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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:03 am
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Yes, your taste is different, we get it. Doesn't change anything though. Thousands of people disagree with you, so what?

The clip sounded pretty good to me.

I would surely like to hear a clip of you doing any better. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:10 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
Yes, your taste is different, we get it. Doesn't change anything though. Thousands of people disagree with you, so what?

The clip sounded pretty good to me.

I would surely like to hear a clip of you doing any better. :wink:

Nah I won't give you the satisfaction of hearing a clip of me playing something other than a BJ :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 4:25 pm
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Enjoying the rants, lads. Keep up the mud-slinging.


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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:17 am
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For a small amp, the BJ seems to generate more column inches here than any other amp discussed..

As for internet (or other media) reviews, they just bring a product to my attention. I buy nothing that I haven't tried or played myself. There's no way I'd buy something just because somebody else liked it. And similarly, I wouldn't dream of NOT buying something just because somebody else (in love with their own sentences) didn't like it.

I'm actually amused that a few contributors here seem to become deaf when they see the words "Blues Junior..". By any definition of great tone, that "Stevie Snacks/Lenny" clip I posted a link to here, has it in spades. I deliberately chose it because it's not studio tweaked. It's a single pass through basic recording equipment. To describe the sound we hear as thin or in anyway under par, tells me that objectivity has long since left some peoples' buildings..

So let's just recap ~

1) Darwin was right and Creationism is a myth.
2) The Sun doesn't orbit the Earth and the Earth isn't flat.
3) The Blues Junior is a fine amp with good tone..

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:21 am
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adey wrote:
For a small amp, the BJ seems to generate more column inches here than any other amp discussed...

Indeed. The low price makes it popular so it is a popular little amplifier. In fact between the BJ and the HRDx they make up about half of the threads here. The price point means they will be purchased by a very large segment of the populace. I asked a salesman at L&M a few weeks ago which amps they sell a whole lot of. That's right. You guessed it. In addition to this there is a very natural human tendency to argue in favour of what you have or what you are depending on the situation. It's only human nature to be defensive about the choices you make and understandably so. When a few big bullies come along and start throwing their weight around it's perfectly normal for the others to ralley round and attempt to gang up on them hoping that strength in numbers will defeat them.

Sometimes the bullies get bored and walk away because it's just too easy and when that happens the mob declares victory and the threads keep growing while they congratulate themselves. Then some noob comes in and asks a question and the mob suggests the noob do some research because there are mountains of threads showing how wonderful the BJ world is and how they defeated the nasty nay-sayers and for most of those noobs that strategy will work quite nicely and the noob will rush out and buy a new BJ. In that respect the mob is doing it's job very well. From the bully's perspective all he has to do is reach just a few and that also happens so we (the bullies) are also doing our jobs very well. While all this goes on the thread count grows.

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:18 am
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Well said BMW :lol: As a bully, my arm's getting tired beating this dead horse. If you love the Blues Jr, fine use it. That Stevie Snack clip sounded thin and lifeless to me too. :lol: If you think that's SRV's tone, you never heard him in person. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:28 am
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adey wrote:
I'm actually amused that a few contributors here seem to become deaf when they see the words "Blues Junior..". By any definition of great tone, that "Stevie Snacks/Lenny" clip I posted a link to here, has it in spades. I deliberately chose it because it's not studio tweaked. It's a single pass through basic recording equipment. To describe the sound we hear as thin or in anyway under par, tells me that objectivity has long since left some peoples' buildings..

OK, a little background... been playing for 25+ years, I've owned amps from Fender, Peavey, Mesa, Crate. I gigged with a BJ for over a year. The BJ was ok at home and in very small clubs where volume wasn't an issue. When I say it sounds thin it's only cause I'm comparing it to other amps close in size. My Crate V16 is about the same size and sounds way better IMO.

The vid you posted does sound good, not great, but I hear a certain tone that brings back memory of a thin sounding amp... whenever I go to a jam and see a BJ on stage, even the III version, it's always the same story, gets lost in the mix and can't keep up. So I'll repeat what I said before, the BJ is a great entry level amp and is fun to play at home, but it doesn't belong on stage and it is not a "pro" amp that you can rely on even at smaller gigs... the US made BJ I gigged with let me down a couple times at gigs, while my DRRI hasn't yet.

This is just my opinion of course, if the BJ works for you then I'm happy for you. If you haven't owned other amps that you can compare it to then I'd recommend doing so before getting all defensive when someone gives their opinion about an amp that's only meant to be a practice amp.


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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 12:13 pm
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That's the crux of the biscuit. If all you've ever played out of are small boxy sounding amps in your living room, it's all you're used to and they sound great. Gigging is where the rubber meets the road in both sound and reliability. My experience goes back to 1965 and many, many amps, not just Fender. I mean to me anyway, even my 76 Champ sounds fuller and more tonally complex through its stock 8" speaker just because of its better components and build quality. Put it through a bigger cabinet and it's even better sounding as well as rock solid reliable.

Would I gig with it? Nah. Not enough headroom unless it was a really tiny coffee house. I freely admit its limitations and accept them. That's the difference. I don't get all defensive and start name calling if someone doesn't agree with me. Don't like Egnater? I don't care. I can tell if you never even plugged into one and just trying to start an argument. I don't play your gigs and you don't play mine, but I'll tell you what, I've heard many 15 watt amps fall flat on gigs. Not enough power or headroom to get the job done. To say a SRV tone comes out of a Blues Jr is just funny.

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:09 pm
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I have to admit that that video sounded pretty good, but the volume was low, not exactly gig (volume) level performance.

Here is my humble attempt at SRV with my preferred amp when I opened for the 2011 Sarasota Blues Festival:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6m6a8d7Bc


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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:24 pm
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Some decent pickin' there, Mike.

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 5:13 pm
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Very nice Mike. 8)

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 6:06 pm
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Oh yes, that was so nice, I had to watch it twice. :)

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:32 pm
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I'm probably wrong here but to me it seems that everyone here basically agrees. It all comes down to a matter of taste and intended use.

I own a Blues Jr. III and a 65 DRRI. I am just a wannabe hack who will forever be playing in the bedroom but I like both of these amps; and I think that is because I feel there are entirely different tools that fit different purposes. I like the sound of the Blues Jr. and the master volume is very useful when the wife is home. The 65 DRRI to me sounds awesome but is so different I don't know how to compare it to the Blues Jr. I do know the 65 DRRI can get loud enough to rattle the windows and knock figurines off of shelves :!: :twisted: (luckily I have both superglue and teen boys in the house, so I'll never get the blame :lol: ).

My purchases were influenced by almost all of the contributors of this thread and I am happy with both of these amps. I thank you all for sharing your opinions, it makes my rare and incredibly long trips (over 2 hours one-way) to a guitar store more enjoyable. I start by trying the things that members here recommend. Then I try as many other things as I can. I buy what I think will suit my needs, keep what does and get rid of what doesn't. I don't make a purchase based solely on forum consensus but it really helps to have a starting point from people whose opinions I respect.

I will now return to my regularly scheduled lurking.

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:26 am
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OK, some background.. :wink:

J/K.. I'm mindful of previous posts made by posters here, both pro or anti Blues Junior. It would seem however that some may not be able to say the same of some of my posts. I've long acknowledged the BJ to be a less than stellar amplifier. I know that there are other amps out there for similar or slightly higher cost that out perform it. I am not so pro BJ that I am blind to it's faults and limitations - all of which I've acknowledged in previous posts. I don't actually think that I've ever advocated the BJ to anybody as a potential sale.

As some have tried to suggest to the contrary, I have used my BJ live - I'm not a bedroom player (I have a Vox AC4TV for that). I've also recorded with it, so I know of what I speak.

I maintain that the BJ is a good, solid, plug and go, blue collar amp suitable for pubs and small clubs. And that's where I came in on this discussion..

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Post subject: Re: Does anybody NOT like the Blues Junior.
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:49 am
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It really does depend on your expectations, type and style of music etc. I play in several bands ranging from Classic Rock to Blues to original Blues Rock to Acoustic Blues. On stage, I rarely can get decent dynamics with the way I play with any 15 watt amp. There's usually not enough headroom. It just misses the mark by a tiny bit. At rehearsals or if I'm asked to sit in on recordings, I can use a 3 watt Pignose. I'm not a really loud player, and we have great drummers, I just lose the "feel" in a bigger room unless the amp is seriously versatile. Live on stage I use my Egnater and two 112 cabs and use the watts and tube mix controls to control the headroom and dynamics of my sound. A small grab and go amp gets way too boxy for me at higher volumes and can't deliver on the headroom.

For some the Blues Jr is fine. For me it just doesn't work. I wish I could just bring my 74 Champ, but that doesn't work unless the room is a tiny coffee house and we usually do them acoustically. Above everything else for me, the amp needs to be rock solid reliable and that's where the HRD series falls short. Too many glitches IMO for constant professional
use.

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