Epiphone Valve Junior Head

On/off switch, volume, 4, 8, 16 ohm speaker out. Not a whole lot of buttons and knobs, but it does everything you'd want a little amp like this to do. Various tones can be had by varrying the volume level, and the ability to have different speaker ohms opens up a lot of fun options. It's not "versatile" in the sense that Line6 or something would be, but for what it does it fits the bill better than most.

Turn it up and you crunch, turn it down and you're clean. I'm not terribly impressed with the clean sound, but that's not why I bought it (I've got a nice Palette and a '67 Deluxe Reverb Amp for that side of things). I was really impressed with the tone it had cranked, juicy is the word I think fits best. A little bit of extra noise flying around, but I'll open it up tonight and get that taken care of... I played my jag through through it with one of the Palette's 1X15 cabinets (prototype Jensen Ceramic speaker) and it sounded great and suprisingly loud (got my first noise complaint ever). For $70 though, you'll never hear a negative word out of my mouth.

I don't know about the reliability of anything... I'm a luthier/technician so things like that usually don't register in my mind unless there's something heinous or repetitive going on (see digitech).

I am the customer support in most cases... But in terms of Epiphone themselves, no telling. I ordered a guitar from them once and it took 6 months because of a backorder, long enough for the customer to literally die of old age, but that's the only beef I've ever had with them (if you can even call it beef).

Compared to the Palette and the Fender, the clean sucks pretty hard (most everything does) but the class A crunch I get out of this thing is pretty exciting. I'll probably poke around inside it and modify a few things, but I'm pretty impressed overall. For the price it's a sure go if you like to have a few different tones that are really great. If you're a beginner though... maybe not so much. Doesn't have the metal tone or the clean, and most guys like to be able to press buttons and turn knobs when they are starting out. I definately suggest it for someone who has something to handle the clean duties, but the beginner might look at something else.

A volume knob, a really cheesy "radio shack" on/off switch, and three outputs for 4 ohm, 8 ohm, or 16 ohm cabinet, which I think is the singlemost thing that elevates this amp to a thing of wonder.

So I read the reviews on this amp and traded a blues junior in at GC for the valve junior head, a mogami cable, and a pack of DR's. When I got it home, I realize that this was the best thing I ever did. I really like this amp, and play it through a 1 x 12 with a Weber 15 watt speaker. Clear as a bell compared to the fender which at low volumes had this really subtle but annoying "cutting out" noise that spoiled my whole vibe for playing quiet. And the epiphone is so much better for easy recording with a mic. Its only 5 watts, and I feel sorry for you crunch whores out there, because you still have to spend so much money to really get the sound you want (there is no way around it). I basically got my sound for 99 bucks. (plus what I lost on the trade, but was more than happy to get rid of the blues junior boat anchor, although I still have a Fender Blues Deluxe which I am completely happy with.

I have no idea. The on/off switch looks like it could break, but any radio shack carries the exact same one.

don't know

Epiphone is genious for blowing the lid off of the whole boutique amp thing. After all, what are you paying for when you spend so much on one of those little amps that cost $1000, only to be scrutinizing it trying to endlessly figure out if you got your money's worth. This one is $99 and go. No worries. A small head was exactly what I was looking for, and when it came along, it was only $99...since small combo amps also tend to have lots of tube rattle. Don't have to worry about that with a head.

5 watt class A. EL 84 powertube This baby cranks don't let the 5w fool you. One volume knob, What else do you need? A great feature on this head is the 3 speaker outs 4,8,16 ohm.

I run this amp mainly through 4x12 cab. I have heard it through a 12 and also a 15in. speaker cabs. To me it sounds great through all. I have also used about 7 different guitars through it. Glassy clean tones at low volume. crank it at 2 o'clock and its heaven, your picking and style is really going to come out at this point.
crank to 11 and you wonder why you even have overdrive pedals, not to mention all those thousands of dollars on something that masks your tone!

I have not giged with this yet (do not be sceptical this thing miked up could be asecret weapon) great quality better than expected.

never delt with them all my epiphone stuff has not failed!

Have been playing for more than 20 yrs. Either owned giged or played pretty close to every thing under the sun. This is simple "buy this amp" buy four because once you hear it you will agree.

one volume knob, on/off switch, no standby, 4,8 and 16 ohhms out..

pleasantly surprised. el84 tubes sound good, they are the same tubes found in the power section of Vox ac30's, can't go wrong here
this thing is a boutique amp without the ridiculously expensive price.

i won't say it sounds like ACDC but you can a similar overdrive just by cranking the volume.. mine started sounding better after i changed the preamp tube to a Phillips NOS 12ax7. i use a Gibson SG and a SQ series strat. My es335 sounds very good in this head- i use a single 12 inch cab with greenback speaker- but you can't crank it and expect clean sound. it overdrives easily.. i'd say it's loud enought for band practice depending how hard your drummer plays.. probably enough if you have a 4x12 cabinet

the original series of these amps were only as a combo..and i know by trying it in a store that they were pretty noisy..but the Head version (this one i'm reviewing) is practically noiseless except for a slight hiss.. if you have a noise issue with this amp, its probably your equipment or it's broken =dead tubes alo=.

one thing i remember to mention..when i took this amp out of it's box, it didn't work..it just switched on.. no sound at all..i removed the back of the amp - 7 screws- and on the power transformer, there are 3 fuse plactic holders..i opened and placed back the 3 fuses , plugged the amp again and it came back to life..i guess it was one of the fuses that wasn't making a contact..

never dealt with epi..

for 150 canadian, this is the deal of the century.. the cabinet is VERY well built, the inside electonics aren't the cheapest. there are 3 fuses attached to the main transformer.. the tube sockets seem fine.. there is a minimum of bleed with the volume at minimum but what the heck!!

2006 VJ head
What features?
There are none - but that is the absolute beauty of this amp - its gets you back to basics. I give it a 2 but that is not a bad thing, its just a volume and speaker out. You want features go get a Honda. The only changes that where made to the amp where new JJ tubes thats it.

I am mainly a Blues/Rock player, so the guitars are Gibsons/Fenders. I run the VJ into a single 12" (Vintage 30). I run it mainly at lower volumes as i dont play out amymore but the breakup beyond 12:00 is very cool and smooth. Under 12 there are good clean tones but and when you dig in you can hear it start to "go". This amp absolutly loves pedals. I run a Budda Wah, DS-1, SD-1, FZ-3, and a TS-9 (all modded by Monte Allums) also a DD-20, CE-20, RT-20 and a boss reverb for good measure. I can get any tone i want at a volume that wont get me arrested. It is not noisy at all when turned up - as a matter of fact it is quieter than my 1000 dollar Mesa combo. Overall a great amp for blues and rock.

We'll see, have had it for a few months and no issues yet.

Have never contacted Epi for anything so i cant comment on them.

Been playing for 20 years and have been a Mesa Player for all of them. truth be told - they dont see much action anymore. Between the VJ and the overdrive/distortion pedals i get a warmer tone and more flexability. I love the simplicity of it. and the fact that i can get a great tone at a low volume. Face it all us guitar players are vain and we buy huge stacks and 100 watt tube amps and most of us never get to utilize them to there potential. I was one of them. Now they are fo sale. For $99 there is no negative points here. Its a great amp and thats all there is to it.

Made in China 2006, 5w class A tube amp.
This little amp is great. The features are a little on the light side, but the beauty of this amp lies in its simplicity. One input, volume, and on/off, it does not get any simpler than that.

and don't let 5w fool you this thing can get loud.

The only change I would suggest is a standby switch, but at such a low power it is not essential.

For such a limited control set, the valve junior can make quite a few different sounds. It will take you from very clean (no headroom though), to a pretty heavy crunch. The first thing I would recommend is, put in a Groove tubes 12AX7C, it opens up the amp to a much more Marshall-like tone (and really nails the AC/DC sound)

I use a Peavey V-Type, Epiphone Les Paul Custom, or a Saga Telecaster, through a Behringer 4x12 cab.

I really do not know if I can depend on it, but my initial impresion is that it is pretty solid. I dont know if I would gig with it (not enough power) but if I did I would do so without a backup.

Never dealt with them

I've been plaing for about 4 years, but have owned my share of equipment. I bought this to expand my tonal arsenal, and have a practice amp that would not run up the power bill like my live setup does. My style is mostly metal and heavy punk, but i do play some classic rock, blues, jazz, and ska.

My usual setup consists of a Line 6 Uber Metal > Peavey Deuce VT 2x12 > Peavey Renoun 4x12. but this can be a nightmare to bring to practice or recording sessions, so I bought the valve junior. And believe me it is an amazing recording amp, you can crank it and get full power tube saturation at recordable volumes.

If you are thinking about buying one, just do it. You will not be sorry, and it is only $99.

One input, one volume knob and an on/off switch. All that's missing is a headphone jack, that would have been cool. Now for a plug, I wanted a cover for this cool ass head. Amplifiercovers.com, for about $35, more if you add piping, you get a cover that fits perfect! This amp is cool even when it sits with cover on it!!! I use this when jammin with other guitar players, no drums. Also practicing at home, saves on my Marshalls tubes.

For what it is, the sound is real good, all my guitars are humbuckers. With that in mind, I don't seem to get a real clean sound. I like playing Bad Co., Montrose, Sammy Hagar, we play a lot of classic rock in our band. It dosen't seem to be too noisy unless you turn it way up. For me, the sound is great, a great practice head that WILL get too loud! I use a DigiTech RP100 pedal.

I've had it a little over a month and have played it a lot. Sofar, no problems. For a $100, who cares?

Haven't used it, the warrenty is 5 years.

I've been playing for 40 years, last October I hooked up with a band that plays classic rock. First time with a band since 10th grade! I use a Marshall 1962 reissue Bluesbreaker for that. Bottom line, this little head is sweet, I bought it mainly for that. I've plugged this into a 16ohm single 12, 8ohm 2X12 and a 8ohm 4X12. They all sound great and get loud, I like the 2 and 4 X12's best. The 2X12 cabinet I have is a Carvin Legacy with Vintage 30's. I turn it sideways and sit the head on top, man, it don't get any cooler than that!! I would buy this again in a heartbeat! Remember, if you need a cover that's not available for your amp, this guy will custom fit it. amplifiercovers.com.

Brand new just received it last night. One channel, one volume knob you know the drill by now. Class A tube amp

I bought this kind of as an impulse and normally I wouldn't do that but for $100, even if I wasn't satisfied it wouldn't feel like that huge of a waste of money. Anyways, I love it. It responds to the way you pick and strum really well. I like to hook it up to my Marshall 1960A cab and crank it and then use the volume on the guitar to go from clean to smooth breakup. Doesn't have any noise but a slight hiss wheen turned up all the way, but I'd say that's a given. Volume is pretty loud. I'm not sure how it would compare to a hard hitting drummer, but it may not be loud aenough to keep up, but still plenty loud. I sort of bought this just to give me a more diverse tone for recording, my only other amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which I think is also great, but pretty noisey.

Seems kind of well built, but I really dont't have any idea of how it would hold up to the rigors of the road.

Haven't ever dealt with Epiphone before because I've never owned a peice from them.

Great investment. It's good to have different options for tones when recording and plus it's something cool to show off every once in a while. Look at my little 5W Epi!

Pure and simple. I like that. The three impedence options are very thoughtful. Remember it's only 99 bucks

Right out of the box it exceeded my expectations. Run a modded TS9 or a Rat and there ya go. Remember it's only 99 bucks.

So far so good. I'd like to see a standby switch just to chill the tubes but I let her cool off and it always seems to fire back up. Remember it's only 99 bucks.

Great warranty (5 years). If it broke I think I'd just get another one instead of fuggin' with the process. Remember it's only 99 bucks.

She's a 10. The idiots who would flame it are just that... idiots. Keep sending them back morons so there's more units for us, What'ya want for 99 bucks? I applaud Epiphone for a great idea and I bet it'll be a million seller. This is a perfect little head when coupled with a decent cab. Sure it ain't a THD or a Bogner or any other boutique amp but Jeeeezus it's a great deal and has some balls. I don't intend to do any mods, it'd kill the effect imo. I'll bet my last dollar that many others will jump on this market and I look forward to many more models to come... and I'll buy every one of 'em. Remember it's only 99 bucks.

Many other reviewers have detailed the features, which are about as stripped down as can be, and are totally appropriate for this amp. It brings quality tone to the table very cheaply. What more can you ask for? I use this amp primarily for recording, and 5 watts gets plenty loud.

Given that this amp has one knob (volume, which consequently also acts as the tone knob), it actually provides quite a wide tonal pallett, and allows the player and the guitar to move the tone into different configurations by using different pick attacks and/or by adjusting the guitar tone/volume. I am using it with a Hofner Verythin Standard, which has minihumbuckers. This amp takes humbuckers very well, but gets cleaner cleans with Single Coils. This is not to say that the humbuckers sound bad at all, they simply have different tone, which I actually really like; it is kind of raunchier and a somewhat dirty clean, if that makes sense. I run it through a Geezer Sound Co. 1x12 closed back cab with a greenback in it, which, to me, is the perfect match for this amp. This is just my opinion, but I am really happy with the match. A switch of the tubes, as others have suggested, is a good idea. The stock tubes sound very good, but switching them out really warmed up the sound and is the first of many customizations you can do with this amp. Also, it is dead quiet.

it is a chinese made, little 5 watt tube amp. Generally you are not supposed to gig without a backup. Since I am not gigging with it, I just carry around a couple extra tubes in my guitar case should the occassion to use them arise. In the time that I have had this amp, it has been nothing but steady.

given it's cost, the sound quality, and the general quality of build, it is a VERY good deal. I was skeptical at first, but reading these reviews convinced me, and I am very, very glad that I took the advice of the fine people who have rated this amp positively. The pictures of them on the websites make them look kind of cheap, but when it showed up at my door I was astonished the actual quality of build (I wasn't expecting too much from the pictures and the price). I've never been so pleasantly surprised.