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Thread: Blues jr?

  1. #1

    Blues jr?

    Hi guys got a new tele, want a new amp to go with it. wanting all tube. lookin into blues jr. play hendrix,srv,page most classic rock. good amp for that?:

    http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-H...28-i1173592.gc

  2. #2
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    Re: Blues jr?

    I don't think so, but that's just my opinion. It sounds good for about 10 minutes & then turns all farty.
    I'm thinking about either offing mine for something else or getting an extreme makeover done. That would mean gutting it, basically.

  3. #3
    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    I'd probably opt for the Pro Jr. instead of the Blues Jr. The Pro doesn't have the reverb or the gain controls, but sounds better all around. The Blues Jr. sounds good for a while, and then it starts to grate on my nerves because of the EQ it has. It sounds boxy and farts out on the bottom end. At first, you don't notice this, but the longer you play it, the more sensitive your ears become to it. The Blues Jr. also tends to have issues with the reverb going out, so once that happens, you're back to the same capabilities as the Pro Jr. without it sounding as good as the Pro Jr. I've relegated my Blues Jr. to a conversion to something else once it finally dies. The reverb has already died, but I use it so rarely now, the amp will probably last a good while before anything else goes out. After that, it'll most likely get converted to something close to a Marshall 18 watt clone.
    POO DAT!!!

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    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by telecaster0325 View Post
    play hendrix,srv,page most classic rock. good amp for that?
    In a word......no.

    I find my "go-to utility rig" handles pretty much any kind of rock, blues, or R&B that I play......



    For something a little more "sensible" I'd recommend a DRRI and a tasty selection of carefully-chosen effects pedals.

    HTH
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

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    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    having owned both, Pro Jr is the one. The BJ does not do well at high volumes and will start pharting. The Pro jr does not have as much low end with the 10". If you have access to an extension cabinet, you will be suprised. There are a couple of cheap / free mods that make 'em even better

    -my $.02
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

  6. #6
    Forum Member sting7777's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    +1 Pro Jr

    Fix the lead dress (most of the PT wires are not twisted from the factory so it can be a bit noisy) and you are good to go.


    "Oh, Mister D.J.,
    I keep wondering why you don't play much blues anymore
    I don't know what you got against me
    Whatever it is, I sure would like to know"

  7. #7
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    A better sounding, less expensive choice is a used Ampeg J12T or J12R re-issue. They sound great and sell for about $250-300.

  8. #8
    Forum Member muddy's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Love the Pro Jrs,........ Blues Jr not so much.

  9. #9
    Forum Member NTBluesGuitar's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    The Blues Jr., and Hot Rods are not 'all tube'. The reverb, channel switching, drive, more drive, etc., are all solid state, as is the FX loop.

    Go with one of the '65 Fender RI amps, Princeton, Deluxe, etc. Depending on if you need the power, the Super and Twin will fit the bill.
    "...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
    that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
    shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."

    -Edmund Burke

  10. #10

    Re: Blues jr?

    on a budget $100-$800 what is a good all tube amp for dat price

  11. #11

    Re: Blues jr?

    blues dlx?

  12. #12
    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Blues Dlx is basically the same poorly implemented design as the Hotrod Dlx/Dev, minus the "more drive" channel. They really aren't bad sounding amps, but the way Fender designed the circuit boards and layout to save on production costs make these amps highly unreliable.

    There are a LOT of really good amps out there in your price range. You really need to evaluate where you'll be using the amp to be able to help narrow down the search. Also, are you sure that a Fender amp is what you want? I love Fender amps, but they aren't the only "sound" out there. For a lot of what you say you play in the opening post, an Epiphone Valve Jr. might get you there faster and cheaper. Don't let the 5 watts fool you, these things get loud when pushing a 4x12 cab, and are manageable at home with a 1x12. A Fender Champ might also be a good bet for home use. Also, when used to push a 4x12 cab the Champ sounds a lot bigger than 5 watts.

    Also in your price range are a ton of kits that you can put together yourself to get pretty much any amp you want. You may or may not be able to put one together, but because the kits are available, this means they are also available on the used market for far less than the originals might be.

    Also don't discount used amps, especially SF Fenders from the 70's. The price on these generally fall within your budget, but you'll need to be patient long enough for a nice one to show up. It won't be like going to the store and walking out with one today. You might need to wait at least a month or more before something you want comes along in your price range.
    POO DAT!!!

  13. #13

  14. #14

    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by rudutch View Post
    There are a couple of cheap / free mods that make 'em even better

    -my $.02
    like

  15. #15
    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    For eight bills (the upper limit of your budget) you can get yourself a used DRRI and still have $100 or $150 left in your pocket......all the more to spend on a Fulltone OCD or Fulldrive.



    And that's a rig you'll never outgrow or become tired of, regardless of the type of guitar you own.

    HTH
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

  16. #16
    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    There's a huge difference between these two amps. The first one is a hand wired Tweed reissue that is way overpriced for what it is. The second one is a printed circuit board with essentially the exact same circuit on it as the first amp. Aside from the price, they will both sound very similar. The Champion 600 has a slight mod that's supposed to increase gain, but the same thing could very easily be done to the Tweed Champ as well.

    Oh, and the first one is covered in tweed cloth....
    POO DAT!!!

  17. #17
    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    For eight bills (the upper limit of your budget) you can get yourself a used DRRI and still have $100 or $150 left in your pocket......all the more to spend on a Fulltone OCD or Fulldrive.



    And that's a rig you'll never outgrow or become tired of, regardless of the type of guitar you own.

    HTH
    +1

    That is.. IF the Fender sound is the sound you want to go for. I love using my DRRI and Fulldrive II. Toss in the chain either a Big Muff or a Zendrive and you have lots of great tonal options to pick from.
    POO DAT!!!

  18. #18
    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by telecaster0325 View Post
    like
    Clip the bright cap & disconnect the NFB lead at the speaker jack.

    >$10 mod

    A lower gain (12at7) in V1 helps control thing better

    for a few buck more - (less than $50)
    http://store.triodestore.com/tf65wscta48o.html

    you need to drill one mounting hole, purchase one (or 2) 1/4 jacks for the 4 ohm output. This increases the low end and a slight increase in volume. This OT is almost double the size of the stock unit
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

  19. #19
    Forum Member NTBluesGuitar's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    For eight bills (the upper limit of your budget) you can get yourself a used DRRI and still have $100 or $150 left in your pocket......all the more to spend on a Fulltone OCD or Fulldrive.
    This.

    "...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
    that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
    shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."

    -Edmund Burke

  20. #20
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    For eight bills (the upper limit of your budget) you can get yourself a used DRRI and still have $100 or $150 left in your pocket......all the more to spend on a Fulltone OCD or Fulldrive.



    And that's a rig you'll never outgrow or become tired of, regardless of the type of guitar you own.

    HTH
    That's the standard Blues Deluxe cure. Get a Deluxe Reverb- Re-issue or Silverface- and a decent overdrive pedal.

  21. #21

    Re: Blues jr?

    so now it's a toss up between pro jr and champ 600 which one?

  22. #22
    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Well since you've narrowed it down to those two, the next question is do you want the tweed sound or the blackface sound? While the Pro Jr. isn't quite the same sound as a typical blackface, it's closer than the Champion 600 in that regard.

    If you're doing a lot of raggedy blues based tunes, you'll most likely want the Champion 600 (think early ZZ Top type tones). If you want to do more of the Little Wing Hendrix type of thing, then the Pro Jr. will be more what you want. Ultimately, you'll end up wanting both types of sound, but picking what sounds to go for first is always the hard part.
    POO DAT!!!

  23. #23

    Re: Blues jr?

    If I get a pro jr then throw a fuzz face(my fuzz pedal of choice) in front of it will I get a good dirty page sound?

  24. #24
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    That should sound good. I like a Tele with a Tone Bender and delay for Page/early Zeppelin tones, but sometimes I feel like I can get closer with a Fuzz Face and delay.

    Although I prefer the DRRI overall, I find that fuzz sounds better with a boxier, less glassy, more forward sounding (more mids?) amp like the Pro Junior.

    Fuzz in front of my Vibrolux Reverb or Super Reverb is just okay, in front of my tweed Deluxe clone or Mesa/Boogie Express, it's fantastic!

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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by NTBluesGuitar View Post
    The Blues Jr., and Hot Rods are not 'all tube'. The reverb, channel switching, drive, more drive, etc., are all solid state, as is the FX loop.
    Can you tell me what you mean by the "channel switching,more drive etc" being solid state?Particularly on the Hot rod dlx?Thanks.

  26. #26
    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by Hiwatt View Post
    Can you tell me what you mean by the "channel switching,more drive etc" being solid state?Particularly on the Hot rod dlx?Thanks.
    These duties are all performed by channeling diodes and op-amps, both solid-state devices.

    HTH
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

  27. #27
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    The reverb is driven by an op-amp rather than tubes. My Ampeg Jet II's reverb was driven by an op-amp and it sounded fine (though not like a good old Fender).

    Many of these amps also use op-amps to add gain and diode clipping to add distortion- not a good thing, in my opinion, though I don't know if the Fenders Hot Rods use do (Marshall has used clipping diodes since the JCM800- a friend's JCM900 has a shocking number of op-amps in it. I would hesitate to call it a straight tube amp).

    Transistors and relays are used for switching channels. These don't interfere with the sound of a tube amp (other than adding complexity) and have no real bearing on whether or not an amp is a "real" tube amp.

  28. #28

    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    That should sound good. I like a Tele with a Tone Bender and delay for Page/early Zeppelin tones, but sometimes I feel like I can get closer with a Fuzz Face and delay.

    Although I prefer the DRRI overall, I find that fuzz sounds better with a boxier, less glassy, more forward sounding (more mids?) amp like the Pro Junior.

    Fuzz in front of my Vibrolux Reverb or Super Reverb is just okay, in front of my tweed Deluxe clone or Mesa/Boogie Express, it's fantastic!
    same w/ champ 600?

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    Re: Blues jr?

    I´ve serviced one Pro Junior where the problem basically just was that a lot of things in the amp and cabinet was vibrating causing a rattling noise.(It was also receiving radio stations which was easily cured with a small cap from the grid of the first tube to ground.)Maybe it was a "Monday Mistake"But it took me plenty of time to get it as buzzfree as possible.To me,it looks as if somebody had crammed a Deluxe into a Champ cabinet.I would get something bigger.Though I own a Blues Junior I agree about it´s shortcomings.

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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Quote Originally Posted by telecaster0325 View Post
    same w/ champ 600?
    I don't know. I'm not really a fan of Champs.

  31. #31
    Forum Member bluespower's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    I picked up a Blues Junior with a few mods already installed; the BillM twin stack mod and the presence control. Also, I had an extra Celestion 60 watt vintage 30 from Hellatone in a larger Marshall cabinet. I stuck two NOS RCA power tubes in it. and I have to say (with my Les Paul), it is a great sounding amp at this point.

    The larger cabinet, speaker upgrade, and simple mods have turned the BJr into a very good sounding amp. I'm picking up the upgraded transformer today and I'm expecting to be pleasantly surprised..

    So far I have $350. invested, and it sounds like a $700 amp before the tranny upgrade.
    Last edited by bluespower; 03-12-2010 at 07:08 AM.

  32. #32
    Forum Member thegeezer's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Vox amps work good too.

  33. #33
    Forum Member ronworld's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    I have a Blues junior and its a great all valve practice amp for moderate clean valvey goodness, which is what I wanted.I can carry it about the house. So im leaving it stock. It would do for rehearsing if your in a twangy country outfit that doesnt play too loud I think some people expect it to do to much and are dissapointed. The Hot Rod Deluxe is the one for loud rockyness ect.
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    Re: Blues jr?

    I'm not expecting the moon & stars, I just want it to sound halfway decent & it doesn't. It's a fine bedroom amp but you can't gig even in the smallest clubs w/it w/out it farting out. I'd consider it a toy amp, really.

  35. #35
    Forum Member ronworld's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Expensive toy! but yeah fair enough. The Jensen or Celestion upgrades are supposed to sort out the fartyness Many BJ buyers buy with every intent of modding it to within an inch of its life, or a least to the value of the amp's new price! but my take is if you need to 'mod' a purchase that much,£70 for the speaker alone at the cheapest store, then expand your budget by that amount and buy something else.
    Meanwhile at house volumes the BJ is a very fine amp for Fendery noodling. For Live work, I have other amps.
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  36. #36
    Forum Member wingnut1's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    There are many better amps than the Blues Jr out there, but for the price it's a nice portable amp that can be modded to sound pretty good. I would start with the Billm mod's to start with. For $50 worth of parts it can be made to sound much better.

  37. #37
    Forum Member bluespower's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    well..... that's really all it is. But, with a few easy, cheap mods it sounds way better than anything in that price range. I happen to have an extra 1-12 finger jointed pine cabinet laying around with 60 watt celestion vintage 30 in it. I upgraded the transformer in the BJ, and it already had the presence control and the twin stack mod in it.

    So, the BJ sounds pretty good considering I have 360 invested.

    It is pretty easy and cheap to fix the main issues that limit this amp.

    DRRI it ain't, but it also is half the price tag.
    Last edited by bluespower; 03-15-2010 at 07:18 AM.

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    Re: Blues jr?

    I have a Greenboard Blues Jr. that has been Bill M modded, with a Celestion Greenback. It's got a lot more tonal range. No complaints here. Have a 60th Anniversary Pro Jr, "Woody", and I just love the way those 10" speakers scream.

  39. #39
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    The Blues Jr has a pretty bad rep but to be honest, I bought one with the tweed skin and the Jensen C12N speaker, still a bit skeptical.

    As soon as I plugged my guitar into it with a band, with just a Fuzz, a Wah and a Tube Screamer in between, I decided to get rid of everything else.

    I love the the speaker and get a very nice tone out of it, though everyone is not the same, to each his own.

    Btw LOTS of artists out there are using this little amp. Talk to a dude called Drew Dixon and listen to what he says, for one.

    After reading a lot of people (I don’t mean here, in other fora) praising the pro Jr as a better amp, I tried one and it was a big “meh” to me. 10” speakers just don’t have it for live situations... I don’t like them.

    My 2 cents.

  40. #40
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Blues jr?

    Btw the only SS components in a Blues Jr are the Reverb and the rectifier (which is actually makes it a tad more reliable), the preamp, power and gain/overdrive are all tube AFAIK.

    The FAT boost (I don’t use/need that) just adds a bypass cap to a tube stage, this increases gain and some added low end. The circuit acts like a switch it has nothing to so with creating added artificial “dirt”...

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