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Thread: Blues Jr. Talk

  1. #1
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Blues Jr. Talk

    The Blues Jr. seems to be quite a popular amp and some of us TFF users do own them. I am pretty content with mine, it has become my main gigging and jamming amp, as it's lightweight, portable and sounds pretty good with my strats and my Rickenbacker.

    Well, I read a few threads here about it and noticed that a few of you actually like it too...

    Can you share your impressions? Did you mod yours? Do you have a particular hack to make it sound like you want it to?

    Rickenjangle and Frankjohnson (you mentioned that it's one of the amps you've worked the most as a sound man), your input will be particularly appreciated! Of course, negative reviews are also welcome, everyone feel free to say what you've experienced with this amp.

    Just one thing: I am aware of the fact that it has a pcb, not being a point to point built amp, that it has a bad rep for "farting" at higher volumes or sounding "boxy", that the tubes sometimes burn the board... Most of these problems seem to have been dealt with in the modern ones (III and IV), but yeah the Blues Jr ain't a classic tweed amp.

    My point here is more to discuss how to dial in cool settings and how each one uses the amp, rather than its features and construction flaws.

    I bought this little thing a couple of months ago and just can't stop playing with it. The way I use it, it suits me MUCH better than the Hot Rod Deluxe I used to own and the Blues Deluxe Reissues I've used in studios.


  2. #2
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Jr. Talk

    I got close to buying one, but with a DRRI already, I got the Vox AC30.

    I've hear nothing but good about the sound of the Blues Jr. When you got yours, I went to YouTube and scouted some vids. Sounded pretty good to me.

    Are there certain songs you play that really sing through the amp?
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  3. #3
    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Jr. Talk

    Quote Originally Posted by ch willie View Post
    I got close to buying one, but with a DRRI already, I got the Vox AC30.

    I've hear nothing but good about the sound of the Blues Jr. When you got yours, I went to YouTube and scouted some vids. Sounded pretty good to me.

    Are there certain songs you play that really sing through the amp?
    I did sound for about 8 years at a venue, weekly blues jams, a different host each week and 12-20 national acts a year that came through while touring. Great guys - not the BIG shows, but some awesome players, great acts and an opportunity to learn a lot from the guys actually "Doing It". that said.......several came through with blues Jrs. For many, its a tool, an amp, but not the coveted heirloom amp. If it breaks on the road, they are relatively easy to replace, and either fix later, or sell off. They sound relatively close to a lot of the premium amps out there without being anywhere near the out of pocket cost.

    Some will tout that they are sterile, brittle, etc. Learn to set them and use your pedals, guitar and/or fingers to make them voice to your liking. You can coax great sounds out of them, but they are not or ever will be a direct replacement to a vintage, high end amp. And why should they be? They serve a purpose, and that they do well. My Hot Rod Dlx is similar. It has great voicing, has had minor mod/work done, and been repaired 4-5 times now too. I am not a gigging guitarist, and if I were, it would be a stand-by amp for me. For what I do, its a great amp. My Deluxe reverb crapped out - was in the shop 3X and we made a decision to do a full triple board by-pass/replacement. It works again, but I had higher hopes for it.

    My bass rig, thats a whole different thread.

    There is a tweed Blues Jr for sale locally, new-ish and clean for $450. I would do it if I needed an amp. I had a early black tolex one, and it was fine. Should have kept it, but sold it to a friend who uses it regularly at home. I had to have the reverb fixed on that one - they seem to have that Achilles heel.

    I think if you have a Blues Jr. it would make sense to have a sm57 or Senheiser 609 mic and try to keep the volume controllable inside/small room and mic in for larger settings. I do that with the system all the time and add it to the monitor if needed to put these up against 30+ watt amps. Like they say - read the room.
    Kenny Belmont
    >:^{I)>

  4. #4
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Jr. Talk

    I can say anything about playing professionally and using a Blues Jr, but I like them a lot and they're my go to when I try new guitars. My Dr. Z Cure covers similar ground (once you add a reverb pedal to it), but at a high cost. Besides the obvious reasons, the world has become a strange place- hobby players like me often (undeservedly) end up with pricier gear than hard working pros.

    The only bad thing that I can say about the Blues Jr is that I have an acquaintance who is a hard working pro and has had issues with his, but sometimes that happens with even the most expensive amps, and I haven't heard of a ton of real life issues- I've worked on Blues Deluxes, but no Blues Jrs. These amps have existed for a long time and there are known ways to make these amps more robust, if required.

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