A Blues Jr III story

I have the BJ III LTD (tweed) with the Jensen C12N. Love the Jensen in this amp, especially for the clean/slighty dirty sounds. Sparkling with complex overtones. Some change the speaker out, not me.

 

I have a Two-Tone, which is a limited run Fender did where they put a BJr. head in a cab with a mismatched 10" and 12" speakers.
It ain't going anywhere.

 

What did you notice about the tone after you biased it cooler?

 

It's a very reasonable amp, and there is no surprise it's done so well over the years.

Beautiful clean, and a decent mild crunch.

That alone goes a long way for most players. A few pedals and you can take it further.

I had a regular BJ III for a while, the dirt just didn't stay articulate enough for me. It's very possible that changing the speaker would have improved things in that department, but I had other amps that outperformed it so didn't experiment.

It's still a very impressive amp. It really does a great job at clean and light break up tones.

 

Mine has traveled interstate 40 with me nearly coast to coast. I don't think I could ever bring myself to get rid of it at this point. Hell my BJR has probably been in more states than most people will visit in their lifetime.

 

I enjoyed mine... I had a first gen and it was just beautiful.
one of the ones I wish I still had

 

@blackguts

I think I’d like a player who would carpet but not finish the walls in a music room and similarly doesn’t bother to put a pickguard on an Esquier. Cheers to you!

 

We can all relate to that

 

I cooled the bias down on my jr. Tone wise there is no difference to my ears .... tube wise, the amp is nowhere near as hungry. They last longer. That said, if this is your gigging amp you would be wise to keep spare tubes with you. It still will eat them just not as hungry.

 

I can’t get rid of mine, either. It’s a first generation black one. I’ve played it everywhere. The Blues Junior is the back line amp at blues jams all over Dallas.

 

Mine, is a 1999, that I bought used in 2000, for $270.
It definitely has kind of a murkier, midrange tone to it, than the brighter, newer models, but I like it just fine.

Over the years it has had parts replaced/upgraded a few mods ( 'tone stack'), a Neo speaker, and my tech friend installed a bias adjustment pot for him ( not me!) to fool with when changing power tubes, now JJ's

My BJ is pretty loud and clean ( use a few different OD's for breakup, as well as to add some brightness)

I bet we've done a 'thousand' gigs together! R&R, Blues, Surf, Country over 20 years.
Gigs/venues are quieter now for me, so the BJ is now my 'big gig' amp.