It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:32 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 55 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Author Message
Post subject: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:09 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2010 2:42 pm
Posts: 55
a home practice amp. I know it can get loud but how would the sounds be at low levels like a bedroom . I mostly play clean or with just a little grit for the blues. I not wanting to drive the amp hard for lots of distortion.

Would the Blues Jr. work well at low volumes and still give me at good tube sound or is there something else I need to look at?

Thanks


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:12 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
IMO you'd be better off with an AA764 Champ or Vibro Champ. At 6 watts it's much more suited for a bedroom amp and its design and construction is superior to a Blues Jr.

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:29 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:00 pm
Posts: 1389
Agreeing with Retro, for home practive even 5-6W is loud, preferable with a master or attenuator. 8)

_________________
Tissan

*'52 Telecaster RI, '57 Stratocaster RI, Gibson ES175 RI, Washburn Hawk 1980, Epiphone Casino MIK 2000, 57' Deluxe Knotty Alder, BDRI ...*
https://soundcloud.com/pierrou
http://www.youtube.com/user/Jazzenfamille


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:35 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:14 pm
Posts: 305
I agree with the other posters ( and I own a Blues Junior.) While I like the amp very much, for bedroom volume levels it's overkill. You would be better off with a lower wattage amp.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:33 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Retroverbial wrote:
IMO you'd be better off with an AA764 Champ or Vibro Champ. At 6 watts it's much more suited for a bedroom amp and its design and construction is superior to a Blues Jr.

Arjay


+1

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:17 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:30 am
Posts: 220
Location: DOWN south
when i play my champ at home with it on 12 and use the guitar vol to taste, (especially on hard floor room) it wails! I play it in our bathroom and it shakes the mirror on the wall and vibrates the toilet seat, at least what my better half says

I once brought it to our rehersals and it no way cuts thru with the drummer playing, & sinvce I figured as much, I had my fender twin with me and just for kicks - I unplugged the 2-12" speakers from it and plugged them into the champ.....
it was hangin with everyone in vol, just not enough headroom for songs where I play a clean tone.
But anyways, for the house, i love my lil champ, my custom 22 & me strat sound great thru it.
Makes no one else in my house mad when I am rocking out.
Bo Diddley's the only thing i can play with my big amps without my whole family yelling at me, -
i love the "Mo-o---na, Mona"
i thnk everybody duz/
God Bless Bo! R.I.P.

_________________
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:20 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
+1 Champ

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:50 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:18 pm
Posts: 6544
Maybe you could find a used SF Bronco (for a bit cheaper price). As far as I know the SF Bronco and the SF Vibro-Champ have the same circuit. The vibrato/tremolo on the VC is KILLER! If you like this EFX, one of the best sounding units around (IMHO).

My VC's really benefited from good speakers (as the stock stuff wasn't too good). I like the Weber Vintage 8-inchers. Either Ceramic or Alnico to suit your tastes.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:44 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 12:13 am
Posts: 1174
+6 on the Vibro Champ. Or the Bronco.

I am still in the search for one but the prices are getting higher each month. Thus, I have setteled on a Vibro Champ XD untill I can find a good kit for under $500.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:48 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
I gave $400 last year for my minty '68 Bronco. They're out there......

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:01 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 12:13 am
Posts: 1174
Thanks Arjay,

I saw some SF Vibros going for $599+ in fair to poor condition and just 1 Bronco for $500 but it was in poor shape. Eventually, one in good to very good condition will surface. And right now the kits are more than a real one.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:15 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:05 am
Posts: 1400
Location: Australia
Well here's my 2 cents.

I have a Blues Junior, a Champ 600, and a wife who is not very understanding of my needs to make noise.

My practice / playing room is my home office and the Blues Jr sounds just fine at low volumes. I play it clean and for dirt I use a Boss Blues Driver pedal. I find the 5watt champ 600 to be much harder to get decent sounds at low volumes with. Maybe due to the smaller speaker it only starts to sound good as the volume gets up to wife annoying levels. The Blues jr, even at low volumes, just seems to have a fuller sound no doubt due to the larger speaker.

Just my thoughts. Cheers.

_________________
_______________________________________
Image
MIM Std Tele, MIM HSS Strat, Homemade Mongrel Tele, Blues Jr, Champ600, coupla pedals...sweeeet!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:57 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
twirlyboggs wrote:
when i play my champ at home with it on 12 and use the guitar vol to taste, (especially on hard floor room) it wails! I play it in our bathroom and it shakes the mirror on the wall and vibrates the toilet seat, at least what my better half says

I once brought it to our rehersals and it no way cuts thru with the drummer playing, & sinvce I figured as much, I had my fender twin with me and just for kicks - I unplugged the 2-12" speakers from it and plugged them into the champ.....
it was hangin with everyone in vol, just not enough headroom for songs where I play a clean tone.
But anyways, for the house, i love my lil champ, my custom 22 & me strat sound great thru it.
Makes no one else in my house mad when I am rocking out.
Bo Diddley's the only thing i can play with my big amps without my whole family yelling at me, -
i love the "Mo-o---na, Mona"
i thnk everybody duz/
God Bless Bo! R.I.P.


Funny thing is, I use my 74 SF Champ for lower level rehearsals with a bass player, another guitarist, a drummer, harp player and sometimes a keyboard player and it hangs just fine in a small room. We all use 5-10 watt amps. A good dynamic drummer can play in ANY volume situation. Ours uses "bundle sticks" to help reduce the volume and retain the dynamics. It's pretty funny seeing all these little amps. We still bet a pretty big sound. The old SF/BF Champs IMO blow away the 600 in the tone department.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:35 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:14 pm
Posts: 109
From reading this forum, one might get the impression that the Blues Jr. has no practical use and comes with completely inadequate components. “Too small for the stage…too big for the bedroom…you have to mod it…change the tubes…change the speaker.” Good Grief!!
Step off haters! I find my “factory” Blues Jr. to be perfect for what I use it for. Which is home use. A clean sound at low volume is certainly no problem and if it’s grit that you want, crank up the preamp and back off the main. If that’s not a low enough level for you then do as mhainz suggested above and use a pedal. I have an MXR classic overdrive pedal that I use and I can achieve a beautiful bluesy tube tone at very low volumes. I would be surprised if any 5W tube amp could come close to it.
I say the Blues Jr. covers the spectrum from practice to performance perfectly. And unless you get a lemon, it sounds great right out of the box!
No offense to anyone…just my opinion. FWIW, I have the NOS model that comes with the Jenson speaker. Not only does it sound delicious but it is the coolest looking amp ever!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: How is the Blues Jr for
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:05 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Glad it works for you. Doesn't work for me. It all boils down to what you like. I find the tone boxy and uninspiring. Through a 1x12 or 2x10 cab, it's a whole other story. That's just me though. The whole modding thing comes from people telling happy owners they need to mod their Blues Jrs to sound good even when they are perfectly happy with them as they are. Billm for example has started on the III series already. I don't think most owners even have the speaker broken in yet. The "NOS" thing as well as "Tweed" makes me chuckle. Great marketing hype though. A different speaker doesn't make it "New Old Stock". Nothing old about it.

Yep I'm a hater. I hate the whole HRD and VM series. I never said it was too small or large for anything. I still have a few amps and my little 6 watt SF Champ works just great for me. EL84's in any Fender amp kind of kills the whole Fender tone for me. I have my reasons, I'm a geezer and I'm still living the old Fender glory days of great sounding reliable equipment. I've had them all from Champs to 100 watt Twins. These new little buzz boxes bother me.

No offense meant. If you love your HRD amps, great. Mine didn't treat me so well.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 55 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: