Wrong amp? Suggestions for next step up...

[Tadpui]

Do valve amps last? As in, are they reliable? Or (say, like a car) if it's 20 years old, can you expect to get problems that need addressing because of it's age?

Or is it the type of device that just keeps on going (not counting the cunnnnnsumable tubes) and only breaks if dropped or something?

Sorry for the noob type questions, but If I ask a salesman the same thing, the answer will surely be teh one that leads to buying a new one..

FM

Changing tubes in a valve amp is akin to changing the oil in a car, kind of. You do it occasionally (yet regularly) for preventative maintenence. Or you can keep the same tubes in an amp until one of them fails. Newer tubes tend to sound better and are less likely to fail at an inopportune time. Being in the middle of a show or a session is a terrible time for a tube to die its death.

The only long-term internal component that might fail on an old tube amp after a long time are the capacitors. They tend to go bad after quite a while, although I don't honestly know the life expectancy for the caps in a tube amp. Come to think of it, the power transformer might die a horrible death after long-term abuse or neglect (like an improperly biased amp run long and loud).

Other than that, it's mainly things that are pretty obvious that would fail. Dented or otherwise damaged speakers/cones, grille cloth, chassis.

As a quick test at the seller's house, plug it in and see if its OK if you at least play it as loud as tolerable for the situation. Give it a good 5 or 10 minute workout. If all of the visible tubes glow a consistent orange or blue color, there is no hum, hiss, popping or crackling, then it should at least be in decent shape.

I'm sure that others will have more advice on "kicking the tires" of an older tube amp, but simply playing it, getting it up to temperature, and lisening for unusual noises would rule out the vast majority of potential problems.

 

[Walt-Dogg]

As stated, yes tube/valve amps are quite reliable with a bit of preventative maintenance. I mean that Ampeg V-4 (that I'm getting by the way, go me! ) is stated to need new tubes as it hasn't been retubed ever, it still has the original Magnavox tubes in it! It will probably need to be retubed and biased when I get it, but aside from that, that's all it should need.

So yes tube amps are reliable, they just need a bit more care than a solid state amp. The older they are the more care they will need, especially when it comes to an amp that has been neglected a bit. However the older it is and no matter how much work it may need, if you getting a deal it will be worth it.

 

[loveofjazz]

Just a thought...and I don't have either of these, so I wouldn't know but maybe someone else might...

Peavey Windsor Studio or Epiphone Valve Junior? Has anyone used these? Maybe they could be useful.

 

[pure.fusion]

Cool. Great info on the valve amps guys.

Thanks. Will see what the future brings.

 

[WhiteStrat]

Just a thought...and I don't have either of these, so I wouldn't know but maybe someone else might...

Peavey Windsor Studio or Epiphone Valve Junior? Has anyone used these? Maybe they could be useful.

I've got a Valve Jr, so I can compare it to a Blues Jr., which I also have. The Valve Jr is simpler--no tone stack--just a single volume knob. It's only 5 watts (someone correct me if I'm wrong ) so it's much easier to crank it. And when it's cranked it breaks up sooner (and IMO better) than the Blues Jr. I think it also handles distortion pedals (as opposed to overdrive) better, getting closer to a decent high gain sound than does the Blues Jr.

And using an OD or distortion pedal with some tone control of its own can get you around the lack of a tone stack on the amp itself. It's got a nice warm, midrangey sound--so I don't find myself missing the tone controls. It's kinda fun not to be able to worry about anything on the amp. Turn it on, turn it up, and make your guitar & fingers responsible for the tone.

 

[antichef]

I've got the VJ and the BJ, too (hey, that rhymes, and sounds kind of dirty). Actually, it's the VJ head I have (stop it...) I agree with Strat that if you're going for low volume, high gain sounds, the VJ is preferable. I think if you use his suggestion of one or more tone-affecting pedals, that could be a great way to go. The amp by itself, imo, is kind of dark sounding, but if you have a really bright guitar or a way to introduce some treble (via pedal(s)), it can sound really nice.

Do you have a good amp tech nearby? Not that you need one for those two amps, but if you do, you could consider picking up some cheap-o practice amp from the 50s or 60s on ebay - it will almost certainly need servicing (hence the tech - mostly like the capacitors will need changing, as mentioned above), but after that, there's a decent chance it will sound awesome (and a smaller, but non-zero chance that it will sound like crap ) - the amps I play mostly around the house are those - a Magnatone, an old Sears (Silvertone) model, a Gibson Skylark, etc.

 

[Tadpui]

I've got the VJ and the BJ, too (hey, that rhymes, and sounds kind of dirty).

Hahaha, have you seen Beer Fest?

Barry Badrinath: It's $10 for a BJ, $12 for an HJ, $15 for a ZJ...
Landfill: [Interrupting] What's a ZJ?
Barry Badrinath: If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
Steve "Fink" Finklestein: [Trying to persuade Landfill] I've got $4.

 

[cavedog101]

If you're looking at OD pedals in front of the BluesJr its best to set the amps master on 9 and bring the channel up to where it just starts to get rich. The tone controls on these will add a lot of sag so running everything above six is adviseable. Once you get the amp sounding crisp but having that sag when you hammer the guitar a bit then you're home. If you have the stock speaker you owe it to yourself to get something else entirely. Weber Blue Dog or a Hemptone are my favorites with this amp. NEVER close the back on one of these. It will eat itself up from the inside out. The cabinet is too small to allow for the heat to escape as it is and closing it off is gonna cook it. A set of NOS Mullards in the power tubes is amazing.

So, a new speaker, great tubes, and running the thing in its real power curve and they really are a decent amp.

Two of them is a really good sound.

I've had mine since 1998.

 

[pure.fusion]

If you're looking at OD pedals in front of the BluesJr its best to set the amps master on 9 and bring the channel up to where it just starts to get rich. The tone controls on these will add a lot of sag so running everything above six is adviseable. Once you get the amp sounding crisp but having that sag when you hammer the guitar a bit then you're home. If you have the stock speaker you owe it to yourself to get something else entirely. Weber Blue Dog or a Hemptone are my favorites with this amp. NEVER close the back on one of these. It will eat itself up from the inside out. The cabinet is too small to allow for the heat to escape as it is and closing it off is gonna cook it. A set of NOS Mullards in the power tubes is amazing.

So, a new speaker, great tubes, and running the thing in its real power curve and they really are a decent amp.

Two of them is a really good sound.

I've had mine since 1998.

Cool. yep, I've been playing with this Blues Jr for a few months now and what you are saying about the master vol at 9 rings true with me. You really have to crank that sucker.

As for the pedals though, I find that it's really pedal dependant as to what the drive sounds like (erm, obviously). What I mean is that it's easy to get a really *wrong* sounding breakup (at least to my taste) and it depends on how the pedal's drive intereacts with the amp's breakup. But I think I'm trying to get a result out of an amp that wasn't meant to make that kind of heavy(er) sound.

I'm discovering very quickly that to get a Plexi type sound out of a BJ is not going to happen easily. Ahhh, thats when I should let common sense take over and use my POD X3.

So why am I thinking of another amp/ cabinet already? Cause the BJ does clean and mildly distorted very well IMHO, but for other applications, maybe it's not the best choice...

FM

 

[cavedog101]

Like I said...changing the speaker will do a lot as well as getting some power tubes with some smoothness to them. I have JJ's in mine but I dont play real heavy stuff. Its still glassy while having some warm distortion too.

 

[MatchBookNotes]

pedals: Boss OD, BD3, DS1/2, Tech 21(anything from them is pretty good), and there's many more... goto a music store that has a blues jr and play around.