Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

[9unslin9er]

I'm looking to pick up an affordable tube amp for its clean channel.

My gain stage comes from my Vox Satchurator pedal.

Going for something close to the clean tones on a Blackstar Series 1 100.

See first 1'13" of vid.


Kind of that Mark Tremonti clean tone.
I'd buy a Blackstar combo but there's no way I'm blowing more than $500.

Do I go for the Blues Jr.? or do you guys have other suggestions in that price range?

 

[schecterplayer]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

The Peavey classic series amps have a pretty good clean tone. It's hard to go wrong with the blues junior or a used blues deluxe if you need a bit more headroom.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

I listened to a lot of clips of the Classic 30. It's just not the type of clean I'm looking for, and I have no use for its gain stage.

I'd really like just a dedicated clean stage amp, but they probably don't exist. It'd be nice to just crank a volume knob without the breakup and fuzz.

 

[schecterplayer]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

There are indeed amps like that, I would look into a used Roland JC120 (or a lower power model if you don't need the power) beautiful cleans, cheap, and takes pedals pretty well. Most really clean tube amps aren't cheap because you want a lot of power and headroom to keep the amp from breaking up. It all depends on the volumes you play at though.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

15-30 watts sir. All I need.

I have my studio amps perched on a small table. If I want arena volumes, I'll just use my Marshall.

I considered a Traynor YCV20, but again, its clean channel is not quite as good as a Fenders, but at least it's dedicated.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

No way you can get the Blackstar sound from any other amp. Not only do their amps have a unique voice, they have a DPR feature which does some kind of variac/power dampening. That changes the tone and dynamics. Blackstar Series One cleans are among the best in my opinion. Even the HT series won't really get you there. Closest will probably be the HT20, but not as good as the Series One.

The Blues Junior III is a great little amp. The cleans are superb. However, you should check out the Mesa Boogie Mini Rect or Transatlantic 15. They have even better cleans in my opinion because you have a few more tonal options. They're both in the sub $1000 range.

Getting the right speaker for a Blues Junior is important. Fortunately, the Blues Junior is not only very pedal friendly, it's also pretty speaker friendly. I have tried them with several Celestion and Eminence speakers, each giving the Blues Junior a bit different flavor. Probably my favorites so far have been the Cannabis Rex and Texas Heat.

 

[Inkstained]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

No way you can get the Blackstar sound from any other amp.

This. I have a first-generation BJ and a Satchurator pedal. It can be a savage combination -- I love that pedal in particular -- but it's not a Blackstar sound.

It's cool for what it is, though. Loud for sure.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

I have a few "better" amps, but I just keep coming back to my Blues Jr. It isn't the most versatile thing, but it has fantastic clean-to-crunch tones. Emerald green with the Celestion Vintage 30.

Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

This. I have a first-generation BJ and a Satchurator pedal. It can be a savage combination -- I love that pedal in particular -- but it's not a Blackstar sound.

It's cool for what it is, though. Loud for sure.

Love this post. I love the Satchurator because it doesn't really behave like a stomp box. I figured if I could get the best clean signal possible, my gain stage would be unbelievable.

Right now I have it running through a 57 Fender Twin setting on my Vox Valvetronix and it sounds decent even through the modelling amp.

My Satchurator actually used to sound amazing through my Traynor 50 but I got rid of that long ago to bring in some 100 watters.

I checked out the Mesa Transatlantic and it sounds fantastic, especially the Andy Timmons clip, but again, it's pricy comparatively and I have no need for THAT many functions.

Finally, yes that Blackstar tone is superb both clean and lead, but I intend to hold onto my Marshall AFD and I think 1 stack is enough for me.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Check out the Workhorse series of amps from Visual Sound. They're dedicated single channel tube amps that can take 6L6 or EL34 tubes. They're kind of ugly, but one might work best for your application.

 

[thespricket]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Spend a few more bucks and get the NOS tweed jr with the upgraded speaker. It's great amp. The stock III is ok but it's worth the extra money for the nos.

The vox ac15 is another good option in that size a price range. Same features as the jr plus others. Also the crunch is much better.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

No way you can get the Blackstar sound from any other amp. Not only do their amps have a unique voice, they have a DPR feature which does some kind of variac/power dampening. That changes the tone and dynamics. Blackstar Series One cleans are among the best in my opinion. Even the HT series won't really get you there. Closest will probably be the HT20, but not as good as the Series One.

You know what?

F the Blues Junior. Just went through all the vids on Youtube for the HT20.
That thing sounds freaking amazing. I know it won't get quite the bottom end and richness of the series one, but mannnnnnnn.

At the same price point as the BJ, I gotta bite the bullet. Thanks Uber.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

This entire album was recorded with a Strat directly into a BJ. Only effects used were wah and fuzz.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Really really tough to pick a winner between the 2. All about how much sustainable clean at high volume.

 

[Inkstained]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

I prefer the BJ for my style of playing -- blues, jazz, classic rock. As much as I love that amp, it doesn't sound like a Blackstar, with or without a distortion pedal.

But hey, maybe you can get the BJ with a Blackstar distortion pedal? Best of both worlds? :fingersx:

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Really really tough to pick a winner between the 2. All about how much sustainable clean at high volume.

Well keep in mind two things: That video compares the combos with stock speakers, and the Blues Junior stock speaker is better than the HT20's. That's a tweed BJ which has the Jensen 50w Italian speaker. The HT20 has the Celestion 70/80 Chinese made speaker which is pretty much a bright, harsh, midrangey speaker.

The Blues Junior will have a better overall clean tone simply because of the inherent Fender character and smooth breakup. The HT20 will be able to get almost as good of a clean tone, but the advantage is that when it starts to break up, the HT20 will be much more versatile. The Blues Junior pretty much has a vintage breakup whereas the HT20 can do a similar breakup but can also be adjusted via the ISF control to go from that all the way around to a vintagey British style.

I trust Blackstar (Korea) quality over Fender (Mexico) quality just from experience. I haven't seen a Blackstar break down yet, and even though I've never had a personal experience with Fender problems, I have seen a lot of problems with Fender amps. Perhaps it's because they're much more common. I just like the way Blackstar controls work and how the sound can go from dark to bright and from American to British. With Fenders, you are pretty much tucked into the Fender pocket.

One thing I'll say is that a speaker change and tube swap works wonders on both amps. The Blues Junior can be tighter and more aggressive or fatter and warmer. The Blackstar can be brighter, thicker, thinner, etc... as well. I've already mentioned the Cannabis Rex for an overall warm, round tone and the Texas Heat for a bit of sizzle and deep, tight bass response. However, for the HT20, I'd recommend a few different speakers. The V30 is very reliable. The Classic Lead 80 is a perfect compromise between the 70/80 and V30. Eminence GB128 and Man-O-War are probably my choice for that one.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Hey I appreciate the wonderful input from everyone.

Uber, I actually dig the 70/80. had one in my Tech 21 and it was dynamite. Loads of treble and upper mids. Exactly what I'm going for so I'm happy it has it.

I have no need for ANY breakup. I want the clean to be as clean as possible for as loud as possible. As stated, I plan to use my Satchurator as a primary gain stage, so I don't want any preamp overdrive coloring the tone.

I agree on the country of manufacture as well. Korea has amazingly tight QC.
I think the BJ is a fantastic amp, but I was really drawn to it because it can kinda get the cleans of a Fender Twin, but on the long run, and for the same money, the Blackstar is just more versatile. I can't believe the metal tones you can get out of it.

Normally, you listen to clips of an amp and some vids suck a$$ and others blow you away depending on the guitar used and the player, but pretty much everyone who is making a video of the Blackstar sounds awesome. That's saying something.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Fender Blues Junior III. Yay or nay?

Hey I appreciate the wonderful input from everyone.

Uber, I actually dig the 70/80. had one in my Tech 21 and it was dynamite. Loads of treble and upper mids. Exactly what I'm going for so I'm happy it has it.

I have no need for ANY breakup. I want the clean to be as clean as possible for as loud as possible. As stated, I plan to use my Satchurator as a primary gain stage, so I don't want any preamp overdrive coloring the tone.

I agree on the country of manufacture as well. Korea has amazingly tight QC.
I think the BJ is a fantastic amp, but I was really drawn to it because it can kinda get the cleans of a Fender Twin, but on the long run, and for the same money, the Blackstar is just more versatile. I can't believe the metal tones you can get out of it.

Normally, you listen to clips of an amp and some vids suck a$$ and others blow you away depending on the guitar used and the player, but pretty much everyone who is making a video of the Blackstar sounds awesome. That's saying something.

Jolly owns an HT5 I think, and I'm pretty sure he posted an audio sample somewhere around here. The HT5 is really great and a lot of fun to play, but I still like the HT20 better because it sounds a little more open and a little bigger and tighter than the HT5.