Is a fender blues jr a good amp?

5997joe · Apr 2, 2020

I'm wanting to get a nice practice amp. I've been looking at the blues jr in tweed. Does anyone here own one and if so, what are your thoughts?

Tom Wittrock · Apr 2, 2020

I own two of them and have used them for decades. Great little amps. I changed the speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30 and was glad I did.

Texas Blues · Apr 3, 2020

Blues Jr.s are a common club amp.

They can sound pretty dang good.

No matter the style of playing.

Take pedals great.

Reliable.

Very good bang for the buck.

Fender has sold a ton of them.

There's a reason.

duaneflowers · Apr 3, 2020

Love mine as well... although it's been extensively modded (handwired with several major 'improvements') while retaining the original concept. I've changed to an Eminence Patriot Series Cannabis Rex speaker and I like it much better than the stock Jensen P12R. Its been my favorite grab and go amp for years. :salude

zoommutt · Apr 3, 2020

I’ve enjoyed mine for 10 years.Ok on the back too.

renderit · Apr 3, 2020

Added all the Bill M mods to mine and like it a lot.

Liked it before as well, just wanted a few extra sounds in it.

Speaker changed.

Great amps.

Triburst · Apr 3, 2020

I agree with the other posters.

That said, you need to ask yourself what you're going to be playing, and go from there.

The Blues Junior is a GREAT amp. But you should compare it against a Hot Rod Deluxe to see which is a better fit for what you're playing. I have both. The Junior has great crunchy character. The HRD has some of the prettiest cleans you can find for the money.
They're similarly priced, very reliable, take pedals extremely well, and as Tex says, they've sold lots of them.

You really can't go wrong either way.

S. Cane · Apr 10, 2020

I'm glad to read so many good references to the Blues Jr.

I just ordered one, as my 40 watt tube amp is just too damn loud for the bar gigs I play. I always end up mic'ing it in a low volume.

Anyway, I chose the tweed model, it looks really great on a stage. It has the Jensen C12N speaker, which I like better than the ones that usually come in the standard black Blues Jrs. The IV one comes with Celestions, IIRC, but I like the Californian Fender tone better.

peeninety · Apr 11, 2020

I've got two, a green one from the original run (I think) and a red III. Like Tom, I changed the speakers to a Celestion Vintage 12's.

I also removed the V1 12AX7 tubes in both amps and replaced them with early 1990's tubes made in Yugoslavia by Ei.

El Marin · Apr 12, 2020

Is not a bad amp. very common in clubs so learning to use it is a good thing

If you ask me, I would choose a Pro Junior better than a Blues junior any day of the week

S. Cane · Apr 13, 2020

El Marin said:
Is not a bad amp. very common in clubs so learning to use it is a good thing

If you ask me, I would choose a Pro Junior better than a Blues junior any day of the week

I saw the Pro Jr. but IMHO, 10" speakers just don't have the juice for live gigs.

El Marin · Apr 14, 2020

Sergio said:
I saw the Pro Jr. but IMHO, 10" speakers just don't have the juice for live gigs.

Well, I have gigged a Pro Junior many times. I don't own one but I have borrowed one from a friend. Is enough for clubs alone and if bigger gigs it can be miced. I have used it against Bassmans and AC30s and it could keep his paces

Just for the records, my "to go" gigging amp is a Marshall Origin 50 combo... check it out... Cheap, loud enough, power scaling, a 12", is light ans is nice!!

metropolis · Apr 14, 2020

Sergio said:
Anyway, I chose the tweed model, it looks really great on a stage. It has the Jensen C12N speaker, which I like better than the ones that usually come in the standard black Blues Jrs. The IV one comes with Celestions, IIRC, but I like the Californian Fender tone better.

Another thumbs up for the Blues Jr here. I also have a Tweed one and I bought a standard III for my father and slightly prefer the Jensen, especially for playing with a bit of break up. His sounds beautiful clean though.

bratpack7 · Apr 16, 2020

Love mine, red with the cannabis rex speaker.

Cliff Gress · Apr 16, 2020

Sergio said:
I saw the Pro Jr. but IMHO, 10" speakers just don't have the juice for live gigs.

Maybe a reissue Tweed Deluxe would meet more needs.

metropolis · Apr 17, 2020

Here's a pretty good sounding Blues Junior posted today in the hands of Premier Guitar's John Bohlinger.

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sonar · Apr 17, 2020

Obviously many players get a lot of use out of Blues Junior's.

I have not.

I kind of like the Pro Junior, but 10 times out of 10 I would pick a 5E3 over either.

Texas Blues · Apr 17, 2020

sonar said:
Obviously many players get a lot of use out of Blues Junior's.

I have not.

I kind of like the Pro Junior, but 10 times out of 10 I would pick a 5E3 over either.

The Blues Jr. and Pro's make great beater amplificadore's.

I wouldn't even feel bad leaving one of them in the car over night.

My 5E3?

No way in hell.

MSN001 · May 10, 2020

I had a VIII and it was great, try buying used to save a few quid. I only sold to upgrade to a Princeton Reverb, If you can save a little longer I’d say go for a Princeton Reverb, you can get a FSR in Tweed with a 12” speaker at the minute which looks really tasty.

herb · May 10, 2020

Just bought one for the first time. So far it's proven to be a very nice sounding little amp. Mine is the newer IV version. Came with a Jensen ceramic speaker which I think works well. I'll probably try to plug into other speaker cabs I have down the line to compare. I should break in this speaker first, though.

The Blues Jr is small and light weight so very portable. I can grab it and take it upstairs with me no problem. Nice!

For the money it's a great deal. I say get it.

Gotta like the croc tolex!

https://flic.kr/p/2iNfWpy

Is a fender blues jr a good amp?

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