Epiphone Valve Jr Clearance/price hike? & vs Kustom 12 t

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Epiphone Valve Jr Clearance/price hike? & vs Kustom 12 t

Post by nlmd311 » Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:22 am

Hey everyone,
So I have really been considering buying one of these but as usual try to talk myself out of it. So as I am looking around the internet today, I notice Guitar Center has them on "Clearance" for $119.99, which is what I have thought they have always been priced at (typical Guitar Center sale gimmick?), but the word "Clearance" kind of spooked me. Then I headed over to Musicians Friend to see if there were any tag lines that would give me some more information on this... Well, the damn thing is now up to $139.99 there ( http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=480260 ).
Are these going to be discontinued, or is Guitar Center just trying to clear out the stock, get the "word of mouth" going and then hike up the price next month?

Also curious to know if anyone has compared one of these to the Kustom 12 watt. tube amp they have had for a few years now? Seems to go for about $100 new.

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

mrc
re-cappin' neve
Posts: 620
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:07 pm
Location: Dead Center, Bible Belt, USA

Post by mrc » Sun Feb 05, 2006 7:45 pm

Hi,
The Kustom is just a tube pre/SS power amp. Here's a good price in the Epi http://www.music123.com/Epiphone-Valve- ... 0396.music

mrc
re-cappin' neve
Posts: 620
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:07 pm
Location: Dead Center, Bible Belt, USA

Post by mrc » Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:45 pm

They must be reading this board, they jacked it up :cry:

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Post by nlmd311 » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:06 pm

mrc wrote:They must be reading this board, they jacked it up :cry:
If you are referring to the music123 link, it is probably because the lower price was "B-stock". I guess they sold out of those at that price, so... Atleast they have them for $119. Still battling whether to pick one up or not.
Can't justify the $119 right now, but damn I love small amps!

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

User avatar
workshed
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 499
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 2:12 am
Location: Portland, OR

Post by workshed » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:43 pm

If you factor in shipping, the Musician's friend price is only about $3 more than the Music 123 price, since they would charge $16 for shipping (at least to me in the Portland area) and MF has free shipping on it. I've been wanting one of these, too. They had one at my local guitar center for $120, which i probably should have picked up. Damn.

KennyLusk
dead but not forgotten
Posts: 2037
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 10:22 am
Location: Ramah, New Mexico

Post by KennyLusk » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:52 pm

I saw one at the GC here this weekend (was in looking for strat replacement knobs) and it was at $119. I check it out and the dang thing weighs a ton! Not a bad deal; sounded decent with a nice wooly edge as you turn it up. Only 2 tubes from what I could tell. 1 pwr tube and 1 preamp tube. I've been battling whether to spend the money or not too.

Hard to justify getting one when my next priority is a new and wider neck w/an Earvana nut for the Stratty. Which do you think is the most alluring? Yup...the neck baby. You know it.
"The mushroom states its own position very clearly. It says, "I require the nervous system of a mammal. Do you have one handy?" Terrence McKenna

chovie d
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 447
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:55 am
Location: Seattle

Post by chovie d » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:40 am

my buddy took the speaker out of his valve jr and made it into a cute little head. seemed kinda pointless to me but it IS cute..if you like cute.
me make purty musick!

User avatar
I'm Painting Again
zen recordist
Posts: 7086
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 2:15 am
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Post by I'm Painting Again » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:53 am

I tried that amp..and its very very cool for the price..

lacked a little "mojo" or maybe its just the old age of many tube amps I like..that "dirt"..but it was a bit bland or "clean"..but I could see it "ripening" into a nice little recording amp with age and peanut butter inside the circuts..if you can find an old tube amp for the price I might go with that..just because it might sound better or more interesting..but if its all you can find and want something new..its probably one of the best new items you can but at guitar center or similar megashop..

User avatar
linus
re-cappin' neve
Posts: 674
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: New York City
Contact:

Post by linus » Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:41 pm

I bought one from MF for 119 bucks about two weeks ago. Then I took it to an amp tech and he did a couple mods to reduce the background noise and I bought a couple NOS tubes to replace the cheap ones that came in it. I intended to change the speaker but honestly I think it sounds really great. I already have a Supro Super and a Fender Vibrolux Reverb and this seems to be different enough to be a nice compliment (a little tighter and more modern sounding)

Only you can decide if it's a good deal for you. But even at 140 I think it's good deal. 5 watts class A.

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Post by nlmd311 » Thu Feb 09, 2006 4:00 pm

Cool. Thanks for all the replies, guys. I was just trying to point out that the price seems to be going up in the case anyone else was on the fence like me. I think I'm going to be following the advice of Beard of Bees (Glastonbury_Grove) and just apply that money towards something that I have been looking forward to for a while now. I'm sure the Epiphone is a pretty cool amp, but there is something else along the same lines that I have been wanting for a lot longer... and yes, it is nice and ripe and has peanut butter in circuits! :wink:

chovie d, that rules. I have read on a few different messageboards of people doing that (maybe one was your friend was one...?). I'd like to put in a 1/4" male and female so that you could just bypass the built in speaker for use with a cab, or just connect it back to itself. Oh the possibilities with this thing. Just too cool. Now I'm back on the unsure thing again... Thanks!

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

User avatar
I'm Painting Again
zen recordist
Posts: 7086
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 2:15 am
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Post by I'm Painting Again » Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:31 pm

glad to make things even more uncertain!

there are a lot of good little amps you can snag for ~100$..polytones..kalamazoo..and the occasional "name" brand in the back of the thrift shop..old tube RTR amps work great for guitars..they all sound different..wait till you see the pics I'm going to post of my custom amp mod with 3 switchable speakers (orig, boutique hi-fi, trashed)in a mystic resonant cabinet of pinewood..

chovie d
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 447
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:55 am
Location: Seattle

Post by chovie d » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:28 am

here is a pic of his vavlve jr. half stack..Aw, dont you just wanna hug that wee thing?
http://thousandsmusic.com/epi112.jpg
me make purty musick!

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Post by nlmd311 » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:54 am

chovie d wrote:here is a pic of his vavlve jr. half stack..Aw, dont you just wanna hug that wee thing?
http://thousandsmusic.com/epi112.jpg
Most likely the coolest thing I have seen in a long time!

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Post by nlmd311 » Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:09 pm

Ahhh. They went and did it!

http://www.music123.com/Epiphone-Valve- ... 8743.music

Image

I don't like the face of it all that much with the burgandy-faux-whatnot, but that is just too damn cool.

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

User avatar
nlmd311
tinnitus
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Florida

Post by nlmd311 » Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:15 pm

Well, just put my e-mail in for the availability list and here is what I was just sent:

"This item is currently on order and expected to arrive in our warehouse by 7/14/2006. We will send you another email as soon as it is in stock."

Oh well. Atleast it prevents me from spending until then.
:roll:

-Darrill
slowly panning across something kind of crappy...

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 38 guests