Epiphone Valve Junior Head

Volume control , thats it .Amp was 1 year old with matching cab .You do not buy this amp for the features

I am using many guitars , and this amp was only passable with an American strat .My Les Paul and other humbuckers sounded like mud .This was a very boring amp for me with nothing but a very plain clean tone .I tried a Vox tone lab and even the cleans distorted

I would never use this unit live so no opinion

No opinion

I bought this amp based on reviews . The clean was passable but It did not do well with pedals .I need to cover many styles of music and thought I could get away with a small amp , no way .I will stick with a Peavey Valve king for small venues

Well this column will be sparse as there is not much to list in terms of features. One knob, should be listed as a plus for ease of operation, but I will only give it a 5 based on no tone control which would make the amp more versatile. One really nice feature is the multiple speaker taps, allowing almost any cabinet out there. A stand by switch would have been nice. But since the amp is cathode biased, tube replacement is cheap and does not require an amp tech.

I have used this with a Gibson explorer and a Robert Cray strat, both sound good, although the Gibson will yield better overdrive, but is darker sounding. Very quiet in terms of noise and with a good cabinet can be quite loud. I bought this to use for practice and for back up should my old Fender showman go south at a gig. Clean sound is not bad, although not a whole lot write home about, cranking it up gives some awesome power amp distortion, but can be pushed even further with an OD pedal of your choice. I use an Me 50 in front of it, so along with some chorus and reverb this thing can sound pretty damn good. Tone snobs who have said its muddy, or lacks bass or too shrill. Come on its only 130.00. If you want to get in on a class a Circuit design with natural overdrive then this is the bargain of the century. You can't hardly buy a better sounding tube amp for the asking price. I know people buy these to mod, but out of the box even with the stock Sovtek's it sounds nice. I am using a 2x12 closed back with vintage 30.s If you have a decent guitar, the simple signal path design really lets you hear it without coloring it much. I would have to say that even though it is only 5 watts, its loud. I used it for band practice in a small room with another guitar player, drummer, and bass player and at half volume was getting the dirty looks. So if you must keep the volume down, prepare to have a good pedal in front of it. I give it a seven only because a tone rating of 10, would just be overstating what this can do. Again its awesome for the money.

No problems as of yet, bought new tubes for it, but the stock Sovteks are not bad. With a 5 year warranty it can't be too bad, although that goes out the window if I take my soldering iron to it. lol. Not sure I would trust it without a back up, but anyone who has ever gigged with a tube amp will tell you always bring another or at least a set of tubes. Even for a China made amp, this one looks pretty good, the cabinet is well made and the circuit is simple enough should not be any problems.

Have never needed to contact them.

I have been playing for about 20 years, currently in a cover band doing mostly classic rock. I have a Dual showman head, a Marshall Dsl 401. I have always wanted a class A low powered amp, but the boutique stuff is just to far out of the budget. try convincing your wife to spend 2000 on an amplifier and see what happens lol. I have grown quite fond of this and it were stolen I would buy another or two for the money its great. For you tone snobs, it is what it is, you can't compare it to a high end amp, but if you desire some great rock and roll power amp distortion at manageable volume levels on a married with kids budget you can't go wrong with it.

I guess mine was made in 09, bought it in june 09. It is a ver 3.
5 watts, a volume,and 4,8,16 ohm speaker outs. A tone pot would have been cool.
I play metal and rock. does not suit metal very well, I hooked up my metal zone pedal and LTD viper with EMG's, it was ok, but I have a mesa DC-3 for that. It kicks *** for rock though.

MODDIFING IS A MUST, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!! sewatt.com for all the info you need to know

I use a moddified fender jaguar HH with it. It has a seymour duncan pealry gates in the bridge and a seymour duncan jazz in the neck. I ripped the stock wireing out(cuzz it killed the bridge tone IMO) put a 3 way selector in, and split the coils.
Now to the amp. It sounded ok stock, was a little farty sounding when the volume was half way up. It did have a nice tube tone, very chimey. New JJ tubes helped quite a bit, but the real improvement was after I replaced about 15 or so resistors and capacitors(just changed the values of them), and 500meg volume pot. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!!! I can get great tones, overtones, harmonics, overdrives, its touch sensitive. Mine loves my Fulltone Fulldrive overdrive pedal too. If its classic rock this amp will do it. Its very smooth and warm, mine does not get real clean anymore due to the mods, unless you work the volume and tone pots(still not very clean). The best part is the tubes, caps and res only cost me about 50-60 bucks and about 2 hours. I did the mods in 2 rounds, and it was well worth it. Cant wait to get a better output transformer for it.

never had a problem

hope i never find out

Ive had this thing for about 4 months, I would get anouther if it were stolen. I got it to get the cranked tube sound at a resonable volume(still to loud for a apt. with volume all the up). I havnt used it with a drummer yet but it should be loud enough to keep up, especially when boosted. After i modded it i took it to a local music store and played it against a vox night train, and it stood toe to toe with it. only the night train is more than double what i have invested in mine.
MODDING IS A MUST go to sewatt.com more info on these and other single ended amps than youll ever need to know. dont use the bitmo unless you want different sound options, they dont help some of the crucial tone enhancements.

Im not sure why Epi crippled these things but after 60 bucks worth of parts(the caps and resistors i changed were not any better guality just different values) a couple hours, basic sodering skills, I ended up with a amp I love.

Basic one volume knob 5Watts one el84 and one 12ax7

4ohm, 8ohm, and 16ohm outputs

first things first I have to say that this is in fact a very giggable amp if you want saturated sounds simply mic it through the pa and your good to go
please disregard anyone who says it is not giggable my band has played many venues big and small and this amp has not failed it is hard to hear onstage but thats why monitors where invented just politely ask the sound guys to turn it up on the monitors and you should have no problem with it
cleans are another story definately good for studio or home practice
but not live unless its at a coffe shop with no drums but thats it


I can honestly say this is my main giggin amp Im in a post-punk/new wave type band and this amp just rocks i personally dont like the thin high pitched guitar tones associated with the genres we play i love creamy thick vintage tone and this amp delivers i play through a fender telecaster and a Danelectro dc 59 and another telecaster with humbuckers I dont use many effects I stick with the basics bad monkey od and vox wah i use the bad monkey for a bit more gain and eq
so its always on with the amp set to 3 o'clock sweet smooth vintage tone with lots of harmonix is the product its suprisinly not very noisy even with single coils and the bad monkey on

this amp just shines with single coils but is also very good
with humbuckers its perfect for blues,punk,rock almost anything except for anything that requires massive cleans or metal

another quick note switch the stock tubes for jj's or mullards and its sonic heaven

anyone that wants to hear this amps tone go to www.myspace.com/theph1lsophies all the live songs where recorded with the valve jr and guitars listed above

I have had mine for 1 year and a half and no problems so far
also just to show how reliable it is
my band plays 2 weekends out of every month at least, many bars back yard parties and clubs its been hit and knocked down many times and it still works and sounds beautiful

totally road worthy if your not convinced buy a back up its not like
they cost a fortune

never used it

i think its 5 year warranty for electronics and

a 90 day for the tubes

been playing for 3 and a half years not as long as many others but I have played many amps and this is by far one of the best especially for the price

great amp would still buy it for double what i payed

Not sure the year. I play mostly Blues and Blues influenced Rock. Everyone who has posted reviews for this thing has covered the features. You don't buy these beasts for the bells and whistles, I for one went back to the EVJ after realizing that all kinds of knobs and features confuse the hell out of me.

I'm using a rather spartan setup. I play with an Epiphone LP Standard Plus Top guitar (has a gorgeous Ice Tea style burst) w/ a Gibson Burstbucker 1 in the neck position and a Seymour '59 in the bridge. Just gutted it and installed RS guitarworks Superpots for volumes, CTS 500K audio tapers for tones, and RS Caps (.015 neck, .022 bridge). Switchcraft mono jack and short switch complete the electronic. Right now I have just a crap Planet Waves 20 ft. cord going into an MXR Distortion III into the EVJ.

These amps are absolutely amazing. I have been running it in all different settings and especially love the dirty sounds. I have found that cranking the amp up all the way, running the gain on the MXR full up, and using the volume on the MXR as a MV elicits some of the most incredible overdrive sounds I have yet experianced. Just going right into the amp sounds great too, but this amp really needs a little bite from an OD to shine. Cranking it and having good electronics in your guitar lets you control all the dynamics.

I have been using many tubes. I tried a Mullard EL-84 but found out like everyone else has that these things love JJ EL-84's. They are just smoother and creamier than most others. The preamp slot has been floating between a Tung-Sol 12AX7 and a JAN/Phillips 5751. I personally love both. The JAN has slightly less gain and creamier qualities.

These things are very durable as far as I understand. I don't gig but if I did I would trust that with an Identicle backup I would be fine.

These things can't be beat for the price. I plan on getting some mods done to it. Go to turretboards.com and you will find some wonderful stuff. I'm sending it in for a Marshall style turret board, new Output transformer, standby switch, and sag mod.

Lots of luck to all the EVJ users out there. If you havent converted yet you will. Let's face it: Everyone loves power tube saturation. It's the sound of the records you know and love and these little beauties make it possible for all the bedroom players out there.

This is a review of version 3. The features are well known, nothing to add here.

Used with the matching VJr cab and Vovox drive speaker cable. Guitars: early 90ies Fender American Standard Stratocaster, 67' Guild Starfire III and Ibanez AK105SM. Very noisy from 12 o'clock, unbearable noise from 3 o'clock. Didn't matter to me because for home use more than 9 o'clock was just too loud. I was looking for a nice tubey clean sound anyway. It came with EHX 12AX7 and Sovtek EL84 tubes, I changed them to JJs which was an improvement in sound, not in noise.

The sound is nice and tubey but incredibly thin with no body at all. Sounds like an old pre ww2 radio (a good one though). You can get used to it if you don't use any other gear. But every time you switch back from a 'real' amp it will make you frown badly. If you get used to it, the tubes are fun. Lots of harmonics and very direct. For that, as a practice amp it will make you a better player.

Real low volume is possible but the tubes will not deliver their nice harmonics. You need to go to at least 9 o'clock before that happens and depending on your right hand technique this will already be too loud for use in an appartment.

I cannot comment on higher volume settings for I never used them.

I've ordered it online. The first one I received didn't work, I had to return it. The second one did work but after three weeks I sold it again. Therfore I cannot comment on longtime reliability. I probably wouldn't gig without a backup.

Never contacted them.

All in all, it was a huge disappointment. I had fun with the tube sound for a while but in long terms couldn't stand the thin sound. It is called 'Junior' for a reason: young players may have fun with it but if you're a little more experienced and know your tone, go and look somewhere else.

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.

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!!

An on/off switch, a volume knob, 3 different impedance speaker outlets - ummm yep thats it. Its simple and I LOVE simple.

An awesome little amp that grew on me the more I used it. Initially I thought it sounded quite dark and muddy when cranked and had no clean voice but then I discovered (doh!) that the numbers of, wattage and design of speakers made a huge difference. Ended up with a Celestion 35 watt 12" speaker and found the spot. After reading a couple of forums I swapped the 12ax7 preamp tube for a lower gain 12AY7 and, for me that really did the trick. Tone went from good to awesome and it gained a clean voice at reasonable volumes as well. The amp naturally drives really nicely but it really loves pedals as well - so you can make it sound how you want. With the volume cranked there is little background noise. I play a MIA strat and 2 Maton humbucker loaded guitars through it and they all maintain their character and sound good.
I play this at home and can acheive all sorts of good sounds (jazz, blues, rock and filth) at neighbour friendly volumes - turn it up and your ears will ring. I also own a Boogie Nomad 55 amp and find that I love the sound of the junior as much and, because it works at lower volumes, I play the epi more often. My rating with the original 12ax7 = 6, with the 12AY7 = 9.

Because it is so small and light I tend to take it to jams and sessions etc, so it gets transported alot. Plug it in and it always fires up. Been playing it daily for over 18 months and it's never broken down. Fek, at this price you could could buy 4 and just swap them around if they broke.

Bought it second hand and immediately opened it up for a look inside. Warranty - POOF, what warranty. I've never had to do customer support in the 18 months its been mine.

Playing electric since 2002 and this was the best amp purchase ever. I bought it as an experiment and was really surprised by what it delivered. A really simple, cheap, good sounding amp - its a no brainer, buy 2.

Volume and power switch.

Update to previous posting

Swapped tubes. Originally came with sovtek tubes. OD was HARSH and hard to get a good tone out of.

Replaced with a Tung Sol reissue 12ax7 and a JJ el84.

The distortion is sooner, and much, much smoother. With a TS9 for boost, it is 80's metal.

Highly recommend tube swappage. Much better OD. Clean sounds the same. (jazz baby, yea!)

I bought this amp because I needed a practice/small amp which features decent tube circuitry, with medium gain for blues/rock. I needed also an amp that responds well to pedals since I like DIY electronic stuff and modding.
This thing has all it needs: tubes all the way and a volume knob. it has 3 outputs for 4,8 or 16 ohms. Brilliant for swapping cabinets. Except an output for headphones... But add a power soak with headphone output and you have the real stuff: headphones straight from an overdriven amp are horrible. (And if you don't even drive this amp a little, you don't play guitar at all...)
It has no tube rectifier, but since it is a class A single ended amp, all "sag" mojo is a bit useless anyway. Solid state rectifiers are also reliable.
I give a 5 out of honesty: for me it's 10, since it's bang for the buck and is a usefull element of a rig, other will say 0, maybe because they want all in one box.

These days I'm playing on a strat with "noiseless" pickups. A little warmer than singlecoils, but way more SC than HB. This amp is a gem only by controlling the guitar's knobs. It's also very dynamic: just alter you picking and you have all tonalities you want. This amp can actually drive very hard with the noiseless pickups, since they have higher output than SC.
I use the amp with the special designed valve junior 1x12" extension cabinet (eminence Lady Luck speaker). Never harsh, never dull.
all 60ties sounds can be achieved. Pedals do the rest.

looks very reliable and feels heavy. no problemo.

5-year warranty. But I'm not sure.
I'll stick to the 2-year warranty by the EU.

First real tube amp I own. others were either unaffordable or not the label "tube" worthy.
Excellent for every player who wants to move up from small solid state crap to real tone for only a couple of bucks.
It are these amps that were used often by the Great in studio recordings, since they are simple, sound good and are easily pushed into overdrive.

click the link, i don't type.

I've played it with my ibanez semi-hollow with gibson p'90s and a 60's telecaster. The hollow got a nice fat jazz sound sort of outta it, while the telecaster sounded brighter and crisper. (just like they're suppose too). the amp starts to distort/fuzz pass half way on the volume. but it does sound nice with any and all effects i've tried with it. I only use it as a practice amp and tracking demos, its a nice sounding amp for those situations where a big tube amp is too much noise. I wouldn't use it for a show, just practice. the clean doesn't stay clean at loud volumes.

Like i said before, i'll only use it for practice and demos. It's a solid amp. can't see much going wrong with it, and if anything does it's probaly from my misuse.

never used customers support unless anything i buy is defected from the get go. if anything happens down the line i usually have a friend fixed or repair whatever it is.

It's a very good practice amp and fits whatever guitar you play straight into it. I handles pedals really really really really really good, and for a small practice amp you can get good tones out of it with great east.

features are well covered. mine is a 2008 model purchased in may 08. it does have the sovtek tubes. I rate features a 10 because i'm not stupid and knew it only had the volume knob when i bought it. that volume knob really does it's job.

i play sgs. i have a standard and a faded special both stock. they both sound awesome through this amp. the variety of tones i can get using the guitar controls and the amp volume is fantastic. i have a mesa rectoverb 50 and a lonestar special. i got this because it was cheap and only 5 watts. this valve jr, to my ears sounds better than both of those amps for what i like. gritty tone that will overdrive w/harder attack. harmonics just bloom out of this thing. to be honest i dont really miss not having reverb and such. i like how this is just pure. this is how guitar is meant to be played. with the volume up all the way on the amp and my sg faded on the bridge pickup i can get some of the most articulate distortion. lots of bottom end w/slamming mids and non piercing highs. i by the way am playing this through a marshall 1x10 extension cab from my marshall micro stack. i am going to buy the 1x12 that's made for it soon.

seems very well built. i do wish it had a standby to preserve the tube life but oh well. it was 129.00 us dollars and i can replace the tubes if needed. i really like the sound of the stock tubes and will not be changing them out anytime soon. it does not seem to be weak in construction in any way. i've only had it a short time so we'll see.

never dealt w/them.

i've been playing for around 9-10 years now and have really come to love the class a sound. i really like to get any distortion from the natural tube overdrive and speaker breakup. it pisses me off that this amp is so cheap. when i think of the thousands of dollars i spent looking for this tone. i had an orange rocker 30 that i liked for this same reason but you had to turn it up way too loud to get the overdrive and it was over a grand.