Fender Blues Jr - A talk about it's attributes and what makes it a great little amp.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2021
- This video talks about the features and sound of the Fender Blues Jr. What makes it the most popular Fender amp we sell, and why it may be the amp for you.
This is literally what every amp video should be. So refreshing. Practical information, no dawdling. Much appreciated.
The Blues Jr is the Swiss Army Knife of Fender amps. It covers a lot of territory and it's easy to use. Great reverb too. Works great with humbuckers or single coils.
Probably the best review I have seen on this amp yet. All the information without the dross.
Great breakdown. Very informative. Thanks for making this.
I love the Blues Jr. I gigged it for about 7 years in a Classic Rock band. I have the tweed with the upgraded Jensen. I also just acquired a Pro Jr. and gigged it this last Saturday ,using a couple pedals. Just amazed on what I got out of that amp. And it's so tiny!
Could ypu share your settings for gigs?
I bought this today. Not disappointed for a nice dirty crunch blues vibe. I keep a folder with sound presets every time I adjust the dials so I don’t have to keep remembering my sound preference especially when tossing in pedals.
Great comment about plugging in the amp. I have had a few negative comments about this on my channel but you are absolutely correct that if you want to hear it you need to go and see one in the flesh.
Mark, i bought a limited Edition hand wired, Blues Jr, from a local music store, for $425 Bucks, in the mid 90's, this thing sounds great, and still works fine, rock on, Cousin Figel
Never heard of a hand-wired BJr ! Are the tubes attached to the circuit board ? Are the caps improved quality ?
I have model 1 USA
Love your videos. Wish I had a local shop like yours 🎸
thanks
Hey Mark. Nice vid, once again.
Great video.
These are absolutely great amps. I've owned a number of Fenders but not the Blues Jr. I will get one for my next amp. They take pedals very well. I'm not a fan of high gain, two channel, never mind three channel amps. One good channel with enough grit to boost with a pedal is all I need.
I have a BJ3 fsr with the hemp speaker…..adore it.
very down to earth review, thank you
Hi, I owned a Blues Jr. 2 years until my power tubes had to be changed. It was a good amplifier, especially for low to mid gain and using fuzz pedals. I agree with some comments and your statement, it is bright. Despite its qualities, I realized after thés two years that I needed an amp with mid to high gain. So once repaired, I shifted to a Marshall DSL 20 and sold my Fender fairly quickly, one very important note: it does not only looks good but it smells good.
Hey Mark hope all is well? I live In Massachusetts but next time I take a trip to NH I would love to come visit and check out your store for sure. Your very detailed about the products you sell and that alone goes a long way with me. I dont like when someone orders something for their store because they heard it was a great item to sell but you seem to know what your selling and what your talking about. Mark Last week I just purchased the brand new Fender Blues Jr IV Western Tolex and its the only one that has the 1x12 Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker in it because it was made exclusively for one music store which I wont mention on here, But like i was saying I live In Massachusetts and during the summer I visit NH a lot and would Love to come check out your store... Great Videos Mark Ive learned a lot from some of the gear you talk about and display so please keep more coming, I really like learning about all types of gear, Thank you Mark.
It’s an amazing little amp, easily loud enough to gig with, the version 4 I’ve got has the bias set from the factory more reasonable than older units, it’s around 17ma… I replaced the Jensen (which is good) with a British Greenback 25 (for smoother low mids and mids) and removed the bright cap to tame some of the high mids… it’s very smooth on cleans and Texas blues, just a very touch sensitive amp and gets plenty of use in the studio… it’s got it’s quarks, but there’s nothing not to like about it…. Did I mention it’s extremely loud, keeps up with a 50w Marshall Plexi 4/12!
I have a Marshall 50W Plexi, I can tell you this little fender (great though it is) will not keep up. Silly comment.
@@keithcarter9396 I have both as well, including an original 100w, and can tell you the 50s track nearly identical in our studios… Mostly we use neither though these days…
@@keithcarter9396 You're wrong
Love it. I'm into my second one. First was a Tweed iii w/Jensen. Now onto a IV with Fromel mods and an Eminence L'il Texas Neo speaker.
The bias is cooler in the IV but still pretty hot. The IV incorporates many of the mods as standard that we did to our old BJ ii and iii amps.
For a great series on the Junior with playing I like Jack Fossett's channel. Really appreciate you NOT playing in this one and giving straight dope on the amp. To be shared with my mates who do need an amp :)
Great amp ❗ i got a used like new blues jr LTD C12N , nothing to compare it to cause it's my first and probably only tube amp , brought it home on rental then bought it out ‼️😉
IMHO the C12N is THE speaker for this amp, hands down
I've been playing a blues jr for about 9 years now. Not sure what series it is except it is a relic model they did for a short time. I bought this amp used from GC. I was not looking for an amp when I found this amp. I tried it out and was blown away by how great it sounded. From a little research, I found the Fender Blonde jr's have a different speaker than the black Tolex models. That speaker makes a big difference in the sound. I kept a black blues jr. for a buddy for about a month and played the two amps side by side and there was a big difference in the sound I highly recommend this amp. The only downside to the jr is the input jack. They put a plastic input jack on the earlier models. I myself as well as others I know have had problems with that input jack. I changed it to a Switchcraft all-metal input jack and have never had another problem with it. I have no idea if they fixed that issue with the newer models. The only mods I did to the amp was change the tubes and the reverb tank. I replaced the reverb tank with a Mojo Tone spring reverb tank and that was a good improvement over the original tank. Great amp!
They definitely have. I have a IV with the Jensen 12.
I also have one of the Special Run Relic Tweed Blues Juniors. I bought mine used in 2008 or 2009. They were a special run exclusive to Guitar Center and they did at least two runs the first was 2006 or 2007 and they did another a year or two after I bought mine.
As far as the different series are concerned. Series 1 were the American made ones from the 90s, Series 2 started with the move to Mexican production in 2000, Series 3 came out in 2010, and Series 4 came out in 2018. So the first run of Relic Tweeds were part of Series 2. I’ve never played a Series 3 or 4 so I don’t know how they compare. I do like the Series 2 Relic Tweed better than the American made ones I’ve played, but it might just be the upgraded speaker that makes me like it better. I also owned an original first year Pro Junior and I always liked it better, but it was stolen in 2014. I replaced it with a 1960 Champ.
These are definitely a future classic, for me it was the gateway to get a Princeton reverb.
they definitely have their place along side the other great Fender Amps.
Man are you DEAD ON on must play it LIVE!
I just bought one yesterday. The label only says Blues Junior LTD (and was manufactured in 2021). Can you tell me if it's an IV? Thanks. Great video.
Thanks Mark for excellent presentation and mature comments (re: Blues Junior Ltd) ... Have one and now appreciate it more... Jensen Speaker ? Great ! (Ha Ha... Not blind in one eye 😜)... Do have some other Brand AMPs too... and None are For Sale ! Shall 'follow' your future (and past) presentations with interest ...☘...
Played the black version 4 in local store side by side to Vox ac10. Really wanted to like the Fender more as I'm a Fender guy but the Vox had it beat by a large margin. What let the Fender down was I found the version 4 spring reverb almost sounded non existent. Wonder if the Tweed version has the "new and improved" reverb. Reverb on the older version 3 bj was much better.
Best review on youtube
I have the version 3...great for rehearsal and open mic nights...also good as a backup for gigs due to it's light weight and small size. In spite of what this guy says it does have op amps powering the reverb.
Pretty sure that particular tweed model had a Jensen C12 in it. Really nice speaker
What is your opinion of Fender's Super Champ XD, XD2 etc....?
I would LOVE to see a video on the actual differences between the Blues Jr. and the Blues Jr.s II, III, and IV. I bought a Blues Jr. back in 2004, and it just says... Blues Jr. on the back. (i.e.. no, II, III, or IV). But I have no idea if my "edition" is considered to be... better... worse... same... or whatever, compared to the subsequent "marks". And what's more... I cannot find a video about this on TH-cam or anywhere. Just... an idea suggestion if you're looking to do another Blues Jr. video. 🙂
That's a good point. We'll see what we can do. Thanks.
Blues JrIV vs Bassbreaker 007 perhaps? I would love to hear your opinion....looking to buy my first tube amp soon. Awesome fuckin vid mate!!
Hi Mark, correction on the 6Ca7. That is a comparison to the EL34 not EL84.😊
yes, I miss-spoke, thanks
bought a Diamond series in '06.
$400 out of a box, otd.
Sure, jumpy bedroom vol (I'd run it in stereo with other amps).
Is this exactly the same as the black version?
I have one. How do i know if its a 4?
I believe that these are great amplifiers if you're going to mike them up to a PA and use pedals upfront. Unless you dime the amplifier out you're not going to get a very good breakup. But they're great for the studio
The first and most important mod is to replace those junk IC filter caps with F&Ts hehe.
Do those overheat I hear the pro jr get hella hot
Had this amp a long time and rarely play it…. It’s so shrill and I liken it to an ice pick in the ear. Recently picked up a Supro Delta King and, imho, it blows away the Blues Jr, and it’s less expensive. I’ve read that swapping the speaker in Blues Jr is a great idea, and for $100 I may consider a Cannabis Rex or something like it.
Lol ok
Changing the speaker does make a big difference. Some Blue Juniors also have a “bright cap” that can be removed to improve things. There is also a simple blackface style mod that can be done on the mid control to improve the range of tones. I agree in stock form it can be icepick like.
I put a Texas heat speaker in mine. It took a lot of that shrillness out of it. I gig the crap out of mine!
@@williamsporing1500 I put in the Texas Heat too!
I put in a Cannibus Rex speaker and that helped a lot.
To help help the shrill, clip C3 capacitor. Open up tone by putting a simple jumper between the middle and left lugs of the mids control. These mods cost $0 and are completely reversible if you don’t like the effect.
Personally I think the BJr sounds better than the Pro and have owned both. Just having a master vol is a huge advantage. Hard to get grind at low volume with the Pro. One simple mod to make a BJr loud af is replacing the speaker with a Ragin Cajun. Huge increase in volume and tone, at least with mine.
How do they pair up with harmonica? I'm in New Zealand they cost $1500 here.
I'd say they're great with harp. especially if you're looking from something small. I guess the exchange rate is a factor as well... They're now $550 USD here.
Are they all the same size jrs????
Modded mine to 6V6 and it woke the amp up, then I sold it when I got my Fender Deluxe Reverb. Save more money and get a Princeton or Deluxe Reverb.
It's a great amp, of course, but i don't understand why they didn't make it with a line out and a send return, and maybe an attenuator as well
Hi Mark! Great video and relevant to me. I just traded a guitar that I never use for a III. I already have a IV. What’s better than a Blues Jr? 2 x Blues Jrs! I haven’t compared them yet. I meant to ask…. Why are the Devilles not respected like a dot dot dot Fender amp? Bye the way I did get an amp box ( JHS) to calm mine down like you suggested. But yeah why would someone say a Deville is not a “ real” Fender amp? If this is too much to answer maybe you can talk about it Wednesday
Cheers!!
They all sound fine, just different, I think the IV checks off more boxes for more people, but no Blues Jr is bad at all. Yes, we can talk about the "real" Fender sound on Wednesday, thanks!
I’m using a IV with an AC15. I honestly don’t think mine had EL84s in them.
Interesting video.....may I add my "personal" real-world perspective?
I gigged a Blues Junior III, with stock speaker and Baltic Birch cabinet upgrade for a couple of years. I've been a Fender amp fan since the mid 1960's, and feel, with a few exceptions, they are the SOUND of R&R. However, I could never quite get that Fender sound out of the BJIII. I can't say specifically WHY that is, but I've talked with other pro guitarists who agreed. When I bought mine, it was gently used, so I don't think it related to "speaker break-in". It could have been the EL 84 tubes, or the small-ish cabinet. The reverb IS spring reverb, but it is NOT tube driven, as traditional Fender reverb is. When I bought the BJIII, I was hoping it would fall in with a Black Face Princeton or Deluxe, but it fell far short. I currently gig with a solid state, 15 watt, one 12" speaker amp, with on board reverb AND tremolo that weighs half what the BJIII does. and I get a much better sound. I'm considering buying a Fender ToneMaster Deluxe Reverb, which is supposed to do the BF Fender sound very well. They are hard to find used, but when you do, they sell for about the same price as the new Blues Junior version. To sum up.....the Blues Junior is definitely not a BAD amp....but there are better ones out there for similar money. Thanks.
Most likely the EL84 tubes... a decidedly "un-Fender" sound... but luckily in these situations they still make the Princeton.
I have a USA version. I put a Jensen Alnico in it. Sounds great.
I owned a Tweed Blues Junior. While it sounded great I've read how the bias is set pretty hot which means it has a tendency to eat tubes. I seemed to go through a lot of tubes when I had it. I had to get my amp repaired three times. One repair was pretty major. I gigged it a few times but it was mostly playing at home and at practice. Not a whole lot of transport. Maybe I just got a bad one with some faulty components. I'm always careful with my equipment.
It is a great little amp though.
If the repair guy had cooled the bias properly it shouldn’t have needed repairing 3 times, unless you got really unlucky.
@@ali2ndmail According to Bill M. who modded the things, he reported the bias was factory set pretty hot. Maybe I had some bad components, some damaged parts that flew below the QC radar. But it did sound really good. 15 watts are very loud and I had no problem keeping up with the drummer. It is a great little amp though.
@@brandonlesko3126 yes I did the Bill M mods on my amp including the adjustable bias. It's also easy for a tech to change the bias just by swapping one resistor for a different value. If someone had asked me to repair a blues junior I'd change the bias at the same time so the amp lasts longer.
@@brandonlesko3126 …and as if by magic Lyle from Psionic posted a video about the bias problems with Blues Juniors and also mentions the bias cap: th-cam.com/video/qIkJdVlKGIs/w-d-xo.html
it is biased too hot. Any tech can fix this. Fender knows about this problem, and refuses to fix it. Bias resistor values are wrong, allowing tubes to idle at 90-110%.
If you think a BJ isn't loud enough for any application then... your band is too loud :) I was put off buying one for a decade after continually reading stuff to the effect of how it's just about ok for home use and small clubs, isn't a proper Fender etc, etc. I had the Blues Deluxe which was incredibly loud and once my band all started using IEM, the stage volume dropped considerably and I was left with an amp that was heavy and far too loud, even on 1-1.5. So I borrowed a BJ for one rehearsal and knew within a few songs I'd be buying one the next day. I got the seafoam mkIV with a Celestion Creamback which I love but whichever variant you go for it's a cracking amp for any gig, my band is quite a loud five-piece and there's volume on tap. Of course you're going to mic it up for a medium/larger venue but you would anyway to be able to control the mix out front. I run mine with the master on full and the volume on 2-3. The boost is highly useable IMO, great to lift a solo or for a lower-gain song. Don't be put off by the snobbery towards this amp, give the little guy a chance with your own ears!
I have to shop online I'm on the fence blues jr tweed grimlen and sopro 64 5watt one knob.
the pro Jr has two knobs and I think it's better than the Supro. Worth checking out.
Just for clarity, EL84 is the equivalent of a 6BQ5 and is a power pentode. 6V6’s are a beam power tetrode and sound very different.
My whole gigging rig consists of a blues jr with a Texas heat speaker, my LP and HX effects. Easy peasy……
speaker upgrade is a great low cost mod for these amps
Love my warm, darker, fat-sounding USA 1 model.
How could 4 people dislike Fred Flinstone talking about valve amps? Something is wrong with the world of today.
🤣
Not funny, this gent knows his stuff!
Looks more like Barney Rubble
and now $799. Insane
Surprise, they're $899 today.
They good sounding amps. Not made we’ll ,be aware of that. They do sound good..
Yes compared other wimpy boutique amps they sound ok but for $700-800+ they don't hold a candle to a real 70s-80's Fender amp.
EL84 is equivalent to an American 6BQ5, not the 6CA7 -- the 6CA7 is considered to be equivalent to the big EL34.
Inside the amp is no the same. Some have different speakers. Black one has a celestion the tweed in the video has a jensen. Big difference.
I believe the tweed blues junior has a different speaker than the black blues junior
Lately the tweed has been used as a "special edition" and there have been other speakers in them
Why does everyone want small amps, price?
People want small amps for several different reasons.
For many people the appeal is in being able to crank the volume and get natural distortion without it being overpoweringly loud.
Also small amps record exceptionally well many of the most iconic songs of all time were recorded with Fender Champs, Princetons, or Harvards.
Some people have space and/or volume limitations based on their living environment since that make small amps the only real option.
Lastly, just because an amp is small doesn’t mean that it has a small price. There are plenty of small amps that cost just as much or more than a new Fender Twin or Super Reverb. Conversely, there are also some relatively affordable mid sized and large amps especially if you are open to solid state amps.
@@charlesbolton8471 volume is a big lie when it comes to wattage. A 45 watt will only have 3 more decibels than a 15 watt. To get 3 more decibels, you would need 135 watts. Headroom is what you get with high watts. This is why lower wattage amps distort at lower volume levels. A 100 watt amp won't be much louder than a 15 watt, but because of the headroom difference, the perceived volume of the 100 watt is more, and the 100 watt will keep the sound clean for longer.
So unless if you have a PA that you can run through to boost the volume, you will need a bigger amp.
@@lesliel1182 no. Did you hear what I said? A 100 watt only has 3 more decibels than a 50 watt. That is not very much. It is the headroom that increases when you get more watts.
Decibels? Nevermind about heavy mids and lows then? You know, thunder? You confuse me.
That's really cool that you don't play the amp. I hate how every video I ever watch has a 5-minute gratuitous intro and the bulk of the main video is some guy playing uninspired, generic blues licks, and it drives me insane with boredom. Same thing with guitar reviews, too.
Anyone that can't make good use of a blues Junior especially the lacquered tweed is most likely not a professional musician. These little amps are great for smaller gigs.
fucking inflation, something has to give with that shit... but probably this be 799$ by the end of the year.
The pro junior is a little overpriced in my opinion.
They are 799 lately. And 749 depending on model. A couple of months they will be a grand. But that’s ok cause a grand really is like 500 bucks any way, it costs me about 200 bucks to fill my f150 with gas so this ain’t that bad at least this you can have forever I have my first one since the 90s. 👍
I had a couple of these. Too clean and not loud enough. Underpowered.
C12N....just sayin :)
699 for a blues jr now? Damn
Check out the harmony h620. Built in attenuator, solid state tremolo and spring reverb, super cool looking, and a better speaker than the blues junior. It is one of the prettiest amps I have seen. Also it is cathode bias, so no rebiasing.
Do yourself a favor Buy a Pro Jr. much better amp.
I made a video about the Pro Jr. I definitely like it better, but I made this video because people thought I was talking down at the Blues Jr.. it's a fine amp too.
They are solid good amps but if you can save up and wait then I highly suggest it. This blues jr and the hot rod series are very poorly made and construction. Very cheap PCB and circuit board that will almost always burn in on you in the future and cause you problems. I suggest saving up for a used deluxe reverb reissue. Still a cheap PCB board, but they are much better built. Stay away from the 68 custom deluxe reissue.
The only small Fender amp where the buyers unfortunately find themselves changing the speaker out and modifying the insides, why ? Why don't Fender make these amps as good as they can get in the first place for what the extra cost would be,
FENDER, make them properly in the first place ! I have lost all faith in fender amps and certainly will give this amp a miss in view of having to employ an engineer to to make this amp what it should of been in the first place, sorry.
People love to mod. Fender does make the best amp they can, they're constantly improving these amps as well. This amp is now on version 4. There's nothing wrong with these amps, pros use them all the time. By changing speakers and cabinets and tubes a user gets a different sound that they like better, but it doesn't mean it was bad to begin with, it just means the user now likes it better.
The cleans from a Blues Jr are just OK, but not great. Classic Fenders like the Princeton have much nicer cleans The Overdrive from the BJ is generally pretty ugly to my ears. But the worst part is that they don't hold up. The crappy PCB mounted pots ALWAYS fail after a while. The design of this amp was geared towards ease of manufacturing, but not enough attention was paid to durability. And the Pro Junior, which probably suffers from the same reliability issues (although it has fewer pots to fail), sounds SO MUCH BETTER than the Blues Junior. And, no, the BJ was NOT the first amp Fender produced with EL84's - there were some Tremoluxes with EL84s way back in the day. Also, the BJ has OpAmp driven spring reverb, as well as a transistor in the fat switch circuit, so not a 100% tube amp.