just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

[reclempt smoker]

hi,

I just bought used Fender Blues Jr that I've been having fun with. the previous owner had just retubed it with JJ tubes (graded for low-gain) and also replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Man-O-War.

I've been using a pos Marshall MG series half-stack and this is the first tube amp I've ever owned, so I don't mean to get misty-eyed but man this little Fender sounds great. warm and thick and rich and HUGE-sounding, with a tight bottom end. makes that Marshall MG sound like the plastic toy it is. I think I "get it" now about the tube addiction, though I'm sure the Blues Jr isn't exactly at the top of the tube amp chain. far from it, I'm sure.

anyway, this amp does it in the clean dept, but I'm a metalhead so the crunch with the fat switch engaged isn't floating my boat. so I'm in need of a distortion pedal.

my guitar is a Warlock soon to be loaded with Bill Lawrence humbuckers (L-500XL and L-500C). I like the old speed metal from the 80s, like Slayer, Venom, Slayer, Possessed, Slayer, Slayer, and Slayer I'm especially fond of King & Hanneman's tones on Haunting the Chapel and Hell Awaits.

does the Blue Jr sound good with any "particular" dist pedal? from various reviews these sound like good candidates:

Keeley-modified Metal Zone
Tonebone Hot British
AMT Metalizer
Digitech Black 13
Marshall Jackhammer
Damage Control Demonizer (pricey sob)

I know I'll just have to use my own ears but I dread starting a pedal addiction (wait...maybe THIS one will be better ahhhh$$$$) thanks!

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

For heavy gain, I use an M.I. Audio Crunch Box. It sounds like a hotrodded Marshall 800. For low to mid gain a Tubescreamer type pedal would work well. Take your Jr, to the store and try a bunch of different pedals and see what works for you.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Take your Jr, to the store and try a bunch of different pedals and see what works for you.

Definitely.

I've found that my Blues Jr. takes pedals VERY well. I haven't tried any distortion pedals other than the Big Pig. It's probably not going to hang with those you listed, though.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Definitely.

I've found that my Blues Jr. takes pedals VERY well. I haven't tried any distortion pedals other than the Big Pig. It's probably not going to hang with those you listed, though.

I use my JR at rehearsal and at very small gigs and it likes the Crunchbox and my Sparkledrive. Keep in mind that I don't use them with the gain maxed. The Crunch box is my Marshall tone and the Sparkledrive is a very light OD boost.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

anyway, this amp does it in the clean dept, but I'm a metalhead so the crunch with the fat switch engaged isn't floating my boat. so I'm in need of a distortion pedal.

Actually...you're probably best suited to getting a different amp.

I own a Blues Jr (actually two of them); it's not an amp for metal.

Throw all the pedals you want in front of it, you might get near what you're looking for, but the sound of the amp just isn't likely to do what you're looking for it to do.

Misty-eyed or not odds are you're just going to end up aggravated in the long run.

 

[neosadist]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Go try them all.
Without looking, I'd have to recommend a Boss Metal Zone MT-2 for its versatility.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

DS-1's hard to beat.

 

[51501984]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Tonebone Hot British will turn that Blues Jr into a small screaming Marshall

 

[MartinSixStringCustoms]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Actually...you're probably best suited to getting a different amp.

I own a Blues Jr (actually two of them); it's not an amp for metal.

Throw all the pedals you want in front of it, you might get near what you're looking for, but the sound of the amp just isn't likely to do what you're looking for it to do.

Misty-eyed or not odds are you're just going to end up aggravated in the long run.

I was thinking the same. The Blues Jr. is a great clean amp or for mild overdrive, but its not a high gain amp obviously. On the flipside, I ran my OCD in front of a Fender at the store and it sounded pretty good, but not exactly what you apprear to be looking for.

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Try a DS-1 it isnt a bad pedal. Try it with a low battery, so the led is dim, it sounds much more natural and much less fizzy.

 

[Stratcat]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

I highly recommened the Marshall Bluesbreaker II Pedal.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

A DS-1 modded by our forum bro' John (Stratdeluxer) sounds great in front of a Blues Jr. All the same, it's just not going to get you all the way to that metal zone you described.

Chip

 

[Curly]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

the best distortion pedal I own is the Maxon 830 Distortion Pro

John's modded DS-1 is a darn good pedal, too, especially for the $$$

 

[reclempt smoker]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

thanks for the replies

when you guys state that the Blues Jr won't get me into metal territory, do you mean using the amp's own crunch and boosting with a pedal? cause that's not what I was aiming for.

what I was talking about was setting the amp for total clean and getting all the fire from a distortion pedal. would this not work? this will be for playing at home volume levels for practice; I'm not in a band. I really love the Jr's clean sound and figured it would really warm up a raging distortion pedal.

anyways, I ordered a Hot British, Metalizer, and a Keeley-modded Metal Zone. hopefully one of these will get me there.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

thanks for the replies

when you guys state that the Blues Jr won't get me into metal territory, do you mean using the amp's own crunch and boosting with a pedal? cause that's not what I was aiming for.

what I was talking about was setting the amp for total clean and getting all the fire from a distortion pedal. would this not work? this will be for playing at home volume levels for practice; I'm not in a band. I really love the Jr's clean sound and figured it would really warm up a raging distortion pedal.

anyways, I ordered a Hot British, Metalizer, and a Keeley-modded Metal Zone. hopefully one of these will get me there.

The Blues Junior isn't naturally a high-gain amplifier. With some different tubes you can get a little more headroom out of it, but where it really shines is in naturally Bluesy tone.

Using pedals that mimic high-gain will technically work, but you're only prone to get as much out of the amp as the existing headroom will provide which I could see as being very frustrating to a young player with only one amp to work with in a setting with other players.

It's not that the Blues Jr. isn't a good amp, it just seems like it's not a good fit for what your stated needs and desires are.

For the money you probably spent on those three pedals and the Blues Jr. you could probably get a 5150 combo or other high-gain amp that will naturally do what you want it to do as well as have enough room to grow with you for many years to come.

 

[Rushfan2112]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

The Blues Junior isn't naturally a high-gain amplifier. With some different tubes you can get a little more headroom out of it, but where it really shines is in naturally Bluesy tone.

Using pedals that mimic high-gain will technically work, but you're only prone to get as much out of the amp as the existing headroom will provide which I could see as being very frustrating to a young player with only one amp to work with in a setting with other players.

It's not that the Blues Jr. isn't a good amp, it just seems like it's not a good fit for what your stated needs and desires are.

For the money you probably spent on those three pedals and the Blues Jr. you could probably get a 5150 combo or other high-gain amp that will naturally do what you want it to do as well as have enough room to grow with you for many years to come.

I agree. I'm a Blues Junior owner myself, and while I don't use it for metal, I can't possibly see a way to coax metal tones out of it. There really aren't any JCM800-in-a-box pedals that will take you from sparkling clean to Slayer with the push of a button. Natural amp distortion > A pedal.

 

[neosadist]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

I agree. I'm a Blues Junior owner myself, and while I don't use it for metal, I can't possibly see a way to coax metal tones out of it. There really aren't any JCM800-in-a-box pedals that will take you from sparkling clean to Slayer with the push of a button. Natural amp distortion > A pedal.

Natural amp distortion > a pedal?! Dude, no offense, but there's really no difference. Overdrive is overdrive, whether in the amp or on the pedal. Distortion is the same whether amp or pedal. Now as to how it sounds, that's a different story, but I know just as much (if not more) people that swear by pedals than by amp distortions. Honestly it's all just one of those things. They all sound different, so try them all and use the one(s) you like. But as for their principle of operation, it's all the same: overdrive usually refers to a more natural clipping of the waveforms, and distortion usually refers to a more unnatural, electronic kind of clipping.

Maybe if you looked at some of the circuit layouts (whether amp or pedal), you'd start to realize that they're all essentially the same basic idea. They just all do it differently.

 

[Rushfan2112]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Natural amp distortion > a pedal?! Dude, no offense, but there's really no difference. Overdrive is overdrive, whether in the amp or on the pedal. Distortion is the same whether amp or pedal. Now as to how it sounds, that's a different story, but I know just as much (if not more) people that swear by pedals than by amp distortions. Honestly it's all just one of those things. They all sound different, so try them all and use the one(s) you like. But as for their principle of operation, it's all the same: overdrive usually refers to a more natural clipping of the waveforms, and distortion usually refers to a more unnatural, electronic kind of clipping.

Maybe if you looked at some of the circuit layouts (whether amp or pedal), you'd start to realize that they're all essentially the same basic idea. They just all do it differently.

Look, it's my opinion, I don't need someone shoving thier know-it-all information down my throat. I've played plenty of overdrive pedals (granted, none exactly were botique, but stock other stuff) and none really captivated me the same way as my amps natural distortion.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

Rocktron silver dragon is one of the the best distortions in a box IMHO.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: just got a Blues Jr...need a dist pedal

hmmm a BJ for hard rock or metal? I can't imagine... lol

I used one for a long time with a fulltone OCD or FD2. The Keeley modded stuff goes well, also.