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Brutalitarian Supremacy
Silver Member
USA
270 Posts |
 Posted - 05/05/2009 : 03:00:18
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| ...anybody own one of these litte suckers? I just bought one on a whim in a pawn shop today for next to nothing and after playing it for a few hrs. i'd say it was a worthy purchase...no bullshit..on/off switch...1 vol. pot...one el84...one 12ax7...couple of those there transformer thingy's and the next thing ya know i'm the Mayor of Tonesville!!!!...for the cash it's a pretty cool little amp if I may say so!!!...only gripe I have w/ it is theres no standby switch...bet you can mod the crap outta these things though... |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 03:34:48
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You can mod this like a mo' fo'.
I own a Valve Junior combo. I ABSOLOUTELY LOVE IT. Sorry, I had to shout that. I have modded nothing on it. I did find that a lot of pedals I loved with my solid state sounded awful with it, but the pure tone of the amp to me is brilliant.
Pedal advice - Get a MIJ DS-1 and SD-1 for overdrive and distortion. Also a Biyang DS-7. That's my favourite pedals with this amp. Oh, and an SD-2! My Fender Mustang and my DS-2 gives a very close Nirvana sound if you are into that! |
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Brutalitarian Supremacy
Silver Member
USA
270 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 06:14:07
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funny you mention the MIJ DS-1, they had a near minty one for $75 but I passed on it...prob. regret it later, but my wallet is beggin for mercy. Like you said I really like the sound of it stock at this point,I also haven't tried any pedals in front of it yet(all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy)but I figure she'll take 'em like a champ! Thx for the links Defrag...knowing my tone OCD i'll find some bizzare reason I need to have it modded in the near future...if I do i'll keep ya posted |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 06:45:41
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I�ve had a V Jr Combo for about two years, I�ve modded it to get the most clean headroom as possible, and I really love it. When I say clean headroom the Jr surely is not clean when cranked. I have used it with jams with bass and drums, and I�m still heard without problem (of course I used a extra speaker with high effiency, Celestion Vintage 30).
This is a really great amp, easy to mod, and there are many possibilities.
Un-modded I didn�t like it so much, but it�s of course a matter of taste.
This is one of the best amps I�ve had in all my life, and I�ve had lots!
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 06:48:57
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| I got 2 of them, but I must say I don't play through them as much as I used to...That damn Killer Ant has been my favorite lately... |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 11:42:51
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Hi Guys
I beleive that there are (3) variations or revisions of the Jr.
The ver 3 being the one with the better quality output transformer,
Which was one of the costlier mods, a lot of modder's did to their Jr's.
Goran is in a better, more knowledgeable position to comment further on
the differences of the various versions.
And how to tell the differences.
I know Goran spent many hours & $$'s refining his Jr.
Regards Dr. Bob  |
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tunghaichuan
Bronze Member
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 15:27:26
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I've spent a lot of time modding and refining Valve Juniors. I even did a complete rebuild of one using an eyelet board.
Dr. Bob is right, there have been three versions up until now.
The first one was a combo only. It had massive problems with hum due to the PCB layout. It also had the wrong OT.
Version 2 came in a combo and Epi added the head with this version. They improved the hum problem but still had the wrong OT. This version had a new improved PCB.
Version three is the newest one. They refined the preamp and power supply circuitry and finally added a more appropriate OT. Epi used a higher quality version of the PCB in Ver. 3 amps.
The best way to tell Version 3 heads from Version 2 is by the serial number and the on/off switch. Version 3 heads will have a 16-digit serial number, version 2 will have an 8-digit SN. The on/off switch will be blank on a Version 3 head. Version two heads had switches with an "I" and a "0" in white on the switch.
I've got four Version 3 heads that I've picked up over the last year and a half. One of them is heavily modded: I reworked the preamp circuity, rebiased the power amp, and tweaked the power supply. I also replaced the OT with a Hammond 125ESE. Replacing the OT on the Version three heads isn't necessary, but it does still improve the tone. I also swapped out the crappy stock input and speaker out jacks for real Cliff jacks. This is now my main amp.
Since I use the head as a platform for pedals, I have it set up for the maximum clean headroom. For tubes I have a NOS 5751 in the preamp and a JJ EL84 in the power amp. As it sits now, this amp loves pedals. Every pedal I run through it sounds great. I even like the sound of my stock MIT DS-1 through it.
tung |
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ronster
Gold Member
Australia
645 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 15:34:04
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Hmm sounds like a handy little amp with lots of kick.
Might have to go shopping again!!!  |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 18:25:01
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quote:
Originally posted by ronster
Hmm sounds like a handy little amp with lots of kick.
Might have to go shopping again!!!
Blackheart Amps actually encourage modifications of which there are a few including OTs. I have a Little Giant 5W (not modded), can honestly say it is one of the best, affordable, quality-made tube amps available, & highly recommend any of their series. |
Edited by - DeFrag on 05/07/2009 18:25:25 |
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tunghaichuan
Bronze Member
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 20:14:05
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
quote:
Originally posted by ronster
Hmm sounds like a handy little amp with lots of kick.
Might have to go shopping again!!!
Blackheart Amps actually encourage modifications of which there are a few including OTs. I have a Little Giant 5W (not modded), can honestly say it is one of the best, affordable, quality-made tube amps available, & highly recommend any of their series.
I have a Little Giant head and a LG 1x12" combo. Unlike the VJ amps, the BH amps don't need to be modded. They sound great right out of the box. They don't even need a tube change. I swapped out the stock Chinese power tube for a JJ EL84 and usually this makes a big difference, not so in the BH LG. I ended up putting the stock tube back.
The only mod I would consider for the Little Giant amps would be to swap out the stock OT for a better one. I have my eye on the TO10B from Allen Amps: http://www.allenamps.com/parts.php#transformers
The only caveat is that the LG amps are very clean until they are cranked all the way up. It is not a very gainy amp. I'm not a big fan of the stock OD sound. However, it makes a great platform for pedals. 
I hope to be able to get one of the 15W Handsome Devil heads, those are very cool as well.
tung
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 21:13:12
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quote:
Originally posted by tunghaichuan
The only caveat is that the LG amps are very clean until they are cranked all the way up. It is not a very gainy amp. I'm not a big fan of the stock OD sound. However, it makes a great platform for pedals.
Very clean! Which for me, is the best feature besides the Class-A, quality components & build, etc.
I agree that they're a great platform for pedals.
I actually use a Radial Engineering ToneBone VT head switcher between my Little Giant (cleans) & my Orange Tiny Terror (grit).
Additionally, when my Little Giant is selected, it runs through its own open-backed combo speaker AND my closed-backed Orange 1x12 cab.
When my Tiny Terror head is selected, it ALSO runs through the open-backed Blackheart (combo) speaker AND the closed-backed Orange 1x12.
It really is quite versatile. Now, if I could only get some stereo going on..
(sorry, back to the Epi VJ!) |
Edited by - DeFrag on 05/07/2009 21:17:43 |
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archimedes
Silver Member
United Kingdom
191 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 23:45:01
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I have got a Tiny Terror which I really like for home use but I have just noticed the one that Blackstar are bringing out for about the same price with channel switching and stuff....G.A.S. !!!!
http://www.blackstaramps.co.uk/products/ht-5/index.html
Have to say that the Terror is also fine for rehearsals, an amazingly loud little beast. I do like the fat, natural sound of it. |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2009 : 02:52:07
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I think Mully bought into the Blackstar recently.
Mully? |
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verivorax
Platinum Member
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2009 : 03:32:19
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The Vox Night Train is in the same range.. it has a lot more clean than the Tiny Terror, and some good tone-shaping with the triode/pentode switch. Plus, it looks bomb.
Anyone try a THD Univalve? I've always been interested in this thing..
Also, anyone seen an Epi Valve Senior yet?? |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2009 : 04:47:20
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I also think the Night Train looks great.
I'm a bit confused though, if you flip the switch over to "Thick", its supposed to cut out the tone circuit.
Does this mean the entire tone stack.. Treble, Mid, Bass?
Sounds reasonable but weird at the same time. |
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Topic |
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Epiphone Valve Junior...
