Epiphone Valve Junior Modifications

[Duff]

VJ Cabinet

I went out and purchased a VJ Cab at GC for 129. It sounds good. I'll have to break it in.

The Jensen P12N in my Tweed HRD at 8 ohms seems to sound louder and better, especially when pushed to distortion. It gives a nice smooth distortion with lots of growl.

The VJ cab pushed to distortion gives a more rough growling sound. Maybe it was just the guitar I was using. I'll experiment more. Plus the overall volume is not as high as with the 8 ohm I don't think. But this could be a good thing because you can get that distortion at a lower level. Maybe my guitar processor pedal will smooth out the distortion or breaking it in might help.

Any ideas?

The VJ cab doesn't sound bad by any means, don't get me wrong. Maybe I just spoiled myself playing the head through that two hundred dollar Jensen speaker in the HRD Tweed.

Duffy

 

[Guitar Gal]

Well....I finally finished my mods that I had planned for my Epi VJ. I ended up doing three things: 1) replaced the stock speaker with a Jensen C8R, 2) sent an e-mail to Bob at Eurotubes and got recommendations to replace the stock tubes, and 3) replaced the stock OT with a Hammond 125ESE.

I did each mod and played the VJ before going on to the next one. I started with replacing the speaker. This seemed to make a HUGE tonal improvement overall. Seemed to open up the VJ and the notes rang out clearer. Sounded less "muddy" to my ears.

Next, I replaced the stock tubes with JJ tubes from Eurotubes. I put in an EL84 and an ECC83S. I wanted to have some clean headroom so Bob at Eurotubes made suggestions on the grade and gain of the tubes. This mod also made a noticeable difference. Notes were more defined and sharper. I could really hear all my mistakes now :messedup:

Lastly, I replaced the stock OT with the Hammond 125ESE. The Hammond is HUGE compared to the stock OT.....weighs about 4lbs. This mod seemed to just be the icing on the cake. Seemed to "warm" the VJ .... gave it some good bass, mids, and highs....no harsh tones at all.

Overall, each mod added something that the stock VJ was missing IMO. Biggest change seemed to be the speaker change.....but maybe because I did this one first, I noticed it more

In the end, I spent almost (not quite) as much on these mods as what the VJ cost me initially.......but I now have a sweet sounding little 5 watt tube amp that makes me wanna play more :rockon:

Priceless :master:

GG

 

[mrmudcat]

Nice nice....A guitar gal who mods her own amps:master: ........I swear If I weren't married........................ :saw: ^ ^
GG MM

 

[M29]

Whow GG:rockon: You even got the ESE and not the DSE OT. Awesome, I kind of wished I had done that. Not that it is a big deal, but it just might be and I will never know.

I too have spent more money then I wanted on modding that little bugger but in the end I am very pleased with the amp and I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of it. I have not replaced the tubes yet and I am expecting another huge improvement. Just not enough money, too much outgo and not enough income lately

Your new avatar is awesome:rockon:

M29

 

[warren0728]

Nice nice....A guitar gal who mods her own amps........I swear If I weren't married........................

i was thinking the same thing....then i remembered i'm not married....florida is really nice this time of year....do you like pancakes? ancake: :rotflmao:

ww

 

[oldguy]

:AOK: :AOK: :AOK: Way to go, GG!!
A lot of people have done the Hammond + tube upgrade to the V.Jr. head and were done, nothing more needed. Sounds like the speaker upgrade was the other mod needed to round out your V.J. Kudos to you for "just doing it", as Nike would say.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

i was thinking the same thing....then i remembered i'm not married....florida is really nice this time of year....do you like pancakes? ancake: :rotflmao:

ww

RUUUUNNN AWAYYYY, RUUNN AWAYYYYYYY! oke:



Cool about the mods GG! Clips now?!

 

[just strum]

GG,

That's it, I'm packing up all my equipment and I'm driving down - be there in about two hours.

Damn, I am impressed. Your comments about your ability are certainly understated. Between your equipment and your understated ability, I think you have come a long way since we met over at the "W".

:AOK: :AOK: :AOK:

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

So many mods for the VJ, I've put NOS tubes in my Fender Champion 600 & it sounds great to me.

No mud, the only problem is the bass at high gain, but since I like the edge of beakup much, much more than high gain it isn't an issue for me.

Someday I might replace the transformer & get a cab...or just get a SWART & be done with it.

 

[warren0728]

RUUUUNNN AWAYYYY, RUUNN AWAYYYYYYY!

them lawyer types sure are smart!! :beer:

ww :greenguitar:

 

[tunghaichuan]

As luck would have it, I got a chance to physically inspect on of those Champion 600 amps at GC yesterday. I didn't get a chance to plug in though.

One thing that struck me about that amp was how small the OT is. If I were to get one, I would look at putting in a different OT. Maybe a Hammond 125CSE or a Fender Champ 12 replacement OT. I don't think a 125ESE would fit in there.

Of course the limiting factor of that amp is ths small speaker, you're never going to get thunderous bass out of that amp, no matter what OT you use.

That amp sure is a cute little rascall, though

tung

So many mods for the VJ, I've put NOS tubes in my Fender Champion 600 & it sounds great to me.

No mud, the only problem is the bass at high gain, but since I like the edge of beakup much, much more than high gain it isn't an issue for me.

Someday I might replace the transformer & get a cab...or just get a SWART & be done with it.

 

[duhvoodooman]

GG,

Very cool! :dude:

I did the JJ tube swap first, but I had Eurotubes send me two EL-84's, with one rated for early break-up and the other for max. headroom, so I could play around some. Did the Jensen C8R speaker upgrade just recently, as you're aware. In between, I did several mods on the PCB to clean up the v.1 combo hum/noise issues and add a "bright" switch. I assume you must have one of the v.2 combos, since you haven't mentioned any noise issues?

Well, I suppose I ought to just bite the bullet and finish the job with this OT upgrade that so many people seem to be doing & liking the results. Where did you get yours? Radiodaze.com, maybe? Tung recommends them for Hammond transformers.

Speaking of Tung, maybe he'll pop back in to this thread and explain why that 15W Hammond OT is needed in a 5W amp.....

 

[tunghaichuan]

Duhvoodooman asked me a question about VJ OTs in a PM this morning. Here is my response:

I have actually tried both the 125ESE and 125CSE in my VJ head.

The 125CSE is a great improvement over the stock version 2, 7.5k primary VJ OT. Better bass, smoother, not as much harsh, nasty treble as the stock OT. The 125ESE provides even more: even better bass, really smooth response, and *no* harsh nasty treble. I found that the amp needed a conjunctive filter to smooth out the high end when using either the stock OT or 125CSE. The CF is not needed at all when using a 125ESE.

Forgot to add: the newest version 3 of the VJs have a 5K primary OT which is about what the EL84 wants to see. A 125CSE or 125DSE isn't much of an improvement over the the ver3 stock OT. You have to move up the 125ESE for maximum sonic benefit.

Furthermore, the best sounding OT I have used in a VJ is the Heyboer from Doberman Amps. The amp I rebuilt using that OT is probably the best sounding VJ on the planet. The downside is that the Doberman'/Heyboer OT is huge: it barely fit the chassis. That OT is also grossly over spec'd for 5w amp use: it is rated for 160mA through the core. Practically, you can use that OT for two 6L6s or EL34s in parallel SE operation. The 125ESE is only spec'd for 80mA, although I've put 100mA through it with no problems. Hammonds are notoriously under rated.

I think it has to do with core size: bigger core = better bass.

So, althought the 125ESE looks grossly overated on paper, it sounds better than the 125CSE which is closer in ratings to the requirements of the circuit.

tung

 

[Guitar Gal]

Thanks for all of your kind words :beer:

The VJ mods were fun to do and it was exciting to hear the changes as I went along.

DVM.....yes, my VJ is a version 2 so no hum issue. I ended up getting the OT from here: http://www.tubesandmore.com/ because they were offering free shipping on orders over $99.00.....so I got the OT, the Jensen speaker and a couple of other little do-dads to get the free shipping. BTW....everything was packed very well, they shipped it out the day I ordered it, and they also threw in a free Jensen t-shirt that I did not expect :dude: Gotta love FREE stuff... I have no affiliation with tubes and more....yadda, yadda, yadda......just a satisfied customer. I believe that Radiodaze has better prices on the OT though.

GG

 

[Guitar Gal]

Whow GG:rockon: You even got the ESE and not the DSE OT. Awesome, I kind of wished I had done that. Just not enough money, too much outgo and not enough income lately

M29

Yeah.....I know THAT feeling :thwap:

GG

 

[tunghaichuan]

Yeah.....I know THAT feeling :thwap:

GG

As the bluegrass song says: "I ain't broke, just badly bent."

tung

 

[duhvoodooman]

Well, I decided I might as well finish what I started so long ago. Odered a Hammond 125ESE output transformer from Radiodaze.com during my lunch hour. Best price I've been able to find, at $36.59....

 

[marnold]

As the bluegrass song says: "I ain't broke, just badly bent."

Or, to quote Red Green, "If it ain't broke, you aren't trying."

 

[Guitar Gal]

Well, I decided I might as well finish what I started so long ago. Odered a Hammond 125ESE output transformer from Radiodaze.com during my lunch hour. Best price I've been able to find, at $36.59....

Alright :AOK:

Interested to hear your impressions once you change out the OT.

GG

 

[M29]

Man I think I paid about 45 for my DSE. You are going to love that transformer duhvoodooman:rockon:

M29

 

[F_BSurfer]

Not much cheaper I think Angela Instruments is the cheapest on Hammonds
http://www.angela.com

 

[tunghaichuan]

Not much cheaper I think Angela Instruments is the cheapest on Hammonds
http://www.angela.com

Ordering from Steve at Angela can be hit and miss. I've ordered a few transformers from him and have never had a problem. I have heard of others having problems with him, though. Thre have been stories floating around about what a real jacka$$ he can be since when I first started reading amp building sites on the 'Net. The key is just to order and not expect any kind of tech support. He states this clearly on his site, but some people still try to test this. I have heard of other saying Steve went off on them for no reason.

Caveat emptor.

tung

 

[Bloozcat]

Steve at Angela Instruments is a little like "The Soup Nazi", in that he expects you to know exactly what you want when you call, and that you know exactly what to do with it when you get it....without any help. No questions, no substitutions, no "dumb" questions ("dumb" as determined by Steve). He's not much for conversation either. But, on the positive side, he has items that you can't find elsewhere, and some pretty good prices on some things. He sells the Hammond 125ESE currently for $36.50, which is just $4-$5 less than I paid for mine from him several months ago. Bought some excellent Riken/Ohm resistors from him that weren't available anywhere else to my knowledge as well.

When I got the transformer from him, I noticed that something else was rattling around in the box. I dug around in the packing material and found a womans ring. It didn't appear to be too be too valuable, but I thought it might have sentimental value to whomever it was who lost it. I mailed the ring back to Angela Instruments along with a note explaining how I found it. Turns out, the ring belongs to Angela, Steve and Susan's daughter, and she was thrilled to get it back. Will this perhaps soften Steve's demeanor next time I call in an order? I don't hold out much hope of that, but his wife Susan sent me a very nice letter thanking me for my consideration. That was worth it to me....:AOK:

Now, if only I can quit getting side tracked with work, other projects, the holidays, and whatever other "excuse" I can come up with, maybe I'll actually get that 125ESE installed in my VJ....

 

[duhvoodooman]

I received the Hammond 125ESE output transformer from Radiodaze.com late last week, and installed it over the weekend. It dwarfs the puny little VJr stock OT! Very easy installation. Other than disconnecting the stock OT, running the wires & soldering them in, the only other thing required is to drill an additional hole through the chassis for mounting the OT, due to its larger footprint.

I don't have before/after clips for this change, but I can tell you that the change was really quite noticeable. The amps overall tone sounds clearer & crisper to me, and the bottom end is significantly louder and better defined. This is particularly evident when I run the amp through one of my cabs, since the 12" speakers really show off the better bass response. While this is not as cheap of an upgrade as some of the other VJr mods (the OT came to about $46, including NY sales tax and shipping), it does have a nice tonal benefit. :AOK:

Geez, BC, I'm glad I didn't deal w/ that guy at Angela Instruments! Sounds like one false move and it's "No tranny for you!!" :rotflmao:

 

[Bloozcat]

Geez, BC, I'm glad I didn't deal w/ that guy at Angela Instruments! Sounds like one false move and it's "No tranny for you!!" :rotflmao:

No tranny for you. Come back...six months! :rotflmao:

Really though, if you know what you need and don't waste any time when ordering, Steve's ok. He seems like a "time is money, so don't waste my time", kind of guy.

Glad you liked the tranny, DVM. Your description matches what I've heard from others who've installed one in a VJ.

 

[hindmarsh]

OK. This thread has been very interesting reading. My son and I are new to guitar and I've been wanting to get a good amp and I think I've been sold on the Valve Jr instead of a modeling amp or shelling out the money for a VOX or something else along those lines.

For those who have had a bunch of experience with this line and the mods, if you were going to buy another one today, would you go with the combo and make the mods or would you go with the head and cab set, or both? The combo being a more portable practice amp and the cabinet giving better quality when at home?

On another note, what would be a good first pedal set to go with it?

Thanks!

 

[F_BSurfer]

If i were to do do it all over again I would still buy the combo still can plug into a cab if I want a bigger sound

 

[duhvoodooman]

For those who have had a bunch of experience with this line and the mods, if you were going to buy another one today, would you go with the combo and make the mods or would you go with the head and cab set, or both? The combo being a more portable practice amp and the cabinet giving better quality when at home?

On another note, what would be a good first pedal set to go with it?

Because I've since acquired a couple of speaker cabs, I'd probably opt for the head. There are plenty of enhancements to tone & gain available for the head, as well, if you find that the stock sound doesn't scratch all your itches.

You should also take a look at the new Blackheart amps, since they play in this same arena. Check this forum for more on those. They have a tone stack, which the VJr's lack.

Re: pedals, well that really depends upon what you like to play. I consider a reverb pedal a requirement with these, since they don't have one built in. I'd also put a good wah, overdrive, heavier distortion and a delay pedal on my "must have" list, but that's just me....

 

[Bloozcat]

And for those who might like to dabble at modding, or might want a hand wired circuit, or just a simplified modular approach, check this site out (Click on Valve Jr. Stuff):
http://www.turretboards.com/

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Cool Vood! I'm definitely gonna replace the tranny on my Champion 600, but I'm gonna wait until I buy a cab. That'll be probably a year or so out.

Hindmarsh, I'd look into the Blackheart amps. I'd get one of those over a VJ.

If you are new to guitars, don't listen to Vood about *must have* pedals .

Don't get any pedals until you identify a need.

No, scratch that: maybe get the Bad Monkey, it's cheap & will give you decent overdrive.