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Post subject: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo practice?
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:21 pm
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Trying to decide between these two amps and Im going crazy.

I am a relatively new guitar player - took lessons in 7th grade, and played around teaching myself tab over a couple of decades. Now, Im 47, and decided to take up playing again after my 7 year old daughter started making good progress with her guitar teacher.

I currently have a Mustang I but it seems to spend a lot of time in the 7 year old's room with her playing. Which is why I am looking to buy a good (mid point) amp for my own practice.

I play mostly blues with some Hendrix stylings, live in a condo with no one beneath me, and want something nice to go along with my current setup:

Fender American Standard Strat with custom shop Fat 50s
Vox v847 Wah
Wampler Velvet Fuzz
Ibanez TS808-HW Tube Screamer
Way Huge Swollen Pickle

I will not be playing any shows/gigs anytime soon other than just jamming with friends for fun. Played the Blues Junior in three different guitar centers and just fell totally in love with the low volume tone. Only one GC had the Deluxe and it was great as well, but I am worried about having just too much with that one for low volume, clean and/or TS808 or Velvet Fuzz practice. But am not sure. I can afford either one, and always prefer new over used so it will definitely be a GC purchase.

Also, Ive tried other non-Fender amps (Vox, Orange, etc.) and have ruled them out for my style of playing and for the tone I like. So it really is between these two at this price range new (Max $799).

Considering my situation and current setup, which one do you think is best?


Also, I live in Los Angeles (Encino) and there are several Fender authorized repair centers near me, so I was wondering if its worth it or not to purchase the GC "pro coverage" or just rely on the Fender warranty with so many auth repair centers within 5-10 minute drive?


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:00 pm
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The Deluxe is loud. Great for clubs but not something I would want to use in my bedroom. The Jr can be turned down a bit without losing too much tone. I started to get one but then tried the Blackheart. With both power tubes running it is basically a Blues Jr but you can switch off one power tube and it cuts the watts from 15 to 7. At 7 watts I can turn it up enough to get good tone without disturbing the neighbors too much. Better at low volumes than the Blues Jr IMO. Plus it is offered in a head/cabinet as well as a combo. Something Fender should have done with the Blues Jr long ago.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:19 pm
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For your purposes the BJ III would be the far better choice. It's simply more usable for 99% of what you will be doing. Unless and until you arrive at a point in which you're gigging with a second guitarist and a reasonably loud drummer the BJ III will always cover your needs better than the far more powerful, significantly louder Blues Deluxe.

In fact, for your purposes the other Fender you ought to be looking at instead of the Blues Deluxe is the '68 Custom Princeton Reverb.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:57 pm
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TBH, I havent even considered the Princeton. I may make a trip with my guitar tomorrow to try it out because Ive never played it. Only thing is, for another hundred bucks I could spring for the 65 Deluxe Reverb which many believe to be one of the true great amps by Fender.

That would be pushing my 800 budget a bit, but if it really is as good as you say from a tonal perspective, maybe I can make it work. My "crunch" tones will come from my velvet fuzz and ts-808 until I can really crank it up for the tubes to really kick in.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:03 pm
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I vote for the Deluxe Reverb Reissue.
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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:32 pm
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Blues Jr. or the Princeton for condo playing. The BDRI is just too much in that setting.....maybe later on when/if gigging becomes routine.

The Fender warranty is all you need....don't purchase an additional one.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:37 pm
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Either a '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) or a '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb (CDR) is still way too much amp for the low-volume things you're describing. The reason being, they don't begin to sound like you want a Deluxe Reverb to sound until the Volume is at 4, if not 5 or 6. By that point, forget it, you're way too loud for what you plan on doing. Conversely, the BJ III and the '68 Custom Princeton Reverb sound glorious at lower volumes, and they both take OD pedals extremely well. The '68 Princeton employs a Bassman tone stack, so it's much better with pedals than the '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue (PRRI), never mind the DRRI and its non-pedal-friendly bright cap.

Above all else, it's a volume thing. Anything more than a 15w BJ III is just not going to be worth your while for what you'll be doing, and a BJ III or Princeton will still allow you to play rehearsals and even most gigs. Those few situations in which they will run out of clean headroom, such as when you're playing with a loud drummer? Most of the time, those are easily remedied by mic'ing your amp. Bottom line, you are highly unlikely to find yourself ever needing more than a BJ III or Princeton. Conversely, you will almost never benefit from the additional power of those larger, higher-wattage amps you mentioned. You will very rarely experience them the way they're designed to be heard. I can almost guarantee you that at the volumes you'll be using you will definitely prefer the richer, fuller tone of the BJ III or Princeton over those of the Blues Deluxe or DRRI.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:29 am
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Both amps are too loud for home like almost avery amp in market , home use need not more than 3 watts .

I'll buy a Deluxe Reverb and use a speaker attenuator if needed. Or keep vol knob down and use pedals

DR is a great amp .


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:30 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Both amps are too loud for home like almost avery amp in market , home use need not more than 3 watts .

I'll buy a Deluxe Reverb and use a speaker attenuator if needed. Or keep vol knob down and use pedals

DR is a great amp .


It is fascinating how the combined wisdom of different forums can throw up different conclusions. I am very much of this thinking (I currently have four 5 Watt tube amps) but, in suggesting such on another forum was torn to sheds by a pack of wolves. Granted their golden amps bare the legend Marshall, or Messa Boogie or (gasp) Orange. Their conclusion is, assuming the amp has master volume, the size of the amp is irrelevant and a quality 50 Watt or 100 Watt amp can be played at bedroom volume.

I can certainly play my Marshall 50 Watt at lounge volume but I wouldn't choose to because it sounds dead.

While a Blues Junior is on my list of amps I would like, as you probably gathered I am a great fan of 5 Watt tube amps for home use and even they can be too loud.

For me they achieve a great Hendrix clean sound, and other Bluesy tones with nothing more than a Strat and a lead. And they are stupidly cheap, particularly second hand.

Thus, my suggestion would be hand wired Champ clone by a small builder, uness you are of a mind to build a kit yourself.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:41 am
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The Blues Jr is a great little amp. Look into the Champion 600.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:14 am
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Whatever u do, DONT GET THE EXTRA GC WARRANTY, brought my amp back and they made me go thru fender's warranty first. THEN AFTER THE 5 yr. Fender, the gc pro warranty finally kicks in!!!!!!!! I almost lost it. But FENDER FIXED IT

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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:46 am
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tbazzone wrote:
..... Look into the Champion 600.


I was going to say that but didn't want to come across as too much of a 600 Fan Boy :oops:

Also, while brilliant little amps, particularly for the money, the fact that they can be made better means they aren't 100% perfect in original form. It takes a lot to extract that extra 5 to 10% though. Hence my suggestion in a hand wired Champ which, off the shelf, gives you that extra 5-10%. Such beasts aren't available for the price of an effects pedal (like a second hand 600) unless you get lucky.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:21 am
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Im grabbing my Strat and heading out to GC now to try out the Princeton. Hopefully they have some Blues Juniors on the floor as well so I can compare with my guitar. So many places sell out of the Juniors as soon as they come in.

Just want to make sure that $300 price difference between the two is worth it in both the short run and long run.

Also, the Princeton not having a master gain could cause problems with the wife/neighbors if its too loud. The Junior has a master.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:50 pm
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Image

:D

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Post subject: Re: Fender Blues Junior or Blues Deluxe for home/condo pract
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:55 pm
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Sweet. It's true what they say - a picture paints a thousand words.

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