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FDP Forum / Fender Amps: 1985 - Current / blues junior

carsten germany	Aug 2nd, 1999 03:25 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Fender Discussion Page / Fender Amps: Current Tube / Blues Jr. Chris B User ID: 9781133 May 28th 8:53 AM I would like to here from other owners about their experiences with the Blues Jr.. I've had one for a few months now and have experienced none of the problems I had read about on other pages (i.e. reverb hum, etc.). I think they have great tone Mark L. User ID: 9391453 May 28th 12:21 PM Chris, I've had mine for about a month and love it. However, I do have a very minor hum when the reverb is set at 3 or above. Is this a common complaint? Otherwise, it's a great amp. JLB User ID: 9363883 May 28th 2:06 PM I've had mine for about two months. My reverb has basically no hum. I love my amp. It is a great bluesy amp and can really cramk out that classic fat Fender tone!!!! Tom Gnau User ID: 0937864 May 28th 2:15 PM My Blues Jr. is my favorite amp. (Makes sense, seeing as my other amp is a solid-state Bullet Reverb). It's loud, bluesy, ballsy and very natural. Perfect with a Strat, TS-9, a Vox wah-wah and a cold beer. I haven't had any problems with reverb. My only complaint is the amp sounds very boomy or bassy with the Strat pup selector in position 4 (neck and middle pups on). I'm not crazy about the solid-state rectifier, either, but the amp does sound like a true tube amp. These are the loudest 15 watts you will ever hear, folks. If you live in a apartment, think twice before unlimbering your wallet for one of these. carsten User ID: 0958254 May 29th 6:16 AM yeah, the bj is a great little amp. i have it for 2 years now and iīd say, considering the price, sound, size and weight itīs near perfect. you know that princeton-reverbs are highly recommended amps and i think the bj is a very good (and cheap) alternative. in fact i have both (bj and pr) and iīm very hard pressed to tell which one i like more. the princeton does have a better reverb and it has point to point wiring and a rectifier tube, but on the other hand the bj offers more versatility from clean to drive PLUS the fat-switch. both amps sound sweet to me. for the negatives: yes, the bjīs reverb starts to hum when turned up above 4 (not audible though when you play) and yes, in direct comparison to a BIGGER amp the bj sounds "boxy" (more than the princeton). both amps start to "fart out" when played loud. a better description might be that the bass loses definition at higher volumes, but i think thatīs just the 15w power-factor. both amps are perfect in a not-so-loud band (mine is loud), in studio or for playing at home. anyway, i like em both and as i canīt make my mind up which one has to go - iīll just keep em. see you - C. Mark From Hawaii User ID: 8987493 Jun 26th 2:08 AM Lessee...About 3 years ago I walked into a local Fender dealer and asked if I could plug into the reissue blackface Deluxe Reverb -- having read Aspen Pittman's accolades over the original. They let me plug into an LP Standard in the sound room and let me crank. Well, what can I say? Wasn't impressed -- bummer. Had to really crank it to get overdrive and it wasn't the sweet power tube crunch I was expecting. The salesperson saw the dissapointment on my face and said, "Hey try this little puppy." He brought in a tweed Blues Jr. I fiddled with the drive, fat, and volume controls and I was there! Son, that lil' old amp that sings. Some background: I was looking for a little jamming/practice amp that wouldn't break my back. I own a MK II Boogie and I might as well be lugging around a Marshall half-stack for what it weighs. Well, compared to the Deluxe 'Verb, the Jr. didn't break my bank account as well. It's a little amp with EL84s so it obviously doesn't have EL34 or 6L6 bottom. Hey, get over it and use what it does best -- little crunchy/jangliness. I like the OD sound with my LP Custom (reminicent of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way"). But I LOVE the clean tone. I got a rack setup -- ADA MP-2 into a stereo power amp (2 EL34s per side) into a Marshall 1960A. Oh yeah, it shreds but the clean and so-called brown sounds suck! Too sterile. Just recently I got a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive (along with a '62 reiss Strat). Perfect with the JR -- SRV city! Oh, and if you want a little more depth, try pluging into a 4 X 12 cab. There, ya got yer bottom! Peace, Mark Jeff Muscato User ID: 0199184 Jun 29th 8:28 PM Tom -- you've never heard a 15 watt AC15! They get loud. Also check out the Crate 508 -- only 5 watts (class A) but as loud as the Blues Jr. As far as living in an apartment, I do, and I've got a Hot Rod 410! Not that I crank it inside, but it sounds so good there was no way I was leaving it at my parents house. I usually keep the volume at 2 (with 1 being all the way down/off), but it still sounds awesome. -- Jeff Muscato, mail@jeffmuscato.com, www.jeffmuscato.com Tom Gnau User ID: 0937864 Jul 1st 2:50 PM Jeff, You must live in an apartment with no one above or below, right? I live in a townhouse with a neighbor on only one side -- and I still have to watch the volume. I'm looking forward to getting my own 4X10 one of these days. But I'll have a house by then, to be sure. Mr. Jones User ID: 8625283 Jul 6th 10:21 AM I consider buying a blues jr. But I've got a question about the lifespan of the tubes. Do they last long? Are they tough? I live in Turkey and won't be able to find replacement tubes easily if one gets broken or burn. Chris B. User ID: 1884774 Jul 7th 12:20 PM Tom, I have a Blues Jr. and I live in house and with the volume at half my neighbors called the cops on me. tenholeharp User ID: 9161143 Jul 31st 0:30 AM I use a blues jr.-- As a harmonica player who loves fatboy-crystal element tone the Blues Jr. is hard to beat but, with another 4-500 bucks you can buy the Groove Tube amp (i think it's about 40 watts). Man, this baby side by side is the BJ's papa with high and low end presence that'll make your neighbors call the national guard. For myself if my wife would see the rational side of things I would own one. Don't get me wrong guys, the BJ is one fine amp and for 350 bucks+ or - a few bucks you cannot go wrong. Now some harp players like the pro junior because the sound jumps right off the speaker but the Jr. has more buttons to dirty up the sound before it gets mic'd so it's just a matter of taste. You also can change the tubes, your local dealer has a catalog to match the upgrades. Change the 12AX7's to 12AU7's. The 12AU7's are Russian made but make sure you ask the dealer to give you the Groove Tube brand (i can't remember the numbers and my amp is not here) it's the same tube spec's as the 12AU7's and they even sound better. About 11-12 dollars a piece. I can't forget my Blues Jr. has that buzzin hum sound and it's is getting a little worse, slowly but surely. clint User ID: 1105234 Jul 31st 12:27 PM Im thinking of buing one myself has anyone used one live in a club and what about using a mic thru tha PA? Any opinions? Jeff Muscato User ID: 0199184 Jul 31st 9:02 PM Well actually I don't have anyone below me -- I live on the first floor, so I suppose that helps since an amp sitting on the floor probably throws more rumble to the ceiling below than what you can hear above. Oh well, though -- the Hot Rod sounds too great to not play. -- Jeff Muscato, mail@jeffmuscato.com, www.jeffmuscato.com
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 2nd, 1999 10:26 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Hey Carsten, I'm just wondering how the Priceton Rev compares to the Blues Jr volume-wise. Are they about the same? I have a BJ and I'm thinking about getting a PR. Thanks, GL
Plook England	Aug 6th, 1999 05:03 PM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic I have a Blues Junior that I've owned for about 4 months now and it honks. I do have the hum in the reverb on anything above 4 though. It came with EL84 and ECC83 tubes. Can anyone tell me which of the three ECC83 tubes takes care of the reverb and if i switch for ECC81 will this clean up that hum?
carsten germany	Aug 7th, 1999 02:12 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic hi plook and gary! plook! there is NO tube taking care of the reverb in the BJ. itīs solid state (as they call it), and i have no idea how to fix the hum. but still it doesnīt bother me as my hum is hardly audible when i play. gary! i think volume-wise there about the same. the different speakers and layout do make a difference soundwise (more overdrive on the bj i think). what makes it harder for me to distinguish is that my pr also has a 12" speaker installed. i do think, that prīs cabinet sounds better (less boxy) as itīs not particle-board. but in low volume-situations i find it very hard to tell which one i like better. the pr is made of better quality components, a better reverb and delivers that fender-sound instantly - the bj offers some more features in shaping your sound. i feel a bit stupid owning both as they are so close to each other, but there are some differences that make it very hard to let either one go. if you get one at a good price - iīd get the princeton anyway. cheers - C.
Paul USA	Aug 7th, 1999 02:03 PM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Well, I finally caught up with you guys to the new location of the FDP. Good to be back. Now, (and there's a reason I'm posting here), the other day, just out of curiosity, I went to a local music store and tried the Blues Jr., and fell in love with it. I currrently own a fairly new "Custom" Vibrolux Reverb, and think that this is probably "it" for me. The Vibro is perfect for when the other instruments are a little on the loud side, and I need to cut through the mix. I do, however, need a back up, and could use a smaller amp for quieter gigs (this is my excuse for buying a new amp - pretty good, eh?). I play jazz and absolutely love the sound one can coax from the demure little Blues Jr - a sweet singing bluesy tone with just a little edge. Yeaaaaa! Just enough to put ya in the driver's seat with some STANK, ya know what I'm talking about? Anyway, comments, admonitions, encouragements are all welcome since it'll probably be a good couple of months (or 3-4) before I can really entertain bringing this amp home. BTW, I never messed with the FAT switch. Can anyone tell me what difference it makes in the sound, and what, mechanically, it does? Thanks Much, Paul
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 9th, 1999 08:54 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Carsten, Thanks. I played through a '68 Princeton Rev last week. I turned it all the way up to 10 and it had a nice tone but it was definitely not as loud as my Blues Jr. Maybe there was something wrong with it. My BJ is loud enough to play with a drummer in a small to medium sized club but the PJ was not. Meanwhile, I played through a tweed Blues Deluxe Sat night in a club (used to be my amp, I sold it to a friend). It sounded so good I'd like to buy it back! (or get another one). You seem to know a lot about amps, how would you compare the Blues Deluxe to a '65 Deluxe Rev RI? Thanks in advance, GL
carsten germany	Aug 10th, 1999 02:47 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic hey gary! i feel very flattered that you consider me to know a lot about amps. i think thereīs people around here (like cookie and steve dallman and some others) who do. i just got interested in amps like 4 years ago and i accomodated some in the meantime. itīs great to have a place like this - to learn more - and to share my experiences with other amp-fiends without boring my friends. if i can be helpful to anyone - thatīs great! for the blues-deluxe/deluxe-reverb question. i think they compare a bit like the princeton reverb to the blues junior. instant fenderiousity, better reverb and craftmanship, a little less power on one hand - more overdrive and toneshaping features on the other. i played the dr-ri only a few times but i had a silverface once (it was modded to death so i sold it again) and i got a blues-deluxe (believe it or not) only YESTERDAY. i found the dr plenty loud, so the power-issue is not a big deal on these two (although the bd IS probably even louder), but - depending on what you want to use it for - the bd is more versatile. tonewise - i think the best bet would be to try them side by side. thanks again for your compliment see you - C.
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 10th, 1999 09:59 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Carsten, Thanks again. Let me ask you one last question on the DR (I know I need to listen to these amps myself but...). There's no Mast Vol right? So how loud does the DR have to get to start breaking up? GL PS I agree with you about how great FDP is. Where else could we enjoy babbling on so much about this stuff! Chris G: Thank you Thank you Thank you!
carsten germany	Aug 12th, 1999 04:35 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic hi gary! i recently played a dr ri with a humbucker-equipped guitar. it was set to 5, it was breaking up and it was VERY loud. but - there was no drums or bass - just me and the amp. what seemed like VERY loud in that situation could be a reasonable rehearsal-level in your band. i used the sf dr i had on rehearsals and hardly set it above 3 for my clean rythm-sound and used stompboxes for overdrive, but that amp had the 6L6-mod done to it. i think most people will agree, that the dr is powerful enough for most situations except for heavy-metal outdoor-gigs. i recently fooled around with small (15w) amps alot - for convenience and for power-tube distortion at bareble volume-levels (and iīll keep using them), but while they do break up at nicer levels they do lack some in the clean-dept, and tend to lose some "muscle" in a band-setting. tonight iīll check my "new" blues-deluxe on rehearsal for the first time and iīll see how this works for me. see you - C.
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 12th, 1999 10:05 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Carsten, Thank you very much. I think you answered my question about the DR (ie pretty loud by the time it breaks up). I still want to try out a SFDR when I get a chance but, from what you're telling me, I'll probably end up getting another Blues Dlx. By the way, I already own a Pro Jr and a Blues Jr. The BJ is loud enough to play with a band but I just love the tone of the BD. GL PS There's a Vintage Guitar Show here in the SF Bay Area this weekend so hopefully I'll be able to try out some amps.
carsten germany	Aug 13th, 1999 02:36 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic hey gary! a sf-deluxe reverb is definitely worth trying - and as itīs quite different from the blues-deluxe i think it would even make sense to own both. yes, yesterday i played my blues-deluxe on rehearsal the first time - and guess what - i got compliments from my band about how good it sounds! enjoy the guitar-show this weekend, iīm sure youīll find some nice amps to try! see you - C.
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 13th, 1999 10:57 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Carsten, Sounds like you really like you Blues Dlx. I like that they have two channels with a switch. I always thought the clean channel sounded really good. I'm going to have fun at the show! I'm going to look at SFDR's. I also am going to look for some Brown Deluxes ('61-'63 per Fend Amp FG). The BFDR's are really scarce and expensive where I live so I'm ruling them out. It's been a lot of fun talking to you. I'll post again after the show. GL
Steve Dallman USA	Aug 13th, 1999 05:01 PM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Gary, I own a '64 Deluxe Reverb and a Blues Deluxe. On the clean side, they are suprisingly similar. (I run my DR with 6L6's and have made some other changes.) With better 6L6's the BD would improve. There is a measure of versatility in the BD (Channel switching, effects loop) that the DR doesn't have. The DR has superior reverb, and vibrato. The DR has preset midrange, the BD has a midrange control and a presence. With 6V6's the breakup charachteristics will be different. The reverb on the BD is solid state and not very good. (Although it can be improved and Fender did do this in the Hot Rod series.) We have a new guitar player at church who is used to a '59 Bassman RI. So he wouldn't have to lug his amp around I offered him the use of either the Blues Deluxe or the Deluxe Reverb. He preferred the DR.
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 16th, 1999 12:51 PM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Steve D, Thanks. OK, so the BD uses 6L6's and DR 6V6's. I recently bought a '63 Rev RI unit so I'm not too concerned about the reverb on the BD. I can't afford a BFDR (too expensive in my area). So, I'm considering either a Brown or a SFDR. How would you compare those to each other? Would you agree with Carsten's post above that the DR has to be fairly loud before it starts to break up (ie good blues-type distortion)? Thanks in advance, GL
tenholeharp USA	Aug 25th, 1999 07:49 PM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic there's been alot of discussion about the BJ having a buzzing sound and there are even a few guy's that have even had to return them for an exchange. Now I have that buzzing sound but today I discovered something very odd and it goes like this: As the tubes were warming up it was still next to the wall where I store it and the buzz was as bad as ever. Now here is the weird part as I picked it up to put it on the table the further away it got from the wall the more the buzz stopped. So I tried it again and the same thing. I even put the nearest cords of any kind next to the amp but nothing except the wall made the amp buzz. The only other possibility would be the romex electrical wire that is inside the drywall going from outlet to outlet could be the culprit. This has been a question that countless BJ owner's have asked in the Fender Forum and nobody know's why. I just now turned the amp on and did the same thing but I ran the amp up and down the wall and the entire wall makes the amp buzz so the romex wire may not be the culprit. Now the only thing I don't like about the BJ is the boxey sound but that is no problem at all since a speaker change is only a few screws away.
Gary Lamb USA	Aug 27th, 1999 10:22 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Hey Carsten/Steve D, I just bought a '68 SFDR! The tone is awesome! I've got a thread going under the Vint Amp section. I'd appreciate your input(s) there. GL
carsten germany	Aug 28th, 1999 01:39 AM   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic to tenholeharp: if you try this (changing speakers) iīd like to know if this really helps any about the somewhat boxy sound. i think the bj is a fine amp, but yes, in a big room, turned up, and expecially side by side with a bigger amp, it does sound a bit boxy. but i think itīs more the size/material of the cab (more the size, actually) as the blues/hotrod-series, the deluxe and twin reissues all use the same speaker as the bj, and i think theyīre fine. to gary: hey, you did it! congrats! iīll see you on the "vintage"-thread. - C.

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