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I ordered a Fender Blues Jr, but I am having second thoughts.
In the past Ihave avoided the Blue Jr as being "dirty" and for focusing on cleantone and headroom. However, I found a limited addition model with EminenceCannabis Rex Speaker and could switch out the V1 to a lower gain tube.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN2230500613?siid=137410&-aQodReMMsA=
At $500 for Blues Junior, this is half the price of the Fender PrincetonReissue. However, with 12 payment with no interest for the Princeton 65 reissueavailable, that is within my budget. This is not a layaway deal, first paymentyou get the amp. Scary!!
I noticed that there are two model with the Fender Princeton reissue,"65" and "68". The the "65" is more expensivethan the "68".
The "65" specs out as below. When compared to the "65" the"68" has only 12 watts and perhaps a lower grade speaker.
Any thoughts and recommendation would be appreciated.
Model/CircuitNumber: Fender Princeton Reverb 1965 Reissue
Years of Production: 2008 – present
Era: Reissue
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Black forward facing w/ white screened labels
Knobs: Black skirted w/ chrome center, numbered 1 – 10
Faceplate
· Front: Instruments 1 & 2, Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Speed,Intensity, red jewel pilot
· Rear: Power cable port, 2A fuse, Power switch, Int speaker jack, Extspeaker jack, Footswitch jack, Reverb output, Reverb input
Cabinet
· Dimensions: 16″ H X 19.875″ W X 9.5″ D
· Handle: Vinyl strap w/ nickel plated caps
· Feet: Chrome Glides
CoveringMaterial
· Tolex/Tweed: Black Tolex
· Grill Cloth: Black white silver grill cloth
Logo: Grillemounted, raised, chrome & black script “Fender” w/ tail
Weight: 34 lbs.
Speakers/Load: 1 x 10″ / 8 ohms
· Speaker Model: Jensen Special Design C10R ceramic
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08-31-2015 09:28 AM
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Sweetwater has a good exchange policy, try the Blues Jr, if it doesn't offer you the tone you're looking for exchange it for the Princeton. I do not own a Princeton but from everything I've read and listened to, I would give the new '68 reissue serious consideration, gets good reviews for jazz, less "bright" than the '65, my $.02
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recently was in a shop and heard the princeton 68 being demoed..sounded absolutely fantastic…the vib & trem were amazing and the tone was lush…i was surprised how good it sounded
the blues jrs are grittier sounding..they are designed to be..even speaker and tube mods will only make'm cleaner, but not vintage fender clean
luck
cheers
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I had both. I like the Princeton a ton more than the Blues Jr. I tried changing speaker, tubes, really didn't help, sold it.
Also I like the 65' better than the 68' which I tried in the store. I have 2 original silver faces but still like the 65' reissue better.
Rick
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The '68 Custom is not really a "reissue." It has different tone circuitry and gain structure from the real thing (and the 65), so that it has somewhat more midrange and distorts a bit more/earlier on the volume dial (mirroring mods that people often do on PR's). From what I understand, the price difference is a function of it being made in Mexico rather than the US, and of the blackface cosmetics being perceived as having a premium. Otherwise, there's no difference in quality between the two.
In terms of power, 12 watts is pretty much indistinguishable from 15. Think of wattage in these amps as approximate anyway -- on a test bench PR's fall pretty much randomly between 12 and a bit more than 15, depending on parts tolerances, tubes, etc. When I was amp shopping few years ago, I played a Blues Jr, and a '65 reissue side by side. There's a fair amount of overlap between the two in terms of tone. Overall, the '65 has more of a "scooped" classic Fender tone, and more clean headroom. The BJ has more midrange, more distortion, and maybe somewhat more overall volume (though not clean volume). But any of these amps is sort of in the same family -- great blues/rock amps when cranked; great jazz tones at lower volumes, but lots of people find them not to have enough clean headroom for a jazz group with a loud drummer, horns, etc. I'm not one of those people, btw. I wound up with a 78 PR, which is plenty loud for my purposes. A couple of clubs I've played in have BJ's as house amps, and I've liked them.
John
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I have owned both. I have also owned a vintage blackface Princeton, a vintage Brownface Princeton and a vintage Silverface Princeton (all non reverb models) and the Mesa Subway Blues.
The winner for me is the vintage blackface Princeton. That is the one that I kept. The vintage Silverface Princeton sounded good but was too heavy (mine was a 79 with the MDF cabinet. I understand that the earlier ones were ply cabs and are lighter). The Blues Jr. and the Subway Blues were simply too nasal to get a good jazz tone (For a jazz tube amp, you want 6v6 or 6l6 tubes). The vintage Brownface did not have any clean headroom to speak of and the 65 Princeton reverb reissue was too bright and also lacked clean headroom (I tried lots of mods like a different speaker, different transformer and solid state rectification, all to no avail).
The vintage Blackface and Silverface Princetons that lack reverb are super clean amps, perfect for jazz with the addition of a reverb pedal, Being point to point, hand wired amps, they are easy to service and will last your lifetime.
Why buy anything else?
But, if you are stuck between the Blues Jr. or the 65 reissue, spend the extra dough for the reissue. It is a WAY better jazz amp.
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Another vote... I have a '79 Silverface PR that I installed into a custom cabinet with a 12" speaker. I haven't lusted for another small tube amp since. Can't remember exactly when I bought it, but it cost me $600 (with the original cabinet). I've never gotten the same kind of rich tone from a Blues Jr. in the times I've played them at jams or at someone else's studio. They are more trebly with a thinner sounding reverb, IMHO.
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Non reverb princetons are also worth looking at. Bargains...great tones...
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This is not your father's Princeton Reverb...
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Princeton RI +1
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I had a Silverface Princeton Reverb that I would swear sounded about that size.
Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
This is not your father's Princeton Reverb...
Selling it was a big mistake.
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Princeton with a Jensen Alnico P10Q hands down. Glorious jazz tone. A Blues Jr is just that. A good blues amp with just OK reverb.
Last edited by vinnyv1k; 08-31-2015 at 10:44 PM.
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There are 4 Princeton Reverb RIs stacked within that shell. Originally Posted by citizenk74
I had a Silverface Princeton Reverb that I would swear sounded about that size.
Selling it was a big mistake.
How much sound do 4 PRRIs produce? A lot...Loud enough for Ryan Adams. (I don't listen to his music but he is/was apparently famous. Colour me ignorant.
)
Last edited by Jabberwocky; 09-01-2015 at 06:29 AM.
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I ordered theLimited Edition Blues Jr. and should have it by tomorrow evening. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Initially I will A/B it with the Fender Super Champ X2. I was playing the X2last evening and loving it.
Interesting enough is that this Limited Edition Blues Jr with wine red tolexand wheat grill cloth has an upgrade to the 12" Cannabis Rex speaker byEminence; also front-reading text control panel, vintage Fender "dogbone" handle, vintage-size jewel light, "sparkle" circuit mod,rattle-reducing shock absorbers for the EL84 tubes, and heavy-duty set-screw"chicken head" knobs.
With the Eminence speaker that some say is voice for "Jazz" tone, alower gain V1 tube, and sparkle mod, I am curious how the amp will sound. Asper Billm; The 5751 or 12AY7 don’t give you any more clean headroom.They only delay the onset of distortion and limit the total amount ofdistortion.12AX7: Clean range ends at 4 5751: Clean range ends at 5 12AY7:Clean range ends at 7
http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=131Bill has alot of good information specific to the Blues Jr. He has developedfairly low cost mods to upgrade the Blues Jr. I emailed him, however I foundout he was dealing with cancer. On his website he left a message that with helpfrom his son, he has kept the business running. The posting did sound optimisticand I hope he is in recovery mode.
Bottom-line this is a learning curve in smaller tube watt amps, as oppositesolid state amps that I have been using. The jump from $360 for the Super ChampX2 to the Blues Jr. at $530 is reasonable at this time. However, if was not for Billm's website and the Eminence speaker upgrade I would have passed onit. I would have to think long and hard on spending +- $1000 on a new or silverface Princeton. A few years back, a local guitar store had a silverface for $550. I should have jumped on it, but I was into larger wattage amps at the time.
Last edited by Wildcat; 09-01-2015 at 09:56 AM.
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I hope the amp sounds as good as it looks, keep us posted.
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What I worry about is that much like the women in my life I tend to forget/forgive flaws for good looks. Logic and objectivity flies out the window. I am so weak kneed. Originally Posted by ESCC
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You'll know if it is good as hoped for once its turned on and you plug in. Originally Posted by Wildcat
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I got a great deal on a used stock Blues Jr., but could never get a great jazz tone out of it. Too boomy with my ES-175. I thought about doing upgrades and mods, but I wound up selling it right away and got a PRRI Fudge Brownie Special Edition with the Jensen Alnico P10Q factory-installed. It cost a lot more than the BJ, but I didn't have to diddle around with it and it sounds really good. It's my only tube amp these days.
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Same with me. I bought one of those wine Blues Jr's because of the CR speaker and cool look. Sounded horrible for jazz and had really bad tube rattle. Also the Blues Jr. has a boxy sound to it that you can't mod out. I bought the same Fudge Brownie Princeton and just love it for jazz. Perfect right out of the box. Love the P10Q !
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OK Wildcat, don't throw the box and packing out when the Blues Jr arrives . . . just in case. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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I've had both. Princeton all the way...
I think the Blues Jr. works well with bridge pickups & solidbody guitars. A big bodied guitar + neck humbucker + Blues Junior = harsh muck.
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both for dif reasons:
played a gig, two teles only, usually two BJs, but the other guy brought his 70's Princeton no reverb and was pissed he wasn't getting the breakup he was used to with the BJ...
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Will the PRRI be at least as loud as the BJr? I'm familiar with the latter, but I've got my eye on a fudge brown 65 PRRI with the Jensen P10Q.
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I have two FBJ amps. I keep them for loaners and lessons. They are rugged and tubey. I prefer all my other amps for jazz.
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I think the Bl.Jr. is a great sounding tube amp. The problem with the most new amps is,
they are made as cheap as possible to make as much money as possible, they are made of plywood, particle board or MDF, so you have a dead and bad sounding cab!
A good way imo is to buy a nice 2. hand amp,
buy a custom made dovetailed oversized pine cabinet,
change the tubes,
and get a good speaker,
than you have a very good amp
and if you like you can start now with BillM mods if you like.
I have made a 2x10" cab for the Bl.Jr. add two P10R in it, WOW what a difference, it's louder, warmer and you have a roomy 3D sound. (sorry for my poor english I hope you know what I mean)
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