In depth tone review of Epi. Valve Jr. head.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

I finally got to play through my Valve Jr. head today. I played for about two hours and it seemed like 30 minutes. I had that much fun. I`ve never bought an amp that I was this immediately happy with. As luck would have it, this little amp does exactly what I wanted it to. I think it`s so crazy that I bought this amp as an off the cuff, spurt of the moment purchase and it`s worked out so well for what I wanted.

 

For this review I played my Ibanez RG421 with stock V7/V8 pups straight through a Monster cable 500 series "Rock" cable into the Valve Jr. and then through a Monster Cables 500 series speaker cable into my "over-sized" Boogie 4x12 with V30`s. No effects of any kind. No boost. The amp had the stock low dollar Sovtek 12AX7A and EL84 still in it.

 

Volume-I`m not suprised at the available volume. It`s loud, but not like a 50-100 watt tube head. It doesn`t hurt even at it`s maximum volume. I think you could gig this little amp with some efficiant speakers in some situations. I don`t think you could compete with a big band or a super loud band. For small venues with a three or four piece band it would be a great amp. That is if you are not looking for loud clean tones. It does start breaking up about 11:00-12:00 on the volume control depending on how hard you play. The amp is pretty darn dynamic at all volume levels, but more so at 12:00 and under. At that point it is pretty loud, but in medium to big clubs you probably will have to mic it through the PA. The volume control is pretty linear through it`s range. The amp gets steadily louder up to about 1:00-2:00 then starts to compress and get into serious tube distortion. It does get a little louder over 2:00, but it`s a very small increase. There is no bad hum/noise at any volume level. At max gain there is a barely perceptable hum, but it is less than any other tube amp I`ve ever tried. Definately no need to worry about noise or using a gate.

 

For my use at home the volume level is great. I can dig into the power tube and not blast the house down. Be sure to be honest about your volume needs and be prepared to mic the amp if needed.

 

 

Tone-This catagory is so subjective so I`ll try to be as accurate as possible. The Valve Jr. over-all has a smokey, dark vibe to it. It`s not bright like modern high gain. The frequency responce is pretty even and doesn`t suffer from any annoying spikes. The bass is thick, but not over bearing like modern high gain tones. The mids are pretty nice. Through my V30`s it seemed to be wide and round. Centered in the upper portion of the mid`s middle range. Not high mids like a 5150 II, but not too low and dark. IMHO the mids are very musical and pleasing. The high end is not chimey like a Fender. Like I said it`s dark and smokey. It has plenty of cut and treble, but it`s not over-bearing or piercing. Again very musical if you like that tone.

 

The gain is very interesting. It comes on about 11:00-12:00 with hard picking and is very responsive to pick attack. At this volume you don`t have to roll your guitar`s volume down to clean it up. Just pick lighter. That`s a lot of control with just pick attack. As the volume moves from 12:00-2:00 the tube distortion really starts coming on. This is the sweet spot for those who like lower gain. It`s nice and grindy with a rude edge to it. It get`s a slightly brighter tone and pick attack is percussive and tight. The bass is fairly firm at this point, but is starting to get sorta ratty. It`s very cool. At this volume you can control the amp`s dynamics easily with the guitars volume and pickup selector.

 

From 2:00 to max the amp`s tone is pretty saturated for this type of amp. It`s very thick gain and continues with it`s ratty nature. Texas shuffle fans will love this tone and it`s exactly what I was looking for. Chords still ring out pretty well, but at this point it would be better to keep chord shapes simple. Single note lines and leads sound great. Very, very easy to play. Notes sing out and then bloom with controllable feedback. I spent a lot of time with the volume maxed going through simple leads just for the sheer joy of the tone. Also the neck pickup sounds great at this point. Talk about woman tone. It`s big enough to walk on and the smokey nature of the amp shines with the guitars tone rolled back. IMHO, the amp never got muddy and sounded awesome with every pickup setting.

 

 

Over-all-I won`t say that this amp is as great as a hand built boutique amp, but for the price it smokes anything I`ve ever heard or played through. It`s not as harmonically detailed and rich as those high dollar boutiques, but isn`t a slouch either. I think the tone is very pleasing and satisfying at all levels. The amp matched well with any pickup position and all tone control settings sounded great.

 

Take into account that as positive as this review is. It was done with the crappy "cheapo" Sovtek tubes and somewhat generic stock Ibanez pups in my RG. I wanted to give everyone a honest review of what the amp would do completely stock and with an average guitar/pickup combo.

 

Combine this great tone with the high quality build and you get a killer deal. My particular amp seems close to perfect in every aspect. Like I said earlier, I`ve never been happier with any amp purchase before. If you want a slightly rude blues tone or a thick low/medium gain rock tone then you should definately check this little amp out. I highly recommend it to everyone.

 

Enjoy,

 

Eric

 

 

[thenakedarab]

Damn I want one of those bad, thanks for the review man. I called all the music stores in my area and nobody has one, or even carries Epi at the time.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Originally posted by thenakedarab Damn I want one of those bad, thanks for the review man. I called all the music stores in my area and nobody has one, or even carries Epi at the time.

 

 

 

I ordered mine from MF for $99.99 with free shipping. Got it in a week. AMS is also carrying them.

 

Eric

[inkwachemis]

 

Originally posted by BAZGUITARMAN I ordered mine from MF for $99.99 with free shipping. Got it in a week. AMS is also carrying them. Eric

 

 

free shipping??

 

is the deal still going on???

[Mr. Brady]

Very cool. I am going to get one of these to cover the ground the JSX doesn't.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

 

Originally posted by inkwachemis free shipping?? is the deal still going on???

 

 

 

Yeah, it`s their free shipping for orders over $99.00 and the Valve Jr. comes in $.99 over that. AMS actually has the amp for $.04 less with free shipping.

 

Eric

[supercow3]

Nice review eric

No clips for this amp?

Anyways how heavy is it and whats it size dimension?

Thanks:thu:

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Originally posted by supercow3 Nice review eric No clips for this amp? Anyways how heavy is it and whats it size dimension? Thanks:thu:

 

 

Sorry, I can`t do clips and that is a bummer. I just don`t have a mic or interface. I`m hoping to pick up those things this year so I can finally start doing clips. I wish everyone could hear this little amp.

 

The amp weighs 18 lbs. and is about 9.5"H x 14.5"W x 9"D. That height is without the rubber feet. It`s actually about 10" tall over-all.

 

Eric

[supercow3]

 

Originally posted by BAZGUITARMAN Sorry, I can`t do clips and that is a bummer. I just don`t have a mic or interface. I`m hoping to pick up those things this year so I can finally start doing clips. I wish everyone could hear this little amp. The amp weighs 18 lbs. and is about 9.5"H x 14.5"W x 9"D. That height is without the rubber feet. It`s actually about 10" tall over-all. Eric

 

 

Thanks:thu:

Its a waste you dont have any recording gear:(

[ToWillOneThing]

O.K. who's going to be the first to switch Tubes, do a cap and resistor mod and add an extra gain stage? On your mark, get set, go!

[tlbonehead]

I'm probably going to send mine back. Its pretty decent,for a $99 amp. And it is very classy looking. But I have other cheap practice amps that sound better so it isn't really needed. Who knows,maybe I'll keep it layin' around. $99 extra isn't going to be noticeable anyway.

[LaXu]

Has anyone tried replacing all the components with higher quality ones? Seems like the amp would be perfect for mods like that considering it's simplicity.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead I'm probably going to send mine back. Its pretty decent,for a $99 amp. And it is very classy looking. But I have other cheap practice amps that sound better so it isn't really needed. Who knows,maybe I'll keep it layin' around. $99 extra isn't going to be noticeable anyway.

 

 

 

If you don`t mind me asking, what is it that you don`t like about the amp. I know everyone has different tastes in gear and tone so I`m curious.

 

 

 

Origionaly posted by ToWillOneThing O.K. who's going to be the first to switch Tubes, do a cap and resistor mod and add an extra gain stage? On your mark, get set, go!

 

 

I`m going to experament with tubes, but I don`t foresee doing any mods other than having a standby switch installed. I really like the way the amp sounds. I`ve already contacted Doug about tube recommendations. He has a 12AX7A tone kit that has four different tubes in it. A Sovtek LPS, JJ, Shuguang, and an Ei. I`ll also try the JJ EL84 and probably an Ei EL84.

 

Eric

[thenakedarab]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead I'm probably going to send mine back. Its pretty decent,for a $99 amp. And it is very classy looking. But I have other cheap practice amps that sound better so it isn't really needed. Who knows,maybe I'll keep it layin' around. $99 extra isn't going to be noticeable anyway.

 

 

What do you have that sounds better and can match the tone, feel, volume, and has the ability to be plugged into a cab?

[tlbonehead]

 

Originally posted by thenakedarab What do you have that sounds better and can match the tone, feel, volume, and has the ability to be plugged into a cab?

Pretty much any amp alive can run a cab if you just connect it and have suitable impedence matching. It only takes a few minutes to connect an amp's speaker leads to a 1/4" jack. It doesn't sound horrid by any stretch. Far better than either of the old Electar tube combos that I've owned. It gets a little too raspy at the gain levels I like to use,which is about 2-3 o'clock on the amp. And it doesn't seem to help much to slam the front end either. It doesn't react really well to that. Maybe eventually I'll try a decent power tube and maybe an E-H or Tungsol preamp tube that I have lying around. As far as stock,I think the overdrive in my Vox Cambridge 15 sounds better. Plus I have tons of amp lying around that can be practice amps. My main two gigging amps stay in the truck all the time. The others are a revolving door as far as practice amps. Here's some that I own currently.

 

 

Mesa Nomad 45 short head

George Dennis Mighty Mouse 30/48 head

Peavey Triumph 60 head

Kitty Hawk Jr Pro head

Vox AD60 head

Vox AD30 combo

Vox Pathfinder 15SMR head

ART Attack-28 hybrid combo

Guitar Research T64 head

Hughes/Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo

Crate Vintag Club 20 combo

Pignose G40V combo

Carvin X-100 head

Carvin VT2800 hybrid head

 

That all I can think of right now.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead Pretty much any amp alive can run a cab if you just connect it and have suitable impedence matching. It only takes a few minutes to connect an amp's speaker leads to a 1/4" jack. It doesn't sound horrid by any stretch. Far better than either of the old Electar tube combos that I've owned. It gets a little too raspy at the gain levels I like to use,which is about 2-3 o'clock on the amp. And it doesn't seem to help much to slam the front end either. It doesn't react really well to that. Maybe eventually I'll try a decent power tube and maybe an E-H or Tungsol preamp tube that I have lying around. As far as stock,I think the overdrive in my Vox Cambridge 15 sounds better. Plus I have tons of amp lying around that can be practice amps. My main two gigging amps stay in the truck all the time. The others are a revolving door as far as practice amps. Here's some that I own currently.

 

 

 

 

That`s cool. It`s a good thing that everyone doesn`t want to play the same amps. Although I would describe the gain as being ratty instead of raspy. I don`t think it has the high end presence to be considered raspy. I think it`s great if you want a really rude blues tone.

 

I`ll be trying some different tubes in the next couple of weeks, but I have to say that I really like what this little amp can do. Even in stock form.

 

Eric

[thenakedarab]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead Pretty much any amp alive can run a cab if you just connect it and have suitable impedence matching. It only takes a few minutes to connect an amp's speaker leads to a 1/4" jack. It doesn't sound horrid by any stretch. Far better than either of the old Electar tube combos that I've owned. It gets a little too raspy at the gain levels I like to use,which is about 2-3 o'clock on the amp. And it doesn't seem to help much to slam the front end either. It doesn't react really well to that. Maybe eventually I'll try a decent power tube and maybe an E-H or Tungsol preamp tube that I have lying around. As far as stock,I think the overdrive in my Vox Cambridge 15 sounds better. Plus I have tons of amp lying around that can be practice amps. My main two gigging amps stay in the truck all the time. The others are a revolving door as far as practice amps. Here's some that I own currently. Mesa Nomad 45 short head George Dennis Mighty Mouse 30/48 head Peavey Triumph 60 head Kitty Hawk Jr Pro head Vox AD60 head Vox AD30 combo Vox Pathfinder 15SMR head ART Attack-28 hybrid combo Guitar Research T64 head Hughes/Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo Crate Vintag Club 20 combo Pignose G40V combo Carvin X-100 head Carvin VT2800 hybrid head That all I can think of right now.

 

 

Do you dig the Vox AD series amps? I've given those alot of thought too.

[tlbonehead]

Originally posted by thenakedarab Do you dig the Vox AD series amps? I've given those alot of thought too.

Ya,the AD60 especially. I run it in stereo with my Nomad. They sound far better than the Line 6 and other modeling stuff I've tried. Very fat and punchy,and the actual Vox models are pretty good.

[blackba]

Thanks for the Review Baz, I really want to get one of these, but that means taking away money for recording mics. I just need 2 more mics to be able to record my drumset.

[thenakedarab]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead Ya,the AD60 especially. I run it in stereo with my Nomad. They sound far better than the Line 6 and other modeling stuff I've tried. Very fat and punchy,and the actual Vox models are pretty good.

 

 

Cool, I've thought about pairing one of those with my T-Verb in stereo, and then using the AD alone for low volume work.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Originally posted by blackba Thanks for the Review Baz, I really want to get one of these, but that means taking away money for recording mics. I just need 2 more mics to be able to record my drumset.

 

 

I know what you mean. My next purchase was actually going to be a mic so I could start doing some clips and posting them. I wanted to get a good mic and a simple USB interface.

 

At the same time I was saving money to start putting a "blues" rig together. I wanted a low gain tube head to run with a 2x12 cab and a good semi-hollow guitar. When I ran across the Valve Jr. head on the forum I just had a feeling it was going to be "it" and jumped on it immediately. I`m glad I did. It sounds great and will be a lot less expensive than the Classic 50 or Classic 30 head I was thinking of buying. I guess now I`ll put off the mic and go ahead and get an Avatar 2x12 cab to go with the Epi.

 

Besides, it won`t hurt you guys to wait a little longer to hear my hack guitarmanship.

 

Eric

[Mr. Brady]

 

Originally posted by tlbonehead I'm probably going to send mine back. Its pretty decent,for a $99 amp. And it is very classy looking. But I have other cheap practice amps that sound better so it isn't really needed. Who knows,maybe I'll keep it layin' around. $99 extra isn't going to be noticeable anyway.

 

 

I went back and listened to the clips again that were posted in another thread. After putting on some headphones and listening, I think I'm going to pass for now. I think my Tech -21 sounds better and can do all volumes as well as work through my Avatar cab with switchable cleans. The distortion just doesn't sound as smooth and creamy as I'd like. I'd tend to say it's a little ratty as BAZ said. Still a great deal for someone looking for a tube bluesy sound in a small package.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

 

Originally posted by Mr. Brady I went back and listened to the clips again that were posted in another thread. After putting on some headphones and listening, I think I'm going to pass for now. I think my Tech -21 sounds better and can do all volumes as well as work through my Avatar cab with switchable cleans. The distortion just doesn't sound as smooth and creamy as I'd like. I'd tend to say it's a little ratty as BAZ said. Still a great deal for someone looking for a tube bluesy sound in a small package.

 

 

 

 

Rob- If you want smooth and creamy then this amp probably isn`t what you want. It is pretty rude and ratty sounding. I don`t know if that`s the cheap tubes or over-all tone, but it`s exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something that wasn`t really the classic blues tone. Since I play mostly metal I`m used to more agressive tones and I wanted some of that in my blues tone. An agressive tone with low gain.

 

I think it sounds really nice for leads though. It smooths up when you play single note stuff and the controlled feedback is very sweet and easy.

 

Hell, if you`ve got the $100 to throw around it would still be a great purchase to add some unique texture to recordings. And it is fun to play through.

 

Eric

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Damn! I just got an email from Epiphone saying they won`t sell me the red tolex that`s on the Valve Jr. head. I wanted to see if I could have my new 2x12 covered to match the head. Oh well.

 

I never did call Dave at Avatar to see if they would even do it. I wanted to check and see if I could get the tolex first. Bummer.

 

 

Eric

[AtillaTheHungry]

Find out what factory in China they are made at and see if they will do it.