i am looking at getting either a blues jr or a champion 600. I am wondering if it is pracical to use a cab with them when i gig or just go for a bigger amp?

You can gig with a Blues Junior as is. Many people do. You might need to mic it in a loud band or large venue. Adding a speaker cab as you suggested is feasible. There is no extension speaker jack, so disconnect the internal speaker and plug in a cab with an 8ohm load.

Forget about the Champ 600 unless you don't need any clean headroom. You will definately need an extension cab to play a Champ 600 with a band. Disconnect the internal speaker and plug in a 4ohm cab. Even with a larger speaker cab the Champ will sound dirty. It's only 5 watts, so what else can you expect from the little fella?

Is there a particular sound you are looking for? What is your budget? What size gigs to you play?

_________________
Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

The Blues Jr. would be the better choice as Metropolis says but you can't use the speaker and an external speaker at the same time-it's either one or the other.I've been told that taking out the Fender/Eminence speaker and replacing it with a Celestion Vintage 30 is about the best upgrade that you can do to it.

_________________
'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.

Get the Blues Jr. you can also mod it to use the internal and a ext. cab I belive.
Due a search for "Billm Blues Jr mods" lots of good info and upgrades. Good Luck

_________________

Found these 2 sites for the Billm mods

www.billmaudio.com

http://home.comcast.net./~machrone/bluesjunior.htm

Alot of great mods and upgrades for the Blues Jr

_________________

I'd go Deluxe Reverb RI. Why buy an amp just to mod it and void the warranty? If you want to gig, I've seen many a Blues Jr get totally buried in the mix. The DRRI is rock solid, sounds great, really cuts a mix and is seriously reliable. I'd also look at an Egnater Tweaker before a Blues Jr. It's a way better value and way more versatile than the BJ.

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

I bought a tweed Blues Jr only to return it a week later. The sound was not for me, and I wanted a few more watts. I ended up with a Traynor YCV 40 WR and I love it.

_________________

You'll need a bigger amp unless you are jamming with a drummer who can actually play dynamically at low volume and believe me it is a rarity to find one. It is the drummer who sets the volume for both stage and rehearsal so you will need an amp that can actually compete with the drums and other instruments.

One more thing..............Marshall amplification.

_________________
Tim

If you want louder and something that will still give you a bluesy vibe try the Marshall Haze-40 Ws and very versatile.

_________________
'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.

ok. i really just wanted to know if i could plug into an extention cab. idk if ill get the champ 600 in a couple weeks or save up a few months and get the blues jr. ithink im going to go for the blues jr.

A 15 watt amp really isn't a good serious gigging amp. You will usually need to mic it to get any serious headroom out of it unless you can push some decent air. If you plan to gig, I'd go 20 watts (DRRI) as a minimum unless like someone else said you have a very dynamic drummer.

The Champion 600 is a joke to gig with unless you're maybe playing in a closet or something and no drummer. A 6" speaker won't get very far in a band situation. It's a way better recording/practice amp. It doesn't sound good cranked with the stock speaker and is just okay for me with a 12. It's also nbuilt like a $150 tube amp if you get my drift. I can't find the magic in it. I have a 74 Champ that sounds much, much better and I even do low volume rehearsals with it.e do have a professional and very dynamic drummer.

Flame suit on, only one persons opinion.

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

+1

You might squeak by with a 15-watt amp, assuming a robust PA at the venue. But a DRRI buys you some peace of mind knowing that you're not at the mercy of some neanderthal running the board.

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

Sometimes the Blues jr. is just fine for a given gig and other times it won't get it. To be sure 100% of the time (at least any place I'd take my ears) you should have 20 to 30 watts of tube power or min. of 65 watts solid state. Just my 2 cents worth.

_________________
The quintessential sound of 60/70's R&R:
Fender Tube Amps
Gibson Guitars

well the place i would be playing has qa very good PA system and my friend who has a 60 watt marshall TSL2000 still mics it there. but it went into gc last night and played both and i think ill go for the blues jr. i like that i can get a good clean tone with some volume on it

I'm glad that you picked the Blues Jr.-you certainly won't regret your decision as it's a great little blues amp when overdriven just a tad and sounds just beautifully almost Twin-like when played clean.

_________________
'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.