Epiphone Valve Junior Head

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.

It's got 1 volume knob. That's it. I won't give a score here because for some people, it's a plus, and for others, a detractor.

Stock, the low end sounded flabby and farty. That's really the only thing I remember about it before I started modifying it.

After the mods, It has a much tighter bottom end, a sparkly high end, a switchable gain boost, and crunchier distortion. It sounds the way I want it to sound.

In all honesty, this is an amp you buy to mod. With a few mods, this amp roars, and the possibilities are nearly endless (it won't do metal). This amp has the potential to be anything you want (which is why I give it a 10). If you're going to mod it, I highly recommend you check out sewatt.com rather than buy a bitmo kit. You'll learn alot more, and you won't have just another bitmo VJR.

If you don't feel like being adventurous with mods, then you might want to look at the crate V series.

Construction wise, it's a very sturdy setup. I think you'd be hard pressed to break it.

Internally, the power tube is dissipating too much power stock. It is also lacking a screen resistor, which is a safety feature designed to blow out before the entire circuit gets destroyed if something goes bad. These aren't immediate threats, but can affect the amp's overall longevity. If you're going to mod this amp, those are the first two things you need to do.

i'm not sure i have a warranty, not after what I've done to it. Once you start modding, you are your own customer service.

I've only been playing a few years. I'm not good at identifying "tone" yet. However, I do know this amp is much better than my previous amp, a rogue RG120R. It has a great tube character to it that I've never experienced before. It has a nice warm clean tone, and that awesome tube crunch.

What attracted me to this amp was its ability to be customized, its price, and the fact that it's a tube amp. If you want an amp that you can put your heart and soul into to create something you could never buy from a store, this is the amp to get.

features....ok we all know this by now: a low wattage, single ended, diode rectified, el84 driven guitar amplifier, at its rootsy, stripped down best. input, volume. reminds me of my first amp that i found in the garbage and used every day for 2 or 3 years- except unlike my first, this Epiphone is much more powerful and it is tube driven. a big rave to the 4/8/and 16 ohm output options, as i have many different speaker boxes laying about. i currently use this amp mostly through a 4 ohm, late '50s/early 1960s, fifteen inch, ceramic magnet, low wattage jensen speaker, mounted in a homemade pine plank box.
for those of you Big Boys who are way too cool to get anywhere near a 5 watt amp, well, keep going because you will never get it: genuine music isn't about using your equipment to reflect your perceived manhood; that phenomena started with hendrix, peaked with led zep, and (should have)ended with hair metal in 1988.
anywho, this is an amp for bedroom/practice/recording use; it is not a pete townsend era stadium rocker, nor should that style be the end-all benchmark for all guitar amps. the first 15 years of electric guitar music, whether it be country, jazz, blues, or rock, was virtually ALL done on amps of this caliber. 5 watts RMS is plenty of power for bedroom/practice/and most recording applications.

first off, i use the VJ with a fender spring reverb tank up front. you know, the big tube powered boxes that the surf guys used, i forget the model; its a reissue. only way to go with reverb is springs, IMO.
i am a strat man, predominately. i am into old roots country, blues, and jazz but i have played, and enjoyed, most genres(yes even metallica).
my main strat has a messed up tone pot; basically it is full on unless i twist it around for 10 minutes- in my opinion, full on strat gives me too much high end sparkle through this amp. but, that is my problem, not the amp. when i do get the tone backed off without crackling, it sounds fantastic- rich with harmonics, clear, beautiful, captivating. i also have a humbucking guitar, which is on the muddy end(schecter), and wide open treble is a non-issue with this guitar. bottom line, if you are a single-coil player, dial back the treble a bit. humbuckers, no problem.
BUT, this amp lacks in the bass department. i have played it through closed backed 2x12s, open 1x12s, an open 1x15, and in every case, low end is lacking. that is my one and only complaint with this amp, and i bet(and i will try this winter) that a simple (but expensive) output tranny swap will work wonders for this issue.
i originally purchased this amp with the intention of learning a bit about electronics, maybe swapping out some resistors and capacitors, and so i am not at all dissappointed in spending $139 or whatever it was. for that money, its the best bargain i have ever purchased.
this amp is a perfect amp to use as a canvas for tube experimentation, also: it is so pure in circuitry, you will be able to easily discern differences in tubes if indeed they exist. this summer i had the chance to finally crank the VJ, with different output tubes, and that is where the tube type makes a difference- in the cranked settings. the newer el84s that had the most robust vacuum seemed to be the loudest and fuzziest. they also seemed to transmit more high end sparkle. the old output tubes i have('50s and '60s Matsushitas, VOM, Phillips, and unknowns)seem to sound best (probably due to treble cut)at lower volumes.
preamp tubes, same thing, i experimented with the 12__7 family: i have tried 12ax7, 12au7, 12ay7s in this amp; all have different gain factors; all drive the el84 differently, and behave differently at different volumes.
as i intimated, this amp is a virtual laboratory for <i>really</i> learning about tubes and tube circuits; thus far i have only scratched the surface.

no problems yet. with printed circuit boards, one should expect issues in the decades or centuries to come, but again: this amp is cheap. one way to make it cheap is to print the circuitboards. so who cares? it is such a simple design, that if it is treated responsibly and run at moderate levels, then it will likely be reliable.

not applicable

i have been messing with electric guitars for more than 25 years. i have owned other gear; the most relevant to this review are: 1980s Fender Stage Lead II (solid state); Marshall JCM800(tube, but incorporates diode clipping); Orange Tiny Terror(all tube); early '70s Traynor YGL-MKIII(all tube); Mesa Boogie Lone Star(all tube), Crate solid state head(can't remember make/model).
this amp is a keeper. i will reference it, tweak with it, enjoy it for what it is: a simple, stripped down, all tube, no-excuses, basic guitar amplifier.
my future goals are to build point-to-point fender(twin or deluxe) and marshall(jtm) clone kits, when finances allow.

epiphone valve jr head& 1*12 epi cabinet. 3rd version head

wooow thats pretty cool mini stack.

one volume and power switch only.

4,8,16 ohm out

12inch eminence lady luck speaker

i use with esp ltd ec400at. i try with digitech bad monkey so its very cool 70s and esrly 80s overdrive sound .

clean sound is very cool.its no like fender brighty clean.

you must be use eq pedal .i'll try boss mt 2 for heavysounds.

So i try epi cabinet with peavey classic 30 combo.Epi lady luck sound very close blue marvel sound.but peavey combo original a little bit good then epi cabinet.

its very solid

i dont need

im 8 years played electric guitar.this things very compact .its cheap .its very cool looking.this is very good amp for money.i wish it has effects loop ,stand by switch and preamp volume and eq .

1 SWITCH 1 VOLUME Point off for no stand by. Otherwise perfect!

Ok with the stock valves EH AND SOV EL84 it still fantastic but breaks up a little early and a little hard sounding with Humbuckers so an 8. Put a Mullard EL84 and a JAN 5751 and it is the perfect amp for small venues and a Strat. Through a semi closed peavey classic cab loaded with a single gm25 greenback this set up is perfect. Not a bad sound throughout the dial. At gigs i put the volume at 12 o clock and slam the front end with various pedals to taste. Perfection to my ears. Bought another head and matching epi cab but put both a Mullard el84 and 12ax7 and it has a creamy breakup that compliments the first rig perfectly. A stereo set up that's easy to move and cheap but sounds a million dollars with the NOS valves. The circuit is so simple and pure it really allows the tone of these wonderful valves from yesteryear to shine and each of my guitars voices comes through intact. To give you an idea of where i am coming from my last amp which i have sold due to this rig was a DR Z MAZ JUNIOR great amp but this rig gets me 95% there tone wise and i have the option of a stereo set up or simply a back up. The volume is spot on for small gigs and if not just mike up. These amps with the right tubes are fantastic, chime, bell like tones that bloom as the notes decay..metal look elsewhere classic rock and blues they're a must have. Point to point vs Circuit boards means nothing when you use good valves. Repairs etc sure PTP is better than a circuit board, but sound wise please..there is no difference!

Pretty simple amps but will see how the transformers go.

Please.

I've owned Rivera's too many to list but a Venus 6 for one, DR Z'S MAZ & Z28, Genz Benz Black Pearl, Laney tt, vc, lc, THD Univalve, Emery Sound, Tech 21 Trademark 60 and 10 don't knock em til you try em, Engl Thunder 50, Marshall DSL50, DSL 201, I've played through most Bad Cat's and Cornford's as well as numerous Fenders. The reason for the run down was not to brag but simply to show i can compare these amps to top shelf gear and am not 11 in my bedroom. Only been playing 10 years but am in my 30's and have been gigging 6 of those so these amps have been used live in a band setting playing mostly radio rock and originals. These are a cheap alternative that will get you into that boutique EL84 book of tone with some NOS Valves and still keep the majority of your hard earned cash in your pocket. They are so cheap that you could afford 2 and not think twice. I love them and although i don't regret my EXPENSIVE amp adventures i've learnt you don't have to spend big to sound good and wish i had found these amps much sooner!!