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In my opinion part of what helps the Blues Jr. fight about it's weight-class are the better than average Output Transformer. These are great little amps, they respond to modifications well and although not a Low Power Tweed Twin that can give that feel. The fact they have reverb it a big plus, sadly the reverb on this amp is not tube driven.
Jack Fossett I totally agree with you. If this were any brand other than Fender the reverb would be acceptable, being a Fender though one would hope they would have used a tube driver. Myself, I've found no single amp is acceptable. It won't be long I'll have as many different amplifiers as I do guitars. Great video Jack, thank you.
I've been playing since the 80's and believe it or not, this is my first proper amp. Believe me when I saw this is my LAST proper amp. I am in blues heaven with this thing... it's absolutely awesome.
Possibly one of the best reviews of any piece of gear I've ever heard. Everything was explained in layman's terms and everything made sense and your opinions came off unbiased. You didn't sound like an annoying fanboy. I feel so much more comfortable considering purchasing this amp. Thank you.
You are the only one on UA-cam who can really explain this amp properly. I searched a lot 1 year ago to help my buying decision. Glad I bought it and now you tell me how to use it xD
Well, I had one also, stayed one day only at home, got it back to the store, sounded to boxy for me. But I was thinking to get to it again and change the speaker for a greenback because I heard lots of great things. Should I get a 68 custom, Princeton 65 or 68 or a Blues Junior? :D
I used to have a 57 Tweed Deluxe and a Blues Jr and they were not even comparable For lower volumes the Blues was perhaps more usable, but with an attenuator the Deluxe was still way richer and fatter. No contest.
I had one of these years ago, sold it for a blues deluxe, then went through all types of amps, marshals, divided by 13, Friedman, Peavey classics, blackstars, Vox... and I just bought another tweed blues jr today.... blown away by the sound of this amp, I absolutely love it!
I have bought mine 3 years ago and I must say it does the work extremely well, the only issue is that the best tones are delivered when you crank up the master and for my small house that’s way too much power 😂
I'm 70 years old and love my tube amps. Recently I have been playing through a 3 year old Marshall MG50CFX solid state guitar combo amp with a built in 12" speaker, or using it's 8 ohm speaker jack out connected to a 212 or a 410 cab. I am finding I can get any tone I want, clean, crunch, overdrive, distorted overdrive. I can't believe it, but it's true, it's a great all around amp. I play every day, all day long so I have the time to experiment with the EQ.
Nice! I heard in a Marshall Amp Presentation once that Joe Walsh uses the MG series for fun because he just likes how they sound. Not sure if there's any truth to that but I like the story.
I just got my first Blues Junior today in a swap from an American friend. We were in Amsterdam and I just moved to Boston, so I gave him my Fender Bassbreaker and he had his Blues Junior sent to my place. Holy crap I'm blown away! I owe the man many a drink because this amp is leagues above the Bassbreaker imo. Taking a fair bit of the mids out and pushing it with a Boss SD-1 gets me the best overdriven tone I've ever heard myself play.
i just purchased a 2011 Blues Jr III. Love it. I also own a 96 Blues Deluxe and wonder if I really need it for giging blues in dive bars... I like lower beefy clean tones for my blues, for which I use a Gibson ES-335
Great playing. Just bought this amp. If you are in doubt, dont be. Its sound comes straight out of Heaven's gates. Beautiful cleans with quite a bit of headroom for jazz or whatever. And great drive further up. Good tone at living room volumes. Its a keeper, and for me instantly better than the IV from a side by side comparison, especially the reverb. Go now and buy it.
Bought one off a friend over a decade ago for $100. The reverb never worked but didn’t care cause it was such a deal. I Just replaced the original tubes for the first time and got a new reverb tank and it sounds killer, it’s still the same little amp but that reverb added a new dimension, and maybe it’s a placebo effect but with the new tubes it just sounds fantastic. Def inspired me to sit down and mess with it like it was a brand new piece of gear
Just bought one today (version III). I appreciate the info and MUCH more instructive than some of the "names" who have attitudes and not a lot of useful information.
Thanks for watching! Please remember to subscribe, and if you like the channel and want to give some extra support, would love for you to download some songs! jackfossett.bandcamp.com
Love the tones you achieved with the blues Junior. I have the red tolex w/ the green back speaker. I’m definitely going to apply what I learned from you to my B.J. Your les paul sound awesome.
Just bought the tweed blues Jr, and out of the box sounds great. Tubes really bring out the distortion on this little amp if that's what you're looking for.
Great video with some outstanding tips. This is my first valve amp, so I took quite a while choosing, I believe mine is a pre-III MIM NOS. I love the way this amp sounds with my 79 The Paul. I made some adjustments based on your suggestions and I could not believe it, but it even sounds better. Thank you so much. Enjoyed the album. My grandfather was huge cowboy/western guitar music fan, Thomas Point really had me thinking of him.....that was very cool...another thank you. This amp is so perfect. At home or practice, I could not even begin to get the levels up to a nice level for saturation and near the clip if the wattage was ANY higher and yet mic'd, I screams that creamy tone with little effort (I tend to use the fat switch will just cut through a mix to give a solo a nice pop) I hate to use a lot of pedals (though they are unavoidable when doing covers). I do use a Blues Driver for heavier distortion, but there is nothing else you need with this beauty (and yet it IS very pedal friendly). The tone....ah, the tone. Where do you keep your volume on the guitar?
Thanks for the thoughtful response and listening to the music! I really appreciate that ~ I mostly keep the volume relatively high on the guitar, either wide open or backed off to no less than 7 or so. I find that less and I lose too much of the signal. I do frequently record with the volume at 9 or so just to tame a small amount of the brashness.
Just got a FBJ Tweed this morning and I’m already in love! I already have a Tube Screamer and I have a Tokai Love Rock and Gretsch Streamliner. This is the most informative video I’ve seen on this subject so far. Thankyou!! 👍
This video changed how I play my amp that I've had for years, I was always shy with the bass from my Marshall style amp, and hit the mids and highs too hard, thanks!
One more thing: My BJ is US-built. The treble pot starts being effective at 7 - since the day I bought it. And when I bought it (in Istanbul) it was new, right off the package.
thank you for this precious video, I have thought for several days comparing Marshall dsl series and origin series, now I know what I want is actually this, just couldn't believe a fender amp can match with a Les paul so perfectly.
Thanks Jack. Have the same amp. That is about 5 or 6 years old. Played in a Classic rock band with this amp for 4 to 5 years. My band finally broke up in 2020 but lately I've been taking it to Jams. And I just ordered another set of tubes yesterday because it doesn't want to be set at the edge of breakup anymore and it has started to get a little harsh last week. Thanks for the eq tips. I didn't know that the reverb could make it brighter. I do run my master at about 9 though. I noticed yours was way lower. Looked like your master and volume were about 2 to 3.
Thanks for the video. I have a new Blues Jr IV in Black and I appreciate your demo of what it can do. I’m new to guitar (again after a 30 year lapse) and I appreciate the reference points you gave for where the different settings are for different tones. It gives me a starting point for experimentation. And I appreciate you giving your opinion.
Have one, the biggest improvement is tone and it was game changing was running it thru a 2x 12 extension cab. The b/t/m you will need to adjust per YOUR guitar and sound you are looking for, I really don't know why anyone makes suggestions for these three. The volume on my set up is between 3 and 5, that sets the basic drive sound then my master volume is between 3 and 4. With this set up I roll guitar volume back just enough to clean up the sound, for more grit I open guitar volume up all the way and for lead I step on a BOSS OD 1X. Very versatile and ballsy. My guitar is a Tele with a slash HB in neck and PRE B-1 in bridge.
This is my holy grail of amps, it seems like the tones i get are anywhere from, CCR to SRV, even some Hendrix tones, crazy good cleans like Clapton too, it seems like even some hair metal tones, can push it in my bedroom, and is early as loud as my marshal 150, or any other head I have encountered, and that's on 4, those other amps are up there past 7
I have two BJ tweeds a Mex and USA. I will sometimes run them both in stereo, which is really cool and big sounding. The two amps separately sound a bit difficult maybe bc of circuitry and tubes or just age. But I like the versatility...and if one goes into the shop I can always easily get by with the other. And all for le$$ than a Deluxe Reverb...
I have been looking at videos for this amp for awhile now, hoping for one exactly like this one! Your video is by far the most informative and in depth coverage on the FBJ that I have seen and I’ve seen my fair share! I bought my FBJ in 2006 it has the lacquered tweed cover, Jensen reissue made in Italy C12N speaker, cream board, “NOS”(new, old stock), made in Mexico with the “Limited Edition” Chrome plaque on the back much like yours and I run the Ibanez mini tube screamer. Thank you so much just wish I seen this video sooner👍🎸🇨🇦
This is my main home amp. I’ve had a few iterations over the years. They definitely are some of the hardest amps to EQ I’ve ever come across. My main problem with the high bass setting described here is the amp buzzes and rattles like hell when the bass is pushed above 5. It’s happened with all my blues juniors and I typically don’t even push them that hard volume wise. These are pretty cheap construction but they sound ok and serve as a pretty good pedal platform. I would tell someone to look at the nicer low wattage amps as soon as you can afford one though.
Interesting, I've owned several and never had bass rattle problems. I have had problems doing the master volume trick (turning the master volume all the way up and then just using the volume) as it gets super noisy. But I agree, getting a nicer lower watt amp is the best thing to do.
Great vid. Have the same amp and didn’t like it untilI figured out to turn the treble down. I actually turn the mids right down too (using Tele). Love your content, playing and helpful information. Thanks
YOUR SHARING OF INFORMATION IS AWESOME TRIED YOUR SETTINGS AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE I HAVE 2 BJR’s 1 TWEED & 1 ORIGINAL I LOVE THE TWEED 3 I RUN IT WITH A MLDEVILLE & A TWIN AWSOME INFO LOVE YOUR TONES AND PLAYING 👍🔥🎸🦅
Recently got my Blues Jr Tweed NOS with the Jensen speaker in it. I absolutely LOVE this amp! My first tube amp. Really appreciate this review, as it shows me how to get different tones from one amp like this. I have an American Strat and Epi Les Paul 60's Standard (2020). I can't get the crunch from the amp for the LP, but this amp gets just hot enough to make it sound really nice and thick. Next month I'm hoping to have enough for a Ts9 Tube Screamer. Your demo of it was amazing. Can't wait to put mine to work! Great review!
Very helpful thanks ... I cannot lie, I took up guitar during the lockdown (I am a drummer in real life! 😊) As there are no holidays for the foreseeable I thought I’d buy good from the outset and bought the clapton strat and this amp. I am hugely in love with both, but honestly have little idea what I’m doing yet ... this has saved me a lot of time and created a great foundation to start. So big thanks you from London 😊
Glad it helped! Great to put lockdown time to good use for everyone who can. Ironically, I've been picking up the drums more over the lockdown as well - my daughter is learning to play so I'm learning with her to help.
Jack Fossett 3 months ago I would have said without any doubt “God’s chosen instrument ..” Now, I’m not so sure! 😂 - Thanks for your help and best wishes to your daughter in her endeavours 🥁
Jack, I just tried tuning the amp according to what you set it to in the video. I'm a beginner guitarist, so I had no idea what I was doing. Oh my god it sounds so much better now. I had the treble and reverb cranked really high and it just sounded awful, but I thought nothing of it and just kept playing. This is so much better, thanks for your pleasant tips, hope all is well with you!
Nice video and explanation of settings. I have a Princeton Reverb-Amp (68 reissue) and just ordered the Blues Junior IV tweed from Sweetwater (with the Eminence Red White & Blues 12” speaker). Will revisit this video when the amp arrives. Thanks for the useful video. 🌞
Brilliant review and such helpful advice! Thank you. I'll have a fiddle around and see if I can get even more fun from this great amp, which certainly punches above its weight.
Awesome video. Thanks! I bought a Blues Junior Tweed like yours and I’m playing with a Gibson ES335. I’m finding it a bit shrill, but I’ve had the treble up quite high. I’ll try your suggested settings. It sounded great in your video with mini humbuckers.
Great review! You’ve obviously spent some time with this amp. It’s rare to find such extensive reviews, especially on EQ and how to change its character. Have you ever thought about doing a review on the Peavey Classic 30?
Thank you kindly, glad you enjoyed it! Actually the Classic 30 is one I've been wanting to get my hands on for a review, I used to play one years ago and its an amp I actually pretty regularly recommend for players looking for a Blues Jr alternative. That and the Delta Blues.
My BJ NOS (with the Jensen C12N has the billm mods and a TO20 output transformer. It has been put into a solid maple cabinet of the same size and I use a NOS 5751 tube in V1 and TAD STR for the power tubes. With the bigger OT and the tone-stack mod the bass is stronger and more solid. I like the Jensen C12N very much, also have it in another hand wired amp, which is a Fender 6G3 Brown Deluxe Clone. Compared to other guitar speakers the C12N is pretty full range. Some folks say, the speaker is too bright, I think it's not. First of all, that's what the tone-knobs on guitars are for. Most players are used to set everything on 10 and go into speakers that work with this setting. With a C12N you have much more possibilities if you are willing to use the EQ and/or tone-knobs on guitars and effects. And I've played this amp in a real jazz big band, too, soloing over horn-fills, no problem...
I think the Blues Junior sounds good but for my personal tastes I don’t jive with Fender amps. Had an early American made Pro Junior too but I found I prefer British amps. Marshall and Vox react differently to attack and I prefer the amp compress VS bark back. It’s all subjective stuff but British style amps suit my style better. Great video as always
A cool video if you are interested might be to demo the bad/ugly squawky sounds, then show how you rectify it by moving dropping the treble or reverb. A "here's what not to do vid." Just a thought.
I currently have three combo amps. They are 8 watts with a 12, a 12 watt with a 10, and the tweed blues jr. I sure wish I had these to use about 40 years ago when I was dragging a musicman 65 watt head and a 4x12 cabinet around to gigs. It would have been fun to open up the smaller amps.
..and if you're running bright pickups like Fender pure tone '59's this amp can be waaay too bright.. wind the tone back and you'll be grand and you'll have that crunchy brightness in reserve if you need it.
Hey Jack! I recently stumbled across your UA-cam Channel and I really dig it. Quick question pertaining to this Blues Jr. video. I took a screen shot of all of the various settings that you demonstrated and I couldn't quite tell when the Fat switch was engaged and when it was not. I know this is important based on the time you spent discussing the fat switch in the video and why you use it. That being said, would you mind sharing when and what various settings that you have the fat switch engaged in the video? Thanks and please keep up the great videos and content.
addressing the harsh Reverb and treble what you need to do is use the controls on your guitar you will find a happy balance immediately and be right where you want to be
Have a new special edition blues jr. Type iv dark embossed western tolex with the cannabis Rex speaker ( Sweetwater) and a new HotRod Deluxe special edition type iv ( guitar center ). Both have some great tones different from each other but can get them close in sound . I agree with you about them being great pedal platforms . I mostly use both very clean . Both look awesome by the way .
I use this a lot as long as I’m mic’d. I travel with 3 horns. Sometimes the band gets loud. I don’t like the reverb. I leave the fat switch on with the eq up all the way. I have no clue what kind a speaker or tubes it has but it really sounds good. Again - at times I need some head room so i like it to be mic’d. I guess a tube screamer would be good but I find it sounds good just turned up. It’s a good piece of equipment at a good price.
This is actually a great idea! Maybe do something like the Vox AC30S1 and make it like a one-channel Twin circuit with a 1x12 speaker (or a weird but small config like 2x8) with one 6L6 like the new Blues King from Supro. Do that, add an effects loop, attenuator, external speaker out, and of course spring reverb (and Surf Green tolex option), priced at $500-700, and the whole world would buy one! Surf's up!
Got a gig that i'm taking two Blues Jrs to this weekend, and my buddy is bringing his. So guess I'd better watch this... Ok my favorite of your tones was the "Texas Edge of Breakup"! Hey Jack, knowing you are familiar with changing out speakers for different tones, put a Greenback in a Blues Jr. It will make it happen. I have a stock BJ with a Greenback, and one I did the Billm mods and put a Cannabis Rex speaker. I prefer the latter. One of the interesting mods allows you to turn the sound all the way down by turning down the bass mid and treble tones, as you can with the deluxe, twin etc. The stock BJ has a mid knob that only goes down to about 4, i.e. it doesn't shut off.
Yes definitely - actually one of the popular Tweed amp mods among the pros is to put a British style Celestion speaker in there. I have a an Eminence Private Jack speaker kicking around I may put in, which is like a higher watt greenback. This Jensen is good quality, but a little bit strident in this amp for my taste.
@@JackFossett Have you played on any Blues Jrs that have had the basic Billm mods done inside? It adds about an octave to the low end response, and puts a sparkle in the high end. I play through a BJ I modified dry and use a stock BJ with the greenback for my delays and stuff. Didn't know that about the Private Jack. I may have to try it. One reason I haven't modified the other BJ is that the mods have increased the output wattage to about 28, which is too much for one Greenback.
@@JackFossett Amongst those modifying these BJ's is an urban legend that the BJ was originally designed to be a little more high end, and then Fender backed it off a bit so as not to compete with the higher end of that line of amps. That left it open to a number of simple mods which really open up the tone.
Thanks for the review 👍 I can tell I use my Laney 50w tube amp and best tone I get when I'm use 70% and my settings is bass 10 mid 9 and treble 7 reverb 5-7 And I'm play a 1955 stratocaster. And this settings drive out the SRV tone ! His key was push the amp and then add Tube screamer 808 or ts9. As I'm playd outdoor we needed to microphone it to PA. See Rory Gallagher he did use 2 AC30 he play it hard why he had so big tone. Best regards from Sweden Scandinavia 🇸🇪
Been playing this amp live on tour for 6 months now. Here is what I've found for the immaculate blues rock tone with humbuckers Fat off verb 5.5 Master 3 mid 3.5 bass 9 treb 5 vol 11
Hi Jack great review video... I have one of these amps... No mods whatsoever.. Just plug it in and play sound's great through my fender Mia strat, gibson les paul, fender mim telecaster and my prs custom 24... All sound extra cool, with a a bit of overdrive from my ts808 tube screamer too... Absolutely go to amp for all kinds of gendgre of music... Keep up the good work on your videos... Really appreciate them
Great review and demonstration, but I would like to point out that biasing only refers to power tubes (the two EL84) the other three are preamp tubes and a phase inverter.
Cool on the April Wine shout-out....great video... I have an early MIM tweed...sometime I just think the weather affects its tone...very informative presentation.
What a mistake it was waiting for so long to get a good amp. Instead, I was focused on collecting cheap to middle of the road guitars. If anyone who reads this is hesitant to spend a lot of money on an amp because you want ANOTHER guitar...stop. Just spend the dough on an amp, not another guitar that you're going to play on a shit amp. This amp is so loud and sounds so good that I'm totally in love with all my guitars again! The joy of knowing my neighbors two houses down can hear me makes me smile:) Just do it! The ID plate on the back reads "Type PR 295" and I think that's the generation identification since they've been called "Blues Junior" for years throughout many changes....but I'm not sure. BUY A GOOD AMP!!
Still have one together with a RI 68 Vibrolux love them both. Never had any issue with them. Playing my Gretsch 6120 through the Blues Junior sounds spectaculair.
Very nice. As my back went out a few years ago I'm thinking of changing my Blues Deluxe for a Blues Junior. What do you guys think about this? Will I miss the Deluxe or is it worth it?
I just discovered your channel this evening and I've been binge watching! Really great stuff Jack. I wanted to say that I am both a Fender and a Vox fanatic having owned two ac15 handwired and two ac30 and wired amps and too many Fender amps to list going back to a 4 input Tweed Deluxe, 1965 black face Pro Reverb, 1961 blonde Oxblood Showman, etc! I wanted to mention that my Blues Junior 3 while I really liked it I found it lacking. I'm lucky enough to live here in Seattle and I'm friends with John Frommel who your viewers will know from the mods that he does to most any Fender amp, to his beautiful handwired amps that he does himself to the wonderful effect pedals that he makes. Anyway I took my Blues Junior to John and he worked on the tone stack, refined the gain structure and the Reverb as well as adding a tube driven tremolo circuit! The difference between the before and after couldn't be more stunning! My Blues Jr now eats Deluxe reverbs for lunch! The last thing I did to my Blues Junior was I took a 12-in ceramic magnet speaker out of a Tone King Imperial Mk 1 and that along with mods just took it next level! So if you have a Blues Jr or Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe any of those type amps I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to have John work his magic because the amp that you get back is going to blow you away! And it's not all that expensive really, I think the full on kit for a Blues Jr is maybe 100 or 125 and then whatever his bench time is. So for what you're getting it's a decent investment that's not going to break the bank. Anyway I just wanted to add my two cents worth to the comments here and wanted to thank you Jack for all you do! The depth of your knowledge is just amazing and helps those of us who are out shopping for gear make that important informed decision!
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Traducelo en español!!!!!🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
In my opinion part of what helps the Blues Jr. fight about it's weight-class are the better than average Output Transformer.
These are great little amps, they respond to modifications well and although not a Low Power Tweed Twin that can give that feel.
The fact they have reverb it a big plus, sadly the reverb on this amp is not tube driven.
HK Guitar ya know the reverb is honestly the big detractor from this amp. It sounds much better with it turned off.
Jack Fossett I totally agree with you.
If this were any brand other than Fender the reverb would be acceptable, being a Fender though one would hope they would have used a tube driver. Myself, I've found no single amp is acceptable. It won't be long I'll have as many different amplifiers as I do guitars.
Great video Jack, thank you.
I've been playing since the 80's and believe it or not, this is my first proper amp. Believe me when I saw this is my LAST proper amp. I am in blues heaven with this thing... it's absolutely awesome.
Possibly one of the best reviews of any piece of gear I've ever heard. Everything was explained in layman's terms and everything made sense and your opinions came off unbiased. You didn't sound like an annoying fanboy. I feel so much more comfortable considering purchasing this amp. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You are the only one on UA-cam who can really explain this amp properly. I searched a lot 1 year ago to help my buying decision. Glad I bought it and now you tell me how to use it xD
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
Had one of this... sold it and bought a reverb deluxe '65. Sold the deluxe and I'm back with this blues junior. Says enough...right?
Where do you play mostly? What type of venues or rehearsing places?
I did the same thing
Well, I had one also, stayed one day only at home, got it back to the store, sounded to boxy for me. But I was thinking to get to it again and change the speaker for a greenback because I heard lots of great things. Should I get a 68 custom, Princeton 65 or 68 or a Blues Junior? :D
I used to have a 57 Tweed Deluxe and a Blues Jr and they were not even comparable
For lower volumes the Blues was perhaps more usable, but with an attenuator the Deluxe was still way richer and fatter. No contest.
@@javiceres well, talk about some price difference...
I had one of these years ago, sold it for a blues deluxe, then went through all types of amps, marshals, divided by 13, Friedman, Peavey classics, blackstars, Vox... and I just bought another tweed blues jr today.... blown away by the sound of this amp, I absolutely love it!
Nice!
I have bought mine 3 years ago and I must say it does the work extremely well, the only issue is that the best tones are delivered when you crank up the master and for my small house that’s way too much power 😂
I'm 70 years old and love my tube amps. Recently I have been playing through a 3 year old Marshall MG50CFX solid state guitar combo amp with a built in 12" speaker, or using it's 8 ohm speaker jack out connected to a 212 or a 410 cab. I am finding I can get any tone I want, clean, crunch, overdrive, distorted overdrive. I can't believe it, but it's true, it's a great all around amp. I play every day, all day long so I have the time to experiment with the EQ.
Nice! I heard in a Marshall Amp Presentation once that Joe Walsh uses the MG series for fun because he just likes how they sound. Not sure if there's any truth to that but I like the story.
I just got my first Blues Junior today in a swap from an American friend. We were in Amsterdam and I just moved to Boston, so I gave him my Fender Bassbreaker and he had his Blues Junior sent to my place. Holy crap I'm blown away! I owe the man many a drink because this amp is leagues above the Bassbreaker imo. Taking a fair bit of the mids out and pushing it with a Boss SD-1 gets me the best overdriven tone I've ever heard myself play.
i just purchased a 2011 Blues Jr III. Love it. I also own a 96 Blues Deluxe and wonder if I really need it for giging blues in dive bars... I like lower beefy clean tones for my blues, for which I use a Gibson ES-335
Great playing. Just bought this amp. If you are in doubt, dont be. Its sound comes straight out of Heaven's gates. Beautiful cleans with quite a bit of headroom for jazz or whatever. And great drive further up. Good tone at living room volumes. Its a keeper, and for me instantly better than the IV from a side by side comparison, especially the reverb. Go now and buy it.
no issues with power tubes blowing out easily?ive heard that of this amp.
@@mattmanley7118 Well no issue so far.
Oliver Branch ‘good tone at living room volume’ gotta show my lady that line! Brill
Bought one off a friend over a decade ago for $100. The reverb never worked but didn’t care cause it was such a deal. I Just replaced the original tubes for the first time and got a new reverb tank and it sounds killer, it’s still the same little amp but that reverb added a new dimension, and maybe it’s a placebo effect but with the new tubes it just sounds fantastic. Def inspired me to sit down and mess with it like it was a brand new piece of gear
Just bought one today (version III). I appreciate the info and MUCH more instructive than some of the "names" who have attitudes and not a lot of useful information.
Greg T glad to be of service!
Thanks for watching! Please remember to subscribe, and if you like the channel and want to give some extra support, would love for you to download some songs! jackfossett.bandcamp.com
I really appreciate your explanation of the EQ settings. I’ve always struggled to set my amps up with a good tone and this is a great explanation.
Great to hear!
Love the tones you achieved with the blues Junior. I have the red tolex w/ the green back speaker. I’m definitely going to apply what I learned from you to my B.J. Your les paul sound awesome.
Just bought a BJ IV. Compared to the amp I've been playing I am absolutely in love
Have had a Blue Jr III for several years and had no idea the "different" tones it had in it until this video...THANK YOU!
ibrew alot glad it was helpful!
Just bought the tweed blues Jr, and out of the box sounds great. Tubes really bring out the distortion on this little amp if that's what you're looking for.
Great video with some outstanding tips. This is my first valve amp, so I took quite a while choosing, I believe mine is a pre-III MIM NOS. I love the way this amp sounds with my 79 The Paul. I made some adjustments based on your suggestions and I could not believe it, but it even sounds better. Thank you so much. Enjoyed the album. My grandfather was huge cowboy/western guitar music fan, Thomas Point really had me thinking of him.....that was very cool...another thank you. This amp is so perfect. At home or practice, I could not even begin to get the levels up to a nice level for saturation and near the clip if the wattage was ANY higher and yet mic'd, I screams that creamy tone with little effort (I tend to use the fat switch will just cut through a mix to give a solo a nice pop) I hate to use a lot of pedals (though they are unavoidable when doing covers). I do use a Blues Driver for heavier distortion, but there is nothing else you need with this beauty (and yet it IS very pedal friendly). The tone....ah, the tone.
Where do you keep your volume on the guitar?
Thanks for the thoughtful response and listening to the music! I really appreciate that ~ I mostly keep the volume relatively high on the guitar, either wide open or backed off to no less than 7 or so. I find that less and I lose too much of the signal. I do frequently record with the volume at 9 or so just to tame a small amount of the brashness.
I had to break down and buy one of these about 5 years ago. It’s my go to amp. My Les Paul and Tele sound amazing through this little guy!!
Just got a FBJ Tweed this morning and I’m already in love! I already have a Tube Screamer and I have a Tokai Love Rock and Gretsch Streamliner. This is the most informative video I’ve seen on this subject so far. Thankyou!! 👍
Great to hear! Sounds like a killer rig, I love Gretsch guitars
Best video I've found about the Blues jr. I'm convinced now.
John Collier thank you!
This video changed how I play my amp that I've had for years, I was always shy with the bass from my Marshall style amp, and hit the mids and highs too hard, thanks!
Awesome! Glad it’s been useful
@@JackFossett Just replaced my 12AX7's with 12AYZ's and really like the sound. Did you change all 3 pre amp tubes out for 12AYZ?
@@ErikWagler awesome! No I just changed V1 for it.
One more thing: My BJ is US-built. The treble pot starts being effective at 7 - since the day I bought it. And when I bought it (in Istanbul) it was new, right off the package.
thank you for this precious video, I have thought for several days comparing Marshall dsl series and origin series, now I know what I want is actually this, just couldn't believe a fender amp can match with a Les paul so perfectly.
Glad it was helpful!
I own one of these and love it. Takes pedals well.
Thanks Jack. Have the same amp. That is about 5 or 6 years old. Played in a Classic rock band with this amp for 4 to 5 years. My band finally broke up in 2020 but lately I've been taking it to Jams. And I just ordered another set of tubes yesterday because it doesn't want to be set at the edge of breakup anymore and it has started to get a little harsh last week. Thanks for the eq tips. I didn't know that the reverb could make it brighter. I do run my master at about 9 though. I noticed yours was way lower. Looked like your master and volume were about 2 to 3.
I put new tubes in my bassbreaker 15. Wow, a way better sound. Nice headroom.
It’s a great blues amp, and an even better Midwest emo and indie rock one.
Thanks for the video. I have a new Blues Jr IV in Black and I appreciate your demo of what it can do. I’m new to guitar (again after a 30 year lapse) and I appreciate the reference points you gave for where the different settings are for different tones. It gives me a starting point for experimentation. And I appreciate you giving your opinion.
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
Tried the Clapton setting and it worked beautifully. Got rid of the disturbing, jangly vibration of playing an open D chord.
Awesome, glad to hear it!
The Les Paul sounded just gorgeous with that amp!
It works really well with the minihums I found!
Have one, the biggest improvement is tone and it was game changing was running it thru a 2x 12 extension cab. The b/t/m you will need to adjust per YOUR guitar and sound you are looking for, I really don't know why anyone makes suggestions for these three. The volume on my set up is between 3 and 5, that sets the basic drive sound then my master volume is between 3 and 4. With this set up I roll guitar volume back just enough to clean up the sound, for more grit I open guitar volume up all the way and for lead I step on a BOSS OD 1X. Very versatile and ballsy. My guitar is a Tele with a slash HB in neck and PRE B-1 in bridge.
That Gibson sounds so good on that amp
Just got one of this amps in a trade today. Played with it for a little and liked it a lot. Will give more time within the next days.
A Fender guitar in a Fender amp is a match made in heaven !! And a les paul as well !
Jensen speakers are the best. Tweed Jr has Jensen where as the Black Jr has a Eminence Speaker.
@@wileykyles3066 Yes with Jensen speakers indeed !
This is my holy grail of amps, it seems like the tones i get are anywhere from, CCR to SRV, even some Hendrix tones, crazy good cleans like Clapton too, it seems like even some hair metal tones, can push it in my bedroom, and is early as loud as my marshal 150, or any other head I have encountered, and that's on 4, those other amps are up there past 7
I have two BJ tweeds a Mex and USA. I will sometimes run them both in stereo, which is really cool and big sounding. The two amps separately sound a bit difficult maybe bc of circuitry and tubes or just age. But I like the versatility...and if one goes into the shop I can always easily get by with the other. And all for le$$ than a Deluxe Reverb...
So great to see a review that doesn’t sound like a sales pitch. Great job.
bmcpsd31 thanks! We aim to please here at Jack Fossett & Friends
I leave the Fat switch ON all the time. I own the tweed with a Jensen speaker, it gets very bright. I roll down the highs.
I have been looking at videos for this amp for awhile now, hoping for one exactly like this one! Your video is by far the most informative and in depth coverage on the FBJ that I have seen and I’ve seen my fair share! I bought my FBJ in 2006 it has the lacquered tweed cover, Jensen reissue made in Italy C12N speaker, cream board, “NOS”(new, old stock), made in Mexico with the “Limited Edition” Chrome plaque on the back much like yours and I run the Ibanez mini tube screamer. Thank you so much just wish I seen this video sooner👍🎸🇨🇦
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, you really can find out the soul of this small amp!
This is my main home amp. I’ve had a few iterations over the years. They definitely are some of the hardest amps to EQ I’ve ever come across.
My main problem with the high bass setting described here is the amp buzzes and rattles like hell when the bass is pushed above 5. It’s happened with all my blues juniors and I typically don’t even push them that hard volume wise. These are pretty cheap construction but they sound ok and serve as a pretty good pedal platform. I would tell someone to look at the nicer low wattage amps as soon as you can afford one though.
Interesting, I've owned several and never had bass rattle problems. I have had problems doing the master volume trick (turning the master volume all the way up and then just using the volume) as it gets super noisy. But I agree, getting a nicer lower watt amp is the best thing to do.
Brandon B Could you give some specific examples of the “nicer low wattage amps”? I have a BJR and I would be interested in upgrading if possible.
your speaker/baffle screws may be loose
Great vid. Have the same amp and didn’t like it untilI figured out to turn the treble down. I actually turn the mids right down too (using Tele). Love your content, playing and helpful information. Thanks
Glad to be of service! I agree - the mids are equally shrill and also boxy on this amp
Nice amp , sounds great with that beautiful Strat . The Ts9 made it sound to trebly, that’s why I recently sold that pedal.
Excellent demo! I'm totally motivated to get mine out and revive it. It's been under utilized and unappreciated.
Scot Clark thank you!
YOUR SHARING OF INFORMATION IS AWESOME TRIED YOUR SETTINGS AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE I HAVE 2 BJR’s 1 TWEED & 1 ORIGINAL I LOVE THE TWEED 3 I RUN IT WITH A MLDEVILLE & A TWIN AWSOME INFO LOVE YOUR TONES AND PLAYING 👍🔥🎸🦅
Hey, thanks! So glad to get some feedback. Nice to know I'm not leading anyone astray ;-)
@RyanORourkelol MY EYE SIGHT IS WHY I USE LG CAPS SORRY NANCY U REPLY AGAIN WITH YOUR WIMP ASS COMMENT MY REPLY WILL B MORE IRISH
This was the most thorough and helpful review/tips I ve seen. Thank you!
Awesome, glad you enjoyed it!
Recently got my Blues Jr Tweed NOS with the Jensen speaker in it. I absolutely LOVE this amp! My first tube amp. Really appreciate this review, as it shows me how to get different tones from one amp like this. I have an American Strat and Epi Les Paul 60's Standard (2020). I can't get the crunch from the amp for the LP, but this amp gets just hot enough to make it sound really nice and thick. Next month I'm hoping to have enough for a Ts9 Tube Screamer. Your demo of it was amazing. Can't wait to put mine to work! Great review!
Very helpful thanks ... I cannot lie, I took up guitar during the lockdown (I am a drummer in real life! 😊) As there are no holidays for the foreseeable I thought I’d buy good from the outset and bought the clapton strat and this amp. I am hugely in love with both, but honestly have little idea what I’m doing yet ... this has saved me a lot of time and created a great foundation to start. So big thanks you from London 😊
Glad it helped! Great to put lockdown time to good use for everyone who can. Ironically, I've been picking up the drums more over the lockdown as well - my daughter is learning to play so I'm learning with her to help.
Jack Fossett 3 months ago I would have said without any doubt “God’s chosen instrument ..” Now, I’m not so sure! 😂 - Thanks for your help and best wishes to your daughter in her endeavours 🥁
I am really enjoy watching your videos. I subscribed today. Keep up the good work. Best wishes.
Jack, I just tried tuning the amp according to what you set it to in the video. I'm a beginner guitarist, so I had no idea what I was doing. Oh my god it sounds so much better now.
I had the treble and reverb cranked really high and it just sounded awful, but I thought nothing of it and just kept playing. This is so much better, thanks for your pleasant tips, hope all is well with you!
Nice video and explanation of settings. I have a Princeton Reverb-Amp (68 reissue) and just ordered the Blues Junior IV tweed from Sweetwater (with the Eminence Red White & Blues 12” speaker). Will revisit this video when the amp arrives. Thanks for the useful video. 🌞
Just bought a new one for my Gibson Les Paul Standard 50’s they sound killer together
Have the "same" guitar and bought this amp today! Plenty of fuckin awesomeness for what I'm doin....totally dig it!✌
Definitely the best video I've seen on this amp...good job!
Kelster Von Shredster thanks!
Brilliant review and such helpful advice! Thank you. I'll have a fiddle around and see if I can get even more fun from this great amp, which certainly punches above its weight.
Awesome video. Thanks! I bought a Blues Junior Tweed like yours and I’m playing with a Gibson ES335. I’m finding it a bit shrill, but I’ve had the treble up quite high. I’ll try your suggested settings. It sounded great in your video with mini humbuckers.
Dan McMahon awesome! Hope it helps - shrill is a good word to describe it
I have the Western Toolex Model. Love my Blues Jr.
Daniel Hartman nice - they’ve made some awesome limited edition models of this amp
Awesome breakdown, I just got a vintage tweed and I'm super stoked to try it out this weekend.
Awesome!
Great review! You’ve obviously spent some time with this amp. It’s rare to find such extensive reviews, especially on EQ and how to change its character. Have you ever thought about doing a review on the Peavey Classic 30?
Thank you kindly, glad you enjoyed it! Actually the Classic 30 is one I've been wanting to get my hands on for a review, I used to play one years ago and its an amp I actually pretty regularly recommend for players looking for a Blues Jr alternative. That and the Delta Blues.
WOW, I was amazes at how good it sounded with the Gibson deluxe LP...really a great match!!
Very impressive tones and playing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you kindly!
Great breakdown of this amp, i was thinking of getting one. My mind is made up now. Great playing too by the way. Liked and subbed.
Thank you! Glad the video was helpful
I have a tweed Blues jr. 2011 looking forward to trying out your tips! Thanks
My BJ NOS (with the Jensen C12N has the billm mods and a TO20 output transformer. It has been put into a solid maple cabinet of the same size and I use a NOS 5751 tube in V1 and TAD STR for the power tubes. With the bigger OT and the tone-stack mod the bass is stronger and more solid. I like the Jensen C12N very much, also have it in another hand wired amp, which is a Fender 6G3 Brown Deluxe Clone. Compared to other guitar speakers the C12N is pretty full range. Some folks say, the speaker is too bright, I think it's not. First of all, that's what the tone-knobs on guitars are for. Most players are used to set everything on 10 and go into speakers that work with this setting. With a C12N you have much more possibilities if you are willing to use the EQ and/or tone-knobs on guitars and effects.
And I've played this amp in a real jazz big band, too, soloing over horn-fills, no problem...
I think the Blues Junior sounds good but for my personal tastes I don’t jive with Fender amps. Had an early American made Pro Junior too but I found I prefer British amps. Marshall and Vox react differently to attack and I prefer the amp compress VS bark back. It’s all subjective stuff but British style amps suit my style better. Great video as always
A cool video if you are interested might be to demo the bad/ugly squawky sounds, then show how you rectify it by moving dropping the treble or reverb. A "here's what not to do vid." Just a thought.
I currently have three combo amps. They are 8 watts with a 12, a 12 watt with a 10, and the tweed blues jr. I sure wish I had these to use about 40 years ago when I was dragging a musicman 65 watt head and a 4x12 cabinet around to gigs. It would have been fun to open up the smaller amps.
..and if you're running bright pickups like Fender pure tone '59's this amp can be waaay too bright.. wind the tone back and you'll be grand and you'll have that crunchy brightness in reserve if you need it.
Don’t stop Jack your reviews are great, very helpful
Thank you!
This amp is seriously underrated.
Thanks for taking the time Jack another great review.
Great demo and awesome playing Jack! Thanks for putting this together.
Thank you, my pleasure!
Thanks Jack for all this great info. I just started playing and this is the amp I bought. I have been looking for a video like yours.
Hey Jack! I recently stumbled across your UA-cam Channel and I really dig it. Quick question pertaining to this Blues Jr. video. I took a screen shot of all of the various settings that you demonstrated and I couldn't quite tell when the Fat switch was engaged and when it was not. I know this is important based on the time you spent discussing the fat switch in the video and why you use it. That being said, would you mind sharing when and what various settings that you have the fat switch engaged in the video? Thanks and please keep up the great videos and content.
addressing the harsh Reverb and treble what you need to do is use the controls on your guitar you will find a happy balance immediately and be right where you want to be
Have a new special edition blues jr. Type iv dark embossed western tolex with the cannabis Rex speaker ( Sweetwater) and a new HotRod Deluxe special edition type iv ( guitar center ). Both have some great tones different from each other but can get them close in sound . I agree with you about them being great pedal platforms . I mostly use both very clean .
Both look awesome by the way .
I use this a lot as long as I’m mic’d.
I travel with 3 horns. Sometimes the band gets loud.
I don’t like the reverb. I leave the fat switch on with the eq up all the way.
I have no clue what kind a speaker or tubes it has but it really sounds good.
Again - at times I need some head room so i like it to be mic’d.
I guess a tube screamer would be good but I find it sounds good just turned up.
It’s a good piece of equipment at a good price.
Fender should make an amp called the Surf Jr. 😎
Scotch On the Rock I would buy that amp
YES! With a tube or JFET driven spring reverb for that serious surf drip. I'd even take the Tre-Verb built in instead.
This is actually a great idea! Maybe do something like the Vox AC30S1 and make it like a one-channel Twin circuit with a 1x12 speaker (or a weird but small config like 2x8) with one 6L6 like the new Blues King from Supro. Do that, add an effects loop, attenuator, external speaker out, and of course spring reverb (and Surf Green tolex option), priced at $500-700, and the whole world would buy one! Surf's up!
Nice logo Scotch.
They did. It’s called the fender Showman amp. Dick dale basically help create it with Leo back in the day.
I just ordered a new IV & I'm waiting for it to arrive. Ty for your info though. Def a big help
Thanks Jack for all your tips I bought the tweed and ran my ovation through a Boss eQ peddle and it sounds amazing thanks again
Allen Sale sure thing, glad it went well! Also glad I didn’t lead you astray 😂
Got a gig that i'm taking two Blues Jrs to this weekend, and my buddy is bringing his. So guess I'd better watch this... Ok my favorite of your tones was the "Texas Edge of Breakup"! Hey Jack, knowing you are familiar with changing out speakers for different tones, put a Greenback in a Blues Jr. It will make it happen. I have a stock BJ with a Greenback, and one I did the Billm mods and put a Cannabis Rex speaker. I prefer the latter. One of the interesting mods allows you to turn the sound all the way down by turning down the bass mid and treble tones, as you can with the deluxe, twin etc. The stock BJ has a mid knob that only goes down to about 4, i.e. it doesn't shut off.
John S hope I don’t lead you astray 😬
Yes definitely - actually one of the popular Tweed amp mods among the pros is to put a British style Celestion speaker in there. I have a an Eminence Private Jack speaker kicking around I may put in, which is like a higher watt greenback. This Jensen is good quality, but a little bit strident in this amp for my taste.
@@JackFossett Have you played on any Blues Jrs that have had the basic Billm mods done inside? It adds about an octave to the low end response, and puts a sparkle in the high end. I play through a BJ I modified dry and use a stock BJ with the greenback for my delays and stuff. Didn't know that about the Private Jack. I may have to try it. One reason I haven't modified the other BJ is that the mods have increased the output wattage to about 28, which is too much for one Greenback.
Oh thats interesting. I've never played a modded one actually, just several of the different circuits. But I like the concept of how that sounds.
@@JackFossett Amongst those modifying these BJ's is an urban legend that the BJ was originally designed to be a little more high end, and then Fender backed it off a bit so as not to compete with the higher end of that line of amps. That left it open to a number of simple mods which really open up the tone.
Thanks for the review 👍
I can tell I use my Laney 50w tube amp and best tone I get when I'm use 70% and my settings is bass 10 mid 9 and treble 7 reverb 5-7
And I'm play a 1955 stratocaster. And this settings drive out the SRV tone ! His key was push the amp and then add Tube screamer 808 or ts9. As I'm playd outdoor we needed to microphone it to PA.
See Rory Gallagher he did use 2 AC30 he play it hard why he had so big tone. Best regards from Sweden Scandinavia 🇸🇪
Been playing this amp live on tour for 6 months now. Here is what I've found for the immaculate blues rock tone with humbuckers
Fat off
verb 5.5
Master 3
mid 3.5
bass 9
treb 5
vol 11
Wow... pristine clean was sooo tasty!
Thanks for taking the time to share the knowledge.
Elk Lake Radio sure thing!
Hi Jack great review video... I have one of these amps... No mods whatsoever.. Just plug it in and play sound's great through my fender Mia strat, gibson les paul, fender mim telecaster and my prs custom 24... All sound extra cool, with a a bit of overdrive from my ts808 tube screamer too... Absolutely go to amp for all kinds of gendgre of music... Keep up the good work on your videos... Really appreciate them
Great review and demonstration, but I would like to point out that biasing only refers to power tubes (the two EL84) the other three are preamp tubes and a phase inverter.
Cool on the April Wine shout-out....great video... I have an early MIM tweed...sometime I just think the weather affects its tone...very informative presentation.
What a mistake it was waiting for so long to get a good amp. Instead, I was focused on collecting cheap to middle of the road guitars. If anyone who reads this is hesitant to spend a lot of money on an amp because you want ANOTHER guitar...stop. Just spend the dough on an amp, not another guitar that you're going to play on a shit amp. This amp is so loud and sounds so good that I'm totally in love with all my guitars again! The joy of knowing my neighbors two houses down can hear me makes me smile:) Just do it!
The ID plate on the back reads "Type PR 295" and I think that's the generation identification since they've been called "Blues Junior" for years throughout many changes....but I'm not sure. BUY A GOOD AMP!!
Outstanding review! Has helped me decide to buy one. Tyvm
Jack you're awesome bro! I was thinking about buying this amp...now I'm convinced it's just what I'm looking for.
Awesome, thank you! Glad it was helpful
I found the reverb can be higher and tamed by using volume high and the master lower to suit room size!
Still have one together with a RI 68 Vibrolux love them both. Never had any issue with them. Playing my Gretsch 6120 through the Blues Junior sounds spectaculair.
Very nice. As my back went out a few years ago I'm thinking of changing my Blues Deluxe for a Blues Junior. What do you guys think about this? Will I miss the Deluxe or is it worth it?
Excellent! This is the best amp demo video I've ever seen. Thanks so much!
Glad you liked it!
Liked & subbed! Got the same tweed NOS and this has given me some great ideas for new sounds! Nice work Jack 👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, appreciate the sub ~
i suspect this sweet beautiful sound mostly come out from your hands!
Great review man! Incredibly detailed and personal, just the info that I wanted to know about the amp.
de1vos thank you, glad it was helpful!
Excellent job, I have a Blues Junior and definitely picked up some very cool pointers here, thanks!
glassslide awesome, glad it was helpful!
I just discovered your channel this evening and I've been binge watching! Really great stuff Jack.
I wanted to say that I am both a Fender and a Vox fanatic having owned two ac15 handwired and two ac30 and wired amps and too many Fender amps to list going back to a 4 input Tweed Deluxe, 1965 black face Pro Reverb, 1961 blonde Oxblood Showman, etc!
I wanted to mention that my Blues Junior 3 while I really liked it I found it lacking. I'm lucky enough to live here in Seattle and I'm friends with John Frommel who your viewers will know from the mods that he does to most any Fender amp, to his beautiful handwired amps that he does himself to the wonderful effect pedals that he makes.
Anyway I took my Blues Junior to John and he worked on the tone stack, refined the gain structure and the Reverb as well as adding a tube driven tremolo circuit!
The difference between the before and after couldn't be more stunning! My Blues Jr now eats Deluxe reverbs for lunch! The last thing I did to my Blues Junior was I took a 12-in ceramic magnet speaker out of a Tone King Imperial Mk 1 and that along with mods just took it next level!
So if you have a Blues Jr or Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe any of those type amps I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to have John work his magic because the amp that you get back is going to blow you away!
And it's not all that expensive really, I think the full on kit for a Blues Jr is maybe 100 or 125 and then whatever his bench time is. So for what you're getting it's a decent investment that's not going to break the bank.
Anyway I just wanted to add my two cents worth to the comments here and wanted to thank you Jack for all you do! The depth of your knowledge is just amazing and helps those of us who are out shopping for gear make that important informed decision!