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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:10 am
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63supro wrote:
rofender wrote:
63supro wrote:
Howdy and welcome,
I gig with a 20 watter on a regular basis and it's just fine. Sometimes I just run two 112 cabs.We get asked to turn it down quite a bit. If you can't afford a DRRI, I'd start looking for used amps. Used DRRI's are still out of your price range.

Your choices are save more money, (That's what I'd do) go with a used Hot Rod amp, not recommended by me anyway, or look outside the Fender camp. Used Peavey Classic 30's are nice gigging amps. You can always just mic the amp too. I hate doing that with low wattage amps unless you have a really nice PA system. You'll still have a problem with hearing yourself on stage and getting over the drummer and it sometimes makes the mix sound awful.

It all boils down to your band. I'm the odd man out on this one. I've done informal jams with a 6 watt SF Champ. It depends on who you play with and the type of music, you play and how efficient your rig is, the size of your room etc.


Hey,

Well Iam doubting again , I just turned it on in my bedroom and trust me with volume 12 en master on 2 it is quite loud , neighbours can hear me (Even 2 houses away or in the garden) while i close the window and door.
When i turn the MV up to like 4 with vol still on 12 it starts to shake and gets quite loud. My room is not big but when i tried i stood on the other side of the room and its loud (I dont even dare to strum chords i just play muted strings otherwise its tearing my ears).

Ofcourse this is not comparable to a band situation and i dont rehearse with drummers so i cant really estimate how much volume i need. Is there anyone who has actually played a Fender Blues Junior with both master and volume very loud and could tell me what his experience is? I really need it to distort not clean or edgy but really overdriven and feedbacking like Neil Young , if i buy an louder amp i probably wont be able to crank it without being to loud (Like a hotrod , i heard most people cant turn it above 3).

I love the sound so much and iam scared that if i will buy the peavey i would be dissapointed with the sound since iam hooked on the BJ.

BTW iam quite sure that at bigger venues the Blues Junior would be fine when miced, Noel Gallagher from Oasis used it in Stadium gigs.

Pfff I should really get a rehearsal room and a drummer , where are they when you need them? :)


Neil Young uses a 12 watt Tweed Deluxe 5e3 for all his gigs. Remember, you need a really serious PA and monitor system to really pull it off.


Yes he does , but at those festival and arena gigs the PA will always be loud enough I guess. But no worries I dont think I will ever get to play there ;)

At this moment iam not in a band , I know some people and iam trying to arrange something. As long I just play in my bedroom the Blues Junior is fine but I dont wanna get suprised in rehearsal rooms as soon i get there. I dont have the money to own multiple tube amps so if the BJ is not useable I better get something that is before I get involved with bands (Then i can also get used to the new amp and find 'my' settings).

I will have to look for a venue where I can crank my amp fully up so I can see.


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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:23 am
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rofender wrote:
Is there anyone who has actually played a Fender Blues Junior with both master and volume very loud and could tell me what his experience is?

Guess it's time to post this video again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwSgnvXY-MI

335 on the BJ, Master all the way up, Vol around 7-8, it just gets dirtier after that...

Tele on the DRRI, Vol around 5-6.

Drummer is not loud but when things did get a bit louder you could hardly hear the 335, and that's a loud combination 335+BJ. DRRI had no problem keeping up and sounded so much bigger on stage. Amps weren't mic'ed.

Hope that helps you out a bit, I say save up for a used DRRI, it'll still sound great at bedroom levels.


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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 12:31 pm
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cedarblues wrote:
rofender wrote:
Is there anyone who has actually played a Fender Blues Junior with both master and volume very loud and could tell me what his experience is?

Guess it's time to post this video again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwSgnvXY-MI

335 on the BJ, Master all the way up, Vol around 7-8, it just gets dirtier after that...

Tele on the DRRI, Vol around 5-6.

Drummer is not loud but when things did get a bit louder you could hardly hear the 335, and that's a loud combination 335+BJ. DRRI had no problem keeping up and sounded so much bigger on stage. Amps weren't mic'ed.

Hope that helps you out a bit, I say save up for a used DRRI, it'll still sound great at bedroom levels.


Ah thanks for the video. Though I think it confirms where I was scared for. For the music I play I have to be louder. Saving up for a DRRI is not really an option , way to expensive for me (18 year old student bleh).
Fender Blues Deluxe is also to expensive , an secondhand Hotrod may become an option if iam very lucky and find it cheap but thats about it. And still alot of people recommend me to not buy a Hotrod.


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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 12:36 pm
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I'm going to swim against the tide here, but if you (and your audience) can't hear a properly EQ'd Blues Junior (with a decent speaker in it), then you're playing too loud. I know it's not very rock'n'roll to worry about your ears, but one day you'll be old enough to wish you HAD worried.

A close drummer friend of mine has permanently damaged hearing from 3 nights a week beside a 50watt Mesa Boogie 20 years ago. Phil Collins is half deaf and Pete Townsend complains bitterly that his hearing is now completely f***ed. I'll bet there's dozens of other household names with a similar affliction.

Tell your group that you're not interested in some decibelic arms race and have everyone lay off a bit. You'll discover things about your music that's just blasting by un-noticed at the moment. Sound men at performing venues will also love you..

I bet you're coming out of rehearsals with white noise in your head aren't you? The damage is already being done..

As for ear plugs - that's like saying wear thicker trousers because your shoes are on fire..

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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 12:48 pm
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adey wrote:
I'm going to swim against the tide here, but if you (and your audience) can't hear a properly EQ'd Blues Junior (with a decent speaker in it), then you're playing too loud. I know it's not very rock'n'roll to worry about your ears, but one day you'll be old enough to wish you HAD worried.

A close drummer friend of mine has permanently damaged hearing from 3 nights a week beside a 50watt Mesa Boogie 20 years ago. Phil Collins is half deaf and Pete Townsend complains bitterly that his hearing is now completely f***ed. I'll bet there's dozens of other household names with a similar affliction.

Tell your group that you're not interested in some decibelic arms race and have everyone lay off a bit. You'll discover things about your music that's just blasting by un-noticed at the moment. Sound men at performing venues will also love you..

I bet you're coming out of rehearsals with white noise in your head aren't you? The damage is already being done..

As for ear plugs - that's like saying wear thicker trousers because your shoes are on fire..


Thanks for the worries , but I dont play in a band yet ;)
I probably will soon , thats why I started doubting my FBJ.

I love the sound so much , but I doubt about the volume especially after seeing the Vid.

You really think that swapping the speaker would increase the volume enough? I have been considering a Cab 2x12 or even 4x12 if needed , I just need more volume.

And about the ear damage , yes i will def watch that as soon volumes getting louder but at this moment my only concern is the be able to play higher volume with a band. I want to get out there and start playing gigs and as soon I feel the noises I know I should watch out a bit.


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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:26 pm
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A friend of mine plays professionally out of Nashville, and he uses a Blues Junior with no trouble with his touring band, Stretta. FYI


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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:58 pm
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I mentioned that Blues Jrs. are good for smaller venues as I know guys that use them for supper club jazz/blues gigs and a guy I was talking to the other night uses a B J exclusively for gigging no matter what the venue and he relies on the monitor speakers in front of him when playing large venues so that could still be an option.I used my Blues Jr. a couple of weeks ago in a full band band situation granted we weren't playing at pain threshold but at a sensible volume for classic rock.

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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:01 pm
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One of the singers I used to play with back in the day was in the habit of telling the crowd,

"If we're too loud then you're too old!"

Go ahead, feel free to use that at your next gig when someone yells to turn it down.

:wink:

BTW I still have great hearing all the way up to 16 or 17 KHz. It drops from there to about half of normal at 20 KHz. I have to have audiometric testing done for work every year.

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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:53 am
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It's not just wattage it's how efficient the amp/speaker are.
A DRRI just cuts the mix better. My HRDlx had a hard time being heard wen things got even a little loud. The DRRI cut better than my HRDlx at half the wattage. My 20 watt Egnater is the same way. Save up a little longer you'll be glad you did.

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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:03 am
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From just the fact that responses to this question yield contradicting answers, it should be obvious that the Blues Jr. is marginal. I have one, I've used it in gigs. Sometimes it's fine, others it's a problem. It depends so much on the size of the venue, accoustics, other band members, that you can never be sure.

I prefer not to take an amp that may be OK and may not be. It's far better to have a little extra to spare "just in case". For tube amps, IMO this occurs in the 20-30 watt range.

From a more practical sense, you're not even in a band yet, so why not let it go and when and if you find you need more, then get more. Meanwhile save your money just-in-case.

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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:33 pm
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At this point, your biggest challenge is going to be what will work, A small club with low ceilings and brick walls will require different settings when half full and when a full crowd is present, your parameters must change so that you and the band make sonic sense. AS well as a wooden structured club will be entirely different and demand a different approach, this is where a sound-man for your new band will be indispensable.
Yeah I know, a sound man is expensive and is not a part of the band. Not So, He/she will be a valued integral part of your bands success, because no one on stage can hear correctly what is happening in the audience.

I suggest going to clubs and checking out different bands, different styles of music and politely asking a lot of questions. Q+A's are free, buying and selling equipment to find the right equation is not economically practical.
Find out what works versus what is the latest fashion.

Good Luck..


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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 10:06 pm
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53magnatone wrote:
Q+A's are free, buying and selling equipment to find the right equation is not economically practical.
Find out what works versus what is the latest fashion.


Sage advice, sir.

Arjay

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Post subject: Is the Blues Jr. Loud enough?
Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:30 am
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Gentleman, I have been reading this thread and seems to me ( as a Blues Jr owner) that since you're not playing in a band right now you are worrying for nothing. Play and enjoy your Blues Jr. If and when you join a band, then and only then worry about stage volume. I own both a HRD and a Bjr. and I am leaning toward using the Bjr full time for gigging. I play country and classic rock and have not had to worry about volume yet. The Bjr has plenty of volume for most small and medium venues. I am working with another guitarist that currently owns a 59 bassman and he just picked up a Bjr for practice and was so impressed with it, he's thinking about using it on stage instead of the 59 bassman. Even if you were to purchase a bigger amp, keep the the Bjr as they make great practice amps, recording amps and are just easy to use.

If you really want to go LOUD, try a 1980's Concert Reverb, Small like a DR but 60 watts of tube power. Those things are extremely loud. I had one of those too. Too much power for what I am doing which is why I chose the HRD and Bjr. Less wattage and more versatile.


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