Epiphone Valve Junior Mod

sign up at sewatt.com - they've got a bunch of info. Too much actually - to your point, after reading and reading, my VJR is still stock (except for new tubes) :)

I suspect anyone here who can give you a meaningful answer will want to know what you don't like about the amp to begin with (e.g., too dark, etc.).

I was bumming out on mine, thinking it was too dark, but then I took it to a buddy's house, and he hooked up a fuzz face pedal, and played one of my guitars through it, and it sounded awesome, so I'm still confused about the whole thing.
 
I did the "BitMo TRIO Mod Kit for Epiphone Valve Junior " found at www.thetubestore.com. I also put a standby switch in. The Trio mod does allow quite a range of sound shaping.
 

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I am all for modifying stuff, as i like to do it myself too. But before you go dropping big bucks on a transformer upgrade, I highly recommend trying a used THD UniValve. For the price of the tranny and the amp, you could get a MUCH better amp.
 
I had three EVJ's-- a stock combo (V1 or V2-- not sure), a slightly modded head with a couple of the sewatt.com mods and upgraded tubes and then a full-out modded head with a "Marshalized" Turretboards.com circuit board, Heyboer OT and upgraded tubes (Telefunken 12ax7, JJ EL84), plus tonestack switch and standby switch. All sounded pretty good, though the fully upgraded one really stood out and had awesome "18 watt" type tone. I sold that one when I upgraded and I don't regret upgrading, but I miss that little tone monster!
 
A little late to the party, but this one's mine, it's reversed in the case so you can see the innards from the front. Looks way cooler imo. The back is wide open, so I suppose it gets better ventilation too. It also has a standby switch, the JP1 mod, and a JJ 12at7 preamp tube in place of the stock 12ax7 for lower gain. It's my amp modding learning experience, I got it off CL for $50 so I'm not too worried about messing it up.
 

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I take it the EVJ isn't a good amp in & of itself - instead it's a canvas on which to paint your own soundscapes based on after market mod kits.
That's sad - I'd hoped it was actually good. (I realize that's DIY heresy).
Mind you I can't afford one - they're way too expensive downunder & modding would only rub salt in the wound.
 
Actually, I dont think it sounds bad out of the box, it's just an ultra-cheap amp that's easy to mod, and there's a LOT of mods out there to try. As a beginner, I wouldn't wanna risk blowing up an expensive marshall or mesa or whatever.
 
They changed the output transformer specs on the newest version (version 3?) and it's supposed to improve the sound. If you swap in a couple of nice tubes and pair it with a decent speaker it's pretty good-- especially if you have a nice OD or Distortion pedal to drive it. Some folks even like it as a recording bass amp.
 
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