Epiphone Guitar amplification

This amp by Epiphone is a 5 watt tube amplifier head with just a single volume control. It was touted as being great for recording or perhaps small shows if put through a decently sized cabinet. It's got no other controls, no effects loop, no reverb, no anything... just a volume control and a power switch. It's powered by a single EL84 tube and really just is what is as far the amp. Some say it makes a great modding platform, and Epi's even done a few of them over the years like that too. UTILIZATION Getting a good sound is okay considering there is only one sound - on. It gets slowly more overdriven and louder as you turn it up but the core tone stays the same. Since there are no EQ controls, the tone is pretty much going to be factored by your guitar, cabinet and the volume you're playing at. You could run pedals in front of it to change the tone as well, but of its own merit the amp doesn't offer much flexibility. SOUNDS This amp sounds the same with whichever guitars I've tried. The tone is a little flat for my liking and I'd have liked at least a tone control in order to tame some of the brightness or add some more in. Of its own devices the amp sounds fairly generic and boring... I'm not particularly a fan of sterile sounding cleans with no control over the amount of breakup. I admire the attempt but I think only having a volume control is a serious limitation to this amp and it definitely turns me off. It doesn't really do much other than that one quasi broken up clean sound unless you modify it or use pedals. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Epiphone Valve Junior is an admirable attempt, but it falls short of the mark for me. The lack of tonal flexibility, the rather flat and lifeless sound and the fact that it's so dependent on other tonal factors make it really unappealing to me. They're about $150 new which is overpriced to me considering you're getting a box with speaker/input jacks and a volume control. If you are looking for something to mod, maybe try one of these, but in its stock form it's really not worth much, at least to me.

The Valve Jr. Hot Rod is a factory upgraded model of the original Valve Junior Epiphone put out a few years ago. Most players were modifying their stock Valve Juniors, so I guess Epiphone decided, shoot we'll make even more money off of this great idea we had. The original had a only a power switch and a volume knob, the hot rod has a gain and reverb knob as well as a standby. I was a fan of the old Valve Jr. and I had sold mine, so with a bit of seller's remorse this upgraded model was an easy sell. It set me back $200 online. It's simple and well if guitarists were to be honest, they have way too many knobs on their amps as well as how many gigs does the Average Joe play a year where he needs 100 watts of tube power? Since it is easy on the budget, I'm more carefree about this amp. I can leave it in my car, let a friend borrow etc. I really like the way it sounds through a 4x12 cab. The tiny thing can really drive a 4x12. If I designed the amp, I'd have gotten rid of the lackluster reverb and added a tone knob instead. Well built. It isn't high quality. Hi-Fi audiofile guys would gawk at the electronics, but it's built for guitar players to have a cheap tube amp. Another fun amp. It takes pedals well and can drive most cabs with multiple outs for 4, 8 and 16ohm cabs. Would make a great backup if not number one gigging amp. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I've been playing guitar for several years now, solely out of solid state combos -- Peavey Rage 158, Crate GX40C and a little unit I built (Second hobby: Electronics). I play only for myself, not in a band. I purchased the Valve Jr. from Musicians Friend on sale for $99.00 -- and shipping was free. I thought that it would be a nice way to get into true tube sound and a great price. Since I don't play in a band it was perfect for in home playing. I love the units look and feel -- it's got a classic styling and the covering is well put together. Now to the best part - the sound. I was thinking that for $100 I was going to get something mediocre. Boy was I wrong. It's crystal clear until you crank it up, then you get a nice warm distortion reminicent of many old tube heads -- but of course not quite mimicking any. For bedroom/practice use I would say that this is a great unit. You could probably even do a small club with it and larger ones if they'll mike you. That isn't in my realm of experience though. My sole complaint about this unit is that it doesn't have a headphone out jack. It's got three jacks in the back for 3 different ohm loads but no phones jack on the front =(. This is built solidly -- It'll stand the test of time if you don't neglect it. There were no blemishes or scratches when I got it. All in all this is a terrific purchase for the price, especially if you don't already own a tube head. After I buy a bass amp I'll probably purchase a second Valve Jr. as a backup -- or the next "size" up. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought from Musicians Friend for $199.00. What caught my eye other than the fact that it's all tube was the cool retro look it has. Looks like it stepped right out of the '50s. Plus it's blue & I've never had a blue amp before. O.K. Here we go(deep breath). I really like the fact that it's a tube amp. It came stock with a Celestion speaker(10") & Sovtec tubes(6L6 & 12AX7). It's rated at 10 watts but since it's tube powered it sounds much louder. It works well as a practice amp but I suppose it could do a small venue so long as the drummer can control him/herself.(Which mine cannot). The appearance is very noticable to say the least. Everyone that see's it loves it & once it gets crankin' they're suprised at how loud it actually is. Tone is pretty good with the stock tubes but I changed them out for more headroom. It would've been nice if it had a reverb and maybe an "out" jack for the speaker so we could run different cabs from it. If you got to have reverb, get the Galaxie 25. It has reverb and a bit more power also. Personally, I can live without reverb and the "out" jack but still would've been nice. Seems built well but with all tube amps it's going to need maintenence sooner or later. For $200 you can't go wrong. I swapped the Sovtecs for a Svetlana power tube and a new style chinese preamp & couldn't be happier with the tone. Much better headroom & dynamics. Since I am a blues player, the smooth high-end rolloff was just what I was after. This is a great little amp for the money & with a Strat plugged in, it produces a really sweet tone. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this amp from house of guitars. It came in a kit with the Epiphone Special 2 model and was $300 for the whole thing, but you can get it seperately for about a $100. This is a great amp for the price. The eq allows for a wide range of sounds, and the distortion is great. It gets really loud for a 10 watt amp. The controls are user friendly, and I have never had a reliability problem at all. The manual is crap and full of typo's, so don't even bother to read it, just figure it out for yourself. The distortion is only up to extreme metal levels up all the way with the boost button pressed in. This is extremely well built, made out of plywood. The corner guards protect it really well, and i have bumped it around with no effect. The controls are durable, and are not loose or anything. This is a great amp for practice or home sudio. It's a lot better than my brother's Squier Champion 15. I would buy another if it was lost or stolen. I play mostly classic rock, and this amp gets it done. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Epiphone Valve Special is a guitar combo amp coming from a rare place, as Epiphone is known for their guitars and not for making amps. It's a small amp, although bigger than what it's wattage would imply as it's only got 5 watts and a single 10" speaker. It's a valve tube amp, but also has built in digital DSP effects including reverb. It has a 1/4" input in the front and the back has a 1/4" speaker output, which is connected to the internal speaker, as well as for a foot switch and for a separate external speaker. UTILIZATION It shouldn't be hard to get used to using the Epiphone Valve Special, as nothing here is close to rocket science. The front panel features parameters for gain, treble, middle, and bass, as well as control for the DSP effects. First, there's a button to mute the DSP section, followed by a knob to choose between the different effects, which including reverb, delay, chorus, and a flanger. It then has a reverb level knob and an overall master volume control. I don't think users will find that they need a manual. SOUNDS The sound of the Epiphone Valve Special is decent but nothing special in my opinion. Sure, it's a tube amp but it doesn't have the same girth and warmth that you get with some other tube amps out there. I've used the amp both with acoustic and electric and it sounds okay for either of them. The built in effects are also decent at best, although the reverb is better than the others and they are definitely nice to have. The amp will do a fine job for smaller venues or recording, but it still lacks a certain quality in it's sound that you'll get with more full on tube amps. OVERALL OPINION For the price, you're not going to find too many tube amps like the Epiphone Valve Special. There is always give and take however, as I don't think that this stacks up to other tube amps that I've used. It still will beat some solid state amplifiers if you're looking for that tube sound, but it's not up to par with something like a Fender Deville or Dexluxe even. It's super cheap so you can't really complain, but Epiphone is definitely best at making guitars!