it is and isn't supposed to do/be.

It sounds AWESOME! I love it. For years, the holy grail of sound to me was my friend's 56 or 57 tweed Fender Deluxe. I still love that amp. But this little guy does just as much, in my opinion. It's great. Clean up to about 10 oclock, then it just gets dirtier and dirtier. Nice creamy vintage-sounding distortion.

Nothing yet... I've travelled with it, played it a lot, haven't had any problems yet...

Epiphone has answered my questions, and even talks about modding it on their website. I don't think I'll have a problem, but I don't know yet...

I wish it were a 15 or 20 watter... That's my only problem with giving this amp a 10. I love it. Best $225(with the matching cab) I've spent on guitar equipment. Period. Do I miss the tone controls or anythign? No. If it sounded like crap I probably would, but it doesn't so I don't. I played a Fender champion 600 or whatever their little 5 watt amp is. This one was way better in my opinion... I've been playing for 15 years, and this little thing makes it all worth it. I've got a Jay Turser Moserite copy with a p90 and Eastwood Zippo pickup, a Chinese Tele copy with Fender guts, and a funky little Samick with 3 p90s. This amp loves them all, and sounds different with each one.

Paid $250 for the head/cab combo from GC. Amp has Input, Volume, and 3 speaker outs. Lack of features is not a shortcoming in my opinion. I've found myself using my guitar's tone controls more to get the sounds I want - something I should have been doing all along. I bought this amp as I wanted a clean amp - something without digital effects.

I just bought mine last month, and it's the Ver 3. Sounds great out of the box, but I stuck an old Amperex 12AX7 in it after a few hours - much brighter than the stock Sovtek. Changed out the EH EL84 as well to an unmarked 60s era NOS EL84 (best guess is Matsushita.) Again, a huge change in tone - now the amp resonates beautifully. If I add an analog chorus it sounds so nice - takes me back to the late 70s when chorus pedals first came out. I siomply can't get my chorus to sound this nice through any other amp.

Hard to believe how well these are made.

The Gibson Group is great. Kudos to whoever thought of a budget boutique amp. Also, thanks to Gibson for listening to buyers of a budget amp and making the upgrades.

I plan on modding it further. Luckily the Ver 3 fixed many of the earlier version's shortcomings. I would really like to add an effects loop between the pre and power stages. Shouldn't be too hard as the schematic comes with the amp. I think I may also order the upgrade kit from AlnicoMagnet off eBay. He seems to be the only modder who specifically makes a kit for the Ver.3 heads.

bought 3rd gen junior head ran hard for 13 months than sound cut out took to the amp to a amp guru said wasnt worth fixing. The screaming sounds i got with a broke in celes vin 30 blew me away lady luck sounded mushy in comparasin to afraid to buy a new one IM NO AMP TECH

VINTAGE LEADS ALTHOUGH IT DIDNT NEED; IT I RAN A SEYMORE DUNCANE TWIN TUBE DISTORTION WTH VOLUME ALMOST 8 DISTORTION ON 2 TO 3 WORKED WELL TOGETHER

NEED TWO TO GIG

ONE WARRANTY AFTER THAT YOU BETTER KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND AMPS I CANT SAY THEY WOUNDNT FIX IT AFTER THE WORANTY NAVER ASKED BUT I WILL AND LET U ALL KNOW

Paid $250 for the stack, head and cabinet, from GC. As mentioned, one volume control and 3 speaker impedance outputs: 4, 8, & 16 ohm. That's about it. I thought I'd add a tone knob, but after owning it for a few weeks now, I don't think I'll bother. You just have to use your guitar's controls. I do wish it had a spring reverb between the pre and power sections, but I may put one in later.

Excellent sound. I played around with different tubes and finally settled on a Holland made Amperex 12AX7 and a Japanese made Mytron EL84 (likely Matsushita) - both made in the 60s. I'll keep the Russian stock tubes for spares, but I really like the combination of the two I have in - very clear highs, pronounced mids, and tight bass.

I also like the way pedals sound through this head - especially my analog chorus and delay. Sweet.

I don't see how anthing can go wrong as simple as this amp is. The cabinet on both the amp and speaker cab are extremely well made.

Not sure if I'll need them, but Gibson and Epiphone have been around for a while.

I've been playing for over 25 years. Have owned many guitars and amps. I was looking for a good clean amp and was won over by this. I did not want anything with digital effect circuits on it.

Man, this is one hell of an amp! It's got that sound..that thick, crunchy tube tone that's been showcased on countless rock albums. And, my god, is it loud. Played at half volume for about half an hour, my ears were ringing. Anyhow, it's a really simple, 5W Class A tube head with a single volume knob. The stock tubes are a Sovtek EL84 and a Sovtek 12ax7. Anyone could take this out of the box, plug in a 4,8 or 16 ohm cab and play.

I currently own several guitars: a 1974 Les Paul Deluxe, a 2004 Mexican Telecaster, a Korean Strat and an 1981 Vantage Flying V clone. I use a home-made cab with two 12" 1966 Oxford 12J4 speakers.
As musical styles go, I play anything from Classic/Progressive Rock to Blues and funk. Much to my surprise, this amp is able to cover all of these genres quite well. The output is fairly clean up to about 10 o'clock on the dial, then the tubes begin to break up. While the distortion is nice at all volumes, it can be a bit "farty" higher up (3 o'clock+), especially using neck pickups.

This head is built impressively. I would have never guessed it was made in China until I looked at the back panel. The construction is very solid; it doesn't rattle or shake even when cranked. When I purchased the EVJ head, I assumed that it would be a good practice amp for home use. Now that I've been playing it for a little while, I won't hesistate to bring it to my next practice session or small gig. It easily can keep up with a drummer at half volume.

I purchased a one-year replacement warranty when I bought it, though I doubt I'll need it. I don't plan on seriously "modding" the head (bitmo, etc) but I'm considering eventually replacing the tubes to JJs to clear up some of the "fartiness".

I have been playing for roughly 9 years (17 years old) and have owned many different types of guitars, organs, synths, basses etc. Buy this amp. You won't regret it. Some folks turn their nose at 5W heads, but believe me, this is one amp that you'll cherish for years to come.

5 watt tube amplifier, combo with an 8 inch speaker. One volume control, a quarter inch input jack, and a power switch. It does get pretty loud and breaks up nicely on its own without a distortion pedal. Works great at home for practicing.

This amp has a great sound and the crunch is perfect. There's not much low end due to the speaker size but I like the classic rock sound you can easily get, especially with a humbucker in your guitar. I also play a telecaster through it and with the tone knob down most the way on the guitar I can get a pretty well rounded crunch with a little less output. I pactice with band and haven't had to turn the volume all the way up yet, although it sounds great cranked

The amp is small and not too heavy. The strap expands a bit and is comfortable, its just light enough to carry in one hand. The back is covered and the power cord detaches. Its a simple design, for me it takes all the thinking out of it and its a nice change of pace.

Haven't used them yet

I picked this amp up used for $80 and I can say that its the best deal I've gotten on any piece of gear. Even to buy one new at $150 would be worth it to me. Its easy to get a good sound out of it and its responsive to my picking touch like any other tube amp. I would be pissed if it got lost or stolen, I'd have to buy another one for sure

Won't repeat what's been said already. This amp is a lesson in abstract minimalism, except you can plug into it and it has a class A EL84 output section. Nice.

I play a range of stuff around the whole rock-blues-jazz-alt-metal-funk kinda area. Current setup is very minimal: Fender Tele or Gibson Melody Maker into a Vox Wah, Boss DS-1, Z.Vex SHO and Ibanez tuner into the amp.

My amp didn't remain stock for very long, but from what I can remember the sound has a lovely blues combo vibe but a but thin and sterile, and perhaps a little boxy too.

I've since performed the Bitmo Trio mod (tone control, boost and input impedance voicing), replaced the output transformer for a Ceriatone SE, stiffened the power supply with a brace of huge 100uf caps, fitted a faux-sag function (essentially a resistor in the power supply designed to limit current flow just like a valve rectifier) and a standby switch. And of course replaced the tubes with a Tesla 12AX7 and JJ EL84.

It sounds infinitely better now. My head is a V3 unit so it has a proper 5.2K output transformer but the stocker is still too small. One of your first mods should be to leaver that little lump of metal out of the chassis and fit in a serious chunk of iron... I went the Ceriatone route but a Hammond 125ESE is standard practice. Don't skimp on size; not only sound all that iron give you serious tone but when you decide to do an octal mod (which you will after you run out of other stuff to do to the amp) you'll need to handle the high output.

The Bitmo Trio adds the bit of tonal diversity that the stock amp obviously lacks. Being able to tame some of the amp's stock high end is good. The boost function gives a welcome step up in gain though we're talking just-breaking-up overdrive. I find even with the boost on and the SHO cranked it's still a very moderate amount of drive - AC/DCesque. For genuine distortion you will need to put a pedal in front of it (hence the DS1).

The best part of the Bitmo mod is the impedance switch. The decals say "Lo - Mo' - Whoa!" but essentially it is "Fender - Marshall - Balls Out!". "Lo" is full sounding, bubbly and bright, with a good bass extension. "Mo'" is more midrangey, tighter and great with a bit of distortion in front - pure classic rock. "Whoa!" is a bit of an animal... the level boost is huge and there is no quiet setting as such... it goes from loud to very loud only! It is a cracking tone though... huge presence, great harmonics.

Unmodded sound is about a 6 - modified a 10!

I'm sure it was very reliable until I stuck my soldering iron in it! ;-)

Actually even despite my best attempts to undo all of Epiphone's hard work it is still rock solid. The cabinetry work defies the price they sell these guys for... they might have skimped a bit on the tubes and OT, but the head and extension speaker cabs are solid as a rock and the covering is trimmed very nicely indeed.

Internally it is tube sockets on a PCB but very little in there gives me need for concern. You wouldn't gig without a backup (or at least, a full set of replacement tubes and fuses) because that's just commonsense, but nothing about the VJ screams "fragile".

Warranty... LOL... my warranty was voided within 3 hours of ownership.

Actually, Epiphone are geniuses. "Let's make an amp everyone will modify, because they'll buy it just to modify, hence all the warranties will be voided and we'll never had any returns!"

Seriously, your backup is the great folks at sewatt.com. They're all you need.

I've been playing guitar for something like 14 years, though these days I play bass and drums in a professional sense more often. Guitar is something I just do for myself or around the BBQ at parties.

As I get older (hmmm.. I'm only 28) I'm starting to appreciate a much simpler and to-the-point style of playing and this reflects in the gear I'm now using... gone are the multieffect floorboards, digital modelling amps and shreader axes, replaced with simple, honest guitars, pedals and amps. The Valve Junior, which is about as simple and honest as amps come, suits this philosophy perfectly. It's small and portable, plenty loud, easy to use and full of great valve tone. And of course, it costs so little. It's perfect.

It also has reawakened the electronics geek hacker in me, and it is so rewarding to modify an amp yourself to suit YOUR ideas and YOUR style of playing. I've still got lots more that I want to do with it; I want to add a parallel octal output stage (6V6), an extra gain stage in the pre and spring reverb... maybe even old Fender style tube-tremolo. I really want to see how much you can fit into this little package. I also would like to replace the Eminence speaker in the 1x12 cabinet with something better like a Vintage 30.

Basically, the Valve Junior is what you put into it. It is a blank canvas - you have to make it great. The good thing is that the price of entry is cheap, and the cost of modification is even cheaper, and you'll end up with a great sounding amp for a fraction of the cost of a boutique low watter. And the best part is, it will totally be your own.

I took a chance on this amp after seeing a barrage of amps at the guitar center. I could have easily spent about $80 more and gotten a fender superchamp with 2 channels and effects/eq...but I wanted something simple. Can't get much simpler than one volume knob!

I use this amp only in my home studio. I can barely turn it up past 12 o'clock without the light fixtures rattling!!

The newest ver3 comes with JJ12AX7 Pre and JJEL84 Power. I have put in the TungSol 12AX7 and recommend it as your first cheap and easy mod!

The Eminenance speaker is great in my opinion, but I'd like to try others in the future. with the half stack, I have that option!

Plus this ver3 has 3 outputs (16, 8 and 4 ohm)

I'm playing bluesy rock, beatles, cracker, nashville sound, etc. and it totally nails it!!

Quiet amp for all volume levels

I love when I'm really grooving, it almost sounds like reverb happening but when I stop, it stops. Must be something inherent to the Tubes. This is my first tube amp.

The distortion really starts up about 12 o'clock and up. and it growls but still has plenty of tone and separation. not all muddled (AFTER MODS!!).

I think it's built like a brick **** house, personally. Not only is it pretty but it's tough!

Haven't dealt with them. I did the BitMo mods, so I lost my warranty by self servicing.

Been playing 25 plus years, off and on.
I'd buy it again if lost of stolen but might also move on up to someother tube amp now that this little $250 amp has whet my whistle!

Love the way it sounds and looks. Love how easy it is to just come home, turn on, plug in, and go! couldn't be easier. I remember inthe past i'd spend 30 minutes tweaking this and that trying to get a sound instead of just playing, and improving my own technique instead of trying to mask it with EQ and effects.