Fender Blues Junior Club

I didn't see a thread for the Blues Junior (I could have missed it) but count me as a member. I have the Blonde version.

My old green-board un-lacquered tweed version.....Blazing Telecasters DVD signed by Tom Principato on top to provide inspiration.:cool:

http://www.arguses.com/TeleDVD2.jpg

Count me in ..... Jnr and ASAT Special

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh98/SouthpawGuy/GandL%20ASAT%20Special%202/DSCF0627.jpg

My BJr used to be my gigging amp until I got my Crate V33. Now I use it for practice at home and casual jams.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa316/teleblooz_photos/HPIM0146.jpg

Love these little guys!! I have two of them and have seriously modded them. I can use one or the other by themselves since they really do sound different or I might add an extra speaker to one or I use them both in stereo.

They're both black tolex but one is a green board and one is the cream board. I get a lot of flexablity with them and can do most any gig in any room with them.

So Much Fun!

I am new to the ranks but have just finished some mods. I was looking for the ultra-lite amp with a decent sound and believe I have found it. Mine is the light brown tolex with the brown face.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k106/johnlg-2006/008.jpg

My favorite. Sometimes I plug it into a 2 x 12 cab.

John

60th anniversary green board owner with the standard BillM mods + audio taper master volume, switchcraft jack and ruby reverb tank owner here. This amp suits my needs to a T and has cured my amp GAS, at least for now.

We have 2 of them. An original B series green board & a blond C series green board. They have been good at home amps for years. They have been retubed a few times over the years & they both currently have Eminence Patriot Red White & Blues Speakers in them.

count me in. we have also 2. one takes the bite from my tele, the other gets the juice from our harp player. works fine ...

Love mine! Nice amp.


dB

I love mine. It's stock except for a set of JJ's.

Luv minie as well. Was my small amp, till I got a Champ 600. BillM mods too.

PB

Here's mine, shouldering into the picture from the side. Unmodded. So far...

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q246/biliousprudence/IMG_1949-1.jpg

This one belongs to Oasis :grin:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q246/biliousprudence/oasis_3.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q246/biliousprudence/BJr.jpg

I am soo trying to get into this club, especially after checking out Billm's site. The darn prices of the new units seem a little high, so I've been scanning CL and eBay for a deal.

I am soo trying to get into this club, especially after checking out Billm's site. The darn prices of the new units seem a little high, so I've been scanning CL and eBay for a deal.

Good call. I got mine on CL, a rev C and it already had the Billm mods except the reverb. I did that one myself. I love this amp.

I recently picked mine up for $200 at GC, it had a broken reverb. $30 fixed that. Today I played one of these with the Jensen vs. the Eminence. That makes a huge difference to my ears. Now I have to go on a Jensen buying spree.

Here's my NOS Laquered Tweed w/AVRI '52 Tele. They look nice together.

I just tried something I read in another thread (sorry can't find it anymore) to get to a "blackfacish" sound and turned down mids to like 3. Man, that really does the trick. (even my tube-screamer clone sounds good with that setting. Has a huge impact on treble and bass also. Recently I missed bass on a recording and now I know how to dial in (dial out the mid) May seem obvious to anybody, but I am someone who virtually never touches the controls and I had them mids turned up since using these little cubes to get the grind. and the bass get's really tight then.
So I learned that the versatility of this amp really is in the mid control and that a tube-screamerish pedal works best with a more scooped sound.
And I learned that my little buddy can do more than I thought.

Count me in. I just picked up a Relic Blues Jr off craigslist last week.

I have had mine for about 6 years or so. It is an early cream board version bought new. I recently changed the speaker to a Jensen C12N, the reverb tank and had the BillM mods done to it. Tone stack, power supply stiffening and the presence control. It sounds really good to my ears.

Bill

love mine !!!!

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/singleshot_2.jpg

Count me in!

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh293/jpridx/BluesJr.jpg

Mine looks exactly like this one here. Just installed an Eminence Red White And Blues speaker and the Billm Standby Switch. I may swap the speaker for a Cannabis Rex that I just aquired to see how that works out as well.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/539/medium/Blues_Junior.jpg

External Speaker Cabinets? I am thinking about a 2X10 cab..What's the word out there on Cabs and speaker combos?

I used to play mine through a 1x15 cab with good results. As long as the cabinet impedance is 8 ohms, you should be fine.

If I remember correctly Billm said the BJR could handle 16 ohms...Maybe he will ring in here. I looked at his website and did not find any cab info..

I've the Texas Chilli one and love it.....

I'm in.

Mine is a Fender Custom Shop 2003 Woody Blues Jr.

It's made from Bubinga wood and most everything is gold plated. Apart from having the noisy reverb of the early Blues Jrs. it is outstanding.

http://www.tresgatosguitars.com/images/amp1.jpg

http://www.tresgatosguitars.com/images/amp2.jpg

http://www.tresgatosguitars.com/images/amp3.jpg

Actually, regarding this thread, the reverb - just how much is it supposed to give out (ie make reverb!) mine seems not to do much at all....any ideas?


BTW, the amp above is cool as heck! Never seen that before....you're a lucky fella!

Only amp I've got! Mine has BillM mods and a TX Heat speaker. Great little amp.

i've got 2 of them also. an early MIA and a MIM from about 3 years ago. i hear a lot of people trashing the blues jr's but i really like them. aside from tubes, mine are all stock.

What speakers are you guys using and why?

Actually, regarding this thread, the reverb - just how much is it supposed to give out (ie make reverb!) mine seems not to do much at all....any ideas?


BTW, the amp above is cool as heck! Never seen that before....you're a lucky fella!

Try throwing a Ruby Reverb tank in there. Its only $30 and is quite noticable.

Try throwing a Ruby Reverb tank in there. Its only $30 and is quite noticable.

May have a look at that...thanks.....

If I remember correctly Billm said the BJR could handle 16 ohms...Maybe he will ring in here. I looked at his website and did not find any cab info..

You can always run with a higher impedance cab. It's when you get lower than the amp is rated for that you run the risk of damaging the amp.

Actually, regarding this thread, the reverb - just how much is it supposed to give out (ie make reverb!) mine seems not to do much at all....any ideas?

Is yours an older model? Mine is a rev C green board (i.e. older). The older ones were seriously deficient in the reverb department. Mine was pretty worthless when I got it. Fortunately BillM has a very easy mod to get the 'verb section up to par. I did it and couldn't be happier with the sound. I run with the knob at about 12 o'clock.

Actually, regarding this thread, the reverb - just how much is it supposed to give out (ie make reverb!) mine seems not to do much at all....any ideas?

http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=46

Mine's a Ltd Ed. in reliced tweed (Jensen speakers) from Wildwood - sounds fantastic! :cool:

I will provide pics later.

Love it ...however I have considered a speaker swap

My Blues Jr is stock....black

What do you guys like?

Speaker question. Would I be better off adding a 1X12 extension cab with the internal speaker or 2X10 external bypassing internal. Possible combo Cannabis Rex in Blues Jr and Texas Heat in ext cab. Looking for good clean sound and also good rock/blues sound.
I also play my Martin with K&K pure Western Mini using Progression Twin Tube Preamp through this amp..Any suggestions?

I love my blues jr. I have the NOS model with the jensen speaker and the tweed look.

Love it ...however I have considered a speaker swap

My Blues Jr is stock....black

What do you guys like?

I have an Eminence Cannabis Rex in mine right now.

Present and accounted for!

We own THE best amp in the world!

I have an Eminence Cannabis Rex in mine right now.

How do you like your Cannabis? :grin:
What a great set question..
I am thinking of swapping and getting a ext cab

How do you like your Cannabis? :grin:
What a great set question..
I am thinking of swapping and getting a ext cab

I like it a lot so far, still getting used to it. It's given me a bit more juice as it is very effecient. It is not a harsh speaker at all. I'm looking forward to an outdoor evening show Saturday night for another go 'round with it. Just a little BJ bled into the monitors sounded real good to my ears last Saturday in the great out of doors. That was during the day though, so I'm REALLY looking forward to playing outside at night where I can focus on the sound. I'll post my thoughts again after Saturday.

The only thing I miss from time to time with the BJ is the big round 6L6 bottem end, but all told it's a great sound.

mine is dead stock. Anyone have any suggetsiosn for speaker upgrades? The stock ones are a little flabby.

Me have Blues Junior too. Celestion G12H speaker.
Me like.

I am soo trying to get into this club, especially after checking out Billm's site. The darn prices of the new units seem a little high, so I've been scanning CL and eBay for a deal.

I ALMOST joined the club last Memorial Day weekend when I ran across a brand new Black and Tan Special Edition Blues Jr. at Sam Ash at their Mem. Day sale. I believe there were only 125 of these made for Sam Ash - and the guy told me he could go $432 w/ tax! I still remember that price.... But I just couldn't justify it since I already have a Hot Rod Deluxe and a '69 Champ (as well as 7-8 other amps), but I was SO tempted... I know that was a killer price for that Black and Tan. I did demo it with a USA Am. Std. strat they had there - heaven.

I still kind of regret not getting it. But I just didn't think I could justify it to the wife....

Somebody got a great deal on a collector's item amp...

Somebody got a great deal on a collector's item amp...

No but keep keep looking. I picked one up recently which had a bad reverb for only $200 at Guitar Center. I ordered a new reverb tank and the BJ works perfect. There are deals out there.

I've had my Blues Jr. for a few months now. I just modified it yesterday using some Billm mods. Basic kit, audio-taper volume and reverb pots, switchcraft input jack, standby switch, tone stack. I have some new tubes coming tomorrow as well (All JJ's except V1 is a Tung-Sol RI). Still has the stock speaker, but I'm thinking about trying a C-Rex after hearing so many good things about them.

A little reminder to anyone who is doing work with a cream board Blues Jr. to check their filter capacitors for leakage. I have one starting to leak and will be replacing all four of them shortly.

I just tried something I read in another thread (sorry can't find it anymore) to get to a "blackfacish" sound and turned down mids to like 3. Man, that really does the trick. (even my tube-screamer clone sounds good with that setting. Has a huge impact on treble and bass also. Recently I missed bass on a recording and now I know how to dial in (dial out the mid) May seem obvious to anybody, but I am someone who virtually never touches the controls and I had them mids turned up since using these little cubes to get the grind. and the bass get's really tight then.
So I learned that the versatility of this amp really is in the mid control and that a tube-screamerish pedal works best with a more scooped sound.
And I learned that my little buddy can do more than I thought.

I did this at a store the other day next to a PRRI and I think it sounded pretty spot on to the sound I was getting from the princeton. I love it! I'm dialing my own in to that sound asap.

hi fellow bjr-fans let's all post our favourite settings.
to start, here's mine from left (volume) to right (reverb), the eq is changing a bit depending on guitar and room, I have two tellys one being a bit brighter, and the master is set according to the overall level of the band
9, 4-6, 6-8, 3-5, 2-4, 2

and your favourite setting is?

;-)

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd35/mission42/DSC00819.jpg

hey all, i've got the all black all stock version, and i love it! it sounds great with my G&L, and sounds even better for the fact that i traded a line 6 spider 3 75w for the amp. best trade. ever! however, after reading the posts here, if it can sound even better, then i'm definitely lookin in to modding it. as far as tone settings go, i used to redo all the settings onstage st every gig until i got the right sound, mainly cause i've been playing a 4-10 deville that's really hard to get a good sound out of ( BTW, anybody no of any mods that'll work magic on it? ). however, has anyone here been to www.single.com ?? the guy gives a guideline with a scientific explanation of how to get that "classic tweed" fender tone, refered to as "The Magic Six".

http://www.singlecoil.com/docs/magic-six.pdf

after testing this out to my ears for several months, this is my go-to method, i only add a little more bass to the mix.

hi fellow bjr-fans let's all post our favourite settings.

I'm gritty with

11 , 6 , 8 , 4 , 3+ , 0

(bad reverb hum so 0 reverb) :wink:

a guideline with a scientific explanation of how to get that "classic tweed" fender tone, refered to as "The Magic Six".

[url]http://www.singlecoil.com/docs/magic-six.pdf

after testing this out to my ears for several months, this is my go-to method, i only add a little more bass to the mix.

Thanks, works like a charm for me, too ...

... A little reminder to anyone who is doing work with a cream board Blues Jr. to check their filter capacitors for leakage. I have one starting to leak and will be replacing all four of them shortly.

Where does one go to get the right filter caps? Is this a Radio Shack thing, a hard to find "vintage is better" thing, or somewhere in between?

Question on dating my bjr - i saw on billm's site about the date codes - i figure mine is 2003-2005 or later since there is no Quality Assurance label or date code. I did pop the back to check green vs cream board and see that it's cream with 2003 on it. Can i surmise that it's a 2003 or did fender get a billion cream boards in 2003 and use them till they ran out?

I guess I need to be in! Here's mine, and both are stock!

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/44473/2823696590062929858S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2823696590062929858whoVxi)

I guess I need to be in! Here's mine, and both are stock!

Do you play both together sometimes?
Is the tweed one the limited edition or an old one?
how do they compare?
should I stop to ask questions?

here is my blues junior, it's all stock (so far).

I just got the tweed one a couple of days ago, so I haven't tried to play both together. In fact I haven't done a real comparison yet!

It's a NOS Ltd Ed. with the Jensen speaker and I'm only just beginning with it. It sounds pretty good though, so far!

Found a creme board for $250...a puff. Sent it to Billm....spent $120 for the works incl. freight. Added a neo "lil Texas"....total $430. The usual compliment of JJ tubes. With the aux speaker jack I can add any 4-16ohm cab.....they take 4ohms just fine. Super tone....super lite. Best money I ever spent!

Found a creme board for $250...a puff. Sent it to Billm....spent $120 for the works incl. freight. Added a neo "lil Texas"....total $430. The usual compliment of JJ tubes. With the aux speaker jack I can add any 4-16ohm cab.....they take 4ohms just fine. Super tone....super lite. Best money I ever spent!

what was the turn around?

Where does one go to get the right filter caps? Is this a Radio Shack thing, a hard to find "vintage is better" thing, or somewhere in between?

I bought the filters caps from Mouser. I doubt you will find them at RadioShack, and I don't think vintage capacitors will help much here. You will need 3 22uF 450V capacitors, and 1 47uF 450v capacitor. If you have not done the power stiffening mod you can order 2 47uF caps and place them in parallel. I used Xicon capacitors, but there are other manufacturers out there who make quality capacitors.

Xicon 22uf 450v (http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsCnlYck6hSqOtsRfbv jzPXy4fnpPiyEwc%3d)

Xicon 47uF 450v (http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsCnlYck6hSqNaUDYrr A3NjSPpHO69IeiQ%3d)

Here's my NOS Laquered Tweed w/AVRI '52 Tele. They look nice together.

Love the NOS...I have one too!

I connected my BJR to a 2X10 extension cab. WOW...Totally a different sound. Really warm and full. I especially like it with my Martin. OK now I have to build a cab. First I need to find out what speakers are in this closed/ported cab. I also will make it switchable between the internal and the ext cab.

Originally Posted by Justjammin
I am soo trying to get into this club, especially after checking out Billm's site. The darn prices of the new units seem a little high, so I've been scanning CL and eBay for a deal.

Well, I'm almost there *fingers crossed* I found an older black "Corona" model, price is a little high, but it's much less than anywhere else that I can find.

Is there anything that I should look out for? Cosmetically it looks great for being used.

I have a stock one my BFF :mrgreen:

I have a USA Black one, but I just bought a Lacquered Tweed cab on ebay because I love the look. I think I will use the black cab as an extension speaker/stack.

Only mods are new tubes, JJ's and er....can't remember.

Also own a Pro Jr/Blonde.

-ugmold

I have a first year BJ, got it when they first came out in '96 if I remember right. I liked it then and I still do.
Mines just the Blackie tolex model and nothings been upgraded.

I have a first year BJ, got it when they first came out in '96 if I remember right. I liked it then and I still do.
Mines just the Blackie tolex model and nothings been upgraded.

If you like the tone as is, you owe it to yourself to at least do the Billm reverb mod. makes that noisy 'verb shine.

Ta Daa, I'm in! I picked up a Stock, Greenboard, USA Version, in Black. I'm not sure of the year just yet.

I had a hard time getting her dialed in, why couldn't Fender do "Bass, Middle, High" is beyond me, anyway my first impression was with my (MIJ) 62 RI Strat, Keeley modded BD and it just wasn't hitting home, I'm thinking wifey is going to kill me if I can't bond with this BJ Jr. plus I'm a little dissapointed myself.

This morning I take a go at it with my (MIJ) 62 RI tele and a Sparkle Drive, three hours later I emerge with a grin from ear to ear, what a great little monster, this is going to be fun. Now I'm off to the mods dept.

I've had my Blues Jr. for a few months now. I just modified it yesterday using some Billm mods. Basic kit, audio-taper volume and reverb pots, switchcraft input jack, standby switch, tone stack. I have some new tubes coming tomorrow as well (All JJ's except V1 is a Tung-Sol RI). Still has the stock speaker, but I'm thinking about trying a C-Rex after hearing so many good things about them.

A little reminder to anyone who is doing work with a cream board Blues Jr. to check their filter capacitors for leakage. I have one starting to leak and will be replacing all four of them shortly.

How do you like the audio-taper pot?

Well, I'm almost there *fingers crossed* I found an older black "Corona" model, price is a little high, but it's much less than anywhere else that I can find.

Is there anything that I should look out for? Cosmetically it looks great for being used.


Mine is theCorona model also. It came with new caps - $175 from an amp tech in the 'hood. I couldn't pass it up. Love it!

Mine looks exactly like this one here. Just installed an Eminence Red White And Blues speaker and the Billm Standby Switch. I may swap the speaker for a Cannabis Rex that I just aquired to see how that works out as well.

I bought a new one 2 years ago, switched the speaker to a Celestion V30 and didn't notice much of a difference. Lived with that for awhile and then switched to a Cannabis Rex and noticed a big difference. YMMV but the Rex really rocks in a Blues Junior. Next I'll replace the reverb, then some Billm mods and I'll be a happy man.

Is this something that anyone experiences with their blues junior......I turn the switch "on" and about 10 seconds later there is a loud "humm" , now, when I turn the volume up , it does not affect the "humm" at all. and when I play, you cannot hear the "humm" either.

Is this something that is normal with tube amps?

thanks.

Nic

Mine is stock, for now.........:twisted:

Is this something that anyone experiences with their blues junior......I turn the switch "on" and about 10 seconds later there is a loud "humm" , now, when I turn the volume up , it does not affect the "humm" at all. and when I play, you cannot hear the "humm" either.

Is this something that is normal with tube amps?

thanks.

Nic

Only at high volumes. At lower volumes there is not issue however, the BJ does have more noise than my other Fender Amps.

Only at high volumes. At lower volumes there is not issue however, the BJ does have more noise than my other Fender Amps.

that is what I have found out as well, my 65 twin reverb doesn't make any noise.

I love my BJr, too. I bought it for $300, used, a year ago - it's 3 years old.

I replaced the stock tubes with JJ's and EHs and replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Tonespotter.

Billm is the Man, Period.

I picked up a Blues Jr just a little over a month ago,
turned out to be an American, made in 98, so it's been around.

I ordered the the basic green board mod, input jack, standby switch.
I was a little aprehensive with some parts of the mod, I dropped Billm
an email, he guided me through everything I inquired about. Total time
on these mods was 3-4 hrs over 3 days.

That little amp I picked up about a month ago, is now a serious piece of tonal tube bliss, I am totally overwhelmed.

So if you thought about getting your Blues Jr. modded, do it, there will be no regrets.

Billm is the Man, Period.

I picked up a Blues Jr just a little over a month ago,
turned out to be an American, made in 98, so it's been around.

I ordered the the basic green board mod, input jack, standby switch.
I was a little aprehensive with some parts of the mod, I dropped Billm
an email, he guided me through everything I inquired about. Total time
on these mods was 3-4 hrs over 3 days.

That little amp I picked up about a month ago, is now a serious piece of tonal tube bliss, I am totally overwhelmed.

So if you thought about getting your Blues Jr. modded, do it, there will no regrets.

Absolutely! I bought mine used with most of the mods already done. I did the reverb one myself. Bliss isn't too strong a word.

Only at high volumes. At lower volumes there is not issue however, the BJ does have more noise than my other Fender Amps.

Bill any comments on this?

Tried the red tolex version with (I think) a Celestion in it very briefly a while back and thought it sounded pretty good. Anyone have one of those? I see some still around the stores. Saw one yesterday discounted $100, brand new. Fender gave it a name, like Texas Heat or something...I don't remember.

I would like to be added to the club. Mine is a Blonde 2003 model. Tung Sol and JJ's. Ive got a NOS JAN Phillips 5751 in the V1 position right now for smoothness. It seems to work. I've thought about changing out the speaker for a while now but have yet to pull the trigger. Great little amp and looks cool too.

Texas Red! Just got it! Yay!

Mine is a 1998 Green board w/Billm mods that I installed.
Tone Stack, Power Supply Stiffing, Twin Stack, Audio Taper Pots (volume and reverb), Metal Input Jack, Presence Control, Standby Switch, Bias Control and a Cannabis Rex Speaker.
I did all this to an amp that I had just given up on and then I came across the Billm Web site after reading many positive stories on this site and others, I decided to do some modding.
My Blues Jr. is now the amp I use all the time. Single coils and humbuckers both work great, just some simple EQ changes on the amp and I'm ready to go.
I usually have a clean sound coming from the amp and then add OD and Delay to the front end, but sometimes I will use my whole pedal board which includes Compression, multiple OD's, Tremolo, Chorus and Delay. Some day I will get my Wah Wah to sound good and then that will get added to the mix.

Scott

It's an amazing little amp with the Billm mods. I have a Vintage Vibrolux, Vintage Princeton and the BJr can hang with the best of these.

Texas Red! Just got it! Yay!

Waddaya think about that Red? I haven't seen anyone talk about them, but I thought it sounded pretty good.

Here is mine. Almost stock, just some dust added on top. I think it makes it sound much better :wink:

Seriously, it's a wonderful amp and I wouldn't change a thing to it. Every time I plug in I get amazed by what can come out of this little box. I tried many other amps, but I always get back to my Junior, every time.

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/harpjim/52662.jpg

I bought a Texas Red this spring, they had two in the shop at the time , I'm kicking myself now for not getting both. I didn't realize that they were limited production units. I did an A/B with a Black and NOS Tweed Jr. in the shop. the Red blew them both away. the vintage 30 Celestion is ( for what I play) a better speaker choice than either the Jensen or Fender IMO.

don't know what you get over the pond, but here in germany currently a tweed ltd. with a celestion v30 is available. a friend of mine got one of those he is quite happy. also saw a brown one with celestion in a store recently.
I am thinking about putting the celestion G 12 80 from my sessionette combo into my bjr. what do you think?

The Tweed I saw in the shop had a Jensen in it, better than the Fender but not as nice as the V30.

my friend, that's in canada. here in germany right now there is some limited tweed with v30 celestion.

my friend, that's in canada. here in germany right now there is some limited tweed with v30 celestion.
I'd grab one if I saw it. The celestion is IMO far superior in this amp! In fact I'll see if I can find one of those myself!

I just got my Tweed NOS Blues Jr last week, and love it. I play through it with my Tele '72 Deluxe RI, or CV Tele. The CV Tele sounds much better through it then my heavily modded '72, but the '72 sounds much better through my '65 Twin.
Anyway, I'll bet going through 2 Blues Jr's via a "Super Hard-on" pedal, or any kind of chorus, or delay, etc..., would sound AMAZING! Anyone out there do this?

Here is mine and I love how it sounds, creamy smooth tube tone.



http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k115/asc67/IMG_0562.jpg

I am thinking about putting the celestion G 12 80 from my sessionette combo into my bjr. what do you think?

I'm pretty sure you'll like it and it will blow you away.
I replaced the stock Fender speaker in my Blues Deluxe with an old G12 100 Celestion. wow :shock: , what a freakin' difference.
those cheap Fender speakers are just placeholders 'till the real one comes around. :lol:

just want to add another kudos to billm. just got my bj back from the shop - only had one practice session and it sounds excellent. will do a show tonight so i get to stretch it out! anyway - i *highly* recommend the mods.

I'd grab one if I saw it. The celestion is IMO far superior in this amp! In fact I'll see if I can find one of those myself!

I played one in the shop and thought it sounds fine, too.
All three models (red, brown, tweed) with the celestion seem to be available right now:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?xsid=06cf1dae24f7ad5ef264ace40d8df a2a&sw=blues+junior&x=0&y=0

Are the Mexican ones fine? Recommended over the USA ones? Geez I with amps weren't such a rip-off in Australia. I may be buying a 5 year old Mexican one for over $600 AUD, or maybe $550...

Well mines Mexican, as far as I can see the quality is just as good as my old American made Hot Rod Deluxe, they seem to be doing a pretty good job down there.

My Red...

Krista Mac, welcome. I like your red alot.

Urgent question... Is every 'made in Mexico' BJ, including the first made there, made with the cream circuit board with improved reverb etc?

My Red...

goodness yes :smile:

Congratulations on your enthusiasm, Krista, but you should be careful with those knobs... on the Blues Junior, of course!

The control shafts on the Texas Red are unprotected against breakage because of the white chickenhead knobs. Here is what can occur:

http://billmaudio.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Texas-Red-damage.jpg

http://billmaudio.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Texas-Red-inside-damage.jpg

I have full information on how to fix it here:

http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=217

Urgent question... Is every 'made in Mexico' BJ, including the first made there, made with the cream circuit board with improved reverb etc?

Yes.

Well, I'm back in the club. This is my third Blues Junior and its been quite a journey. The first one I bought was about three or four years ago, and it was a green board. It was great at first, but something started to sound off. I was very green on tube amps at the time, plus I had a DRRI, so I sold the BJr off to buy some other gear. Got another one a year ago used from GC. Another green board, and it just wasn't working for me. It didn't sound right, and I couldn't get it to sound right. Ever since then, and even a year prior when I sold my DRRI, I've been looking for the right amp. Feels like I played them all, but my go to amp in store was always a BJr. I was always able to get a great sound out of these amps instore. I chaulked it up to the difference between green board and cream board. Fast forward to three days ago when I see that a guy I know is selling a 2007 for $350 in the FDP classifieds. He was kind enough to let me borrow it for a few days and try it out at band practice. Well it sounds great stock at practice and at home. Normally, I'd say $350 is a bit high for a used BJr, but compared to new, its in great shape, and he threw in a Ruby Reverb tank, I figured why not. I'm enjoying reverb more and more, and I'd probably end up getting the Ruby anyway. Plus, after shipping, I'd pay about the same anyway. So, I'm back in the club, and so far, I'm pretty happy and I think this one will be fine for what I need for a while, maybe even forever. Who knows......

Congratulations on your enthusiasm, Krista, but you should be careful with those knobs... on the Blues Junior, of course!

The control shafts on the Texas Red are unprotected against breakage because of the white chickenhead knobs. Here is what can occur:


I have full information on how to fix it here:

http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=217

Hey Bill, is that specific to the Texas Red only? And if so, I wonder why? I've kinda half been eyeing one on sale up here...

Can I join the club. I have the reliced version.
Great sounding amp. I bought mine because I have a bad back and was tired of carting around my '63 Vibroverb reissue.

Got a Tweed NOS two years ago - still stock. Love it!

Yup, I'm in.
Got one last week.
Nice little amp.
Gonna torture it with some mods.
Its gonna work out fine.
Fun little amp.
Will keep the stock speaker in there until I mod it.
I'm going for the O transformer replacement.
Then, who knows ?
Betcha' I keep the stock speaker.
I'm curious about a Jenson Neo though.

Bought one new about 2.5 yrs ago, great little amp.

I use it at home, and the only mods were JJ tubes and a Greenback speaker.

Just put in a C.Rex today, and am waiting for it to break in, but it sounds pretty good even brand new.

Highly recommended!

My Red...

That's one nice amp ... was there anything else in the picture?

That's one nice amp ... was there anything else in the picture?
Thanks! And yes... there's a beat up Rogue strat which sounds *****in' through the BJ.
Oh... and me, I guess...

Here is a pic of my Red hiding behind a Dot. Sounds awesome with my new John Mayer Strat.

Another thing. I've had it for about a year and I think it may need some new tubes. Doesn't sound as tubey:lol:. Anyways, I've got some JJ's and EHX 12ax7 in the mail. Hope they help.

http://images.craigslist.org/3n13p63l25O65Q05Pb9a1249c862e6fda122a.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs232.snc1/7927_641432267728_29703542_37540130_2994046_n.jpg

Thanks for the BJ tip! I promise I'll be gentle...

Thanks for the BJ tip! I promise I'll be gentle...

Oh no you di ent, girlfriend!

I know, I know....

ok question for the club, what modifications besides tube type and speaker can be done and would you recommend doing to the bj? im thinking of getting the tweed one with the jenson and i was just wondering if i needed or could mod anything on it besides the tube and speaker

ok question for the club, what modifications besides tube type and speaker can be done and would you recommend doing to the bj? im thinking of getting the tweed one with the jenson and i was just wondering if i needed or could mod anything on it besides the tube and speaker

Why? Just because you can? There's dozens of mods out there, but check it out first before you start hacking & slashing - you just might find that you like it the way it is.

Same here. I like mine just fine stock. Take some time learning how the amp works and sounds before thinking about mods.

Bill M, I just put on layaway a tweed blues jr with the eminence speaker, not the jensen. New $499 + tax. If I remember right, it had the white knobs on it. I didn't have any idea that they might cause a problem. Do you suppose Fender corrected this potential problem( as compared to the ones they used on the Texas Red), or not? I'll be going back to the music store tomorrow and have a closer look at them. Thanks.

I know I'm preaching to the choir but ...

Was playing at home the other night ... SX stock Strat on the neck pickup playing through the Blues Jr ... all the dials straight up at 12 o'clock.

Man did that sound sweet. :smile:

I know I'm preaching to the choir but ...

Was playing at home the other night ... SX stock Strat on the neck pickup playing through the Blues Jr ... all the dials straight up at 12 o'clock.

Man did that sound sweet. :smile:

You must have understanding neighbours

Well, the windows are always closed ... and the guitar volume was only at about 3 1/2 ... but yes I have understanding neighbors.

They seem to like, or at least don't seem to mind my playing.

Perusing CL, immediate post for a 2001 cream board, jumped on it. The parent of the player says they bought kid a Marshall and said you know it's just the little one?:shock: $200. later. I high jacked Bill's mods but thanked him personally. A friend in the military did the mods, oh yeah they know their electronics! Adj. bias, presence circuit added, tone stack, twin stack, power stiffening, new reverb tank, Jensen c12n, 12ay7 in V1 for more clean headroom, my Ibanez/Maxon Ts9 takes care of the OD.:wink: It cost me $70. for parts and a dozen Guinness for Labor:lol: A good amp morphed into a killer amp, I love it.

Just bought a 2004 stock black one yesterday...I'm stoked. Looks brand new.

33664
Here's Jr. after his mods. Hangin' with an older gal pal who's first owner installed a T-Top and Gibson mounting ring, apparently with a soup spoon.
Jr. sounds great. Thanks to The mods and BillM's Out Put Tranny.
Still the stock speaker.

Dating my BJ makes it a 95, so after I added the Billm mods,(YUM!) I replace the original Speaker with a Weber California (of course) and although it hasn't broken in yet, there is a noticable improvement. I'll be looking into new tubes next.

I'm totally amazed at what great tones this little guy has.

Bought me a new BJ Tweed NOS for my b'day a couple weeks ago...only jammed with it once and really liked it. Played a Tele straight into in it the store which sold me on it and took it home. My '57 RI Strat sounds sweet thru it too. Looking forward to playing some more and tweaking the knobs a bit when I get back from FL. Stuck here for the weekend for work w/no guitar....jonesin'....

I got tired of lugging my original '65 Twin and the Boogie MarkIV is just overkill for me and think I'm going to sell it. I LOVE it but it has too many knobs that after more than 10 years are still giving me fits. I need to keep things simple...

Found lots of good info here to help me get the right tone out of this little gem. I see that BillM lives in my home state so may be hitting him up sometime in the future if I find I need any mods. But I have to give it a chance as is before I can decide.

I bought my black tolex model BJ used from a music store. Cream board (2003). Replaced the original spkr. w/ Wharehouse Guitar Speakers Veteran 30 and now it's a great amp for Jams. Very versatile and sounds great:grin:


Gene

Here's my Blues Jr.
Best change Fender has ever done to a Blues Jr. A larger solid pine cabinet and two specially designed Eminence 10 and 12 inch speakers. I also love the two-tone color.
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj438/Californiaman5/53110020.jpg

lovely amp

Here's my Blues Jr.
Best change Fender has ever done to a Blues Jr. A larger solid pine cabinet and two specially designed Eminence 10 and 12 inch speakers. I also love the two-tone color.
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj438/Californiaman5/53110020.jpg

wow! nice looking amp! i haven't seen this newer version. so it's got two speakers? did you get to A/B it with the regular bj?

This is the original Custom Shop Two-Tone amp. It's not the "newer" version. They are very hard to come by but do show up on ebay now and again. Yes, I did A/B it with the regular BJ.