Epi Valve junior alternative - Peavey Valveking Royal 8

fourmations

hi all

while about to buy an Epi Vlave junior
I came accross this fella
http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116552/number/00585110/cat/308/begin/1/ValveKing%AE+Royal+8.cfm

this seems great, class A - all valves etc. same a the epi

and the selling point...
it has a tone and gain control and a headphones out
which the epi needs mods to achieve,
so it can be cranked without waking the kids,

anyone tried these? or any peavey valve amps

regards

Karl Hungus

Haven't tried one, but it does seem interesting. I've heard good things about the Valve Kings in general though, that with some better tubes, they're excellent.

Voodu Child

I'd say it'd be half decent, I wouldn't expect too much, but i'd be interested to see what it sounds like.

The big valve-king got some great write-ups alright, it came out very well in the value for money vs. quality stakes.

As usual, a 5watt valve amp is still very loud, and this only has a single 12AX7 in the preamp, so I wouldn't expect a gain-monster.

I'd try before you buy, and look at what else is in the same price bracket first.

david

I like my EVJ! Love to try this though if Waltons get one in..

Yakult

the Fender Champ 600 gives Epi a run for their money!

fourmations

thanks guys

the try before you buy is not really an option
theres none in dublin at the moment

I'd really need to sit down with the contenders
(fender champion , epi valve jr, crate v5, ibanez valbee,)
which aint really going to happen realistically

I feel a whim buy coming on
thomann will accept a return if I dont like it, correct?
I was going to buy the Epi on the strength of its reviews!

how long does thomann delivery generally take, its in stock

whats the diddley on valve types "12a7, 6v6, etc etc."
is there a good site to explain which brands/types do what?
valves for dummies or something!

Regards

4

colm_r

Perfect Pitch had an Epi Valve Junior in stock last time I was there(a couple of weeks ago) if that's any use to you

Johnny Storm

fourmations wrote:

thomann will accept a return if I dont like it, correct

They say they will. Has anyone here ever actually managed to do this? It seems to be pretty hard to even return defective goods based on recent posts.

Ibanez Valbee is another possible competitor. And I think Crate have one too? Basically, they are having these things built in China, which is why they are so cheap.

I got an EVJ from Thomann. Sounds great. Excellent value. Very loud. For home volumes the best thing is to put a distorto/overdrive pedal in front of it.

fourmations

hi all

johnny - thats the draw on the peavey
its got a gain and main volume so you can crank it
without annoying the kids/neighbours/corrie-watching wife,

the ibanez valbee has loads more features but a 6" speaker
and it looks horrific to boot!

rgds
4
4

Voodu Child

Genuinely, the point of a small valve amp is to crank it so you get power-valve saturation.

If you're not cranking it, you won't get that, and tbh, you might be better off with one of the little modellers.

If you ARE cranking it, it will be fairly loud, perhaps too loud, depending on the kids/neighbours etc. A small speaker will help, but i'd still imagine it gets plenty loud. Which is why I think you should try before you buy. If it means waiting until somewhere gets one in stock, so be it.

fourmations wrote:

hi all

johnny - thats the draw on the peavey
its got a gain and main volume so you can crank it
without annoying the kids/neighbours/corrie-watching wife,

the ibanez valbee has loads more features but a 6" speaker
and it looks horrific to boot!

rgds
4
4

Johnny Storm

voodoo_child wrote:

...Genuinely, the point of a small valve amp is to crank it so you get power-valve saturation. If you're not cranking it, you won't get that, and tbh, you might be better off with one of the little modellers....

Very true. It depends what you are trying to do with it.
FWIW I only play at home. I have a Microcube too. It's definitely more convenient but it can sound a bit flat and lacking in depth compared to the EVJ probably due to its very small speaker and enclosure. I have never tried the Vox DA5 which is basically a Microcube imitator/competitor with a slightly larger speaker.


I agree that the Ibanez is very odd looking. :eek:

fourmations

hi all

you just dont want me to get a valve amp!!

but seriously... can i not crank it with the seperate gain?

I have a gt6 but its a loan, so when that goes
i was going to buy a couple of simple stomps and live the valve dream,
i am tired of messing around with the gt-6
its all button tweaking and no guitar playing!

In the meantime my valve amp can be used clean
and the gt-6 does the stuff in the front end,

still a no-no?
I cant help feeling if I buy a modeller
that I will be still hankering for the elusive valves


regards

4

Voodu Child

fourmations wrote:

still a no-no?
I cant help feeling if I buy a modeller
that I will be still hankering for the elusive valves

Not a no-no, but definitely hold on until the reviews or soundclips come back (if you can't get a chance to play one yourself).

Johnny M

Johnny Storm wrote:

They say they will. Has anyone here ever actually managed to do this? It seems to be pretty hard to even return defective goods based on recent posts.
.

I did a return to thomann.I bought an m-audio black box + pedal there over xmas.took about 2 weeks to arrived. tried it out and didnt like it so I sent it back.there was a 30 day money back guarantee ..the details are somewhere on the thomann page . basically it says you can return for any reason no questions asked as long as its in packaging etc they'll even pay for the ups back to germany ! how cool is that .i love thomann.anyway I rang em up told em the BB was not what I expected said the sound quality was not 'pro' enough for me! and viola it was on its way back. got my refund a week later on credit card.happy days.

Go on get the Peavey .then let us know if its any good. I've got GAS for it now too.:rolleyes: my two cents on the EVJ is that its feckin LOUD! wouldnt suit me for practice anyway..and no gain control or headphone out. Tone is pretty good tho. I'd go with the Peavey. I read up on the valbee ..its meant to be super noisy and tinny sounding. thats on HC reviews anyway.

Johnny Storm

Johnny M wrote:

I did a return to thomann.I bought an m-audio black box + pedal there over xmas.took about 2 weeks to arrived. tried it out and didnt like it so I sent it back.there was a 30 day money back guarantee ..the details are somewhere on the thomann page . basically it says you can return for any reason no questions asked as long as its in packaging etc they'll even pay for the ups back to germany ! how cool is that .i love thomann.anyway I rang em up told em the BB was not what I expected said the sound quality was not 'pro' enough for me! and viola it was on its way back. got my refund a week later on credit card.happy days.
....

Well Ok then, that is cool