You're SO right about that! Sometimes you really have to listen closely to options to see if there's a difference..and even then it can be a toss up. But this thing that you found...it's glaringly obvious to the most casual of observer. The sound is so much more clear with your settings... the "volume" knob down low controlling the listening volume and the "master volume" knob set to 12, controlling the "most awesome sounds possible" circuit, hidden within the amp. The results are significant! Thank you so much for your video! Much appreciated:)
I'm an EQ and tone fiend and I've had my BJIV for about a year now. I have spent that time constantly pursuing a good tone. I've been through at least 5 guitars, 4 overdrive pedals, and have messed with every tone shaping knob in my chain. No matter what i did it just always sounded flat and dead to me. I've been utterly dejected over this. It was starting to take the joy out of guitar playing. Well, this very evening I was at my wits end and finally searched "how to dial in fender blues jr" and came across this video. I paused it, flicked on the BJ and tried it.. I'm on the brink of tears. My God...All this time... all this wasted time! CLARITY, DYNAMICS, POWER. This amp is a magnificent beast. I just had it binded. BLESS YOU SIR.
Hi there, wow!! Thanks for watching and I am so glad to have been able to help you with your tone question. Thanks for your kind words, and stay safe, Neil
Thanks for the tip. I really like the way you organized your workstation, I havce a similar style of desk gonna try some of your equipment placements. Thanks!
This will drive the tubes, make your amp very loud, and give you a nice clean tone, yes. However, I like to play mine just at the point of breakup. In order to do that I find the sweet spot with the volume at 6 and the master at 2.5. That's where mine is set for bedroom and stage (mic'd).
So simple, but really is the best advice for this amp! I have owned three of these due to selling to get bigger amps, just played my first live show using this truck and it killed it, cut right thru the mix without a mic, thx!
Was getting super frustrated trying to get a nice tone out of my BJ III leading up to my first proper paid gig. This tip sorted me right out and had a great gig because of it. Thanks heaps mate!
Thanks, I’ll give it a try. I love my Blue Jr IV, but it is a really loud amp. Years ago I had a Blues Deville (or Deluxe, whichever one is bigger), and I sold it because I couldn’t play thru it at the house. When I bought this Jr, I had hoped it would actually have a little less umph. Anyhow, I’ve been riding both the volume and master volume in an effort to get time while not driving my family nuts. I hope your full Master is the answer I’m looking for. Thanks!
Terrific "trick." I was having troubles with volume on my church's Blues Junior IV this last Thursday, and I could not figure out what was wrong. It's a shared amp so other people have moved the settings here and there. Now, though I suspect that most of the volume/tone suck was coming from a defective, VERY long instrument cable going into my pedalboard from the amp, I applied your suggested settings Sunday morning during rehearsal (along with a new, much shorter instrument cable) and I've never heard such glorious tones coming out of it before! I only took the the Master up to 10, put the Volume at about half past 2 and it was amazing! Never sounded so good during the church services as it did yesterday morning. Thank you!
Hi there Elagua! Thanks for watching, really glad to hear that this worked for you and that you found new life in the amp. As you mention, a long cable will add capacitance and resistance to the guitar signal which will usually manifest itself in roll off of high frequencies. Great stuff, enjoy the amp :)
Power tube singing tone is where it’s at! Pedals for Fuzz/Dirt, yes! I picked up a Tweed Deluxe 5e3 Clone for this very reason. I run it “low” volume, turn down guitar volume to clean it up a bit and add in pedals for gain. Dynamic singing tone.
Great tip, I find most people get too icepicky of a tone from the blue junior without thinking of running the master high and channel low(something about how the bright cap works) also it’s ok to run the treble at 2-3 if that’s what sounds good! I use mine with the bass and mid almost at 0 with good results
True! I've always done that in my BJ. I like a clean SRV-Hendrix-Mayer tone and I found out that the best way to achieve it is by leaving the Master all the way up and then just turn the Volume up or down.
I have a Jr IV. I do love the tone you are achieving at 12. The question is, how would you toggle into a clean tone for chicken-scratch funk? Can you just cut the volume at your guitar?
I totally endorse this tip. I run my BJ (Texas Red version) the same way with the master volume always on 12 and control the volume using the normal volume control normally between 1-3 depending on the size of the room I am in. The amp sings and takes pedals really well.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for your message! Glad to know it is working for you too!! It is a great amp and as you say, takes pedals really well....and is loud!! All the best, Neil
Good tip, I've always set the master up/preamp down on all the tube amps I've used. It just makes the thing sing and be more sensitive to picking attack. Of course, you may not be able to dial in an overdriven preamp at sensible volumes! Stick a overdrive pedal in then preamp down/master up, it still sounds better than turning the master volume down/preamp up.
Thumbs up! I do the same thing, but I run my master volume at eight. When I do this at home, I have to keep the input volume at one or two, and when I play at church, the input is at six. A friend modified the circuit, so it is much more like a Vox, chimey and overdriven when I really dig in.
Neil Spencer Bruce I wish I knew, lol. I’ve got a friend who is an amp builder/tech, and he came up with his own mods after studying the schematic. He sees the blues jr as essentially a “Fenderized” AC15, with a few value changes. He made changes in caps, etc, which took it into Matchless Lightning territory. Chimey, bright, glassy. It really lets the EL84s shine.
Wow I’m so glad I found this. I was always under the impression that lower master and higher volume would equal a cleaner tone, but it seems like it’s the other way around….
Hmmm interesting.. I have run my Volume at 10 & Master at 3 or 4 for many years and absolutely love that as my default tone. Which is clean but starts to overdrive beautifully when digging in a bit harder with the pick. Though my Blues Junior 1 does have a celestion vintage 30 & a mod kit installed..
Thanks so much, watched this clip sunday morning, played out sunday night and yes, the Blues Junior truly sang. You are a generous man sharing this information.
Also good to have the eq at zero when start setting. You can have the master full (as it should be) and a good amount of volume. There should be just a faint of signal... Then you start opening the eq controls until the volume is adequate. That gives the best tone with most of the circuitry open.
@@user-ly8pm2pc7z yes, I am thinking from a perspective of using it with the harmonica. With master open and some volume, having all the EQ open means screaming feedback with a microphone. So the idea is to subtract like you said to the point the signal is shunt to ground, and then add a bit of of each freq.
Hey, thanks for watching and your kind words! Good question, the BJ doesn't have a stand by switch, and it always worried me to begin with, but I have been gigging with this amp for nearly 10 years now, it has been thrown around, had sound limiters cut the power, run off dodgy generators, had the power pulled out by accident, thrown in a freeze car boot after a gig and it still keeps going, so I don't even worry about that now. All the best, Neil
Ya. As with any tube amp, you shouldn’t turn it on and off (and on again) within a short timespan. It’s not good for the tubes. If it would be off for ten minutes, you should just leave it on.
@@andrewp2699 I agree with this. Having said that, as I mentioned in my previous comment, in the gigging world power comes and goes when you least expect it (especially at gigs with sound limiters). Whilst I am ultra careful with my amp (s), I have found that the BJ and it's tubes are pretty robust.
The various issues of the Blues Junior sound quite a bit different. Fender have used at least four different loudspeakers in various issues. On the issue 1 Blues Juniors the Reverb send and return is after the Master volume. If you max your Master you tend to get a lot of noise and hum from the reverb. The Blues Junior III shown here sounds a lot brighter than the preceding issues because it has the 'sparkle' mod. Fender removed a high frequency filter capacitor that is fitted across the Master volume on previous issues.
Good tip. I was thinking of buying one of these for a low-level home amp but I think I might need to reconsider! I wish Fender included power attenuation on some of their valve amps like Marshall do. I may need to choose a Marshall Origin or DSL instead for that reason. Anyway... did you ever do the follow-up video about valve amp power ratings that you mention around 2.20? I've looked through all your videos but couldn't find one.
HI there, thanks for watching. Yes it is a shame that they don't have power scaling, but even my Marshall Origin is pretty loud at the lowest setting (just distorts easier). I haven't done a follow up, thanks for reminding me!! I will add it to the list! All the best, Neil
Just received my used Blues Junior, says it was built in 2018 and has a Jensen speaker in it. Doesn't say "Blues Junior IV" , just, "Blues Junior." Maybe it's a upgrade model? Tried your trick with the master volume and you're right, sounds fantastic!
Hi David, congratulations on your amp. Not sure which that is, I think there is a site you can search using the serial number and it will give you the model. All the best, Neil
@@michaelcoker5370 Thank you, that helped. Put all that and serial number in search and found it is a Vintage 1954, manufactured in 2018. My birthday is 1954. Also, Amp sounds great! Takes pedals easily, so I'm building my first pedal board.
Hello why wont the fender blues deluxe reissue do this cant get both volumes to work together on the drive cha Volume on clean Master on drive they wont play together for some reason thats what fender did with this If you could set the mast like the jr be much better any tips to change it Thank you Eddie 😎🎸
Thanks a big lot for your videos on this particular amp - I bought myself the same model and am more than happy with it! I found the lacquered tweet version with the Jensen speaker with its crisp sound much more appealing than the regular, black one. I really love that clean sound with the master control high and the volume low. But as I don't use pedals I'm really delighted of the dirtier, crunchy sound created by the opposite position with high volume and low master. I totally agree that more than 2 or 3 on the knob is ear killing in normal rooms... Thanks a lot again!
I always had a solid state amp not by choice,but price and the fender did it good. Tube amps like the AC15 I wanted due to my teacher having one. Anyway after 22 yrs I finally got a tube amp blues jr.IV 15-watt at the was upset thinking more watt better sound oh how wrong was I. I had a create 100 bass a map my amp was on 3V and 4M I could hear anything but blues. I LOVED and realized why many love tubes no matter the wattage tubes can go "PLUS ULTRA
I just got a Blues Junior IV FSR with Celestion Creamback, and setting it to 10-12 really works, but is it safe for power tubes to have them dimmed all the time? I dont want to shorten their life alot. Especially that setting my BJ volume and master to half, and turning the amp on ~20-30 minutes before playing makes it sound almost the same as diming only the master, but makes the amp more usable, because the amp is set clean and just before breakup, it works great with pedals, and fat switch boosts the gain to breakup/overdrive. (i have treble at 7, bass at 4 and middle at 5, but this settings depend on a speaker i guess) I have to mention that Fender claims that volume (gain) knob is different in BJ4 so it's breaking up later, and people checked measured power tubes and it seems that they are working less hot this time.
Hi Lucas, thanks for watching! Yes running power tubes can shorten their life a bit but as they are replaceable parts I am not too concerned, also I don't run it like this all the time. Mostly when in the studio. Good luck with your new amp, it sounds great! all the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce thanks for the reply, can you tell me, with a moderate 3-5 times a week use for 1-2 hours, how long will power tubes last and, how much their life shortens if i would run master volume on 10-12 instead of 6-7? (i use torpedo captor reactive load)
HI Lucas, unfortunately that would be very hard to tell and give you an answer. It is a bit like lightbulbs, how long will they last is anyone's guess. I would suggest given your description of your usage that you wouldn't have much to worry about, I would class that as light-mid usage for sure. If in doubt, (And when using the torpedo load) I would say do your recordings and then just turn the master down until you are ready to do some more.
Yeah thats a good one. Tried it today and blew my power tubes in 10 minutes. Dont know if the tubes were in bad condition or what... Well anyway how long is your power tubes' lifetime in they are cranked all the time?
Hi Kalle, thanks for watching and I am sorry to hear that your power tubes blew. Whilst this method will shorten the life of your tubes (When compare to just using them), I have not had any problem with mine and I last changed them about 2-3 Years ago. I have been gigging with this amp most weeks and no issue. POssibily your tubes might have been on the way out. Hope that you get it working again, All the best, Neil
I’m late to the party but just wanted to share my overall agreement with this. I run my Blues Jr at max master and adjust pre-amp volume to suit. My dirt / gain comes from my pedal board, which contains a Thorpy Fat General compressor (always on), a Keeley Super Phat overdrive (for light gain and thickness) and a Friedman Dirty Shirley for boost and more overdrive. Sounds great. The amp takes pedals really well considering there’s no send/return. What was crucial to me was that I changed the stock Jensen (in itself pretty good but too bright and trebly for my taste) to a Celestion Creamback, which takes off all the spiky edges and has a unique presence and character
@@NeilSpencerBruce Hi Neil. The Creamback sounds much better than the Jensen to my ears...such a unique presence, great low end, transparent mids and a really smooth high end. Cannot recommend highly enough. My main gigging amp is a fully loaded Lazy J20, which is world class but I prefer to use the Blues Jr in certain situations
problem with doing this is the noise floor becomes really high, turn the master down to halfway and the noise returns to acceptable levels. Also amplifies pedal noise massively. Im now going back to running master about half way at most.
100% agree. BJ preamp is not the best so the trick is lesser pre amp and more power amp. BJ stock speaker is also not the best and can’t handle much low end and falls apart and start to make a fart noise. I replaced my speaker with V30 style speaker and using it with Keeley modem DS-1 into Digitech Bad Monkey (one of my favourite tube screamer with low knob!) and I set both high and low knobs to the max and push the fat switch on and max the bass knob on the amp. The result is a Marshall distorted sound out of BJ amp. Then I turn off DS-1 and get a high end Fender amp sound. I had lots of people approaching me after the gig and ask me how do I get such a big fat loud sound out of this amp!
Yup you are correct Sir.. I use it exactly like that most folks are the opposite.. ohh no the power tubes are where the best distortion lives... I'm not a pedal fan it's in the fingers not a "dirt box" pedal... Guitar-cord-amp simplicity won't hide or disguise the mistakes! I believe it puts honesty back into the electric Guitar... Haters be damned!
Leave the master volume on 12.... agree... specially for clean tones! I only use master to reduce volume when practicing with amp overdrive... otherwise, I keep the master on 12! People, this is an important tip
You are absolutely right, it makes a world of difference even when you restrict the input level to play at low volumes. I have analysed the circuit electronically and still cannot explain exactly why this happens. Really the master volume control seems a waste of space. Another thing worth noting is that, compared to other Fender valve amps, Fender have changed the value of one coupling cap to massively roll off the bass response.
Did you notice any measurable difference in power going to the tubes when you increased the volume and decreased the master volume? What in the circuit besides the tubes could account for cleaner sound? I did take electronics classes in my 3rd year of engineering school...but all I remember is a "wheatstone bridge"...and I can't even remember what that's for! I wonder if you had a laser thermometer and measured tube temp in the two different settings...would there be a difference?
Because the blues junior is a superior amp for all his usage scenarios given it has a proper EQ, the fat switch and reverb? Is that even a question? Why to save like or even less $100, what is he a kid?
Hi Bill, thanks for watching. Good question! Firstly, I don't have the master cranked all the time and it can be handy to have it there when it is needed. The Pro JR is a great amp as well, but I also like a 12" speaker, the flexible EQ and Reverb. Both great, I chose the BJ to fit my needs. Stay safe!
Spencer Bruce Many thanks. I keep trying to decide between a Blues Jr., Pro J r. with a 12” speaker or Princeton with a 12”. Something about the Pro Jr. keeps luring me back, but I do want the master volume.
@@billgreen3629 The point is that he cranks the master volume while keeping the preamp volume low thus getting all the creaminess at low volume. This is a scenario that you cannot reproduce with a pro jr and its single volume knob. I'm telling you this because it is a matter of what you want/need and you need to think of your usage scenarios. IMO these amps are not comparable. The pro jr. is a great gigging amp or if you live alone in a spacious house and then again this is debateable. I have both. Since I moved to an apartment I haven't used the pro jr. at all because in order for it to sound good you need to tear the paint off the walls. IMO a master volume amp is much more versatile and there is just so much more you can do including reverb in a blues jr and tremolo in a vox ac15, that the price differene makes either the ac15 or the blues jr. a no brainer.
@@billgreen3629 No worries. It is a really tough choice, Princeton is amazing also!! (Sorry that doesn't help!) Good luck and let us know which one you choose!
Hi there, thanks for watching. The only danger as such is that it will put a bit more wear on the life of the power amp tubes. You may need to replace them sooner than if run with less power. All the best, Neil
Works like a treat. Even if you can't crank it all the way up to 12 (because of home use volume issues) get that master up as high as you can and gently raise the volume. It gets rid of a lot of the "boxiness" and drive pedals will work better!
It certainly does, to me it is almost like a different amp then when the master is set low and the volume cranked up. All in all though it really is a great little workhorse amp. For what I do, it is the perfect blend of size, volume and tone.
Hi !! Good vid as I was wanting one of these to downsize from a vox that weighs a ton. I need a amp for bigger stages but also pub type gigs, but I’m worried it won’t have enough poke? What do you reckon it’s equivalent in decent volume to solid state amp please?
Hey Justin, thanks for watching. Will you be mic'd up on the bigger stages? It is difficult to draw parallels with Solid State amps as there are a ton of variables, but it would hold it's own I feel with a 50 -60w SS amp. All the best, Neil
Hi Rob, the idea of this video is that if you open the Master volume up there is no resistance in the circuit (the Volume control is basically a resistor), this ‘seems’ to me to make the amp breathe more. The downside is that you have to put the volume control very low. So in theory you could control the volume from an EQ pedal in front of the amp, but you would need to be mindful of your gain staging and the effect that this might have in level which hits the input of the amp. Certainly worth a try and if I get a moment I will see what effect it has and if it works well! Thanks for watching!
I have a new Blues Junior IV, and I've just gotta put this out there- any time I crank it up, it smells like burning sugar... it smells really great! Yeah, yeah, I know- "Sweet!" There- I said it first... Seriously- it's coming from the tubes area in the back, and it smells hot and sweet... how cool is that?? : ) Anyone else??
Hi Shibumi, thanks for watching! Wow that is a new one on me! I am not sure what is causing it or if you should be worried, it might be just the hot values and the 'new amp smell' that you get from the packaging!
Hi Steven, yes you can with the volume down low enough. I would say that is it not a crystal clear clean like a twin, but I use it for my cleans. Thanks, Neil
I agree diming the MV and having the volume on 3-5 does bring out the best in the BJ. But... at a cost. Since doing it my power tubes are frying. Replacing them every few months!! Does noone else have that?
Hi Spencer, thanks for watching. I do agree that this will shorten the life of power tubes, but I wouldn't have expected that much wear on them. I gig with this amp weekly and the majority of the time I am doing using this method (sometimes even with the volume on 1-2 it can be too loud for some venues!) and the last time I replaced my Power tubes was just over two years ago. Not sure that helps you, if you are getting significant wear, you might need to check the biasing. Good luck, Neil
Mine is very clean with master volume up to 12. Or 8-10. I would do that only with a dirt pedal. Some guitarist in rock bands use a semi-dirty tone as a "clean" and then use a dirt pedal for a pronounced overdrive. That's what I do and that involves using some pre-amp distortion, not tons but noticeable. I don't think all Blues Juniors have the same cleans all things being equal.
Thanks for that tip. I play blues but only play at home. I’d really love to get this amp but some people have put me off it by saying it’s too load for home use. Would your tip mean I’d actually be able to use it at home and get great tones by keeping the input volume low but master at 12? Hopefully that’s the case as I had my heart set on getting this amp.
Hi there, thanks for watching. It can be a loud amp, but the problem with ‘loud’ is that is very subjective and difficult to know what is loud to someone may not be loud to someone else. You can certainly use this amp at home without annoying the neighbours, and you can use this tip (but you would have the volume very very low). There maybe some other amps which might be more suitable if you feel that your idea of loud is actually quite quiet. Hope that help!! All the best, Neil
Thanks for your helpful reply Neil. I’ve decided I’m going ahead and will get this amp. Having it reasonably loud to get a good tone at home won’t be an issue I’m sure, and I’ll use your tip. Think if I got another amp I might regret it at some point and wish I’d got the Blues Junior! Thanks again. Cheers Joe.
I just bought the Blues Junior LTD Tweed amp, it says PR-295 on the plate but I'm pretty sure it's called the Blues Junior III. The price was reduced to $539 due to the IV coming out at $599. You can use it at home, I'm just a hobby player. So again, you can use it at 12 master volume, 2 volume and it's normal. But turn volume up to 5 and your ears will bleed..and it's crystal clear beautiful tone! The reverb is a mechanical one and it sounds funny so of you really like reverb, there are better options. But I'm not a huge fan even when it sounds good. I like clean and distortion, both of which this amp does perfectly. I can't say enough about the "Fat" circuit on this baby...aka distortion, it's SICK! Not the fat button and crank some ac/dc, oh boy, sounds incredible! Buy one, you won't be disappointed! Your wife might not be so happy though!
Hi Neil! Great demo man! I have a question for You. If i put the Master on 12 the amp becomes very loud if i want to play crunch. Usually lm playing with fuzz pedals and fuzzes plays better when the amp is cranked (crunch) . But Fuzz pedals likes to be First on the chain. What is You suggestion on this? How can i play crunch and use my fuzz? Place an od First for example? Or put down the Master and increase the Volume knob? Thanks
Hi there Panagiotis, thanks for watching and your kind words. Yes if you do this the amp is now much louder and you have to control it via the pre-amp gain (volume) control. This means that the amp stays pretty clean at lower volumes. So this might not be the best for you, I would say in this case, reduce the master and then increase the volume. All the best, Neil
Yep the old crank the master trick. Your also gonna get that early break up that Deluxe Reverb and Princeton's tend not to give unless you crank them up. Great little amp!!
Hi Neil, I recently replaced all of the tubes and fuse, and am still having a volume problem with my Blues Jr. I had to replace it because I had blown the fuse after a long recording session and I plugged in a synthesizer to it without checking power output requirements... I think I might have blown the speaker or something. I have the same exact amp you have, have you ever run into this problem?
A very useful trick! I’ve messed around with ever control except the master volume, never struck me to do so! Where do you set the EQ levels on this amp?
Yeah, exactly so! I happened to come to this way of setting the amp just by accident some time ago and I haven't gone back to the "normal" way ever since. Cranking the power amp makes the BJ dynamic and sensitive to the touch in a way that's really satisfying. I guess I haven't set the preamp volume beyond 3 since (which actually still tends to be way too loud on rehearsals, even with a single coil guitar) and I more than ever control the finer nuances of volume and tone with the guitar's controls. Doing so the sound is completely satisfying, you really feel it under your fingers and it cuts through the mix way better than the sort of "fizzy" preamp compression you get by dialing in 9 or 10 on the "normal"/"Volume" control and then going to 5 or 6 on the Master. If you want some dirt on the sound you have to throw in the overdrive pedal of your choice, however. Works like a charm and retains the dynamic of the cranked power amp. You're possibly right about the Jensen speaker - I'd guess it sounds really nice and "Fenderish" at a clean low volume, but it actually might seem a bit too bright when you really kick the amp. I've personally gone for an Eminence Swamp Thang which does a great job in my otherwise standard BJ III.
Thanks for your message and for watching the video! Glad to know that someone else out there finds that this works well!! As you say, it is difficult to go back to ‘normal’ after having done this. Also yes, I find between 2-3 on the volume pot can start to become too loud for most gigs that I do. I run overdrive pedals for my overdrive into this lovely sounding ‘cranked’ amp!! Think I might have to try another speaker! Thanks again, Neil
Where do you plug a pedal into this amp. I just bought one a week ago and all it has it one input jack. I’m a beginner player so please forgive the dumb question
Hi James, you plug your guitar cable into the 'input' of the pedal and then take the 'output' of the pedal (with another lead) and plug this into the input of the amp. Hope that helps, Neil
Have you played the roland blues cube? i've always wanted the blues junior because its the "real" thing, but i'm afraid it will be limited at lower volumes (bedroom volume)..
Hi Marcus, I have only had the briefest of plays in a shop, and I did here a great demo workshop with Alex Hutchins, it does sound great. I think you may get a bit more milage from an amp like the Clues Cube if you will be mostly playing at bedroom volume...although you can use the BJ at bedroom volume of course but yo might struggle with this advice. Good luck, all the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce You should totally make a "bedroom volume" video with the blues jr (maybe with compressor/overdrive pedals or whatever can be used to increase tone at lower volume) :D There are so many people asking this question on the forums and so few videos on youtube. But yeah, i guess i'll have to order one of each and then compare them. Thanks! :)
@@marcusfsproductions Here you go th-cam.com/video/0gqWZh_Wb1I/w-d-xo.html hope you found this useful. If you could share to the forums asking the question, that would be great! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce well that is simply just amazing! I'm just gonna get one of these.. now the question is whether it should be the tweed (iii) the the black (IV)... haha
Thanks for the Tips!!! Short and to the point! I own a deluxe reverb but I bought a blues junior and I’m in love with the amp. This amp truly sings and it’s lighter than my deluxe.
Just bought this amp and wanna check if you have a similar problem to me at all. If you have your master on full, and volume at about 3 or 2. And then turn your reverb on full, can you hear the buzz of your reverb? And the buzz gets louder or quieter in tandem with you turning the reverb up and down? Please let me know because it’s driving me crazy I can’t remember if it’s always been there or if this is a new problem
Hi there, thanks for watching. I have not had this problem, one thing you might want to try is making sure that the connection to the reverb is okay, just check one of the wires hasn’t come loose. Let me know how you get on.
Neil Spencer Bruce I tried this and there’s still a buzz, I believe it’s because of the nature of how a spring reverb amplifies it’s sound and it picking up the frequencies of the tubes and whatever electrical circuitry is happening inside the amp, and so when I turn up the volume of the reverb I’m further amplifying those sounds
@@SantanaSasquatch not sure what to suggest at the moment. I have just switched mine on and whacked everything up to max and have no issues what so ever. Do you have your guitar plugged in as well?
Neil Spencer Bruce So with your master at 12 and volume say at 3, no plug in or anything ease in your reverb in and out top volume to low and there’s no buzz that increases and decreases in volume as you turn up and down the reverb whatsoever?
can you tell me what you favorite drive pedals are with the blues junior? Also, since it has no fix loop, do you run into issues running delays in front of the amp the way you set it? Great video and great tone!
Hi Jason! Great questions! How long have you got? :) The Blues Junior takes pedals very well and I am sure you will get lots of different answers to this questions, but from my drive collection I have always loved the sound of the following pedals Boss BD-1, Boss SD-1, Ibanez Tubescreamer, Fulltone Plumsoul and my recent favourite the MXR Shin Juku drive. Talking about distortion it is the Suhr Riot all the way! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce +1 on the Riot! +1 on all those imo. It also seems to like my ProCo RAT and Vick Audio V-2 (similar pedals, but I set them up to sound different for different occasions/songs, etc). AC Booster, Crowther Hotcake, and Fulltone OCD are a winning combination with this amp. I ran the AC after the OCD and it ripped. OCD currently off the board because I'm using a germanium Fuzz upfront, a Tapestry Audio Fab Suisse & Vfe Blues King for a "VST" (Very Specific Tone - like a makeshift KOT) my AC Booster and the RAT or V2 = my gain staging sorted. Don't need the OCD, but that OCD>AC really works. I have a lot of pedals but I don't have a problem...oh look, a new Bluesbreaker clone I think I'll buy that...:)
Thanks for your kind words! IT is worth a go for sure! Mine are usually set like this B 2/3 M 7 T 3/4 Works well with LP style guitars, I would usually increase the treble a bit in that case. Hope that helps
Hey Neil, thank you for the tips, I Just got a Tweed Jr Blues amp, still fidgeting with the settings for different tones. I do have a question regarding adding pedals. I've got a T9 tube screamer into a big muff and Danelctro Dan Echo pedal. However, without even kicking on the Dan Echo I get this chirping noise, like an alien is in my amp. Then when I kick on the big muff and or tube screamer it sounds like the ocean is crashing through. I've checked my cables, taken out pedals in the chain and ran them direct, no help. Any thoughts on what might be causing this, find myself running it clean most of the time because of the pedal noise?
Hi Jim, thanks for that. Congratulations on your amp. That is a really tricky one without hearing the noise. Do you have the guitar volume up? Are you daisy chaining the pedals together? If you want, send me a short recording of the sound to my email, I’ll try and diagnose it a bit further.
I'm a bit backwards. I've always thought of the master as a distortion control. Brink up the pre section, dime the master back and you got yourself nice rock tones. Reverse the process and you get your cleans. Lol same thing. Nice vid mate
Holy motha@#%! 🤘🏽will have to redial the eq section now though, so much more control for tones on the guitar as well. Or at least it feels that way. Thanks a million!
I crank my volume and use my master as volume control. I get a real nice bite out of her that way. And use the volume on my guitar for a cleaner sound I turn it down a bit. If I want more bite I turn the volume on the guitar back up. Sounds fantastic. And I use no pedals. Just amp and guitar. All I need.
Hi Neil. I am new to your chanel ,I recently bought a Boss Katana amp, but i find i am not getting on with it at all. I am amazed at all the great reviews,but it just dosent do it for me. its loud but digital sounding . I have the chance of buying a used Blues jnr 3 like yours in black . I play in a fairly loud 10 piece covers band similar (but not as good) as yours,and was wondering if it would be loud enough to gig with unmiked mostly,and miked for larger venues. Also, what stomp boxes work well with this amp. Thanks Tony.
HI Tony, welcome to the channel and thanks for watching. I also had a Katana which was a great little amp at home, but when I gigged with it i just couldn't get it to work for me so I sold it. I use my Blues Junior 3 with an 8 piece band and have done for about 8 years now. It is loud! It all depends if you need crystal clean, clean tones or some saturation? I find most pedals work well with the amp, my favourites have been my Boss Sd-1 and Suhr Riot. All the best, Neil
I would say the Pro Junior might be worth consideration as you can certainly crank it a bit more and get crunchier tones at more lower levels. Downside is the slightly limted EQ compared to the BJ. Personally I'd probably get the BJ as is bit more of a flexible all rounder. But it is a tough question.
Hey Neil. You are a great player and thanks for sharing your gear info. I have a BJ ii. Tried changing the speaker and such, but it was still really boxy. The MV maxed helped, but... I modded it within in inch of it's life. I combined Bill M mods with Frommel mods. Upgraded all the big caps to F&T. Put in a Jensen speaker. Let's just say I have no problem getting a very convincing Mark Knopfler tone now. I'm still learning the amp, but I'm pretty happy so far. I've never play clean so much without playing an acoustic. lol. Cheers and thanks for your wisdom!
Hey there and thanks for your kind words about my playing. Glad to hear you are getting the tone you want. It is a small cab sometime adding a larger one can help. All the best, Neil
NOTE: Fender manual says the opposite... VOLUME: Adjusts preamp gain. Increase the volume setting to produce more distortion and sustain. Use lower volume settings to produce cleaner sounds. MASTER: Adjusts the overall volume output of the amplifier. Use MASTER to adjust the volume of the amplifier after you have set VOLUME (B) for the desired level of preamp distortion.
Hi Romeo, thanks for watching. Yes what the manual says is correct, but that is not what I am say. I am talking about how if you use the Master volume you are introducing a resistive load into the circuit. Therefore you are having an impact on the signal passing through, if you leave the volume open you are allowing the signal to pass through uneffeted by the load in the potentiometer. You can not get real distorted tones using this method UNLESS you use an overdrive or distortion pedal in front of the amp to be the 'preamp' gain. Otherwise your amp would be extremely loud. This method is if you want clean or breakup tones form the blue junior or if you want to hear what your amp sounds like with the circuit fully open. (Think of the master potentiometer like a light dimmer switch!)
Hi there. It is a bit diffuclt to judge what is going on without seeing but one of the most likely problems is that the cable which connects the reverb to the amp circuit has either come loose, or isn’t working correctly. You can just make sure that the lead is connected and see if that works. all the best, Neil
Ha!! One of the benefits of living alone in a house..I can crank the volume way up till my ears bleed and no complaints! The cat doesn't like it though..🙀
You're SO right about that! Sometimes you really have to listen closely to options to see if there's a difference..and even then it can be a toss up. But this thing that you found...it's glaringly obvious to the most casual of observer. The sound is so much more clear with your settings... the "volume" knob down low controlling the listening volume and the "master volume" knob set to 12, controlling the "most awesome sounds possible" circuit, hidden within the amp. The results are significant! Thank you so much for your video! Much appreciated:)
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Glad you like the video and found it useful! All the best, Neil
I'm an EQ and tone fiend and I've had my BJIV for about a year now. I have spent that time constantly pursuing a good tone. I've been through at least 5 guitars, 4 overdrive pedals, and have messed with every tone shaping knob in my chain. No matter what i did it just always sounded flat and dead to me. I've been utterly dejected over this. It was starting to take the joy out of guitar playing. Well, this very evening I was at my wits end and finally searched "how to dial in fender blues jr" and came across this video. I paused it, flicked on the BJ and tried it..
I'm on the brink of tears.
My God...All this time... all this wasted time!
CLARITY, DYNAMICS, POWER.
This amp is a magnificent beast. I just had it binded.
BLESS YOU SIR.
Hi there, wow!! Thanks for watching and I am so glad to have been able to help you with your tone question. Thanks for your kind words, and stay safe, Neil
Thanks for the tip. I really like the way you organized your workstation, I havce a similar style of desk gonna try some of your equipment placements. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! Glad you found the desk intresting, it has taken a while to get it to a place I was happy with. Good luck, Neil
This will drive the tubes, make your amp very loud, and give you a nice clean tone, yes. However, I like to play mine just at the point of breakup. In order to do that I find the sweet spot with the volume at 6 and the master at 2.5. That's where mine is set for bedroom and stage (mic'd).
Hi Wylie, thanks for watching. Yes you'll have to turn it down if you want to drive this to breakup otherwise it is LOUD! All the best, Neil
Exactly where i set mine,i use 2 in stereo with 2 more speaker cabs.So 4 12's and duel heads.Awsome sound.
Amen that's my sweet spot too on my cannabis rex blues jr.
I find that setting tames the spring reverb overtones and allows higher levels too.
@@jadonx I just tried the settings from the video and was shocked how much I could hear the reverb overtones.
So simple, but really is the best advice for this amp! I have owned three of these due to selling to get bigger amps, just played my first live show using this truck and it killed it, cut right thru the mix without a mic, thx!
Hey Scott, thanks for watching and glad that you found it useful!! Enjoy the amp!! All the best, Neil
Was getting super frustrated trying to get a nice tone out of my BJ III leading up to my first proper paid gig. This tip sorted me right out and had a great gig because of it. Thanks heaps mate!
Hey Glen, thanks for watching. So glad it helped and you had a great gig! Long may it continue! All the best, Neil
@Glen Kilpatrick now look up Bill M. Blues Jr mods and you'll be set.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try. I love my Blue Jr IV, but it is a really loud amp. Years ago I had a Blues Deville (or Deluxe, whichever one is bigger), and I sold it because I couldn’t play thru it at the house. When I bought this Jr, I had hoped it would actually have a little less umph. Anyhow, I’ve been riding both the volume and master volume in an effort to get time while not driving my family nuts. I hope your full Master is the answer I’m looking for. Thanks!
Terrific "trick." I was having troubles with volume on my church's Blues Junior IV this last Thursday, and I could not figure out what was wrong. It's a shared amp so other people have moved the settings here and there. Now, though I suspect that most of the volume/tone suck was coming from a defective, VERY long instrument cable going into my pedalboard from the amp, I applied your suggested settings Sunday morning during rehearsal (along with a new, much shorter instrument cable) and I've never heard such glorious tones coming out of it before! I only took the the Master up to 10, put the Volume at about half past 2 and it was amazing! Never sounded so good during the church services as it did yesterday morning. Thank you!
Hi there Elagua! Thanks for watching, really glad to hear that this worked for you and that you found new life in the amp. As you mention, a long cable will add capacitance and resistance to the guitar signal which will usually manifest itself in roll off of high frequencies. Great stuff, enjoy the amp :)
Power tube singing tone is where it’s at! Pedals for Fuzz/Dirt, yes! I picked up a Tweed Deluxe 5e3 Clone for this very reason. I run it “low” volume, turn down guitar volume to clean it up a bit and add in pedals for gain. Dynamic singing tone.
Hi there and thanks for watching, glad to hear that it is working for you. All the best, Neil
That live recording is not only superb but the guitar and amp sounds beautiful!
Great tip, I find most people get too icepicky of a tone from the blue junior without thinking of running the master high and channel low(something about how the bright cap works) also it’s ok to run the treble at 2-3 if that’s what sounds good! I use mine with the bass and mid almost at 0 with good results
True! I've always done that in my BJ. I like a clean SRV-Hendrix-Mayer tone and I found out that the best way to achieve it is by leaving the Master all the way up and then just turn the Volume up or down.
David Alvarado Guitar
Hi and God bless!!! Sorry to bother you but do you use the FAT switch ON or OFF?
Istvan De Jesús I leave it always ON
David Alvarado Guitar
I appreciate your reply.
@@istvandejesus You are welcome!
I have a Jr IV. I do love the tone you are achieving at 12. The question is, how would you toggle into a clean tone for chicken-scratch funk? Can you just cut the volume at your guitar?
I would as you say reduce the volume of your guitar. Hope that helps!
I totally endorse this tip. I run my BJ (Texas Red version) the same way with the master volume always on 12 and control the volume using the normal volume control normally between 1-3 depending on the size of the room I am in. The amp sings and takes pedals really well.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for your message! Glad to know it is working for you too!! It is a great amp and as you say, takes pedals really well....and is loud!! All the best, Neil
such a simple trick with a huge difference when I started doing that it was like I got new amp great tip
Thanks for watching Gary, glad it worked for you!! All the best, Neil
I have been using mine for 8 years or more and have never tried this before .....THANKS !
8 years!! Awesome! Hopefully it works for you! All the best and thanks for watching! Neil
Good tip, I've always set the master up/preamp down on all the tube amps I've used. It just makes the thing sing and be more sensitive to picking attack.
Of course, you may not be able to dial in an overdriven preamp at sensible volumes! Stick a overdrive pedal in then preamp down/master up, it still sounds better than turning the master volume down/preamp up.
Hey Moe, thanks for watching. Glad to hear someone else is doing the same thing! All the best, Neil
Thank you so much man, I had a gig on Saturday night and my tone sucked, was first gig with this amp, this is going to help me so much!!
No worries, glad to help and good to see that you are out there able to gig again!
@@NeilSpencerBruce lucky for us in new Zealand we have never stopped gigging, wr haven't really had any lockdown, everything here is pretty normal
@@anthonymclaughlin6164 You guys certainly got it right, unlike here on Plague Island! Glad to hear you are still out there gigging!
Thumbs up! I do the same thing, but I run my master volume at eight. When I do this at home, I have to keep the input volume at one or two, and when I play at church, the input is at six. A friend modified the circuit, so it is much more like a Vox, chimey and overdriven when I really dig in.
Hi Jeffrey, that is so cool, what was the mod that you had done? Be interested to hear more about it! All the best, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce I wish I knew, lol. I’ve got a friend who is an amp builder/tech, and he came up with his own mods after studying the schematic. He sees the blues jr as essentially a “Fenderized” AC15, with a few value changes. He made changes in caps, etc, which took it into Matchless Lightning territory. Chimey, bright, glassy. It really lets the EL84s shine.
That sound aweome, you got the secret sauce!! I’ll have to investigate further!!
I love my blues junior but it is bonkers loud. I agree this is the way to get the best out of it for me.
Oh yes it can be loud :)
I do this with all my valve amps with a master, it brings the amp to Life, even recommend it for the boss katanas. It's killer for jcm 800s
Hi there! It certainly does (even if it is VERY loud sometimes!)
Thanks so much - had thought about selling my Blues Jr. III but no more. Now it is a whole new amp and has much better tone!!!
Hi Stuart, thanks for watching. Glad to have been of assistance, the BJ is a great little amp!
Wow I’m so glad I found this. I was always under the impression that lower master and higher volume would equal a cleaner tone, but it seems like it’s the other way around….
Pleasure, thanks for watching!
Hmmm interesting.. I have run my Volume at 10 & Master at 3 or 4 for many years and absolutely love that as my default tone. Which is clean but starts to overdrive beautifully when digging in a bit harder with the pick. Though my Blues Junior 1 does have a celestion vintage 30 & a mod kit installed..
Nice one!! Sounds like a great set up!
Thanks so much, watched this clip sunday morning, played out sunday night and yes, the Blues Junior truly sang. You are a generous man sharing this information.
Thanks you so much for your kind words! Glad to have been of assistance and more importantly glad to hear your amp sang :)
Also good to have the eq at zero when start setting. You can have the master full (as it should be) and a good amount of volume. There should be just a faint of signal... Then you start opening the eq controls until the volume is adequate. That gives the best tone with most of the circuitry open.
@@user-ly8pm2pc7z yes, I am thinking from a perspective of using it with the harmonica. With master open and some volume, having all the EQ open means screaming feedback with a microphone. So the idea is to subtract like you said to the point the signal is shunt to ground, and then add a bit of of each freq.
This works so well on my Blues IV ! Thanks for the tip!
Glad it worked for you!! Fantastic!
this was great, any tipos for turning the amp on/off safely and properly? tnhx so much
Hey, thanks for watching and your kind words! Good question, the BJ doesn't have a stand by switch, and it always worried me to begin with, but I have been gigging with this amp for nearly 10 years now, it has been thrown around, had sound limiters cut the power, run off dodgy generators, had the power pulled out by accident, thrown in a freeze car boot after a gig and it still keeps going, so I don't even worry about that now. All the best, Neil
Ya. As with any tube amp, you shouldn’t turn it on and off (and on again) within a short timespan. It’s not good for the tubes. If it would be off for ten minutes, you should just leave it on.
@@andrewp2699 I agree with this. Having said that, as I mentioned in my previous comment, in the gigging world power comes and goes when you least expect it (especially at gigs with sound limiters). Whilst I am ultra careful with my amp (s), I have found that the BJ and it's tubes are pretty robust.
aaaaaaaa.... very smart, I will try this tmr when the house is not sleeping, thanks a lot for sharing!!!
Hi there, thanks for watching! good luck trying this out (yes best when the house is awake!( let me know how you get on!
The various issues of the Blues Junior sound quite a bit different. Fender have used at least four different loudspeakers in various issues. On the issue 1 Blues Juniors the Reverb send and return is after the Master volume. If you max your Master you tend to get a lot of noise and hum from the reverb. The Blues Junior III shown here sounds a lot brighter than the preceding issues because it has the 'sparkle' mod. Fender removed a high frequency filter capacitor that is fitted across the Master volume on previous issues.
Good tip. I was thinking of buying one of these for a low-level home amp but I think I might need to reconsider! I wish Fender included power attenuation on some of their valve amps like Marshall do. I may need to choose a Marshall Origin or DSL instead for that reason. Anyway... did you ever do the follow-up video about valve amp power ratings that you mention around 2.20? I've looked through all your videos but couldn't find one.
HI there, thanks for watching. Yes it is a shame that they don't have power scaling, but even my Marshall Origin is pretty loud at the lowest setting (just distorts easier). I haven't done a follow up, thanks for reminding me!! I will add it to the list! All the best, Neil
Just received my used Blues Junior, says it was built in 2018 and has a Jensen speaker in it. Doesn't say "Blues Junior IV" , just, "Blues Junior." Maybe it's a upgrade model?
Tried your trick with the master volume and you're right, sounds fantastic!
Hi David, congratulations on your amp. Not sure which that is, I think there is a site you can search using the serial number and it will give you the model. All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Thanks, good idea. I'll look it up. And again thanks for the great tip!
@@davideskelin8266 No worries, stay safe!
Yours is the NOS model. It's a vintage style model.
@@michaelcoker5370 Thank you, that helped. Put all that and serial number in search and found it is a Vintage 1954, manufactured in 2018.
My birthday is 1954. Also, Amp sounds great! Takes pedals easily, so I'm building my first pedal board.
Hello why wont the fender blues deluxe reissue do this cant get both volumes to work together on the drive cha
Volume on clean
Master on drive they wont play together for some reason thats what fender did with this
If you could set the mast like the jr be much better any tips to change it
Thank you
Eddie 😎🎸
I do the same with my silverface master volume super reverb. It sounds amazing. Great tip!
Hey Chris, nice one! And thanks for watching!
Bro thanks alot for this tip been using my for a couple of years and I've never heard it sound so good... iam gonna start taking it out more often
Thanks for watching! Glad you found it useful!! All the best, Neil
Do they use linear pots for the vol and gain controls? Audio pots give a more usable sweep.
Thanks a big lot for your videos on this particular amp - I bought myself the same model and am more than happy with it! I found the lacquered tweet version with the Jensen speaker with its crisp sound much more appealing than the regular, black one. I really love that clean sound with the master control high and the volume low. But as I don't use pedals I'm really delighted of the dirtier, crunchy sound created by the opposite position with high volume and low master. I totally agree that more than 2 or 3 on the knob is ear killing in normal rooms... Thanks a lot again!
Hi there and thanks for watching! Glad to hear you have found your sweet spot with the amp and enjoy!
What would happen if you did the reverse and cranked the preamp volume knob to 12, and kept the master power tubes) volume knob low?
You would get a very overdriven or at that point distorted tone. This is how you would achieve preamp distortion at home levels.
@@NeilSpencerBruce Thanks for the tip! :)
@@MMMMatt No worries! Thanks for watching!
I always had a solid state amp not by choice,but price and the fender did it good. Tube amps like the AC15 I wanted due to my teacher having one. Anyway after 22 yrs I finally got a tube amp blues jr.IV
15-watt at the was upset thinking more watt better sound oh how wrong was I. I had a create 100 bass a map my amp was on 3V and 4M
I could hear anything but blues. I LOVED and realized why many love tubes no matter the wattage tubes can go "PLUS ULTRA
I just got a Blues Junior IV FSR with Celestion Creamback, and setting it to 10-12 really works,
but is it safe for power tubes to have them dimmed all the time? I dont want to shorten their life alot.
Especially that setting my BJ volume and master to half, and turning the amp on ~20-30 minutes before
playing makes it sound almost the same as diming only the master, but makes the amp more usable,
because the amp is set clean and just before breakup, it works great with pedals, and fat switch
boosts the gain to breakup/overdrive. (i have treble at 7, bass at 4 and middle at 5, but this settings depend on a speaker i guess)
I have to mention that Fender claims that volume (gain) knob is different in BJ4 so it's breaking up later,
and people checked measured power tubes and it seems that they are working less hot this time.
Hi Lucas, thanks for watching! Yes running power tubes can shorten their life a bit but as they are replaceable parts I am not too concerned, also I don't run it like this all the time. Mostly when in the studio. Good luck with your new amp, it sounds great! all the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce thanks for the reply, can you tell me, with a moderate 3-5 times a week use for 1-2 hours, how long will power tubes last and,
how much their life shortens if i would run master volume on 10-12 instead of 6-7? (i use torpedo captor reactive load)
HI Lucas, unfortunately that would be very hard to tell and give you an answer. It is a bit like lightbulbs, how long will they last is anyone's guess. I would suggest given your description of your usage that you wouldn't have much to worry about, I would class that as light-mid usage for sure. If in doubt, (And when using the torpedo load) I would say do your recordings and then just turn the master down until you are ready to do some more.
Yeah thats a good one. Tried it today and blew my power tubes in 10 minutes. Dont know if the tubes were in bad condition or what... Well anyway how long is your power tubes' lifetime in they are cranked all the time?
Hi Kalle, thanks for watching and I am sorry to hear that your power tubes blew. Whilst this method will shorten the life of your tubes (When compare to just using them), I have not had any problem with mine and I last changed them about 2-3 Years ago. I have been gigging with this amp most weeks and no issue. POssibily your tubes might have been on the way out. Hope that you get it working again, All the best, Neil
I’m late to the party but just wanted to share my overall agreement with this. I run my Blues Jr at max master and adjust pre-amp volume to suit. My dirt / gain comes from my pedal board, which contains a Thorpy Fat General compressor (always on), a Keeley Super Phat overdrive (for light gain and thickness) and a Friedman Dirty Shirley for boost and more overdrive. Sounds great. The amp takes pedals really well considering there’s no send/return. What was crucial to me was that I changed the stock Jensen (in itself pretty good but too bright and trebly for my taste) to a Celestion Creamback, which takes off all the spiky edges and has a unique presence and character
Thanks for sharing your setup, you have some nice pedals there! I think I might have to try a speaker change at somepoint!
@@NeilSpencerBruce Hi Neil. The Creamback sounds much better than the Jensen to my ears...such a unique presence, great low end, transparent mids and a really smooth high end. Cannot recommend highly enough. My main gigging amp is a fully loaded Lazy J20, which is world class but I prefer to use the Blues Jr in certain situations
@@psykobilly8430 Hopefully picking one up very soon!
problem with doing this is the noise floor becomes really high, turn the master down to halfway and the noise returns to acceptable levels. Also amplifies pedal noise massively. Im now going back to running master about half way at most.
I came to the exact same conclusion on my Blues Junior IV. It makes my Tube Screamer scream.
100% agree. BJ preamp is not the best so the trick is lesser pre amp and more power amp. BJ stock speaker is also not the best and can’t handle much low end and falls apart and start to make a fart noise. I replaced my speaker with V30 style speaker and using it with Keeley modem DS-1 into Digitech Bad Monkey (one of my favourite tube screamer with low knob!) and I set both high and low knobs to the max and push the fat switch on and max the bass knob on the amp. The result is a Marshall distorted sound out of BJ amp. Then I turn off DS-1 and get a high end Fender amp sound. I had lots of people approaching me after the gig and ask me how do I get such a big fat loud sound out of this amp!
Nice one, that sounds like a great set up!
Yup you are correct Sir.. I use it exactly like that most folks are the opposite.. ohh no the power tubes are where the best distortion lives... I'm not a pedal fan it's in the fingers not a "dirt box" pedal... Guitar-cord-amp simplicity won't hide or disguise the mistakes! I believe it puts honesty back into the electric Guitar... Haters be damned!
Thanks for watching. Honesty indeed, I totally agree with that. Simplicity is good! All the best, Neil
Leave the master volume on 12.... agree... specially for clean tones! I only use master to reduce volume when practicing with amp overdrive... otherwise, I keep the master on 12! People, this is an important tip
Hi there Tung, thanks for watching. thanks for your kind words. All the best, Neil
You are absolutely right, it makes a world of difference even when you restrict the input level to play at low volumes. I have analysed the circuit electronically and still cannot explain exactly why this happens. Really the master volume control seems a waste of space. Another thing worth noting is that, compared to other Fender valve amps, Fender have changed the value of one coupling cap to massively roll off the bass response.
Hi Terry, thanks for watching and your comment. All the best, Neil
Did you notice any measurable difference in power going to the tubes when you increased the volume and decreased the master volume? What in the circuit besides the tubes could account for cleaner sound? I did take electronics classes in my 3rd year of engineering school...but all I remember is a "wheatstone bridge"...and I can't even remember what that's for!
I wonder if you had a laser thermometer and measured tube temp in the two different settings...would there be a difference?
Honest question, if you’re just leaving the master volume cranked the whole time, why not just buy a Pro Jr.?
Because the blues junior is a superior amp for all his usage scenarios given it has a proper EQ, the fat switch and reverb? Is that even a question? Why to save like or even less $100, what is he a kid?
Hi Bill, thanks for watching. Good question! Firstly, I don't have the master cranked all the time and it can be handy to have it there when it is needed. The Pro JR is a great amp as well, but I also like a 12" speaker, the flexible EQ and Reverb. Both great, I chose the BJ to fit my needs. Stay safe!
Spencer Bruce Many thanks. I keep trying to decide between a Blues Jr., Pro J r. with a 12” speaker or Princeton with a 12”. Something about the Pro Jr. keeps luring me back, but I do want the master volume.
@@billgreen3629 The point is that he cranks the master volume while keeping the preamp volume low thus getting all the creaminess at low volume. This is a scenario that you cannot reproduce with a pro jr and its single volume knob. I'm telling you this because it is a matter of what you want/need and you need to think of your usage scenarios. IMO these amps are not comparable. The pro jr. is a great gigging amp or if you live alone in a spacious house and then again this is debateable. I have both. Since I moved to an apartment I haven't used the pro jr. at all because in order for it to sound good you need to tear the paint off the walls. IMO a master volume amp is much more versatile and there is just so much more you can do including reverb in a blues jr and tremolo in a vox ac15, that the price differene makes either the ac15 or the blues jr. a no brainer.
@@billgreen3629 No worries. It is a really tough choice, Princeton is amazing also!! (Sorry that doesn't help!) Good luck and let us know which one you choose!
Thanks for the tip. Is there any danger of maxing the master volume? Can it harm your amp?
Hi there, thanks for watching. The only danger as such is that it will put a bit more wear on the life of the power amp tubes. You may need to replace them sooner than if run with less power. All the best, Neil
Works like a treat. Even if you can't crank it all the way up to 12 (because of home use volume issues) get that master up as high as you can and gently raise the volume. It gets rid of a lot of the "boxiness" and drive pedals will work better!
It certainly does, to me it is almost like a different amp then when the master is set low and the volume cranked up. All in all though it really is a great little workhorse amp. For what I do, it is the perfect blend of size, volume and tone.
Hi !! Good vid as I was wanting one of these to downsize from a vox that weighs a ton. I need a amp for bigger stages but also pub type gigs, but I’m worried it won’t have enough poke? What do you reckon it’s equivalent in decent volume to solid state amp please?
Hey Justin, thanks for watching. Will you be mic'd up on the bigger stages? It is difficult to draw parallels with Solid State amps as there are a ton of variables, but it would hold it's own I feel with a 50 -60w SS amp. All the best, Neil
what about adding a EQ pedal with volume control, will that help The JR more bedroom friendly
Hi Rob, the idea of this video is that if you open the Master volume up there is no resistance in the circuit (the Volume control is basically a resistor), this ‘seems’ to me to make the amp breathe more. The downside is that you have to put the volume control very low. So in theory you could control the volume from an EQ pedal in front of the amp, but you would need to be mindful of your gain staging and the effect that this might have in level which hits the input of the amp. Certainly worth a try and if I get a moment I will see what effect it has and if it works well! Thanks for watching!
I use a drz attenuator with this to crank it but still have a bedroom volume
That certainly is an opton! Nice one!
Great tip sir!
Thanks for watching!
Blues Jr. Master:12, Volume:5-6 = Fender Reverb Deluxe sweet spot tone
I have a new Blues Junior IV, and I've just gotta put this out there- any time I crank it up, it smells like burning sugar... it smells really great! Yeah, yeah, I know- "Sweet!" There- I said it first...
Seriously- it's coming from the tubes area in the back, and it smells hot and sweet... how cool is that?? : )
Anyone else??
Hi Shibumi, thanks for watching! Wow that is a new one on me! I am not sure what is causing it or if you should be worried, it might be just the hot values and the 'new amp smell' that you get from the packaging!
May I ask if it still does that?
Can you still get a clean sound when the master is at 12?
Hi Steven, yes you can with the volume down low enough. I would say that is it not a crystal clear clean like a twin, but I use it for my cleans. Thanks, Neil
I agree diming the MV and having the volume on 3-5 does bring out the best in the BJ. But... at a cost. Since doing it my power tubes are frying. Replacing them every few months!! Does noone else have that?
Hi Spencer, thanks for watching. I do agree that this will shorten the life of power tubes, but I wouldn't have expected that much wear on them. I gig with this amp weekly and the majority of the time I am doing using this method (sometimes even with the volume on 1-2 it can be too loud for some venues!) and the last time I replaced my Power tubes was just over two years ago. Not sure that helps you, if you are getting significant wear, you might need to check the biasing. Good luck, Neil
I just bought one today that’s the first thing I tried lol and was like I love this amp. used a tele so far in through some fuzz mmmmmmm fuzzz
Awesome and welcome to the club!!
Mine is very clean with master volume up to 12. Or 8-10. I would do that only with a dirt pedal. Some guitarist in rock bands use a semi-dirty tone as a "clean" and then use a dirt pedal for a pronounced overdrive. That's what I do and that involves using some pre-amp distortion, not tons but noticeable. I don't think all Blues Juniors have the same cleans all things being equal.
Thanks for that tip. I play blues but only play at home. I’d really love to get this amp but some people have put me off it by saying it’s too load for home use. Would your tip mean I’d actually be able to use it at home and get great tones by keeping the input volume low but master at 12? Hopefully that’s the case as I had my heart set on getting this amp.
Hi there, thanks for watching. It can be a loud amp, but the problem with ‘loud’ is that is very subjective and difficult to know what is loud to someone may not be loud to someone else. You can certainly use this amp at home without annoying the neighbours, and you can use this tip (but you would have the volume very very low). There maybe some other amps which might be more suitable if you feel that your idea of loud is actually quite quiet. Hope that help!! All the best, Neil
Thanks for your helpful reply Neil. I’ve decided I’m going ahead and will get this amp. Having it reasonably loud to get a good tone at home won’t be an issue I’m sure, and I’ll use your tip. Think if I got another amp I might regret it at some point and wish I’d got the Blues Junior! Thanks again. Cheers Joe.
Hi Joe, no worries. Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions! All the best, Neil
I have this bjr tweed at home and can keep it low and clean. Wife and son never complain
I just bought the Blues Junior LTD Tweed amp, it says PR-295 on the plate but I'm pretty sure it's called the Blues Junior III. The price was reduced to $539 due to the IV coming out at $599. You can use it at home, I'm just a hobby player. So again, you can use it at 12 master volume, 2 volume and it's normal. But turn volume up to 5 and your ears will bleed..and it's crystal clear beautiful tone! The reverb is a mechanical one and it sounds funny so of you really like reverb, there are better options. But I'm not a huge fan even when it sounds good. I like clean and distortion, both of which this amp does perfectly. I can't say enough about the "Fat" circuit on this baby...aka distortion, it's SICK! Not the fat button and crank some ac/dc, oh boy, sounds incredible! Buy one, you won't be disappointed! Your wife might not be so happy though!
Hi Neil! Great demo man! I have a question for You. If i put the Master on 12 the amp becomes very loud if i want to play crunch. Usually lm playing with fuzz pedals and fuzzes plays better when the amp is cranked (crunch) . But Fuzz pedals likes to be First on the chain. What is You suggestion on this? How can i play crunch and use my fuzz? Place an od First for example? Or put down the Master and increase the Volume knob? Thanks
Hi there Panagiotis, thanks for watching and your kind words. Yes if you do this the amp is now much louder and you have to control it via the pre-amp gain (volume) control. This means that the amp stays pretty clean at lower volumes. So this might not be the best for you, I would say in this case, reduce the master and then increase the volume. All the best, Neil
True story.... good advice...
Thanks for watching and your kind words!
Thanks for the info! Can't wait to give it a try.
Good luck and thanks for watching!
awaiting mine, but sounds like I want to follow the lead!
You'll love it when it turns up! Enjoy!
Yep the old crank the master trick. Your also gonna get that early break up that Deluxe Reverb and Princeton's tend not to give unless you crank them up. Great little amp!!
Hi Jimi, couldn't agree more!! All the best, Neil
Hi Neil, I recently replaced all of the tubes and fuse, and am still having a volume problem with my Blues Jr. I had to replace it because I had blown the fuse after a long recording session and I plugged in a synthesizer to it without checking power output requirements... I think I might have blown the speaker or something. I have the same exact amp you have, have you ever run into this problem?
A very useful trick! I’ve messed around with ever control except the master volume, never struck me to do so! Where do you set the EQ levels on this amp?
Hi there, thanks for watching. Hope this trick works for you! I have my eq roughly set as follow B 3-4 M 4-5 T 3-4 Hope that helps.
Wow. Wish I had known this years ago when I I was gigging with my Jr. But I know it now. LOL Thanks for a great tip, Neil.
No worries, glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching!
Thanks. I does work.
Hey Reinaldo, glad it worked for you!! Thanks for watching! All the best, Neil
Works amazing ! Thanks
No worries, thanks for watching!
Yeah, exactly so! I happened to come to this way of setting the amp just by accident some time ago and I haven't gone back to the "normal" way ever since. Cranking the power amp makes the BJ dynamic and sensitive to the touch in a way that's really satisfying. I guess I haven't set the preamp volume beyond 3 since (which actually still tends to be way too loud on rehearsals, even with a single coil guitar) and I more than ever control the finer nuances of volume and tone with the guitar's controls. Doing so the sound is completely satisfying, you really feel it under your fingers and it cuts through the mix way better than the sort of "fizzy" preamp compression you get by dialing in 9 or 10 on the "normal"/"Volume" control and then going to 5 or 6 on the Master.
If you want some dirt on the sound you have to throw in the overdrive pedal of your choice, however. Works like a charm and retains the dynamic of the cranked power amp. You're possibly right about the Jensen speaker - I'd guess it sounds really nice and "Fenderish" at a clean low volume, but it actually might seem a bit too bright when you really kick the amp. I've personally gone for an Eminence Swamp Thang which does a great job in my otherwise standard BJ III.
Thanks for your message and for watching the video! Glad to know that someone else out there finds that this works well!! As you say, it is difficult to go back to ‘normal’ after having done this. Also yes, I find between 2-3 on the volume pot can start to become too loud for most gigs that I do. I run overdrive pedals for my overdrive into this lovely sounding ‘cranked’ amp!! Think I might have to try another speaker! Thanks again, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce Celestino Vintage 30 or Alnico Cream
Where do you plug a pedal into this amp. I just bought one a week ago and all it has it one input jack. I’m a beginner player so please forgive the dumb question
Hi James, you plug your guitar cable into the 'input' of the pedal and then take the 'output' of the pedal (with another lead) and plug this into the input of the amp. Hope that helps, Neil
Thx man. Sorry for the not so smart question.
@@jamesc6137 No worries. Hope you got it sorted.
Have you played the roland blues cube? i've always wanted the blues junior because its the "real" thing, but i'm afraid it will be limited at lower volumes (bedroom volume)..
Hi Marcus, I have only had the briefest of plays in a shop, and I did here a great demo workshop with Alex Hutchins, it does sound great. I think you may get a bit more milage from an amp like the Clues Cube if you will be mostly playing at bedroom volume...although you can use the BJ at bedroom volume of course but yo might struggle with this advice. Good luck, all the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce You should totally make a "bedroom volume" video with the blues jr (maybe with compressor/overdrive pedals or whatever can be used to increase tone at lower volume) :D There are so many people asking this question on the forums and so few videos on youtube. But yeah, i guess i'll have to order one of each and then compare them. Thanks! :)
@@marcusfsproductions I will do this in the next couple of days. Watch this space!
@@marcusfsproductions Here you go th-cam.com/video/0gqWZh_Wb1I/w-d-xo.html hope you found this useful. If you could share to the forums asking the question, that would be great! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce well that is simply just amazing! I'm just gonna get one of these.. now the question is whether it should be the tweed (iii) the the black (IV)... haha
Thanks for the Tips!!! Short and to the point! I own a deluxe reverb but I bought a blues junior and I’m in love with the amp. This amp truly sings and it’s lighter than my deluxe.
No worries, thanks for watching. Deluxe is a lovely amp, I have a custom 68, but the BJ gets a lot of love (and is lighter!) :)
Just bought this amp and wanna check if you have a similar problem to me at all. If you have your master on full, and volume at about 3 or 2. And then turn your reverb on full, can you hear the buzz of your reverb? And the buzz gets louder or quieter in tandem with you turning the reverb up and down? Please let me know because it’s driving me crazy I can’t remember if it’s always been there or if this is a new problem
Hi there, thanks for watching. I have not had this problem, one thing you might want to try is making sure that the connection to the reverb is okay, just check one of the wires hasn’t come loose. Let me know how you get on.
Neil Spencer Bruce I tried this and there’s still a buzz, I believe it’s because of the nature of how a spring reverb amplifies it’s sound and it picking up the frequencies of the tubes and whatever electrical circuitry is happening inside the amp, and so when I turn up the volume of the reverb I’m further amplifying those sounds
@@SantanaSasquatch not sure what to suggest at the moment. I have just switched mine on and whacked everything up to max and have no issues what so ever. Do you have your guitar plugged in as well?
Neil Spencer Bruce So with your master at 12 and volume say at 3, no plug in or anything ease in your reverb in and out top volume to low and there’s no buzz that increases and decreases in volume as you turn up and down the reverb whatsoever?
And your amp doesn’t buzz louder when your master is on 12?
can you tell me what you favorite drive pedals are with the blues junior? Also, since it has no fix loop, do you run into issues running delays in front of the amp the way you set it? Great video and great tone!
Hi Jason! Great questions! How long have you got? :) The Blues Junior takes pedals very well and I am sure you will get lots of different answers to this questions, but from my drive collection I have always loved the sound of the following pedals Boss BD-1, Boss SD-1, Ibanez Tubescreamer, Fulltone Plumsoul and my recent favourite the MXR Shin Juku drive. Talking about distortion it is the Suhr Riot all the way! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce +1 on the Riot! +1 on all those imo.
It also seems to like my ProCo RAT and Vick Audio V-2 (similar pedals, but I set them up to sound different for different occasions/songs, etc).
AC Booster, Crowther Hotcake, and Fulltone OCD are a winning combination with this amp. I ran the AC after the OCD and it ripped. OCD currently off the board because I'm using a germanium Fuzz upfront, a Tapestry Audio Fab Suisse & Vfe Blues King for a "VST" (Very Specific Tone - like a makeshift KOT) my AC Booster and the RAT or V2 = my gain staging sorted. Don't need the OCD, but that OCD>AC really works.
I have a lot of pedals but I don't have a problem...oh look, a new Bluesbreaker clone I think I'll buy that...:)
@@mattgilbert7347 I hear you! Keep buying the pedals, you have a great collection there!!
Awesome tip. Will definitely try this. How are your BMT knobs set? Does this work with a LP?
Thanks for your kind words! IT is worth a go for sure! Mine are usually set like this B 2/3 M 7 T 3/4 Works well with LP style guitars, I would usually increase the treble a bit in that case. Hope that helps
Neil Spencer Bruce this works a treat! Feel like I have a new amp and my guitar seems more alive and less muddy! Thank you so much 🤘
No problem, so glad to hear it worked for you :) That is great news!!
This worked really well for my clean tones but not for my od or distortion.
Thanks for watching, glad you found that it worked. For OD or Distortion, you might find that you want to back off on the gain on your pedals.
Thanks for the tip. So how do you feel about replacing the stock reverb tank with a MOD reverb tank? Cheers.
I am not a big reverb guy and I tend to use the TC Hall of Fame or the Reverb from my Nova System or Helix rather than the reverb (which is fine.)
Cool, thanks for the reply.
I removed the reverb from mine and use the Flint by Strymon
Which speaker do you have in yours?
Hi Tom, thanks for watching. IT is the standard Jensen which came with this model. No changes made. Thanks, Neil
thank u what about fat boost
Hey Neil, thank you for the tips, I Just got a Tweed Jr Blues amp, still fidgeting with the settings for different tones. I do have a question regarding adding pedals. I've got a T9 tube screamer into a big muff and Danelctro Dan Echo pedal. However, without even kicking on the Dan Echo I get this chirping noise, like an alien is in my amp. Then when I kick on the big muff and or tube screamer it sounds like the ocean is crashing through. I've checked my cables, taken out pedals in the chain and ran them direct, no help. Any thoughts on what might be causing this, find myself running it clean most of the time because of the pedal noise?
Hi Jim, thanks for that. Congratulations on your amp. That is a really tricky one without hearing the noise. Do you have the guitar volume up? Are you daisy chaining the pedals together? If you want, send me a short recording of the sound to my email, I’ll try and diagnose it a bit further.
The effects chain is more controllable with Guitar-Big Muff-Tube Screamer -Delay-Amp. That’s squealing should go away.
I'm a bit backwards. I've always thought of the master as a distortion control. Brink up the pre section, dime the master back and you got yourself nice rock tones. Reverse the process and you get your cleans. Lol same thing. Nice vid mate
Hi Bluski! Thanks for watching! I like your way of thinking, same thing different way of looking at it!! Awesome :)
Holy motha@#%! 🤘🏽will have to redial the eq section now though, so much more control for tones on the guitar as well. Or at least it feels that way. Thanks a million!
Nice one! Thanks for watching! Glad you found it useful! Boom!!
Great video
Hi Stan, thanks for watching, glad you found it useful. All the best, Neil
I crank my volume and use my master as volume control. I get a real nice bite out of her that way. And use the volume on my guitar for a cleaner sound I turn it down a bit. If I want more bite I turn the volume on the guitar back up. Sounds fantastic. And I use no pedals. Just amp and guitar. All I need.
That is also a great way to run the amp, like you say it is very versatile!!
Hi Neil. I am new to your chanel ,I recently bought a Boss Katana amp, but i find i am not getting on with it at all. I am amazed at all the great reviews,but it just dosent do it for me. its loud but digital sounding . I have the chance of buying a used Blues jnr 3 like yours in black . I play in a fairly loud 10 piece covers band similar (but not as good) as yours,and was wondering if it would be loud enough to gig with unmiked mostly,and miked for larger venues. Also, what stomp boxes work well with this amp. Thanks Tony.
HI Tony, welcome to the channel and thanks for watching. I also had a Katana which was a great little amp at home, but when I gigged with it i just couldn't get it to work for me so I sold it. I use my Blues Junior 3 with an 8 piece band and have done for about 8 years now. It is loud! It all depends if you need crystal clean, clean tones or some saturation?
I find most pedals work well with the amp, my favourites have been my Boss Sd-1 and Suhr Riot.
All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Many Thanks.
Thank you for this Neil!! I'm between Blues Junior and Pro Junior... what is your opinion?
HI there Thanasis, thanks for watching. Tough call on that, are you gigging mostly or recordings? All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Mostly for recordings in the studio
I would say the Pro Junior might be worth consideration as you can certainly crank it a bit more and get crunchier tones at more lower levels. Downside is the slightly limted EQ compared to the BJ. Personally I'd probably get the BJ as is bit more of a flexible all rounder. But it is a tough question.
@@NeilSpencerBruce Thank you for your help!
@@saz123ful No worries, let me know what you decide ;)
Hey Neil. You are a great player and thanks for sharing your gear info. I have a BJ ii. Tried changing the speaker and such, but it was still really boxy. The MV maxed helped, but... I modded it within in inch of it's life. I combined Bill M mods with Frommel mods. Upgraded all the big caps to F&T. Put in a Jensen speaker. Let's just say I have no problem getting a very convincing Mark Knopfler tone now. I'm still learning the amp, but I'm pretty happy so far. I've never play clean so much without playing an acoustic. lol. Cheers and thanks for your wisdom!
Hey there and thanks for your kind words about my playing. Glad to hear you are getting the tone you want. It is a small cab sometime adding a larger one can help. All the best, Neil
Can I ask what on the nut of your guitar
Hi Tom, it is a string damper to reduce strings ringing out, useful for when tapping etc amzn.to/2DIzhFr Hope that helps, Neil
I have BJ 1 that buzzes, had it repaired but the tech could not get rid of the buzz. What could it be?
Difficult to tell without hearing exactly what the buzz sounds like or where it is coming from. Is it constant? What happens if you unplug the guitar>
NOTE: Fender manual says the opposite...
VOLUME: Adjusts preamp gain. Increase the volume setting to produce more distortion and sustain. Use lower volume settings to produce cleaner sounds.
MASTER: Adjusts the overall volume output of the amplifier. Use MASTER to adjust the volume of the amplifier after you have set VOLUME (B) for the desired level of preamp distortion.
Hi Romeo, thanks for watching. Yes what the manual says is correct, but that is not what I am say. I am talking about how if you use the Master volume you are introducing a resistive load into the circuit. Therefore you are having an impact on the signal passing through, if you leave the volume open you are allowing the signal to pass through uneffeted by the load in the potentiometer.
You can not get real distorted tones using this method UNLESS you use an overdrive or distortion pedal in front of the amp to be the 'preamp' gain. Otherwise your amp would be extremely loud. This method is if you want clean or breakup tones form the blue junior or if you want to hear what your amp sounds like with the circuit fully open.
(Think of the master potentiometer like a light dimmer switch!)
Neil Spencer Bruce
Thanks for clarifying! I’ll give it a try with overdrive pedals. Thanks for sharing this great discovery!
@@romeou4965 No worries, good luck and let us know how you get on! All the best, Neil
Master at 12, middle 6, bass 12, treble 3 volume at least 1 and 1/2....👌
Nice one! I will try that out! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce proper fender clean tone with loads of compression, pedals sound great as well!
@@chrispenny1985 awesome!!
My blues jr. Reverb is doesnt working what can i to do please help
Hi there. It is a bit diffuclt to judge what is going on without seeing but one of the most likely problems is that the cable which connects the reverb to the amp circuit has either come loose, or isn’t working correctly. You can just make sure that the lead is connected and see if that works. all the best, Neil
do you use the fat switch?
Hi Maze, yes I do mostly for solo boosts, I switch it in using an external footswitch. Thanks, Neil
Stupid question that's going to kill me. Can anyone give me the name of the song at 0:45
Hi James thanks for watching. It's Lenny Kravitz are you gonna go my way. Hope that puts your mind at rest :) all the best, Neil
Great tip! My wife thanks you! Haha
Oh dear sorry about that!! :) I think it is worth it though!
@@NeilSpencerBruce TF
L
Ha!! One of the benefits of living alone in a house..I can crank the volume way up till my ears bleed and no complaints! The cat doesn't like it though..🙀
0:09 air guitar face
Oh yeah :)