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Post subject: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:48 pm
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Hi everyone- first post. But I have been reading and it's been helpful.

I'm looking to purchase a new amp. I like clean jazz sounds as opposed to distortion and break up. I also do not play out- I play at home or sometimes with friends.

In the past I had a Blues Jr III, which I never could bond with. I don't now why, but it sounded kind of cold and brittle to my ears.

I currently play a Vox AC15, and AC10 and sometimes an AC4. I guess I like Vox. But now I'm looking for something a little warmer, and a little different sounding.

I had thought about the George Benson Hot Rod, but I've read mixed reviews, and it is probably more power than I'll ever need.

But good grief, Fender makes a lot of amps! What I am looking for is clean, warm, something for jazz and blues. I would even reconsider the BJ IV if there have been any changes made.

You guys are the experts. What do you think?


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 9:08 pm
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Blackface re-issue Deluxe Reverb.

No question about it.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:55 am
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DRRI is the best sounding rock amp there is....but for really clean jazz, avoid tone stack amps. They introduce phase shift and distortion.
A Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe has a clean tone control and its tone quality rivals the DRRI.
Good clean jazz can be played through a SS Bass amp as well.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:14 pm
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Yup.
'65 Deluxe Reverb.
Get one.

You didn't bond with the Blues Junior for 2 reasons.

1) The tone stack values should have been different right from the start of the design of this amp.
They should have been closer to the Princeton Reverb.
A lot of people share that exact opinion.

2) The small cabinet makes it lighter and easier to carry but it also severely limits the tonal potential of the Blues Junior, which is why even though there is an entire industry focussed on overcoming the amp's shortcomings with various modifications, the modified amps still don't sound wonderful.

I went down that road.
I bought a BJ for it's size and weight but was less than impressed by its tone.
I modified the hell out of it and I did see some noticeable improvement in the tone but it still wasn't as good as I needed it to be.
The worst part was ... my expenses in modifying it piled up to the point I could easily have just bought a better amp that didn't need modification.
I would have been happier and would have spent less money.
Of course it would not have been as small and light but I chock that up to a lesson learned.

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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:51 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
2) The small cabinet makes it lighter and easier to carry but it also severely limits the tonal potential of the Blues Junior, which is why even though there is an entire industry focussed on overcoming the amp's shortcomings with various modifications, the modified amps still don't sound wonderful.


+1

The inescapable fact is, it's a miserable little fizz box.

Always was, always will be.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:45 am
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I could never figure out why Fender voiced the blues jr like a Marshall. It didn't work out tonally,or meet Fender users expectations.

Still, there are a bunch of them out there, so whaddaya gonna do with em? Yea ya gotta mod them.
My Tone before Volume mod rebuilds the Junior's preamp into a Deluxe Reverb preamp.
https://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php ... &hilit=Tbv
The smaller, lighter advantage is inescapable and pumping up the electronics makes them worth the effort.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:49 pm
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If I was a Marshall guy I think I would be upset by that comparison, Tim.

:lol:

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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:55 pm
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If money is not an issue, I'd try the 64 hand-wired deluxe reverb or the 57 custom pro. I have been using both for jazz tones and they never fail to make me happy. At 20 and 26 watts (respectively), they are both plenty loud for what you you described (which is what I do mostly).


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:54 am
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TimsAudio wrote:
I could never figure out why Fender voiced the blues jr like a Marshall. It didn't work out tonally,or meet Fender users expectations.


That's because the Blues Jr bears the same relationship to a Leo-designed Fender amp as a Ford Fiesta does to a '69 Mach 1 Mustang. Unlike the BJ, Leo Fender's amps were strictly "plug and play". No mods, no tweaks, no "upgrades" necessary. And you could plug-and-play them for ten, twelve, even fifteen years without so much as a dead pilot lamp to spoil the experience. When the inevitable servicing or maintenance was required, they were relatively easy to troubleshoot and repair. And if it weren't so, this wouldn't be a frequent topic on this forum and we wouldn't be discussing it.

Period.

End of story.

Nothing follows.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:18 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Unlike the BJ, Leo Fender's amps were strictly "plug and play". No mods, no tweaks, no "upgrades" necessary. And you could plug-and-play them for ten, twelve, even fifteen years without so much as a dead pilot lamp to spoil the experience.

That description works for my 1990s Ultimate Chorus amp. You could seriously roll that thing down the stairs and it would still work. Doesn't have the tone you're after but there is absolutely no doubt it's solid and reliable, and very much "plug and play". I wouldnt know about servicing or repairing it because it has worked 100% for a couple of decades now.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 6:28 pm
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I happen to like the Blues Jr. (at least my Modded Bjr)

I bought one used that was modded. ( Tone stack/phase inverter etc done up with orange drops ) I then modded it further w/Hyboar OT and a Mojotone reverb pan.. put in some Nos tubes and an old Oxford 12L6. Left the bias alone, people say the bias is set too hot.. Meh.. I like where it's biased at for the following reason.

The boxiness is coming from the Master Volume. (which is a typical Fender master volume.. i.e in order to not sound squished you have to open the MV up... I can't think of a Fender with a MV that this isn't the case)

Dime the MV and use a Bjr as a single channel amp.. takes any and all boxiness out. Also helps to have the right speaker. Around 4 my Bjr starts to break up (at a decent mic level/gig level)

Can't speak for other Bjr's but this one is very quiet, sounds really vintage'ish and hangs with any 1x12 combo that has set up next to it. So much so... that I haven't had gas for anything different when it comes to 1x12 combos.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:28 am
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ghost_of_strings wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
Unlike the BJ, Leo Fender's amps were strictly "plug and play". No mods, no tweaks, no "upgrades" necessary. And you could plug-and-play them for ten, twelve, even fifteen years without so much as a dead pilot lamp to spoil the experience.

That description works for my 1990s Ultimate Chorus amp. You could seriously roll that thing down the stairs and it would still work. Doesn't have the tone you're after but there is absolutely no doubt it's solid and reliable, and very much "plug and play". I wouldnt know about servicing or repairing it because it has worked 100% for a couple of decades now.

So true! I have a '92 Ultimate Chorus...and it is a work-horse. One of my favorite amps ever, in any category.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:51 am
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White Dog, I'm pretty sure mine was 1992 also. They must have been doing something right that year.


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Post subject: Re: I need some advice on which amp....
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 6:01 am
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ghost_of_strings wrote:
White Dog, I'm pretty sure mine was 1992 also. They must have been doing something right that year.

They really are great amps. It's my understanding that they were actually built by Sunn after Fender acquired the company (not 100% sure of that, but remember reading it somewhere).

As for the topic of this thread...if money IS an issue...I've made due with a Pro Junior (and some favorite pedals) in-Studio. While it's true that the amp (any amp) 'makes' the sound; the player 'creates' the sound.
If you don't have, or don't want to spend the $1,100+ for the amp most of these guys are suggesting, you can get a Pro Junior IV (Tweed) for $499.99...and if you wait for a site like Musicians Friend to have one of their 15% off deals (which they do a LOT), the amp could be had for $425 brand new. And if you live in a state that they (MF) are required to collect tax on your purchase...it's still only around $455.


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