Blues Jr. ...or not?

[poodlesrule]

Somewhat hastily, I answered a local ad for a Blues Jr. in excellent shape, offering 65% of the best online new price.

Now I need to decide to go for it or not, and wonder if this amp isn't a bit "specialized", compared to others in this range...?

 

[hubberjub]

Well, the best online new price I can find (through a simple google search) is $449.99. If he's selling it for $157.50 that seems like a good price. I hear a lot of people rave about them.

 

[poodlesrule]

Well, the best online new price I can find (through a simple google search) is $449.99. If he's selling it for $157.50 that seems like a good price. I hear a lot of people rave about them.

Nope, not quite that good!
I did not state that correctly, I offered 65% of the online price

.

 

[duhvoodooman]

$300 is a very fair deal on a Blues Jr. as long as it's in 100% working order and has been well taken care of.

Not sure what you mean by "a bit specialized"....

 

[LeadedEL84]

I think I know what you mean by specialized. I would say the Blues Junior is a specialized amp. It is(as the name implies) a blues amp. Great Fender clean tone and vintage sounding overdrive that gets raunchy when you crank the gain and the volume. That is when you plug directly into the amp. They are somewhat versatile when you start plugging in pedals though. They accept distortion/overdrive pedals very well. By using the right pedal they will do blues,rock,and even hardrock. Don't even think about using it for metal though. They are just not good at that. The low end is limited from the cab size so you will not get a thump out of it.
One very important thing to know is how old the amp is. There are two distinct varieties:the older "green board" type and the newer "cream board" type. I'm not sure when the change over was but the green boards were made in the 90s into the early 2000s (?). The difference is the circuit boards inside and different components . The cream board models have a brighter top end and sweeter overdrive than the older ones.
I bought a used greenboard back in about 2003-2004 not knowing about this difference. I had been trying Blues Juniors out in the music shops and really liked them. I was looking to upgrade from SS. I found a deal on a like new used one from a friend of a friend. I liked the amp but not nearly as much as the ones I had played in the stores. I thought it sounded bland and dead because it was due for a re-tube. The re-tube only helped a little. I later found out why. There are mods for the older ones that make them like the cream board models but it's not worth it (IMHO). Unless you like doing mods and got a smokin' deal on the green board.
I still got good tone out of mine (especially with a Boss Bluesdriver plugged in). I was never satisfied with it though. I ended up selling mine for the same money I paid for it to a family member who liked it and needed a small amp for his home studio.
Chances are the one you are looking at is a newer model but I wanted to give you a heads up.

 

[ZMAN]

The Blues Junior is probably one of the most versatile amp in the Fender line.
There are a million settings for it and it takes pedals well. A very loud 15 watts and as EL84 said takes pedal well. When I was looking for a new amp I asked the tech at my shop what to get. I was beetween a BJ and a Blues Deluxe Reissue. I bought the BDRI and found it too loud and clean. I then went and purchased the Blues Junior and eventually sold the BDRI. What my tech told me was that the BJ would be perfect for me, and it was. I should have listened to him. LOL
I have since picked up a 65 Deluxe, and a couple of DSL Marshalls, but I really still love the BJ. It is portable, sounds killer and loud enough for most applications. For 300 it is a no brainer IMHO.

 

[Commodore 64]

I got mine for $275, still haven't popped it open to see what PCB board is in it. Maybe this winter I'll look into some BillM mods, just because I like to tinker, but right now I"m liking what I get out of it.

 

[kidsmoke]

but I really still love the BJ.

+1

In fact, I think most here would agree.....



How would you compare the 65 ReIssue to the Blues Jr? I've heard great things about them.

 

[duhvoodooman]

The Blues Junior is probably one of the most versatile amp in the Fender line.

I agree 100%. True, it won't do metal, so if that's one of your objectives you might want to pass on it. A good metal pedal might give you the basic tone, but you're not going to get the thump in your chest that true metal requires. Then again, what 15W amp with a single 12" speaker will do that??

I would definitely confirm that it's the newer "cream board" model. The green board amps can be improved to sound pretty nearly the same, but the cream board will be better sounding without modding.

Speaking of which, if you're so inclined, there are a ton of worthwhile mods available for the Blues Junior, ranging from the absurdly simple to the very involved. But for little investment and a bit of soldering time, you can improve its tone substantially. Or you can go freakin' nuts and really turn it into something special. IMO, for just $300, it's tough to go wrong with this little amp.

 

[kidsmoke]

Wow, DVM. That ate up quite a bit of my evening. Good stuff. You should buy, mod and sell these BJII's. You mention the low cost of all those mods, but your skill is rare, and a huge asset at keeping the costs down. Still, nicely done, and nicely reported. Thanks.

 

[mrmudcat]

great amp

 

[poodlesrule]

Done deal. late last night.

Tried it this morning... Oh..Ha...Hee.. Hmm... delicious! She-who-must-be-obeyed, from the other room: "You sound good on that.. that was a good thing to get". Uh?

Looks new, cream board, no sign of overheating -I had asked the Billm mod guy via email about that. I like the built quality.

Fender says made in 8/2008

Do I need some reference to take care of it, tubes and all?

 

[ZMAN]

+1

In fact, I think most here would agree.....



How would you compare the 65 ReIssue to the Blues Jr? I've heard great things about them.

Tio: My Reissue, is really amazing. As much as I like the Blues Junior, I love the 65 Deluxe. What I love about the BJ is that it has a very big sound for a small amp, for a resonable price. The 65 is about twice the price but it is really an amazing sounding amp. When I was looking for an amp my tech actually had their shop amps for sale. They use the 65 to test guitars in their tech area. I mentioned that I wanted an amp in the 400 to 600 range. He said the 65 would bea little more at around 700 and highly recommended it. I thought that was too much and bought the Blues deluxe reissue. As I mentioned the BDRI had too much headroom before breakup, and I bought a BJ that really suited my needs at that time.
A good friend bought a 65 and let me borrow it for a couple of weeks and I fell in love. The 65 has just about the perfect tone from a fender amp. They have 22 watts and an excellent reverb and trem built in. One of the main complaints about the unmodded BJ is that it sounds boxy. There is none of that in the 65. Nice breakup and takes pedals very well. They came on sale and I HAD to have one. I only play blues and only at home. I am able to run my amps at 5 or 6 so I can "push" them a bit. I tend to gravitate towards my DSLs now but it is always between the 65 and DSL. I use the BJ when I travel.
I have had to replace one harmonic 12ax7 in the 65 but that was done under warranty right out of the box I have owned it for about 3 or 4 years. It is one amp I will never sell.

 

[kidsmoke]

The 65 has just about the perfect tone from a fender amp.

that's what I've been told.

A guy I studied with is a jobber, plays through a vintage 63, with a weber. This same amp use to belong to Buzz Killman (Chicagoans know this guy well) My teacher is his lead guitarist, slide guy. This amp is his bread and butter. He cannot say enough about the 65RI. Get one and be done, is his opinion. He's planning to do the same for himself and leave the 63 at home. As a result I've been watching a few spots around town waiting for a sale, or a scratch and dent or SOMETHING.

Thanks for the feedback, good to hear from someone who can A/B the buggers in their own basement.

To bring this back around, sounds as though DVM's mods turn a BJ into a similar, albeit more versatile, amp, for similar $$$ too.

 

[ZMAN]

that's what I've been told.

A guy I studied with is a jobber, plays through a vintage 63, with a weber. This same amp use to belong to Buzz Killman (Chicagoans know this guy well) My teacher is his lead guitarist, slide guy. This amp is his bread and butter. He cannot say enough about the 65RI. Get one and be done, is his opinion. He's planning to do the same for himself and leave the 63 at home. As a result I've been watching a few spots around town waiting for a sale, or a scratch and dent or SOMETHING.

Thanks for the feedback, good to hear from someone who can A/B the buggers in their own basement.

To bring this back around, sounds as though DVM's mods turn a BJ into a similar, albeit more versatile, amp, for similar $$$ too.

I bought a 2003 BJ special edition. Mine came in brown tolex with a wheat front. It also has the Jensen speaker and cream chicken head knobs. It was about 599 Can. New at the time it was about 100 less than the tweed version. I bought the 65 for around 899 new on sale.
I think the dlifference in the dollar in 2003 was the reason for the high price.
That is why I think that 300 is a great price for the amp, and for such a great amp I would highly recommend it.

 

[Tig]

Glad it turned out so well. For the price, it was a good deal that couldn't be refused.

I've seen a few well priced BJr's on CL that had a few BillM mods, but didn't have the money at the right time.

I used to GAS for a BJr, but now I'm leaning more towards a stock '65 Deluxe Reverb or even better, the new Super-Sonic 22.