Tried the Valve Junior

ieatdirt · 09-10-2006, 11:02 AM

I went to GC on Saturday and tried it out with several different guitars.

Squier Affinity Strat> Valve Junior head> Vox 4x12 cab

I really liked how it sounded, but I couldn't get it to do more than a tiny bit of overdrive. I was wondering if it was the pickups on the guitar, so I tried another guitar.

Epi Les Paul (Not sure what model)> Valve Junior head> Vox cab

I liked this even more, but still almost no overdrive, so I tried a guitar that I was sure had hot pickups.

Epi Zakk Wylde Les Paul w/ EMG humbuckers> VJ head> Vox cab

Still almost no overdrive.

I knew that the VJ couldn't do really heavy overdrive, but I expected something heavier than that. Is that the way it works, or was I doing something that prevented it from overdriving more? I will still probably get the VJ head, and just buy a nice distortion pedal to complement it, but I want to know exactly how much OD this thing has.

EDIT: Kind of off-topic, but I really like the fat necks on the LPs. I never expected that I would like a bigger neck, but it really felt pretty comfortable.

Ryan Freeland · 09-10-2006, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieatdirt

I went to GC on Saturday and tried it out with several different guitars.

Squier Affinity Strat> Valve Junior head> Vox 4x12 cab

I really liked how it sounded, but I couldn't get it to do more than a tiny bit of overdrive. I was wondering if it was the pickups on the guitar, so I tried another guitar.

Epi Les Paul (Not sure what model)> Valve Junior head> Vox cab

I liked this even more, but still almost no overdrive, so I tried a guitar that I was sure had hot pickups.

Epi Zakk Wylde Les Paul w/ EMG humbuckers> VJ head> Vox cab

Still almost no overdrive.

I knew that the VJ couldn't do really heavy overdrive, but I expected something heavier than that. Is that the way it works, or was I doing something that prevented it from overdriving more? I will still probably get the VJ head, and just buy a nice distortion pedal to complement it, but I want to know exactly how much OD this thing has.

You did dime it, correct? When I played it dimed, it was a nice classic "crunch".

ieatdirt · 09-10-2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Building429_Boy

You did dime it, correct? When I played it dimed, it was a nice classic "crunch".

I didn't quite dime it, but almost. It hurt my ears, and still almost no overdrive.

Ryan Freeland · 09-10-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieatdirt

I didn't quite dime it, but almost. It hurt my ears, and still almost no overdrive.

The 4x12 could be your problem. They probably give the amp more headroom and volume right? I was playing through the combo which has only a 1x8" speaker I believe.

ieatdirt · 09-10-2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Building429_Boy

The 4x12 could be your problem. They probably give the amp more headroom and volume right? I was playing through the combo which has only a 1x8" speaker I believe.

That was kind of what I was thinking.

Demon_Hunter · 09-10-2006, 12:04 PM

You may not realize it (well, I guess that you do now), but 5w is huge as far as volume goes.

The 1x8 combo is seriously the one you need to test out to check the od. Its a good, agressive (but not overly heavy) distortion. And even the 1x8 model will kick you in the face when its cranked. Id it at GC one time, and my ears were a little sore afterwards (sitting 2ft from the amp though).

Ryan Freeland · 09-10-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demon_hunter

You may not realize it (well, I guess that you do now), but 5w is huge as far as volume goes.

The 1x8 combo is seriously the one you need to test out to check the od. Its a good, agressive (but not overly heavy) distortion. And even the 1x8 model will kick you in the face when its cranked. Id it at GC one time, and my ears were a little sore afterwards (sitting 2ft from the amp though).

Eh, it's not that loud. I run the MTS on 10 and don't have any problems with hearing, soreness, or whatever.

ieatdirt · 09-10-2006, 12:19 PM

I do plan on running it through a 1x12. (When I have the money) Until then, I'd be running it through the speaker on my amp, which is a 5".

Demon_Hunter · 09-10-2006, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Building429_Boy

Eh, it's not that loud. I run the MTS on 10 and don't have any problems with hearing, soreness, or whatever.

Probably in an open space the VJ wouldnt be really bad, but in a closed environment it can seem really loud.

Demon_Hunter · 09-10-2006, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieatdirt

I do plan on running it through a 1x12. (When I have the money) Until then, I'd be running it through the speaker on my amp, which is a 5".

If you are gonna be running it thru a 1x5 speaker then why not just by the combo version?

ieatdirt · 09-10-2006, 12:29 PM

Because I can buy a cab later, and it would be nicer than the combo. Also, for the $40 I save, I can buy an EQ pedal to use as a boost.

**Rainer.** · 09-10-2006, 01:10 PM

A 5W class A amp isn't going to give you a high-gain amp-type of distortion. The overdrive isn't suited to the tone that folks who play hard rock would like. The problem probably isn't that you're not getting enough OD, but more along the lines of the OD doesn't quite sound right. And I've pushed a 20dB boost into the 5W Fender Champ, more gain is probably not gonna be the answer.

ieatdirt · 09-11-2006, 04:15 AM

I wasn't expecting a high gain type distortion. I was thinking a light overdrive, because that's what I've been told about it. This had almost no breakup. You could barely hear it.

**Rainer.** · 09-11-2006, 05:42 PM

Well, it's not just the amount of distortion, but the tone and character of it.

ieatdirt · 09-11-2006, 06:08 PM

I'll have to get some more play time with it.