The boys sit down to compare the much loved Fender Blues Junior III with the new kid on the block - the Blues Junior IV. Which one do you prefer? www.absolutemu...
"Less Fendery" is the exact word on the IV. Defiantly more body on the IV, almost "Marshally"...big sound. I like it. The speaker is defiantly making a big difference. GREAT comparison guys!
Nice comparison guys! REALLY appreciate the fact that that you not only set them the same, but then adjusted each to see what they can do with some tweaking.
I definitely prefer the mark 4 clean. The 3 sounds more open and brighter for distortion. Overall, I like the mark 4 because it seems to keep that classic sound even with higher distortion. The 3 does sound good though for a brighter marshall gain sound and sounds a bit more like a metal type of tone but, the 4 has that classic cranked, full-bodied sound to it. The 3 also seems to break up a bit faster. Both awesome amps, I'm pretty sure that people could buy both and get use for each individual amp. Amazing demo!!!
That was a great fair comparison guys. Very educational. Thanks so much! I've got a Blue Jr III and am always bothered by its bell like high end. I always turn the bass up and reduce treble and reduce the tone knob on my Strat to try and make it fatter and bassier. Also I have the boost always on. I believe that the new one might solve many of my problems. Specially that I really love the Fender clean tones. I can tell a huge sound difference in headphones. Will go check one out.
Fantastic review. The review industry is over saturated (no pun intended), but there's definitely a vacuum (also no pun intended) when it comes to accurate comparison reviews like this. An exact A/B test was the right call.
Should’ve done a test where you forgot about what the knobs say and tried to set exactly the same level and amount of drive and eq and taken reverb off
The 3 seems to have more top end. The 4 seems "smoother" with more bottom. Also, it is true that the 3's reverb jumps out at you more ..... "washy" ? The 4's reverb is pulled back a bit and sounds almost HiFi. The overly "toppy" 3 really stands out with sc's. The 4's smoother nature compliments overdriven sounds. Overall, both sounds are good .... it just depends on what a player is looking for. I'm sure that EQ'ing the 3 can smooth out the top, and boosting the 4's treble can add top end. To me, it's obvious that Fender has re-voiced the 4 to "fit in" more with today's 'modern' sound, whereas the 3 really is more of a vintage sound. Solution: Buy BOTH and use a floor switcher :-)
The III sounds like a distorted small amp struggling at high volume. The IV sounds like a big amp that has the power to be loud without shite distortion.
dark is the easiest thing to achieve musically,turn treble off,turn reverb off,have muffled speaker,turn mids down...you have dark>>or mud>>or shit ....dark sucks balls
If you turned the reverb up on the IV it would wind up sounding pretty close to the 3. Setting knobs to the same setting is not necessarily the best way to compare. It is a good starting point but the amps were designed to sound different, so it is fair to assume they would have different frequency response curves for the controls.
I preferred the III for cleans (vintage) and the IV for distortion (modern). Since I buy an amp for it's cleans, it would be a III for me. Reminds me of the differences between the '65 and the '68 Princeton reissues.
@@tysonrinker8089 i have the bassbreaker. My singer has the blues jr. Her amp always sounds better and cuts through the mix way better than my bassbreaker. Very disappointed
I love my Blues Jr III LOVE it!! and the other day I was at Guitar Center and there was a white Blues Jr. with a Celestion speaker in it and I hated the sounds compared to mine; Now keep in mind I play a 79' Strat but I've found that there are lots of Limited Edition Blues Jr.'s with all sorts of different speakers in them. Bottom line is this I've tried all sorts of combo's but the eminence just seems to give me the best Hendrix tone which is what I like. There's a video where someone demo's a Blues Jr. III to a 59' Bassman combo and anyway yes one is clearly smaller but, it was just like his baby brother in sound. **Anyway what do I know I'm just a tone chaser!!**
III more upper mids, less bottom. IV less mids, more bottom and cleaner all 'round. Sounds "nicer." III will cut through the mix better in live situation, but that IV does sound sweet.
I much prefer the 4 over the 3. I had two 3's and sold both. Tried the 4 in Guitar Center and could tell a difference right away with the a fuller sound and less chime. Good video.
see, I like the character and chime, that's what made it it's own amp. it sounded vintage to me (imperfect) new one sounds more modern. but than again I can get a more blackface tone from the clean on my Mesa so I wanted a strong deviation from that. also, I don't use the internal reverb, I use a stymon reverb so that takes away some if the issue.
When I was 10 years old played guitar with a very wise older guitar amp guru who revealed the secret 3 things for 100% best way to make ANY AMP sound better... 1:Practice 2:Practice 3:Practice
Really thought the range of both amps came through well in this video and the Mk iv is clearly the better amp for a single coil pickup clean or driven. For a gibson with humbuckers the mk iii sounded better clean but pretty thin when driven while the mk iv driven on both types of guitars sounded excellent. If you've got a gibson type guitar you'll want both amps, but if you've got a fender guitar you'll only want the mk iv.
Hmm, the III is better overall. The IV has lost top end brilliance, and the distortion has some kind of muffled, compression going on. Put the speaker from the IV in the III and you'll already have an improvement in the low end. When Fender did the 68 Princeton, they managed to take all the magic out of it and make it sound bad. It seems like they've continued that trend with the BJ IV.
@Pundit Point... I agree with you, but I'll take it further. The first BJ version sounded the best and observing the declining changes its been receiving, I think Fender is losing sight on the magical tone BJ once had and made famous.
The IV delivers a slightly scooped tone profile which I like better for high gain, but I like the III better for cleans and lighter break up. I can always cut down the mids. They will both take pedals well. I'll keep my two Blues Jr. IIIs which I run in stereo - they sound so awesome that way! Might be cool to run one of each in stereo though.
I'm glad I watdched this video. I like the III more than the IV by a mile. The reason why I want a Blues Junior in the first place is for that harsh top end. I love it
Good comparison video. However, the difference in the spring reverb is so dramatic between the two, it would have been good to demo both amps without any reverb at all, so the reverb wouldn't colour the sound on the III so much.
I know this is an older video but it's still relevant and some of these comments will be helpful to new buyers. I agree with Onix Junes comment that aiming the knobs the same way does not guarantee a match. Version 3 here was louder and much brighter making comparisons unequal. Best to use ears and try to match as close as possible - see if that's possible. Then see what the differences are.
The Mark III has a noticeably fuller richer sound... I don't think people will be racing to swap for the newer model... but that's just my 2 cents. cheers
Prolly cause the speaker on the 3 is already broken into... I am almost sure that the 3 has been used at least 24 hours of play, It isn't that new, and the swap of speakers wouldn't make that much of a difference. You can really tell that the 3 has the speaker broken in. It sounds like its about to breakup with the Humbuckers.
I'm a bit late to the discussion but the reverb from 3 into the 4 is what I'd like. Or, maybe, a version 4 with a twin reverb--a Blues Jr. Twin Reverb for those of us that just love the 'verb.
The problem with this comparison is they do not have the same speaker. A 12 inch Celestion speaker costs about $150-200. I’d be willing to bet the speaker change is what is making the biggest difference. Between the two. If you have the 3 already you could probably save yourself some cash and just swap one out
Also the writing and labels for the knobs on the IV are facing the front of the speaker. The labels being upside down on my Blues Jr III has always been incredibly annoying.
I hear more tube sound in the III than the IV. The reverb is tamer on the IV! As far as the Bass difference I would imagine that could be adjusted in the bass control!
Exactly. I've replaced the stock speaker in my BJ III with an Eminence Swamp Thang and that stabilized the bottom end noticeably. So the speaker really matters. Apart from that really recommend cranking the power amp instead if the preamp, sounds so much better...
The MIV sounds fuller and smoother at all frequencies, and the treble in particular is smoother and is absent the sharper sound of the MIII. The difference is 90% speaker, and 10% a toned-down reverb, and whatever Fender did to the preamp EQ. Neither sound is "better" in the absolute sense, because it depends on what the player is looking for.
One of the biggest improvement one can do to a BJ is replacing the stock speaker. Some like T-Rex Cannabis, others prefer Celestion Greenback, I was thinking too about upgrading my BJ mark II with a new speaker
III has all that glassy character and reverb is as it should be. The IV's reverb is totally castrated. You can get all the lows you want out of a Blues Junior by swapping speakers or driving a nice 2x12. Feeling very good about my III right now.
A good demo would be to see how much either of these amps can be tweaked to sound like the other amp using the given EQ, gain, and volume controls. I.e., I’m fairly certain they can be made to sound almost identical.
My take - could be wrong - the IV sounds more like a Princeton Reverb with a 12inch speaker while the III has more characters of the Hot Rod deluxe. I prefer the III. I think it has more complex body to the sound.
It depends what application you need! For just cleans mark3 it’s better! If you want your blues jr to be like vintage and add pedals as distorted pedals you should get the eminence speaker GB128! Or if you have the tweed one just replace the Pre-Amp 12AX-7 stock for the electro Harmonics 12-AX-7 it will get the best of the both worlds with the Jensen stock speakers! That’s my experience with it
I wonder how much of the total difference is the Celestion speaker. I would love to hear the two different heads (Mark three verses mark four) played through the same cabinets and speakers to see if they truly improve the amp. As it stands I like the Mark three. Much better bloom.
Really have an issue when you compare with the same settings. Set each up for the beat tone and then compare. One amp might sound like crap at current settings but might be better it set up appropriately.
I am trying to pick between a III and IV right now and I feel the IV sounds better in every way esp the reverb. I have yet to compare them side by side tho
Band setting and two or more guitars, definetly no 3. It sounds both fuller and more bassy in person, I used one for rhytm guitar in my blues band, with the main guitarist on Strat driven Deluxe Reverb. Lovely amp with buckers, paired with a 339 or 335!
4 sounds more transparent and un colored where the 3 has more of a midrange range sound. I use a 3 for both 70-90’s rock and Southern Rock, takes pedals well too.
I cannot pay attention to the sounds, that PRS is a beautiful guitar, haha, I love fenders but been latelly thinking on getting an SE Custom. Great demo , owned a BJ first generation and did some mods, I think it's one of the best, versatile and most affordable tube amps around, a big plus, wont break your back.
sounds like the 4 was a bit muffled but then to be fair it was using the same settings as used by the 3. A fairer way would of been to make independent EQ settings for each amp to show them off at their best for each style.
Thanks for mentioning this! When I got my strat - I couldn’t get a good sound out if my peavy classic 50 - my strat just doesn’t respond! My les Paul screams! Through my peavy. I think the humbuckers sound better out if the III when over driven
I actually prefer the 3. What a time to be alive. Better breakup, better reverb, etc. The Mark IV addresses all the issues that annoy bedroom players. I’ll take the III.
Sounds to me like the mic levels at the mic pre stage are quite different, which makes for a difficult A/B comparison. The three's mic input sounds more colored if not overdriven, and come across as louder.
It sounds the same as the Priceton 65 vs 68. 68 basically sounds like a 65 with a blanket over it. Much prefer the shiny Fender sound of the mk 3 and if it's too bright just use your tone knob.... it's there for a reason!
RobbieC262 has the reverb changed or is it just the calibration of the dial? I would have liked to hear a comparison of the III at 9 o’clock and the IV at noon.
Apparently the reverb circuit was resigned but they may have just adjusted the taper of the knob. I'd like to see someone try to match the reverbs. i.e. reverb set to 5 on the new model is the same as 2 on the old model. Also then crank both reverbs and see the difference.
I got the blus jr lv 2 months ago and switched out the speaker right away with a eminence taxes heat speaker and wow now I got that srv sound at a low volume! Love it then hit the tube screamer pedal for over drive ,nice.
It's easier to add shimmer type reverb to the IV than it is to remove it from III. I have both amps. LOVE the 4 and I use a pedal when I want that glassy shimmer sound. And then kick it back off when I don't want it.,
I stopped in a local music store recently. They had fenders newest lineup up amps. Along with several models of the last iteration. Immediately walking up to them the build quality on the new amps looked much lower than the older ones. So much so that I just shook my head and walked past. Not sure exactly what it was about them. It was like the difference between a $100 strat type guitar from china sitting next to a u.s.a. made strat.
I've got a Fender Blues Junior Lacquered Tweed NOS and it sounds great. May or may not replace the speaker. I have yet, to play out with it so, its difficult to tell the tone at higher volumes.. as I've only played in in-doors for practice. But, as it were---- sounds wonderful. Sounds lovely with my Fulltone Plimsoul pedal, as well. With both, single and double coils. Nice and portable.. looks really tweed-lacquer cool. Love the amp. The Jensen C12N sounds great, thus far. We shall see.
Lets face it------ Fender made the Blues Junior much worse as the amps go by. Changing only to attract the idiot crowd. I own the NOS original and it sounds much better than these.
it seems to me the mark 3 sits better in the recorded mix, but maybe live the mark 4 sounds bigger. not sure. I think the three sounds more alive, but im obviously judging only from the recording.
Decision is obvious. Get 3 for vintage tone, sparking tops dripping reverb and unmistakable blues/classic rock sound. I’m not getting only one thing out of these comments. Why no one thought about OD pedals like boss blues drive or Fulltone OCD for high distortion. You would be amazed about that missing bass suddenly pops out. Mrk 3 is clear winner for me
"Less Fendery" is the exact word on the IV. Defiantly more body on the IV, almost "Marshally"...big sound. I like it. The speaker is defiantly making a big difference. GREAT comparison guys!
Nice comparison guys! REALLY appreciate the fact that that you not only set them the same, but then adjusted each to see what they can do with some tweaking.
I definitely prefer the mark 4 clean. The 3 sounds more open and brighter for distortion. Overall, I like the mark 4 because it seems to keep that classic sound even with higher distortion. The 3 does sound good though for a brighter marshall gain sound and sounds a bit more like a metal type of tone but, the 4 has that classic cranked, full-bodied sound to it. The 3 also seems to break up a bit faster. Both awesome amps, I'm pretty sure that people could buy both and get use for each individual amp. Amazing demo!!!
That was a great fair comparison guys. Very educational. Thanks so much! I've got a Blue Jr III and am always bothered by its bell like high end. I always turn the bass up and reduce treble and reduce the tone knob on my Strat to try and make it fatter and bassier. Also I have the boost always on. I believe that the new one might solve many of my problems. Specially that I really love the Fender clean tones. I can tell a huge sound difference in headphones. Will go check one out.
Fantastic review. The review industry is over saturated (no pun intended), but there's definitely a vacuum (also no pun intended) when it comes to accurate comparison reviews like this. An exact A/B test was the right call.
Should’ve done a test where you forgot about what the knobs say and tried to set exactly the same level and amount of drive and eq and taken reverb off
I've always hated the top end on the Mark 1, 2 and 3. I love the way it's rounded off on the Mark 4.
If ya can't decide which one to buy just buy both and go stereo 😂😂🙌🙌🙌🙌
Yep. I would think the differences in the two would complement each other well.
That is a fantastic idea!
Thats what I did. Bought both!
The 3 seems to have more top end. The 4 seems "smoother" with more bottom. Also, it is true that the 3's reverb jumps out at you more ..... "washy" ? The 4's reverb is pulled back a bit and sounds almost HiFi. The overly "toppy" 3 really stands out with sc's. The 4's smoother nature compliments overdriven sounds. Overall, both sounds are good .... it just depends on what a player is looking for. I'm sure that EQ'ing the 3 can smooth out the top, and boosting the 4's treble can add top end. To me, it's obvious that Fender has re-voiced the 4 to "fit in" more with today's 'modern' sound, whereas the 3 really is more of a vintage sound.
Solution: Buy BOTH and use a floor switcher :-)
The III sounds like a distorted small amp struggling at high volume. The IV sounds like a big amp that has the power to be loud without shite distortion.
I like the darker sound of the IV. Keeping my older blues junior but might not be my main amp anymore.
dark is the easiest thing to achieve musically,turn treble off,turn reverb off,have muffled speaker,turn mids down...you have dark>>or mud>>or shit ....dark sucks balls
If you turned the reverb up on the IV it would wind up sounding pretty close to the 3. Setting knobs to the same setting is not necessarily the best way to compare. It is a good starting point but the amps were designed to sound different, so it is fair to assume they would have different frequency response curves for the controls.
I would never have expected this huge difference.
I preferred the III for cleans (vintage) and the IV for distortion (modern). Since I buy an amp for it's cleans, it would be a III for me. Reminds me of the differences between the '65 and the '68 Princeton reissues.
The 3 sounds great but the 4 is also good out of preference the 3 for me
bassbreaker has a good distortion
So does a Marshall so what's your point? This is a Blues Junior Version III vs. IV "comparison", get it?
@@tysonrinker8089 i have the bassbreaker. My singer has the blues jr. Her amp always sounds better and cuts through the mix way better than my bassbreaker. Very disappointed
yes...
Dammit, I was thinking about picking up a mk iii cheap and figured they'd be much the same. However, I much prefer the mk iv.
bought a mark 3 yesterday because this video!
Good choice!
I love my Blues Jr III LOVE it!! and the other day I was at Guitar Center and there was a white Blues Jr. with a Celestion speaker in it and I hated the sounds compared to mine; Now keep in mind I play a 79' Strat but I've found that there are lots of Limited Edition Blues Jr.'s with all sorts of different speakers in them. Bottom line is this I've tried all sorts of combo's but the eminence just seems to give me the best Hendrix tone which is what I like. There's a video where someone demo's a Blues Jr. III to a 59' Bassman combo and anyway yes one is clearly smaller but, it was just like his baby brother in sound. **Anyway what do I know I'm just a tone chaser!!**
Great review!
I don't own a BJr ... leaning towards the IV after seeing this as it better suits my needs.
Thanks Gents!
III more upper mids, less bottom. IV less mids, more bottom and cleaner all 'round. Sounds "nicer." III will cut through the mix better in live situation, but that IV does sound sweet.
The best tonal comparison I've heard. And i agree with both you in your assessment. I just purchased the blues jr mark iv
Same…just got the iv today and I’m in love!
I much prefer the 4 over the 3. I had two 3's and sold both. Tried the 4 in Guitar Center and could tell a difference right away with the a fuller sound and less chime. Good video.
see, I like the character and chime, that's what made it it's own amp. it sounded vintage to me (imperfect) new one sounds more modern. but than again I can get a more blackface tone from the clean on my Mesa so I wanted a strong deviation from that. also, I don't use the internal reverb, I use a stymon reverb so that takes away some if the issue.
tried one today with a tele
sounded fantastic for country rock and blues
everyone should own one
When I was 10 years old played guitar with a very wise older guitar amp guru who revealed the secret 3 things for 100% best way to make ANY AMP sound better...
1:Practice 2:Practice 3:Practice
He was just stuttering :-)
It'd be nice to hear a comparison between Cannabis Rex, III and IV.
I have a IV. Sounds great out of the box with minimal tweaking.
Really thought the range of both amps came through well in this video and the Mk iv is clearly the better amp for a single coil pickup clean or driven. For a gibson with humbuckers the mk iii sounded better clean but pretty thin when driven while the mk iv driven on both types of guitars sounded excellent. If you've got a gibson type guitar you'll want both amps, but if you've got a fender guitar you'll only want the mk iv.
Great job guys. Thanks!
I like the 3, but the 4 might prove easier to work with, especially with pedals.
My blues 111 has a Jensen 12 inch C12N. My favorite speaker for a Fender sound. Its a keeper.
Hmm, the III is better overall. The IV has lost top end brilliance, and the distortion has some kind of muffled, compression going on. Put the speaker from the IV in the III and you'll already have an improvement in the low end. When Fender did the 68 Princeton, they managed to take all the magic out of it and make it sound bad. It seems like they've continued that trend with the BJ IV.
@Pundit Point... I agree with you, but I'll take it further. The first BJ version sounded the best and observing the declining changes its been receiving, I think Fender is losing sight on the magical tone BJ once had and made famous.
I thought it was just me diggin the 3rd version
@@gmlasam p
The IV delivers a slightly scooped tone profile which I like better for high gain, but I like the III better for cleans and lighter break up. I can always cut down the mids. They will both take pedals well. I'll keep my two Blues Jr. IIIs which I run in stereo - they sound so awesome that way! Might be cool to run one of each in stereo though.
I'm glad I watdched this video. I like the III more than the IV by a mile. The reason why I want a Blues Junior in the first place is for that harsh top end. I love it
Good comparison video. However, the difference in the spring reverb is so dramatic between the two, it would have been good to demo both amps without any reverb at all, so the reverb wouldn't colour the sound on the III so much.
Maybe but as long as they are at the same setting it’s still a good comparison in my eyes…just from an apples to apples settings stand point
Thanks so much for this comparison. It was just what I was looking for!Wonderful.
Great comparison video. I think the clear winner it the Blues Jr. (leaning towards the IV).
You helped me to choose one. Thanks! Waiting for my IV.
Mark 3 sounds way better to my ears. Stronger reverb, more top end sparkle, the mark 4 sound a bit dull in comparison.
I agree!👍
The III sounds more Fendery! The IV sounds more modern. IMHO
That is obvious.
I definitely prefer the clarity and high-end of the III.
Should have set both reverbs at zero.
Ya. I can't believe they missed this
Yep!
well, I would like both, part with reverb, part without.
The IV has way better string definition for chords
I know this is an older video but it's still relevant and some of these comments will be helpful to new buyers. I agree with Onix Junes comment that aiming the knobs the same way does not guarantee a match. Version 3 here was louder and much brighter making comparisons unequal. Best to use ears and try to match as close as possible - see if that's possible. Then see what the differences are.
The Mark III has a noticeably fuller richer sound...
I don't think people will be racing to swap for the newer model...
but that's just my 2 cents.
cheers
Prolly cause the speaker on the 3 is already broken into... I am almost sure that the 3 has been used at least 24 hours of play, It isn't that new, and the swap of speakers wouldn't make that much of a difference. You can really tell that the 3 has the speaker broken in. It sounds like its about to breakup with the Humbuckers.
Steven Rivera did you listen at the beginning? He said the 3 has never been played.
so therefore you're completely wrong steve
Wow, you SO called him out for being wrong. Thank GOD you made it clear, with an additional comment no less, that he's wrong. Class act.
agree
The clarity of the IV is so much better.
getting a fender blues jr III today!!!
Today is my first day with fender blues jr 3... and to my ears it sound better than IV...
I'm a bit late to the discussion but the reverb from 3 into the 4 is what I'd like. Or, maybe, a version 4 with a twin reverb--a Blues Jr. Twin Reverb for those of us that just love the 'verb.
The problem with this comparison is they do not have the same speaker. A 12 inch Celestion speaker costs about $150-200. I’d be willing to bet the speaker change is what is making the biggest difference. Between the two.
If you have the 3 already you could probably save yourself some cash and just swap one out
Also the writing and labels for the knobs on the IV are facing the front of the speaker. The labels being upside down on my Blues Jr III has always been incredibly annoying.
3 for sure people say it has too much reverb but I like it in my opinion well because of the time of music I play
I hear more tube sound in the III than the IV. The reverb is tamer on the IV! As far as the Bass difference I would imagine that could be adjusted in the bass control!
I wonder how much is just down to speaker? What would the mark 4 sound like through the eminence speaker and the mark 3 through the celestion?
Exactly. I've replaced the stock speaker in my BJ III with an Eminence Swamp Thang and that stabilized the bottom end noticeably. So the speaker really matters. Apart from that really recommend cranking the power amp instead if the preamp, sounds so much better...
Also the BJ3 speaker may be well rodded while that of the BJ4 is brand new: makes differences for bottom end
A Celestion will always have more midrange and a pronounced treble where as Eminence will have more scooped mids with firm bass and rounded treble.
The MIV sounds fuller and smoother at all frequencies, and the treble in particular is smoother and is absent the sharper sound of the MIII. The difference is 90% speaker, and 10% a toned-down reverb, and whatever Fender did to the preamp EQ. Neither sound is "better" in the absolute sense, because it depends on what the player is looking for.
One of the biggest improvement one can do to a BJ is replacing the stock speaker. Some like T-Rex Cannabis, others prefer Celestion Greenback, I was thinking too about upgrading my BJ mark II with a new speaker
3 sounds way better and full bluesy which this amp was made for! Mark 3 my choice for sure!!
III has all that glassy character and reverb is as it should be. The IV's reverb is totally castrated. You can get all the lows you want out of a Blues Junior by swapping speakers or driving a nice 2x12. Feeling very good about my III right now.
@3:00 Eminence speaker in the BJ III, Celestion speaker in the BJ IV.
I’ve never heard the word “interesting” so many times on a review before !!
Single coils vs humbuckers? Not a serious comparative...
Interesting....
A good demo would be to see how much either of these amps can be tweaked to sound like the other amp using the given EQ, gain, and volume controls. I.e., I’m fairly certain they can be made to sound almost identical.
The differences can mostly be compensated for with a graphic equaliser.
My take - could be wrong - the IV sounds more like a Princeton Reverb with a 12inch speaker while the III has more characters of the Hot Rod deluxe. I prefer the III. I think it has more complex body to the sound.
It depends what application you need! For just cleans mark3 it’s better! If you want your blues jr to be like vintage and add pedals as distorted pedals you should get the eminence speaker GB128! Or if you have the tweed one just replace the Pre-Amp 12AX-7 stock for the electro Harmonics 12-AX-7 it will get the best of the both worlds with the Jensen stock speakers! That’s my experience with it
Great comparison! This is how it should be done! 10/10
Great video, good to see a proper A B test not just dicking about.
Mark III is the typical fender twin flabby bass sound, nice to hear the IV has improved !
The BJ lacquer tweed was the best of them that I've heard. I have a III and a black face Princeton and they sound great together.
I wonder how much of the total difference is the Celestion speaker. I would love to hear the two different heads (Mark three verses mark four) played through the same cabinets and speakers to see if they truly improve the amp. As it stands I like the Mark three. Much better bloom.
Really have an issue when you compare with the same settings. Set each up for the beat tone and then compare. One amp might sound like crap at current settings but might be better it set up appropriately.
I am trying to pick between a III and IV right now and I feel the IV sounds better in every way esp the reverb. I have yet to compare them side by side tho
great video but it seems the 3 sounds louder than 4? more gain? what do you think, guys?
Defiantly the 3 sounded louder!
Just more gainy
Band setting and two or more guitars, definetly no 3. It sounds both fuller and more bassy in person, I used one for rhytm guitar in my blues band, with the main guitarist on Strat driven Deluxe Reverb. Lovely amp with buckers, paired with a 339 or 335!
Good review fellas! Thanks, Ontario Canada.
I like the Blues Jr. IV. So I will be getting that 1.
4 sounds more transparent and un colored where the 3 has more of a midrange range sound. I use a 3 for both 70-90’s rock and Southern Rock, takes pedals well too.
The four sounds much better to my ears. It's a more full even platform to build off of.
I cannot pay attention to the sounds, that PRS is a beautiful guitar, haha, I love fenders but been latelly thinking on getting an SE Custom. Great demo , owned a BJ first generation and did some mods, I think it's one of the best, versatile and most affordable tube amps around, a big plus, wont break your back.
What mods did you do? I have the first gen also and looking for some better tones from it
The BJ 4 sounds like it has a blanket on top of the amp compared to the 3, it has more bottom end but way less clarity.
What are the original amp settings in the video before you guys change anything? Love the tone!
Blues Junior III LTD laquer tweed for sure and by far.
Jensen speakers - divinely sweet.
This an excellent review. The differences are obvious.
sounds like the 4 was a bit muffled but then to be fair it was using the same settings as used by the 3. A fairer way would of been to make independent EQ settings for each amp to show them off at their best for each style.
they sound great with the PRS
Was in doubt with clean, go for the 4 when it clmes to distortion. Definitely. Also heard the holding of the use to break easily, so scared of this
I actually liked the single coils on the MK 3. Humbuckers on MK4
Thanks for mentioning this! When I got my strat - I couldn’t get a good sound out if my peavy classic 50 - my strat just doesn’t respond! My les Paul screams! Through my peavy.
I think the humbuckers sound better out if the III when over driven
I actually prefer the 3. What a time to be alive. Better breakup, better reverb, etc. The Mark IV addresses all the issues that annoy bedroom players. I’ll take the III.
Sounds to me like the mic levels at the mic pre stage are quite different, which makes for a difficult A/B comparison. The three's mic input sounds more colored if not overdriven, and come across as louder.
It sounds the same as the Priceton 65 vs 68. 68 basically sounds like a 65 with a blanket over it. Much prefer the shiny Fender sound of the mk 3 and if it's too bright just use your tone knob.... it's there for a reason!
3 sounds better with humbuckers, 4 is better with the strat
This is a great comparison. I think the new one sounds much better. I like just a touch of reverb so version 4 is much more useable.
RobbieC262 has the reverb changed or is it just the calibration of the dial? I would have liked to hear a comparison of the III at 9 o’clock and the IV at noon.
Apparently the reverb circuit was resigned but they may have just adjusted the taper of the knob. I'd like to see someone try to match the reverbs. i.e. reverb set to 5 on the new model is the same as 2 on the old model. Also then crank both reverbs and see the difference.
I agree. The reverb has become a knob I'll actually turn on the Mark IV.
I got the blus jr lv 2 months ago and switched out the speaker right away with a eminence taxes heat speaker and wow now I got that srv sound at a low volume! Love it then hit the tube screamer pedal for over drive ,nice.
It's easier to add shimmer type reverb to the IV than it is to remove it from III. I have both amps. LOVE the 4 and I use a pedal when I want that glassy shimmer sound. And then kick it back off when I don't want it.,
I stopped in a local music store recently. They had fenders newest lineup up amps. Along with several models of the last iteration. Immediately walking up to them the build quality on the new amps looked much lower than the older ones. So much so that I just shook my head and walked past. Not sure exactly what it was about them. It was like the difference between a $100 strat type guitar from china sitting next to a u.s.a. made strat.
4 sounds compressed almost digital. 3 sounds Vintage.
The III sounds like you're at the gig, the IV sounds like you're queuing outside the door to get in
I HAVE 2 TWEED ONES FROM THE EARLY 90'S WHEN THEY JUST CAME OUT THEY ARE THE BEST SOUNDING ONES.
I've got a Fender Blues Junior Lacquered Tweed NOS and it sounds great. May or may not replace the speaker. I have yet, to play out with it so, its difficult to tell the tone at higher volumes.. as I've only played in in-doors for practice. But, as it were---- sounds wonderful. Sounds lovely with my Fulltone Plimsoul pedal, as well. With both, single and double coils. Nice and portable.. looks really tweed-lacquer cool. Love the amp. The Jensen C12N sounds great, thus far. We shall see.
Lets face it------ Fender made the Blues Junior much worse as the amps go by. Changing only to attract the idiot crowd. I own the NOS original and it sounds much better than these.
For me the III sounds way better especially with the humbuckers. The VI sounds a bit too scooped in the upper mids.
it seems to me the mark 3 sits better in the recorded mix, but maybe live the mark 4 sounds bigger. not sure. I think the three sounds more alive, but im obviously judging only from the recording.
Why go out and buy a mark 4, when u can adjust the tone settings on the mark 3 ?
Does the blues junior III 230v (Eur) have a headphone and foot pedal jack?
Where will you insert the footswitch to engage the FAT boost? Thanks
No headphone jack on the Blues junior. Only the FAT boost is activated by the footswitch.
Decision is obvious. Get 3 for vintage tone, sparking tops dripping reverb and unmistakable blues/classic rock sound. I’m not getting only one thing out of these comments. Why no one thought about OD pedals like boss blues drive or Fulltone OCD for high distortion. You would be amazed about that missing bass suddenly pops out. Mrk 3 is clear winner for me
I think the the mark 3 would stand out better in a mix
I had exactly the same thought. IV would sound better alone, III would be much better with a bass and drums
Totally sold on getting a 3
Great tones, lads. That PRS is beautiful.