It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:33 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of it?
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:04 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:37 pm
Posts: 9
ok i expected to get bombarded with hate mail because of this but I'm going to to do it.

i currently have a blues jr 15 watt amp 12". I love the way it sounds, but when it doesnt seem to have enough power to play small bars(starts to get a loud buzz after 2 songs into set). I have been told to purchase the crate Palomino V32 30W. I was told it sounds similar. I am poor and can't afford a bigger fender amp.

I was wondering if any one can sway me on why i should or should not buy this amp.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:12 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:05 pm
Posts: 2333
Why not simply mic the Blues Jr though the house pa? You can get some nice natural tube breakup to taste, and let the pa worry about the rest.

I would repair and keep the Blues Jr. (Not that the Crate is a write-off. There isn't a gigantic difference between 15 and 30 tube watts in terms noise levels, and the Crate will probably need mic'ing for a lot of situations, anyway)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:33 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 12:39 pm
Posts: 1466
Location: Birmingham UK
If I may say - don't do anything because someone told you to. Check it out for yourself.

I'm assuming that the Crate is another 1x12"? You're not looking at a huge volume increase if you change.

I would certainly mic it up if I was struggling with my BJ, but in the venues I play I've never needed to. Maybe think about a new, more efficient speaker in the BJ? Everyone has an opinion about a good replacement, but the Celestion V30 does mine just fine. The stock speaker really isnt very efficient (or any good, IMHO)

_________________
Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:59 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm
Posts: 1986
They discontinued the Palamino amps for a reason. :lol: If you are getting a buzz, it sounds like you may have a bad tube.There are other larger amps that are much better sounding and lasting.The Blues jr is an ok amp.I always seem to have one around.Most of us have several sized amps for that reason.I would get the jr fixed and look for a used drri or classic 30 .There are other choices too.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:11 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
If you can find one of the old made in America Polamino v series amps you will have found a very nice sounding amp and every bit as dependable as the Blues jr.


I personaly found the v series crates to sound much better overdriven than the B jr's, clean ??? the fender would tend to win that battle.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:06 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:22 am
Posts: 196
Personally, I like the grittiness of the Palamino. Check out sixstrings63 Demo of the V32 on youtube. Man, that things sounds wicked!!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:09 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:32 pm
Posts: 94
Location: Pittsburgh, PA area
I'm fairly sure the Crate V series amps were US made. I've owned Crate amps over the years & the US made models are nice amps. They were likely discontinued because they didn't sell enough of them. A lot of people buy an amp for it's name without ever comparing it to anything else. Crate never really caught on with their US tube combos the way Fender has. Peavey is also a good example of this. The Peavey Classic Series amps are an incredible value. They are made in the US of quality parts and are priced in the same range as the Fender HR series (MIM) amps.

If the Crate sounds better to you,is in good condition, & if you can get past the fact that it won't say "Fender" on it, sounds like a good move. 30w should do the trick in most clubs whether you mic it or not.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:32 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 10:53 pm
Posts: 1467
Location: deep down in Florida...
The V series amps are great sounding amps IMO. I own a V15 (made in St. Louis), got rid of the BJ. The V15 is one loud amp for its size and sound better than the BJ, for me at least. Turn the vol all the way up and control the gain for the kind of tone I'm after... decent reverb too.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:44 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:03 am
Posts: 9449
Location: NL Canada
Although you may find a Crate amp has more volume than the Blues Jr. I doubt very much that it would have the lovely warmth of the B.J.I have yet to play a Crate amp that had a tone that I liked more than just about any other amp,their tone just doesn't do it for me especially when overdriven,they have so much crunch that it sounds artificial.I'd mic the B.J. rather than go to a Crate,either that or buy a used Fender amp of higher Wattage.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:01 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:56 pm
Posts: 105
I'd check the tubes in the Jr.
I switch back & forth with my Jr & HRDeluxe, depending on the size of the gig but honestly, I keep leaning toward the Jr.
A more efficient speaker would help too.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:22 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 7:34 pm
Posts: 6911
dude fix the tube and mic the amp. let the hosue pa be the workhorse here.
i wouldnt trade my fender for a crate. i would trade it for a egnator maybe if i didnt already have one. find you a used mesaboogie express 5:50. you'll be set for any place you will ever want to play.
the question is, have you even tried your blues jr in a live situation?

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:19 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:53 am
Posts: 1686
Location: Brooklyn NY
My Blues Jr. is currently in the repair shop due to static. Fender said they were having trouble with the tube sockets and their replacing it free of charge because its still under warranty. Before buying other amps make sure you don`t have this problem, it may be an easy repair and if yours is still under the warranty it`ll cost you nothing

_________________
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:39 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 7:34 pm
Posts: 6911
CBDBRP wrote:
Personally, I like the grittiness of the Palamino. Check out sixstrings63 Demo of the V32 on youtube. Man, that things sounds wicked!!



i pray this isnt the demo your talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRFySEJ ... re=related

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:38 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 3:28 pm
Posts: 573
Location: 22 Acacia Avenue
Keep your Fender! I have the V16 Palomino, it sounds great, I picked it over the Blues JR, but the pots are cheap Chinese plastic junk that are soldered to a board and seem to need constant cleaning. I am consistently taking the stupid thing apart to clean one pot or another. The only reason I'm holding on to it is because it sounds so nice when it IS working. Of course I did not have any trouble with it till about a week after GCs 45 day return policy was up. Save up some cash for a Deluxe RI, or try AMS and their payment plan.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hava a blues jr./trading it for a crate. talk me out of
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:32 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm
Posts: 1986
HemiRam wrote:
Keep your Fender! I have the V16 Palomino, it sounds great, I picked it over the Blues JR, but the pots are cheap Chinese plastic junk that are soldered to a board and seem to need constant cleaning. I am consistently taking the stupid thing apart to clean one pot or another. The only reason I'm holding on to it is because it sounds so nice when it IS working. Of course I did not have any trouble with it till about a week after GCs 45 day return policy was up. Save up some cash for a Deluxe RI, or try AMS and their payment plan.
Wow! 45 days and its already giving you trouble? Just think how its gonna be when you are in the middle of a gig and it decides to quit.I have a blues jr that I have taken to small gigs and never had an issue.Its a 2006 and only thing I have done is replace the tubes.I havent played it much in the last year because I use my deluxe reverb as my gigging amp these days.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  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: