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Epiphone Valve Junior Combo £129
It's a small amp with a low price; but it has a big sound
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct 2007, 12:10 pm BST
If you were an aspiring guitarist in the early fifties, pretty much all you'd get on an amp would be two valves, one volume control and an eight-inch speaker.
Despite the ultra-low price, the Valve Junior's minimalism and retro stylings make for one cute little unit, with construction quality robust and confidence inspiring.
In use
Given its small physical size and eight-inch speaker, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Valve Junior is a bedroom practice amp.
However, don't expect any drive at all at neighbour-friendly volume levels without some form of attenuator. Five single-ended Class A watts ensure that the projection of the sound is impressive, assisted by the extra dispersal of the open back cabinet.
The way to get the best from this amp is simply to play it wide open and control the tone with the guitar's volume knob. With a medium output humbucker you get everything from a warm, touch-sensitive clean voice to a juicy classic rock drive sound with all the inherent fireworks of a small amplifier pushed hard.
A circuit this simple is also perfect for those of you who enjoy valve swapping or DIY modding.
Verdict
If you want a cool sounding small amp for recording with a quality clean sound at bedroom levels, then you simply have to try a Valve Junior out.
MusicRadar rating:
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User comments (4)
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I play an old Ibanez studio through this little fellow.
It's simple, responsive with a good dirty valve tone at the extreme. Add in a tube screamer (or clone) and for the money you are laughing.
Have I mentioned it is outstandingly loud? - forget the 5 watts (which in any case is not strictly a measure of loudness) - this has the voice of a lion. -
I use the Valve Junior with a Vox Tonelab and an Ibanez S540dvf which is a great combination for me; small, versatile and powerful enough to my demands. I don't want to lose either one of them even though there's always a better (and more expensive) instrument to be found. One small con for me is that the Epi lacks a CD input. Now I only wish I had a Fender tele to join in. Well, maybe someday...
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I actually own the head and cab version of this combo, as well as a line 6 amp, ibanez and peavey amp. This ahs to be the favorite. The head has only a single volume control and from there you can go from clean and bright to a heavy blues. I run mine with my pod xt or pedal board and can dial in any sound desired. Great for recording and due to price cant go wrong. If you follow my lead and go the head and cab, the cab has a 12" speaker rater at 75 watts and is plenty load enough. Remember this is a class A amp, the only adjustments to make really are the valves. The fender only has a 6" speaker so will break up early and distort. Go the epi.
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I am currently trying to decide between this amp and the fender champ 600. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to try both. I am planning to run a few effects through it and record with shure mic. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
Dynamic clean and raunchy drive sounds. Superb value.
Cons
Only a four-ohm speaker-out limits external cab options.
Verdict
If you want a cool sounding small amp for recording with a quality clean sound at bedroom levels, then you simply have to try a Valve Junior out.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
Where to buy
Buy product from Wood Brass
Buy product from Thomann
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Specification
Valve Junior Combo
- Price:
- £129
- Additional Features:
- Retro design, Single-ended Class A electronics
- Amplifier Type:
- CLASS A VALVE COMBO
- Audio Output Power (w):
- 5
- Available Controls:
- Volume
- Built-in Chromatic Tuner:
- false
- Drum Machine:
- false
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