Snowblind said:
Any suggestions to make this amp really sing?
Yeah. Just you and your guitar. Try that for a week or two before you put any effect in front of it. What you hear might surprise you . . .
Buuuutt, if you simply cannot stand the thought of totally vanilla Class "A" tone, and hearing every mistake you make, you might want to consider the following:
1.) DigiTech Bad Monkey - Like ww said, it sounds great through this amp. You can drive the distortion to an earlier break-up, and it adds a nice warmth to the overall character of the tone, esp. with the gain pulled back on the clean channel. Very nice - esp. @ $39!
2.) DigiTech Tone Driver - A little more expensive than the Bad Monkey ($69), but there's some high quality distortion models to be found in it - including the venerable Ibanez TS-808 and TS-9. This pedal will really add some life to the overdrive aspects of this amp.
3.) Zoom G2 - At $100, this multi-pedal will cover the gambut of the effects you've mentioned - wah, reverb, EQ, along with a slew of different overdrive effects and amp models. I've covered this unit in multiple posts (pedal section), so refer to them for some of the other features and details. Yes, you could invest in something much higher end and feature-wise, but if you're just looking to add some colour to the Valve Jr.'s already cool vintage tone, you probably won't need anything more. The G2's effects / models can be used separately as well, so you can turn off the amp / cab models, and just use the effects individually, or any other combination thereof. That's a nice feature in my book. Plus, if you find a particular combination of effects you like, you can save it to memory, and use it over and over again. You could also snag a Zoom 505II multi-effects processor on Ebay for around $40 - $50, and you'd have most of the same stuff. The G2 is the newer version of that pedal.
There are a ton of mods and other relevant info covered in the Valve Jr. thread in this same section, so if you're interested in taking it further, like different tubes, or a different speaker, you'll definintely want to read that. It's a lengthy thread, but very worthwhile if you're looking to getting into one of these amps.
Above all else, remember this about the Valve Jr. - it's a small, Class A tube amp with an 8" speaker. And while it is loud for 5W, you most likely won't be gigging with it (unless, of course, you plan on mic'ing it). The tone is decidedly vintage (think 1950). The amp has a bit of a hum, which is common to the Class A design, and you will need to learn to love it. Lastly - it costs $119. I point these things out before-hand because for whatever reason, people who buy this amp don't seem to have a good understanding of what it really is. This is as basic as a tube amp can get - totally barebones. Yet, there is something very genuine about its stark simplicity, and perhaps that's why I dig mine so much. If the Valve Jr's retro vibe and tone connect with you like it did with me, you're gonna' be playing this little rig all the time!
BTW - I play my Valve Jr. sans effects most of the time. Otherwise, it's the G2, with a smidge of reverb, and a little slap-back echo or maybe a touch of chorus. It's all there, bro',
plus a bag of chips.
If you want effects buy something like the Vox.
