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which amp (in your opinion best suits my needs)
blues junior 50%  50%  [ 7 ]
mesa boogie express 5:50 7%  7%  [ 1 ]
mesa boogie express 5:50 7%  7%  [ 1 ]
twin reverb 14%  14%  [ 2 ]
hot rod deluxe 7%  7%  [ 1 ]
blues deluxe 14%  14%  [ 2 ]
Total votes : 14
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Post subject: Blues Junior
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 6:22 pm
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Here's my question: What are some of your personal opinions on the Fender Blues Junior? I've played it before and liked it very well but i have some questions that can only be answered by someome that have owned one for a period of time and gotten to put it through the paces.

1.)Is the BJ loud enough to stay clean at volume levels loud enough to compete with acoustic drums?

2.)Does the amp seem to hold up well in general?

3.)In your as objective-as-possible opinions, how does it compete with other fender amps such a Twin Reverb etc. (the TR was my first choice but the price is a bit high for me and a bit too loud for practice @ home etc.)

4.)Despite its low wattage, is the BJ an amp to be taken seriously? Or is it just regarded a cheap tube amp for beginners. (not that that matters to me much. I just was curious what the quality of the amp was overall in your opinions)

5.)I know because of its low wattage it is meant for small gigs/practice and recording more than anything, but is it possible to mike it or something so that is would be powerful enough for a medium to large sized gig? (i started out with a throw-away amp and wish i would've just dove right in and bought an amp that would've lasted me a while. I don't want to throw away 500 bucks on an amp when i'm just going to need to buy another one in a matter of time to fufill capability of higher sound levels.)

6.)I know there are other q's but i can't think of them right now... I'll just have to post them later i guess Think

Oh and just a bit of history and info on my situation. I'm looking for an all-tube amp @ a fairly low price (but i could end up saving up for a more expensive one if it REALLY seems worth it). I don't want an amp that distorts easily on its own. I want an amp that stays clean, I have a stompbox for when i want to get distortion. Right now i'm mostly playing in my room so higher-wattage amps don't seem like the right fit (in theory, it seems like it would be easier to make amps louder with other equipment than it would be to make them quieter.)

I'm fairly decided on a fender amp regardless of what one i get but if you guys know of any other amps that excell in clean sounds, and are all-tube feel free to suggest them.


Thanks for taking the time to read this monotonous oblong post and, if you're brave enough, to answer it!!

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:05 pm
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Hello Harmonic Chaos,

The blues Jr. is a serious amp.
Not loud enough to cut it in a rock band,
but you can mike it,--- now it's loud enough.

but

If you like clean go for the hot rod deville
60 watts w/4 10's

Best of all the twin. Way loud.

I own a blues jr. but I play only
in my parlor. I rarely ever even move it
but have never had a problem.

Best of luck on your choice.

Cheers.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:18 pm
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so miking it would solve the lack of watts?


I mean eventually if i really start gigging a lot i'll probably end up moving up in the watt scale but i wanted to be sure that the blues jr would be able to be gigged and not grown out of quickly.

because if that's not the case, then i'd probably be better off saving going all in on a blues deluxe or a reverb...(although these are definitely too loud for home use...)

urg this is frustrating... but @ the same time pretty fun... lol

what's your personal opinion?

btw thanks!

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:56 am
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1) How loud is the drummer? I've met a few that could drown out a nuclear explosion.
2) It holds its own, but it is a hot-rod circuit with the associated problems that affect the PCB's and I'm not sure it would hold up to heavy gigging. YMMV.
3) It is not in the same class, the Twin Reverb is a blackface almost meant for a hard life.
4) It is a serious good sounding little amp, I would have bought one except none were available at the time so I ended up with a BD for a practice amp.
5) As meationed any amp can be miked into the PA

For room practice or small gigging a BJ or BD would work out just fine.
Heading out for the road i'd be more inclined to pick a twin.

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Post subject: Re: Blues Junior
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:13 am
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Answers:

1.)I think so. I own a tweed Hot Rod NOS with a Jensen speaker and, I rarely get the volume above 2. Putting it on a tilt-back stand and aiming it at your ears will make it work for rehearsals with a drummer. A lot of guys put the amp on the floor and it's putting out all its power into their knees...so they turn it up and it distorts. You can also add a Weber Beam Blocker pretty easily (I put one on mine) which spreads the sound around the room a little better.

2.)Hard to say, but Fenders are pretty robust: check out how many are still around from the '60s. Even though it has a circuit board, tube gear is more easily serviceable than solid state.

3.)I've played through a friend's '67 Super Reverb and played through a '65 Deluxe Reverb RI and a Hot Rod Blues at the local dealer: the BJ has more chime, but retains the Fender sound. It is also WAY lighter: this is getting increasingly important to me.

4.)Judge an amp by how it sounds, not by how difficult it is to move around. The BJ I have is a sweet-sounding amp with my 335. If you just gotta make lotsa noise (and most guitarists fool themselves and play much too loudly) you can mic it through the PA. As an aside, it's much better to control the overall sound through the PA than to get into the loudness wars onstage: your hearing will last longer and it's easier to follow the vocals and other instruments if everybody is not trying to outshout everybody else.

5.)See #4. It's tone you want, not amplifiers the size of a VW.

6.)No response

The Blues Jr is one you can grow into. I've owned many many amps over the last 34 years, and I love mine: great sound, light weight, and easy to get what you want out of it. It will play clean or distorted. I'd advise getting a Ruby Reverb (about $40 with shipping) and I understand the stock speaker ain't much -- as noted, mine uses a Jensen, which is fine.

The Blues Jr isn't a toy: it's pretty similar in output and size to the late '50s tweed amps, which did all right.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:34 am
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peterp wrote:
1) How loud is the drummer? I've met a few that could drown out a nuclear explosion.
2) It holds its own, but it is a hot-rod circuit with the associated problems that affect the PCB's and I'm not sure it would hold up to heavy gigging. YMMV.
3) It is not in the same class, the Twin Reverb is a blackface almost meant for a hard life.
4) It is a serious good sounding little amp, I would have bought one except none were available at the time so I ended up with a BD for a practice amp.
5) As meationed any amp can be miked into the PA

For room practice or small gigging a BJ or BD would work out just fine.
Heading out for the road i'd be more inclined to pick a twin.



Thanks, this has been the most helpful response!! (and i've posted this question a few places already...) As of now my idea is to go ahead with a blues jr. and later on if i really get serious with gigging, i'll get a twin reverb (this was my first choice but for my current needs it's a little expensive and too loud for my room) that way i'll still have a nice little tube amp for practice, @ home etc.

Thanks again!!!

btw i've heard very good things from mesa boogie's amps (the model that fits my description most is a 5:50 express) any opinion on them for me? (i can't very easily try them out...)

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Musical Equipment:
Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Studio
Gibson Dove Modern Classic
Roland Micro Cube
Yamaha Upright Piano

"Music Is about playing what you love and what you want to hear, because noone else will play it for you."


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:47 am
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harmonicchaos wrote:
peterp wrote:
1) How loud is the drummer? I've met a few that could drown out a nuclear explosion.
2) It holds its own, but it is a hot-rod circuit with the associated problems that affect the PCB's and I'm not sure it would hold up to heavy gigging. YMMV.
3) It is not in the same class, the Twin Reverb is a blackface almost meant for a hard life.
4) It is a serious good sounding little amp, I would have bought one except none were available at the time so I ended up with a BD for a practice amp.
5) As meationed any amp can be miked into the PA

For room practice or small gigging a BJ or BD would work out just fine.
Heading out for the road i'd be more inclined to pick a twin.



Thanks, this has been the most helpful response!! (and i've posted this question a few places already...) As of now my idea is to go ahead with a blues jr. and later on if i really get serious with gigging, i'll get a twin reverb (this was my first choice but for my current needs it's a little expensive and too loud for my room) that way i'll still have a nice little tube amp for practice, @ home etc.

Thanks again!!!

btw i've heard very good things from mesa boogie's amps (the model that fits my description most is a 5:50 express) any opinion on them for me? (i can't very easily try them out...)


I love my Blues Junior, but that being said the Mesa 5:50 Express is a pretty serious amp. they are way more money than a BJ, so don't expect them to compare in the tone compartment. The Blues Junior can hold it's own against any amp and dollar for dollar I'd still rather have my Blues Jr. but if you are expecting it to directly compete with a 5:50 you might be dissappointed.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:10 am
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IMHO none of the so called lower priced Fender amps hold up to gigging period. Unless you do the lounge thing. I own a HRDlx and I can't trust it to gig with unless I truck along my Twin for backup. I really need to get rid of it and go back to hand wired amps so I can stop complaining about it. What's the sense of having a 5 year warranty if you need to use it every couple of months. Some people have decent luck with them more don't. Most folks change out the speaker and tubes. I run mine through a cabinet because no matter what I get tube rattle.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:08 pm
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I just got the tweed covered NOS BJ with the Jensen speaker. I like it a lot. Loud enough so that you cant hear the police banging on your door. I put mine on a amp stand and it will leave your ears ringing with the master on 4. It is plenty loud. You can mike it for bigger gigs. If you need it quiet put a pedal infront of it with a vol control and use it like a preamp to lower the vol. I do that with my distortion pedals when I want to play at really low volumes. You'll lose tone but you wont bother your neighbors. This amp sounds better loud as most amps do. I also have a cyber twin se and they both sound so much better when your driving the speakers. I wanted the Mesa 5/50 it is a sweet amp but I couldnt justify the money or the power since I'm not gigging. I havent tried it yet but I heard the BJ sound good thru a cabinet. For the money I'd go for the BJ, spend the extra bucks and get the NOS version as the Jensen speaker sounds much better than the stock speaker. Also try different tubes in it. Google Eurotubes for more info.


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