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Ex-girlfriend back in 1995 bought me a "year #1" Blues Junior and I've had it ever since. I stopped playing for a long time and then a year ago started again. The amp had some noises, so I brought it in to a well respected amp guy. He told me the 1st year or 2 amps were a bit special because of the board as well as the speakers. Anyone aware of This or have any experience with the early Blues Juniors?
Does anyone else play thru one? How do they compare to '65 RI Fender Princeton ?Last edited by DMgolf66; 10-05-2018 at 12:29 PM.
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10-05-2018 01:11 AM
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Edited
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Originally Posted by DMgolf66
This site has a pretty comprehensive explanation this subject. Never having owned one, I can't speak from experience, having tried a bunch (what age, I do not know), I think they're cool amps.
Billm Audio >> Why mod your Blues Junior?
John
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John, Originally Posted by John A.
Thank you so very much! Pretty wonderful info on there. I've never done any work on an amp and won't start with this one. I do have a good amp guy in my town, though. Maybe I might take it to him and see about these mods.
I would love to change the grill and the black covering and change it to tweed or oxblood. Is that something guys do or can be done?
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DM~ I bought my Blues Jr. in '96 or '97, so its a 'green board' version. I never had problems with it, but that didn't stop me from having a tech go through it to help bring out the best in it. Many BillM mods were done to it, but I resisted the temptation to upgrade the power transformer to a larger size. Over time, I had a few more 'upgrades' done to the circuit and tried a few speakers. Not satisfied with those mods, and after reading way too many guitar amp forum comments about how to improve this little amp, I ended up spending over twice the cost of the original amp! It became a nice sounding, beautiful looking money pit. And guess what? Its STILL a Blues Jr.!
The reason for my lengthy comment is to hopefully prevent you from falling into that same pit. BJ's are decent little amps, but far from perfect. I've read that the latest version (IV?) is supposed to be the best of the series, but I'll never bite. There are simply way better amps of this size and price point being made today by a number of builders. Even Fender's reissue Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb are head and shoulders, tone-wise to any BJ. Also, there are other hand-wired, point-to-point amps that are much easier to modify, if desired. One of my favorite little Fender amps is a Rivera-era Super Champ. Great tone, easily modded to sound even better than a BJ could ever sound.
So before you start down the Blues Jr. modding 'rabbit hole', ask yourself what do you want in tone, size, features and price. Basically, do your own amplifier cost-benefit-analysis.
Oh, and here's a shot of my great sounding (and expensive!) Blues Jr.
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Come on, man. You're almost there. Just swap out the transformer. You know you want to ... Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
DM~ I bought my Blues Jr. in '96 or '97, so its a 'green board' version. I never had problems with it, but that didn't stop me from having a tech go through it to help bring out the best in it. Many BillM mods were done to it, but I resisted the temptation to upgrade the power transformer to a larger size. Over time, I had a few more 'upgrades' done to the circuit and tried a few speakers. Not satisfied with those mods, and after reading way too many guitar amp forum comments about how to improve this little amp, I ended up spending over twice the cost of the original amp! It became a nice sounding, beautiful looking money pit. And guess what? Its STILL a Blues Jr.!
The reason for my lengthy comment is to hopefully prevent you from falling into that same pit. BJ's are decent little amps, but far from perfect. I've read that the latest version (IV?) is supposed to be the best of the series, but I'll never bite. There are simply way better amps of this size and price point being made today by a number of builders. Even Fender's reissue Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb are head and shoulders, tone-wise to any BJ. Also, there are other hand-wired, point-to-point amps that are much easier to modify, if desired. One of my favorite little Fender amps is a Rivera-era Super Champ. Great tone, easily modded to sound even better than a BJ could ever sound.
So before you start down the Blues Jr. modding 'rabbit hole', ask yourself what do you want in tone, size, features and price. Basically, do your own amplifier cost-benefit-analysis.
Oh, and here's a shot of my great sounding (and expensive!) Blues Jr.
Anyway, I wasn't suggesting he go mod-crazy, just pointing him to information to answer his question. I don't have the interest, skills or time to mod amps, but can appreciate it as a spectator sport. Yours looks really nice.
John
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I've heard guys playing stock BJ's and they sounded fine. I don't like playing through one myself though. I do own a PJ and it's a nice enough little amp for what it is and I do like it and gig it occasionally. But neither of 'em can compare to a Princeton or a Deluxe.
However, if you find most BF Fenders too scooped or bright for your tastes, the Blues series might be more your speed. Keep in mind, they're still cheap amps and will never sound great, but they might be good enough for your uses.
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I've got a mk1 green board blues junior
it's a nice tubby blocky sounding little amp ,
Solid , funky etc
I used to play in the house band of a
Jam session so many guitar players
used it
I got many many offers of dough for it ...
(it's tweed covered)
So it must be doing something right
I don't know why Blues junior's are
not really rated ...
it's not a shiney fender surfy sound tho
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What a rabbit hole to go down for someone as inexperienced with amp mechanics/details, etc.
As I posted in the Princeton post.....
Here is what I would like or am looking for since someone ( I think ) asked:
I'm an "at home" begginer to jazz. Current guitars are Gibson ES-335, Eastman 503 w/Lollar Imperial and (fingers crossed) next will have a '57 ES-125. Playing (or trying) Jazz 80-90% of time and then some Blues.
NEED:
*Big, gorgeous, fat, warm tone
* tubes
* great looking cabinet, tolex, grill.
DON'T NEED/WANT:
* Older vintage amps. Used is ok, but recent. I know little about amps and if there is an issue I have no clue how to fix.
* a lot of headroom. I'm a strictly home player and don't see playing out in the next 5 years.
* portability . The amp ain'tz going nowhere once it gets in the house.
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I have a Blues Jr, tweed version with the Jensen 12N or something like that. It was a decent amp to start with. Then I heard about Bill M's mods and I wound up doing most of them pretty much one at a time including the output transformer. In a previous life I was a feild tech working in the printing industry so I could solder etc. Each mod added something, probably the power supply mod and the output transformer mod adding the most. I had that chassis out so many times it was crazy and the ribbon cables wound up getting jostled too many times where some connections failed so I wound up putting straight wire in place of them. Finally, I was getting the common problem of the power tubes causing noise due to bad contacts on that board. The fix was to reflow the solder at the pins which worked for a while. I then decided to pull out the entire power tube board and replace it with a point to point board sold as a kit by Hoffman amps. That mod was a major challenge. When done I had this beast of an amp but the cleans where gone some how. I tried lead dress etc but eventually threw in the towel. I may make it an extension speaker cabinet one day..it has a nice Jensen.. the 12N I believe. Also in the course of the mods I had to fix some traces on the pwa boards, also a major pain. You have to solder around the not so robust PWA traces. Also, it is a tight squeeze getting the main board out, and you can easily stress some of the components.
I have vowed after all these adventures to stick with point to point circuitry, no ribbon cables etc for the ease of maintenance. It was my only amp with PWAs and ribbon cables, never again for me.
I did like that little amp though. For a while it was really cooking (literally too maybe ha ha). I played a few open mics with it and a Strat no pedals and cranked up it sounded sweet. The mods did add quite a bit.
Also, unfortunately Bill McChrome passed away some years ago. He was a great guy, very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, always gracious with answering questions. RIP Bill. His son made some attempts to keep the business going, it was down for some time I'm not sure of the current status. His site is a wealth of knowledge for those who like this amp and like to tinker. Actually thinking about mine again has me thinking that one day when the kids are grown and I retire maybe I'll have another go at that power board..eh never mind.
As said you can pour a lot of money into a Blues Jr with these mods, even more if you pay someone to do them.
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Yeah that Heyboer transformer added a lot. That is the nicest looking Blues Jr I've ever seen. I bet the guts look familiar though ha ha. Originally Posted by John A.
Come on, man. You're almost there. Just swap out the transformer. You know you want to ...
Anyway, I wasn't suggesting he go mod-crazy, just pointing him to information to answer his question. I don't have the interest, skills or time to mod amps, but can appreciate it as a spectator sport. Yours looks really nice.
John
One of my current interests are old Traynors from the 70s when they were using big Hammond organ transformers..serious iron. These can sometimes be found for a song and are easy to work on. They fly under the radar price wise.
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As to your stated wants here's my honest opinion.
A Blues Jr. will NEVER give you 'big, fat cleans'. A PRRI really won't either but it's a much better amp than a Blues Jr. I've owned a number of each over the years. A '65 Fender Princeton Reissue is a very fine amp, especially for home play but you won't get huge clean/headroom etc.
My thought is a Fender '63 Vibroverb Reissue. 4x10's Huge sounding amp. Tons of clean and gorgeous ' brownface' clean at that. I've owned 3 of them over the years. They came out in '93 so they're not a new amp but find a used one in excellent condition. They're dead reliable.
There's also TONS of boutique amps that fit your wants but I'm not sure what your budget is.
Best
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IF you want to stay with non-boutique amps budgetwise, A George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe may work. There is a George Benson Twin model too but much less reviewed here. I never played it. I own a GB HRDx and believe I get big fat warm cleans. So does George Benson on the videos with this amp.
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+1 I forgot to mention the HRDIII GB. It would get you quite fat cleans, loads of clean headroom. I just included mine in a trade plus cash scenario last week towards the L5CES I got.
Fine amp for what you're looking for. The GB will be more blackface cleans while the Vibroverb RI I mentioned is more brown cleans.
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I own a year one BJ with the green boards and a later one with the creme boards. I do prefer the earlier one.
However, I much prefer the sound and dynamics of the year one Pro Junior with the blue frame alnico speaker (same as the 4 x 10" reissue--early--'59 Bassman). That little amp just kills.
Of the three, I ALWAYS took the Pro Jr to gigs.
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What year was the "Year 1" Pro Junior.....mid 90's? I might have to look into them as cheaper alternative until I can possibly got the boutique amp route. Originally Posted by Greentone
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Blues Jr. III and Blues Jr. IV sounds totally different! They did a major update on it. I have a IV and I know the difference between III and IV very well. I have no knowledge of I and II.
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I see there is one for sale, which looks interesting. But I see he swapped out the tubes. Can anyone enlighten me as to what the original tubes might be and what his swap of the tubes to a Electro Harmonix EL84 means to this amp? I appreciate all the wonderful help for the neophyte I am.
Fender Pro Junior 1994 Tweed/Alnico 10" | Eric's | Reverb
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EL 84s are power tubes, as opposed to pre amp tubes. Electro Harmonix is just a brand of tube. From what I understand there are not many manufacturers left and they all come out of a few factories and are often rebranded. I actually wouldn'e even go with Electro Harmonix for a power tube. JJs seem to get some love for new production power tubes. I assume the Pro Jr came with EL 84s stock..you can easily check specs with a quick search. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
From your requirements you listed I think you could fine something local. Either on Craigslist or just go to Guitar Center and play a bunch. What is your price range?
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It's not unusual for a 25 year-old amp to have had tubes changed, especially with the poor quality tubes available now.
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I think around 1993, IIRC. I bought mine second hand in 1995 or so from Zavarella''s Music in Arlington, VA. Great amp. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
The original run were tweed.
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I own a Rivera-era Super Champ.
Sweetest trebles imaginable.
Eat your hearts out.
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If there was one or maybe even 2 mods that made the biggest difference, what would they be? I appreciate your assessment and advice of not going down the rabbit hole, so I was thinking there was maybe 1 or 2 that would make a nice difference to tide me over. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
DM~ I bought my Blues Jr. in '96 or '97, so its a 'green board' version. I never had problems with it, but that didn't stop me from having a tech go through it to help bring out the best in it. Many BillM mods were done to it, but I resisted the temptation to upgrade the power transformer to a larger size. Over time, I had a few more 'upgrades' done to the circuit and tried a few speakers. Not satisfied with those mods, and after reading way too many guitar amp forum comments about how to improve this little amp, I ended up spending over twice the cost of the original amp! It became a nice sounding, beautiful looking money pit. And guess what? Its STILL a Blues Jr.!
The reason for my lengthy comment is to hopefully prevent you from falling into that same pit. BJ's are decent little amps, but far from perfect. I've read that the latest version (IV?) is supposed to be the best of the series, but I'll never bite. There are simply way better amps of this size and price point being made today by a number of builders. Even Fender's reissue Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb are head and shoulders, tone-wise to any BJ. Also, there are other hand-wired, point-to-point amps that are much easier to modify, if desired. One of my favorite little Fender amps is a Rivera-era Super Champ. Great tone, easily modded to sound even better than a BJ could ever sound.
So before you start down the Blues Jr. modding 'rabbit hole', ask yourself what do you want in tone, size, features and price. Basically, do your own amplifier cost-benefit-analysis.
Oh, and here's a shot of my great sounding (and expensive!) Blues Jr.
I just received a DV Little Jazz to try out, but even if i like it a bit I still think I will want to have a tube amp as well.
Thanks
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