I’d love to see a series of videos regarding possible improvements for common amp models. For theses BJs, you remove the Bright cap, tighten nuts, and possibly change bias values. Stuff like that.
I’ve worked on far fewer Blues Juniors than you have, but the pattern failure I have observed most often is one failed power tube due to the phase inverter oscillation. I’ve seen people replacing he power tubes after a failure and then immediately toast half of the new pair. I agree with all the other items mentioned in your videos on these amps, especially the need to cool down the bias. Thanks!
Yes sir, I have a Blues JR. I dime lows and mids. I turn the highs off. I would like to send mine to you. It is working fine but, I would like to snip the bright cap. Do the parallel trick for tube bias and the parallel reverb trick you do. Can I just send the head or the whole cabinet.
I bought one , had to return it because the sound went in and out, sound was scratchy. Dealer replaced it with another new one, had the same problem. Traded it for a Vox
Great information! May be what needs to be done to mine??? I have a black one, and I love the idea of it, but to be honest, I've never really "warmed" to the tone. Seems harsh, boxy-thin, cold, and brittle...and about the least "Fender like" tone, of all my Fender amps! So, removing the bright cap, biasing less hot, may be a good option, or at least a good start? We'll see...
What are the odds that the owner of amp A thought they had a ground loop on the input jack and removed the hardware to isolate the jack from the chassis?
I was the disappointed owner of one of these as my first tube amp. The cost cutting design of the plastic input jacks and all pots soldered directly to the board seemed ridiculous at the 800$ they charge for a tweed one these days. A yanked cord or bumped knob and soldering is broken and repairs required. I play late 70s silver faces and one new clone now and they just go and go and go for not much more money.
Hi I'm looking for my first tube amp myself and have been looking at these for about a month or so and then I ran across this channel and saw all these coming into his shop ..I'm really not sure ..Did you end up keeping yours or get something else and would you recommend staying away from it ..I'm feeling like I should now at the $750.00 price with all the plastic and loose soldering.butvthat about my budget.I would really appreciate your feedback... Thanks in advance
Ditto here on one of my matched 6V6's after about two weeks of operating replacing them for the originals....BIAS was OK. I got a new set but this time TAD's and have not had any more problems. I think the ones I had were GT's.....same thing happened with the original pair (GT's).
What would you suggest to do to a brand new amp to help it last ? Looking to buy one a tube amp soon and between this and the Princeton reissue are my choices right now.
I noticed in one of your videos that you said you don’t reveal all of the mods you normally do. Do you possibly put together and sell a parts kit for it? Thanks for your time.
Hello, you mentioned that many players remove the bright cap (C3) and I'm tempted to do that, but I'd like to put it on a switch (like I did with the negative feedback), so I can choose different settings with different guitars. Do you think It would be worth or shoud I simply clip it? Thanks in advance!
@@patricktesta2913 Did you clip it Patrick? What do you think of it after? And do you play single coils pickups through it or humbuckers? Both? Thanks.
@@TheJurgisRud Hi! I did it and I'm happy with the result! I usually play single coils (Tele) on hte amp. I also have a Les Paul but I don't have much time to play and so I haven't tried it yet after I clipped the cap... BTW on my amp I had also done BillM style mods and I llike it very much!
I'm leery of long distance diagnoses with limited information. But I would pull the right most preamp tube and see if the problem goes away. Still there? Pull the next tube. Still there? Try different power tubes. Still there? Take it to a tech.
Like you, I don’t understand why the owner wouldn’t put the nut and washer back on immediately. Hell, I don’t even understand how you could even leave your amp dirty with all that dust…!
I heard some say that most amp manufacturers like to leave the bias hot because the volume impresses the customer on the stores showroom floor. Marketing department decision over the engineers??
I think it's more that the "designers" don't know how to read datasheets anymore. Fender biased the Blues Junior as if it were a cathode bias amp. Which it ain't.
Why did Fender use those crappy IC filter caps on all their amps from the 90s on? You would thing that everyone complaining about them they would change them. Had the same crappy IC caps in my 96 Fender HRD, but swapped them for F&Ts one of the best mods I have done to my HRD.
Funny, I took Lyle's advice and I'm using radial caps instead of axials. Good quality caps, and somewhat cheaper. 👌It doesn't matter either, when the IC caps come on the bench, they get replaced. The customers grumble until they watch the latest videos on u-tube. Also, a rebias treatment.
I use bothe axial on the 4 main filter caps and radials on the other 3 or 4 smaller IC caps. I know people complain about them untill they hear what a difference it makes. Also planning on replacing a few other caps and resistors to tame the drive on the HRD a bit.
Do you ever bother testing tubes or do you just sub in known good ones? I have never seen you test tubes in your videos. If you do test tubes, what tester do you like? I have owned about 30 different testers over the years and have a love/hate relationship with them. Currently use a Maximatcher for power tubes and a Sencore for everything else. I used to own an Amplitrex but sold it because the software is probably never getting updated.
I have one but rarely use it. Amps are good tube testers. In this video, Amp A hummed. I suspected the EL84s. Faster to swap known good ones than to test the old ones. Realistically, I charge $80/hour. Taking 15 minutes to test old Groove Tube EL84s costs more than a new pair of good 84s. Client sends a quad of old RCA 6L6s he bought? Then the tube tester can be justified.
Fender should go back to Cathodyne phase inverters on their tweeds would get them more into the 5e3 territory they don't sound right with long tail pair.
Why on earth would Fender keep using those crappy filter caps knowing that they fail more often than not? It would certainly make me wary of buying any of their amps, knowing that it's a wager from the start that these particular components are going to fail. I have ridded my home of all modern, inexpensive circuit-board based tube amps, because in general they are destined for failure.
This is the problem with these production tube amps, weak construction and poor component quality. The life of the amp suffers, some owner may not even recognize the degrading tone. So why not purchase a quality amp, maybe even point to point. Easier to repair and longer service life, not to mention far superior tone? And these new Fender Digital Tone Master amps?....2 year warranty, and then what? Who is gonna work on that?....nobody. Its a throw away world. And yes some super old "vintage" amps are a pain. A used Fargen, or Dr.Z or even some Mesa amps are a better value in the long haul. ua-cam.com/video/uoiDH-72Slk/v-deo.html
The first series of Juniors were made in America (Blues Jr. I)and are superior to all that follow. They stand up to con- ual use better and are not as bright as the non-American (II, III, and IV) versions. One chronic problem with Juniors is with their reverbs. A replacement tank is usually the fix. The tanks are inexpensive and easy to switch out. And, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE “FAT” SWITCH. It’s just a db boost-makes no difference in tone, only volume.
They hold up slightly better because they were made before the move to lead free solder. They aren't as bright because they have C9 present. Other than that, same amp, same issues.
I’ve had two, a I and a II. Still use the I but sold the II to buy something else (of course!) and that Junior I has been a workhorse for me. It’s not an elite amp but it’s not supposed to be. I think i paid $350 cash for it in 1996 and it is some of the best money I’ve ever spent on gear. With some tweaks and a couple of pedals-a tremolo for one, plus a Mojo Drive- it’s a surprisingly good sound. People always ask me about it. When they hear it’s only 15 watts, they can’t believe it. The mids help cut through a live mix really well. No complaints on that little fella. Enjoyed your vid; right on the money!
Dude that's the same type of amps. Of course those 2 will have similar problems. I'm starting to think I may know why you believe that all blues Jr's are the same. It's because you are looking at the ones that are similar. You have to be much more knowledgeable than this.
They are all the same. Four versions, no real circuit changes. Same flaws. Better on the bias, reverb less in your face. Still crappy caps, still plastic jacks, still unsupported pots. Same basic amp.
I have a 2001 “green board” Blues Jr. and it had all of the problems Lyle mentions plus a few more. I fixed the overly hot bias within a year of getting it after losing 2 output tube sets but gremlins kept popping up. I eventually gave up.
@@PsionicAudio not at all. All versions of the bj are mostly just the same amp & circuit & basic parts. I have no problem at all agreeing with you on that point, I am more than willing to concede that. You should be willing to concede that the new hot rod blues jr iv's with the black pc boards have been "hot rodded" by fender themselves. Yes it's still based on the original circuit. Yes they still use most of the same parts BUT they have done a lot of the modifications in house that a lot of people really like. You should actually take 1 of those reissues or originals & put it side by side with the new hot rod 4 blues jr iv with the black pc boards & then maybe you'll see finally what I am saying, but putting 2 reissues side by side will not show u the difference. Even if you use a new v4 reissue beside another 1,2, or 3 you will only see the same things. You have to take a "hot rod blues jr4" against the regular 1,2,3,4 versions. That's the only way you are going to see what I am talking about.
When a "hot rod IV" comes in I'll note any differences. The IVs I've had in have had the same problems the first three did. Lelon caps that leak instead of IC caps. But dude. Saying I need to be "a lot more knowledgeable" is just rude. And ridiculous. While I try to learn new things everyday, none of the gaps in my knowledge have anything to do with a freaking Blues Junior.
@@MAP448 but, it's still the same amp. None of these amps are "reissues". They have been in continuous production since the early 90's using the same circuit with minor component value revisions.
Fun fact: Amp B was a character on the old Andy Griffith Show
I’d love to see a series of videos regarding possible improvements for common amp models. For theses BJs, you remove the Bright cap, tighten nuts, and possibly change bias values. Stuff like that.
I'm loving this content. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos!
You give some of the most gracious and interesting presentations.
Thank you.
I’ve worked on far fewer Blues Juniors than you have, but the pattern failure I have observed most often is one failed power tube due to the phase inverter oscillation. I’ve seen people replacing he power tubes after a failure and then immediately toast half of the new pair. I agree with all the other items mentioned in your videos on these amps, especially the need to cool down the bias. Thanks!
Excellent and informative video sir!
Yes sir, I have a Blues JR. I dime lows and mids. I turn the highs off. I would like to send mine to you. It is working fine but, I would like to snip the bright cap. Do the parallel trick for tube bias and the parallel reverb trick you do. Can I just send the head or the whole cabinet.
Have you noticed any major differences between the USA made Juniors and the MIM ones? Is there any advantage to either?
Hey friend I would love a video or some education on the blues jr's with the black pcb. Fender won't release the schematic
Since I am an experienced tech, maybe I should get one Blues Junior to practice on.
Nice Shining intro
I bought one , had to return it because the sound went in and out, sound was scratchy. Dealer replaced it with another new one, had the same problem. Traded it for a Vox
Great information! May be what needs to be done to mine??? I have a black one, and I love the idea of it, but to be honest, I've never really "warmed" to the tone. Seems harsh, boxy-thin, cold, and brittle...and about the least "Fender like" tone, of all my Fender amps! So, removing the bright cap, biasing less hot, may be a good option, or at least a good start? We'll see...
A speaker upgrade does wonders.
What are the odds that the owner of amp A thought they had a ground loop on the input jack and removed the hardware to isolate the jack from the chassis?
I was the disappointed owner of one of these as my first tube amp. The cost cutting design of the plastic input jacks and all pots soldered directly to the board seemed ridiculous at the 800$ they charge for a tweed one these days. A yanked cord or bumped knob and soldering is broken and repairs required. I play late 70s silver faces and one new clone now and they just go and go and go for not much more money.
Hi I'm looking for my first tube amp myself and have been looking at these for about a month or so and then I ran across this channel and saw all these coming into his shop ..I'm really not sure ..Did you end up keeping yours or get something else and would you recommend staying away from it ..I'm feeling like I should now at the $750.00 price with all the plastic and loose soldering.butvthat about my budget.I would really appreciate your feedback... Thanks in advance
I had a tube turn white from a vacuum leak, crack in the base. I rarely have tubes fail. This is interesting.
Ditto here on one of my matched 6V6's after about two weeks of operating replacing them for the originals....BIAS was OK. I got a new set but this time TAD's and have not had any more problems. I think the ones I had were GT's.....same thing happened with the original pair (GT's).
Bonamassa claims the tweed twin is the greatest amp ever made. Thoughts?
What would you suggest to do to a brand new amp to help it last ? Looking to buy one a tube amp soon and between this and the Princeton reissue are my choices right now.
The Princeton is the much better amp. Look at my Fender Reissues playlist for ways to make the PRRI more reliable.
I noticed in one of your videos that you said you don’t reveal all of the mods you normally do. Do you possibly put together and sell a parts kit for it? Thanks for your time.
lol was that your voice with the "come and play with us Danny" in the beginning? 🤣
Yup! Gotta have fun with all this gear sometimes.
Just curious if you would ever suggest adding a standby switch on these amps.
No.
You have a volume switch on the amp and your guitar.
Hello, you mentioned that many players remove the bright cap (C3) and I'm tempted to do that, but I'd like to put it on a switch (like I did with the negative feedback), so I can choose different settings with different guitars. Do you think It would be worth or shoud I simply clip it? Thanks in advance!
Not worth it in a Blues Jr IMo.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks very much for your quick reply! I'll simply clip it then! :)
@@patricktesta2913 Did you clip it Patrick? What do you think of it after? And do you play single coils pickups through it or humbuckers? Both? Thanks.
@@TheJurgisRud Hi! I did it and I'm happy with the result! I usually play single coils (Tele) on hte amp. I also have a Les Paul but I don't have much time to play and so I haven't tried it yet after I clipped the cap...
BTW on my amp I had also done BillM style mods and I llike it very much!
@@patricktesta2913 Thanks Patrick! I'm going to look into that BillM mod!
Has anyone ever had luck knocking out the reverb hum on the green-board Blues Jrs?
My blues jr makes a screeching output on power up, but works like normal. Always done this. What could cause this awful noise after I turn it on?
I'm leery of long distance diagnoses with limited information. But I would pull the right most preamp tube and see if the problem goes away. Still there? Pull the next tube. Still there? Try different power tubes. Still there? Take it to a tech.
@@PsionicAudio thank you so much. Great channel 👏
Lyle is the man! That is all.
Just a regular day at the office.
Like you, I don’t understand why the owner wouldn’t put the nut and washer back on immediately. Hell, I don’t even understand how you could even leave your amp dirty with all that dust…!
I heard some say that most amp manufacturers like to leave the bias hot because the volume impresses the customer on the stores showroom floor. Marketing department decision over the engineers??
I think it's more that the "designers" don't know how to read datasheets anymore. Fender biased the Blues Junior as if it were a cathode bias amp.
Which it ain't.
Why did Fender use those crappy IC filter caps on all their amps from the 90s on? You would thing that everyone complaining about them they would change them. Had the same crappy IC caps in my 96 Fender HRD, but swapped them for F&Ts one of the best mods I have done to my HRD.
To save money !
In my eyes it was worth it. Got the tone I have been chasing for a while now
@@jessehiatt9225 I agree, you're much better off with the F&T's. I was responding to your question as to why Fender uses the IC caps.
Funny, I took Lyle's advice and I'm using radial caps instead of axials. Good quality caps, and somewhat cheaper. 👌It doesn't matter either, when the IC caps come on the bench, they get replaced. The customers grumble until they watch the latest videos on u-tube. Also, a rebias treatment.
I use bothe axial on the 4 main filter caps and radials on the other 3 or 4 smaller IC caps. I know people complain about them untill they hear what a difference it makes. Also planning on replacing a few other caps and resistors to tame the drive on the HRD a bit.
Do you ever bother testing tubes or do you just sub in known good ones? I have never seen you test tubes in your videos. If you do test tubes, what tester do you like? I have owned about 30 different testers over the years and have a love/hate relationship with them. Currently use a Maximatcher for power tubes and a Sencore for everything else. I used to own an Amplitrex but sold it because the software is probably never getting updated.
I have one but rarely use it. Amps are good tube testers. In this video, Amp A hummed. I suspected the EL84s. Faster to swap known good ones than to test the old ones.
Realistically, I charge $80/hour. Taking 15 minutes to test old Groove Tube EL84s costs more than a new pair of good 84s.
Client sends a quad of old RCA 6L6s he bought? Then the tube tester can be justified.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I truly enjoy the content and expert level repair videos. Obviously a labor of love on your part.
That's something my dad taught me - the best tester is the circuit it's in.
What is your current favorite el84?
Tube Store Preferred Series 7189s.
Fender should go back to Cathodyne phase inverters on their tweeds would
get them more into the 5e3 territory they don't sound right with long tail pair.
the bj would be so much better if it used the triode not in use, why did they designed it like that? who knows...
Why on earth would Fender keep using those crappy filter caps knowing that they fail more often than not? It would certainly make me wary of buying any of their amps, knowing that it's a wager from the start that these particular components are going to fail. I have ridded my home of all modern, inexpensive circuit-board based tube amps, because in general they are destined for failure.
The caps made it past the warranty lol
This is the problem with these production tube amps, weak construction and poor component quality. The life of the amp suffers, some owner may not even recognize the degrading tone. So why not purchase a quality amp, maybe even point to point. Easier to repair and longer service life, not to mention far superior tone? And these new Fender Digital Tone Master amps?....2 year warranty, and then what? Who is gonna work on that?....nobody. Its a throw away world. And yes some super old "vintage" amps are a pain. A used Fargen, or Dr.Z or even some Mesa amps are a better value in the long haul.
ua-cam.com/video/uoiDH-72Slk/v-deo.html
The first series of Juniors were made in America (Blues Jr. I)and are superior to all that follow. They stand up to con-
ual use better and are not as bright as the non-American (II, III, and IV) versions. One chronic problem with Juniors
is with their reverbs. A replacement tank is usually the fix. The tanks are inexpensive and easy to switch out. And, DO
NOT BE FOOLED BY THE “FAT” SWITCH. It’s just a db boost-makes no difference in tone, only volume.
They hold up slightly better because they were made before the move to lead free solder. They aren't as bright because they have C9 present. Other than that, same amp, same issues.
I’ve had two, a I and a II. Still use the I but sold the II to buy something else (of course!) and that Junior I has been a workhorse for me. It’s not an elite amp but it’s not
supposed to be. I think i paid $350 cash for it in 1996 and it is some of the best money I’ve ever spent on gear. With some tweaks and a couple of pedals-a tremolo
for one, plus a Mojo Drive- it’s a surprisingly good sound. People always ask me about it. When they hear it’s only 15 watts, they can’t believe it. The mids help cut
through a live mix really well. No complaints on that little fella. Enjoyed your vid; right on the money!
Overpriced junk
Dude that's the same type of amps. Of course those 2 will have similar problems. I'm starting to think I may know why you believe that all blues Jr's are the same. It's because you are looking at the ones that are similar. You have to be much more knowledgeable than this.
They are all the same. Four versions, no real circuit changes. Same flaws. Better on the bias, reverb less in your face. Still crappy caps, still plastic jacks, still unsupported pots. Same basic amp.
I have a 2001 “green board” Blues Jr. and it had all of the problems Lyle mentions plus a few more. I fixed the overly hot bias within a year of getting it after losing 2 output tube sets but gremlins kept popping up. I eventually gave up.
@@PsionicAudio not at all. All versions of the bj are mostly just the same amp & circuit & basic parts. I have no problem at all agreeing with you on that point, I am more than willing to concede that. You should be willing to concede that the new hot rod blues jr iv's with the black pc boards have been "hot rodded" by fender themselves. Yes it's still based on the original circuit. Yes they still use most of the same parts BUT they have done a lot of the modifications in house that a lot of people really like. You should actually take 1 of those reissues or originals & put it side by side with the new hot rod 4 blues jr iv with the black pc boards & then maybe you'll see finally what I am saying, but putting 2 reissues side by side will not show u the difference. Even if you use a new v4 reissue beside another 1,2, or 3 you will only see the same things. You have to take a "hot rod blues jr4" against the regular 1,2,3,4 versions. That's the only way you are going to see what I am talking about.
When a "hot rod IV" comes in I'll note any differences. The IVs I've had in have had the same problems the first three did. Lelon caps that leak instead of IC caps.
But dude. Saying I need to be "a lot more knowledgeable" is just rude. And ridiculous. While I try to learn new things everyday, none of the gaps in my knowledge have anything to do with a freaking Blues Junior.
@@MAP448 but, it's still the same amp. None of these amps are "reissues". They have been in continuous production since the early 90's using the same circuit with minor component value revisions.