I'm gassing for my first guitar amp and soliciting opinions. I'm also looking at the '65 Deluxe Re-Issue
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Fender Blues Jr. -> Practice Amp or Real Deal ?
- Thread starter LowDown Hal
- Start date
definitely real deal. May I also suggest the Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville or the Blues Deluxe . . .
I use the Hot Rod Deluxe 40w 1x12 for EVERYTHING guitar. Sounds great - full, uber-bassy and sparkling highs. The overdrive on it is pretty nasty and dirty bluesy midrange bite, but for heavier rock and metal I use a pedal. Record 70/30 mix of mic/preamp out (before reverb and presence). Live - just crank a mic or let it ride in an intimate venue.
The specs are the same on the Blues Deluxe, and same price - right in between the blues junior and the '65 deluxe.
These amps are loud and awesome and syrupy and sweet.
I use the Hot Rod Deluxe 40w 1x12 for EVERYTHING guitar. Sounds great - full, uber-bassy and sparkling highs. The overdrive on it is pretty nasty and dirty bluesy midrange bite, but for heavier rock and metal I use a pedal. Record 70/30 mix of mic/preamp out (before reverb and presence). Live - just crank a mic or let it ride in an intimate venue.
The specs are the same on the Blues Deluxe, and same price - right in between the blues junior and the '65 deluxe.
These amps are loud and awesome and syrupy and sweet.
What are your plans for the amp? What kind of music are you looking to play?
As mentioned in your last thread about this- The amps you're talking about aren't really "bedroom" amps.
IMO, if you're looking for an amp that can be played with decent tone at a "bedroom" volume AND keep up with a drummer, you're at the least going to want something that has an adjustable master volume. An amp like the Jr and the Deluxe get their gain by turning up the volume and overdriving the output section. At lower volumes, you've got clean tone, as you turn up the volume, the power section starts to overdrive- that's where you get that sweet overdrive. To have an amp like that get that tone at a lower volume you either need to artificially generate that gain (ie a pedal), create overdrive in the preamp section or get an attenuator to drive the power section, but control the level going to the speaker.
As mentioned in your last thread about this- The amps you're talking about aren't really "bedroom" amps.
IMO, if you're looking for an amp that can be played with decent tone at a "bedroom" volume AND keep up with a drummer, you're at the least going to want something that has an adjustable master volume. An amp like the Jr and the Deluxe get their gain by turning up the volume and overdriving the output section. At lower volumes, you've got clean tone, as you turn up the volume, the power section starts to overdrive- that's where you get that sweet overdrive. To have an amp like that get that tone at a lower volume you either need to artificially generate that gain (ie a pedal), create overdrive in the preamp section or get an attenuator to drive the power section, but control the level going to the speaker.
Was playing a kinda small gig and one of the guys brought one to play through. We weren't playing Marshall stack loud, but it just wasn't enough to play with another guitar, bass and drums (without running it in the monitors.)
--> Golden Boy: If the amp has an FX loop, like the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, you can very eaily place a volume knob in that loop. I did that to mine, and now the amp sounds good also on bedroom levels. The parts cost me 17€, but the box was half of that... Much easier to do this than to install an internal master knob. I used a 500K log pot, which works wonderfully. The end result isn't perhaps the best looking, but it works perfectly at least. If I don't need the master, like on a gig, I just unplug it. 
Picture: http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk183/MangeMusic/DSCN1943.jpg
Picture: http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk183/MangeMusic/DSCN1943.jpg
The Blues Jr can scream.
Good ideas above. You can also just put a little tube pre or boost pedal between yourself and the amp, jack up the preamp/boost and turn down the volume on the amp, thereby driving the pre on the blues jr. Though it's not exactly the same as overdriving the power section, it has a nice grunt to it. And when you want to play loud with a drummer, just crank the amp. I used to do that when I had my tweed Jr. Now I do it to my little Gibson GA-5.
As far as it not being loud enough, I figure you should just mike it on stage anyway. I don't see a reason to bring any tube amp greater than 15 W on stage. To me it's always been easier to get good tone, especially distorted tones, at soundcheck using reasonable volumes and with a smaller amp; you find that sound, then run that sound into the PA and make it as loud as you please, as opposed to schlepping some 100 lb. Twin up a flight of stairs and making ears bleed trying to get a lead tone.
Good ideas above. You can also just put a little tube pre or boost pedal between yourself and the amp, jack up the preamp/boost and turn down the volume on the amp, thereby driving the pre on the blues jr. Though it's not exactly the same as overdriving the power section, it has a nice grunt to it. And when you want to play loud with a drummer, just crank the amp. I used to do that when I had my tweed Jr. Now I do it to my little Gibson GA-5.
As far as it not being loud enough, I figure you should just mike it on stage anyway. I don't see a reason to bring any tube amp greater than 15 W on stage. To me it's always been easier to get good tone, especially distorted tones, at soundcheck using reasonable volumes and with a smaller amp; you find that sound, then run that sound into the PA and make it as loud as you please, as opposed to schlepping some 100 lb. Twin up a flight of stairs and making ears bleed trying to get a lead tone.
?
I may have the dissenting opinion, here. I think the blues junior is very much a practice amp (albeit a more powerful and more pleasant sounding practice amp). Played side by side with the blues deluxe, you can definitely hear the difference, with the deluxe's extra headroom giving it a much fuller, rounder, wetter sounding blues tone (if that is what you are going after, of course). The blues deluxe can get pretty darn loud, but at really high volumes, I find the tone starts to get flabby and deteriorate a bit - but it sounds fantastic (to me) up until that point. I'm pretty certain the blues junior would be completely lost with the band cranked up.
Spend the extra money to get the blues deluxe, IMHO. Don't play stupid loud and rely on PA as needed instead, and it will serve you well...
Spend the extra money to get the blues deluxe, IMHO. Don't play stupid loud and rely on PA as needed instead, and it will serve you well...
I just bought a Blonde Blues Jr yesterday. I don't play guitar in a band, as I'm a bassist by trade, but for anything short of full on gig level, it's a great amp. My previous guitar amps were a Hot Rod Deluxe, (which is now my guitarists amp), and an AC15. The Blues Jr runs on a pair of EL84's, which to me sound alot like the Vox. Very creamy smooth tone, with some bark at volume. Real deal.
