Epiphone Valve Junior Extension Cabinet

[mattpas]

Hey all,

I have been looking at 1x12 cabs and was thinking about getting a Lopoline or Avatar but was wondering, how good are the Epiphone Valve Junior Extension Cabinets?

They say they are made out of Baltic Birch and seem to be a great value for the money.

All I would do is replace the speaker with an Eminence 8ohm.

Anyone use these for other heads besides the Epi Valve Jr.?

[mikesr1963]

Seems like a waste of cash. Crate has a nice 1 x 12, you may want to check that out instead.

[mattpas]

 

Seems like a waste of cash. Crate has a nice 1 x 12, you may want to check that out instead.

 

 

Is the crate plywood or mdf press board?

[sino]

 

Seems like a waste of cash. Crate has a nice 1 x 12, you may want to check that out instead.

 

 

Have you actually played through this cab or are you just assuming it will sound bad? And how could be it be a waste of cash when it's priced so reasonably?

 

I haven't played through it, but here's my take. Epi has a hit on their hands with the Valve jr, and they know it. They wouldn't deliberately pair this golden goose with a crappy extension cab just to make a buck, because they know guys in music stores will play the head & cab combo. A crappy sounding cab would make the head sound bad, so Epi would lose out on head sales.

 

Plus, Eminence makes some nice speakers. And, I've read in other posts that construction is solid, and birch plywood instead of mdf. To the original poste, look at the HC reviews. At that price I'd be willing to take a chance, and if it isn't awesome, slap in a different speaker. At that price it's still cheaper than an empty Lopoline cab.

[bendedavis]

http://www.netmusicians.org/files/25-valvejr.mp3

 

here's a clip I posted in the other thread you made.

[tlbonehead]

Is the crate plywood or mdf press board?

Neither probably. Most Crate budget guitar cabs I've seen are OSB, which is far better than MDF/particle board for this application. That said, the Valve Jr cab is amazing at that price. Very nice construction and the Eminence speaker is very beefy and sounds nice.

[Parah Salin]

i plan on getting the $250 head/cab package for christmas

[ToneGrail]

I have the Lopo convertible cab. It's more compact and I can use it closed back to get that extra thud if I need it or play it open backed.

[tgahan]

I have an Epi Valve Jr head with the Epi ext cab 12" Eminence - no complaints /very pleased. The Eminence is a special design made to match. Especially worthwhile package for those on a budget.

[PurpleStain]

 

Neither probably. Most Crate budget guitar cabs I've seen are OSB, which is far better than MDF/particle board for this application. That said, the Valve Jr cab is amazing at that price. Very nice construction and the Eminence speaker is very beefy and sounds nice.

 

 

You always do that with the "MDF/particle board" thing. Are you saying they have the same characteristics, or do you think they are the same thing? As they are constructed differently, and MDF is a better quality material than particle board. MDF does not chip, does not warp easily, and is much stronger.

 

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Build/OSBMDFPart.html

[tlbonehead]

You always do that with the "MDF/particle board" thing. Are you saying they have the same characteristics, or do you think they are the same thing? As they are constructed differently, and MDF is a better quality material than particle board. MDF does not chip, does not warp easily, and is much stronger. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Build/OSBMDFPart.html

You certainly don't need to show me a link. I've worked with both MDF and particle board most of my life. I know precisely what each one is. And the fact that you can buy different grades of both. Certainly MDF is ordinarily higher quality, but they are both pretty similar in that they are small wood particles mixed with resins and pressed together. And they are both incredibly heavy and don't withstand moisure well at all. Even OSB is much more weather resistant and is much lighter in weight.

[PurpleStain]

 

You certainly don't need to show me a link. I've worked with both MDF and particle board most of my life. I know precisely what each one is. And the fact that you can buy different grades of both. Certainly MDF is ordinarily higher quality, but they are both pretty similar in that they are small wood particles mixed with resins and pressed together. And they are both incredibly heavy and don't withstand moisure well at all. Even OSB is much more weather resistant and is much lighter in weight.

 

 

But they're still not the same. MDF is much more uniform as the particles are much smaller, as well as more dense. MDF's process is much more complex than Particle board. The glueing and creation is much more involved. It has a smooth one piece appearance. Particle board is basically sawdust glued together. Much sloppier looking and not really the same structurally. Particle board chips, it bloats easily, and generally isn't very strong. MDF on the other hand doesn't chip, doesn't waterlog as easy, and is much sturdier and more consistent in it's character. I must beg your forgiveness in not knowing that you've spent most of your life working in these materials, there's no way I could have known. I was simply curious why you always in all of the threads put them in the format of "MDF/particle board" as if they were the same material.

[eyeball987]

I had one and really liked it. I picked it up when they were still $99. Worth every penny to me.

[Vinhoff]

 

But they're still not the same. MDF is much more uniform as the particles are much smaller, as well as more dense. MDF's process is much more complex than Particle board. The glueing and creation is much more involved. It has a smooth one piece appearance. Particle board is basically sawdust glued together. Much sloppier looking and not really the same structurally. Particle board chips, it bloats easily, and generally isn't very strong. MDF on the other hand doesn't chip, doesn't waterlog as easy, and is much sturdier and more consistent in it's character. I must beg your forgiveness in not knowing that you've spent most of your life working in these materials, there's no way I could have known. I was simply curious why you always in all of the threads put them in the format of "MDF/particle board" as if they were the same material.

 

 

I think he is implying that the construction is not as good as baltic plywood rather than that they are the same, either way I don't want an mdf or particle cab, though

[iowa 51]

+1 on the Epi cab. I have one with my VJ head. Sounds even better once you break the speaker in a little bit.

[EdMan57]

 

I have the Lopo convertible cab. It's more compact and I can use it closed back to get that extra thud if I need it or play it open backed.

 

 

http://www.lopoline.com/1x12convertible.html

 

The Lopoline all plywood cabinets are really quite nice,especially for the price.I recently had Lopoline build me a custom order sealed 2x8 cabinet,to be used with a pair of NOS Celestion G8 "Vintage 8" 60 watt speakers.

 

Also,here is Bruce Zinky's take on using different materials for constructing guitar amp cabinets.

 

http://www.zinky.com/construction.html

 

Ed

[9ball]

im wondering why they discontinued the triggerman 4x12 that was only about 2 or 3 hundy and then raised the price of the valve jr and offer a 1x12 for it for 125...

[r1100ra@gmail.com]

On 10/18/2007 at 7:01 AM, mikesr1963 said:

Seems like a waste of cash. Crate has a nice 1 x 12, you may want to check that out instead.

The Epi VJ 1x12 is the best vintage looking cab with a great custom made Eminence speaker you can buy for the money. Btw, Crate is cr*p. 

[daddymack]

wow...just wow...you come in this thread 13 years later and state your opinions as facts?

I have a crate amp and I like it...it has tubes, is 20W through a 12...sounds nice and gritty when it has to.

I also own a very early VJ...

so...maybe you could tone it down a little?

[WRGKMC]

The best sounding Crate I heard was the one my buddy had back in the late 70's early 80's when Crate first came out.  Its cabinet was the raw wood type that looked like it was made from a Wooden crate.  I think it may have been a 100W combo and he had the extension cab for it.  We have a working club band with a Female vocalist and played all the popular music out at the time. he was able to nail all that Pat Benatar, and Blondie stuff to a T using that amp without using any foot pedals just the amp drive. 

I've used many others over the year.  I even own a Crate bass head which is very generic sounding.  Since my bass player had the same amp and its matching cab It was obvious that amps frequency response was best suited to its matching cab.  I used it on 4 different bass cabs I own and its really tough to get that head EQed properly.  The cabs had much higher quality speakers too.  The heads tone stack is matched to a specific air volume and speaker type.  

Most of the Crate guitar amps  I used were Transistor.  I rate them about the same as most Peavey amps for tone and quality. They make a ton of low cost gear and there is no shortage of used amps you can buy for chump change.  They may also make a Pro line of amps too much like peavey does. I could probably get by using one if I had too but I wouldn't be tempted to weed through the good and the bad to find the best in the bunch. 

I haven't heard too many of their Tube amps.  I did some gigs where others used them.  One guy brought a 1X12 100W Crate Tube combo to a gig in a flight case.    I think I was using my oldest Blackface Bassman at the time on a 2X12 cab.  All the time he was setting up he was going on and on about how great the amp sounded.  I was keeping an open mind thinking he might have something decent sounding there.  Once we got playing I was like scratching my head.  Maybe this guy simply doesn't know what good guitar tone sounds like or doesn't know hot to get it from that amp. It sounded really awful. The kind sound that makes pack up and leave.  I played a few songs with the Fender using a Tube screamer and nailing a classic blues tone. Nothing special but enough to make the guy realize he should brag about his amp tone till after the first set. If your amp sounds good or bad others will let you know soon enough if you ask them. 

I played out live with a 100W twin type crate about 5 years ago playing an open mic night.  Its tone and response simply didn't match my playing style.  I tweaked the hell out of that thing and I couldn't get my notes to sound right.  I like a warm bottom end and that amp simply didn't have it.  I've been mostly a Marshall, Sunn, Ampeg, Fender, Music Man user.  I bought a Vox recently which I'm getting to know.  I have 2 Peavey amps too but I'm not a big fan of their sound either. Their pro stuff is excellent however.  I have one of their powere heads for the PA and its top notch stuff. Their low end stuff....   its durable and inexpensive I suppose its better then nothing at all.    

It all boils don to this.  No matter what amp you own you need to use it long enough to know its strengths and weaknesses. Much of your playing style is adapted to how the amp sounds and most importantly, how it responds to your touch.  Using an amp for a single gig doesn't make you and expert on it.    A week to 6 months usually needed to know it well enough to give a thumbs up or down.  If it doesn't match your style there are plenty of great amps out there, simply try something else.