The Blues Junior was such a good pedal platform for me during the gigging days. Lightweight and a good clean tone was all I needed. The dirt and distortion came from the pedals and it was perfect for a quick set up. Add in a Strat and you're golden!
Experiment with the master WAY up, even on full, and then use the other volume to set your overall volume. (And you can guitar volume down some and turn it up as needed) You’ll like get more headroom and the true amp characteristics
Thanks for watching. Let me know what you think of the Blues Jr amplifiers if you own one. Check it out here: 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/g1OW9r 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/3a4kCVF 🛒 Fender - bit.ly/3fZiRMF 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/gbQbDv 🛒 Sky Music - bit.ly/3Ar8Ezd (affiliate links)
It’s a really great amp! That A-Type Celestion is absolutely perfect for that amp! If fender would put an FX loop in it then it would be the perfect amp!!
I sold my much-loved Blues Junior iii w/Jensen and purchased a modified Bjnr IV (Fromel mods) with an Eminence L'il Texas Neo and it's just phenomenal. It's not nearly as boxy-sounding as my old Tweed iii and is a great pedal platform.
Absolutely love mine. The clean tones are just perfect for my needs. I haven't tried single coils yet because humbuckers are my go to. I like to back off the guitar volumes a bit. The cleans get more bitey as the master goes up, or softer with more volume. I've been using some nice Gibsons and cheaper guitars too. All good. I've been using an EHX Crayon for a blues or rock drive. Very nice. I did try an American strat in the shop but it didn't feel like a good match. Goes pretty damn loud but works well at practice levels. I agree it's a bit much if you live in a block of flats/apartments so look elsewhere. Repeat: love mine - addictive.
The fat switch is great with pedals and at lower volume. It kind of muddles the bottom end when the amp is cranked. These amps do have a cool tweed-like break up. I prefer the Cannabis Rex speaker in mine. Less brittle highs. I can crank the high and mids and it sounds amazing
If you would need an amp for Jazz and clean B.B.King-ish Blues only which of these would be your favourite? I slightly prefer the Blues Cube with a Catalinbread Formula 55 for the driven tones.
I used my Blues Junior at an outdoor festival and it worked perfectly fine. I don’t like it’s original gain, but using pedals and mic it up - works like a charm 🎉
Shane - nice to hear it mic’d up properly. A lot of demos have them with camera mics. I run my tweed with bass on 0, mids on 2-3 and treble at 3. Try that with humbuckers and put the preamp gain no more than 3/4 of the way up.
I own the Fender Blues Junior IV Western version with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker. I have a love/hate relationship with the speaker. At low volumes it sounds gorgeous. But cranked up live with the band it lacks definition and attack.
I sold my tweed blues Junior last year, and I’m always looking for one on reverb. I think they are great amps. I bought a tone king gremlin, and ended up selling it because I preferred the blues Junior.
IMO...Blues guitar is noted for some level of distortion. The Blues Jr IV of course has a Master tone knob to control distortion...therefore has more headroom than a BJ III. Probably why it works well with pedals. I also own a 65 Princeton with a 12inch speaker, which is loud and has a lot of headroom. For my Princeton I need an attenuator whereas the BJ IV can be useful as is with its Master Volume - which the Princeton lacks. IMO if you must get a Princeton. the 68 Custom model with the 10inch speaker - can distort nicely and still give adequate headroom.
I recently bought this same amp and it's awesome! Several great tones to be had. The brightness of the treble and reverb does mellow out once the speaker is broken in. You can play in an apartment/condo. I achieved a great tone with the master volume on 12, gain/volume on 3 and my strat volume on 3. Watching an action movie on the TV is way louder.
I own a Roland. J C. 120 and a black face twin reverb they great but heavy I’m in a Reggae band so all my gigs I use my Blues Jr with a Tele Road worn a boss delay a Boss automatic wah a boss chorus it works for me
Love the Blues Jr amps. Only caveat for me though is.. I like the sound of the tweed one with the Jensen speaker more. But it is **LOUD**. Too loud for my apartment if you want to play with any kind of grit.
@@EbNorth yes sweetwater has a 45 day return policy and 2 years repair. I bought it in February so they just sent me a new one. Their customer service was amazing.
Definitely a great idea but the smaller ",Pro-Junior" what I ended up taking home for recording, has a bouncier and less brittle tone than the blues jr.
OK little amps, but having used one for a number of gigs, I found it got a bit lost on stage, and ended up selling it. I actually prefer my Boss Katana 50 in every respect. I have a Blues Deluxe for bigger stage gigs. Nice review though Shane
Thanks for another great video. Shane, would you be able to give an actual decibel value as to lowest you'd be able to play this amp and it still puts out good tone? I wish more reviews would do this. Trying to protect my ears and I know what level seems safe. "Bedroom" or "home" level is too subjective.
You can use these at low volumes but they don't sound great unless you are happy playing clean at low volumes. The overdrive gets fizzy with the volume down too far.
@@intheblues Yeah. Cleans no problem - I should have been more specific with my question. I'd like to know what the lowest decibel level does a pedal driven OD still sound good on this amp? Thanks again.
@@mkrj2576 depends on your definition of good tone. If I play it quiet enough to not disturb people a couple of rooms away it sounds ok but not amazing. If I take the volume up slightly from there it sounds heaps better. But that volume is loud in the room and the neighbours wouldn’t like it for that long.
@@lucassmith1319 haha very fair question! If I really want to play and can’t make too much noise I just play. The tone is fine. But once the house is empty and I can turn it up, I play it a little louder and you can feel the air move and it’s great. That’s a special treat for me lol. I am still experimenting with different drive pedals but have found even they can require some volume. But you can still have fun at lower volumes! Just keep the preamp gain lower and nudge the master up. Maybe 3 and 2 respectively on the dials.
Hello, great work and playing, always see your reviews. I just bought second hand one of these, and it has a soft hum , just when it turn on, volumen down, like the single endeds amps, bugera or fender champ 600 , it's that normal? it is soft, but my Harley Benton 15 w it's practically unnoticeable..
I have issues with the blues junior and similar criticisms of the hot rod amps. You can somewhat ameliorate this with the eq, but they are far too bassy. It sounds great for solo cleans, but every time I've used them with a band I end up lacking definition and interfering with the clarity of the bass and kick drum. If you upgrade the speaker, this improves to a perfectly usable point, but for me and my purposes, the blues junior is too bassy
I run mine with bass at 0 and there’s still plenty coming through with humbuckers but sounds better when you have some gain. Which speakers have you tried?
@@CrazyCalabrese78 I've never owned one, mostly commented for the algorithm because shane deserves it. I've played them with the original A type, the older speaker that they came stock with (I think it was an eminence? reminded me of the speakers in my silverface twin which are the original special designs, which I think were made by eminence, but I digress), various jensen speakers (i prefer the alnico jensens though, but those don't fit in a blues junior), and one had a creamback. I agree with your settings, I usually turn the bass all the way down with humbuckers too
I could never get on with the Mark III I had... Just couldn't get on with that flabby, farty low end. Sounded fine on the bridge pickup, but turned to mush on the neck and middle positions. I dunno if it was just mine, but there was always an odd sort of sickly sweet burning smell whenever I had it on too.
I live on a 4 acre property in 2500 square foot ranch house with only 2 or 3 neighbors within sight of my house… still never turned up any tube amp over 3 lol where the hell do you live Shane that you can crank a master volume past noon? 😂
Well.....Once again: You Ain't Never Going To Buy Shane's incredible ability and tone !!!! That will take hard determination and work. Shane will make any and everything sound 24K. But really Shane. You always Mic the amp with 2 high quality and different EQ'd Mic's. Which will not be the true sound of the amp. It will always be colored. But hey...You are the Great.. It's your stage! And I surely Bend a Knee to you. (With a B Jr you need to change the Tone Stack back to Fender & lower the brite cap w/ switch)
Great review. I love the pure Fender tone and great playing as well. The newer Jr.'s must sound a lot better. I'd been underwhelmed with them in the past.
I don't recall if you have played a Stage right 15 tube amp? It's supposed to be close to this but much cheaper? I have one.and often wonder should I change to the blues Jr, it's too hard to tell on RUclips and nothing around here that has one to try out
How this guy has fully functional pots on all of his guitars is a mistery to me. Left-handed guitars are notorious for having an on-off switch style pots. I suspect he's either installed aftermarket pots, or rewired the stock ones. None of my left-handed Fender (and almost none of the other) guitars I own, have appropriate pots.
I had an old Blues Junior. Probably from 2002 or so. The thing was so harsh and brittle. Gain basically sounded like white noise. I kind of hated that amp. I’m hoping the new generations are much better than that.
I've always found these amps to be boxy-sounding, with way too much reverb. Sticking with Fender, I have a Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is much better. I've also just bought a 1989 Peavey Bandit, which is fantastic on the clean channel, but less so on the overdrive channel, which doesn't have the later 'mid' control. I've tried to like Blues Juniors, but every time I've tried one (or heard people using them) I've been underwhelmed.
Is 15 watts loud enough for closed room jam sessions and later live gigs? My band rehearses in an above garage room (30ft x 30ft) with no micing on the amps. If we gig I would expect to use a mic on the amp through our PA system. Would you agree?
Yep. You can do that for sure. Turning the master up will give you better tones than with it down. You get a much bigger sound overall. The guitar volume will help you work the output volume and gain.
Hey Shane. I sold my AC15 and I’m looking at a Fender amp for home use. Looking at the Blues Deluxe or the Hot Rod and even the Tonemaster amps. So hard to choose. Haven’t tried any in a shop yet but I like the effects loop option in the Blues Deluxe as I play a lot of ambience too. Can you give me your opinion please.
@@intheblues Awesome Shane. Thanks so much. My mate has a blues junior v3 that he got cheap. He just wants his money back so maybe that’s the way to go.
Just remember thats a very very very loud amp!!!!!! I mever use mine over 3 volume or it will blow my ears! Favorite set is volume 1 and master cranked to max.
i thinking about selling it since iuts just too loud for home use. i will put mater to 12 and volume to 13 my ears will bleed. this video is misleading about the volume levels since its all seems at same volume level
I just A/B'd that amp against a blues deluxe and just as I hear in the video, the JR just doesn't cut it is not a professional amp at all and the EL84's burn the PCB boards as the sockets are solder right to it. Junk.
Unfortunately good tone cost more. There's some beautiful 5-watt Boutique amplifiers out there. But you have to spend $1,500 at least. I think it's worth saving up.
@@stringlocker while I do not disagree, I believe we tend to overlook the value-for-money aspect these days. An American Stratocaster is not twice as good as a Mexican one, yet it is more than double the price. The same thing happens with guitar amplifiers. A boutique amplifier can give you better tone, but if it is three times as expensive as a Bassbreaker, I expect it to be more than simply 20% better
Lets be real, the bkues junior quality and Chinese build has dropped drastically. Ive had 2 BJs 4 and they have both "died" fender amp quality has fallen apart,, just because it says "tube" dont mean its quality... Thanks Shane for all you do, you are a great product demonstration guy.. but, real tube amps , yea, they arethe real deal. These amps are seriously overpriced.. i have a BJ 3 its been completely upgraded and it does sound good. Just saying be careful what you buy these days.. great job Shane
![KSI - Thick Of It (feat. Trippie Redd) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/At8v_Yc044Y/mqdefault.jpg)
The Blues Junior was such a good pedal platform for me during the gigging days. Lightweight and a good clean tone was all I needed. The dirt and distortion came from the pedals and it was perfect for a quick set up. Add in a Strat and you're golden!
@@dustinvoid3922 I would like to know that answer from Mattlau as well.
I've only ever turned the master volume on mine to 2 or 3, it's surprisingly loud! 🤣
Experiment with the master WAY up, even on full, and then use the other volume to set your overall volume. (And you can guitar volume down some and turn it up as needed)
You’ll like get more headroom and the true amp characteristics
@@marcsullivan7987 Thanks, I will try that although I've been using Boss Waza headphones mostly these days!
@@thedoodl38ug yeah what I described is a playing with a drummer setup, for a better tone
Really? Can it overpower drums?
@@octtrinittolavg I'm just a home player, couldn't answer that
I have this same pairing but in tweed! Absolutely love it! 🎸
Thanks for watching. Let me know what you think of the Blues Jr amplifiers if you own one. Check it out here:
🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/g1OW9r
🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/3a4kCVF
🛒 Fender - bit.ly/3fZiRMF
🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/gbQbDv
🛒 Sky Music - bit.ly/3Ar8Ezd
(affiliate links)
Great amp…I own the same thing…
Sounds great with that strat, curious to hear it with an SG or Les Paul.
I use mine with a prs and an epi lp both with humbuckers. I think it sound great. I use a xotic sl for crunch and Im good to go.
Thanks for the advice Shane. Very much appreciated. 👍
It’s a really great amp! That A-Type Celestion is absolutely perfect for that amp! If fender would put an FX loop in it then it would be the perfect amp!!
It kind of has one...the Reverb can is 'inserted'... you could try to put RCA-Jack adapters onto it. It's best though you know what you're doing..
Hopefully the V version will have one.
Sounds really good with your strat, and maybe that's why you played so well today!
Thanks, Chris. It's a classic combination for sure.
I’ve always liked these amps…especially the clean….but for my money my preference is my Bassbreaker 15
This sounds so great. Nice playing
Love the clean sound! It has that perfect Fender tone! Great sounding amp.
I sold my much-loved Blues Junior iii w/Jensen and purchased a modified Bjnr IV (Fromel mods) with an Eminence L'il Texas Neo and it's just phenomenal. It's not nearly as boxy-sounding as my old Tweed iii and is a great pedal platform.
That speaker is a secret weapon!! Unbelievably great tones!
2:24 sounds great.
Brutal! Great combination; guitar and amp! Tasty licks! 🤘
I’ve been a bit torn between getting this or a Princeton.
But Fender are just about to release a Blues Junior in Racing Green and it’s beautiful 😍
I have both. Get the Princeton, but I sure like that green.
Princeton's are phenomenal
Absolutely love mine. The clean tones are just perfect for my needs. I haven't tried single coils yet because humbuckers are my go to. I like to back off the guitar volumes a bit. The cleans get more bitey as the master goes up, or softer with more volume. I've been using some nice Gibsons and cheaper guitars too. All good. I've been using an EHX Crayon for a blues or rock drive. Very nice. I did try an American strat in the shop but it didn't feel like a good match. Goes pretty damn loud but works well at practice levels. I agree it's a bit much if you live in a block of flats/apartments so look elsewhere. Repeat: love mine - addictive.
Man, that sounds so good. Great playing too
The fat switch is great with pedals and at lower volume. It kind of muddles the bottom end when the amp is cranked. These amps do have a cool tweed-like break up. I prefer the Cannabis Rex speaker in mine. Less brittle highs. I can crank the high and mids and it sounds amazing
Thanks Shane - you read my mind as I’ve been thinking of getting one of these for small pub gigs as my Supersonic is too loud and heavy
In terms of sound and looks maybe my fav amp. Got a little DSL-1 I also like. The mini Marshall sounds huge with Jet Phaser 😎
Those DSL amps are awesome. Well done :)
Great video Shane. - I d love to watch a comparison between the Roland Blues Cube and a Fender Tonemaster (Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb). That was dope.
If you would need an amp for Jazz and clean B.B.King-ish Blues only which of these would be your favourite?
I slightly prefer the Blues Cube with a Catalinbread Formula 55 for the driven tones.
Blues JR is a fun practice amp. Expectations management: it ain't a Deluxe Reverb or Princeton.
Easy to manufacture, uses inferior components on cheap PCB board with ribbon conectors. You get what you pay for.
If you’re so inclined, it can be amazing. Change some caps, take those ribbon connectors and stick some vintage wiring. New speaker 9/10 small amp.
@@markmcdonald5711good point..ok, Im not getting one now..
I’ve never played through a tube amp and after having many nice modeling setups, this thing is just on another level. I love mine!
I used my Blues Junior at an outdoor festival and it worked perfectly fine.
I don’t like it’s original gain, but using pedals and mic it up - works like a charm 🎉
That is how a Strat should sound!! Amazing!!
Shane - nice to hear it mic’d up properly.
A lot of demos have them with camera mics.
I run my tweed with bass on 0, mids on 2-3 and treble at 3. Try that with humbuckers and put the preamp gain no more than 3/4 of the way up.
I own the Fender Blues Junior IV Western version with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker.
I have a love/hate relationship with the speaker. At low volumes it sounds gorgeous. But cranked up live with the band it lacks definition and attack.
Thanks Shane, for pointing out I really need a good size amp for in house, that sounds good! Lol have a great week
Thanks mate, have a great one! :)
Tryva pro-junior 1st.
defo getting this cheers mate
Great video. I really like your playing.
My Amplifier is blues junior III. I've tried the Clean Tone Jimi Hendrix Style. I heard the sound of Little Wing.
I sold my tweed blues Junior last year, and I’m always looking for one on reverb. I think they are great amps. I bought a tone king gremlin, and ended up selling it because I preferred the blues Junior.
Nice riffs on stones start it up! I think brightness was in order on that one. Cool amp.
I had one for almost 20 years, recently sold it and got a Marshall SV20 and never looked back. The Blues Junior always sounded boxy to me, like a toy.
I was looking at a Princeton but the blues jr 4 is looking better for the price difference 👍❗️
on top of a beautiful review I have been encouraged ( I am a novice player) to use the guitar knobs :)
That wasn’t a review… it was a tutorial! 😀 Looking forward to dialling in those same tones into my own BJIV.
IMO...Blues guitar is noted for some level of distortion. The Blues Jr IV of course has a Master tone knob to control distortion...therefore has more headroom than a BJ III. Probably why it works well with pedals. I also own a 65 Princeton with a 12inch speaker, which is loud and has a lot of headroom. For my Princeton I need an attenuator whereas the BJ IV can be useful as is with its Master Volume - which the Princeton lacks. IMO if you must get a Princeton. the 68 Custom model with the 10inch speaker - can distort nicely and still give adequate headroom.
Amazing amp. I love it
Great sound from 1:12 onward. Very John Frusciantey vibe 👌
Have one with Cannibis Rex speaker. Like it. Great Blues practice amp.
I recently bought this same amp and it's awesome! Several great tones to be had.
The brightness of the treble and reverb does mellow out once the speaker is broken in.
You can play in an apartment/condo. I achieved a great tone with the master volume on 12, gain/volume on 3 and my strat volume on 3. Watching an action movie on the TV is way louder.
Do people think the clean has enough headroom to use with pedals in a wet/dry setup for small to medium sized gigs?
Gorgeous tones. Plus, at least it isn't as heavy as a Fender Blues Deville, which is a total beast. Takes five f00kin blokes to lug it round!
Tweed w/neo cream back. Love mine gets most if my play time
I own a Roland. J C. 120 and a black face twin reverb they great but heavy I’m in a Reggae band so all my gigs I use my Blues Jr with a Tele Road worn a boss delay a Boss automatic wah a boss chorus it works for me
Nice demo... some good tones from that amp and guitar combo.
Great video!
Love the Blues Jr amps. Only caveat for me though is.. I like the sound of the tweed one with the Jensen speaker more. But it is **LOUD**. Too loud for my apartment if you want to play with any kind of grit.
Mine is only a few old and I noticed a static noise coming from even when nothing is plugged in to it
Any updates?
@@EbNorth yes sweetwater has a 45 day return policy and 2 years repair. I bought it in February so they just sent me a new one. Their customer service was amazing.
I just got a BJIV delivered today :)
Definitely a great idea but the smaller ",Pro-Junior" what I ended up taking home for recording, has a bouncier and less brittle tone than the blues jr.
How do you compare this amp
To the Artist tweed tone 20r ??
These never really impressed me, but THIS 1 did! Groovy Shane! \m/
Nice little amp! A little bit bright for my liking.😎🎸
Sounds good!
I’ve been staring at a used Blues Junior for a while now. Your Strat sounded great through it. However I think I will go for a Bass Breaker instead.
I was wondering why mine never sounds like the reviews on RUclips , I get never get past 2 on the master in my apt . Will be selling soon
Blues Jr always sounds great. The price is low enough to forgive Fender cutting a few corners with respect to how the tubes are mounted.
OK little amps, but having used one for a number of gigs, I found it got a bit lost on stage, and ended up selling it. I actually prefer my Boss Katana 50 in every respect. I have a Blues Deluxe for bigger stage gigs. Nice review though Shane
100% these are only okay for low volume gigs unless mic’d up. I feel the same way.
Thanks for another great video. Shane, would you be able to give an actual decibel value as to lowest you'd be able to play this amp and it still puts out good tone? I wish more reviews would do this. Trying to protect my ears and I know what level seems safe. "Bedroom" or "home" level is too subjective.
You can use these at low volumes but they don't sound great unless you are happy playing clean at low volumes. The overdrive gets fizzy with the volume down too far.
@@intheblues Yeah. Cleans no problem - I should have been more specific with my question. I'd like to know what the lowest decibel level does a pedal driven OD still sound good on this amp? Thanks again.
@@mkrj2576 depends on your definition of good tone.
If I play it quiet enough to not disturb people a couple of rooms away it sounds ok but not amazing.
If I take the volume up slightly from there it sounds heaps better. But that volume is loud in the room and the neighbours wouldn’t like it for that long.
@@CrazyCalabrese78 So the million dollar question "What do you do?" 🤔😶😆
@@lucassmith1319 haha very fair question! If I really want to play and can’t make too much noise I just play. The tone is fine. But once the house is empty and I can turn it up, I play it a little louder and you can feel the air move and it’s great. That’s a special treat for me lol.
I am still experimenting with different drive pedals but have found even they can require some volume.
But you can still have fun at lower volumes! Just keep the preamp gain lower and nudge the master up. Maybe 3 and 2 respectively on the dials.
Shane,
Is that your 50's original strat?
I have several of these - the best one was a 3 with a Celestion Vintage 30. Regret selling that one.
Hello, great work and playing, always see your reviews. I just bought second hand one of these, and it has a soft hum , just when it turn on, volumen down, like the single endeds amps, bugera or fender champ 600 , it's that normal? it is soft, but my Harley Benton 15 w it's practically unnoticeable..
Sounds good to me. My USA v1 sounds warmer.
I have issues with the blues junior and similar criticisms of the hot rod amps. You can somewhat ameliorate this with the eq, but they are far too bassy. It sounds great for solo cleans, but every time I've used them with a band I end up lacking definition and interfering with the clarity of the bass and kick drum. If you upgrade the speaker, this improves to a perfectly usable point, but for me and my purposes, the blues junior is too bassy
I run mine with bass at 0 and there’s still plenty coming through with humbuckers but sounds better when you have some gain. Which speakers have you tried?
@@CrazyCalabrese78 I've never owned one, mostly commented for the algorithm because shane deserves it. I've played them with the original A type, the older speaker that they came stock with (I think it was an eminence? reminded me of the speakers in my silverface twin which are the original special designs, which I think were made by eminence, but I digress), various jensen speakers (i prefer the alnico jensens though, but those don't fit in a blues junior), and one had a creamback. I agree with your settings, I usually turn the bass all the way down with humbuckers too
@@lucistired nice, cheers. Andertons did a speaker shootout recently with the Tweed model. Was very cool and really well done.
I could never get on with the Mark III I had... Just couldn't get on with that flabby, farty low end. Sounded fine on the bridge pickup, but turned to mush on the neck and middle positions.
I dunno if it was just mine, but there was always an odd sort of sickly sweet burning smell whenever I had it on too.
I live on a 4 acre property in 2500 square foot ranch house with only 2 or 3 neighbors within sight of my house… still never turned up any tube amp over 3 lol where the hell do you live Shane that you can crank a master volume past noon? 😂
I'm glad I cured myself of this amp. Periodically I would buy one and end up being disappointed.
Well.....Once again: You Ain't Never Going To Buy Shane's incredible ability and tone !!!! That will take hard determination and work. Shane will make any and everything
sound 24K. But really Shane. You always Mic the amp with 2 high quality and different EQ'd Mic's. Which will not be the true sound of the amp. It will always be colored.
But hey...You are the Great.. It's your stage! And I surely Bend a Knee to you. (With a B Jr you need to change the Tone Stack back to Fender & lower the brite cap w/ switch)
Great review. I love the pure Fender tone and great playing as well. The newer Jr.'s must sound a lot better. I'd been underwhelmed with them in the past.
Me: "Oh, I wanna hear this amp demo'd"
Also me: "You show off son of a...😠"
😆
I don't recall if you have played a Stage right 15 tube amp? It's supposed to be close to this but much cheaper? I have one.and often wonder should I change to the blues Jr, it's too hard to tell on RUclips and nothing around here that has one to try out
I remember you not liking the reverb on an older blues jr, what do you think about the reverb on these?
The Version 3 had a faulty tank which was unusable at louder volumes. It seems to be sorted out on this model thankfully
How this guy has fully functional pots on all of his guitars is a mistery to me. Left-handed guitars are notorious for having an on-off switch style pots. I suspect he's either installed aftermarket pots, or rewired the stock ones. None of my left-handed Fender (and almost none of the other) guitars I own, have appropriate pots.
Shane do you think it's better than a Peavey Classic 30?
I'll stick with my blues jnr killer lol even has a overdrive channel 🤪
Full, Fat, Fender delight!
Aye 15 Watts is loud lol for a flat or house got a 5 watt amp and with a drive pedal volume is never more than a quarter on amp on clean channel
Yep, I've never gone beyond 2 or 3 on the master, so loud!
Is it "Giggable" "clean"? Even with the volume at around 3 it seemed to be slightly breaking up already to my ears (crammed in my headphones. LOL!)
I gig wit a pair of these wet dry and it holds up.
I had an old Blues Junior. Probably from 2002 or so. The thing was so harsh and brittle. Gain basically sounded like white noise. I kind of hated that amp. I’m hoping the new generations are much better than that.
I Mean It's Alright Like..
I've always found these amps to be boxy-sounding, with way too much reverb. Sticking with Fender, I have a Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is much better. I've also just bought a 1989 Peavey Bandit, which is fantastic on the clean channel, but less so on the overdrive channel, which doesn't have the later 'mid' control. I've tried to like Blues Juniors, but every time I've tried one (or heard people using them) I've been underwhelmed.
Is 15 watts loud enough for closed room jam sessions and later live gigs? My band rehearses in an above garage room (30ft x 30ft) with no micing on the amps. If we gig I would expect to use a mic on the amp through our PA system. Would you agree?
Plenty loud enough 👍
i've owned three. never again.
Shane, you make everything sound great, but the JR always sounded too “boxy” for my taste.
Shane with this amp do you normally play the amp and pretty high volumes and then use the guitar volume knobs to dial things back?
Yep. You can do that for sure. Turning the master up will give you better tones than with it down. You get a much bigger sound overall. The guitar volume will help you work the output volume and gain.
@@intheblues thanks Shane!
Bandit 112 vs Debut 50r
Hey Shane. I sold my AC15 and I’m looking at a Fender amp for home use. Looking at the Blues Deluxe or the Hot Rod and even the Tonemaster amps. So hard to choose. Haven’t tried any in a shop yet but I like the effects loop option in the Blues Deluxe as I play a lot of ambience too. Can you give me your opinion please.
A Blues or Hot Rod Deluxe is overkill for home use unless you can turn it up. 3:49
@@intheblues Awesome Shane. Thanks so much. My mate has a blues junior v3 that he got cheap. He just wants his money back so maybe that’s the way to go.
@@TeleCSFender Bassbreaker
Never got on with my BJ? But I kept my Pro Junior! You’ll need a pedal for crunch on either of these amps at a reasonable volume.
I like my Blues Junior for home practice. I have the "Swamp Thang" speaker in mine. Made all the difference in world. I like this little amp.
How good is this amp for excepting pedals? Especially a tube driver, blues driver bd2, and rat distortion.
I saw/heard a demo of a fbj with the boss blues driver and its NICE!
Just remember thats a very very very loud amp!!!!!! I mever use mine over 3 volume or it will blow my ears!
Favorite set is volume 1 and master cranked to max.
I’ve had that feeling of my ears about to be blown out lol it can get loud
How does it compare to the III?
It's better because the reverb tank isn't faulty once you turn it up past half.
i thinking about selling it since iuts just too loud for home use. i will put mater to 12 and volume to 13 my ears will bleed. this video is misleading about the volume levels since its all seems at same volume level
Is it too loud if i put this in 12m2 bedroom 😂?
No. Neither is an Engl Powerball 2, a Marshall JVM 410 or a Supro 1650 Royal Reverb. 😊
I just A/B'd that amp against a blues deluxe and just as I hear in the video, the JR just doesn't cut it is not a professional amp at all and the EL84's burn the PCB boards as the sockets are solder right to it. Junk.
Boy that dirty tone was *rough*!
Wich Fender Strato are you using?
It's my 50s American Original Strat.
I plug it in to a Marshall 4x12 . Celestions get rid of the boxiness
I still believe it is overpriced when compared to a Fender Bassbreaker 30r. You get so much more if you're willing to spend 100 € more
Unfortunately good tone cost more. There's some beautiful 5-watt Boutique amplifiers out there. But you have to spend $1,500 at least. I think it's worth saving up.
@@stringlocker while I do not disagree, I believe we tend to overlook the value-for-money aspect these days. An American Stratocaster is not twice as good as a Mexican one, yet it is more than double the price. The same thing happens with guitar amplifiers. A boutique amplifier can give you better tone, but if it is three times as expensive as a Bassbreaker, I expect it to be more than simply 20% better
I'm tired of good enough amps. I am a cheapskate. But I have G.A.S. for a magnatone.
Jimmy H
Lets be real, the bkues junior quality and Chinese build has dropped drastically. Ive had 2 BJs 4 and they have both "died" fender amp quality has fallen apart,, just because it says "tube" dont mean its quality... Thanks Shane for all you do, you are a great product demonstration guy.. but, real tube amps , yea, they arethe real deal. These amps are seriously overpriced.. i have a BJ 3 its been completely upgraded and it does sound good. Just saying be careful what you buy these days.. great job Shane
There you go sounding like Jimi Hendrix?