Fender Blues Junior Lacquered Tweed Special Edition

I have to give this small tube amp a fairly low rating on features because it doesn't have all that stuff that you can find on bigger amps or small modern digital amps. But my approach is simple so it suits me. The reverb sounds fine set between 2-3, but I can't see ever having pass 4-5. I am still learning when to use the fat switch, which, at first, I thought was superflouous. I wanted a tube amp that could produce a great tone and would not break my back to carry around. I have a Music Man 2x12 that I passed on to my son since he has the back for it. I have not wanted to get back into the Music Man as I can kick ass with the BJ or groove with mellow tones, ... whatever I'm in the mood for. I'm planning on buying an A-B switch so I can have both my electric guitars go into the one input.

I use a standard 70's Strat (single coils) and a Joe Pass Epiphone (humbuckers) for two very different sounding instruments. The music I like is all over the place (rock, pop, jazz, latin stuff, blues, R&B), but I tend to like funky, jazzy bluesy sounds. With tweaks of the guitar and amp controls I can settle into sounds that work for all "my stuff." The NOS tweed version of the Blues, Jr. is cleaner sounding to me than the standard version of the amp and I had to fork over the extra cash for it. I use the amp primarily in my music room and I run it pretty clean with volume on 3 and master up to whatever I need but usually at 5. The Trebble and Bass usually sit around 8 and the Mid is at about 2-3. (I too have found that the amp sounds more dynamic with the Mid cut back) I don't know about the "breaking in" of the speaker, but the amp can be harsh. It's got a great clean sound the way I set it. I'm still finding lots of sounds and tone in the amp, so various tweaks in the guitar, amp and effects tone knobs create lots of variations - almost too many for me. I like things simple so I don't budge the amp controls that much. I use Boss Compression and Blues pedals. My Epi's bass can overwhelm many amps but with this amp the bass sounds pretty clean and feedback is manageable. With default amp settings, the bridge pu on the Strat is harsh though, so I either have to roll of the Trebble or stick to the other pu's. I've been doing the later lately and enjoying mixing the tones as your can do on the Strat's 2nd and 4th pu's. I don't plan to play big halls so I think the presence of the amp will work for me. I'll know something about how it will work in performance next month when I actually get out and play for some people.

I'm banking on the well known Fender quality. My Strat has not given me any problems in over 30 years of playing. I hope this little amp will follow suit. I've had it only a couple of months. While I can't attest to this amp's particular reliability, I can say that I tried several other amps over a period of months in the store. I was dismayed to see how many of the amps in the guitar store would develop problems from the constant playing by customers. I took a Vox amp home to try out and it acted up on me and three of the Vox floor models had issues that the salesman could not fix. I never noticed any problems with the Fender BJ's though.

Never had to call Fender customer support.

I've been playing for about 40 years, on and off. I own and play a Yamaha solid wood acoustic, a Yamaha classical guitar, a Gitane D-500, a 70's Strat, a Joe Pass Emperor II Epiphone, a beat up OM-16 Martin guitar and a Music Man 75 watt 2x12 amp. I chose this product because it sounded good with both my electric guitars. (You know it sounds decent if the sales people and discerning customers-players come over to listen to you play)I would go to the store and plug in the store's Strat and Epi into various amps, play for a while and repeat the practice the next week. Since things sound differently on different days, I kept going back doing my tests -- it was driving the sales people nuts. I would have liked to have compared it to a Polytone, since I enjoy jazz, but there were more issues noted on the Internet about Polytone realiability and the BJ, tweed version, worked just fine with my guitars. The way I see it, you need to make sure that your guitar(s) and amp combo match well. I had to have an amp that could reach a lot of music genres and this one did it. If it were stolen or lost, I'd probaly play around testing what was out there but there's a good chance I'd select the BJ again.

Great little amp with a retro vibe. Very simple single channel layout with reverb and a fat switch, upgraded with the Jensen speaker and lacquered tweed.

I'm mainly a rockabilly guy and my main guitars are a Gretsch 6120 and Duo Jet.

I mainly use it for club gigs (it's louder than it looks) with the volume on about 8 and the master volume to suit. It has alot of midrange snarl and like the previous reviewer, I play with the midrange backed right off.It has a rawer sound than your typical smooth clean Fender, ideal for the style I play.

I also play jazz and with a tweek to the settings, it makes a fine little jazz combo.

The only mod I made was to swap out the original EL 84's and replaced them with Tesla's which gave me a little brighter and more dynamic tone.

I originally bought this amp to gig with because of the continual problems I'd been having with my AC 15.

It's played many gigs and has never missed a beat.

Also the lacquered tweed is very durable.

Never dealt with them, but it has a 5 year warranty.

Been playing for about 25 years and have owned many amps and I've come to really love this one.

I originally bought it on a whim because I needed something quick and to be honest I wasn't overly impressed initially but after many hours of gigging with it, the tone seems to have opened up and the speaker seems to have broken in nicely.

The only thing I'm not overly impressed with is the reverb. It's really cavernous. It takes you from dry to Dick Dale with half a turn of the knob (I'm a slapback guy anyway so it's not a big issue).

Overall a great little amp.

Low wattage tube amp with three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes. Jensen ceramic "made in Italy" speaker. Fat switch which increases preamp circuit gain. Single channel, master-volume design with midrange control in addition to bass and treable dials. Cabinet is particle board and wiring is PCB. A low cost amp dressed up with some laquer and a speaker upgrade.

For what it's designed for, I give it a 10. Heck, I'd give it a 12 if that were allowed.

First, the obligatory background: I have played professionally since the 1970's. I currently play in two bands, and pick up work from time to time (check out my personal website, http://www.guitardavetaylor.com ). I use all kinds of electric guitars, including a stock Gibson 61 SG reissue, a heavily modified Epiphone Emperor archtop, reissue Strats and Teles, you get the picture. I have owned and operated vintage and newer Fenders, including a '59 Champ, '64, 65, 66 and 67 Super Reverbs, 65, 71 and 65-reissue twins, Blues Deluxe(s), 2-12 Blues Deville, 67 Vibroluxe. (note - I am not a collector - these have all been players).

I play jazz, blues, funk, rock, and assorted other flavors.

Now back to the original statement, "For what it's designed for...". This amp is strictly old-school blues, r&b. You plug straight in and crank it. On the right settings, it has a creamy overdrive without having to lean to heavily on the master volume. The midrange control is a nice feature because, at full volume, this amp sounds great with the midrange rolled completely off. That's right. Turn the damn midrange off - the 'boxy sound' problem goes completely away and the amp really comes to life.

BTW, I played this same amp with the stock Eminence speaker, and the Jensen is a huge improvement. It puts you right in the sweet spot.

Note - if you want screaming distortion, this is not the right amp for you. If you want rich, warm overdrive that makes people in the audience go "Yea!", check it out.

Aside from owning a few other brands over the years, I've owned Fenders since 1976 and have never had many problems. The few I've had were very serviceable.

Have never dealt with Fender Warranty service.

Overall rating = I use it to supplement my other sounds. It sets next to a higher wattage amp that gets used with a Tube Screamer for more edge and sustain. Using an a/b box, I switch to this amp for that fat, "old school" tone, sans effects. It rocks.

Brand new 2005 I believe, Tweed lacquer finish, Jensen C12N speaker. I just sold my american made Fender Blues Jr with a 12 Emenence Speaker all though it never said anything other than fender musical instrument on it. I bought this one because it looks better to me and the sound is better. My old 2000 jr had a hum noise inherent with the reverb, a problem they have sense solved. Made in mexico I am not to keen on but it appears to be the same amp just up graded speaker and covering with out the reverb hum. So all in all I am very happy. This is a must amp for any guitar player a deffinate work horse that never fails.

I have been playing for 41 years. I play Xaviere copy of ES335 which is better than my 335 and a Strat Deluxe thru it and both sound great. My style is mainly blues but I can rock as well as play jazz. If you haven't picked up to the new Xaviere model X900 you might want to scope it out on ebay. That is the only place you can buy it and the only person selling it is Jay. For the money one hell of a guitar. You can read my review on it as well here at HC.

There is no Amp made more reliable than a fender.

Fender factory has always been very helpful in answering any questions I have about any of there products and have always been good to deal with.

I would not be without one. In addition I intend on adding another piece of equipment to my arsenal soon which will be Crate Power Block stereo amp which sounds excellent for an amp that is no tube. I love this guy because it is so small it fits in your glove compartment and makes a great back up amp in case any problems should happen on sight at a gig. After playing thru one plugged into a celestian I am sold that this is a great sounding amp for the money and built solid. 150 watts stero I believe and very impresive. Small is good best and better. Tired of lugging big amps around.

First let me say that the amp I'm reviewing isn't just the laquer tweed Fender Blues Junior. This is a laquer tweed Blues Junior that has gotten the modding treatment by Bill Machrone, a tube amp tech in New Jersey.
his web page on Blues Jr modding is http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bluesjunior.htm.
He can be emailed at machrone@comcast.net
I believe his website has instructions on how to upgrade your Blues Junior, but I just mailed him the chassis out of mine and he did some magic on it.

He modifies the tone stack with orange drop caps. He adds bias pots which work individually on each power tube so that not only can you Bias the amp...but you can use unmatched tubes.

He also adds a presence control...all for about 120.00

Let me say that when I bought this amp it was very good. I could give it all the superlatives the "relic" guy gave it for his Blues Junior....
But after I got this thing back. Well I got to figure I have the ultimate boutique amp here. I can't live without the presence control this guy added. He made the drive sounds a lot smoother when you turn down the master.The bass is really defined and doesn't flop around at cranked volumes. I'm thinking of getting rid of all my other amps because of this little guy. The reverb is better too. If you are a tech...just read his web site and maybe understand better what he does.
All i can say is that it's the best amp I've played.

Blues Juniors are put together cheaply. But the cost is low and the thing sounds so good...If it ever breaks I'll go through whatever it takes to restore the thing to whatever specs it is now.

After the mods you void the warrantee. I don't care. It was worth it.

I'd don't care how much you love your BJ. Bill Machrone can make it better.

The amp I am submitting this review on is the Fender Blues Jr., Special Edition, Tweed, with the 12" Italian made Jensen Speaker.
What a surprise!!
Here's the deal; I have been on the "hunt" for the sound, we all know what that's like, not fun, but it is a journey.
I'm playing a '04 Powerhouse Strat, with the 12DB overdrive built in.
The sound I want will range from "Creamy overdriven Clapton", "Clear-Driven-Carlos's sustain", Mark Knopfler's un-mistakable sound from "Sultans of Swing", the "Hollow-Gritty-Hear the Ridges" on the 4th, 5th., & 6th. string of SRV, to the almost spiritual sound of Hendrix's Axis, Bold as Love, .... and I want it using as little pedals as possible.
Using an T-S9 Tube Screamer, not overly distorted, an old DOD EQ, just to be able to contoll the high & mids, then, using the master volume, in conjunction with the standard volume control ... IT NAILS THEM ALL!
1 channel, no loops, no headphone jacks, just sraight forward.
It does have a "FAT" option that adds just the wright on "fullness" to the sound. (note: the foot switch is "optional".
My othe guitars include a '72 Tele Thin-Line that I purchased new, which is set up for "slide only" as well as a Washburn ES20 Eric Sandias/Elecrict Resonater, also for slide. They all sound great.
Don't let the 15 Watt rating make it sound like it's only for the bedroon.
I've been using it in mid-size clubs & @ 1/2 it's rock'n, and sounding purrrrrfect!
My other amp is a Mesa F-50, withan addition 1-12" cab, which I love, but this little Jr. damb near fits in my back pocket ha-ha!

I think I wrote most of my thought already, but sound wise I give it great marks!
It was suggested that one couold change the tubes to ones that would "break-up" at a highr point, giving more to the clear end, which I may consider, but right, it all good!

I'm hoping ....... 6 months ago I purchased 2 differnt Hot Rod Deville's, 1 the reverb spring was broken, returned for another, and the drive channel made so much noise, I took it back and bouth the F50.

No comment regarding this amp

I been playing 38 years, yes you are right, I did start at 3!!
I love this question, "If it was lost or stolen", man, that would be a heartbreak, it doesn't leave my sight, or someone I know,but YES, I would buy one again.
Please remember, this is not the standard Blues Jr.
On another note: for those playing a strat, I just purchased the "Clapton 25DB" kit to upgrade my 12DB, which is now available for around $75.00.
If let on 0, sounds stay clean, as yuo move towards 10, the sounds "fatten" as you boost both the Mids as well as the voulme.
It's like have an EQ at your finger tips ... just something to take with you on your journey towards your own sound!

I'm taking the time to write this review in hopes of dispelling some misconceptions about this amp. I am refering to the Blues Junior Ltd. Edition Relic. There is also a non-relic version with a different speaker reviewed elsewhere. This "Relic" version, is a very specific amp. I believe this was a short lived edition that Fender produced to test the waters for relic merchandise, and to mess with stock Blues Junior owners.

As of this writing, what was produced, is out there, done.

Basically, it's a Blues Junior. Same guts and schematic as the licorice flavored black Tolex models. The Blonde vanilla versions, same thing. You can obtain the details from other posts and on the Fender website. The only significant difference, (and a BIG one) is the speaker (Jensen P12R) and a rather amusing job of "distressing" the lacquered tweed covering, knobs, handle, and faceplate. At 15W, it will not humble a Dumble but in it's own way, I believe it merits a place in the pantheon of must have amps.

I have a rather modest group of four guitars. A JLV Strat with Kinman AVn Blues; a stock MIM Tex-Mex w/Rosewood slab; a Epi LP Gold-Top RI with SD P90's: and finally, a LP Classic with SD59's. A good cross section of rock and blues tools. I have spent a long time burnishing them into sonic shape with modifications, set-ups, string guages, and the like. I am comfortable that whatever talent I possess, I can at least express myself without thinking, "If only I had done this to the ....". Therefore, I set out to find the amp(s) to best compliment these instruments.

Without boring you, let's say I have gone through a rather long list of both stock and boutique circuits in an effort to find THE amp. As most of us can attest, that beast is probably just around the corner, languishing on ebay, or amongst some stunning guitarists stage rig. However, until said beast arrives at my door, I amuse myself with an array of amps that do "this" or "that". I would characterize my preferred style of music as "guitar driven". I'm one of those rhythm players. I would never shy away from taking a solo, but I prefer the lost art of rhythm playing. The parallel would be "sit-ups" as opposed to the use of a "Bowflex" machine.

In the past, I have played through a number of Blues Juniors. Some modified, some not. Each possessed something the others did or did not have. At best, I had always considered the Blues Junior as a "make do" starter amp. Not a Swiss Army knife small combo, but a one note, somewhat flexible low watt amp with iffy reverb. I was never shy about expressing this opinion to others when the Blues Junior entered the conversation, or shared the stage. One day, a very good, respected player I have the honor to know and play with, challenged me to try the "Relic" edition I'm reviewing.

What follows is my testimonial. I bought it on the spot!

Trying to apply creamy, dripping with this or that, clean, lush, tweedy, blackface, glassy, sweet highs, solid mids, deep lows, dynamic response, vintage etc. etc. to any amp, is merely an exercise in thumbing through a Thesaurus. Try as we will, our personal impression and the superlatives or dispersions we cast upon any amp, is a type of salesmanship, intended to convince, (mostly) ourselves that we invested well in our purchase or avoided sonic disaster.

So, what I will say out of complete conviction, is that each guitar, played through this amp, comes as close to what I wanted/dreamed that guitar would sound like. Of course you cannot possibly know what that means, or how it relates to your interest in this amp. The best I can offer is that sonically, this amp is very different from the all the other Blues Juniors I have played. When placing it amongst other players and amps, most if not all agree that this version is something very special.

If pressed, I would identify this amp as a CBGB, (Country,Bluegrass,Blues) amp. Good volume on stage and in the studio. It's only failing might be it's lack of stature to nestle amongst some 100w stacks. High GAIN is not a part of the Blues Junior's circuit design. So perhaps the ROCK in this amp depends on your area of expertise.

In the relatively short time I have owned this amp - it starts and stops on cue. The warranty is still very much in effect. However, if any repairs are needed, my tech will do the work.

On that note, I surrendered the amp to him for a sort of analysis. He confirms that it is in fact a stock Blues Junior. It was agreed that the Jensen RI speaker plays a significant factor in the tone of this amp. Having said that, we removed the Jensen speaker and placed it in a stock Blues Junior (licorice version). After about 10 minutes of play, we both looked at one another and nodded that this was not the same tone we enjoyed from the "relic" cabinet and amp. Stock Fender (Eminence) in relic cab. Stock Blues Junior sound.

We returned the Jensen to it's rightful place. Switched it on, and the magic was back. Go figure.

Customer Support. Yes.

I believe I'm doing my part.

In summation, I return to my opening statement about my interest in dispelling some misconceptions about the Blues Junior Ltd. Edition Relic.

Until now I have not addressed the issue of this amp's cosmetic appearance, other than to list the "distressed" elements rendered so by the effects department at Fender. After some 40 years of playing guitar on and off stage, I believe I can honestly say I have seen and heard some wonderful amps. Some great ones looked like they had traveled from gig to gig on the roof of a Mini-Bus, and did. Fender has created a NOS (Not Only Sound) amp. The cosmetic details, er flaws were intentional in an effort to create the ultimate vintage, "relic" vibe.

There are those persons who find the ownership of a "relic" amp or guitar dishonest. They rail against the lack of authenticity, the audacity and foolishness of paying for a "special effect". Subliminally, the boo-birds claim that the "relic" owner is assuming the mantle of experience without having "paid the dues". These comments are rife with Freudian implications that I will not even attempt to address in this space. To the doubters and purists I say, more of your attention needs to be paid to the music that eminates from the source, than the issues of ego and authenticity some find so crucial to their own enjoyment. I seem to recall that Bob Dylan had this problem some years ago as well.

Hopefully, the Fender marketing department is enjoying their moment of Zen right now.

To continue, I don't feel like an imposter. On the contrary, whenever I play this amp, it feels like I'm finally playing the real thing, whatever that is. I have an amp that gives me very satisfying tone, in a package that permits the random scuff or ding to become part of the design, not cause for an insurance claim. It does not require a roadie to move it, or a tractor trailer to transport it. These are all positive "old fashioned" attributes that any purist could embrace.

Physically, the amp is a throwback to the original amplifier designs of the 50's. Compact, radiolike in size and power. The retro chicken head knobs are period correct as well. All these features characterize the current Hot Rod and Historic Re-issue line of Fender amps. Does that make all the other stock Blues Junior, 59' Bassman, Tweed Twin, and Hot Rod Deluxe owners posers as well? Absolutely not, they are preservationists. Amp huggers if you will.

So please do not assume that the Blues Junior Ltd. Edition Relic is only a marketing gimmick designed to identify the fool with the fake. It is one of those rare magical amps that one must seek out and play, to fully appreciate. It has not caused me to divest of my other amps. They all have their place and function for my needs. I will say, that of late, I am almost always grabbing this amp whenever I go out to play. It's always handy.

If it were stolen?

Not if, so much as when. Several band and jam mates are clearly planning their moment to pounce. Therefore, I cannot imagine someone stealing this amp unless they know exactly what they are stealing. The "relic" finish of this amp acts as a bit of camouflage. It's appearence suggests a broken, worthless garage sale orphan, hardly worth the risk. It's the Walking Stick of the amp kingdom. So, that too is a positive attribute for the uninsured.

The Fender Blues Junior Ltd. Edition Relic is a moment in history. If you own one, it's a little bit of history repeating every time current flows through those tubes. It does not require a second mortgage on your domicile to acquire it, nor the gentle care and feeding that many other amps I have owned must have.

If my only liability owning this amp, is the ridicule and shame for owning a "relic", I can handle that. I'm a bit of a relic myself, with many self-inflicted dents, dings, scuffs and stains. However, turn me on, and I work and play very well with others.

I'd just like to add a few points about this amp that I've noticed from research and playing the amp a few weeks now. The amp does NOT have an adjustable bias. That normally wouldn't be an issue but the rumor is that the amps are biased extremely hot from the factory. The sound is great but unless you are willing to modify this amp by retrofitting a bias control on it, you'll probably go through tubes quicker. Don't get me wrong...the amp sounds great. But I just pulled the tubes to check and even though the amp is brand new, the tubes have that brownish cast to the glass. I have also heard issues with the fact that this amp cuts a lot of corners when it comes to quality. Ribbon connectors to the tubes, plastic tube sockets connected straight to the board, Cheaper components. But again, the sound is awesome...but probably not built to last. My guess is that a "repair" on an amp like this would involve replacing the board entirely more than just replacing individual components.

Sounds awesome clean. Not much distortion quality though.

see above.

For 400 bucks did you really expect a bullet proof transformer, PTP wiring, and a pine cabinet?

Just picked up this baby and paid RETAIL for it. Am I an idiot or what? I'm sure I could have bought it cheaper online or on Ebay. WHy did I walk into a local music store and buy it? Well, because I got to play it first and these are getting hard to find. The salesman said "The tweed makes this amp sound better than the standard model." I kid you not. That was enough to make me try it. Either he was stupid or just saying that to get me to A/B the amp against a standard Blues Jr. Sure enough. The tweed one sounded better. I looked in side and informed him that the speaker and tubes were different and that was probably why. Made in Italy Jensen speaker and Sovtek tubes. Laquered tweed 15 watt class A/B amp with spring reverb. It has a master volume, fat switch and bass/ mid/ trebel Not much else. Solid stete rectifier. That's probably a good thing in this small of an amp. a tube rectifier wouldn't improve sound much at this low wattage and probably hurt reliability.

This amp sounds awesome but it mostly excels at one thing: cleans to mild breakup. Forget about heavy distortion by turning down the master and cranking up the volume. As a matter of fact, I would say that master volumes don't work well with most amps for that. It's not going to sound as good as pushing the tubes from the front with a good pedal or high output pickups. Leave the master on "12" and just adjust the volume. I'd even consider installing a bypass switch myself but it's no big deal. If it gets too loud to get the distortion you like, stick a TS808 or somesuch in front of it and lower the volume instead of lowering the master . The fat switch is worthwhile but I can't believe anyone would buy the "optional pedal" to control it. It's not that big of a change. The reverb is o.k. but like most Fenders it seems to turn into a cavern past 3. A bit thin too. I have a Deluxe Reverb reverb tank I might try with it to see what happens.

But for that tube sound thats lush and full at moderate volumes this amp has got the goods.

It's new but I Do like the way they've got brackets and dampers on the tubes to avoid rattle.

The closest amp I can compare this to would be a blackface Deluxe Reverb. It has the same kind of clean sound with mild breakup, but one less channel and a punchier sound. If you are looking for a tube amp for home and small band work, this is the amp because it's cheaper than boutique amps that sound the same. At least if you shop around unlike me, who just throws money at the first one he sees. It might also work well in a band/bar setting miked for the PA..we'll see about that.
I'd probably like to change the reverb to be better and maybe get rid of the master volume. Other than that it's a great find. a lot different than the standard Blues Jr's in sound...but maybe swapping out the speaker and tubes would bring it up to this one's level.

"Wow".. That was the first word out of my mouth when I plugged my Strat into a Limited Edition "Blues Junior" Tweed Amp(relic). "Awesome" was the second word. Although I don't really care for any of the "relicized" Fender instruments, they are almost always the best sounding products that Fender makes.(I would much rather be the one responsible for whatever rust and/or dings my amps or guitars may suffer.) This particular little flame thrower of an amp was the only one around so.... I did what had to be done: I BOUGHT IT! I was able to get it for $425. too... which was the best price I could find anywhere. (Guitar Center) This amp's reverb is too sweet.. the best in any combo out there when playing clean. The dirty tones are there also... with very useful overdriven distortion sounds at your fingertips. My salesman "John" asked me: "Do you know why this little baby sounds so good?" I guessed right the first time replying: "It's the Jensen speakers ain't it?" John replied, "Yep".
No doubt the Jensen single 12" speaker is at the heart of thus great amps sound but the whole package is worthy of a "10 rating"

If you can find one of these Limited Edition babies (they stopped production) get it! JimmyD said so.

PS: Can you say "Da Bomb?" This amp is it.

Reliable and sturdy. No problems so far. Love it

5 yr. warranty... No problems so far..and don't expect any.

I'm 55 yrs old and have been playing guitar for 40yrs. If this amp was stolen I would dedicate my life and resources to finding the Monster who took it. (you don't want to know what I would do to him/her)