epiphone valve jr - volume

[mig50]

hey guys, i'm hitting the road with one of my friends in a week or so, but since i'm flying to meet him on the second leg of the tour, i'm going to have to pick up something on the cheap to play through.

i know the epiphone valve jr series are a great bang-for-your-buck type of amp, but i'm wondering how they are volume-wise. i've heard they can get pretty loud and work at smaller gigs (which is what i would require), but i'm wondering if anyone has any personal experience in this scenario.

i would be picking up the combo, so i doubt that 8 inch speaker will help matters much.

as far as the band goes - its just a duo with my friend and i switching off between guitar and bass (he's bringing his bass amp along) with some synthesizers going into the pa - no drummer to compete with.

i may end up going with a cheap, loud solid state combo, but the epiphone certainly looks intriguing so i thought i'd check on that first.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

Hint: Most big chain guitar stores have a 30 day money-back guarantee return policy.

Kind of a dick move but i mean...how big of a dick would you be for your music?

[mig50]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

well, they probably won't be too keen if i purchase i in philadelphia and try to return it dallas. then again...

[trevorus]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

I would rather go with a solid state amp that sounds ok, but is loud enough, rather than the valve junior, because it lacks headroom, so you'll not be able to get a good clean out of it easily.

[super rad stuff]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

you could get a vox vt30 for that kinda cheese, which has more headroom and isn't a bad modeller to boot.

[mig50]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

the headroom issue is a good point, fellows. i didn't think it would matter much, but i realized there are some parts that will require a clean(er) signal.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

For what it's worth i get a perfectly fine clean tone with the Valve Junior head through a 1x12 combo but i don't have the volume up any higher than half way.

[mig50]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

i imagine i'll have the volume pretty-well dimed if i go for a valve junior, so cleans will be tough. i'll still probably try one out if i get the chance, but its not looking like the best way to go at this point.

[Reload in 5]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

Umm, its pretty loud.
The combo speaker might be the weak point though. I will say that a mildly modded one through a 4x12 is more than loud enough to be heard over a drummer (not that this info does you much good) WITHOUT being cranked. Its a lot louder than you think it is.
However, if I were in your shoes, I would likely go with a decent vox or similar, unless you have time to go try out a combo before you buy and see if it will do what you want.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

^ he's right

that li'l five-watt head has been a great back-up amp for me. It stays on the clean side until about 2 o'clock then starts getting really saturated but you can always clean it up with your volume knob.

often when i have people over to jam we set my main rig (68 Bassman head + 4x12 and distortion pedals) up as the 'lead amp' and the Epiphone on any other 4x12 we've got handy cranked up all the way as the 'rhythm amp.' There is just barely not enough gain for metal (but you could probably fake it) and just enough gain for Zeppelin and Sabbath and basically every punk / rock rhythm track you've heard over the past 30 years. Throw a basic overdrive or fuzz in front of it to make up the rest of the gain you might need...roll your volume knob or switch to a lower-output pickup to get your clean tones.

I remember the day we finally decided the valve junior through a 4x12 was too loud to be a 'practice rig' as we intended so my friends and i went to the local shop to check out some 1x12's...when i cranked it up the first time every old dude in the store jerked their head and said "What is THAT?" After I explained one of 'em said simply "I had no idea five watts could be so LOUD!"

So i mean I would recommend getting the head and trying to borrow a 4x12 at the gig or something. Or even getting the head and a cheap cab and ONLY returning the cab before your flight...

[ImmortalSix]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

Buy my Blackheart Mini stack.

I have a BH5H, which is very similar to the Epi VJ, and I'd say look at the Blackheart 1x12 combos, they will be better volume wise than an Epi VJ.

Mine stays clean up to "holy ****, that's a 5 watt amp?!?!" levels.

There are both 5 watt and 15 watt 1x12 combos from Blackheart. And they are cheap.

[Reload in 5]

Re: epiphone valve jr - volume

And consider spending a few bucks on some decent tubes as well. A 12ay7 or similar will bring the drive down a little if need be.
Best would be if you could get the head and a decent used 1x12 wherever you are going.