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Post subject: Blonde or Black Tolex Baja Blues Junior Reliability?
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:19 pm
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I'm very seriously considering dealing with the outrage of another expensive guitar equipment purchase and buying a blonde or black standard Blues Junior (not the more expensive NOS). My only concern is what's the quality and reliability since assembly moved down to Baja? Checking out harmonycentral.com the USA Blues Juniors seem to be rock solid, but then the newer ones assembled in Mexico are generating a lot of complaints about loose screws that cause the whole thing to have an electrical storm, input jacks that strip out and fail, and most of all reverb failures. I don't want to get stuck with something that won't work, and I'm not an electrical engineer. Is that complaining just a couple of hot heads, or is there a real problem with Fender quality lately? It's important to me because this is a major purchase. Any experience of good (or bad) reliability will be appreciated. Also, if anyone has data on Fender's quality or failure rate compared to alternatives from any kind of source that does something like J.D. Power that would really help.


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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:19 am
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Ironically, many of the issues you refer to are applicable to earlier Blues Juniors. We actually fixed up a few minor things in the process of moving the amps to Mexico. And the build quality is AT LEAST as good in our Ensenada factory as it is in our factory two hours north of there.

:)

Shane


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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 11:31 am
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Thanks for the reply. It's becoming very difficult to resist getting a Blues Junior, despite the intense negotiations with my spouse, and I think I'm going to win that one and get it. I'll still want the Custom Shop '57 Amp instead but tengo no dinero para eso.


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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:01 pm
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Okay I got the Blues Junior upgrading from a long history of inexpensive solid state amps. I tried it in the store and everything worked great. Got it home and I've been giving it a work out. It's solid, and everything works great. I described my shock and awe at how fantastic it sounds in the Fender Lounge. It's night and day to solid state. It's very versatile, from very high gain distortion to pure clean with lots of reverb and everything in between, available at low loudness to keep the neighbors from getting upset. The preamp volume, fat switch and reverb allow you to dial in whatever you want, and the reverb sounds very good.


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Post subject: Blonde or Black Tolex Baja Blues Junior Reliability?
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:40 pm
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I agree with you its a fine amp, how is the Blues Junior working for you now after 2 years of use?


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:32 am
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The latter mexican amps are far better than the earlier american ones which had a load of design flaws.

Screws working loose is a part of any hard working/gigging amps life.

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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:51 am
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strat58cat wrote:
Thanks for the reply. It's becoming very difficult to resist getting a Blues Junior, despite the intense negotiations with my spouse, and I think I'm going to win that one and get it. I'll still want the Custom Shop '57 Amp instead but tengo no dinero para eso.

I own both and I can tell you I love both but the Custom Shop 57 Twin is in a class of it's own! :wink: The BJ is all I play around the house tho. :)


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:27 am
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I play both a solid state Gdec and the Blues Junior all the time. The Gdec's amp section is really not that bad and it's low volume, which I need pretty often. Whenever I get the chance, I use the The Blues Junior, often together with the Gdec's rhythm section. I got the idea from a performer who I saw on a Carnival Cruise ship. My Blues Junior still has the original tubes and they are working fine. It's just a tremendous little amp. The step up in tone from the Gdec, even with it's many different voices, is enormous. I'm using Custom Shop TX Special pickups, the package said. These should be the same ones as come in a Roadhouse or an Artist series Knopfler or SRV. These pickups are tremendous when combined with the Blues Junior. The cleans are beautiful, and the amp also has a unique and powerful Blues voice with the Tx Spcs. Basically, hit the fat switch and put the amp to about 11/12 on the volume, keep master down to keep ears intact and avoid any vibrations (it's just a little combo) and set the eq at about 7s across and turn down reverb to off or about 2. Now, to avoid a noisy g string and any hum and find a magical tone, turn the tone knobs down to about 3, while overdriving the amp beautifully by keeping volume at 9. If you set volume on the guitar at 10, the tone is great but the g string is too touchy for my dirty blues playing. Select neck or neck mid. Wow. It'll blow you away. For sparkling cleans, just turn down volume on the Baja BJ to about 7. You don't have to change anything else, but turning the tone knobs up to 6 or higher gives the Fender sparkle and quack. Sweet. You can also just adjust the volume knob on the guitar and not touch the amp. It's a great, versatile, dependable amp. It's traveled a bit, but not much because people still aren't paying to hear me. It's a little bit heavy but manageable and worth it for the tone. I'm very happy with it.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:45 pm
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Hello Strat58cat,

My blues jr. is the mex variety and has
never let me down. I't been trough a bit
as I removed it from it's cabinet and made
it a head and during the development the
amp recieved it's share if disregard, well
anyhow it keeps on performing well.

Cheers.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:51 pm
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Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:13 pm
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Location: Indiana
I have had my Mex. BJ version since May 2008 with no complaints.
Really well put together and enjoyable to use. No problems so far.

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Blues Junior
Frontman 15G
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an Esteban Impala 50th Anniversary that my wife got for me on HSN...my first car at 16 a 58 Impala which is painted on the back.


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