Ok, now it's oficcialy NAD

New Amp Day.

The Blues Jr. Tweed has arrived. After a quick cleaning I unboxed it and gave it a try. Of course I didn't have time to find the sweet spot, but I gues there's plenty of time, right?

So, I am home and we're in quarantine, so everyone is in the house. I couldn't really play for a long time, just about twenty minutes. can't wait to take it to a studio or at least be alone with it so I can really crank it.

I'll post the pics and leave my impressions to another post, due to the character limitations...

https://i.postimg.cc/NfhrWFH8/09-EFE...3-A62-ECED.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/4xsHx0wm/64-F2-...498-F242-A.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/KvngFbP6/D2323-...C66-E9-A94.jpg

Now, my first impressions.

It's definitely a Fender sounding amp. Very bright. Crystal clarity, both clean and overdriven.

I didn't use any pedals, just plugged my strat in, set the bass, middle and treble up and played. Cranking the volume knob and using the master knob for actual "volume" really makes it break very soon, a lovely crunch that grows into a pretty acceptable overdrive. I think it will work very well with pedals.

It is also quite loud. Actually pretty loud for such a small amp. The weight and bulk difference to the Hot Rod Deluxe is indeed noticeable. This is a practical gigging amp for the road.

I was surprised about the reverb. I read many reviews saying that it wasn't too good, but I liked what I heard.

The only downside I've found in this first soundcheck was that the bass ain't too good, but I still need time to learn more about it and get the ideal settings for making it sound really good.

I suspect they have done the "upgrades" folks have been doing for a while on these. The one I picked had the billM mods, and with an Italian Jensen, and an old Accutronics tank, it punched way above its size!
(My sister in law wouldn't let me take it home, after letting her demo it!)

Happy new amp day!

I think the bass will improve as the speaker gets broken in. Love how Fender packs the amps upside down so the tubes are facing up and the chassis is resting on the 'bottom'. My Princeton was shipped the same way.

My Princeton is still barely broken in. Does your amp have a 12" speaker?

Glad you got it in. I think you're going to have a blast with this amp.

The first thing I did was replace the speaker with a Celestion Heritage G12H at the direction of others.

It helped in the response across the spectrum.

I then did all the BillM mods (that didn't cancel each other out) which added a ton of usability.

They are great amps and easy to tinker with.

There are some great tones in there and even more if you mess with it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by renderit

The first thing I did was replace the speaker with a Celestion Heritage G12H at the direction of others.

It helped in the response across the spectrum.

I then did all the BillM mods (that didn't cancel each other out) which added a ton of usability.

They are great amps and easy to tinker with.

There are some great tones in there and even more if you mess with it.

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I’m still getting to know the amp, but one of the things I liked the most was exactly the Jensen C12N. Wouldn’t trade it for a Celestion!

I used to have one, not a bad practice amp. I even gigged with it a few times, but after about 20 min it got tired & farty

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cogs

I used to have one, not a bad practice amp. I even gigged with it a few times, but after about 20 min it got tired & farty

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It seems that they have improved it a lot

I'm glad people are honest about their feelings on the amp, but come on. Sergio's excited about this, and it sounds great to him. He doesn't want to change speakers or tubes or cabs or guts. The amp is fine without mods.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sérgio

It it seems that they have improved it a lot

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Yes, they have had several generations since then

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ch willie

I'm glad people are honest about their feelings on the amp, but come on. Sergio's excited about this, and it sounds great to him. He doesn't want to change speakers or tubes or cabs or guts. The amp is fine without mods.

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I didn't mean to sound negative. I'm sure that Sérgio will enjoy the amplifier & make use of it

No problem, guys. I know it’s a modern amp and that it has several handicaps if compared to vintage stuff and to other amps out there today.

Any negative reviews and opinions are ok and all replies are welcome, I know many people wanted something else after trying that model, though most of the bad rep it has is related to the earlier versions.

Willie is right, I liked the circuit and the speaker so far. I’ve been playing a Hot Rod amp for years now and I’m accustomed to that series, the main reason for me to buy a Blues Jr being that I hit the road too often to band practice and gigs, and I needed a more portable and lightweight amp.

All good here... :salud:

I tend to gravitate towards the Blues Jr when I try out guitars. I know I can get a decent Fender amp sound out of it.

Little tube amps are so cool. I picked up this Gibson GA1 as a Stupid Deal of the Day from Musician's Friend a few years ago. They were a boutique amp that were crazy expensive when they were sold at regular price. but for $260 this was a pretty cool amp.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...e7&oe=5EC43717
The HK 20th Anniversary Amp behind it was another stupid deal.

I got a call from Telebob (Telenator) who was doing a photoshoot and couldn't get to a computer to order one so he asked me to place the order. When it cam in I had to try it out and it blew me away. The clean was super clean and the dirty was raunchy. I tried getting one for myself. Of course they were out of them, but what often happens is that somebody orders one and doesn't like it so they return it. If you are patient and check the page for that particular item often (like once an hour) it is amazing how often another one comes in. I got the stupid price plus it was now an open -box and it was a steal. Great amp for a great price.