Epiphone Valve Junior

The search for the ultimate tone is what most would use to justify a new amp.  For yours truly, there isn't a single "tone" I'm looking for but a way to get the best sound out of a guitar.  I know for a fact, my Tele doesn't sound good on my Marshall and at the same time, my Midtown doesn't sound too good on the Vox.  The absolute worse case scenario is an amp specifically chosen for each guitar in the collection.  Not only is this not feasible but only not practical both financially and space-wise.  This Epiphone Valve Junior is attractive on a couple of aspects.  First, the price I got if for used on Craigslist at $200 is reasonable enough that I know I can sell it for the same amount if I don't like it in the long run.  Second, I had read a lot of good reviews on the speaker cabinet that contains a single 12-inch Eminence Lady Luck rated at 70 Watt (16 Ohms).  And last, Epiphone stopped making this particular amp in 2012 -- meaning the demand may continue for a discontinued item.

From a power standpoint, the 5 Watt rating on a single EL84 power section isn't enough to cut through a full drum kit and bass playing at volume.  I tried the Valve Junior with my Talman, Jaguar and Mustang and finally settled on the tone I was after with a single coil Strat (and Tele) but the volume just wasn't there.  But hey, that's why guitarists mic amps into the PA system right?

The front face controls is no-nonsense -- a single volume knob, an input jack and an on/off switch.  No gain, no tone and certainly no standby power.  There are 3 speaker output options at 4, 8 and 16 Ohms so I'm somewhat curious to try the head with a 4 and/or 8 Ohms speakers.  The Valve Junior is popular with mod monkeys and I've read people buying the half stack model, reselling the head and keeping the cabinet.  Overall, it was worth the drive to Hesperia to pick it up from the seller.