Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

Inkstained

Inkstained

New member
I officially have the last, unmodded, first-generation, U.S.-made Fender Blues Jr. in the universe. Or so it seems.

It sat neglected for a few years while I played with a Princeton Recording amp, a Marshall Class 5 (recently acquired), a G Dec 3 30 (blues edition) and a few other toys, but I've started playing it again.

My feelings are as mixed as ever. It's loud and it's got that crashing, pungent EL84 treble bite, which can grow on you over time. The reverb is/was one of Fender's darkest hours. The boxiness is still there; the enclosure rattles; half a dozen design "flaws" leap to mind.

But with good PAF-style humbuckers, with the volume cranked (and the master controlled), this little amp rawks. Its best friends seem to be a Crybaby and a TS-9.

Any other "BJ" fans out there?
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I'm more of a PJ man myself....but I hear you; A TS9 into a Holy Grail reverb, into the PJ, or BJ, or whatever J you dig. Good stuff.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I've gotten over it. I'm really excited about the Blues Deluxe lately; I think that's my next amp.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

Bassman is my Fender of choice. As much as I've played the Blues Jr, I've never really gelled with it.

Maybe that's just because I can't get along with 1x12s.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

It's my main gigging amp. I use to have a Blues Deluxe in tweed, then played Mesa amps for a while, but I've come back full circle and the BJ is my weapon of choice. Mine has a modded circuit of some sort, and a Jensen C12N speaker. It sounds really good with my fulltone Plimsoul. It's portable, fun, and does what I need it to do. I can't complain.

My next amp is going to be a Supersonic though. The BJ will still be my main gigging machine for a long time though.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I get along pretty well with blues jrs, especially the blues jr "III" where you can scoop the mids out and get more blackface-ish. it's not hard to get very easy to use, very very Fendery sounds out of it without any help.

But yeah, the cab and the reverb, and the lack of headroom sometimes, those things can be a bit frustrating. FWIW the DRRI + Les Lius fixed those issues for me while still getting the same flavor.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I like other guys using them, but when I got one myself, I couldn't get tones I wanted. The last time I used it at a gig, the band got loud and I was drowned out. Sold it after that. For the right guy and the right situations, they're great.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

phil_104 said:
It's my main gigging amp. I use to have a Blues Deluxe in tweed, then played Mesa amps for a while, but I've come back full circle and the BJ is my weapon of choice.
Click to expand...

From a Blues Deluxe to Mesa back to BJ again? That's amazing.

I have a hard time thinking of the BJ as a gigging amp, although I know thousands of players have done just that. Heck, Jeff Beck used Pro Jrs.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

FuseG4 said:
I get along pretty well with blues jrs, especially the blues jr "III" where you can scoop the mids out and get more blackface-ish. it's not hard to get very easy to use, very very Fendery sounds out of it without any help.

But yeah, the cab and the reverb, and the lack of headroom sometimes, those things can be a bit frustrating. FWIW the DRRI + Les Lius fixed those issues for me while still getting the same flavor.
Click to expand...

I have the III version. Didn't care for the editions before it. IMHO, you can't get one with a stock speaker though. Not a good call.

blueman335 said:
I like other guys using them, but when I got one myself, I couldn't get tones I wanted. The last time I used it at a gig, the band got loud and I was drowned out. Sold it after that. For the right guy and the right situations, they're great.
Click to expand...

And see, to me, that is mind blowing, because I play in a 3 piece, with a heavy, heavy handed drummer playing a Yamaha Custom Oak kit, which is loud as **** with Zildjian cymbals that would be considered oversized on most kits. My bass player is everything but shy, and often uses a muff in front of his amp. I've never felt the BJ was lacking, even compared to when I was gigging with a Mesa Stiletto into a 2x12 Rect Cab.

I guess it all depends on the dynamics and vibe you are going for. See, I'm not gonna call it "low-fi", because that's not what I'm going for what so ever, but my ideal tone has never been conventional, so I don't mind an amp that is pushing real hard, specially on clean. That's why I don't play Mesa or 40w amps anymore : I love my BJ caus I can kick the **** out of it every night. I can't imagine getting drowned out, because I'd just mic the thing for a venue that would get to that volume level. To each his own though. Like I said, I get it, I use to play big amps.

Inkstained said:
From a Blues Deluxe to Mesa back to BJ again? That's amazing.

I have a hard time thinking of the BJ as a gigging amp, although I know thousands of players have done just that. Heck, Jeff Beck used Pro Jrs.
Click to expand...

Our very own Wah_wah uses one with great results. He's actually the reason I started looking into the smaller Fenders.
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I had one . . . for five years.

The tone got bland (for a lack of a better word) to my ears, very quickly !
After hearing Pro Junior with a 12" Greenback (re-housed in an over-sized 1X12 dove tailed cab) i REALLY want one !

A Pro Jr with a GOOD Tone Bender = G O D L Y !




PS : i do NOT miss my BJr !
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I love my blues junior. granted, i replaced the speaker and the tubes, but I really love it. Dont feel any of the complaints apply to my amp
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

Loved mine when I had it (from 1999 to 2001). I wish I had another...
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

i had an old greenboard blues jr that was my main gigging amp for a long time. it was modded a little, rebiased and ran an old greenback but it was my amp for years. my jcm800 and a few other amps sat idle while it got all the work. it was awesome in so many ways. id gig all the time with the amp set with all the controls all the way up except for the bass only as high as it didnt get farty and the reverb dialed back so i wasnt wading in surf. guitar->21' cable->amp i could ride my sporty to gigs and still have the best tone there.

it was by no means a do everything amp but it sat perfectly in the mix with other guitars
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

jeremy said:
it was by no means a do everything amp but it sat perfectly in the mix with other guitars
Click to expand...

Mine too. I replaced the speaker with a Weber Alnico Blue Dog and set of JJ's I had them custom voiced. I need to shut up and get out of this thread. I was already wanting mine back...
 
Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I've had a bunch of experiences with Blues Jr.s good and bad. I bought a NOS Tweed one a few years ago and returned it immediately. Couldn't get with the clean tones too much and I was really looking for a smaller clean machine. Not enough headroom and somewhat thin cleans.

Recently, I started playing the same venue every other week, and the house amp there is the NOS Tweed Blues Jr. Nowadays, I love it. Clean sounds aren't the greatest (my other amps have the clean in SPADES), but the thing takes pedals EXTREMELY well. I think all the Hot Rod amps are excellent with pedals (the older ones and especially the new III series).

"Fits in the mix well" is something that everyone says about the Blues Jr and let me tell you I couldn't agree more (and this is with my band that has three horn players, a heavy-hitting drummer, a percussionist and a bassist).

They're great club amps. I don't have to fight them to get in that sweet, semi-crunchy zone. I know what to expect out of them and they get the job done (don't have to worry about it). The BJ's cleans aren't close to my favorite, but they're "good and fendery enough." Plus, the built-in reverb is nice bonus (I'm a reverb junky, I usually run the built-in reverb AND the Line 6 Verbzilla together hehe).

I think I'm gonna pick up a stock black Blues Jr III this summer while they're still on sale. I play the III at Berklee all the time and favor them to the previous versions. It should keep me occupied as a nice, small, portable rock/overdrive/pedal-friendly machine until I can save up for a real beast like a Mission Tweed Deluxe clone or Tungsten Crema Wheat :D
 
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Re: Anyone still dig the Blues Jr.?

I use one at rehearsal. Occasionally a Deluxe Reverb but usually the BJ. It does the job for a small place & I can hear the rest of the band over it.
 
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