Still happy with your Epi Valve Jr?

[Robert****]

Just checking with you Epi Valve Jr owners - are you still madly in love with it?

I remember the buzz about these little amps when they came out quite a few months ago, and I'm just curious how owners feel after the honeymoon.

Quite a few fretters got equipped with either the combo or the head, I believe.

[333maxwell]

Just checking with you Epi Valve Jr owners - are you still madly in love with it?

I remember the buzz about these little amps when they came out quite a few months ago, and I'm just curious how owners feel after the honeymoon.

Quite a few fretters got equipped with either the combo or the head, I believe.

I've still yet to play one..

On an anecdotal level, I have a buddy who bought two for some modding exercises he wanted to play with.. and as of yesterday he told me he is tickled pink with how they turned out..

I know that doesnt say a lot for the originals.. and thus far he has only spent a few dollars in parts (caps and the likes)..

I wonder if these 'mods' are something Epi should look into..

Like you, I am curious how everyone is liking them after the honeymoon was over..

[Justaguyin_nc]

Just checking with you Epi Valve Jr owners - are you still madly in love with it?

I remember the buzz about these little amps when they came out quite a few months ago, and I'm just curious how owners feel after the honeymoon.

Quite a few fretters got equipped with either the combo or the head, I believe.

Just have to read your own forums to find that out Robert...

People are still buying them.. right DaveO..


Im on my second one... although it had to be returned for one that works..
ya know they say two is better then 1... hmmm wonder what 3 will do..

I really enjoy this amp model.. ofcourse I always stress with a Weber MicroMass connected to it... wouldn't want it any other way...

[WackyT]

I personally have never heard one, but I am still going get a half stack at Xmas.

[jasongins]

I just got the VJ head myself, as well as the matching cabinet. While I find it to be too loud for my space (I have to keep the volume knob fairly low), I really like the sound itself. Notes ring out like a bell, and I find it really responds to how you pick. If you pick a string hard, it barks at you. The tone may be a little dark, and I don't know if that is more the amp or more the cabinet, but I like that it cuts down the brightness of my Squier '51. I love the simplicity of having just a power switch and a volume knob. No mods for me. I'm getting sick of too many buttons and knobs.

In summary, I think you should get one Robert. It is money well spent.

[guitartist]

I love my VJ head as well! I wish it weren't quite so loud, one of these days I'm going to get a Weber mini mass. The VJ's got a nice tone and really responds to the nuances of your playing. I play through ss amps a lot, but tube amps definitely have a rawer, warmer sound.

I play the VJ head through a Peavey 1x10 cab...I'd been planning on upgrading the speaker in the cab, but now I'm thinking about getting the matching Epi cab eventually instead. In addition to the Peavey cab, sometimes I also run the VJ head's other output through a funky little Realistic cab I have which has two 6 inch speakers...just adds a little "uuumph" to the sound, and rounds it out a bit.

I was suprised to see they reissued the Fender Champ 600...I seriously doubt Fender would've done that if not for the popularity of the VJ/

I'd love to mod my VJ head eventually...I think tone and gain knobs would definitiely enhance this little beast, although I am quite pleased with its stock sound (also been meaning to try out some different tubes in it one of these days).

[DaveO]

You're funny Justa.
Robert we are buying them (hopefully receiving soon). Now I have to bum a cabinet to try it out when it gets here. I hope the report is coming soon.
Dave

[warren0728]

i still have my valve jr. combo but am probably going to sell it....it's the original "hummer model" and i am going to go the head/cab direction....low low wattage

ww

[Spudman***]

I have no plans of getting rid of mine.

I have it and the Crate Power block hooked up side by side and they get about equal play time. Both were a great Benjamin investment.

[duhvoodooman***]

Well, "madly in love" may be overstating it a bit, but I still like my modded combo (original version) a lot. While it doesn't get as much use as my Vox or Delta Blues, it has that Class A bark that they don't. With the bank of pedals I have running into it (my Bad Monkey and four of the Danelectro mini-pedals) it's certainly capable of a multitude of cool tones and efects. For the $82 I paid for it on eBay, it's been an amazing value!

[DaveO]

Just received mine today. Now I have to look at it a few days until I get my cabinet.
Dave

[Bloozcat]

It's a great value as a stock low wattage tube amp, especially since Epiphone has added some of the populay mods to the circuitry on the current versions.

I'm way behind everyone else in the mod department with this amp, having collected all the part needed months ago and not installing them as of yet. Well, now that the blue ash Strat is done, I'm making my VJ head my next priority. It's going to get the 18watt.com gold mods with a standby switch, a gain pot, and a Hammond 125ESE OT.

So, I expect that I'm going to be liking my VJ even more in a little while...

[LagrangeCalvert]

I have two of them...love them both...one is modded to have as much clean headroom as possible with a 12AY7 a stronger resistor before the preamp and a better but still flat sounding cap in it....you can turn it all the way up and only when the pick attack is strong as SRV on a coke binge will you get breakup, even with hot pups.

The other head has a plexi mod I did myself.....I put a champ style tone push/pull pot in and put some a low and high value resistor on the push pull and got rid of the resistor on the # 6 position all together.....I get a bunchacrunch and that open chime tone out of it.

This use to be my gigging rig....two 5 watt heads turned all the way up. I didn't have to mic them for smaller clubs/bars and it raised a helluva lot of eyebrows from the other musicians in the crowd.....

Blooze....when you get your tranny mod done let me know how much of a difference it makes. I have heard it can go both ways (but IMO a hammond power tranny could make a bag of screaming cats sound good).

My next mod.....and it might be the coolest, will be to crack the case on a BBE sonic stomp and figure out how to get it into one of my VJ heads.......It shouldn't be too hard I just need to figure out where in the chain to jump it too....probably a SP/ST switch and some soldering,and drilling some more holes in the front of the amp.......ahhh, then it will be grrrrrrrreeeeaaaat.

Since the BBE is true bypass I could just put the input jack for it in the case in place of the regular one, then mount the PCB and knobs, and wire the ouput side of the PCB on the Sonic Stomp straight to the board....only problem is it needs its own power source.....so I am stumped....I doubt I could bridge it to the existing one..........


Sorry about the thread jack.

To answer your question, YES I love my VJ's....

[oldguy]

Yep!!!

http://www.box.net/shared/9lks566gr1

http://www.box.net/shared/npfa71b02y

http://www.box.net/shared/e1y5q7yarc

Throw some pedals on one, mod it, practice that fat full overdrive tube goodness, they're just fun to mess with!!!

[Spudman***]

Really nice stuff OG.

Yep!!!

http://www.box.net/shared/l1enxzir10

http://www.box.net/shared/9lks566gr1


http://www.box.net/shared/npfa71b02y

http://www.box.net/shared/e1y5q7yarc

Throw some pedals on one, mod it, practice that fat full overdrive tube goodness, they're just fun to mess with!!!

[Justaguyin_nc]

I got my Second Valve Junior head the other day..
it's different inside than the first one!
Hmmmm I read someplace there are different versions being made..

improvements? Anyone know for sure?

I have yet to remove either to check circuit boards..but..
My first one is a 2005 model I believe due to serial starting 05
it has a tranny marked 7.5k ohm.
This one is a 2006 model I believe due to serial starting 06
it has a tranny marked 5.2k ohm.

Now, I really didn't get another to replace the first, I just wanted another to mod.
So which is better? and which should get the Hammond 125DSE?
Anyone have more info on the versions?
I changed tubes in the original.. JJ and Harmony tubes and enjoy the sound.
This new one, I enjoy it as is.. Sovtek tubes..
Any thoughts?

EDIT:
Welp...found the answer already... Seems Epiphone is been listening and watching the MODS...

From a mod sheet:

The output transformer matches the impedance of the power tube to the impedance

of the speaker. Its size and construction contribute to the overall frequency response
and tone of the amp as much as tubes do. The stock OT is on the small side and can
be replaced with a larger unit for better bass response and clearer tone. Additionally,
the stock OT has a primary impedance of 7.5K Ohms, whereas the ideal for an EL84 is
5.2K Ohms. A Hammond replacement OT has a bass response of 75Hz and allows for

a nearly ideal 5K primary impedance.


Wonder if this now eliminates the need to put a Hammond in the newer versions or if is still a good upgrade?

[333maxwell]

I got my Second Valve Junior head the other day..
it's different inside than the first one!
Hmmmm I read someplace there are different versions being made..

improvements? Anyone know for sure?

I have yet to remove either to check circuit boards..but..
My first one is a 2005 model I believe due to serial starting 05
it has a tranny marked 7.5k ohm.
This one is a 2006 model I believe due to serial starting 06
it has a tranny marked 5.2k ohm.

Now, I really didn't get another to replace the first, I just wanted another to mod.
So which is better? and which should get the Hammond 125DSE?
Anyone have more info on the versions?
I changed tubes in the original.. JJ and Harmony tubes and enjoy the sound.
This new one, I enjoy it as is.. Sovtek tubes..
Any thoughts?

EDIT:
Welp...found the answer already... Seems Epiphone is been listening and watching the MODS...

From a mod sheet:

The output transformer matches the impedance of the power tube to the impedance

of the speaker. Its size and construction contribute to the overall frequency response
and tone of the amp as much as tubes do. The stock OT is on the small side and can
be replaced with a larger unit for better bass response and clearer tone. Additionally,
the stock OT has a primary impedance of 7.5K Ohms, whereas the ideal for an EL84 is
5.2K Ohms. A Hammond replacement OT has a bass response of 75Hz and allows for

a nearly ideal 5K primary impedance.


Wonder if this now eliminates the need to put a Hammond in the newer versions or if is still a good upgrade?

I'm suprised they didn't mention the originals powered their pre amp tube AC and it caused some hum,. so they redesigned it to have a DC powered pre tube.

[oldguy]

My first one is a 2005 model I believe due to serial starting 05
it has a tranny marked 7.5k ohm.
This one is a 2006 model I believe due to serial starting 06
it has a tranny marked 5.2k ohm.

Additionally,
the stock OT has a primary impedance of 7.5K Ohms, whereas the ideal for an EL84 is
5.2K Ohms. A Hammond replacement OT has a bass response of 75Hz and allows for[/LEFT]
a nearly ideal 5K primary impedance.


Wonder if this now eliminates the need to put a Hammond in the newer versions or if is still a good upgrade?[/SIZE][/FONT]

Justa, if they've upgraded the OT to a 5.2K ohm, you won't gain much by spending the money on a Hammond, IMO, unless the new stock OT is really a piece of cheap junk. By correcting the imp. mismatch, the amp should really smooth out. If this eliminates the need for an OT upgrade, it would justify the price increase as well.
A new set of tubes wouldn't hurt, though. And you already know about the attenuator thing, being how you got a Weber mini mass....

[Justaguyin_nc]

Justa, if they've upgraded the OT to a 5.2K ohm, you won't gain much by spending the money on a Hammond, IMO, unless the new stock OT is really a piece of cheap junk. By correcting the imp. mismatch, the amp should really smooth out. If this eliminates the need for an OT upgrade, it would justify the price increase as well.
A new set of tubes wouldn't hurt, though. And you already know about the attenuator thing, being how you got a Weber mini mass....

That's what I was thinking..thanks for confirming.. I have yet to see the PC board.. but found pictures elsewhere that shows everything has it's own pcboard now... pots etc.. just unplug and plug.. it's all getting better and probably due to the bright people such as Duhvoodo and yourself..that have put their mods all over the net.. thanks Epiphone for listening!!

Umm and its a Weber MicroMass..not mini...