Ok, listen well, this amp is NOT for beginners, then again maybe it is....This amp will teach you to work on your amps, which if you plan on going tube you need to know anyways, almost every one of these amps share a similar ( but super easy to fix) problem. Behind the back panel there are 1- 3 white tubes. These hold your fuses. By pushing in and turning they come apart allowing you to access the fuse, inside these tubes are the connector ends. IF YOUR AMP IS NOT OR STOPS WORKING YOU MUST SAND THESE. Its literally the cause of all problems in this amp over 95% of the time, it seems so simple and it is. If your power light comes on, but your tubes dont light up and no sound comes out i can almost promise this will fix it. Onto the juicy stuff, this amp is great for modding or if you just want something simple. If this is your first amp, perhaps move onto something solid state.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
great amp to start with, but, needed a bit of improvement. i did the fromel mod, mullard tubes, hammond output transformer and run it through a 2X12 alnico speaker cabinet. what a difference! woke this 5 watts right up! great clean sound all the way to break up at higher volumes. a second head has been purchased to get modded into the bitmo spring reverb. truly a fun and great amp for the $$. yeah there are better tube amps out there, but compared $ for $.... a completely modded amp for around $200.00 doing the work yourself...... can not beat it.
I bought a used mint condition Version 2 head on eBay for less than $100.00. I've been playing the drums in bands since 1965 and all of my best friends have been guitar players so I've heard more than a few different guitars and amps on stage over the last 49 years. One of my dear friends willed me a '59 Strat so that's my guitar. Now you can nit-pick this little amp's short comings all day long but if you want pure,class A tube sound, you can't beat this little amp at twice the price! Also, there are lots of great mod kits out there at reasonable prices so it's a great little foundation for your own personal " Boutique" amp. I'm leaving mine stock except for an American made 12AX7 Groove tube and a MXR 6-band EQ pedal for tweaking the tone and gain.I say buy one and keep it or buy 2 and consider it an investment.Read full review
I bought the Valve Junior because I was looking for an inexpensive tube amp I could turn up - and at this price I couldn't pass it up. I found it took pedals well, but it had kind of a boxy tone. It turns out the first two versions of this amp have a power transformer with a mismatched impedance. Installing a proper ClassicTone output transformer improved the bass response and the headroom. Quality tubes opened up the sound (Tung Sol reissue 12ax7 and JJ EL-84). I highly recommend this amp for tweakers.
First, let's be sure to mention that the Valve Jr in its stock form is a little muddy for my tastes. Some players like a really thick tone, but I prefer having more options. With that being said, the value on this little bugger is through the roof! Quality construction, good tone and great volume. Played with a Strat, you can somewhat balance out the mud in stock form, getting a nice, thick bluesy drive. With a Les Paul, the mud is a lot harder to overcome, but you definitely get earlier breakup and raunchy distortion. Now, then. One of the real reasons to buy this amp is to modify it to fit your tastes. The price point means that you don't have to be afraid of ruining your investment, so it's a lot easier to justify digging into this amp to see what makes it tick. This serves two purposes: first, getting your feet wet in tube circuits and how they work. It's a very simple amp, so you really get a very beginner-oriented approach to circuit modification. Second, with such a basic palette, the options available are endless. My personal choice of mod was a BitMo Trio mod, which adds a tone control with a push-pull Boost and a 3-way voicing switch. This kit adds a lot of clarity and broadens the frequency response considerably, making the amp much more useful in my estimation. The tone control is very usable, and the Boost adds some nice, clean oomph to increase the headroom considerably. The voicing switch is where it really shines, giving you the option of a Fender-type clean, a mid-range boosted Marshall type crunch, and a searing Soldano-style lead voice. Bottom line: this amp is WELL worth the price you pay for it. Inexpensive, loud, easy to mod and repair. Do yourself a favor and buy one!Read full review
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