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Hey there,
I think I may make some modifications on my fender blues jr....
I have a really techy friend who is going to help me out with this.
He recommends that I replace the transformer with a new mercury magnetics transformer.
Mercury Magnetics -- The transformer company
we will prlly also replace the speaker and maybe some other things...i just wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for what i can do with this thing... good or bad idea? are the mercury's recommended...anyone recommend a certain speaker?? Also is it at all remotely possible to increase the volume or clean headroom??
this amp will be used for jazz obviously. It doesnt sound that great now which is why i want to make some adjustments. however it would really be great if anyone knew if its possible to increase the clean headroom it breaks up too quick at the moment.
thanks!!!!
trauma
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09-17-2009 07:55 PM
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It's not designed for the clean sound that you want (except at low volume levels). Nothing short of a re-design is going to make the BJ a "jazzy" amplifier, if I understand what you're looking for. (You might consider selling the BJ, add the money that you were going to spend on aftermarket products and buy a Roland Cube ...)
cheers
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09-17-2009, 09:18 PM #3Jazzarian GuestWell you're looking at over $300 worth of output and power supply transformers. Maybe $350 with choke.
Originally Posted by trauma15
Is the amp worth it?
Look into Hammond transformers, Torres sells them and they're half the price of MM.
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IMHO, (expensive) incremental changes aren't going to move this amp from being a great blues amp to being a great jazz amp.
If you don't like it - just sell it and buy something that you do like. (Selling it should be easy - plenty of people like the BJ - but maybe they're not jazzers).
Alan
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Alan, Originally Posted by AlanP
Guys have been using the BJ and Hot Rod series Fender amps as the base for modifications for years. Because they have potential, and they are so small & cheap, they make a great little platform. Here are a couple of examples.
Voodoo Amps Fender Blues Jr Mod, Mods, Modifications, Blues Jr, Blues Junior, Fender Blues Junior, Fender Blues Junior Amp, Fender Amps, Fender Amplifiers, Low Wattage Tube Amps
Bill's Blues Junior Modification Pages--Home
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09-18-2009, 02:26 PM #6Jazzarian Guest Originally Posted by derek
$600 for a Blues Junior these days. Add the cost of decent mods are you're looking at over a grand, especially if one replaces transformers.
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I'm with the "cut your losses" crowd. If the amp isn't performing up to your expectations, find one that will.
You can theorize all you want about mods. The truth is that you won't get very far in altering the underlying character of the design.
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09-18-2009, 02:48 PM #8Jazzarian GuestTrue, but true classics can be improved upon. Torres and VooDoo make a living doing just that, especially with classic Fenders, like DRs and TRs. Originally Posted by TieDyedDevil
Fuchs does many a Fender mod as well for about a grand. Hard to call one a "Fender" afterwards.
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I agree with all said above, but some guys like to tinker to chase tone. Not me. I am a danger to myself and everyone/thing around me when I have a soldering iron in my hand.
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I don't know about VooDoo. There are quite a number of people who are appalled by Torres' mod business as it applies to vintage amps.
Fuchs escapes the wrath of the vintage-preservation crowd because he starts with less-desirable amps and rebuilds them. The chassis is about all that's left of the original Fender when Fuchs is done.
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09-18-2009, 04:04 PM #11Jazzarian GuestActually Andy charges extra for new transformers and choke. Add another $300 to the $1000. Originally Posted by TieDyedDevil
I hadn't heard much bad about Torres. Not much could go wrong by upgrading caps and transformers. That's about the extent I'd imagine the vintage crowd could stand.
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You might want to check out the Omega amps web site Jim does grate work.
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Dump it and get something with more headroom and better construction. With a cheap PCB, a small boxy sounding cab, and a 2xEL84 output section, you have a cheapo price-point amp that isn't worth modding; the traces are so bad in these things that mods are pretty iffy. It's never going to get a decent jazz tone, no matter what you do to it...sell it before it breaks. And don't buy the Merc Magnetics hype...they charge 2-3x what other vendors sell transformers for, and they sure as h**l don't sound worth that kinda money to me.
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09-20-2009, 02:11 PM #14Jazzarian GuestDouble to triple the price of similar Hammond transformers. Originally Posted by ES350
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Jazzarian.. if you are paying 3x for Hammond you might consider a different supplier.
MM Power transformer for a super reverb (tedweber.com) 120.$
Ham Power Transformer for a super reverb (tubesandmore.com). 90$
OTs for champs for example are 35$ vs 50$ for the MM. Heyboer isnt much cheaper than the Hammonds and are very good quality imho.
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09-20-2009, 06:14 PM #16Jazzarian GuestI see you're not gettting the prices from the MM website. Those prices are about triple that of discounted Hammond parts. I didn't see anyone selling MM at a discount. Originally Posted by dh82c
If you were going to buy transformers and choke from MM for a Ceriatone, you're looking at $480. Similar prices for Boogies.
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Yeah.. I love Weber speakers for parts. Between them and AES they have all I (usually) need. You do have to be careful with some components from Weber. No-name pots, jack, plugs etc are usually crap. No-name transformers are made for them in China. Not BAD.. well.. you get what you pay for. Speakers are amazing. Like I mention, good prices on Heyboer and MM. GREAT customer service.
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