ARG!!! Blues Junior.

[mistermullens]

I'm at my wits end with my BJr. I got it probably close to six months ago for $225 at GC. Sounded pretty good in store, but the more I played it at home, the more I would find things about it I didn't like. Its a MIA '97 green board. Sounds ok on the treble strings, but the lower register strings sound "dark". Typical for this amp. Replaced the speaker twice, have some new tubes as well, and I just can't get a sound I like. I don't know if I'm finally getting the term "boxey", but it sounds muffled almost. The best way I can describe it is when playing an Esquire, it's like the "fixed bassy, dark" position. The sound is very similar but more muffled. I don't think its the speaker since I just ran my Pathfinder through the cab and it sounded great. I'm on the waiting list for BillM mods, but now I'm wondering if that will help. Not to take away from Bill's obvious talents.

Another thing that I'm concerned about is I might be getting to a point in my playing where I might be looking for a little more headroom. God, I never thought I'd say that. All this is making me think that maybe, just maybe I've got the wrong amp. On the other side of the coin, I do enjoy playing BJrs in store. They all seem to sound great or at the very least better than what I have at home.

Any and all comments are welcome.

[Guns1rose]

i felt the same way about my hot rod deluxe, and still do.
i hope you find an answer

[backalleyblues]

Might try different preamp tubes... sounds like to me something might be a little wrong with the amp, I know they sound dark compared to a Vox or Marshall (HRDX sounds dark too) but there should be some snap to the top end there...

Franc Robert

[BritishBluesBoy]

Everyone is going to have their own opinions on what is their favorite amp and why and it makes little sense really for you to listen to my opinion. But, having said that I really, really highly, HIGHLY recommend that you look out for one of these:



I have a couple of other smaller amps too but this one gets most of my attention. It's simply the nicest amp I have ever owned.

[voided3]

Try using a graphic EQ pedal to shape the sound a bit; it worked wonders for my Valve Junior head. If all else fails, you could always sell it and get something like a Deluxe Reverb if you like compactness. I use a '68 Kustom K200 head (100 watt SS that's all PTP and thinks it's a tube amp) and a pair of 1x12" cabs when I need volume like nobody's business and it sounds great with my Boss OD-3 and DS-1. The heads are only about $200 on eBay usually.

[holgaguy]

I feel your pain. Like Guns1rose I felt the same way about my HRDx which I eventually sold.

I've played through 2 Blues Jrs in a store - one sounded great the other not so great - but then again I had just played through a Deluxe Reverb, an AC30 and a Super-Sonic. All three sounded so much better than the Blues Jr. IMO.

Maybe trying out some other amps wouldn't be a bad idea?

[eugenedunn]

Mistermullens.... looks like you're leaning towards that clean punchy thang..... where there's never enough headroom, never enough chime, never enough glassy....

I have helped a couple of my buddies that have Blues Juniors get closer to that sound they hear in their heads by simply replacing the V1 position tube with a 12AY7 lower gain preamp tube. That tube tends to make the overdrive less aggressive and smoother. You'll find overall volume has dropped a bit, but compensate by turning your MASTER control all the way up, keeping the Volume control around halfway up and controlling all grind with your guitar volume knob....

I think you'll find it much more satisfying. I also think you'll find that your pedals will sound clearer and more high fidelity. The trick is to set your EQ and overall volume with your guitar volume knob about 1/3 off of full.

Keep your MASTER pretty high and adjust overall punch with the Volume control

[mistermullens]

Originally Posted by eugenedunn

Mistermullens.... looks like you're leaning towards that clean punchy thang..... where there's never enough headroom, never enough chime, never enough glassy....

I have helped a couple of my buddies that have Blues Juniors get closer to that sound they hear in their heads by simply replacing the V1 position tube with a 12AY7 lower gain preamp tube. That tube tends to make the overdrive less aggressive and smoother. You'll find overall volume has dropped a bit, but compensate by turning your MASTER control all the way up, keeping the Volume control around halfway up and controlling all grind with your guitar volume knob....

I think you'll find it much more satisfying. I also think you'll find that your pedals will sound clearer and more high fidelity. The trick is to set your EQ and overall volume with your guitar volume knob about 1/3 off of full.

Keep your MASTER pretty high and adjust overall punch with the Volume control

Good point. I forgot about swapping a tube value. Which one is V1 again? Closest to the power tubes? I don't have a 12AY7, but I do have a NOS Jan Philips 5751. I'll try that tomorrow.

[eugenedunn]

V1 is closest to the input jack. A 5751 ain't gonna get you where you wanna be, I think. It will help, and you may like it, but from your description of where your tonal preferences are heading.... and how my tonal quest has developed, I'll bet you won't get satisfaction until you try the 12AY7.

In contrast, an even lower 12AU7 doesn't cut it....too anemic sounding. But the 12AY7 seems to still retain enough punch, especially if you dime the MASTER so you get all of the amp behind the preamp signal.

[marshman]

May we assume you've tried all sorts of settings involving the master? I've found using low master volume settings and cranking the pre to be very unsatisfying tonally, so I tend to dime the master and tweak from that point. A BJr should not be too loud that you can't at least try it out without shattering windows and neighborhoods.

12AX7, AY7, 5751 are the only tubes designed to be in the V1 position. AT7s and AU7s are drivers, used for reverb and Phase Inverters. Slip a 5751 or 12AY7 into V1 to lower your input gain, and a 12AT7 into the PI (closest to power tubes) to reduce the amount of gain goint to your power tubes. It is unlikely to actually get you more clean headroom, but it does allow you to crank everything around a little further on the knobs and open the thing up a bit, which may or may not be to your liking.

Of course, putting 12AT7 and AU7 into V1 is almost always a safe swap, though many people find that it has a 'blanket effect', which you already seem to have, so maybe that's not the best idea.

Good Luck, man. It's tough having gear you wanna love and it not love you back.

[Billm]

There's a great amp hiding in there, Mistermullens. You should do the TwinStack mod if nothing else, while you're waiting. It'll get some of the mud out. Or find a local tech to help you out with some more substantial mods if you can't wait.

[Mark N]

Jonathan, the amp woes continue eh? Just do what I am doing...get a new amp, lol...just kidding. It is frustrating when you got a cool amp like the BJ and can't get the tone you think you should out of it...if the mods are cheap go that route but I wouldn't sink hundreds of dollars into it

[TommyChung71]

You could always buy the parts that Billm sells and have a local tech do the work.

[eugenedunn]

Mistermullens,
You might want to post your typical amp settings and see if anyone has a suggestion.

A lot of people NEVER use the FAT swtich..... it tends to muddy up the tone (IMHO). I usually like to goose up the Treble and Bass (to around 8-ish) and back the Mids down (to around 4-ish). At least that's a good starting point.

[Rhomco Guitars]

a Celestion G12H Speaker in there and you will never stop smiling.
Rob

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by rhomco

a Celestion G12H Speaker in there and you will never stop smiling.
Rob

i might add that a vintage 30 does a good job too.

[Billm]

You can also de-fat the Fat switch by using a lower-value cathode cap. 4.7uF is a good value. But the amp really needs power supply stiffening, tone stack mod, cooler bias, and the aforementioned TwinStack to really get the muck out of the bottom end.

[charlie chitlin]

I'm not a fan. They are boxey to my ears.
I think, though, they sound much better up on a chair than on the floor.

[Yayhoo]

Originally Posted by charlie chitlin

They are boxey to my ears.

+1 all the mods in the world won't take away the fact that it's a 1x12 combo in a VERY small box.

They sound fine mic'ed up...but on their own, they are what they are.

[Billm]

it's a 1x12 combo in a VERY small box.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

they are what they are.

There are some who would dispute that.