Fender Blues Junior

Features are covered well in other reviews but I want to talk about the Reverb. It is a strong reverb & has a bongy sound to it which is irritating. It also, on occasions, HOWLS. (some reviewers called this a hum, but my bass player called it a howl, and that's closer.) It look a while to figure out what it was. My music man has the reverb tank wrapped in a naugahyde bag, so I did that for mine. Just took it loose from the bottom, wrapped it in a big piece of naugahyde, and fastened that to the bottom with four 1" drywall screws & fender washers (what else?) That pretty much cured the bonging. The howl is caused by tilting back the amp a little. For years, reverb tanks have been sensitive to tilt (the tiltback feature on early Fenders actually improved the reverb sustain.) This is a little too sensitive, and I hope Fender reads this and does something about it. (I will probably write them and see what happens.) Anyway, my BJ needs to sit upright & not tilted back.

I use this with a 52 Gibson ES-140 with two P-90 pickups. I'm looking for a clean mellow jazz sound like Tal Farlow or a little more edge like Kenny Burrell. (I have a jazz trio that plays a restaurant gig, too loud & we're gonzo.) The amp is loud, but doesn't seem to have a lot of headroom before it starts to break up. Wonderful for blues, but not so good for jazz. But I like the tube sound, and I don't need that much headroom.

I think the preamp tubes are too exposed. They are better than the Peavey Classic 20 which I just dumped, but still subject to being knocked loose when you're packing the cord & moving. Be careful! The amp is well built, and on the edge of too heavy for a practice amp.

I tend to fix things myself, as you can see from my comments.

It is exactly what I was looking for in a second amp. (My primary is a Music Man HD210/130 -- 58 pounds, very heavy to move.)
I thought maybe I could put in a DPDT power switch with a middle position for standby, but it doesn't look easy. (Otherwise, I think Fender would have done it.

One channel, master, pre amp gain, reverb, bass, mid, treble, FAT switch. All tube with electronics on printed circuit board. Plenty of power for moderate volume jams. Features are sparse but certainly adequate to get the Fender sound you are so familiar with. Nice addition would include a footswitchable reverb (I don't go for the same color sound all night, do you?). You have to remember that this is a low priced tube amp. Other useful features missing include an additional extension speaker jack out, standby, effects loop and headphone jack but for this little money what did you expect? Spend the extra $45 bucks for a cover and the vintage one button switch to activate the FAT control (my listed price did not include this).

I am playing a '76 strat with EMG's in it (soon to be replaced with Lindy Fralins - can't wait!). This amp is really good for all music styles especially if you have a distortion stomp box for rock. I mainly play blues and the Fender tone comes through pure and beautiful. Noise comes in at mid volume levels around 6 on the master and 6 on the pre amp gain. Above that it gets noisey but almost all amps with the pre amp gain and master cranked are. If you hook up a good overdrive/distortion box up to this amp it can get a downright mean sound. Plenty of feedback and harmonics (and noise oh well..) I think this amp gets a great overall sound from clean to scream at reasonable db levels (that's especially nice).

I think Fender could use a longer test/burn in period for all of their amps. I would not use it (or most other manufacturers amps for that matter) on a gig without a backup. My recommendation is that you go with a stereo set up anyway. You always have a backup if something blows up and when it is working properly the sound is much fuller (try the echo on one side clean and the other amp disorted). My Blues Junior amp blew out after about five uses. One of the 12ax7 tubes fried and upon further inspection by the tech a wire to or on the circuit board was poorly soldered. My amp was newly ordered with Groove tubes. I put an older model by the new one with the Groove tubes and the new one sounded better to me so I bought that. The store was kind enough to loan me the old one they had in stock while my new amp got repaired. I give this category a 5 for now. After a year or so that rating better improve or the store owner will probably beg me to trade it in on something else.

Five year warranty. I guess I got to test it sooner than I anticipated. My amp was repaired within five days at no charge. I have a feeling the way I play they may see me again during the next year. My advice is to buy the amp from a local music store and to establish a long term business relationship. Most of the store owners are very reasonable to deal with when it comes to price if you can demonstrate that you can buy the same product at a lower price somewhere else. Pay the extra 10%, support the local store and get good long term service.

Go check this amp out if you want the warm Fender sound at reasonable volume levels. I have been playing 30 years and have had only three other amps - Fender Super Reverb, Music Man RD210 and Mesa Boogie Mark IV. I would say that the Blues Junior is right there with the Mark IV as far as a pleasing sound goes. By the way my back feels alot better hauling the Junior instead of the Mark IV around. I guess I must be getting old.. I would consider getting another Junior for my stereo set up but will probably look at the Marshall 30 watt all tube combos. The reviews I read on those sound good as well. Jimi used those (of course a bit bigger and louder) and I guess most guitarists thought he sounded pretty good.

I'm sure you are all familiar with the features. I knew it had a input jack for switching the FAT switch on/off, but had to read the manual to find it. Forsome reason Fender chose to hide it inside the speaker cabinet right by the tubes. Not very convienent or safe.

I've read alot of bad reviews about the reverb, but I'm wondering if mine is especially bad. When the reverb is turned past 3, I'm getting this loud humming. It's so loud that you can't play over it without it still be heard. It sounds like a low pitch feedback, but its not. Since it doesn't matter how far from the amp I am or how loud the amp is set. I'm basically wondering if I have a bad amp or if this is typical of this amp. If so, the reverb is short and useless. On my Princeton Chorus, the reverb buzzes sometimes when put to 10, but nothing like the deep hum that the Blus Jr. is putting out. Is this typically of tube amps? If anyone has any answers/suggestions please e-mail me. I would appreciate it. I've only had the amp for a few days, but it may be to much amp for my bedroom. With the preamp on 12 my strat is just beginning to overdrive the amp. Otherwise, the tone is sweet and warm.

The verdict is yet to be determined. I may return it and try another one. I really like spring reverb, but so far I have been disappointed with this amp. I miss my little Fender Bronco I returned so I could buy the Blues Jr. Again, please e-mail me regarding the reverb problem.

By now, most of you probably know the features of this amp. 15 watt tube amp (mine came with Groove Tubes!), 2 EL84's and 3 12AX7 preamp tubes, single channel with fat switch (volume/gain boost), bass, middle, treble, volume, master volume, reverb. This amp is not the most versatile, but it doesn't try to be. What it is, is the best sounding, most inexpensive tube amp that I've ever played. For the money, IMHO, it can't be beat. I would have liked the ability to run an additional speaker, a standby switch would be nice as would a headphone jack, and I would really like to see some retaining clips for the pre-amp tubes. All in all, a great buy for the money. I'll rate this amp an 8. It's not the most versatile, but then again, I'm just looking for a good tone, and I don't need a lot of bell's and whistles.

I've been playing off and on for about 29 years. I'm into blues and classic rock and have performed in several bands. Currently, I'm using an Ibanez Artstar semi-hollow body with stock pickups. I plan on getting a Carvin Bolt or TL 60 for the single coil sound. I haven't found the amp to be that noisy at all. I really dont hear much noise when I crank the reverb, although there is some audible noise when I crank the pre-amp tubes, but that's to be expected. I've also found that there tends to be more noise if you're running single coils vs. humbuckers. IMHO, this amp really kicks! Seriously, for the price I paid, I can't believe how good this little amp sounds. I can get a nice clean tone as well as some cool overdrive blues tones, all the way up to some nasty, rock and roll tones. Also, this amp is loud for a 15 watter. It blows everything else away that I've heard in the same wattage or price range. I wish I had this amp years ago. Also, for you blues and ZZ Top lovers, I've found this little amp to have tremendous harmonic properties. I crank up the preamp, hit the fat switch, and dig into my strings with the edge of my pick, and boy do the harmonics come jumping out of the amp! Billy Gibbons, look out!! Since my amp is new, it also came with Groove Tubes standard. This is good for us cause I was gonna put em in anyway. Fender just saved me some $$. I'll probably replace the speaker though, with either a Celestion, or a Mojo.

I've had the amp now for almost 3 weeks. Years ago, in 1977, I had a deluxe reverb that would just cut out on me during a gig for a few minutes. I eventually sold it back to the guy that I bought it from (I could kick myself for doing that now). But I love the Fender tone. I try and try everything else, and always seem to come back to the Fenders. I took a look under the hood of my Blues Jr., Circuit board construction, but what do you expect for $300.00? Everything seemed to be neat and tidy and well constructed. I have no reason to doubt that this amp should last me for a good long time, although, as I stated before, I would like to see retaining clips for the pre-amp tubes. I don't think thats too much to ask. Also, the backboard is only about 1/4 inch thick. I think they could beef that up a tad. All in all, I'm more than satisfied with my purchase. Usually, in electronics, if something's gonna go (either due to poor manufacturing or poor quality) it usually goes fairly quickly. So far, no problems. If nothing develops in the first year, I should be in good shape. I can't rate the reliability of this amp as of yet, but I expect it to be ok. I can find no evidence to the contrary.

Warranty is for 5 years. No need to send in a warranty card, although you must keep your store receipt as that's what they use. I've never had to deal with Fender so I cant say whether they're good or bad, although it seems like every review that I've seen here has had horror stories about their customer service. My advice, if you're nice to people on the phone, they're generally nice back, unless they're complete idiots.

If this little amp ever got stolen or lost, I would immediately buy another, I love it that much. IMHO, it's the best deal going. In fact, I'm considering buying another so I can run them both together or in stereo. That way, my backup is already there. I love the tone of this amp; it cranks, its loud, it's light (32 lbs). I've tried many, many amps when in the music stores. I feel like I would have to spend a lot more money to get an amp that I like better. Sure, I've heard better sounding amps, ones that have tube reverb and a tube rectifier, but they're at least 2 or 3 times the cost of this amp, or more. But in this price/wattage range, the Blues Jr., is it for me. I really couldn't be more happy with my purchase of this amp. I would also like to thank Harmony Central and all the guitarists that took the time to express their opinions through the amp database. I read opinions on tons of different amps, and although I wouldnt just go out and buy something based on other peoples opinions, the amp database really helped me in determining which amps I really wanted to try. Look at all of the responses for the Blues, Jr. Almost everyone that responded loves this little amp. That was a big factor for me in determining to go out and try this amp, and I'm sooooo glad I did. Everyone's comments seemed to be right on. So again, thanks. Harmony Central made my search a lot more fun and less stressful!

What can I say? This amp does not have many features at all. In my opinion that is what usually makes for a great amp. For me, all I really play is blues and classic rock so I don't need something that has a lot of features and is versatile. Honestly, I don't know why everyone else is complaining about having no standby. The only use for a standby to me is if you are gigging and leave your amp on. I don't really know. What I do know is that you can't expect an amp to sound good and have a lot of features for $300. Yeah they could have added on a lot of features but then the amp would probably sound like flappin buttcrack because they would have to cut corners somewhere to keep the price down.

Blues, blues and more blues. I play on a couple of reissued strats and this amp sounds great with them. It is almost a no brainer to get a texas blues tone, but don't get me wrong I haven't been able to get a perfect SRV tone out of it. Only Stevie himself can get his tone. I think that the amp sounds best with the volume and master on 12 and no effects at all. It breaks up well when cranked but just like everyone else has said it is a bluesy distortion(hence the name). If you want heavy metal or something of that nature you probably wouldn't even consider listening to this amp and that would be a wise decision. The reverb is a little weak and noisy but that doesn't bother me too much.

The only problem that I have had is that a few screws came loose and it was rattling at higher volumes. Just tightened them up and kept on playing.

Never had to deal with them, and from what I have heard about them I hope I never have to.

I would definately buy it again. If it ever breaks, who cares. With the small price tag on them just buy another It is a great sounding and cheap amp. It might not compare to some other vintage amps but for just jamming around it is great.

You know the drill. 3 band eq, Fat switch, one channel, 2 volume controls, footswitch available for FAT mode. Like many of the other reviewers, I wish it had a standby switch. 15 Watts.

This thing is really sweet. For 15 watts, this thing screams. For a practice amp this thing could keep up in any garage or small club. I play classic rock and blues, and this thing is perfect. You get a really sweet distortion when you put it in the overdrive mode. At higher volumes you get a little cabinet rattling, but that's unnoticeable at lower volumes. I've got a strat, and the compatibility between the two is excellent.

I've only had it since Christmas 97, so I can really say.

No problems yet. Standard Fender 5 year warranty except for tubes. They give you a full schematic if you're into tweaking your gear yourself.

I've been playing of for 25 years. I'm not a pro, so I'm not sure how well this would hold up for gigging. Overall, the sound is really, really sweet. You've got to love tubes, this is no grunge-metal machine. This amp is made for blues/rock afficionados.

This amp's features are not for technophiles. It's you, six knobs - three for tone (bass, mid, and treble), one for master volume, one for preamp/volume, and one for reverb - and a "FAT" push button. No standby switch (which would be a welcome addition, it certainly can't hurt to protect those five (three 12AX7 and two EL34s) tubes), no effects loop. But, Fender's line of amps have rarely had all the bells and whistles of some of their tonal competitiors (Mesa, Marshall, VHT, Rivera, Carvin etc.) This particular line of "little guys" has features simiar to a Matchless, only about a bazillion times less expensive.

In brief, the sounds of this amp ROCK. I have an early 1990s Carvin DC127 with two M22 series humbuckers (one neck, one bridge). These pickups have exceptionally high outputs and clarity. My playing style has changed significantly over the nine years I've been playing - I'm currently exploring a weird amalgam of Bill Frisell, Buckethead, and Hum - and this is the first amp in this price range to be able to accommodate all my sonic tastes.
I run Boss effects in series - Dunlop CryBaby, Octave, Metal Zone, Super Phaser, Super Chorus, and Digital Delay (DD5) - right into the input, crank the master and the bass, give the midrange some clarity by twisting it to 3 (despite the Metal Zone, I can't stand totally scooped Napalm Death sounds), turn the treble to 8, leave the volume/preamp at 2.5, juice the reverb to about 3 and away we go.
This is easily the loudest, cleanest, and most satisfying lower-wattage amp I have ever played. It exceeds the expectations I had of it, and continues to make me feel really good when I hear it. Distortion - Metal Zone or otherwise - sounds amazing through the tubes and the clean sounds rival some of the high-end Fenders, Marshalls, Mesas, and boutique amps.
This amp easily covers all musical styles, especially for neo-jazz-country-metal heads like myself. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a lot out of a small package.

I've had it for about three weeks. No problems yet, and none I can really expect either. Everything except for the tubes is covered by a five-year warranty from Fender, and the store I bought it from in Portsmouth, N.H., automatically doubles manufacturer's warranties.

See the above category. I haven't had to deal with anything yet, and knowing Fender amp owners I probably won't have to. That is, as long as someone doesn't spill something ont it, kick it REALLY hard, or drop it from my house's roof.

In short, an absolutely outstanding amplifier for the money, the tone, and the flat-out ease of use. I have yet to hear anything in this price range ($300 - $500) that comes even close.

The BJ seems to have what it takes feature-wise. The Fat-switch can compensate for channels. Having Reverb is cool, except...read on.

I have 4 or 5 other amps, all tube (Marshall Jubilee Combo, 1968 Vibrolux, Blackface Bassman Stack...). I use a couple of Strats, + a gibson Howrd Roberts..I've been playing, mainly the Blues for around 25 years now. Well I hate to be the one braking the bad news...This Amp doesn't have the great tone all these entries seem to be bragging about. Don't get me wrong: Mine isn't noisy & has been reliable hrough gigs. Its shortcomings are the following: Boxy bass response, lack of brightness-brittleness (they call it "vintage" sounding, weel it ain't - sorry). The BJ definitely responds way better to Gibsons than Fenders. The Reverb is of a TOTALLY unacceptable quality. It adds a card-box kind of feel, & it is of a less quality than any Peavey for that matter. I know I've been playing Super-Reverbs & Vibrolux, but I've played & gigged through Peavey Bandits too, U know. Sure the amps has a smooth overdrive when cranked with a Gibson. But what Amp doesn't? On the other hand, the BJ has an awkward bass response. I set it simply at 0. The 3-buttons equalizer doesn't seem to change anything to its structural shortcomings..YOU CAN'T really do anything tone-wise. True that amp has one sound, but don't think this is the ultimate Blues sound. Look, nobody plays & love tube amps more than me..But don't fall for that advertising gimmick: a good transistor amp would be better than the BJ. The Express 112 (Peavey), the Roland Blues-Cube, The Trace-Elliot Tramp, etc..all are amps that surpass in my humble opinion the BJ. They make better practice amps. They simply sound better. The BJ doesn't sound that much better than the 15watts, 8'speaker SQUIER. as simple as that. THerefore, we will have to rate the amp less than average. I am afraid also to announce that the following entries are misleading. I hate to see a beginner buying this amp thinking it's the ultimate Blues tone. It is an OK amp, & that's the best by far that can be said of it. Compared to a silverface Priceton reverb (fetching $ 250-300 on the used market), the BJ is history..

Andy Ruhl, from Machine Guns Amps (that's a boutique specialized in reshaping Balckfaces Fenders), I mean the guy is a Guru. He know hi sstuff. Well he had this to say about the BJ inside: "It is scaringly cheap, wouldn't last more than a couple of years". We will have to see on this. A guy that spends 18 hours a day fixing, rebuildind, designing tube amps, well, I have to trust him on that one.

Don't know.

Wouldn't buy it again. Would want to try something else. That Reverb is stil ringing in my ears. Yikes!!!!!!!

I want to say at the outset how much I love this little amp. Its features define simplicity, and that ain't bad. Still, could it be better? A headphone jack would be nice., so too would a standby switch. And, I'm not so sure about the upside down control panel labels if, like me, you adjust the amp while standing in front of it. Finally, include the foot pedal for the FAT switch. Its the classy thing to do.

Ah, the sounds. Sparkling clean with my '62 Vintage Strat, warm and toasty with a Heritage 535. I own a '67 Super Reverb which, IMHO, defines the Fender clean sound. The problem with the SR is the deafening volume level required to overdrive it. (OK, one solution was a Boss BD-2). The Blues Jr., on the other hand, solves this problem with 25 fewer watts and a preamp gain control. The result? Nicely overdriven tones from single coils or humbuckers without esxcessive harshness, and at volume levels that won't leave your ears ringing. The only (small) negative is a slightly noisy reverb that starts to hiss at you at 4 or 5.

Just got the amp so really can't say. But, my '67 Super Reverb has, other than being retubed a few times, never needed repairs. I'd love to get the same 30 years out of the Blues Junior

N/A

Its a wonderful little box. Sweet, warm, the loudest 15 watts I ever heard, and only 32 lbs. I'm looking forward to lots of playing time, live and on tape, with this amp.

Great tone and reverb. Not too complicated for a beginner (like me). Could have used a headphone jack. Great "play in your bedroom" amp. Has the ol' Fender tube-tone and you don't have to rattle the windows to get it. My neighbors are thrilled! (So am I.)

I'm using a heavily modified old Epiphone melody maker with 2 humbucking pickups (treble pickup = Carvin, bass pickup of unknown origin but high output). I am playing electric 12-bar blues (my passion). The ampo can go from clean and sweet to growly to fully distorted fuzz. The reverb has just enough character to really flavor the sound. Classic Fender. I was using a Crate GX40M for a practice amp. Holy Cow - its much more fun to play through the Fender.

So far so good (only got it today). The amp came with SovTech tubes. I had expected Groove Tubes. Oh well. My friend services tube amps so I am not really concerned about Fender service.

We tried to get into the factory in Ensenada, Baja, Mexico last week for a tour. They were polite but very insistent that we could not get in. That's the extent of my experience with the company. Love the local dealer, however!

Been hacking for a long time; trying to learn to play only recently. Love the guitar; love it more with my Blues Junior. I'll never buy a non-Fender amp again. They're the best for my taste in music. Years ago, I had a brown Fender Super amp with 2-10's and no reverb (why oh why did I sell it?). That baby really sang! This is just as good in a smaller more versitile package.