Epiphone Valve Junior Head

One knob, killer tone. Has a 4, 8 and 16 ohm outs. Simple, toneful, incredible (sound and value!).

It'll do everything up to metal... and even that if you stick a pedal in front of it. It's all in there, just twist the dial to find the zone (hint: try about 2:30!).

A 5 year warranty?! For $99?! You gotta be kidding! It is a very simple design, so aside from tubes (which are only warrantied for 90 days) there's not much to go wrong here. Still, if it does... it's covered for 5 years!!

$99, no tax and delivered to your door. Amazing. This amp sounds better than amps costing 3, 4 and even 5 times as much! Hell, after using mine for a couple of weeks I bought another to modify! At the price of a decent foot pedal, why not? This is, quite simply, THE BEST gear deal I have ever seen. Period.

Features: Volume Knob. The rest is in your guitar and hands :) Single Channel no frills all tube 5 watt head.
Perfect for Crankin it up anywhere you can get away with moderate sound levels. Ideal for recording or lower/mid volume jam sessions.

I play 3 guitars so when I got the head I ran it through the line up. A Squier Strat, Squier Tele Custom H+H, and modified tele with P-90 in the bridge position. I bought it for some gritty nasty blues tones. I like to crank it up and do penatonic scales for fun. I'm not a good blues player by any means, so I do it just to amuse myself and annoy my neighbors and wife. This amp is perfect for that. Will it satisfy your Tweed or Skylark "Jones" or GAS, probably not. But if you want an inexpensive tube amp that does what a small tube amp will do it's a good buy. You really can't find anything this good in this price range new.

The newer heads are quiet. Even with the volume pegged it was very quiet, even by solidstate standards. Pretty impressive, considering how noisey the first ones were reported to be.

Nice break up with the volume around 12 to 1 o'clock. With the volume cranked you get some of that spongey quality. With my single coils it's a little nassily, but I like that. Sounded pretty sweet on low volumes clean. Yea, it's only one knob you may be thinking, but it responds to your playing dynamics and guitar controls, so it's not really a limiting factor. I've heard an E-Q pedal can really bring out some magic in these heads. I'm not a tone freak so I wouldn't bother.

There's a lot of talk about modding these to get better sounds. Also, there's no limit to what you could spend on a speaker to find that ideal tone. I plugged in my 2-12's from a very old Peavey Classic and they sounded fine.

5 Year Warranty. Looks sturdy for a tube amp. Definatley well made. I don't think I would gig with it, it's really not that kind of amp, but if I did I would bring an extra set of tubes and not really worry about it.

I've been playing for 16 years or so. I've owned a few vintage 50 watt Fender Heads (64 Bandmaster and a 70's Bassman), A silverface Champ and Princeton. Recently I had Blues Jr (early Made in USA) and I think the Valve Jr while not as rich sounding as my vintage gear, definatley is a contender against the Blues Jr, especially since Blues Jr's have a so so speaker.

New 2006, received from Sweetwater. It was on back order for about a month because so many people obvious know a good deal when they hear it. All the other reviews have listed the features and they haven't changed. No frills, one knob, 4ohm, 8ohm, 16ohm speaker outs in the back, on/off switch, 1-EL84 power tube, 1-12ax7 pre-amp tube & "5" very sweet watts of power. Doesn't get any simpler than that. Don't let the "5" watts fool you, it can still shake the walls and rattle the windows. Right now I'm just using it for a great little practice amp and plan to gig with it ASAP.

Currently I am using my EBMM Axis super sport indian rose wood top and neck with two Dimarzio P/U's and five way switch and the head is going to a 1X12 closed back 80Watt Marshall cab. I haven't hooked my pedal board up to it yet but I'm sure it will take it as well as my 72 Fender Bassman 50 head does. So far the amp just by its self sounds great. Very impressive.

At first with the volume knob around 9 O'clock it was clean as a whistle. 12 O'clock just a hint of breakup and only if you hit the strings hard. At about 1-2 O'clock is where the dirt starts to come in and it's a nice old school dirt. I cranked it wide open and man it really has a nice vibe to it. I like how easy it is to control this thing with your guitar volume knob. The amp will clean up nicely when you roll the volume knob down and then back up for some nice lead work. For a one channel one knob amp I must say they designed this thing well. If you need EQ then I suppose you could put one in front of it but honestly it is voiced very well. Also as others have said "Very Quiet Operation" even cranked wide open. I always try to give credit where credit is do, and this thing deserves some nice credit for sure.

Haven't had it long enough to tell. But it seems to be built well and Sweetwater backs everything they sell. So no worries so far...

Pretty good from Sweetwater so far...

I've been playing for 20+ years on & off but more on as of late. My guitars are the EBMM Axis, home made Strat with EMG's, & a early 70's Fernandez Tele. The 72 Fender Bassman 50 & 1X12 Marshall Cab and this great new little toy. My pedal board is chained as follows: Boss TU-2 Tunner, Barber Tone Press, HomeBrew Power Screamer, Boss DS-1 with Keeley Ultra mod, Boss 7-Band EQ, Ibenez Digital Delay, Boss CE-5 Chorus, ISP Decimator into a Whirlwind AB-Y active spliter.

I play mostly Rock, Blues, Cristian Contemporary, and dabble in Funk & Jazz. Yep, if it were stolen I would most deffinetly pick up another or two. At this price point you cannot beat it hands down!!! Like another reviewer said, for the price of a pedal you can pick up one of these. Well said & Very true. Try one out and you will see and hear for youself. If you know what good tone sounds like then you should be impressed by this little "5" Watt gem...

Input jack, Volume control and a 4, 8, 16 ohm speaker outs. Thats it but that's all it needs! Comes stock with a Russian EL84 and 12axt.

I changed out the stock tubes with NOS's and it went from sounding really good to great. I have tried it out with two speaked cabs and it sounded good with both. My favoite is my 2-12 with greenbacks. This amp can get really loud, don't let the 5 watt rating fool you. Cranked, this is not a bedroom amp. Through the 2-12 it is easily giggable. You get a decent clean up to about 4, depending on pick-ups and tubes, and then into breakup land. No hum all the way up! Comparable to a vintage Fender Champ or the Gibson GA-5

Built very well. I'm sure the chasis componients are not up to US made standards but it seems to run well and feels sturdy.

N/A

For just plain fun it's hard to beat this amp. Sounds great, well built and has that vintage look. For $100 you can't go wrong.

One knob - idiot proof! But what a Knob clean to dirty and anyway you like it!

I use this with a tele style guitar and man does it sound sweet. Clean up to about 1:00 and then the smoothest tube distortion to heavy blues. They got it right this time. I had the Valve J Combo and the hum made me sell it alot cheaper than what I bought it for! I thought great sound but what the shit! Well I read the reviews and said I'm gonna take another chance because I loved the sound. Man I had to put my ears up to the cab to hear if it was on. The only sound is that coming from the tubes all the way cranked up! I'm sure you can change tubes and get it even quiter. It's a great blues amp and a nice rock and roll machine. I tried it with a 16 ohm speaker in the 8 ohm output and a 8 ohm speaker in the 4 ohm output. seperated the 2 cabs and was in Hog Heaven! That reviewer had it right!

It's well built and the cab is very impressive. Man I have to get another to keep in closest before everybody buys them up! Love to try them in stereo.The inside of this amp is very well put together.

Comes with a 5 year repair tag where can you get that for $99.00 delivered to your door with free shipping!

Been playing for 20 years and if it was stolen I would buy another one. It loves pedals! I put a Tri AC in front of it and man you can get any sound you want. But by itself it sounds Awesome!

There are few features on this 5 watt, 1-EL84/1-12ax7, single volume knob true tube amp. However, you can obtain different tones and uses by adjusting the amp and guitar volume. Different speaker choices affect the tone and use as well. For the price and quality tone, this amp head cannot be beat.

You can go from a clean tube sound to a pushed tube overdrive tone with any guitar. I use it with a strat with Rio Grandes, Carvin 135, G&L ASAT Classic and a Les Paul Special. They all sound very good. My favorite is my Strat because of multiple tones amoung the pickup choices. The amp is very quiet and delivers a terrific fat tube tone. I love the ability to turn the amp volume to about 2-3 o'clock and contol the overdrive with the guitar volume. This amp is great for Blues to Rock'n'Roll; especially old school rock. I think you would need to mike the amp for a medium and above size club setting, however it is loud for a 5 Watt amp!

I have owned it for about a month with no problems. I have no experience long term with such an amp built by Gibson/Epiphone.

I have never dealt with them.

I have been playing guitar off and on for 30+ years, mostly for fun.
I have owned a lot of equipment over the years. I also still use a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Deville. But for the price of a stomp box, this amp cannot be touched in terms of classic tube tone and wonderful tube overdrive. I would definitely buy it again if lost or stolen. Try it out, you won't be disappointed.

Want features? Go to the theater. Puhleeze! The front panel of this new 2006 model still only has one knob (Volume), an on/off switch, and an input jack, but the back panel now has 3 output jacks (4, 8 and 16 Ohm) and the jack for the grounded power cable. I count that as 7 features. Okay? Maybe 10 if you count the amp?s fuses, cabinet handle, and 4 rubber feet. There are 3 in-line fuses located on the power transformer wires and will require the removal of the back panel for servicing. Same for changing tubes.

Cabinet construction is very tight and clean, and the aesthetic look of the tolex covering and piping is excellent. The metal protectors on every corner of the cab should keep it in good shape for years to come. The designers have thoughtfully included a black grill insert on the back to help cool the tubes while keeping curious rugrat fingers from getting scorched.

Inside, the soldering workmanship is good, the wiring harness is neat and tidy; and, unlike the tangled mess in the previous incarnation of this amp, this model only has 3 power transformer wires unused and sealed to prevent shorts. Add to that the new RF shielding in the top and sides of the cab, and it's no wonder they were able to tame the former Epi Jr. combo?s nasty noise problem. There is epoxy dabbled around a few wire connections and the larger capacitors to keep them solid to the circuit board. Wiring to the power switch and power jack use common spade-lug connectors for easy servicing. Components attached to the front or back panel also enjoy the extra security of epoxy, with the exception of the 3 output jacks. I wonder why they didn?t do those, too. They certainly thought of everything else. Anyway, this is a really simple plug in, turn on, turn up and play kind of amp.

If you?re looking for a bedroom amp with excellent tone that is this much fun to play in the crunch zone, best to look into the ?watt ZVex Nano. This Epi is a bit too loud to consider a bedroom amp. There is no standby switch, so simply be patient and let it warm up for 15 to 20 minutes before you play. It makes a huge difference in the quality and depth of the harmonics this amp generates, and your tubes may last for years instead of months.

Test guitars included a Fender Strat w/Duncan Vintage Staggered p?ups (w/custom de-stagger) and Callaham bridge; and a Gibson Historic 67 V w/sheilded Duncan Alnico II?s, coil taps, phase switch, ToneStyler tone control, pure silver wiring, and a TonePros bridge. Zaolla Silverline guitar cables and jumpers, and Monster speaker cables were used throughout. Test speakers and cabs included an Orange 4x12 w/Celestion Vintage 30?s; Marshall 1x12?s w/Vintage 30?s; Mesa Theil 1x12?s w/EVs; Mesa Recto 1x12 w/Mesa/Celestion 90; and a Kustom 1x10 w/Jensen P10r. Test pedals included an RMC Picture Wah, ZVex Fuzz Factory, H.B.E.Germainium, ToneBone Classic, Mesa V-Twin (with 5751 tubes), ect., etc..

The tone is pure Class A all the way. There is absolutely no 60 cycle hum; and with nothing plugged in, you?ll actually have to crank it to 10 and get your ear next to a speaker to hear any ?air? from the tubes. Regardless of what kind of guitar you play, you?ll hear YOUR guitar?s tone in a way which can only be described as fat, warm, and full of harmonics. And that?s just the clean tone. With its solid state rectifier, it has the punch of a much larger class AB tube amp, but compresses perfectly when pushed into a clip.

With the volume full up, you get great power tube grind. Individual notes within chords retain reasonable definition, and the individual tonal character of each test guitar was able to shine through the signature distortion of the EL-84 power tube. Speakers like the EV or the Jensen P10r made a significant difference in the apparent brightness of the amp when compared to a warm Celestion Vintage 30, so keep this in mind when searching for the perfect speaker for your rig. In fact, a very pleasing tonal balance can be heard from 2 Vintage 30?s at 8 Ohms each, wired in series for a 16 Ohm load and plugged into the 8 Ohm jack on the amp; plus, an 8 Ohm EV plugged into the 4 Ohm jack. When the EV and Celestions are separated across the room, notes seem to hang in the air with a ghostly 3D image that is totally hypnotic.

Although you may find yourself plugging straight in just to hear that perfect, unadulterated tone of your guitar; this amp LOVES being pushed hard by pedals. Don?t be deceived into thinking this is amp a one trick pony. This amp works WITH effects instead of against them and that actually made it easier to work with my own pedals when dialing up ?that sound?. The amps natural distortion isn?t too compressed as is, so it can take really hot overdrives and fuzz pedals with ease. This amp lets you hear the character of distortion and fuzz pedals, even when the amp is already fairly distorted.

I love to play the dynamics of an amp, and I found the balance between the Sovtek 12AX7WA tube in the preamp, and the Sovtek EL-84 tube in the power amp is as near perfection as I can ever hope to find. The same tone with more preamp gain and crunch is easily obtained by using a Sovtek 12AX7WXT+ tube. More clean headroom can be attained with a Sovtek EL-84 tube rated on the harder side and a lower gain preamp tube. Chinese or Czech tubes will offer varying differences in character and dynamics, and I also tried 12AT7?s and 5751?s, but I found this particular amp likes bottom shelf Sovtek tubes best for my style, which is great because the bottom of my spare tube box is full of ?em.

Got it only 5 days ago, but I?ve already bumped it really hard a few times. It?s not that heavy, I?m just clumsy sometimes. Fortunately for me, this amp has a protective tube cap on the 12AX7 and a spring clip on the EL-84; and thanks to the metal corners on the cab, my amp is just fine and the tolex is still unblemished. I?d love to do a gig with it, even without a backup, but only if I can mic it to the PA.

I haven?t needed it for this amp yet, but I have dealt with Gibson?s customer service in the past and would demand the same overkill-level of excellent service from their Epiphone division. However, we?re only talking about a $99 amp; so, if a part does happen to fail, I wouldn?t hold my breath during repairs in the hope of finding a free T-shirt in the mailbox. The Valve Jr. has a 5 year warranty (90 days for the tubes). So far, so good, but I will save my receipt and send in the registration form, just in case.

I?ve been playing tube amps for 42 years, and this Epi head has got to be the best-bang-for-the-buck tube amp I?ve ever seen, heard, played, or owned. Ever! From bluegrass or jazz to heavy rock, this amp is flat out FUN to play, and its exceptional tone is available to all for the ridiculously low price of 99 bucks. I already have too many amps, but would I buy another if this one were stolen? Are you kidding me? I want another already! God bless you Henry J.

2006 VJR head

The amp is what is is... a 5W tube amp head with a volume control, no EQ, single input and 3 speaker outputs for 4ohms, 8ohms, and 16ohms.

The amp is short on features, whihc makes it PERFECT to front-end with your fave pedals.

I'm running it throuhg the Epi 4x12 Triggerman cab.

I use Gibson humbucker-equipped, archtop guitars. I am using the amp for rock/blues, which I think is what it is best suited for.

The amp is not noisy at all.

As for naked amp tones, the amp does EL84 cleans up to a point where it starts to overdrive. The overdrive is prety nice.

But I use MFX pedals, so I'm using it as a clean base for the MFX pedal.

This amp with my 335 and a good MFX pedal throuhg the Triggerman cab sounds awesome! I wasn't liking the 335 that much - too bright, too chimey, but with the VJR, i'm loving it again.

I have no idea. I assume due to its simplicty it'll last and last. The cab is very sturdy and there's not much to go wrong.

Epiphone has been good to me in the past. This amp has a 5 year warranty.

10+ years. I own Fender amps. A line out on the VJR would be all it needs to be eminently more useful.

Features? 1 knob? Who cares! Though having output impediance selections for 4 8 and 16 ohms is really helpful.

Using a home made tele with Dimarzio Virtual Vintage in the neck position and Air Classic by the bridge, the clean is not what this amp is about. However, the gain setting is just unreal.
The best most musical distortion I've ever - and I mean ever -
had. Using a home made cabinet with 2 Carvin VL-10's wired for 4 ohms.

Just got it yesterday, and have about 2 hours on it.
The EL84 gets pretty hot, so we'll see how it lasts...

I don't exepect that there's going to be much customer service on a 100.00 amp.

It came with sovtek 12AX7WA and EL-84 tubes. It didn't sound that great with those tubes. I replaced them with a sovtek 12AX7LPS
and a GTEL84S. Then holy cow -the amp came alive. Really really musical sounding. Think Vox AC15...

Very simple: input jack, volume, on/off, speaker connect. If price is a feature, it's a 10.

good tone through my 12" Weber speaker cab - currently favor the les paul with this setup. Nice tube drive. I use a couple pedals: a touch of delay, and occasional overdrive. The natural breakup point depends on your PU's and speaker. But left of midnight is pretty clean; tubey dirt is on the right.

nice for low volume blues, jazz, classic rock. Excellent value - kool little head for the price of a pedal.