I have had a tweed Blues Jr for 12 years - After it blew up due to a faulty valve, I has it repaired and modded it galore - 6v6 conversion, BillM tone stack and clean boost. The two most important things I have done is unplug the reverb wires entirely and put in a Celestion Heritage G12H 30 55 hz. Great amp.
I have tried one today and I am very surprised with the sound that comes from this amp....thank you so much for your review, tomorrow I Will buy this amp.
For sure the Jensin C12N is bright but thats a bonus to my mind, it makes me set the guitars own tone control to get just the brightness I want. Setting the amps vol at the knee, I can use your guitars volume, tone and switch to get any sound I want. I love my Fender Blues jr ltd.
Hi John, thanks for watching! Yes it is a bright speaker, I also think that helps in a band setting as it enables you to exist in a slightly higher frequency space and not get too overlapped with the bass and keys. Ah the tone control!! I wish more of my students would use it! It is secret weapon that SO many people don’t use!! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Hey Neil. Thanks for the tip BTW. I put the original speaker back in and creanked the master. It does work. Still planning on mod'in it though, as I think it could be a bit better. That's just me... ; )
Interesting, I too have only had to replace the handle on my Blues Jr. I also run mine w/master at 12 and the volume at about 3. I also thought that the amp was a bit bright and shrill however when I did a speaker swap I immediately went back to the OG speaker. I realized I needed that brightness to cut through my drummer and bass player. Solution: I learned to use my tone knobs. My tone knobs now sits at about 4 on my strat
Hey Daniel, thanks for watching. That is it! The most versitile part of the whole chain.....the tone knob! You can do SO much with it, before you need to worry about other bits of gear! Stay safe, Neil
My reverb feature sounds really weird..is that normal? And it cuts out, the left hand rca plug needs to be pulled out and pushed back in frequently. I JUST bought it last week so I might take it back and see what another new one sounds like. Thank you for taking the time to create edit and post your videos!
I had one of those fenders blues jr. $600 amp and on the 2nd day it sounded like it got a motor rod knock. I Got a nice 20 watt12AX7s & EL34s Marshall with a fx loop . Been great for gigging I like the little fender but wish it had fx loop. Not to much a fan of the EL84 power tube.
Hey Neil, great video 👍. I know you said that the blues junior can be used for bedroomvolume playing, but can you still get relatively good tones with it? And do you recommend this amp to somebody who doesn't gig at all but wants good tones? Would be very grateful for an answer 🙏🏼.
Hi William, thanks for watching and your kind words. I personally think that you can get great bedroom tones from the amplifier! But if you aren't gigging then perhaps you might want to look at something a bit smaller. Are you set on a valve amp?
I also sat in the same Manchester PMT and switched back and forth between the standard and the tweed - also went with the tweed Jensen. Having a bit of an issue with mine at the moment, getting a flabby breakup fuzz when I hard attack my guitar - even at very low volume.
Hey there, thanks for watching! wow small world!! Glad I wasn't the only one doing that!! With regards your issue, it could be that a tube might be on the way out. If you need someone to look at it, Roland and the The amp clinic is a legend in Manchester. all the best, Neil
Nice review and I love your band! Btw I accidentally hit a 'dislike' button on a reply down below, totally unintended. Firefox crashed at that moment so hopefully it didn't register! Keep up the great work please!
The first ampI wanted was the blues jr. The amp I dreamed of owning was a Princeton 65 re issue. Another dream amp was my 57 custom champ. Then I loved the champ re issue 600 for the retro look. Lastly the black star fly..the delay (slight) is so great. Finally the pro Junior...I love that it has tone control but geeze...so LOUD! I can't imagine giving up anything but the pro Junior. But....In my home, the blues jr and the fly get used the most. The Princeton I love owning so much. The BJ sounds great clean, natural distortion even a low volumes by messing with the master and volume controls. The 57 custom has to be played too loud to get that distortion. So....there are decisions to be made.... very very gard ones, I am afraid... :-(
The Princeton is a dream amp (and for me a Vibrolux). Maybe one day, but the Vibrolux is very loud and given how quite stages are these days I could only use it for recording, where a Princeton would probably be a better option. Good luck with your choice! If you have any questions, let me know!
I love mine. It takes pedals like a boss (pardon the pun). It's so light and portable. I also have a Bassbreaker15 combo, and those two together in a wet/dry rig sound like $5K worth of amp, I can tell you that much! But if I can only use one, and want to use my effects (Bassbreaker is very finnicky with drives) then my Junior is King.
Neil Spencer Bruce No worries, mate! I have been through Deluxe Reverb and JCM800, among others. The Deluxe was gorgeous but it was too loud and damm heavy. The JCM800 needed to be dimed to really shine. I'm glad I got the Tweed, but maybe I'll go with a Cannabis Rex speaker at some point.
Deluxe Reverb was probably the best amp I have ever owned, I absolutely loved it but to hit the sweet spot (which as about 4-5 on mine), it was just simply too loud for 85% of the gigs (Even in large venues where mic’d) so the BJ simply hits the spot! Be interested to hear what you think if you change the speaker in the future! All the best, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce It's going into the shop in a week for new tubes & the CR speaker. Can't wait! I finally heard a Cornford for the first time last week. I see what you mean. Atm, while it's in the shop, I am actually using a Laney Cub12r. Takes all my pedals, unlike the Bassbreaker.
Hi there, Jeremie thanks for watching and your really kind words. I have not had those problems, but this can happen at loud volumes if you are directly in front of the amp/ But this can be true of many amps. I tend to not have my amp that loud when gigging (using mics) and also I tend to remove highs from my tone anyway. Hope that helps, all the best, Neil
Hi Bruce, great video. I'm looking at the tweed v back v3. I not keen on bright sounds. Would you say the tweed is brighter than the black 3? I do love a blues sound. Thanks
Does your amp have "TYPE PR-295" on the back plate? Mine doesn't say Blues Junior III anywhere? It says Blues Junior on the plate but Blues Junior LTD on the owners manual. So mine is a Blues Junior LTD PR-295. Fender really needs to improve their model naming and numbering on their products!
Great video. I bought one to play really low (in an apartment), and, sometimes the sound disappears. I am trying to figure out what is going on. If someone could give me a tip…
Strangely my new blues junior tweed sounds outstanding w the Jensen and a semi hollow. I don't get those harsh highs and no flubby bass... Had a bjriii which I hated. The pickups on the guitar sound great both w humb. And coil slip. Pro buckers on an epi Sheraton ii. With the telecaster i couldn't stand the icy highs...
I have this same amp and it’s a love hate relationship. Really struggle to get the right sound. Have tried your recommendation but the issue is it’s too loud for most small venues. Hard to get a good EQ with my pedalboard.
Hi there Jason, have you tried the Master Volume trick th-cam.com/video/X9A63FVqrkY/w-d-xo.html but running your volume between 1-2? Are you looking to get get crunch from the amp or from pedals and what style do you play?
Neil Spencer Bruce Hi Neil, yes I have tried the master volume trick as you described. I use pedals for my overdrive. Everything seems to get very fizzy or bassy. Things can get a bit muddy, any suggestions? I’m in a cover band that plays multiple styles from the Eagles to The Foo Fighters so we do a mix of clean sounds to mild overdrive to heavy distortion. Any suggestions? Thanks
I see now I know your situation as I am in a similar place playing lots of different styles. Which pedals do you use? Do you gain stage them together? with regards the muddy ness it is because there isn’t a ton of headroom with a 15watt amp, so the bass can tend to use up a lot of that headroom so sometimes it is good to reduce the bass on your pedals before it hits the amps (for example a tube screamer does this in the circuit it has and can work well) or running an eq as you up the gain levels. Let me know your pedals and I\ll try and suggest a solution, all the best, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce thanks! I use the follow in my chain, SP Compressor, EP Booster, Wampler Tumnus Deluxe, Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe, MXP Micro Amp Boost, Dunlop Volume pedal, Line 6 M9 for modulation, delay and Reverb. My alternate board is a Boss GT100 which I usually just send directly to the front of house PA. BTW - love your Strat, I believe I have the same exact model and color.
Hi Jason! wow some lovely pedals there!! How are you finding the Tumnus? It is on my hit list! All of those will push a lot of signal into the front end of the BJ. What I would suggest if I was doing it would be 1) Turn the bass down on the amp to maybe 1/2 this may sound not as big and full when in isolation or at home, but should start to come into it’s own when you start putting the pedals in or 2)If you run the M9 last in the chain, create a EQ patch when you cut the low end, maybe from about 120-150Hz and then when you use a dirt pedal, hit the eq as well, that might start to work for you and ruduce the muddiness. Wow cool, I got mine early 2000’s I love it!! It is my main gigging guitar.
Great info Neil. Is the Deluxe with an attenuator an option? (question is open to everybody) I never used an attenuator so I am not sure if they affect the sound at all. Maybe they are just suitable for bedroom practice?
@@NeilSpencerBruce Many guitarist complain about their favorite amps being too loud for some gigs and they have to settle for a smaller amp. I was just wondering why they do not use there loud amps at gigs and use an attenuator like an Ox Box? I am a beginner so I do not know much about gigs. I am in search of my first tube amp and was considering a Fender Hot Rod or Princeton and just using an attenuator for bedroom practice. That is why I wanted to know why good players don't use attenuators but get different sized amps for different gigs.
@@camhaines5482 Hi there, yes this is a big issue with guitars on stage now and stages levels. Many stages (i.e. bands) don’t even allow guitar amps to be on stage at all, so they are either in an Iso Cab or just using modelling (like Helix, Kemper etc), the main reason is to make the life of the Front of House mixer much easier and give them more control....but it isn’t rock and roll :) Although I do agree (and have been guilty) of being too loud sometimes. In fact I am usually too loud when I just use my Blues Junior (remember that these amps are also mixed up and going through the PA). Also it is worth looking at the difference between wattage and output as 50watts ins’t that much louder (in terms of sound pressure level) than a 15 watt amplifier. The difference is in the headroom of the amp (amongst a few other things). Attenuators are useful, and it seems the OX box is becoming very popular and I hope to try it out one day. I would say though if you are just going for Bedroom practice then look at amps which also have an attenuation feature built in where you can go down from say 20watt to 0.5watt. Hope that helps, Neil
what is the monitor that you use for your macbook pro? doesn't your mac over heat when using it ? what resolution is the monitor and does it run in 60hz?
I played the blues junior greenboard version - the first version - in around 1996. We were a septet playing the real book. The good thing about this amp is: You even get Jazz tones. Not good: Drive tones; to me too scratchy. The really bad thing about this amp is (I meant this particular series, made in USA, so called greenboard BJ) the hiss you hear when you turn on/up the reverb. And Fender went on building this for years. You surely know Bills Mods - a website nearly solely dealing with this amp - there you will find this issue discussed. I think Fender still feeds on a legacy back from the 50s. I had lots of trouble with the customer support (they are shameless and conceited). But to me the Blackstar amps are far better. But that is relative of course. Thank you.
Hi there Lj, thanks for watching and your kind words. I have used both those amps, but they are a bit too loud (and heavy!) when compared to the BJ, which is why I stuck with it. I am keen to check out the Quilter, I heard good things!, all the best, Neil
Thank you so much for doing these lovely videos the blues junior is a good sounding amp the only problem I wish Fender would add a standby button to the amp so the tubes can have a longer life span. For the quilter amp it has a very nice clean Jazzy sound with more add features and head only weighs about 5 lb especially if you traveling all the time it is a good clean platform and 200 watts of power
that's funny i've always done it backwards by using master knob as level control and volume knob as clean/crunch control. guess i should have read the labels!
I have the same amp and it´s great but is true that can be a little too bright or nazal. I am thinking about change the jensen for a wgs green beret (like a greenback) or a celestion creamback? what do you think, i want a more round sound. What recomend you??. Also i see the ET 65 of wgs for another option. Regard from Argentina. Thanks
Hi there, I hope you are safe and well in Argentina! Thanks for watching. I agree it can be bright, but I tend to back off the treble with my guitar. I have to say that I am not a speaker guys, so I can't really say too much, I have been a Celestion guy for most of my life (V30s and GTs). The jensen is brighter than these, but I can't speak about the others I am afraid. All the best, Neil
I like the Blues Jr but if they had used 6V6s it would have been even better. I never understood why they didn’t considering that’s the traditional Fender “small amp” output tube.
Great vid... I had a JMP-1 rack pre in the early '90s... great for 'that sound'; wretched chean sounds. Traded it for a Triaxis after a month. Considering a Blues Jnr at the moment. I remember when PNT M/c was Sound Control... is 'Colin from Dunfermline' still in charge there?
Hi there and thanks for watching my video and your kind words. I always drooled over the Triaxis! Always wanted one!! Ah yes, when PMT was sound control, back in the good old days. Not sure if Colin is in charge though.
@@NeilSpencerBruce Yer welcome. Triaxis not sounding so great at the mo... I trashed a speaker, since my last comment - being clumsy. Not using Boogie cabs, and I've been considering changing 'em for years. Leaning towards Celestion V30s at the mo., partly because that's what Mesa uses mostly, and partly because 'the 'net gurus' hate 'em. ;) Most worthwhile comparisons I've heard - good recordings, clean, dirty and 'in a mix' - seems like they'd be the way to go. Big difference between what sounds great in a bedroom and what works on a stage.
Sorry to hear you trashed your speaker, I did some similar (ish) with a new pedal I was testing....I actually managed to drop another pedal on it and chipped the hell out of it....problem being I don't like the new pedal, but can't send it back! As for the V30!! Seriously my favourite speaker!! Not sure I am a guru, but I would certainly go for one. Have you seen the Harley Benton (from Thomman) cabs, not the best cabs but they come loaded with V30's....for less than the price of buying the speaker seperately! A real bargin. Use there is a considerable difference between bedroom and stage!
PS...any thoughts on the blues drluxe. Also too loud? They say you can MOD the attenuation in the volume control...is that true and is that ever a consideration for any amp you own. Tweed fever! HELP!
Hi there! Blues Deluxe is quite a loud amp, so it would depend where you are playing it. The main difference being the amount of headroom you have at your disposal, plus the other channel. A tough call. You can mod the volume control, which might be an option and I have done this on my Cornford amp.
@@NeilSpencerBruce Thank you Bruce. I will stick with the Blues Jr then. If you are ever in nyc, let me know. I have a pro Junior I'd sell to ya at a great price. Mint condition!
I do the same thing... but use a 12ay7 in V1. lets me push the amp (on stage up to around 4, where it starts to break up) Great amp, with the 12ay7 (not 12at7) very warm check it out
It was mic'd up!! Most going through the PA, but loud enough for me on stage to get the tones I want. This is how I usually use amps. All the best, Neil
Hi Nick, unless you are playing jazz with a pretty loud rock style drummer I think you would be fine with this amp. It is quite loud before you get into break up territory. If you are going unmic’ed then maybe you might want to consider something else, perhaps the Hot Rod Deluxe. But I personally have not had any problems with the loudness of this amp. Thanks for watching, Neil
Hi Roberto, this is a great amp although might be a bit loud for home use. There are some alternatives, but it depends how loud you think you might be able to play? It will work well with a DS1, especially with the Distortion turned down (maybe 9 o’clock’). All the best, Neil
Honestly i have to play only at home. I'm in love with his clean and light OD, but i need to use some heavy distortion too and i'm worried about it can't manage high dist pedal (as Mesa boogie throttle box or some other similar stuff)...
hi there, you might struggle with high gain distortion with bothe the amp and the DS1. you might want to consider a high gain distortion pedal. What style did you have in mind?
Thank you for your help Neil. I love to play RHCP, Nirvana, Ben Harper, AC-DC, Blues Improvisation in general. A lot of genre XD I had before an HT5R Blackstar but i didn't like the clean sound. I'm scared with the Blues Junior in the case i need to use a heavy pedal distortion like Mesa Boogie Throttle Box or Dark Matter.
If you love to play those styles then I don’t think you’d need to get a heavy distortion pedal at all. I think a range of mid gain distortion or overdrive would help you and sound great into a Blues Junior.
Hi Seven, not tried it yet, but hope to do so soon. That is a tough choice, I’d say most important thing in your consideration is the different speaker and if you have any preference for the different ones?
I did a back to back with the IV and the tweed the other day....I walked out with the tweed, it was considerably brighter and the reverb was a lot more prominent. The IV was flat out boring in comparison.
Hi Josh, thanks for your kind words and for watching my video. I haven't made an IR but that seems like a good idea. The amp is actually going in for a service and some TLC this week, so as soon as it is back I will see if I can get one made! Thanks, Neil
Great, interesting video! I‘ve also got a limited Tweed one with Groove Tubes and the Jensen Speaker in 2010. I really love it for clean sounds, but I‘ve built myself a decent pedalboard and it has big problems with some of them. The Fuzz on my Monterey, the Muff and also the SL Drive sound absolutely thin and harsh. I know that these are pedals a Fender doesn’t like that much in general, but I‘ve heard a lot of demos etc. where it sounded good. Maybe I should change the speaker to a Cannabis Rex, but then I fear I‘m loosing my sparkly clean tone... Would love to hear if you got some experience with Fuzzes etc.!
Thanks for your kind words Stackhouse!. I have no real experiences with Fuzz I am afraid, in fact I have just done a video about that fact. I am surprised about the SL drive though as I have that pedal. I would suggest perhaps dropping some of the treble and seeing if that helps otherwise, do you have an EQ pedal?
Neil Spencer Bruce Hi! Thanks for your reply! I have an EQ, it helps a bit to tame the harshness, but it doesn’t help with the grainy sound. I had some time today and opened up my Blues Junior to solder two cables and a switch in place of the capacitor C9 that Fender left out for some more treble. Unfortunately I had no 1kv caps at home, so I have to wait for them to arrive. Will tell you if it worked! 😉 Next thing I‘d try is the Cannabis Rex. Greetings!
Wow that is some serious surgery! Let me know if it works. One thing else to try is actually using the EQ to reduce the bass going into the amp from the pedals, this will give you some more headroom to play with with your dirt pedals. Look forward to hearing about you mod!
about having to use a low watt amp on medium/ big stages - one nice concept for me I learned from a pro friend a few years ago : you only put on the PA the necessary, so one can use an amp on the sweet spot and then, to the PA, goes only the rest necessary for the room. sometimes only the amp is enough. Of course most humans wont need 100watt amps cooking freely..the difficult part is getting the right general purpose wattage amp. For my perception, between 30 to 45w is about right.
HI Nuno, thanks for watching. Yes this is certainly a good way to do things, although unfortunately in my experience of big stages (and small) these days, the sound guys really don’t want much guitar amp at all (they would sometimes prefer none! which I why I use a lot more amp modelling these days.) Especially when some amps need to be quite loud to hit their sweet spot. All the best, Neil
its an eternal battle @@NeilSpencerBruce . Sound guys like to have absolute control of all things ..but they don't. I would never compromise my guitar sound again to that , not in my blues trio . ;) its just different ways to look at things.
Great honest video, thanks! I’ve had the big brother the Blues Deluxe for 7 years... love the two channels, but rarely run it above 2 which even then gets complaints from my band members! I can’t help wondering if I should try the BJ and benefit from running a smaller amp hotter, although so many reviews comment on a ‘thin/boxy’ sound..? Sadly I’d need to sell one to fund the other so a big gamble for me.
Thanks for you kind words Spencer. I know the problem with the Hot Rod Deluxe 1 (quiet) 1.2 (slightly louder) 1.3 (getting better) 1.333333 ARRRRRGGG my ears!! :) It is a tough call, I would say there is a bit more dimension to the bigger cab and the Bj to some ears might sound a bit boxier. But I find it a trade off, 99% of people I play to don’t care about what the guitar sounds like as long as it is in tune and playing the right things. So I trade off a bit of tone for portability, stage volume and actually because you can crank it ore than you can you get a more natural overdriven tone at lower volumes. So I would say your question is would you like to get the sound of a driven amp that is cooking vs it sounding a bit more boxy? Best thing would be to go try one if you can.
Try changing the C6 (bass) capacitor from 0.022uF to 0.100μF. Allows more and better-controlled bass, which eliminates some of the boxiness. Cheaper option than changing cabinets or swapping speakers/transformers. I'd also recommend the Jensen C12N tweed version over the black tolex BJr. That speaker cuts in the mix better, which can allow you to keep overall volume down more. With Master and Volume each at around 3.5, you can get a pretty full tone without drowning any other instruments out. I sold my Hot Rod Deville and started using my Blues Jr exclusively. I'm happy with it. Prefer it to backline amps too, which are usually a Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe.
Good points, but if you don’t fancy modding you could always stick an eq pedal in front of the amp to tame the bass and also free up some head room. I would also point you at this video I did about the Master Volume th-cam.com/video/X9A63FVqrkY/w-d-xo.html which is something else you might want to check out! Blues Jr is a great amp and I have gigged with it for years, and do get told it is too loud :)
Neil Spencer Bruce - I’d think on the unmodded BJr they may want to up the bass if boxiness is the concern. To use an EQ pedal to make the Jensen BJr sound fuller, maybe boost around 100-200 Hz and cut around 1-2 kHz? Honestly, I think a lot of the harsh critics of the BJr are playing alone at home and really crave that low end. If you’re performing live, that 100 Hz low end is going to be eaten up by the kick drum, bass player, stage resonance, and drone of the room anyway (and filtered out by the soundboard if your amp is mic’d). So, I wouldn’t worry too much about that low end thud. And around the 200 Hz line, thickness quickly becomes muddiness. A lot of players set their bass frequencies too high live, because that’s what they’re accustom to sounding good when practicing in the bedroom.
Did you ever get your 65 Deluxe. If so, are you using that now instead of the Blues Jr. I have both amps, and i go back and forth between the two. The ear is a funny thing. One day the Blues Jr. sounds good and the next not so good. Same with the 65 Deluxe.
Hi there! I did and I am not any more. You can read my review here www.spencerbruce.com/fender-68-custom-deluxe-reverb-review/ the sad thing was that I could never use the deluxe at the sweet spot on stage as it was just too loud for the majority of venues (I am usually mic’d up), even play 1000+ venues was being told to turn down, so very sadly I ended up selling it. A very sad day as it is an awesome amp.
Neil Spencer Bruce yes you did mention that in your video about the 68, but you also mentioned you were thinking of getting the 65 Deluxe, that’s the model i was referring too.
Opps sorry my mistake, I did indeed. I am thinking of it still, but will be a little way down the line at the moment, it is kind of the dream amp I’d love to own, but need a bit more work in the mean time to make it happen :)
Heh. Happy anniversary, then ^^. What is the Junior to you is my trusty AC15 TBX to me. Bought it used nine years ago, and it's been a real trouper ever since.
Thanks Christoph!! That is great to hear!! I also have a Marshall JMP-1 that I have had since 1992 (wow that is 25 years!) that I still use but only in the studio these days. Love to hear stories about gear like your amp!!
Neil Spencer Bruce JMP1, hehe, had one of those way the hell back when, but sold it in favour of a Gallien Krueger CPL2000 that I still have (... terminal case of late 80s Lifesonitis...). My oldest piece of kit I still have is "Onion", my JCM 800 I bought used in '88. I slaved for four weeks during 11th grade summer hols: 10 hour shifts in a local factory, peeling potatoes and, well, onions. No parties that summer, the onion stink wouldn't go away even after three or four showers... I'll be buried with that amp, even if I don't play it much any more - it's _comically_ loud; letting it "breathe" gets you thrown out of clubs faster than dropping your pants these days 😁.
Love it! Love how you named it the Onion!! That is awesome! I might have to rename my guitar ‘Archive’ as I earned money for it one summer working in archives for a company (it was SO dull!), at least I didn’t have the smell! Yes the JCM 800 is a loud amp, I mean I get in trouble with my Blues Junior these days as well! Clubs just aren’t the same any more!
Amazed you haven’t modded this. These are good but they absolutely eat valves. Please do yourself a favour and get the bias adjusted. The valves will last longer, the sound will stay more consistent and you won’t get damage to the board that the valves are on from excess heat. It’s an easy modification that can be done by changing one resistor or installing a variable resistor.
Thanks for watching. I will look into that, but after 8 years of weekley gigging I have only replaced the valves once (because I fancied it!). Had no problems (touch wood) so far. Love the amp! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce sounds like it has maybe been modded already then, otherwise it's hard to see how the valves would have survived. Enjoy. I love mine too Even more since I put the eminence version of the greenback speaker in it.
@@ali2ndmail Maybe, but I don't know how as I have owned it since new :) Maybe the magic modding Elves visited in the night! Either way 8 years of weekly gigging, one valve change, happy days! If I ever have time I might try changing the speaker, but probably not. I am happy, it pays the bills (sorry paid the bills pre covid!). SO many amps so little time! Take care!
i had 2 tweed blues jr's in 3 weeks they both blew up never knew why, but did sound wonderful , its sad so now ive had my super sonic 22 for 10 years no problems, just not as good a clean sound
The likely answer to “why” is they are biased too hot so the power valves generate a lot of heat and fail quickly. Sometimes when they fail it destroys a resistor in the circuit board. It’s an easy fix though for someone competent with a soldering iron and a screwdriver.
Been considering one of these for years but never got round to it. Just got a katana and I'm a bit dissapointed after all the hype about them. The Marshall tsl 100 and jvm 100 are far better in all respects over the jmp1. Imo
I have heard good things about the new Blues Junior IV if you are in the market for something new. I have not had a proper chance to test out the Katana yet, but I am interested given how much praise they are getting!
If you want a great amp, look for a Made In USA Blues Jr., which was the first version this amp. Unbelievable balls and the strongest 15 watts ever. Sounds much better than any Blues Jr since. Goose the mids and it cuts through the band or a mix with the treble and bass halfway. They’re so good they’re hard to find used. The next version is a MIM amp and does not sound the same at all. All are MIM now, as far as I know. Go, USA!
SO MATE YOU NEVER TOLD US WHAT CELESTION SPK YOU HAVE IN YOUR AMP, I BELIEVE THE CELESTION SOUNDS BETTER IN HIS AMP THAN THE JENSEN, 25 WATT GREEN BACK OR THE VINTAGE 30, CHEERS
Hi there Don! Thanks for you feedback, I really value your opinion, to help me develop in the future and with your obvious expertise in the area, could you let me know what you thought was ‘lame’ and how I could make the video in future so you don’t think it is ‘lame’. All the best and have a great weekend, Neil
Completely satisfied with my Tweed Blues Junior
Glad to hear it!
I have had a tweed Blues Jr for 12 years - After it blew up due to a faulty valve, I has it repaired and modded it galore - 6v6 conversion, BillM tone stack and clean boost. The two most important things I have done is unplug the reverb wires entirely and put in a Celestion Heritage G12H 30 55 hz. Great amp.
Great story, thanks for sharing!
Great - there's nothing like pro experience over time to get useful info. I love mine too!
Thanks for your kind words Mark. Glad to hear you are loving yours, it is a great little amp (a hidden gem!)
I have tried one today and I am very surprised with the sound that comes from this amp....thank you so much for your review, tomorrow I Will buy this amp.
Hi Alex, thanks for watching. Good luck with your new amp, any questions about it let me know.
For sure the Jensin C12N is bright but thats a bonus to my mind, it makes me set the guitars own tone control to get just the brightness I want. Setting the amps vol at the knee, I can use your guitars volume, tone and switch to get any sound I want. I love my Fender Blues jr ltd.
Hi John, thanks for watching! Yes it is a bright speaker, I also think that helps in a band setting as it enables you to exist in a slightly higher frequency space and not get too overlapped with the bass and keys. Ah the tone control!! I wish more of my students would use it! It is secret weapon that SO many people don’t use!! All the best, Neil
Wow. Can't believe your power tubes lasted 5 years with so much use. That's amazing.
Hi Tone! Thanks for watching! Yep, they can last, I don't always run it like this btw way, but they have been totally fine! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Hey Neil. Thanks for the tip BTW. I put the original speaker back in and creanked the master. It does work. Still planning on mod'in it though, as I think it could be a bit better. That's just me... ; )
@@Nobody92421 Nothing wrong with mod'ing! Can be a lot of fun, be good to know how you get on! All the best, Neil
I have the same amp. Been using for years for my electric live music. You are right. I freaking love it.
Hi Edward, always good to hear from another happy Blues Junior owner :)
Neil Spencer Bruce . Just looked at mine, Its not a Blues Jr. 3 Its the NOS tweed model.
Snap same as mine!
I have a mint 53 fender pro- incredible amp. For a gig- I use the Jr. great great versatile amp.
Hi there, thanks for watching! Nice amp, they are all great! All the best, Neil
The tweed Blues Junior is a great little amp.
Thanks for this. Only had my tweed junior for about a year but I love it to bits 🤘
Pleasure! A great amp and I am sure you will have many many more years of happiness with it!!
Interesting, I too have only had to replace the handle on my Blues Jr. I also run mine w/master at 12 and the volume at about 3. I also thought that the amp was a bit bright and shrill however when I did a speaker swap I immediately went back to the OG speaker. I realized I needed that brightness to cut through my drummer and bass player. Solution: I learned to use my tone knobs. My tone knobs now sits at about 4 on my strat
Hey Daniel, thanks for watching. That is it! The most versitile part of the whole chain.....the tone knob! You can do SO much with it, before you need to worry about other bits of gear! Stay safe, Neil
My reverb feature sounds really weird..is that normal? And it cuts out, the left hand rca plug needs to be pulled out and pushed back in frequently. I JUST bought it last week so I might take it back and see what another new one sounds like.
Thank you for taking the time to create edit and post your videos!
That sounds like you have a problem. I would take it back to the shop. It sounds like and issue with the reverb tank.
I had one of those fenders blues jr. $600 amp and on the 2nd day it sounded like it got a motor rod knock. I Got a nice 20 watt12AX7s & EL34s Marshall with a fx loop . Been great for gigging I like the little fender but wish it had fx loop. Not to much a fan of the EL84 power tube.
Glad to hear you are happy with your Marshall. I also love the couple I own, great amps!
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences! Great video!
Hi there, thanks for watching and thanks for your kind words! All the best, Neil
Hey Neil, great video 👍. I know you said that the blues junior can be used for bedroomvolume playing, but can you still get relatively good tones with it? And do you recommend this amp to somebody who doesn't gig at all but wants good tones? Would be very grateful for an answer 🙏🏼.
Hi William, thanks for watching and your kind words. I personally think that you can get great bedroom tones from the amplifier! But if you aren't gigging then perhaps you might want to look at something a bit smaller. Are you set on a valve amp?
I also sat in the same Manchester PMT and switched back and forth between the standard and the tweed - also went with the tweed Jensen. Having a bit of an issue with mine at the moment, getting a flabby breakup fuzz when I hard attack my guitar - even at very low volume.
Hey there, thanks for watching! wow small world!! Glad I wasn't the only one doing that!!
With regards your issue, it could be that a tube might be on the way out. If you need someone to look at it, Roland and the The amp clinic is a legend in Manchester. all the best, Neil
Nice review and I love your band! Btw I accidentally hit a 'dislike' button on a reply down below, totally unintended. Firefox crashed at that moment so hopefully it didn't register! Keep up the great work please!
Hi there Michael, thanks for watching and your kind words about the band. I will pass them on! Don't worry at all about that!! Thanks again, Neil
The first ampI wanted was the blues jr. The amp I dreamed of owning was a Princeton 65 re issue. Another dream amp was my 57 custom champ. Then I loved the champ re issue 600 for the retro look. Lastly the black star fly..the delay (slight) is so great.
Finally the pro Junior...I love that it has tone control but geeze...so LOUD! I can't imagine giving up anything but the pro Junior. But....In my home, the blues jr and the fly get used the most. The Princeton I love owning so much. The BJ sounds great clean, natural distortion even a low volumes by messing with the master and volume controls. The 57 custom has to be played too loud to get that distortion. So....there are decisions to be made.... very very gard ones, I am afraid... :-(
The Princeton is a dream amp (and for me a Vibrolux). Maybe one day, but the Vibrolux is very loud and given how quite stages are these days I could only use it for recording, where a Princeton would probably be a better option. Good luck with your choice! If you have any questions, let me know!
I love mine. It takes pedals like a boss (pardon the pun). It's so light and portable. I also have a Bassbreaker15 combo, and those two together in a wet/dry rig sound like $5K worth of amp, I can tell you that much! But if I can only use one, and want to use my effects (Bassbreaker is very finnicky with drives) then my Junior is King.
Glad to hear I am not the only one :) Glad you are enjoying the amp!! And it does take pedals fantastically well!!
Neil Spencer Bruce
No worries, mate!
I have been through Deluxe Reverb and JCM800, among others. The Deluxe was gorgeous but it was too loud and damm heavy.
The JCM800 needed to be dimed to really shine.
I'm glad I got the Tweed, but maybe I'll go with a Cannabis Rex speaker at some point.
Deluxe Reverb was probably the best amp I have ever owned, I absolutely loved it but to hit the sweet spot (which as about 4-5 on mine), it was just simply too loud for 85% of the gigs (Even in large venues where mic’d) so the BJ simply hits the spot! Be interested to hear what you think if you change the speaker in the future! All the best, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce It's going into the shop in a week for new tubes & the CR speaker. Can't wait!
I finally heard a Cornford for the first time last week. I see what you mean.
Atm, while it's in the shop, I am actually using a Laney Cub12r. Takes all my pedals, unlike the Bassbreaker.
Any problems with the treble/ice pick sounds? Easily tamed by amp EQ and tone control on the guitar? Thanks; amazing review and playing by the way.
Hi there, Jeremie thanks for watching and your really kind words. I have not had those problems, but this can happen at loud volumes if you are directly in front of the amp/ But this can be true of many amps. I tend to not have my amp that loud when gigging (using mics) and also I tend to remove highs from my tone anyway. Hope that helps, all the best, Neil
Hi Bruce, great video. I'm looking at the tweed v back v3. I not keen on bright sounds. Would you say the tweed is brighter than the black 3? I do love a blues sound. Thanks
Hi there, I haven't had a ton of experience with the Black version, I do think however that the tweed is probably a bit brighter.
Brilliant well said Mate!
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed. Stay Safe, Neil
Does your amp have "TYPE PR-295" on the back plate? Mine doesn't say Blues Junior III anywhere? It says Blues Junior on the plate but Blues Junior LTD on the owners manual. So mine is a Blues Junior LTD PR-295. Fender really needs to improve their model naming and numbering on their products!
Great video. I bought one to play really low (in an apartment), and, sometimes the sound disappears. I am trying to figure out what is going on. If someone could give me a tip…
Strangely my new blues junior tweed sounds outstanding w the Jensen and a semi hollow. I don't get those harsh highs and no flubby bass... Had a bjriii which I hated. The pickups on the guitar sound great both w humb. And coil slip. Pro buckers on an epi Sheraton ii. With the telecaster i couldn't stand the icy highs...
I have this same amp and it’s a love hate relationship. Really struggle to get the right sound. Have tried your recommendation but the issue is it’s too loud for most small venues. Hard to get a good EQ with my pedalboard.
Hi there Jason, have you tried the Master Volume trick th-cam.com/video/X9A63FVqrkY/w-d-xo.html but running your volume between 1-2? Are you looking to get get crunch from the amp or from pedals and what style do you play?
Neil Spencer Bruce Hi Neil, yes I have tried the master volume trick as you described. I use pedals for my overdrive. Everything seems to get very fizzy or bassy. Things can get a bit muddy, any suggestions? I’m in a cover band that plays multiple styles from the Eagles to The Foo Fighters so we do a mix of clean sounds to mild overdrive to heavy distortion. Any suggestions? Thanks
I see now I know your situation as I am in a similar place playing lots of different styles. Which pedals do you use? Do you gain stage them together? with regards the muddy ness it is because there isn’t a ton of headroom with a 15watt amp, so the bass can tend to use up a lot of that headroom so sometimes it is good to reduce the bass on your pedals before it hits the amps (for example a tube screamer does this in the circuit it has and can work well) or running an eq as you up the gain levels. Let me know your pedals and I\ll try and suggest a solution, all the best, Neil
Neil Spencer Bruce thanks! I use the follow in my chain, SP Compressor, EP Booster, Wampler Tumnus Deluxe, Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe, MXP Micro Amp Boost, Dunlop Volume pedal, Line 6 M9 for modulation, delay and Reverb. My alternate board is a Boss GT100 which I usually just send directly to the front of house PA. BTW - love your Strat, I believe I have the same exact model and color.
Hi Jason! wow some lovely pedals there!! How are you finding the Tumnus? It is on my hit list! All of those will push a lot of signal into the front end of the BJ. What I would suggest if I was doing it would be 1) Turn the bass down on the amp to maybe 1/2 this may sound not as big and full when in isolation or at home, but should start to come into it’s own when you start putting the pedals in or 2)If you run the M9 last in the chain, create a EQ patch when you cut the low end, maybe from about 120-150Hz and then when you use a dirt pedal, hit the eq as well, that might start to work for you and ruduce the muddiness. Wow cool, I got mine early 2000’s I love it!! It is my main gigging guitar.
Great info Neil. Is the Deluxe with an attenuator an option? (question is open to everybody) I never used an attenuator so I am not sure if they affect the sound at all. Maybe they are just suitable for bedroom practice?
Hi Cam, thanks for your message and for watching the video. Which Deluxe are you refering to ? 65/68Deluxe reverb or the Blues Deluxe?
@@NeilSpencerBruce Many guitarist complain about their favorite amps being too loud for some gigs and they have to settle for a smaller amp. I was just wondering why they do not use there loud amps at gigs and use an attenuator like an Ox Box? I am a beginner so I do not know much about gigs. I am in search of my first tube amp and was considering a Fender Hot Rod or Princeton and just using an attenuator for bedroom practice. That is why I wanted to know why good players don't use attenuators but get different sized amps for different gigs.
@@camhaines5482 Hi there, yes this is a big issue with guitars on stage now and stages levels. Many stages (i.e. bands) don’t even allow guitar amps to be on stage at all, so they are either in an Iso Cab or just using modelling (like Helix, Kemper etc), the main reason is to make the life of the Front of House mixer much easier and give them more control....but it isn’t rock and roll :) Although I do agree (and have been guilty) of being too loud sometimes. In fact I am usually too loud when I just use my Blues Junior (remember that these amps are also mixed up and going through the PA). Also it is worth looking at the difference between wattage and output as 50watts ins’t that much louder (in terms of sound pressure level) than a 15 watt amplifier. The difference is in the headroom of the amp (amongst a few other things). Attenuators are useful, and it seems the OX box is becoming very popular and I hope to try it out one day. I would say though if you are just going for Bedroom practice then look at amps which also have an attenuation feature built in where you can go down from say 20watt to 0.5watt. Hope that helps, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce Thanks Neil!
@@camhaines5482 No worries!
Found this useful...Thanks.
Glad you found it useful! Thanks :)
what is the monitor that you use for your macbook pro? doesn't your mac over heat when using it ? what resolution is the monitor and does it run in 60hz?
It is an Acer monitor. Been doing this since 2012 and had no problems. Runs at 1080p and I think it is 50Hz in the UK.
I guess I could control either with the tone controls?
I played the blues junior greenboard version - the first version - in around 1996. We were a septet playing the real book. The good thing about this amp is: You even get Jazz tones. Not good: Drive tones; to me too scratchy. The really bad thing about this amp is (I meant this particular series, made in USA, so called greenboard BJ) the hiss you hear when you turn on/up the reverb. And Fender went on building this for years. You surely know Bills Mods - a website nearly solely dealing with this amp - there you will find this issue discussed.
I think Fender still feeds on a legacy back from the 50s. I had lots of trouble with the customer support (they are shameless and conceited). But to me the Blackstar amps are far better. But that is relative of course. Thank you.
Very lovely video of the Blues jr. Have you ever tried the Hot Rod Deluxe and DeVille amps and another amp to check out is the quilter amps
Hi there Lj, thanks for watching and your kind words. I have used both those amps, but they are a bit too loud (and heavy!) when compared to the BJ, which is why I stuck with it. I am keen to check out the Quilter, I heard good things!, all the best, Neil
Thank you so much for doing these lovely videos the blues junior is a good sounding amp the only problem I wish Fender would add a standby button to the amp so the tubes can have a longer life span. For the quilter amp it has a very nice clean Jazzy sound with more add features and head only weighs about 5 lb especially if you traveling all the time it is a good clean platform and 200 watts of power
that's funny i've always done it backwards by using master knob as level control and volume knob as clean/crunch control. guess i should have read the labels!
No wrong or right way, whatever gets you to the place you need to be! Thanks for watching!
In the video, he says he gets his crunch tones with pedals. Different strokes for different folks. As he says, whatever gets you where you need to go.
It's time to replace the plastic covering over the Fender logo (4:32). Can't let it fall apart like that; it will degrade the sound.
You might be right :)
nice video and review!
Hi Xafi, No worries, thanks for watching, glad you found it useful! All the best, Neil
I have the same amp and it´s great but is true that can be a little too bright or nazal. I am thinking about change the jensen for a wgs green beret (like a greenback) or a celestion creamback? what do you think, i want a more round sound. What recomend you??. Also i see the ET 65 of wgs for another option. Regard from Argentina. Thanks
Hi there, I hope you are safe and well in Argentina! Thanks for watching. I agree it can be bright, but I tend to back off the treble with my guitar. I have to say that I am not a speaker guys, so I can't really say too much, I have been a Celestion guy for most of my life (V30s and GTs). The jensen is brighter than these, but I can't speak about the others I am afraid. All the best, Neil
I like the Blues Jr but if they had used 6V6s it would have been even better. I never understood why they didn’t considering that’s the traditional Fender “small amp” output tube.
Have you ever tried the vox ac4hw it’s really loud for 4 watts and sounds amazing
Hi there, I haven't tried the AC4, I should see if I can/ Thanks for watching, all the best, Neil
Great vid... I had a JMP-1 rack pre in the early '90s... great for 'that sound'; wretched chean sounds. Traded it for a Triaxis after a month. Considering a Blues Jnr at the moment.
I remember when PNT M/c was Sound Control... is 'Colin from Dunfermline' still in charge there?
Hi there and thanks for watching my video and your kind words. I always drooled over the Triaxis! Always wanted one!! Ah yes, when PMT was sound control, back in the good old days. Not sure if Colin is in charge though.
@@NeilSpencerBruce Yer welcome. Triaxis not sounding so great at the mo... I trashed a speaker, since my last comment - being clumsy. Not using Boogie cabs, and I've been considering changing 'em for years. Leaning towards Celestion V30s at the mo., partly because that's what Mesa uses mostly, and partly because 'the 'net gurus' hate 'em. ;) Most worthwhile comparisons I've heard - good recordings, clean, dirty and 'in a mix' - seems like they'd be the way to go. Big difference between what sounds great in a bedroom and what works on a stage.
Sorry to hear you trashed your speaker, I did some similar (ish) with a new pedal I was testing....I actually managed to drop another pedal on it and chipped the hell out of it....problem being I don't like the new pedal, but can't send it back! As for the V30!! Seriously my favourite speaker!! Not sure I am a guru, but I would certainly go for one. Have you seen the Harley Benton (from Thomman) cabs, not the best cabs but they come loaded with V30's....for less than the price of buying the speaker seperately! A real bargin. Use there is a considerable difference between bedroom and stage!
Explained perfectly.
Hi there Jimi, thanks for watching and your kind words, glad you found it useful, all the best, Neil
PS...any thoughts on the blues drluxe. Also too loud?
They say you can MOD the attenuation in the volume control...is that true and is that ever a consideration for any amp you own. Tweed fever! HELP!
Hi there! Blues Deluxe is quite a loud amp, so it would depend where you are playing it. The main difference being the amount of headroom you have at your disposal, plus the other channel. A tough call. You can mod the volume control, which might be an option and I have done this on my Cornford amp.
@@NeilSpencerBruce
Thank you Bruce.
I will stick with the Blues Jr then.
If you are ever in nyc, let me know.
I have a pro Junior I'd sell to ya at a great price. Mint condition!
Nice one! I might have to look you up next time I am there! All the best, Neil 😀
I do the same thing... but use a 12ay7 in V1. lets me push the amp (on stage up to around 4, where it starts to break up) Great amp, with the 12ay7 (not 12at7) very warm check it out
Hey Paul, thanks for watching and glad to know someone else does the same thing. I will have to try out your suggestion! Thanks!! All the best, Neil
I cant believe a 15-watt blues junior can cover that venue? Can I gig my 15-watt tweed too? thanks for the great video
It was mic'd up!! Most going through the PA, but loud enough for me on stage to get the tones I want. This is how I usually use amps. All the best, Neil
Just hang a 609 on it and run it through the house.
thank you for this!
Pleasure!
I would like to get that blues junior for jazz mainly. Do you think it can keep clean at loud volume?
Hi Nick, unless you are playing jazz with a pretty loud rock style drummer I think you would be fine with this amp. It is quite loud before you get into break up territory. If you are going unmic’ed then maybe you might want to consider something else, perhaps the Hot Rod Deluxe. But I personally have not had any problems with the loudness of this amp. Thanks for watching, Neil
Great! I'm going to buy this for home use (recording and practice). Do you have any alternative to suggest? Is it good to use with Boss DS1?
Hi Roberto, this is a great amp although might be a bit loud for home use. There are some alternatives, but it depends how loud you think you might be able to play? It will work well with a DS1, especially with the Distortion turned down (maybe 9 o’clock’). All the best, Neil
Honestly i have to play only at home. I'm in love with his clean and light OD, but i need to use some heavy distortion too and i'm worried about it can't manage high dist pedal (as Mesa boogie throttle box or some other similar stuff)...
hi there, you might struggle with high gain distortion with bothe the amp and the DS1. you might want to consider a high gain distortion pedal. What style did you have in mind?
Thank you for your help Neil. I love to play RHCP, Nirvana, Ben Harper, AC-DC, Blues Improvisation in general. A lot of genre XD I had before an HT5R Blackstar but i didn't like the clean sound. I'm scared with the Blues Junior in the case i need to use a heavy pedal distortion like Mesa Boogie Throttle Box or Dark Matter.
If you love to play those styles then I don’t think you’d need to get a heavy distortion pedal at all. I think a range of mid gain distortion or overdrive would help you and sound great into a Blues Junior.
What are the settings?
I love mine 1994 made
I did replace the stock speaker to an Alnico Cream (Celestino ) gives you a lot more Headroom
Hi there Luis, thanks for watching, The Settings are T 4 B 2 M 4 V 2-3 M Full R 1 hope you find that useful.
Neil Spencer Bruce thank you
Great little amp.
It is indeed Tony!
Bassbreaker 15 a great little amp too
It certainly is, I am hoping to try out the Bassbreaker 30 sometime soon!
Dumb question....what is the device placed on the nut of the guitar? Tuner? Good vidio ...thanks.
Hi Kevin, thanks for watching and your kind words. It is a string damper amzn.to/2WQKhJe to help reduce unwanted string noise. All the best, Neil
Pipe cleaners work well too
Did you try the new Blues Junior IV? Can't decide which one to buy, the old tweed version or the new.
Hi Seven, not tried it yet, but hope to do so soon. That is a tough choice, I’d say most important thing in your consideration is the different speaker and if you have any preference for the different ones?
Added a creamback heavy in my version iii bj, and it was huge, cheers
I did a back to back with the IV and the tweed the other day....I walked out with the tweed, it was considerably brighter and the reverb was a lot more prominent. The IV was flat out boring in comparison.
I also am looking at the Blackface Blues Jr. IV. I will most likely be getting that instead of the Tweed. Sounds better to me.
hi Neil, great video. did you ever make the cabinet IRs? would be great to try out
Hi Josh, thanks for your kind words and for watching my video. I haven't made an IR but that seems like a good idea. The amp is actually going in for a service and some TLC this week, so as soon as it is back I will see if I can get one made! Thanks, Neil
Do you get some hum when you dime the master?
Some but not much and of course most depends on the guitar being used.
I bought a Marshall JTM 60 in 1992. It is the clean channel's sound why so many people want me to sell it to them.
Great, interesting video!
I‘ve also got a limited Tweed one with Groove Tubes and the Jensen Speaker in 2010. I really love it for clean sounds, but I‘ve built myself a decent pedalboard and it has big problems with some of them. The Fuzz on my Monterey, the Muff and also the SL Drive sound absolutely thin and harsh. I know that these are pedals a Fender doesn’t like that much in general, but I‘ve heard a lot of demos etc. where it sounded good. Maybe I should change the speaker to a Cannabis Rex, but then I fear I‘m loosing my sparkly clean tone... Would love to hear if you got some experience with Fuzzes etc.!
Thanks for your kind words Stackhouse!. I have no real experiences with Fuzz I am afraid, in fact I have just done a video about that fact. I am surprised about the SL drive though as I have that pedal. I would suggest perhaps dropping some of the treble and seeing if that helps otherwise, do you have an EQ pedal?
Neil Spencer Bruce Hi! Thanks for your reply! I have an EQ, it helps a bit to tame the harshness, but it doesn’t help with the grainy sound. I had some time today and opened up my Blues Junior to solder two cables and a switch in place of the capacitor C9 that Fender left out for some more treble. Unfortunately I had no 1kv caps at home, so I have to wait for them to arrive. Will tell you if it worked! 😉 Next thing I‘d try is the Cannabis Rex. Greetings!
Wow that is some serious surgery! Let me know if it works. One thing else to try is actually using the EQ to reduce the bass going into the amp from the pedals, this will give you some more headroom to play with with your dirt pedals. Look forward to hearing about you mod!
Try out The Fulltone OCD I have 1 for my Blues Jr. And it sounds fantastic.
about having to use a low watt amp on medium/ big stages - one nice concept for me I learned from a pro friend a few years ago : you only put on the PA the necessary, so one can use an amp on the sweet spot and then, to the PA, goes only the rest necessary for the room. sometimes only the amp is enough. Of course most humans wont need 100watt amps cooking freely..the difficult part is getting the right general purpose wattage amp. For my perception, between 30 to 45w is about right.
HI Nuno, thanks for watching. Yes this is certainly a good way to do things, although unfortunately in my experience of big stages (and small) these days, the sound guys really don’t want much guitar amp at all (they would sometimes prefer none! which I why I use a lot more amp modelling these days.) Especially when some amps need to be quite loud to hit their sweet spot. All the best, Neil
its an eternal battle @@NeilSpencerBruce . Sound guys like to have absolute control of all things ..but they don't. I would never compromise my guitar sound again to that , not in my blues trio . ;) its just different ways to look at things.
I hear you! @@nunoandrademusicspace7590 Especially in a blues trio! All the best, Neil
stock reverb or mod
Stock
Great honest video, thanks! I’ve had the big brother the Blues Deluxe for 7 years... love the two channels, but rarely run it above 2 which even then gets complaints from my band members! I can’t help wondering if I should try the BJ and benefit from running a smaller amp hotter, although so many reviews comment on a ‘thin/boxy’ sound..? Sadly I’d need to sell one to fund the other so a big gamble for me.
Thanks for you kind words Spencer. I know the problem with the Hot Rod Deluxe 1 (quiet) 1.2 (slightly louder) 1.3 (getting better) 1.333333 ARRRRRGGG my ears!! :) It is a tough call, I would say there is a bit more dimension to the bigger cab and the Bj to some ears might sound a bit boxier. But I find it a trade off, 99% of people I play to don’t care about what the guitar sounds like as long as it is in tune and playing the right things. So I trade off a bit of tone for portability, stage volume and actually because you can crank it ore than you can you get a more natural overdriven tone at lower volumes. So I would say your question is would you like to get the sound of a driven amp that is cooking vs it sounding a bit more boxy? Best thing would be to go try one if you can.
Try changing the C6 (bass) capacitor from 0.022uF to 0.100μF. Allows more and better-controlled bass, which eliminates some of the boxiness. Cheaper option than changing cabinets or swapping speakers/transformers.
I'd also recommend the Jensen C12N tweed version over the black tolex BJr. That speaker cuts in the mix better, which can allow you to keep overall volume down more. With Master and Volume each at around 3.5, you can get a pretty full tone without drowning any other instruments out.
I sold my Hot Rod Deville and started using my Blues Jr exclusively. I'm happy with it. Prefer it to backline amps too, which are usually a Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe.
Good points, but if you don’t fancy modding you could always stick an eq pedal in front of the amp to tame the bass and also free up some head room. I would also point you at this video I did about the Master Volume th-cam.com/video/X9A63FVqrkY/w-d-xo.html which is something else you might want to check out! Blues Jr is a great amp and I have gigged with it for years, and do get told it is too loud :)
Neil Spencer Bruce - I’d think on the unmodded BJr they may want to up the bass if boxiness is the concern. To use an EQ pedal to make the Jensen BJr sound fuller, maybe boost around 100-200 Hz and cut around 1-2 kHz? Honestly, I think a lot of the harsh critics of the BJr are playing alone at home and really crave that low end. If you’re performing live, that 100 Hz low end is going to be eaten up by the kick drum, bass player, stage resonance, and drone of the room anyway (and filtered out by the soundboard if your amp is mic’d). So, I wouldn’t worry too much about that low end thud. And around the 200 Hz line, thickness quickly becomes muddiness. A lot of players set their bass frequencies too high live, because that’s what they’re accustom to sounding good when practicing in the bedroom.
And I wish I could keep the Master wide open, but then my bandmates will say “too loud!”
Did you ever get your 65 Deluxe. If so, are you using that now instead of the Blues Jr. I have both amps, and i go back and forth between the two. The ear is a funny thing. One day the Blues Jr. sounds good and the next not so good. Same with the 65 Deluxe.
Hi there! I did and I am not any more. You can read my review here www.spencerbruce.com/fender-68-custom-deluxe-reverb-review/ the sad thing was that I could never use the deluxe at the sweet spot on stage as it was just too loud for the majority of venues (I am usually mic’d up), even play 1000+ venues was being told to turn down, so very sadly I ended up selling it. A very sad day as it is an awesome amp.
Neil Spencer Bruce yes you did mention that in your video about the 68, but you also mentioned you were thinking of getting the 65 Deluxe, that’s the model i was referring too.
Opps sorry my mistake, I did indeed. I am thinking of it still, but will be a little way down the line at the moment, it is kind of the dream amp I’d love to own, but need a bit more work in the mean time to make it happen :)
Heh. Happy anniversary, then ^^. What is the Junior to you is my trusty AC15 TBX to me. Bought it used nine years ago, and it's been a real trouper ever since.
Thanks Christoph!! That is great to hear!! I also have a Marshall JMP-1 that I have had since 1992 (wow that is 25 years!) that I still use but only in the studio these days. Love to hear stories about gear like your amp!!
Neil Spencer Bruce JMP1, hehe, had one of those way the hell back when, but sold it in favour of a Gallien Krueger CPL2000 that I still have (... terminal case of late 80s Lifesonitis...). My oldest piece of kit I still have is "Onion", my JCM 800 I bought used in '88. I slaved for four weeks during 11th grade summer hols: 10 hour shifts in a local factory, peeling potatoes and, well, onions. No parties that summer, the onion stink wouldn't go away even after three or four showers... I'll be buried with that amp, even if I don't play it much any more - it's _comically_ loud; letting it "breathe" gets you thrown out of clubs faster than dropping your pants these days 😁.
Love it! Love how you named it the Onion!! That is awesome! I might have to rename my guitar ‘Archive’ as I earned money for it one summer working in archives for a company (it was SO dull!), at least I didn’t have the smell! Yes the JCM 800 is a loud amp, I mean I get in trouble with my Blues Junior these days as well! Clubs just aren’t the same any more!
Amazed you haven’t modded this. These are good but they absolutely eat valves. Please do yourself a favour and get the bias adjusted. The valves will last longer, the sound will stay more consistent and you won’t get damage to the board that the valves are on from excess heat. It’s an easy modification that can be done by changing one resistor or installing a variable resistor.
Thanks for watching. I will look into that, but after 8 years of weekley gigging I have only replaced the valves once (because I fancied it!). Had no problems (touch wood) so far. Love the amp! All the best, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce sounds like it has maybe been modded already then, otherwise it's hard to see how the valves would have survived. Enjoy. I love mine too Even more since I put the eminence version of the greenback speaker in it.
@@ali2ndmail Maybe, but I don't know how as I have owned it since new :) Maybe the magic modding Elves visited in the night! Either way 8 years of weekly gigging, one valve change, happy days! If I ever have time I might try changing the speaker, but probably not. I am happy, it pays the bills (sorry paid the bills pre covid!). SO many amps so little time! Take care!
i had 2 tweed blues jr's in 3 weeks they both blew up never knew why, but did sound wonderful , its sad so now ive had my super sonic 22 for 10 years no problems, just not as good a clean sound
The likely answer to “why” is they are biased too hot so the power valves generate a lot of heat and fail quickly. Sometimes when they fail it destroys a resistor in the circuit board. It’s an easy fix though for someone competent with a soldering iron and a screwdriver.
Been considering one of these for years but never got round to it.
Just got a katana and I'm a bit dissapointed after all the hype about them. The Marshall tsl 100 and jvm 100 are far better in all respects over the jmp1. Imo
I have heard good things about the new Blues Junior IV if you are in the market for something new. I have not had a proper chance to test out the Katana yet, but I am interested given how much praise they are getting!
Is it me or does this guy look like a British Gilbert Gottfried? Btw love my BJ
Not heard than one before. Can't beat a Blues Junior!
If you want a great amp, look for a Made In USA Blues Jr., which was the first version this amp. Unbelievable balls and
the strongest 15 watts ever. Sounds much better than any Blues Jr since. Goose the mids and it cuts through the
band or a mix with the treble and bass halfway. They’re so good they’re hard to find used. The next version is a MIM
amp and does not sound the same at all. All are MIM now, as far as I know. Go, USA!
SO MATE YOU NEVER TOLD US WHAT CELESTION SPK YOU HAVE IN YOUR AMP, I BELIEVE THE CELESTION SOUNDS BETTER IN HIS AMP THAN THE JENSEN, 25 WATT GREEN BACK OR THE VINTAGE 30, CHEERS
Hi there, thanks for watching. It is the Jensen, this amp is stock aside from a circuit mod carried out my a tech. Thanks, Neil
@@NeilSpencerBruce alrighty then cheers.
Bet I feel better about my 65 Princeton reissue in tweed Ltd with a G12-65 Celestion than you do about your Jr.
Ok cool, really happy for you. I love my amp, love my life so all is good my friend.
@@NeilSpencerBruce LOL 👍
Was not usefull at all.
Thanks, any way I could make it better? Your gracious input would be greatly appreciated.
Lame.
Hi there Don! Thanks for you feedback, I really value your opinion, to help me develop in the future and with your obvious expertise in the area, could you let me know what you thought was ‘lame’ and how I could make the video in future so you don’t think it is ‘lame’. All the best and have a great weekend, Neil