Fender Blues Junior

I got my Blues junior new in 98. I traded a silverface fender twin reverb for it as well as for some other stuff. Don't get me wrong the twin is a great amp but my wife and I were about to have a baby and carting around heavy amps isn't in the cards for me anymore.The amp has vertually no bells or whistles, just solid tube sound.I change tones with a Digitech RP12 so for the amp to have channel switching and the like is pointless for me. I just use the amp at home and once in a while I get out and jam.The junior is a VERY loud 15 watts. I've owned high powered amps before and had jam mates tell me to turn down.This way I can cook the power amp a bit for tone and not be arrested.

I have a 57 strat reissue and a custom guitar I had built for me.The custom has the same tone woods as a Les Paul with a Gibson P 100 in the neck and a Duncun Seth Lover humbucker in the bridge. I try to emulate the sounds of Hendrix,Cream era Eric Clapton and serveral others." Why don't you have a Marshall stack? You ask? No room, a landlord ,and no roadie.Again I change sounds with the Digitech unit but the Junior gives a certain warmth to the RP12s' sounds that I like.

Works great and has never broke down. I've pushed pretty hard too.

I haven't dealt with Fender for any breakdowns but I have e-mailed requests for ideas on sound and amp settings and they've got back to me every time.

I've been playing for almost 20 years. I don't own a lot of gear anymore as guitar playing has kind of taken a back seat to my wife and little boy but I've had tons of gear go through my hands. I've had Marshalls,Boogies,and a few Fenders prior to my little friend. I love the fact that the power amp can be worked hard without spliting your ear drums.I've always been more interested in tone than in technique. I might try something else if this was to get stolen but I like to try different things every few years anyway. This is a great amp over all. If pure clean Fender tone is what your after in a small package,go for it. I think you could definately gig with it if you had a good P.A. and a drummer who wasn't overly loud. I'm a firm believer in the idea that tube amps sound better the louder they're turned up.At 15 watts you don't need to sacrifice tone for disturbing the peace.

15 watts tube, one 12" speaker, reverb, and a master volume. one channel, with a boost switch. they told me at the store that this amp is new and that only 100 of them were made. i'm not sure i believe that, but i've never seen another junior like it. the tweed has been lacquered into an absolutely gorgeous orangish-brown. i mean it's stunning. and there's a raggedy-looking leather handle, no back plate, and the reverb is mounted on the SIDE of the cabinet instead of on the bottom. weird. if anybody knows anything about this amp, or has one like it, i'd love to know more. what i DO know is that it sounds great. i gig with it and use it on sessions here in nashville and on the road, mostly country music. as far as i'm concerned, for $300 bucks and 15 watts, it's loaded with features. hey, it has more than one knob!

i have a JD telecaster with seymour duncan pickups - mini humbucker in the neck and a nashville studio in the bridge. these PUs are a bit hotter than stock ones and you get clipping earlier than with my american standard teles.
but this is a small point, because the amp is going to break up, no matter what pickups you're using. the break-up is smooth and even, and you really can manipulate the volume and master to get a variety of sounds. they're all 15W 1X12 tweed sounds, but there's a lot of them. my style is Jerry Reed meets Van Halen - lots of spankin' and poppin' and smackin' and bending and twisting and contorting - behind-the-nut bends and a lot of bends combined with finger-tapping. note definition is always better with just a guitar and an amp. this goes for any style. this blues junior defines notes very well, coloring them a bit, as all but the very best amps will do.
a two-humbucker 335 copy i have also sounds great through this: enormous chunky fat thing. i like my tube amps like i like my women: warm and fat. ..er....not really. i like the reverb, but i'm not picky about reverb. noise is minimal, with the standard tube amp fluourescent light exceptions. it's loud enough to gig with unless your band just plays really really loud, in which case you probably don't care about tone anyway. i saw the Dixie Chicks' guitarist using one of these when he was playing with Kentucky Thunder (another group with three women, oddly enough)and he said he gigs with it all the time. and that guy plays some big joints.

one other thing. this lacquered tweed cabinet produces a different sound than the black tolex ones. it's a bit more open and woody (whatever the hell means) and sounds slightly less compressed. that is, less british and more fender, even with the identical tubes. but the black ones have a cool vibe too.

it seems sturdy enough. i have not had the rattle problem everybody's talking about. i don't know about that beat-up leather handle, though. i haven't had it long i keep meaning to get spare tubes and fuses to take to gigs, but the tubes refuse to break. and don't use used fuses. i refuse to use used fuse refuse.

i have not contacted fender. i have an amp tech sent directly from God.

i've been playing for 14 years and professionally for 2. i have a Peavey classic 50 4X10, an old Silvertone 1X12 1482, and a deluxe reverb reissue, which i'm selling because it's brittle and nasty. besides the JD telecaster, whose neck i had stripped and re-fretted with bigger frets, i have two american standard teles, a univox 335 copy from the 70's, a mandolin, a mel-o-bar lap steel, and a Taylor 810. i have a little pedalboard with a tuner and some stompboxes, but i use them very sparingly. well, i use the tuner all the time.

This is an up date to my original review of this amp, so if your interested in my first responce you can scroll down to it.

The features are simple. I do wish it had a ex. speaker outlet and a real Jewel light instead of the cheap little one they supplied, when it burns out I will stick in a Jewel one. A stand by switch would help save the tubes.

Its my travel buddy so I play it wherever I go. I get some mixed responces from other players mostly positive, the sound is great for such a small amp.

I had to replace one of the 12AX7 tubes (Driver) it started to make to much noise I can't really blame Fender for that tubes will go bad after sometime the same goes with any amp. But I do my own work on these things so I like the simplicity of the amp. Keep a spair tube or two in your gigbag or case it will pay off .

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I like it as a small amp but I think If I lost it I would try a smaller amp with reverb, maybe a solidstate for my travel amp. But I think this little amp was a good choice and I plan to keep.

ALL TUBE AMP. WHAT MORE REALLY NEEDS TO BE SAID? IT ONLY HAS 15 WATTS BUT IT CAN SHATTER THE WINDOWS. THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM I HAVE WITH IT IS THAT IT ONLY HAS 1 CHANNEL . IT DOES HAVE A FAT BUTTON THAT IS ALWAYS ON WITH ME . I THINK THAT IS A COOL FEATURE . I THINK THE TUBES ARE A LITTLE OFF THE EL-84 POWER TUBES WOULD BE BETTER AS 6L6'S LIKE MOST FENDER TUBE AMPS. THE CONTROLS ARE SPARSE BUT POWERFULL .

I GENERALY USE THIS AMP WITH LACE PICKUPS . THAT SET UP WILL GIVE YOU A PRETTY GOOD SOUND . AS ITS NAME IMPLIES IT IS PRIMARILY SUITED FOR BLUES , BUT I ALSO LIKE TO USE IT FOR JAZZ , AND ROCK. I DON'T TURN IT AL THE WAY UP BECAUSE IT DOES TEND TO BREAK UP AT HIGHER VOLUMES. IT IS A PRETTY NOISLESS AMP , AND IS A REALLY GOOD FIRST TUBE AMP.

IT IS A ROCK . IT HAS NEVER BROKE DOWN , IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BLOW THE SPEAKER , AND IT IS BUILT LIKE A TANK !!!

I'VE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH FENDER

ALL IN ALL IT'S A REALLY COOL AMP AND IT WOULD BE PERFECT AS A FIRST TUBE AMP . O ONE MORE THING THE FENDER SPECIAL DESIGN SPEAKER IS REALLY AN EMININCE !!!

not a killer for features but i like that, too many knobs can lead to gray hair, i like simplicity, although i would have liked a pressence control

i have a stock standard fender strat, and a floyd rose strat with a super distortion in the bridge and a paf in the neck, the amp on it's own can produce satisfying sounds from blues to a ac/dc crunch, i also play alot of metal (iron maiden, judas priest. etc) and if i plug my mxr distortion+ at full blast i nails it to a t, but for playing live i'll still use my jcm800 2204 half stack

had to take a screw driver and give everything a once over because it rattled too much, but that's ok because the amp makes up for it because it's soo cheap to retube

Very straightforward, controls go to 12, reverb, and fat switch.

A great blues sound! I play my custom Paul through it and its very crisp and with the fat switch on it growls. I have been playing for 5 years, blues mostly, and love this amp. EXCELLENT REVERB!

Great little amp, very loud, it growls. Reliable and tough. I am pleased because this amp gives me what I need- blues tone, blues sound.

Bought new, and have had it for a month of frequent home use. Single channel, "fat" switch for overdriving tubes, 3 band tone controls, reverb. Gain and volume knobs for overdrive. Very punchy, loud at half volume, and appears built to handle its own power capabilities; doesn't "overwhelm" itself with treble, bass, mid settings.

Using a Fender Japanese strat; back humbucker, two singles. Locking nut with fine tuners. Previously owned 72 Strat, Vox, Silvertone. Previous amps silver faced Twin, black face Princeton Reverb, Peavey small solid state. Also a "super twin" for a short while, with about half the tubes functioning... Current other amp is a Peavey classic chorus with 2 12's, 65 watts per speaker. The Blues Junior actually gives a wide range of tones, around a core sound. Can go from bright and snappy to jazzy, and the Mid control actually works (unlike a Peavey that goes from dropped to mud within about a quarter turn). I keep the treble around 10-11 for the brightness and snap (used to a bright switch) and the mid from 0 to about 3/4. Controls go to 12. Fairly easy to read panel (from above). Always sounds rich, clear, vibrant... And I have to differ with many opinions; I really like the reverb. It's not a surf type (like normal Fender) but rather adds "air" and depth. And you can crank it without getting carried away. I'm a real reverb fan (it's a must) and I think it sounds great barely on, as well as up, for varying effect. The amps a bit "hissy" (with single coils) but I don't think it's the reverb, as such. No "boinging", no reverb crash. Stable, incredibly loud for its size (this thing with gain up to 7 and half volume is scary). Not versatile, as its single channel, but you can get a sound that will work for almost anything at one setting.
Works as designed.

Stable so far, naturally. Speaker sounds well matched, punches bass and mid as well as treble clarity. No undue rattles, and haven't tried the overall screw tightening others have as yet. Just realigned the tubes after I drove it home, fired it up, and it's always ready to thrill. No problem with previous Fenders; amps or guitars. Never had anything serviced for anything. Expect it'll be fine. Won't be abusing it..

Never had anything done. Place I got it will attend to anything, so won't worry about it. Will probably get some replacement tubes after a while, just to have; Groove Tube EL84s.

I read reviews here for a year plus, so pretty much new what to expect. I was really going to go for a Line 6 Flextone; like the company, got the CD of sounds. But got scared off of the "sterility" complaints, and never read an amp that got such glowing reviews, consistently, as the Blues Jr. It's pristine, punchy, and incredibly loud and "deep" for any size, but especially for something so compact. A smooth, almost "raspy" and sensitive overdrive; and with pedals it will really take off. Have a DW Labs D3P triple overdrive that will make this thing do Hendrix, Cream, Metal mania! And just goosing the overdrive (the Fat switch will really make it Thick) will add a whole 'nother range of color and aggression. Great value. Do be prepared to improve your playing, however! You may well hear yourself like never before, as this thing will pick up nuances in your playing that are startling.

My BJ was made in 1999. I like to play blues, but I don't find the thing very versatile. Reverb, what reverb? It sucks. I got this amp to practice at home. Big mistake. Fine, I can obtain a good volume level using the Master and Volume, but where's the TONE. And Loud, yeh this thing can get LOUD. I figure they could get the 15 watts working a little better. What can you say about that cheap speaker. Ugh!

First thing I noticed when I plugged in was that you need a good phillips screw driver. I love that rattle you get from the spring reverb mounted on the base. That's what the reverb was for? I sounds like a tube amp, and can achieve distortion. Unfortunately, no warm feelings here. What a turn off. They should call it Rattle Junior.

Don't like the fact that the tubes seem to want to pop out of their sockets all the time.

Fender has always been kind to me. I have a Fender Strat that needed service. Great Service is what I got from Fender. I think that in this case we're talking bad product.

I haven't been playing long. My other purchase has been a Fender Bronco. Solid state. O.K., not what you call a blues amp, but it really serves the purpose of practicing at home, it's well built, no rattles here. I guess getting the BJ is a learning experience. I wish Fender would put more quality in the BJ. Anyway, I'm diappointed.

2000 model. controls are very simple. this amp is all about tone.this is a quality blues amp.mike it for the stage!!

gibson blueshawk.blues and classic rock.amp does make a little noise but what decent tube amp doesn't?heres a tip- take out the first 12ax7 and put in a 12at7 it'll make it sound like a baby twin!! the reverb will be more noticeable and it will be possible to get a srv-type sound.mike it for the stage.

BUILT FORD TOUGH!!! i would definitely use it without a backup,with a box fan running behind it of course..

god help you if you have to call fender for anything.WHAT A BUNCH OF DINKS!!

BEEN PLAYING FOR 15 YEARS!and have learned to be careful about what i buy. i've owned every brand of amp ever made and this is the only one i've ever kept suits me to a t. change the tubes tighten all the bolts and you will be satisfied! FOR BLUES PLAYERS ONLY!!

See other reviews.

I have held out on commenting on these little guys for quite a while. I wanted to really get a good handle on their sound before sharing my opinion.
Well, here it goes.
For the money, I guess that you are doing well. I don't know of any other company that can offer decent tube tone for around $350.00. But please don't expect anything more than that. I would highly recomend this amp to someone on a fixed budget, but to the professional player or anyone with more money I would steer them another direction. During my review I will keep the price of the amp in consideration.

The Junior has several problems.
Build: There are some strong design flaws with this amplifier (as well as many other new Fenders). I do not understand why Fender cannot place the tubes in a different spot where they would be more protected. I am constantly hitting and jarring the tubes out of place when moving the amp or putting the extension cord in the back of the cabinet. This is a problem. It can lead to tube breakage or damage to the tube sockets. This is problem that could be fixed rather inexpensively.

The tolex job is also very sloppy and will begin to peel sooner than you would like. How hard is it to fix this? Maybe Fender would rather pay a eighteen year old trainee than a capable employee to put the tolex on? They are entitled to this but it will eventually hurt sales and reputation.
Sound: To a young player who is upgrading from a solid state amp, the Blues Junior might sound like Stevie Ray to them, but this is not the case. I have a real hard time dialing in a tone that I like on this amp. As a matter of fact I cannot dial in a tone that I like. Where one chord might sound good, another will sound unbalanced or brittle. Where one pick-up might yield pleasent sounds, another will sound raspy or dull. The reverb is very unpredictable, but for the money it is decent. The sound of the amp overdriven is anything but a Fender sound. It sounds very harsh. When I think of a Fender overdrive sound I think of a full-tilt Princeton or a Deluxe just past the breakup point with a Les Paul, or possibly a crankin' twin and a tele. The Junior does not do these older amps justice, or the name of Fender for the matter, but for the amount of money that you are paying for a warranteed new amp it might be worth looking at.

I have had several problems not only with one that I owned but also with ones that friends and students owned as well. I think that a majority of the problems can be linked to the vulnerabilty of the tubes in the back of the cabinet. Like I said earlier, this is a problem that can easily be avoided with some common sense.

If you are on a fixed budget and want decent tube tone I would have to recommend the Blues Junior. But for the same money you could probably find yourself some very decent used amps (silverface princeton, marshall 50 watt combo, early low wattage mesa, etc.). I would recommend that you save your money and buy what I consider one of the finest amps for the money around, a Dr. Z Karmen Ghia ($650.00). For about twice what you would pay for a blues Junior you can have a hand wired, all tube amp that is built and sounds extrememly well (far, far superior to the Junior). Get one before the prices begin to go through the roof!

This is a 1996 tweed Blues Jr bought new four years ago. I play semi-pro so I have put many, many miles on this amp and know it very well. Obviously it is hard to be dependent on a 15 watt tube amp with reverb and one 12 inch speaker but I live in Europe and there simply are not that many good tube amps here. I play a '57 reissue strat with a cry baby and and a reissue Ibanez tube screamer. The amp is relatively good for its size and price. In fact, its excellent for what it is but its small.

For blues this a very good amp. I can't imagine doing much else with this amp. The reverb is a little bit noisy but nothing like that shitty Mesa Boogie in the same class. The amp plays best with the trebel, mid and bas turned up to 12 and then the master and preamp according to the size of the room. For 15 watts it is surprisingly loud. All in all the sound is very good.

Its a trouper.I have had a few minor problems but that is mainly because for this price you can't expect to gig two or three times per week and drag the amp all over town. I have put a real beating on this amp and the sucker has held up very well.

Don't know. I have my own amp guru.

I have been playing 15 years and I have owned several Fender amps. I am a huge fan of tube amps in general and try to learn as much as possible about them. I had a twin reverb in the States and have also owned a Super Reverb. As I said, I bought this amp because it was the best buy for the money and size. I would definitely up-grade as soon as I find a better amp. For what this amp is, it is excellent: small, compact, all tube, real good tube sound. But it is also just that: small. Very very good for the money and that is the point. This is far and away the best amp in its class. But that clss is... kindergarten.

I use this as part of a two amp set up. I run my guitars into a Morley AB box and then send one off to the Blues Junior and then the other through my effects and eventually to a 1967 Fender Vibrolux. The guitars are a Gibson ES-336, a souped up late '50s Premier archtop, and a Jim North Telecaster. I use the amp for broken up tube tones and thats it. The reverb is really, really bad. The features are exactly what I wanted, no more and no less. It offers me what I need it may not, however, offer everyone what they want.

The amp gives some beautiful sounds. It can be crystal clear and chimey or dark and distorted. I like the options. My uses are mainly in the distorted realm. It sounds killer with the '57 classic humbucker in the bridge. The tele also sounds beautiful. The neck pickup on my 336 can sound muddy though if I am not careful. I include one caveat with my "9": for $250 it is an unbelieveable amp.

It seems to be fine. I tightened the screws and the tubes and the vibrating has reduced. I will not lose any sleep over this one.

Five year transferable warranty is a great thing. As for Fender itself, I can not comment.

As I said before, for this price, it is unbeatable. It is a good sounding amp and I like the sounds the EL-84's give off. I wish that the reverb was of some use but I dont really care that much anyway. It does what I paid for it to do and it does it well. How much more can I ask?

I got this amp for 325$ on sale at the local Fender dealer. Its defiently worth it at that price, and its still worth it at the 500$ list price. This amps versitility is trememndous, especially for its size. The 15watss are all tube so it plays like its 75watts S/S. Put it up against my roommtes 100watt S/S Peavey Stack and id hung no problem. This is the real thing, all real tube, with vintage spring reverb. The EQ is very good, especially in a basey blues setting. The overdrive is classic tone. It also has a fat switch which is pretty cool for those that like a blasey sound. It doesnt have channel switching which would be nice to turn the tube distortion on and off. It waould also be nice if Fender gave you the footswitch for the fat setting instead of just giving you the jack.

This amp is blues heaven. If youre playing in your room or small venues, buy this amp. The clean sound rivaled my freinds' S/S Ultiamte Chorus, and the drive is perfectly matched to the '59 Bassman in small form. Im a classic rock and blues freak and this amp kills. Turning the EQ up gives a great Vox, Beatle tone, even combined with my bluesy Strat. With the amp set on the blues setting but still clean, it gives great electrified versions of Robert Johnson and Son House. A little bass fidddling, and a crank of the drive gives me a Clapton sound that rocks out. This amp did Cream and Blueasbreaker stuff better then the Marshall Buesbreaker reissue. With the fiddling and my DA Fuzz face and Cry Baby Wah, i can do my best Hendrix impersination with out having his amp here and him setting it. Cranked to full distortion 10-12, BB King and SRV can be played with ease. It has very few downsides, the Reverb isnt as spacious as id like, but hey its not digital; one of the prices to pay for the vintage. Its 15 watts also strain some, especially when trying to keep it clean. This amp full out on drive is a legend in the making, but its suffers a bit when trying to stay clean. Overall though its a dream of an amp

Ive had this amp a year and a half with no problems what so ever, classic Fender quality. The tubes sound great, and the electronics dont do anything to the tone. The only problem ive had is the spring on the reverb pops off kindof easy if you bump the open back wrong, but it goes back on in like 5seconds of letching the hooks. It also comes with Fender's 5year warranty...ive had amps that couldnt even make it 5years.

I have not dealt with the company but the official dealer i bought it from were great. Theyve done great service on my Strat, and have always offered my great trade in value when ive considered getting a bigger one. I have no doubt that the company would be as good, especially with the 5year warranty

This amp is AWESOME. If you play, Clapton, Hendrix, SRV, THe Beatles, Stones, or if your style includes Blues, Rock, Pop, Country, Surf, or Jazz, buy this amp unless youre going to be playing large gigs...you wont regret it until you need more wattage, even then thought the quality will allow you a great trade in, or yuou will have an AWESOME practice amp to hold on to.

1999 model in black tolex. The features are adaquate for an amp of this design. However, the reverb is so bad that the end user would be better served if Fender would just omit the reverb from this model.

Shortly after purchasing this amp I arrived at the conclusion that the amp must truly be the Holy Grail of the tone deaf. I purchased this amp based on all of the glowing posts on HC. I made a mistake, and the good news is that it only cost me $329.00. I?m not going to give you a bunch of bullshit like how many guitars and amps I own, who cares anyway. I am going to tell you to please realize what you will be getting before buying this amp. You will be getting a cheaply made, rattling, low quality practice amp. Please shop before you buy. Yes this amp can be loud and if loudness is what you are after and you don?t care about reliability or tone, maybe this amp is for you. This is no joke and I care about my fellow musicians, especially those on a budget. So please beware and remember, you get what you pay for.

I?ve owned this thing for 1 year and it still pisses my off when I think about it taking up space in my closet. For reasons stated above I have not logged enough hours playing this thing to have an educated opinion. However I do have an emotional opinion. I would be happy if this thing would just blow up, that way I could put it out on the curb for the Tuesday morning garbage collection without feeling guilty.

Mesa Boogie and Bogner have nothing to worry about.

4 if all you require is a toy. 1 if you are a musician.

15W, 12" speaker, 2 EL84 and 3 12AX7 tubes in an small, handy cabinet. The one-channel amp has reverb, 3-band eq, volume and master controls. In addition there is a so-called FAT-switch for beefing up the middle. This can be operated by footswitch, but the jack-connector is hidden inside the amp.

What a wonderful TONE!!! The difference between a S/S amp and this tube amp is like the difference between a 2D game and a 3D game.
You can get from this amp the real blues sound!! I use it with a Fender Standard Statotocaster, and it sounds awesome!! It is a small amp but very loud for a 15W amp.
My only complaint is that the reverb make a little noise.

Never had a problem in 6 months.

European warranty is not the same as the US warranty.
We have only 1 year warranty, come on fender..... why this difference?

If you don't need too much power, buy this amp, the sound is awesome!
This is the real fender sound.

This thing has been reviewed to death, but I felt obligated to post mine since this site was so useful researching my first "real" amp purchase.
Read the numerous detailed features listings below; highlights are the cool knobs that go to "12" and my Musician's Friend Exclusive vintage tan cabinet with ox-blood red grille cloth ($30 extra, I splurged). Lowlights are knobs that face backwards, a barely perceptible reverb and lack of a footswitchable second channel.

I've only been playing for six months but I am hopelessly addicted and play every day. I play a beater Cort Strat-copy that was part of a package with a Crate GX-15 amp. I realized very quickly that my amp was lame and I wanted to invest in a "real" piece of equiptment that would enhance my sound and keep me interested in playing. I knew what I was buying and expected a $350+ tube amp to sound superior to a budget solid state. That said, I am blown away by the sonic enema that this amp has given me. It makes my Crate sound like an f-ing walkie-talkie. Feedback is minimal and more a subtle "growling" than harsh squealing. I finally know what people mean when they write about unblurred picking nuances and playing harmonics. This amp actually RESPONDS to my playing. I am a Rush fan and was tempted by the effects-laden Line 6 Spider to help recreate the various Alex Lifeson sounds. But the range of this little thing is amazing. You can get glassy highs that it sound like a chorus ensemble pedal and I swear I hear cool subtle "swooshing" during certain power chords. At "Ramon's Blues Junior Page" on the web I found settings for everything from perfect clean to high gain SRV-type sounds and with a little tinkering dialed in the warm, crunchy overdriven sound I wanted as I continue to devour 70's Rush tab. Mission accomplished...
Not only do I not miss onboard digital effects, I don't want to ruin this thing with pedals...well, maybe just a volume pedal for Xanadu and La Villa Strangiato stuff...

Cabinet feels sturdy and knobs are high quality, but hey, I'm not Schnieder from "One Day at a Time", I'm a pharmaceutical rep. Too new to gauge relaiability. Tubes were a little loose when it came and I definately wouldn't throw it around much.

Once I made the decision that I was a "tone snob" and began searching for a tube amp, I set a pricepoint at $450 and played a lot of them. The Hughes & Kettner Triplex was nice, but expensive for what felt like a very unsubstantial amp; lower-end tube Marshalls sounded broken up and muddy to me; Mesa's Subway Rocket had great features but was very dark and had a Nine Inch Nails vibe that I wasn't into; Ampeg's Reverb Rocket rattled at low volumes and that "Accordion" input weirded me out; Vox AC15 was too jangly in a faggy-Oasis way; and the tube-like Line 6 Spider confused my Gump-like sensibilities with way too many gadgets in a very digital, antiseptic package. The Fender Blues Junior was hands down the best of the bunch and I reccommend it highly.

Mine is a 1998 model, single channel, with reverb, master volume and a "fat" switch. I play a '67 Gretsch Country Gentleman and a Ricky V64/360 12-string. Needless to say, I play a lot of Beatle music through this little guy.
I would love to have a tremelo and the "fat" switch doesn't really push the amp all that much. Even though it's only a 15 watt amp, I use the amp with a four piece band but I don't have to have it through the monitors (although I do have it up on an amp. stand).
One of this amp's greatest features is its size. You can put it on the back seat of your car and away you go.

My Gretsch and Ricky are "treble beasts" but the Fender handles them well. My Gretsch can get some great jazz sounds,too, in that low/mid range area and, again, the Blues Junior cranks 'em out. I haven't had any trouble with buzzes or hums and I've used it in some pretty noisy buildings, too.
The amp has an o.k. distortion depending on what you're looking for. I use an outboard tube-style distortion box for real grindy stuff, otherwise I'm in it for the clean sounds. And it stays pretty clean even when my Rick 12-string is cranking through it at high volumes.

Every now and again I have to push the tubes back in a bit. They have a tendency to get loose. Other than that, it's been trouble-free. The older those tubes get, the sweeter it sounds!

I've never had this amp in the shop for any reason but there are plenty of warrantte service stations where I live. The amp comes with a extended 5 year warrantee from the factory.

Overall I have been very satisfied with this amp. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and have owned a lot of amps in my time, beleive me! I got rid of my Peavey Blues Classic 50 to get this particular amp and I'm glad I did. I've owned a number of Fender amps including a 60's Deluxe Reverb, Bassman, and others and I always had good luck (and soudn) with them.
If someone ripped this one off, I'd get another one without hesitation.
As I've mentioned before, the only thing that bums me out is the way those tubes love to come loose (and I'm easy on my gear).
I love the amp's size and sound. I'm getting too old to be humping Marshall half-stacks in and out of my trunk! What with monitors being what they are today, I just don't find the need for those big, heavy suckers anymore.
Before I bought this amp I compared it with about everything else in that same class and price range (Peavey, Crate, etc.) Hey, I'd love to have a Vox AC15 but they are way over-priced and finding one used has been impossible and, having owned an AC30 or two over the years, Vox is not the "king of dependability."
Please note the killer price I got on this, too. I was working at a music store at the time so I could take advantage of my employee discount.

I won't waste space desrcribing it. It's been said many times over. I'm officially giving the amp a 6 because it would be nice to have an effects loop, a few channels instead of just one, a footswitch, better reverb and overdrive. I didn't expect a perfect amp, but it ain't so bad to dream! For what it is, compared to the rest in its league (only a few), I'd rate it an 8.

I'm using an American Deluxe Fat Strat. This amp does suit my style (blues-rock). And more importantly, it suits my environment. I have a HRD but my house can't handle this amp. It is quite noisy when you turn up the volume (which is really a gain knob imho), master volume, and reverb. And it rattled quite a bit but I already knew I should and did tighten all the screws I could find -solved the issue. For a basement/small gig/practice amp, I think it sounds great!

Not usre yet. As for any tube, you should carry a few extra for gigs. I already am beginning a good relationship with a custom amp boutique shop in NYC, in case it needs servicing or modification. Gave it a 5 because I don't know if it's reliable yet....

Overall, I'd recommend this amp for anyone who wants some nice tube sound but don't plan on ever gigging. I would also recommend this for anyone who would like to gig and I would also add they mic it. If it were lost or stolen, I would be quite upset. And I would definitely buy it again. I couldn't care it to many as I'm a huge Fender fan, and I was mainly concerned with volume. In that respect, I really wanted a 65 deluxe reverb reissue but it was out of my price range. One day, I'll buy that one too. For those craving OVERDRIVE I would also recommend a Boss Super OverDrive pedal.

This is a follow up review to one I made over a year ago. Review others for standard features. I added another extension speaker out jack (parallel) and had a dual footswitch wired up so I can turn on and off the reverb as well as the boost. With these enhancements I give it an 8. They cost me an extra $110 for labor and a new Fender dual footswitch.

I like the tone now that I can run a second 12" speaker cabinet out of it. I purchased a Jenkins Sound Shop custom cabinet to match my Blues Junior for a mini stack. This setup rocks. I have a Celestion Greenback in the extension cabinet. More volume, low end and a nice growl to the sound once turned up past 1/2 way. This is a great mid volume setup. If you are playing with a heavy drummer it still is a little weak for clean sounds. I went out and purchased the Deluxe Reverb Reissue a few weeks ago and will run a stereo setup with this. I have not tried it in a full band situation yet but will report on that once I do. The speaker in the Deluxe Reverb is questionable. I will probably have to change that to a Weber P12NT soon.

Had it for about 2 years with no problems.

Very good. Get yourself in touch with an authorized Fender repair shop and establish a good relationship with a knowledgable tech. It is best to have a degreed electrical engineer who is also an authorized Fender tech. I am lucky to have found one who is also a nice guy.

The Blues Junior is a great amp for low to mid volume playing if you have a reasonable drummer. It cannot be beat for lower volume playing. One drummer I jam with is aggressive (loud), which isn't a bad thing! I need more clean headroom for rhythm work when that drummer starts cranking. With other drummers this hasn't been an issue. I love the fact that this rig is light weight and can handle most jamming situations beautifully. For bands who have a good PA you could always mike it and run a little signal through the monitors. This amp would not cut it outdoors unless you did this generously.

Just enough to keep this non-techno head happy....the tone controls really work and the master volume is effective....it has the 1/4" jack for the "fat" control so go our and buy one because it helps to have that extra boost available without an effects box. I rate this an 8 maily becuse it is a true "blues" amp and doesn't need a whole lot of extra bells and whistles. I just wish the speaer out and fat jack were more convenient.

Use Aspen(Tokai)strat with dimarzios and Aspen (Tokai) tele with fender american standards...also use a dano convertible which sounds surpringly good through this little gem. I've also played my fender P bass through just the head to a 1x15 with good results for a low volume gig. The bj can produce the beel tones from the strat and the twang from the tele with ease....It makes the sounds I hear in my head so to me that is all I can ask for....

I've read all the discussion about rattles and buzzes.I've never been shy about taking a scredriver to an amp and tighten that thing up. This with the addition of four more speaker screws (i used t bolts) the exteraneous noise went away....and that only happened when this baby was cranked to the 9's. I've had this for about two years and nothing has broke...and I play at least two hours a day as well as playing small clubs....I bought it from Daddy's in Albany NY....I have no faith in sending it away so if something happened I would take to Parkway in Clifton Park...(I received no pay for that endorsement).It has a 5yr tranferrable warranty....pretty impressive.

Haven't had an issue...their web site is of no use...they should really try harder and make it more interactive and helpful like the Peavy site.

this is my only guitar amp, being a bass player as well. I use big awkward heavy Peavy 400 watt amps and cabinets to make a god awful thuinder that my neighbors hate. This amp makes me forget about the bass and want to run off with a blues band. I've used a bunch of combos in the past; Marshall, Crate and Ampeg but none have the tone and MUSICALITY of this little beauty. It has the tone that bigger more expensive amps can only wish for.....I would buy another without hesitation if someone stole this one... Now, let me address some past critics....you can but a lineout from Torres mfg for $15.00 and put it in yourself....want a reverb switch?..turn it off...want a terrific amount of soud options...log on to the fender Blues Junior page at http://users.vei.net/rholloman/home.htm....want the best blues amp available....get a Blues Junior

All tube 15W amp. One channel with fat switch. I wish it had a standby switch.

This is a beautiful sounding little amp! Don't let the size fool you. This thing can get pretty loud! It is not great for mondo distortion, but it is very sweet for blues and anything you need nice rich clean tone for!!

I have never had a problem with this amp.

Never had to deal with Fender

I bought this amp mainly to use for home practice or for unexpected jams (I keep my Marshall in one place if I can!) I usually just plug straight in (or use some chorus and delay) and I've had a ton of compliments on the tone!

Well this is an all tube EL84's/12ax7 little combo with a 12 inch speaker. It does have a speaker jack that can be used as a speaker out (8 ohm), and a footswith jack. Main volume, Master Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass Controls. Spring reverb. For what its name implies....it does wonderfully. I would wish there were a seperate line out....but then the masses would try to hook up these incredible loads to it, and eventually burn this little cooker up. I bought this one used from Daddy's Junky Music for $260.00, from Hircsh Gardner. I wouldn't buy one brand new.....buy used if possible. I use this amp in small venues, but I have heard Bonnie Raitt uses her Pro Jr. in arenas....so????? This amp is loud...probably the loudest 15 watts I have ever heard.

I use two strats, a tele, and an ancient SG for slide. I do have to say that my best Strat sounds the best through it. I have a Stock Mexican strat as well, and though it sounds pretty damn good, it dissapoints me at low volumes. Having said that....when this baby is cranked up...it absolutely rocks. Yeah, its a tube amp and will buzz and hum when cranked.....but then again who wants a sterile sound......Don't answer that! Clean this thing is great.....very quiet for a 15 watter all tube. It doesn't compare to my Super 112, but for the money this thing is awesome. Probably the best small amp out there for the money. This amp is perfect for clubbing and handles blues, rock, country, jazz, ect with ease. It ain't no shred monster...but in my opinion it has just enough growl to satisfy a "normal" player. Death Metal and Satch types look elsewhere. Think Jimmie Vaughn and Toadies.......fills the bill. Love the responsiveness.....might front end it with a dynacomp or something just to calm it down at volume. Cool amp.

I just got it so I would be hard pressed to say for sure. However, the preamp tubes sure were snakily inserted, I would check them prior to power on. And it is 15 watts.....being an electronic tech by trade I would put two and two together and determine that this thing will burn up if you push it hard night after night. But you never know. I know guys who have Super Champs that they have been screaming and searing for years with no problems. And my Super 112 has been faithful for 12 years now. It is pretty sturdy, and cool looking at that. Buy an amp stand and make sure its ventilated well...ie NOT against a wall or something. I have never gigged without some form of backup....get this...my backup is a Backstage 30.....never had to use it yet. I like the portability of this amp and will reserve the Super at bigger or special venues, this amp covers my style perfectly. Slightly rude with charactor.

Never used them....service my own stuff. They are SO easy to work on it is ridiculous. Check out the Fender website non techies.

Well I own 5 amps all Fenders except one Peavy Classic 212. I wouldn't have to buy another one if it were stolen or lost. However I would mourn its passing like so many other amps I had at one time or another. Let me say this: Anyone who steals is the lowest form of humanity.....especially if its my stuff. You know who you are out there......the @#$%^%#$ who has my Super Six and my Twin. This amp is a fantastic buy and in my opinion the best small tube amp for the buck.

This is a brand new amp. According to the QA sticker, it was built and tested in Feb 2000.

Out of the box, it'll cover clean country and blues- this is not an amp for playing metal.

The Blues Junior doesn't have channel switching per se- there's a footswitchable "Fat" switch which pushes signal through an additional tube in the preamp. No effect loop, no headphone amp. You get a so-so reverb (it's the only non-tube thing in the signal path), and you do get a master volume- a good thing as this is a LOUD 15 watts.

For those folks that care, there's 3 12AX7s in the preamp and two EL84s in the power amp.

I bought this amp as a low-wattage tube amp to play at home, not realizing how loud this thing could get when I got it. I'm grateful for the master volume, as the tone is fantastic, and I didn't want to get rid of it for something that wouldn't get as loud. I'm confident this amp would be great on its own for small clubs, and miked for larger ones. Its a light, compact 35 lbs, and easily fits on the floor in front of the passenger seat in my Honda Civic without me moving the seat back. VERY portable.

This category only gets a 5 from me. It's a great amp, just not feature-rich, nor was it designed to be. The Pro Junior (the Blues Junior's little brother) would only get a 1- I'm being generous with the 5.

Two guitars are being used most often with this amp- a '98 Fender Telecaster Plus and a '98 PRS Standard 22 Maple Top. I play mostly my own stuff, which hovers between blues and indie rock, and for that it works well.

The amp in general is quiet. The reverb circuit doesn't like dirty power at all- expect to hear some hiss if you crank the reverb and you're plugged into an extension cord or a questionable outlet in a bar somewhere. You'll get some noise with the gain cranked as well, but that should be expected- I haven't run across a tube amp that didn't make a little noise with the gain cranked.

Again, this is a two-trick pony if you use it by itself- you'll get really warm, rich clean tones with the gain down, and with it up, you get really responsive overdrive. At bedroom volumes, this amp would get a 6. Given a chance to open up, it earns a solid 8.

Again, not a metal amp, by any stretch, Keep the name in mind when you play this thing. This is not designed to replace a Marshall or a Mesa- just sound nicer at medium gain than they do. :)

I'm awarding a 7 for this category- it's the mean between the 6 at practice volumes and the 8 at gig volumes.

Now for the fun part.

If you're going to carry this amp around, you'll need to get in the habit of checking the tubes before you turn it on- they don't fit very tightly in their sockets and will wiggle loose.

I've already mentioned the reverb circuit and how it likes clean power- carry a good power strip (the good ones have line filters- you'll find these for sale in stores that carry computer supplies) with you.

I'd trust it without backup provided I was taking the time to check everything before plugging it in.

I'll give this one an 8- I'm sure the amp's reliable provided the user does their part.

I've never called FMIC for anything, but they seem to be getting more "Net-aware" as time goes by.

I have an authorized service center here in my little 60K person college town, so I do have faith that I could go just about anywhere and get it fixed if it stopped working.

The warranty shines- Fender's setting an example the rest of the industry should follow for amps. This amp came with a 5 year, TRANSFERABLE warranty. If I were to sell this a year from now, the owner would have the four year balance on the factory warranty. Way to go Fender!

The amp also came with a schematic, which impressed me.

I'm awarding a 9 here. The warranty is fantastic, and the only thing I can deduct for is the lack of an 800 number to Fender.

I've been playing 14 years and have more gear than I care to admit. Highlights include the aforementioned PRS and Tele, along with two Strats (a Yamaha Strat-alike and a Squier ProTone), an Epi Les Paul, and a Yamaha APX acoustic. I also use a Line 6 Flextone Duo.

If this amp were stolen or lost, I'd buy another, no question.

The Blues Junior gets points for tone and portability. Points off for the "sensitive" reverb circuit and the loose tube sockets for the power tubes.

I shopped for months to try and find a better all-tube amp for the money. At the sub-$300 price point, they don't exist.

An effects loop would be a nice plus, but I'm confident it would drive the price up. Same with an extension cabinet output and the availablity of a second 12" cabinet for the Blues Junior.

Like I mentioned, this by default is not a metal amp. That said, it responds VERY well to pedals. Present signal chain for me is:

Guitar-->ZVex Fuzz Factory-->Visual Sounds Jekyll and Hyde-->Blues Junior.

The Jekyll and Hyde is dual-mode distortion; TS808 clone in one mode, HM-2 clone in the other. I have the amp set to just before preamp breakup and then dial in the master to taste. I get the responsiveness of all 5 tubes and use the pedal in "808 mode" to push it over the top for bluesy tones, or in "HM-2 mode" for rock stuff. This works incredibly well, and makes the amp act like a three channel amp. This is what I'd recommend for anyone who wants to use one of these.

This is a 1998 model with the black tolex that I bought used last year. It's a compact 15 watt tube powered combo with reverb and master volume through a 12" speaker. Good features for the price range. But I wish it had a stand-by switch and a headphone jack.

I use a Fender Std Telecaster (made in Mexico) as my only guitar. And it sounds VERY good through this amp. I have another amp (Frontman 15G) that's a piece of junk. The Blues Jr restored my faith in Fender amps. I could have purchased a brand new Pro Junior for the same price that I bought this one used. But when I played both of them, I just liked the sound of the BJ a little better. The Pro Jr is a nice little amp too, though. For its small cabinet size, this amp has a strong bass response. And a surprising amount of volume for just 15 watts, although tube watts tend to be louder than solid state watts for some reason. Speaking of tubes - the originals were still in it when I got it, and they were beginning to sound a bit tired. So I replaced them all. I put some Sylvania 5751's in the pre amp and some EI el84's in the power section. It made a noticeable difference in the volume and the headroom. For the style I play, this amp is just about perfect. Mostly blues and blues/rock like Cream, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters. It's definitely voiced for that nice clean tone that can edge into overdrive if you feel like it. I find that the amp itself is pretty quiet, but the single coils on my Tele can humm sometimes under flourescent lights, but it's not too bad. My only knock on the sound is that I wish the reverb was a little stronger. I just about have to max it out to get much of an effect. But it does sound good that way.

Other than replacing the tubes, all I do is plug in and play. I don't gig, but I do get together with some guys and jam on a semi-regular basis. It has no problem being heard over the drummer, the bass, and the other guitarist. When we get to the point that we can gig, I think this little amp will probably be the one I'll use. We'll be playing at small clubs, so I'm sure it's got enough guts for that kind of place. Backup? I just don't have one. But I feel confident that this will handle the job.

I got this used.

For my purposes, this is just about the ideal amp. It has great tone in an affordable, durable, compact package. I think it's lacking only a couple of small features that I cited above. Sure, I'd get it again. But I wish I could have found one of the tweed covered models - they have that cool retro vibe.

i have played every significant fender made from '55 to '95 and the blues jr. it the best sounding new issue in years...maybe the tonemaster sounds better, but at more than triple the cost, it ought to!

used with '65 strat and "62 les paul/sg and '80's les paul it just sounds magnificent...consider buying two if it's not quite loud enough and set one for rhythm and one for lead...possibilies are endless

i bought a used tweed one and the reverb canned after a few months so i just use a danelectro delay...but i would still buy another one just for the sound...great bottom that doesn't break up and e eq so you can scoop out the mids when playing a les paul

Bought new in 1998. I play Blues Harp! It's versatile enough. 2 channels reg. and fat. It has a button to push, on top, to kick-in the
fat. Wish it had a vibrato, for playing Blues Harp. Mostly use it at home to practice. No amp has 'nough power. Are you joking? It's a tube
amp. It plays twice as loud as my Crate Blues Cube with 2X the watts. I'm thinking of changing tubes to make this even better for Harp, any ideas?

I play Blues Harp, through either a Green Bullet or a Samson wireless set-up. It's pretty clean except when I push the volume too high. At about 7 or higher, through a Tube Works Blue Tube pedal!! To everybody
but me it's brutal!! :-)

In the 1 & 1/2 yr I owned it nothing ever broke, & hopefully nothing will!

I think the warranty lasts for 1 yr. I tried to deal with Fender 30 yr
ago, got pissed off!! So far so good!! :-)
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I been playing Harp for 5 yrs. Crate Blues Cube, that the salesman told me was a tube amp!?! Tube Works Blue Tube pedal, couple mics and a bunch of Harps!!! :-)If it were lost I'd buy another one used. I love the tone, but am still lookin' for better! :-) I choose this one cause I could afford it! No comparisons were done, I heard someone else playin' one and liked the tone!

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This is a follow-up. I sold the BJ after scoring a Silverface Princeton Reverb. The main reason was not necessarily the tone but the rattle and buzz. I wish Fender would have gone the extra mile on the BJ. The Princeton is an order of magnatude better. It doesn't rattle or buzz.

It has a 12inch speaker, one channel with reverb, 15 watts tube power, master vol, mid, bass, treble and a mid-range boost called a "Fat" switch. The only thing I think that should come with it is a headphone jack.

I have a Fender American Standard, a Fender Lone Star, an Epiphone LesPaul with a PAFPro and SuperDistortion pickups and two Fender Squiers. I mostly play Blues and Rock and some Heavy Metal. With any of my guitars this amp produce the best tube sounds I heard, I also have a old Fender 30(its good too) and a solid state Marshall VS30, but to me this is my best amp, good reverb too. Its great for Blues and Rock right out of the box, if you plan to play something harder(Hard Rock, Heavy Metal) you will need a distortion pedal and that would do the job. Think about the sound of Cream, Hendrix, Buddy Guy, BluesBreakers, SRV of course and alikes. Its pretty loud to be a 15W amp. I invited a friend of mine to jam and he plays clubs and bars with his band and even with all the pedals and effect that he has, he was blow away by this little amp sound with just a Hudges & Kettner distortion pedal that I used for distortion and a Tube Screamer for the Blues. Great sound.

Its a tube amp, so using it alone in a gig without a backup is a little risky but I'll take the chance. Really until today(6 months of constant playing) I never had any kind of problem with it.

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I've been playing for about 10 years and if it were stolen I will buy another one, actually Im planning to buy another one. Think about it, for the price range', you wont find any tube amp that sound that good.

I just purchased this blond beauty after months of debate. It has everything I need for practice in my home and more. I truely love the hell out of this amp. It totally blows my 30 watt amp away!

I have a California Strat w/ lindy fralin V. Hot PU's. I really landed me a great sound with these two together. Even my Les Paul Standard can't get the awesome sound these two fender products achieve together.

I know this amp will last a lifetime with proper care. I am not a "GIG" kinda guy....yet. I am not experienced in the venue playing enviroment so I"m not so sure if this amp would cut it powerwise. I think you would need a little more wattage. All I know is that in my basement this amp kicks ass!

Never dealt with Fender Co.

Been playing off and on for about 10 yrs. I had a bad case of Gear Accumulation Syndrome (G.A.S.) so to list all my gear would be wasting time. If this amp got stolen that would mean the bandits probably would have made off with everything else I own. That would not be good. I would not be a happy person. Life would suck. In conclusion, the Blues Jr. 15 watt amp is a HUGE bang for your buck! I would highly recommend it to any guitar player at any playing level for just about any playing style, especially the BLUES!

You can read about the features in other reviews. Here are 2 good features and 10 bad ones.
+ Tube amp
+ small and portable
- Only has one channel
- No footswitch for the reverb
- Knobs are on the top of the amp and face towards the rear
- No headphone/line out jack
- No stand-by switch
- No metal corners on the amp
- Very inconvenient location for the ext speaker & footswitch jacks
- Tolex covering has exposed seams waiting to get ripped
- No effects loop
- No presence control
(My amp was made in 3/99 and has Groove Tubes, which in this case means I can still the the Sovtek silkscreening on the tubes underneath the Groove Tubes logo)
Also, the FAT switch is a waste since everyone seems to always keep it on. Fender should really wire that footswitch to the reverb.

Treble is okay if you nearly max it. The bass control doesn't see to have much of an effect. This amp is all midrange tones and so the mid control doesn't have much of an effect either. If you're looking for versatility, this amp isn't it.

I'm really surprised by all of the positive reviews. If this amp didn't have a "Fender" label on it, I don't think quite as many people would be raving about it.

The amp doesn't sound bad. It just doesn't sound good. Maybe I need to look at aftermarket tubes, but I have a hard time getting a sweet tone out of it. It only has a couple of sounds, but for 15 watts it can get very loud. If you're looking for a saturated sound, look elsewhere.

I haven't had any problems with it. But you do need to be careful when transporting it since it lacks metal corners and the Tolex seams can catch.

I haven't dealt with Fender so I really can't comment on their service. But a 5 year transferable warranty is a great thing.

I've been playing with guitars for over 20 years (I'm actually a bass player). Neither my Strat Plus Deluxe (blue, silver & red sensors) nor my Mexican Strat (stock pups or my replacement Seymour Duncan Little '59, Duckbucker and JB Jr pups) can make magic with this amp.
I'm MUCH happier with my Carvin SX-100D amp. If you're looking for a small amp that's inexpensive with good tone it's a much better way to go (costs about $50 more than the Blues Jr). It has everything the B.J. lacks for features and I always get complements on its sound.

If my B.J. were stolen I would NOT by another one.

New, it had been in the local music store and everybody tried it but they all wanted something BIGGER! The Store owner told me, the one guy who almost bought it wanted a 30 watts(I know who he is, thankx Dan, you missed out a great amp for your Blues). So I got a great deal on it in trade. It is just right for most of my playing. One channel, Reverb, Fat switch, master volume, bass, mid, treble, volume. For most of my playing, I like the master up all the way and adjust the volume to my needs. I would have liked a stand by switch and vibrato. I keep this amp in the house most of the time because it makes it easy to practice. I wanted something that would not blow away the wife and kids, but this amp can do that too. I can't wait to try it at a gig. Beats the heck out of moving my Fender Twin Reverb, but of course it ain't the same animal and if you think you want a twin, think about the weight, 70 lbs. Pound for pound this little amp rocks solid. Really I got it for the size as much as for the tone.

I like the tone, but it could be a little cleaner at 4 or 5, any louder and I may need my Twin Reverb and ear plugs. Since I play several styles I like a clean amp, you can always get things dirty if you want with effects pedals and such. I judge an amp on it's ability to produce a clean sound at normal gig volume, for me thats about 3 1/2 to 4 on my twin thats plenty loud, and about 5 on the junior, remember the dial goes to 12 like the old tweed amps, big deal. At 5 on the volume it breaks up just a bit more than I like, but maybe I'll use it for blues, that is what the name implies, and some 60'/70's rock. I think the 12 inch speaker helps the tone, most the 15 watt amps I have tried use a 8 or 10 inch speaker.

It's a Fender so it should last and last. Keep good tubes in it and avoid the el cheapo tubes like Audio Glassic, they blew in my twin right out of the box! I think tubes cause most problems with amps, so get them tested for shorts and a gas check (life) before you put them in, and avoid any made in china by slave labor.

I've have good experience in the past, so I think it will continue.

Been playing 30+ years and have tried 100's of amps. I play a Fender Strat or Tele often at gigs, in the studio I use a 66' Gibson 335, and a Epiphone SG copy. My favorite studio amp is my old Fender Deluxe Reverb, this is the one the Blues Junior replaces at home and for small gigs, I hope. I bought my first Fender in 1966 a used Super Reverb. I love that amp but I was a kid and did not know the future value or much else at that time. With 3 Fender amps I must be a freak but it's hard to beat a Fender amps tube or other wise. I'll keep it.

I bought this amp new in 1999. As others have stated, this amplifier is a no frills, basic 15 watt setup with a so-so reverb and plenty of volume for practice or small clubs. It has one channel with a fat button that enhances gain to make a fuller, fatter sound. Considering the versatility of sounds you can get from it, this amp doesn't need frills.

I play mostly blues, pop, and old rock. I am using a Gibson Les Paul Invader This amp has clean settings
that are shimmery and bright. With more gain, attacked notes have a
real bite and growl, but with many even harmonics. This amp has
THE TONE! With a Cry Baby pedal halfway depressed, you can get classic
Guess Who sounds. It is not for grunge or thrash, but is a perfect
match for the Gibson in almost any other genre. Over the years I have
tried Crates, Peaveys, and Marshalls. This has them beat for a dark,
smooth tone. It takes a lot to impress me with an amp, but the Blues
Junior is the best I have ever heard for the styles I play.

I have only had it for several months, but no problems. I probably
would be a little nervous about bouncing it around on a road trip,
but with care it should last a long time. Construction isn't bulletproof, but it is a solid little amp.

No need yet. I bought it from a good store, so should have no
problems with repairs. Besides, I do most of my own basic repair
work on amplifiers.

I have been playing as an amateur for 20 years. I have an assortment
of pedals, but no need to use most of them with this amplifier. I did
comparisons in the store to about everything they had under $600. This
had the best clean and smoothly distorted sound of all of them. It is
a wonderful buy for anyone without Joe Satriani's bank account.

Single channel tube amp, 12" speaker, black covering, solid state rectifier, vol,treb,bass,mid, reverb, master controls, no standby switch. My opinion on features is that a perfect 10 would be an amp that does EVERYTHING. However for what the amp is, price it goes for, and what I use it for, it's great! Nice LOUD 15 watts!

I use gibsons and fenders and can ALWAYS get a happening sound from this amp. Reverb ain't the best, but using just a little it's fine. On a live stage can anyone really evaluate the reverb from any one single amp? This is a perfect amp for small clubs. Most bands try to use marshalls in a 30x40' club and it is massive overkill. (ever try to order a drink with a band this loud in a club?) With the pre and master, I can dial in just the right amount of tube breakup (not distortion but breakup) and use pedals to get a great rhythm and lead sound. As far as noise, ANY AMP cranked loud enough will make some hiss. Hiss never a problem for me.

4 years of gigs and studio sessions, no problems at all!

Never called Fender! Bought new, had a warranty, every Fender amp I ever had (12!!!!) NEVER needed ANY service. Cannot rate this.

Been playing since 1967. Have also Fender Super 60, Bandmaster, bassman, Stage 112, and others throughout the years, Iswear by Fenders. Great amp, just loud ENOUGH, sweet sound, light enough to throw in a car without a hernia (ever carry a TWIN with EV's with no casters?) Probably the most underrated versatile amp you can get today!

One channel with reverb, 12inch speaker which helps the tone a bunch over other amps in it's class with 8 or 10inch speakers. 15 watts tube power. I keep it by my computer just the right size for the house, but I can still blow away the wife and kids with it, its hard to think of it as just a practice amp. I also have two other Fender amps; A Twin and Deluxe Reverbs both True Vintage, the Jr, stands up well to the Deluxe but is not as clean or as bright, they are about the same power and size class of amp. I would not compair it to the Twin at all.

I play a 1966 ES 335 or a EPI SG and some times a Tele through it. I get nice clean sounds at moderate volume and a little crunch with the fat switch sounds great for blues with the 335 and hot for country with the tele. I don't go for all out distortion much, so it works for me as is, can't wait to try it at a gig. To replace my Deluxe for some blues riffs.

Unknown, but its Fender so it should last and last. Check your tubes and keep good ones in it, they cause most of the problems with amps.

I've had good experience with fender in the past.

You could find me back in the 60's in a some garage or high school dance, in LA playing through a Super Reverb, A great amp for the day but now I hate to carry a 75 pound amp to a gig. I like the Jr. for it's size and for the stuff I do today, I may even sell my Twin by the pound someday soon and just keep the Deluxe as my back up.

low price,few features that's ok.use outborad effects for reverb and overdrive.

one good sound is better than alot of mediocre ones.this amp has a warm real tube sound.it's easy to get a good tone without having to spend time turning too many knobs.sounds good with all types of guitars.

never do a gig with out a backup it's small and light enough too carry two.

i'v been playing for over 30yrs.mostly blues type music. i've played everything and was not about to pay 2000 bucks for a 20watt amp that i'd have to make mods on anyway.i'm waiting for a weber p12nt and i'm going to make some mods to get the most out of the design.

Not very many features but it doesn't really need it. Volume, Treble, Bass, Mids, Master Volume, and Reverb. Hidden inside the 1X12" cab is a speaker output jack to use with the internal speaker or an external cab and a footswitch for the F.A.T. switch feature. That's about it. Nothing else but great tone.
I wish there was an effects loop and a separate external speaker jack, but I'll get over it with the awesome sounds that this little workhorse will give.

I own a 1981 Gibson "The Paul", walnut body and mahogony neck with open humbuckers. These humbuckers seem MUCH hotter than most, but they still give a great tone. So far I've ran my guitar straight into the amp with no pedals. I'm a tone fanatic and haven't yet found a distortion pedal that I've loved as much as I love what this amp puts out by itself. (I am looking at the Fulltone Fulldrive2 however) The amp is only one channel which makes it hard to go from VERY CLEAN to VERY DISTORTED without pedals, but with the volume on about "6" and the Master volume pretty much anywhere, you get a great saturated clean sound and a dirty lead sound with just playing softer or louder.
I've tried this amp with a '62 tele with a bigsby tremelo and this amp really sings. Overall, this amp reacts to your guitar. It is just as organic as your playing. One thing I've hated about other newer amps is the GAIN knob. The volume/master volume setup does not do the same thing as a gain/volume setup. The volume/master volume setup gives a much smoother natural sound. Think ultimate blues and jazz. I have pulled a Creed sound out of it with the FAT switch on and the volume all the way up and the master down a bit(as to not wake the neighbors). It was awesome, crunchy, and smooth but without the transistory overtones found in most solidstate and tube amps.
Most people label it a backstage/practice amp, but with a 2x12" extension cabinet this thing will crank. And it's only 15watts wich means that you won't pull your back out carrying it from the trunk to the stage.
Just a quick stab here. It sounds so much better than the Deluxe or the Hot Rod Deluxe.

So far it hasn't shown me that it needs a backup. Turns on everytime I flip the switch. I don't expect to have any problems besides the normal tube changing.

I haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing for about 8 years. I own a Fender Princeton and a little Yamaha practice amp that, once again, gets some pretty cool tones but doesn't compare to the Blues Junior. If it were stolen I would run as fast as I could and by another one in case they stopped making them. This will join the Deluxe and the Twin in the Fender Hall of Fame. I compared it to the Deluxe and the Deluxe Reverb Reissue and as the Deluxe Reverb RI did sound great it did not have the Volume/MasterVolume setup that I was looking for. I'm still looking at the Fulltone Fulldrive2 to boost the volume for certain gigs. Take my advice, go to your local music store and crank up a Blues Junior and watch as people in the room turn their heads to listen. It's funny.

This review is just to update everyone on the Customer service that Fender gives. See below.

Perfect 10 on sound

Bought this amp used. Believe it to be less than a year old when purchased. After 4 months of occasional use, it just died. Power light would be on but no output period. Fuse was OK

I lost my receipt, which means I lost my warranty also since Fender requires it on all repairs. Called Fender and they verified serial # and authorized the repairs w/o receipt. Now that is GREAT Customer Service. That is why I am Fender thru and thru. Thanks Fender!!!!!

Best Amp for the money around. PERIOD

It's a 99
I think most folks here know the features. It's your basic little tube amp with 15W, 12" Emminence, reverb, master vol, mid, bass, treble and a mid-range boost called a "Fat" switch.

I use an early 80's G&L Invader with a retro-fitted fixed bridge (I removed the crappy Kahler and filled the cavity with matching Alder) sc/sc/hb. I also use a Hamer Artist semi-hollow w/ two Seth Lover hb's. I play anything that I find musically interesting but I'd have to say my root style is derived from dance hall/bar cover tunes so I'd say swing/rock/blues/country/pop. I find the BJ very suitable for getting performance level tones at practice levels. I don't find it particularly noisy electronically but rather mechanically. The buzzing and rattling is the biggest problem w/ the BJ. At medium to high volumes the whole box is literally vibrating including the tubes. The Artist's HB's somewhat overwhelm this amp especially at the bottom ranges which get alittle flubby. The G&L sounds great thru this amp.

There is always the exception but Fenders are a workhorse and I don't find anything inherently wrong with the BJ except cabinet/speaker design. I offer a solution below. There is the vintage mentality which says the old stuff is better but in reality that's rubbish. I can afford any amp I want but I'm not going to pay twice to three time more unless I will get 2 or 3 times the tone. I've owned lots of old Fenders and I gotta say I don't regret passing them on. I just hope they're not sitting in some guy's music room/showroom but instead getting beer stained, smoke yellowed and on their 12th pair of speakers.(pan to Spinal Tap's 58 LP in the glass jar). I have an old Pro-Reverb that I think sounds crappy but I know someone will fork over $600 for it. As far as the PC board mounted pots; they can easily be retrofitted with panel mounts with some wire leads to the PCB. More easily and cheaply, they can just be replaced when needed. I've had to replace many a panel mount pot on the old point to point chassis mainly because dirt destroys the wipers.

If you buy it from a reputable dealer you shouldn't have any trouble. Corporate hdq's for Fender, or any corporation for that matter, see us as consumers/statistics not people; deal with it.
Almost anyone can repair Fenders if you can handle a soldering iron and read schematics.

I'd only like to address the BUZZ/RATTLE issue which I feel alot of folks, enamored with the new purchase, seem to gloss over. It is the only deficiency that keeps this amp from challenging the small Watt vintage mystique and the high priced boutique amps. This is based on the price/tone factor that I stated above. Forget what the amp "experts" say. The BJ is a great value. If I were an "expert" I'd jump on the BJ bandwagon and go after-market to address the needs of the users instead of just being another smug vintage bitch. I believe the BJ will retain value as far as tone but it needs cabinet upgrading. I BJ head would be great!
I recommend removing the speaker and installing it in an open back cabinet like Carvin's (~$150 w/spkr)or try a closed cabinet, whatever you like. I believe if you play/practice aggressively this little amp (AND THAT's WHAT IT IS!) will shake itself apart if you use the internal speaker.

single channel, high, low, mid EQ...preamp, master vol. controls, 12" yellow back driver, reverb...15 watts output, two El84s', three 12ax preamp tubes.....believe it or not, I purchased this amp for 80.00 at a local pawn shop...the proprietor obviously thought this amp was of the small practice amp genre...something he could turn a fast profit on..it was on display with several other legit. practice amps....I bought it without even a test drive, I figured even if it didn't work it was worth 80.00 dollars....after getting the thing home, I found that it did indeed work and according to the date code, was manufactured in July, 1997...I plan to use this amp in tandum with my Hot Rod Deluxe..I had been looking for a small amp for this purpose..the Blues Jr will cover this task very nicely...plus it looks good with its bigger brother... oh yeah, not only did the unit work, its also in pristine cosmetic condition.....

I use a telecaster with SD alnico 2 pickups...pedal type comp. in front of a sho bud volume pedal...Zoom 507 looped in the Deluxe for minor effects...I run the two amps separate from each other with my guitar signal split into each amp...the Jr completely dry the Deluxe about 20% wet...both amps about the same vol. depending on the job.. with this setup, my guitar sounds huge...very spacious and transparent.....the Jr on its own?....I can only repeat what other reviewers have stated regarding this amp...very good tube type tone, warm, darker then other amps of this type...very loud, plenty of good stage volume....manifests into a warm overdriven sound when preamp volume is increased towards the end of the pot....can also provide cleaner tone as the preamp vol is decreased...should also state theres a lot of good tone between the two extremes....its clear to me that this amp, although without a lot of bells and whistles, is a performing amp that is designed to do one thing well...deliver great guitar tone....in my humble opinion, it does that very, very, well... and yes, its a great "practice" amp too!!!

As with any tube amp, spare power tubes and at least one preamp tube and fuses should be on hand in case of amp failure....I can honestly say I,ve never had a Fender amp quit on me on a job......that statement covers a whole bunch of work....and a whole bunch of time

I,ve never had to deal with Fender directly...according to most of the reviews...no one else has either, and if they have...it wasn't a good experiance...personally, after I "bonded" with a guitar or amp...I wouldn't want them (Fender) to touch it...I'll take care of product problems myself....

Been playing way to long...I should be thinking of retirement at my age...instead, I,m writing how good an amp sounds...if the amp was snagged would I replace it?? ..for 80.00??..hell yeah!!!....seriously, from what I see these amps going for...it would be difficult fot a player to find a better tonal bargain....yes, I would consider a replacement...

Has the features that count. The only things I'd like to see are a Tremolo and Foot-switching for Trem and Reverb(to go along with footswitch for FAT feature)

Guitars: '52 Re-issue Tele/Bardens; '57 Re-issue Strat; Lawrence Tele;'58 Gibson ES 125 Archtop set up with DiMarzio PAF'sI have two of these amps loaded with JBL D120 F's and use them with an old Digitech Stereo Chorus/Flanger. Its a HUGE sound with much fuller frequency response from lows to highs than the stock speakers. You can get just about any sounds you want from clean/warm Fender jazz tones to Led Zep "Dazed and Confused" and beyond. A true TONE MONSTER and Best New Fender made. The trick is to mount the speakers to the baffle with 4 more bolts than the just the four that are on there now. This enhances the overall frequency response from low to high and eliminates any rattle that seems to have been a problem with this amp in some revues. The JBL's are more efficient and therefore much louder than the stock speakers. They make this amp very workable in most playing situations.

Never have any problems

Don't know-never had a need

The stock speaker(and the way it's mounted )is the weak point of this otherwise little gem. Tighten down all the screws and bolts while you're at it

Features have been covered to death already. I really think it should have a headphone jack, any small amp should because they are so often used in homes/apartments.

I play a peavey raptor 1 strat with fender texas specials and a epiphone sheraton II. I play almost strictly blues and this amp with these guitars is perfect. It does hum some when I crank it up loud. I have it plugged into a surge protector with a TV and some other stuff so I may have to let it have it's own outlet to get rid of that. The hum really isn't a problem though. It sounds very good clean and distorted. The amp really does sound good.

I have had it for around 3 months now and have had no problems. I'm not sure how old it is but think about 5yrs. Got it used at a music store and supposedly the guy that had it before me gigged with it. I just play it at home. Looks like new, not a scratch on it. Appears very rugged

no warranty used

Been playing around 2yrs. I have the 2 guitars I mentioned above, a zoom 505 which is fun to run through the bj, and a piece of crap peavey rage 158 solid state amp. The zoom actually sounds pretty good with the bj (much quieter than through the peavey). I'd get another one if some idiot stole it. It really has a lot of nice blues tones. The only negative is not being able to use headphones. I did not try any other amps but after reading the reviews here and checking around on the different guitar newsgroups I figured this was what I had been looking for and it is. I don't think I'd find another amp that sounds like this for $200 dollars.

My history with the Blues Junior is a strange one? one I thought some of you might want to hear. By the way, I have previously reviewed this amp in this forum (6/2/99).

I bought my first Blues Junior well over a year ago. I loved the sounds it made. But like an idiot, I thought I could get something "better" sounding, so I sold it. I already had a SF Princeton Reverb, and the BJ already sounded better than it, but I figured a Deluxe Reverb would sound even better than either the PR or the BJ. So I got a Deluxe Reverb. The DR sounds very good, and the reverb is absolutely incredible, but the DR didn't seem to sound as good as the BJ; it was too bright and sterile sounding. But I played it anyway and sort of forgot about the sounds the BJ made. That was until a friend of mine bought a BJ, and we compared the DR and BJ side by side. The BJ kicked the DR's butt! The BJ's dark, rich sound was so much warmer than the DR's. The BJ's reverb still stank, but the tone was absolutely awesome. So I bought another BJ.

After fiddling around with my newest BJ, and switching speakers in and out of it, I came to the conclusion that with a 1964 Jensen C12N (ceramic magnet) the amp sounded very crisp and light but still had a great bass response, good for acoustic and/or a country sound. The C12N was a perfect match for lower volume play. I also tried a 1966 Jensen P12N (alnico magnet), and with the BJ's volume turned way up, the BJ churned out this creamy smooth, sustained sound that I have NEVER heard equaled! The P12N was a perfect match for that loud bluesy tone.

For a while I was switching these two speakers in and out of my BJ frequently, just to get the sound I wanted for that day/week. This got real old after a while, so I bought ANOTHER BJ! That way I could have one for each speaker. This seems to be the perfect setup. One BJ for low volumes and crisp tones. One BJ for that loud, kick-ass blues sound. And with the BJ's so low in cost, this wasn't really all that extravagant!

So now I own two BJ's, and I love them both!!! What I can't figure out is WHY this amp sounds so damn good. The cabinet seems to be too small, but it's bass response is remarkable. The EL-84's seem to be too low powered, but the volume is raucous! It seems to be too simple of an amp, but the range of sounds it produces (even without multiple speakers) is incredible. How can this be? If you have NEVER listed to one of these amp's, I am sure you are saying to yourself "you're full of crap"; but for those of you who HAVE heard a BJ, you're saying "ya know, that's the truth!". Whatever magic, or geniusness, Fender used to design this little beast resulted in one GREAT sounding amp! I have this feeling that the BJ will become one of Fender's classic, highly sought after amps in the years to come; sort of like the vintage Deluxe Reverbs and Princeton Reverbs have become today.

7 The features are adequate but could be improved. A standby switch
is a must. The reverb is not great and should have a footswitch but it is reverb. I've heard people say that a WEBER VST C12Q makes a nice difference. I bought "Tweed Junior" used for $250 about 18 months ago and I don't know it's age really. It appears sturdy enough and I like it's looks.

I play a 1989 AmStd Strat, '98 MexiTelecaster(Kent Armstrong Tex/neck
and Kent Armstrong Hot/bridge pu's), Homemade w/alder body/maple neck and mini-humbkrz. I play blues, rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, jazz. The Sovteks sound good but I tried a pair of RCA NOS 6BQ5's and three GE 5751's in the front end. At first it didn't seem much different but the character changed rather nicely. The sound was mellowed a bit with the OD being not as harsh(5751's are lower gain) but still plenty LOUD. The clean headroom increased and I found myself checking to see if the reverb was on(needs a footswitch). The sound was clear with detail and a bit of chime. With the Fenders that raw bite tries to go to feedback when you drop the hammer. My teenagers are always yellin' at me to "TURN IT DOWN!!!". With NOS tubes and a C12Q it will kick ass. I tried it through an old Fender 2/12 cabinet(Bandmaster?) just the other day in the neighbor's garage. It was fantastic at any level and full out was
"Susan Tedeschi bad-ass/rockin'the blues" with the Telecaster.
I'd give it a solid 8......reverb, speaker, and tubes could be better.

8 So far so good

no idea

8 This little cutie has great tonal flexibility, is loud as a bastard, and for the money there is nothing better.

Mine was brand new, so I am assuming it was built in 1999. I won't restate the features, other than to say the simple design makes modifing the tone easy.

I use a G&L Legacy Special (strat with 3 humbuckers) through a RP-7 effects. The first chord was "pure tone". I play christian rock/worship and blues. This amp can handle all the sounds I want and provides them even a low volumes. This is the perfect amp for what I wanted--great tone at low volumes. I also have played my accoustic/electric through it and am very happy. For accoustic reproduction, I would rate it at a 7. This is great as I only need one amp for two different sounds without sacrificing tone.

I have only had it two months and currently don't play in public.

I have been playing accoustic for 25 years, just start electric a few months ago. I bought a Roland Blues Cube 30 which was OK for strictly blues, but only at higher volumes. I would definately buy another Blues Jr. if this were lost/stolen/worn out. It gives me all I want without driving my family out of the house. For the dollars, it is one of the best buys I have ever made.

I believe my Junior is a newer model (98-99'??) because it came with stock w/ Groove Tubes.(A big plus considering Fender usually uses Sovteks or Chinese made tubes). The Fat button is a nice touch especially since you can get an optional footswitch for it(great for live gigs during solos). Although 15watts doesn't sound like much..this amp may be the ultimate blues/funk/rock/rockabilly club amp for it's crankable tone. It can hang with a loud drummer. The solid state rectifier is not minus in my opinion because the amp would be more "flubby" in the bass tones and you wouldn't get much better of a tone out of it with a tube rectifier(maybe just a bit more sag which can't always be heard,only felt) The solid state spring reverb really suprised me and it sounds better than the "over-boingy" tube reverb in my blonde 65' Deluxe Reverb reissue. The volume and master volume work very well together. You will be able to dial in almost any slight to medium overdriven blues and classic rock tones. the EL84's sound suprising Fender,only darker.(This is good because most Fender tube amps can tear your head off with biting treble)....Lacking Features: not many but tube vibrato would have been a very nice touch.(Get a Diaz Tremidillo or Peavey external tube reverb/vibrato unit and you'll be set) For the sheer bang for the buck, the features on this amp are great.

The guitars I use are as Follows: all LEFTIES: 86' Fender American standard w/ Van Zandt Blues pickups(Neck/Middle) plus a Old 70'gibson PAF w/cover in bridge. a 50's Reissue tele also with Van Zandt blues pickups.(These are great pickups by the way...Jimmie Vaughn has 'em in his old beat strat) and a recently acquired Danelectro 56-U2 with those twangy lipstick pickups....Pedals: Ibanez Tubescreamer(TS-5), Bionix Expadora(this one's very good) and a Snarling Dogs Blue Doo. The Blues Junior sounds sweet with all of my guitars.The tones you can get from this amp are "bad to the bone". This amp rivals all affordable small tube amps that you could play in a band with. The EL84 tubes break up nice and to don't ever sound harsh at any volume or gain setting on the amp. THIS AMP DOES NOT NEED TO BE USED WITH PEDALS.It's versatile enough to hold its own. Its also sounds better than my 65' Deluxe reverb reissue (which is so clean at most volumes that it's almost lifeless and sterile compared to the Blues Junior.) This amp is very musical and harmonic. A true blues amp that breathes with you and your guitar.Nuff said.

This amp is brand new with Groove tubes that you can replace with out rebiasing the amp. This means that if you keep spare power tubes you can replace them yourself. (This is a huge plus if you're on the road with a few opf these BJ's) If you dropped it you might damage some of the tubes(this can be said of ANY tube amp though) The cabinet looks very sturdy. A standby switch for the tubes would help prolong tube life.(Just turn the mast. vol. off whenever you plug/unplug or power down) I am definitely going to gig with this amp on its own abd I can't wait.

I've never personally dealt with Fender but I bought the BJ from a fender distributor who always has helped me even with a 63'Super Reverb that I bought used from them. Find a good Tube Amp Guru in your area. That's what you have to have when you are serious about tube amps.

I'm in love with this amp and it's unstoppable tone. I can't wait to use it at jam sessions and gigs. I would buy another one (the tweed one) if this one was stolen or damaged. This amp literally blows away my 65' Deluxe Reverb reissue(sans reverb) Like i said, best bang for the buck.

New 1999 Fender Blues Jr. I play Blues and Classic Rock and I could not of picked a better amp. Has 1 channel. Has a fat switch that is foot switchable. no headphone jack or effects loop. I just wish it had a bigger cabinet for the 12" speaker. I use this amp for practice and gigs with a mic on it. It only has 15 watts but miked through a PA, it is plenty loud. It has two EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. Spring Reverb and a solid state rectifier.

I use a Strat style guitar with a bridge humbucker and 2 single coils in the neck and mid positions. This little thing kicks ass for bluesy SRV stuff. I use a Boss SD1 super overdrive through it for a Santana type lead tone and also for more crunchy rock stuff. It suits my needs very well. My pickups are parafin wax dipped, so I get no noise at all. I played a strat through it at the store and it was pretty noisy on higher gain settings, but not with my guitar. The amp by itself can get great clean tones and mild overdrive. Kick on the FAT switch and you get a small increase in preamp gain. Metal heads will not like this amp by itself. When I step on my Boss SD1, I get a thick powerful lead tone that just sings.

Amp is pretty small. I would be careful transporting it. I usually have it in the front passenger side seat of my car so I can keep an eye on it. I've had no problems so far.

Never had to call Yet. (knock knock knock!)

I've been playing for 19 years. I've owned stacks and half stacks and 2x12 combos. I really like the sound of small open back tube combos and this thing does the job great. I love the sound and features and simplicity. I bought a Line 6 1x12 combo and three days later I returned it for the Blues Jr. The line 6 sounded too processed and thin. I compared it to Fender's new Dyna Touch solid state stuff, but it lacked the warmth and power of real tubes. It wasn't bad, but I could just tell something was missing. I chose the Blues Jr. Because all the other models like the Hot rod deville and deluxe had a aweful sounding overdrive channel. The clean tones were great though. When I plugged into the Blues Jr., It just had THE SOUND!

Good features for an amp of this price range. An effects loop would be good but for this price what do you expect !

I played this amp with a Strat and a Tele and they both sounded incredible, this little amp kicks some serious butt ! I've been playing guitar for more than 25 years, I make my living playing and teaching guitar and I've played through and owned more amps than I would care to mention and this is one of the best amps I've ever owned ! What a bang for your buck ! Great blues, jazz, rock, tones from this amp, you might need a pedal to get a Metal tone but I know you will like the blues tone of this amp !

I haven't had it long but fender amps usually last ! It seems to be a tough little cookie !

I can't say enough about this little tone monster ! I can't wait to record with this amp, in the right room with the right mics this amp could be one of the best recording amps around ! And it's so cute !

You know what the features are, but I had the speaker replaced with a Greenback and the reverb overhauled with quality parts that got rid of the hum. I also put in Svetlana tubes. I prefer the boost to channel switching any day, so there's not the change in timbre, and the option to go from distortion to more distortion as well as from clean to distortion. Features rating is pre-mod. It needed a better reverb, better stock parts, and a tube rectifier, and it would have been perfect.

I got this little guy to play blues in my living room. Just wanted something not too terribly loud that I could get some B.B. King/Buddy Guy/SRV sounds with. Yep, I got them. Generally I leave the Fat switch on, so that I can get some bluesy gain without my neighbors complaining. In theory, if you've got a strat that sustains (I do) and the ability to really open this amp up full volume (I don't), you could get a sweet Eric Johnson/Jimmy Vaughn tone (Johnson's SRV tribute song on the Venus Isle album, with the Fat switch supplying the boost in the bridge). One reviewer suggested having a tech convert the reverb to a tube-base, which would involve adding another 12AX7?I've yet to find a tech willing, and willing to do it cheaply, and I'm not sure if there's enough space in there. I'd also like to change the rectifier to a tube, but again, need to find a tech who's competent and willing. With those two additions, it'd compete with any boutique setup out there (Victoria, vintage Fender, Bogner, etc.). I plan on it when I get the time to find a guy. Sounds were really good to begin with anyway.

Durable. Tubes get burned up doing the class-A thing, but what class-A setup doesn't burn out tubes like a bitch? Moreover, who'd want to sacrifice class-A tone? Used to own a Fender 85 Deluxe solid-state, so I suppose Fender products are durable in a universal sense.

Thought about a Mesa Blue Angel, which has a better reverb and more options, but I liked the Fat foot-switch thingy and wanted to get EL84-distortion at a reasonable volume (the Angel's EL84s are I believe like 22-30 watts). Considered a Blues Deluxe but wanted EL84s instead of 6L6s, and I was interested in the Matchless SC30 but they went out of business and became hard to find and the prices went up when I was interested, and so I said screw it?I love their sound, but it's not very Fendery. I'll get one some day when people are off the collectors-craze and I can find one for a reasonable price again. I use a Godin Signature Strat and Seagull acoustic and play in my living room, and as I no longer harbor those early college-years I-want-to-be-a-rock-god dreams, so with my revised priorities it's all I need for Hendrix and all those other blues/jazz greats. I haven't gigged in years, but it'd probably work great in a small club?it's loud, and it sustains and compresses nicely for a 15watt amp. Get it, spend $150 modding it your first year, and you'll have all the amp you'll ever need: just with the better reverb and better tubes and speaker, it already sounds like a real vintage Bassman, like an amp you'd pay a grand for?if I do get a tube reverb and rectifier conversion, it'll be really amazing.

Blues Junior, made in 1999. Sovtek tubes. Black with silver face. It also smells nice when it's warm!
Features should be known by now, anyway enough features for me. Less is more sometimes.
I play blues & jazzy sort of stuff and also use it for teaching guitar, and I can get all the sounds out of it that I need.

Play a Yamaha Pacifica 604W, which is basically a very good quality strat, with 2 single coils and 1 humbucker. You can split the coils in the HB with a push-pull tone control. I usually play in the neck position, sounds awesome through this amp. My other guitar is a Yamaha acoustic with a George L pickup permanently mounted in the sound hole.
Now this is what this amp is all about: it is not possible to get a bad sound out of this thing. Definitely the best amp I have owned and played. Just recently we had a big blues night here in town as a fund raising benefit concert for East Timor. We raised about A$ 15,000 on the night! I'm a member of the East Arnhem Blues Society and we organized the concert. Line up included a who's who of Australian blues music and on stage was a backline supplied by some of the musicians in my town: a Hartke bass amp, a sixties Bassman, 2 Marshall JCM 800's with 4 x 12s and my Blues Junior. Guess what all guitar players wanted to play: the BJ. One of the Marshalls was taken off stage before the night even started. We plugged the BJ into a 4x12 and miked it up and it satisfied a few quite fussy blues dudes in their fifties, so I suppose it sounded allright.
Some players on that night played quite heavy, some very clean, in different styles, and seemed to be getting their own sound out of it.
One harp player tried it but then choose the Bassman, because he said he needed more power to compete with the guitars.
Settings: I think other people have covered this in length before.
Reverb: not over 3-4 for me.
Distortion: easy to control, I don't use a pedal at all.

I use it for gigs - but I have only bought it recently. I wouldn't worry too much personally about using it without a backup.
Depends on the importance of your gig I suppose, I don't play profesionally.
I've owned a princeton in the past and that amp took a lot of abuse for many years without any hassle.

Has a decent warranty. I have an excellent dealer- Vince at Rocktown in Darwin-and I depend on him. He's got a BJ too actually for his own gigs.

Been playing for about 20 years - with breaks for other interests/instruments.

I have playing through quite a few of my friends and band mate's amps and decided the classic fender sound was hard to beat. Played a few Marshalls, also borrowed a Crate solid state 80W with a celestion speaker for a few gigs, which sounded really nice actually. The problem was you have to turn those big amps up too loud for comfort to get a nice warm sound. For me it had to be a small, good sounding amp, which didn't have to be big as I only play small gigs, jam sessions etc. I also have a couple of students and use it for teaching. Also my 13 year old son is learning the guitar (at home) so a big amp makes it harder for the rest of the family.
Reading these reports in harmony-central really helped me make up my mind: the BJ had to be it.
If it were stolen? Where I live people don't steal, you leave your house open and your keys in the ignition etc (I know it sounds weird) - but if it were stolen I would buy it again straight away.

bought this tiny amp new around 1997. It's covered in tweed so whenever they were available. I have several amps from Big Mesa rigs to Fender Twin (Evil Twin) AC-30, Vibroverb, etc. The blues Jr. is an awesome amp that packs a lot of cool tone into a small lightweight package.

I play blues, rock, even some country, and this little amp can cover all of them. It cleans up pretty well, and when pushed can break up well without sounding harsh. It's great for playing out because it's so light. I just mike it thru the PA when it runs out of power.

Typical Fender product. Good value..reliable..built well

I have never had to deal with the company...nothing breaks

Been playing since 1960. It's one of my favorite amps because it sounds so good, and it is so easy to haul around. It's not a Mesa but for 300 bucks it sounds awesome.

This is a 98 BJ that I have had for 7 months now. Basic features reverb, master volume, volume, and three band eq. It has one input jack and a FAT switch that acts as a boost switch for the distortion. It has a 12" speaker and is rated at 15 watts. It has no headphone jack.

I use a LP Studio, SG Standard, and a Yamaha Pacifica all with stock pick-ups. For pedals I will use a Boss Blues Driver or a Big Muff which both sound very good through the amp. I will use the pedals with the volume (which adjusts the amount of pregain) set at 3 or 4 and the master at about 5 or 6 and I use the pedals to control over all volume. I have read some reviews that said the reverb made noise when turned up. I keep it a about 3 or 4 with no noise which is about all the reverb I want. The amp will hum when both volumes are cranked. But cant be heard when playing. When playing clean I keep the volume at 3 or 4 and the master 10 or 12. At this setting the amp is not very loud which is not a problem for me since I keep it in my small playing room. Past this setting it will start to distort. Changing the eq settings on the amp dosen't change the amps overall tone very much at all. Like I cant tell any difference in the bass settings untill it reaches 6. However any setting you put on the amp is not bad at all. In fact the amp to my ears sound great. I play classic rock and gosple. Classic rock sounds great through the amp but gosple sounds better through my ss amp on the clean channel. If you are looking for a small low watt tube amp for practicing at home or taking one to a friends house to jam with, then this may be what you are looking for. Since it is light weight and easy to transport and it sounds good to. Check one out and let your ears be the judge.

Had it for 7 months and no problems so far. I dont play in a band or anything, I just play as a hobbie for myself. About once a month or so I will put it in my truck and take it to a friends house to play for a few hours. Other than that it just sets in my playin room. Seem to be reliabily.

Have never delt with Fender, if needed any work would take it to "Carls Music" they have a great service department. The warranty is for 5 years. The rating of 10 is for Carls Music.

Overall this is a very good sounding amp. For the money it cant be beat. Sure there are better sounding amps but for me this is just a small practice tube amp. Now I did not compare this to any other amps but I was looking for a small low watt tube amp. And this is the lowest watt amp I could find. After playing it I did not have to look any further. The rating of 9 is for a lack of a headphone jack. And for a low watt tube amp at 15 watts (a loud 15 watts) there sound be a headphone jack.

You know the features- simple stuff: coupla knobs, coupla tubes, reverb, overdrive, fat switch, etc. I like the Fat switch for the definite change in tone between lead and rhythm sounds. Kinda wish it had a line out and headphone jacks. Dual channels would be nice, too, but then we're getting expensive...

Currently, I play a '79 leftie strat, strung righty with a righty neck (Garage sale special- $50 all original except for the neck). This amp produces an incredible blues tone (as the name would imply), and the few times that my el cheapo distortion pedal hasn't conked out, I've also gotten a nice Texas kinda sound as well. I also have an Epiphone Coronet, wired with a set of OBL pickups. This sucker really cooks, and when you crank the overdrive, it gets this really nice kinda Santana sorta sound. Crank the treble and drop everything else for a nice punk distortion. I plugged in a Harmony Rocket the other day, and cranked the overdrive for a great Neil Young sound. Don't really use the clean sound too much, but it sounds great, too.

Well, this is my first tube amp, and it seems to be doing just fine... Oh yeah, I might mention that I had to move recently, and I had the local packaging company box it up for me and ship it UPS. The box, despite the 10 "fragile" stickers on every surface, was trashed completely, but the amp fired up just fine. Guess that earns some points here...

Haven't really talked to them yet...

I've been playing guitar for 8 years ('cello for 18), and only recently have I decided to get some more reliable gear. This amp was the first in that series of purchases, and I really did check some others out: the Ampeg amp of the same size, the Epiphone dual chorus, a few odds and ends (Crate, Peavey, Roland). I really felt that this was the best of the lot for tone and value. I regret nothing about the purchase (except for those #@#$% small town prices!!!), and would buy this EXACT amp again if anything happened.

I believe this amp was built in 1997 (that's the year on the Warranty card), but I bought it "New out-of-the-box" in September of 1999.
I decided to change my approach: find a guitar/amp combination that sounds good together rather than "options crammed" combos that ultimately fall short. I was basically looking for an amp that sounded clean without sounding sterile and go from there.
This amp's features have been thoroughly discussed in other reviews, so I'll simply say that a headphone jack and a line out would be welcome add-ons. Mind you, I like it fine the way it is!
For small jam sessions, practicing at home and recording, it's more than perfect. I won't go the "miked through a PA it would do great for gigs too" I mean, honestly, when was my last gig? 10? 15 years ago? And back then I played bass!

I use different guitars, my main axe is a home -made Double-Cutaway Les Paul equipped qith Seth Lover humbuckers, I also use an Epiphone Les Paul Jr and a home-made Frankenstrat fitted with Seymour Duncan Alnico-Pro II pickups and a Hot in the bridge position.
Using the settings from another review as guidelines for a clean sound, I fiddled with the guitar volume control and was surprised at the nice round tones. Keep in mind that I bought it this week, I'm still in the after-glow of the purchase, everything sounds good to me right now!
I followed that procedure with both Pauls and liked what I heard. I haven't tried out the Frankenstrat yet ... but I have a hunch that single coil pickups will have a nice, clean, "twangy" tone through this amp. I'll know for sure when I try ...
About the Reverb, I agree that it is a bit noisy, but compared to some of the crappy amps I used in the past (no names)the noise is not that bad. It does not drown the actual sound while playing. I guess it could be compared to tape hiss on analogue MTR's: the noise is there but the noise floor is low enough to be masked by the music.
In fact, I find the reverb to be quite musical sounding - again, I've heard some pretty awful spring reverbs out there -this one is just right: unobtrusive, yet you'll notice if it's off ... oh well, my opinion!
Since I live in an appartment, I haven't tried to crank it up - 15 watts tube can be as loud as 30 watts solid state, I even heard as loud as 50 watts solid state! But I'll use FX for different shades of Overdrive/distortion.
All in all a great sounding amp!

Seems to be solidly built and it's Warrantied for 5 years. The service department at Long & McQuade's has always impressed me. I have every intention of treating this baby with lots of TLC, and I intend on getting an amp cover for it to keep it clean. It's my first Fender amp, and I've only had it for a few days, but yes, it looks sturdy and reliable.

I've never dealt with the people at Fender. On the other hand, the 5 year Warranty shows that they take pride in their products and will stand behind them. Since I'm in Toronto Canada, I'm likelier to bring it back to L&M's excellent service department than to ship it to Fender in the US.

OK, I confess, I bought this amp based on the following combined factors: the Fender mystique, the tube mystique, the great reviews this amp has received and the fact that I wanted to spoil myself with an early birthday present!
I feel like I've become a member of a few select clubs: The Fender owners club and the all-tube combo owners club. Aside from its lack of a headphone jack and a line out jack, it's a great, sweet sounding amp even at "polite" appartment levels.
I still wish my place was sound-proofed well enough for me to crank it up and wail away, but as a clean amp, a Fender is hard to beat.

I traded my classic 30 for this amp straight across. I hated the peavey it had a really strident tonal quality and was plagued by tube microphonics whenever I turned it up. You've read all the pros and cons...I like simple and the fact that it doesn't have a standby is of no consequence. The reverb on my amp seems to work fine...it probably doesn't have a great deal of depth but is good for the work I do. This is the loudest 15 watt amplifier I have ever used.

I play in a classic rock group with a Beatle act. I use the junior to pust my Vox Berkeley cabinet with and it honks. I use a Fender strat, Epiphone Les Paul and Rickenbacker 325 and all the guitars sound great with this amp. We play many different size venues and it works great for all. I mic the amp if needed and just use stage volume in some cases. I mostly run the amp wide open using the volume for level. The amp is very quiet at loud volume but has broken up slightly when I really push it.

I use it most weekends...travel in a trailer and seems to be very tough and durable. The tolex came lose on a corner but was an easy fix. The box seems to very well made. I have not had to re-tube or fix in any way shape or form.

don't know

I have been playing for about 25 years. I also own a 1967 Vox Cambridge reverb and Berkeley cab with gold bulldogs. I pretty well like the junior a lot...it is way nicer than the peavey I used to own and it's small and relatively light and what musician can't appreciate that? I'd probably replace it if it got lifted by a crook.

Simple is better. 15 watts rms into a 12" Fender re-issue "Gold Label" speaker. Controls: Power switch, power indicator, reverb, master volume, middle, bass, treble, fat switch, volume, input. Tubes: (2) 6BQ5's(EL84) and (3) 12AX7's, Preamp: 1.5 of the 12AX7 is used. The other 12AX7 is for the phase inverter. 31 lbs. Mine is black with silver sparkle grill cloth. It also has a 1/4 inch plug for the speaker output (used by the 12") and a 1/4 inch plug for an optional footswitch for fat on/off

I'm a believer that a 10 is left for those special amps that just make you feel warm and squishy inside. This one comes very close to that feeling. I play an Epiphone Les Paul w/stock pick-ups (will change to Gib's 57 classic soon) through a Boss SD-2 dual overdrive. This gives me a wide palatte of sounds. But unlike most amps who will do a lot of sounds and do a so-so job at it, this setup will give me all the basic sounds (crystal clear to blues to hard rock) and it does so extremely well. The reverb is, like all blues juniors, a tad on the hissy side, but it rounds things out nicely. Eventually, my setup will be: overdrive, reverb, EQ into the amp. I played this setup in the store and I had every sound imaginable, even heavy metal. Alone, it's not very versatile, but with all the choices in pedals out there, you can get anything you want, and it will sound phenomenal. The 15 watts is extremely loud. It will definately work in any situation you put it into. In my budget, this is the finest amplifier I have played through. It has a sound of its own. It's not the chrystal Fender sound, it is much fatter than that. It lets your own sound come out.

One point for each year in it's warranty by Fender. It'll probably reach a 10 someday, but I haven't had it that long.

I've looked on their web site and they have a good site with good advice for thier customers. Haven't personally dealt with them, though.

An absolutey wonderfull amp at a great price with awesome tone. What more could you want? I've only been playing for a year, but in that year I've grown a lot as a musician. I used to play solid state shit and I'll never go back. If it were stolen I'd march right back to the music store and buy another. I compared this amp to a crate blue voodoo (too muddy), and an epiphone electar (just didn't sound right) and both had nowhere near the tonal quality of the Blues Junior, and it was much cheaper in price than the other two. No matter what your style of music, this amp will serve you well. If it's blues, you got it, if it's rock or metal, you can get it easily with the right FX pedals. The Blues Junior has tone, tone, and more awesome tone. If you want to know more about this amp, check out fender.com, or www.zen.org/~ware/ffg/blues_jr.html, or just keep reading more below.

Most people already know all the features but I'll run through them quickly for the few who don't. This little amp is a 15 watt, all tube single channel combo. Tubes are three 12ax7, and two el84. One and a half 12ax7 drives the preamp, half lef unused, one as the phase inverter and the el84's drive the power amp. One twelve inch 8 ohm Fender design speaker, reverb, fat switch, mid, bass, treble controls. Also has volume and master volume. Pretty basic set up, very straight foward design. No gimmics, just Tone. I give it a ten for features because while there aren't alot of knobs to turn each one has a strong affect on shaping the amps sound.

If you like small tube amps as much as I do, then you should love this baby. This is actually my secound one. My first experiance was about three years ago, at the time I was very inexperianced, as a guitarist and as far as what sound I was searching for. I was using it with a stock Eric Clapton strat, a Blues driver box and cry baby. Tring to get sounds that were "a" not possible with that set up and "b" not possible at my low skill level. So i got rid of everything except the strat. Since then I've gone through several amps: a Mesa studio caliper, crate vintage club vc15, and 508, Marshall JTM30, and most recently Peavey Classic 20. While all these amps had very useable, some very good tones there was always something missing. It seemed they were always too clean, or broke up to easily, or couldn't sound good at all volume levels. But the B.J. is something different. It seems this amp was designed to sound great at all volumes. The cleans do stay clean as long as I want them, and the drive comes just as easily and sweetly. The reverb on mine really is almost undetectable, which is all I need anyway and actualy stays very silent. I did have a strange hum wich I finally traced to the fact that you cannot share an electrical outlet with any thing else while using this amp. If you are experiancing the noise than this may solve your problem too. I use an Eric Clapton sig strat with the mid boost circut completely removed, the pickups have been replaced with Fender custom 54s, and the secound tone now controls the middle pup and has apush pull to activate the neck pup in any position. For effects i use a vox wah, Morley crystal chorus, and Tube Works Real tube overdrive. I can get just about every tone I'm tring for with this setup. From sweet sweet clean to all out grind and everything inbetween. Classic rock, blues, country, roadhouse, jazz, and even hard rock, all there and all very useable. I dont think this is the best amp out there, all amps are at least good at somethings. A few are even great. But for one amp, the price, and the size this amp goes along way. If I was going to spend the rest of my life with one amp I couldn't say this would definatly be the one. But for now its pretty damn close.

Seems very reliable. Have owned several Fender products, and for the most part they have been great. Haven't really had it long enough to say its bullet proof, besides what has man ever made that didn't have its flaws. the 5 is for lack of time with the product. Five years from now call me, maybe you'll get a 10.

Dealt with Fender before on other gear, if your local dealer cant help you, they can.

Been playing awhile, just gotten serious lately, I think this amp has brought me closer to "my" tone. If I lost it I'd shop around, theirs too much out there to settle on one thing so soon in my playing life. Thats not to say that I wouldn't come back to the B.J.

Other reviews cover the features this amp has very well, so I won't go into the details except to say it is stock with no alterations or aftermarket parts added. It would be nice if the amp had a headphone jack, but all you really need to do is plug your headphones into your stompbox or effects unit and that takes care of the "no headphone jack" issue.

I know as an inexperienced buyer that the market is filled with all kinds of amps to choose from. I live in a rural area and did not have access to guitar superstores where I could try out the different makes and models in the price range I was interested in. I relied on reviews such as "The Amp Database". I want to assure anyone looking for a small, portable tube amp that will knock your socks off with warm, rich tone to look no further than the Fender Blues Jr. - No Joke. I use the Zoom 1010 effects pedal when I want distortion and to raise my heart rate. When I want to strum straight chords like a hillbilly I play the amp clean with the master switch on high and use the secodary volume switch to control volume and it sounds wonderful. I rarely go past 2 1/2 on the volume and in a 1,250 square ft home 2 1/2 will shake the walls and make your wife's china rattle like it ought to.

I dunno, I bought it used but in like-new condition and take very good care of my stuff. I expect (and hope) that it will last a long time.

Once again, I dunno, never dealt with them.

I have owned one other amp. I am the world's biggest skinflint and really did my homework and passed up a lot of other more expensive amps that sounded worse. This amp is flat wonderful and a bargain for beginner or experienced player.

At this point everybody knows the features. Not all that versatile, but great for what it is -- great tone at a civilized volume.

Some of the reviews mis-state the tone, I think. It's not really the traditional Fender sparkle thing. It's darker and throatier, beefier and ballsier. I mostly use it with a Les Paul 58 plaintop with Duncan Seth Lovers and a Turner model T (for slide) and the sound is just an outstanding reasonable-volume blues, blues/rock tone. Yeah, the reverb is just functional, good for rounding things out, not good if a real drippy thing is what you want. But isn't that all most people really require out of reverb -- just a touch? For great tone at a livable volume, this amp is a home run.

Haven't really abused it. I suspect it's not bulletproof -- I figure the low price probably costs you a little in indestructability. But for most people's purposes (home, practice) I can't imagine a problem. (I'm told people gig with it -- it's probably loud enough for small clubs. I just don't know how it would hold up used that way.)

Haven't dealt with Fender. I gather they're not great. Probably best off dealing with an amp tech if there were problems.

The two points about this amp are -- (A) it's got the best master volume sound of anything even remotely comparable, including a lot of amps a whole lot more expensive. (For example, my Matchless Chieftain sounds great full out, but thin and buzzy at living room levels with the master working.) It sounds better than the small Boogies, small Matchless, any of the other Fender Hot Rod series. Maybe it was just a lucky accident, but this inexpensive little amp gives you the home and practice-level, master volume tone you couldn't find before. And (B), at a street price of $350 or under, it's an absolutely unbelievable value. There are boutique overdrives that are nearly the same price (Fulldrive, Centaur). (And don't, by the way, deliver the same low-volume quality of tone.) I think this is the tone bargain of the decade. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if this one went missing. (I was, however, told by the salesman that the quality is not uniformly consistent with these. Try a few out to make sure you're getting a good one.) If you're a blues-based player, I honestly don't think there's anything out there that will make you happier with your home/practice, low-volume tone than this amp -- at any price, much less the $350 or less this'll set you back. Try it. You'll love it.

I have a 1996 Blues Jr. with tweed case. It has the very basics as you probably know. This is NOT a versatile amp. This is a small club BLUES amp. DO NOT BUY THIS AMP if you do not PLAY BLUES!!!

I play a 1983 Fender strat with non-tremolo bridge and a set of custom Lindy Fralin Blues specials pick-up. I have been playing Blues and Rhythm and Blues for 15 years. For Blues it is quite excellent. TONE, TONE, and more TONE. At low volumn, however, the sound is a bit thin. The reverb is also thin. At higher volumns the tone is fantastic. This little monster can really tear it up for blues. It is MUCH louder than the 15 watts. I have never had a problem being heard. The lead, however, doesn't always punch through because the amp lacks bottom end. Speaker replacement and tube experimentation can take care of this problem.

Well.... I've put a pretty good beating on this little amp. My band plays out about 3-4 times per week so its seen alot of mileage. The big problem is that the parts are cheap. I've already had one of the pods burn out. There is also a design flaw in that the tubes are mounted directly behind the speaker. This can cause them the rattle and burn out. If you don't keep an eye on them they can burn out the pods and circuitry.

I don't deal with Fender. Over the internet, however, they are ok if you are one of the lucky few who actually have their costumer service contact.

I've been playing 15 years. I've owned a twin reverb and several other tube amps. For size/portability this amp is really great. The tone is fantastic and warm for blues. I can't imagine it would be used for anything else. I love the tone. Tone is King, tone is everything and this little amp can provide it. I hate the fact that with a little more thought, planning and investment this could be a fantastic amp, not just an amp with fantastic tone for a low price. I bought it for the tone and portability (I live in Europe and don't own a car). The tone is definitely there... the question is: how long will the amp be there?

U ALREADY KNOW THE FEATURES ON THIS AMP.CAME WITH THE FOOT SWITCH TO ENAGAGE THE FAT SWITCH (I LEAVE IT ENGAGED ALL THE TIME)AND THE BROWN COVER WITH THE FENDER LOGO.I GOT MINE USED SO I DONT KNOW THE YEAR IT WAS MADE AND DIDNT COME WITH THE WARRANTY.I PLAY BLUES SO IT SUITS ME TO A MOJO.I AM USING IT IN THE BEDROOM ITS MY TEMPORARY MUSIC STUDIO FOR NOW.AS FAR AS POWER YEA BABY FOR 15 WATTS AS OTHERS HAVE STATED GETS LOUD.GREAT PRATCICE AMP AND GOOD SOUNDS FOR ROCK & BLUES.

I AM USING A G&L LEGACY BOUGHT SAME TIME AS THIS AMP.(PICKUPS:G&ls VINTAGE SINGLE COILS).THIS AMP IS PRETTY NOISY ALL SETINGS ON AMP AND GUITAR,CONSTANT HUM IS ALWAYS PRESENT BUT A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR COULD BE MY POWER AT THE OUTLETS AND SCREWED UP WIRING IN THE HOUSE,AT TIMES I HAVE PICKED UP SIGNALS FROM AM RADIO STATIONS AND ALSO CB TALK.DOES THIS HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE OR AM I FUCKED,ALSO DOES THE GUITAR CORD MATTER, I AM USING A CHEAP ONE THAT THE DEALER THROUGH IN WITH THE DEAL.IF ANY ONE HAS ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL ME KSELIG@AMCASTLE.COM.OTHER THAN THE HUM AND INTERFERENCE I REALLY LIKE THE SOUNDS THAT THIS AMP CAN PRODUCE,CAN GO FROM CLEAN STORMY MONDAY TO A MORE HEAVY SOUND WITH NICE MUSICAL BREAKUP WITH THE HIGHER VOLUMN AND MASTER SETINGS.

I THINK IT WILL HOLD UP IF U DON'T ABBUSE IT THROUGH NEGLECT.IF U TAKE CARE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT IT WILL DO ITS THING.I HAVENT HAD IT LONG SO HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE IF IT DOESN'T GO DOWN THE TOILET.

OK KIDS DIG THIS :I CALLED FENDER TO SEE IF I COULD GET A MANUAL FOR THIS AMP AND OTHER INFO ON THIS AMP.THEY PUT ME ON HOLD AND AFTER A HENDRIX SONG THEN SRV I TELL THE GUY WHAT I WANT I TOLD HIM I GOT IT USED AND REQUESTED THE INFO,AT THE END OF THE WEEK GOT A PACKAGE FROM FENDER WITH THE MANUAL AND A COPY OF THE FRONTLINE MAGAZINE.ITS NOT A BIG DEAL I KNOW BUT WITH ALL THE HORROR STORIES I'VE HEARD OF THEIR CUSTOMER SUPPORT I DIDN'T EVEN THINK I WOULD GET TO TALK WITH ANYBODY THERE NEVER MIND HAVING THEM SEND ME SOMETHING.

JUST STARTED PLAYING GUITARS, PLAY DRUMS AND STILL CONTINUE TO DO SO,IT THINK ALL GUITAR PLAYERS SHOULD SIT DOWN AT THE DRUMS AT SOME TIME IT WILL MAKE U A STRONGER PLAYER ON THE AX.I'VE HEARD SOME GREAT GUITARISTS COULD PLAY ALL THE HIPPEST SHIT BUT NO RHYTHM FORGET IT.ENOUGH SAID ON THAT.I GOT THE AMP BECAUSE OF READING REVIEWS HERE ON H.C. FOR 250.00 CANT GO WRONG.IF THIS CRAPS OUT I'LL GO WITH THE HOD ROD DELUX FOR MORE SOUNDS AND BETTER REVERB AND MORE TWEAKING AVAILABLE I LIKE TO FOOL WITH THE KNOBS AND ADJUST FOR DIFFERENT SOUNDS WITHOUT GOING WITH A STOMP BOX.LASTLY BEING NEW TO THE GUITAR THING,I WAS WONDERING HOW MUCH OF THE SOUNDS U GET (YOUR TONE) IS REALLY IN YOUR FINGERS AND AND THE EQUIPMENT IS JUST A WAY TO GET IT OUT, OF COURSE IF U HAVE SHIT EQUIPMENT THATS NOT GOING TO GET YOUR SOUNDS OUT BUT I'VE HEARD STREET MUSICIANS WITH JUNK GUITARS AND THEY SOUND GREAT, WOULD THEY SOUND BETTER IF THEY HAD TOP OF THE LINE STUFF???

You have read the other reviews. Not many features. Reverb is rather lame. This amp is about tone. It's 15 amps but is plenty loud for blues if you're a shredder, you've already ruled this one out. "Fat tone" is a nice touch.

I play blues, 50's, pop, basic party stuff. This amp is perfect for my taste. I play a Sammick Les Paul, a Strat knock off and a Danelectro 59DC. Good tone for all of them. The real reason I'm submitting this is that I also play harp. After trying maybe 30 different amps, I am convinced that this is by far the best harp amp under $1800. All other small tube amps got serious feed back well before saturation. This will put out a great harp tone at serious enough volume with NO FEEDBACK. If the volume isn't enough, mike it! I built an A/B switchbox with a volume control so I can go back and forth between guitar and harp on the fly. At some point, I may want another guitar amp but after looking at 30 more, I come back to this one or it's big brother the Hot Rod Deluxe

I don't know, it works. Gig without a backup? Every time.

Playing guitar about 35 years. Playing in public, about three years. (Who knew, turn 50 and become a wannabee rock star.)
Would I buy another, I'm considering buying a second, (matched set?)

As you have probably already read the volumes of reviews on this product, you also already know the features, so I won't repeat what you already know. I don't particularly miss the standby switch that the Blues Jr doesn't have; but I do miss a headphone jack, which it also doesn't have. The fat switch, which is a nice addition, strips the feedback out of the pre-amp's first stage (by taking the cathode capacitor out of the circuit) and effectively increases output while narrowing the amp's bandwidth leading to a higher output/less-clean sound. I have read where some folks are trashing the 12" Fender/Eminence "vintage" re-issue speakers, and to this I have to disagree. The speaker, although no Greenback, is actually quite good.

This is a REALLY great sounding amp. With the volume/master volume at lower settings, you get a wonderfully clean, "bell sounding" tone. With the volume and/or master volume set higher you can get some exceptionally nice compressed/overdriven blues sounds. The EL-84s seem to distort very gradually, so you can really shape the sound you want. On the negative side, however, the reverb stinks... any setting over about 3 has an audible buzz. The sound and depth of the reverb are OK I guess, but the buzz really detracts from the otherwise beautiful tone of this amp. One-half of a 12AX7A tube in the Blues Jr is unused... one additional triode as well as this unused half-triode could have been used to make a really nice, tube driven reverb, all for only a couple dollars more... This change would have made this amp nearly perfect. Incidentally, it's true; this amp is really LOUD! With the 329 volt plate voltage applied to the EL84's, I figure each tube can put out around 205 mA, which gives rise to 21.5 watts! Not bad for a "15 watt" amp.

This amp has PC board construction with individual "snap-off" boards. The pots, switchs, and jacks are directly attached to one of these snap-off boards. Good luck finding these parts in 20 years or so!

I haven't had any problems. Has a five year warranty.

For a great sounding tube amp that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, this amp is great. At the Blues Jr's price, you cannot get anything, anywhere (new) that will put out these great sounds. Having said that, let me also state that Fender could have spent a couple dollars more and made this a really top notch amp. Everyone complains that there is no standby switch or line out, but what about a simple fuse holder? The fuse is internal, so if you blow one you have to have your tech replace it! I figure the buzzy reverb is due to the poor quality of the components used. The op-amp used for the reverb send and return is a somewhat cheap TL072, and it's voltage regulator is made with REALLY cheap zener diodes. A better pin-for-pin compatible op-amp replacement would be a no-brainer, and a conversion from the zener's to precision 7815/7915 voltage regulators wouldn't be all that difficult either. My guess is that these changes would make all the difference in the world to the buzz problem, and to make these changes would have only cost Fender one dollar more. An even better solution to the poor reverb would be, as discussed above, to add a 12AT7 triode and make an all tube reverb. Yes, the amp would have cost more, but not that much more. I am sure most folks would gladly fork out slightly more money to have a Blues Jr with a GREAT reverb, rather than spend slightly less and have a mediocre reverb. For its price I would most certainly buy a Blues Jr again, but to think that Fender could have made this a nearly perfect amp and didn't for the sake of $5.00 worth of parts bothers me.

Nice amp...in fact, it continously amazes me. How can you get such a great sound from such a small box (15 watts!). It sings. Features: tube amp; reverb; FAT switch; master volume, treble, mid, bass. Offers optional footswitch for FAT effect. Speaker plugs into the amp so you could use this box to drive a different cabinet if desired.

Love the sound of this amp. I keep getting new sounds out of it. I play a '74 strat...have replaced the neck pickup with a blue lace sensor and the amp makes that lace pickup truly sing. I recommend this to anyone looking for a small(ish) amp with a big, fat, clean sound.

I am so happy I stumbled across this amp on Fender's web site and then went to hear one at my local music store. It sounds so much better than all the other units I tested in the $200-$350 range...Nice job, Fender.

Enuff said about the features (or lack of it). For its price, it shouldn't even be discussed! On the other hand, this little thing is a monster in disguise! No bells & whistles here, only 2 things: LOUD & SWEET! I just needed something that wasn't as back-breaking as my Marshall & Boogie stacks but didn't compromise on the tone department. And I was pleasantly surprised with it! Talk about features, well let's see: inexpensive, small, lightweight, loud & killer tone! Can't complain!

When I test drove it at the store I thought it was only loud enough on it's own (which was fine by me) until I played some hard rock in a 300 seater venue the other night and my other guitar player had politely asked me to turn down a bit so he could hear himself (he's playing a cranked up Ultimate Chorus). For a 15 watter, that's not even funny at all! I actually play anything from pop to blues to rock and overall it's given me tone satisfaction. The clean tone is just unbelievable. I just wish it allowed a bit more headroom. It breaks up a little on higher volume levels (although I wouldn't blame a blues amp for doing that). I rely on a fat clean sound that's loud. I could care less for it's overdrive (though it's not bad at all) since I use my pedals for that purpose. But other than that, it's pure tube tone heaven... plus I get to buy some dinner tonight!

I take good care of my equipment. Although you never know. I've only had it for less than a month so we'll see.

From what I've read so far... I think I'd have take even more care of this amp now!

I've been playing for about 25 years or so now. I'd definitely buy another one if I had to. I normally play stacks. Through the years, I've had several marshall heads (old & new), randall & boogies thru 4x12's, roland jc's, other fender amps, etc. Although the Blues Junior isn't gonna make your ears bleed, for its intended purpose it will definitely do absolute justice to your music... and your pocket!

Brand new.

In my bedroom the speaker and everything around it rattle/buzzes at low volumes. It sounded fine at the store. It seems like I always have this kind of problem so it might just be me.

I returned it after playing it for 5 minutes. I didn't brother to wait for the tubes to warm up. It would have made a difference. This amp was going to rattle/buzz no matter what. This amp is too loud for the house.

15w all tube combo, Power, Volume, Master, Treble, Middle, Bass, Fat Switch and Reverb. 1 input, Foot Switch for Fat control input. Speaker plug doubles as a external speaker cabinet out. Black Tolex, Silver Grill, Taste Like Chicken Knobs. For what this amp is designed for I give it a 10.

I have been playing for 2 years and mostly play Blues, Old Rock, Psychbilly and Swing. I play a Fender Am Strat and a Gibson SG and use to use a Fender Princeton Chorus which I thought had a thin sterile sound, but wanted more of a warmer tube sound for pratice. The Blues Junior sounds absolutely fantastic. I played through both the BJ and a Blues Deluxe and found them both to have a simular sound but was able to achive tube breakup at lower volumes which I like, with the lower watage of the BJ. The amp is very quite. Also the reverb, while not very deep is very nice sounding and ads the right amount to my playing style. And regardless of what others have said, is very quite even all the way up. This amp is a blues amp, but can do most anything with a distortion box if you want it too. To the guitarist who are in that Tube, SS debate, all I have to say is that going from SS to a Tube amp is like going from 2D to 3D, amp modeling ala Line6 aside.

I have had it a very short time so if it is reliable I would not know...It works right now, which is a good sign. It seems to be made very well so I would assume it will be around for a very long time.

Nevr have needed to talk to Fender.

For $300 dollars it is a shame not to own one. I brought it over to my friends house and he was absolutely blown away by it (He is saving right now). If I had it stolen, I would run and buy another one.

This amp is a bare bones 15watt amp as far as features go, but thats just the way it was intended. Features include: Volume, Master Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Reverb, and FAT switch. The FAT switch seems to act as an overall boost, with added low frequencies. It also an optionnal foot switch for the FAT feature. The one feature I would like to see is a footswitchable reverb, but its not that important. 1x12" speaker made for fender. Mine has the black tolex and silver grillcloth. Controls are located on the top.

This amp is excellently suited for blues, and jazz clean at low volume levels. Has a great stack in a box sound at tolerable volume levels. Too much volume and mud will appear. Unlike other amps in its price and wattage range (Including some with much higher price tags) the tone controls are versitile, and make noticeable changes to your sound. I've used hot humbuckers w/ and w/o phase switch, an american standard telecaster, and an alverez fusion model. My favorite settings are- Master Volume 8-10, Volume 3-4 1/2, Treble 6 1/2 - 9, Bass 5 1/2 - 9, Mid 3-4 1/2, Reverb 6-9, FAT on. I've also used a variety of pedals with this amp, including DF2, OD2, CE3, TS9, BD2, Dunlop Wah, Electric Mistress and Original Big Muff. This thing sounds great on its own, (In fact when I test drove mine it was with NO EFFECTS.), but where it really excels is with a variety of stomp boxes in front of it. IF YOU WANT THIS AMP TO ROCK READ THIS! Try plugging this amp into an 8ohm 12" celestion closed back cabinet, instead of the stock speaker. Can you say shred, because it will with the settings above, and the right stomp boxes. Using a DF2 and CE3 will produce a Alex Lifeson sound (Moving Pictures). Set the tone knob on the DF2 at 4, Dist. 7, Level 7-8. Use a moderate chorus setting with the chorus in front of the DF2. Want to shred? Use a Tubescreamer-- Level 7-8, Tone 6, Dis 3, into DF2 with the above settings. You may have to adjust the tone control for personal preference. You will not be disappointed. There are a million sounds that can be produced with this amp using the right stomp boxes (It is very stompbox friendly)and a 1x12" cabinet. The speaker is the real key, providing more low end punch. Great for recording a variety of sounds at low volumes. I'm not saying go out and buy a ton of gear, or that it needs these things to produce quality sounds. I will say "A few little experiments can go a long, long way!" This is the best investment for the money I've ever made. If you are a pedal freak, you'll know what I mean!!!!

Had it for nine months, approximately 360hrs of use. No problems.

Have not had the need for it.

Best Bang for the buck you'll ever find.

This amp doesn't have just a ton of tricks to it. It is just a simple straightforward blues amp. Of course, that is exactly what the name implies. However, the FAT channel is a neat addition which sounds really nice.

The sound of this amp is wonderful. The price makes it a great introduction to tube amps. The tone is beautiful and the response is great. This thing sounds like a dream. However, the reverb can be a bit wimpy in my opinion.

I haven't had this amp long enough to have any problems with it. However, it seems to be very solidly constructed and I am not the least bit worried about it going out on me.

Never dealt with them.

Overall, this is a ton of amp for the money. If it were stolen I would definitely buy a new one. I just wish it were available in tweed also. I'm not the world's biggest fan of of the silverface look, but that is just my personal aesthetic opinion. This amp sounds absolutely beautiful. It was almost like I got a brand new guitar too in the deal it sounds so good.

made in '96, tweed cover, 12" goldlabel speaker by Eminence, all tube pre and power amp. very simple controls including preamp gain (volume), overall volume (master), bass-mid-trebel controls, reverb, and a foot-switchable FAT switch. I liked the simple features because I'm still pretty new to electric guitar and it was easier to figure out how to get the sounds I wanted when there weren't as many stupid knobs to fiddle with. There is an 8-ohm external speaker jack (contrary to what a prior reviewer said). There is no headphone jack, but I wonder if you couldn't plug headphones in the external speaker jack? Other feature I appreciated: long power cord...about 6' long. Tweed cover still looks good after two and a half years.

I have a stock Korean made Fender Squire Stratocaster that sounds great out of the amp. I have also played a Les Paul with stock humbuckers through it and it also sounded great. I think the gibson/blues junior combination is a great sound. A really pleasing sound that is surprisingly versatile. There is less noise in this amp than my prior Crate solid state (when the instrument is not being played) at all volume levels. It is plenty loud; I have only played it at max volume once when I played in a college gym that seated over 500 people. Sounded really great then.

I don't normally perform in public or anything, so I don't know how the amp would stand up to life "on the road", but it's really a small practice amp so you probably won't be carting it around much anyway. I am in college so it gets taken back and forth from school to home a lot. almost 3 years and the amp is still going strong, looks and plays like new.

Don't like most of the Fender dealers in Memphis, but hopefully I won't have to use customer support. I have tried to contact Fender before asking various questions often with very belated or no response.

Only other amp I've very had was a 50W Crate solid state amp that sounded like complete crap compared to this beauty...the 15W is at least as loud as the Crate. I would give my little toe to have another Blues Junior if I lost this one. I love the sound and don't really hate anything about it. I compared to similar Peavy and Marshall tube amps as well as a couple of brands of solid state. This one just sounded better.

This is a new amp, fresh from the manufacturer. Others have listed the features, however, I don't think they emphasized how much can be done with the tone controls or volume controls with this amp. This little amp is truly amazing in the variety of sounds that I can get from it. And all of them have that "Fender" flavor. The one thing that I was somewhat disappointed with was the reverb. There isn't any problems like hissing or rattling as some others have reported. It's just not the thick, lush "Fender Reverb" that I was familiar with from years ago. This reverb is so weak that that it took awhile to figure out if it was working.(It was, just can't tell much difference in sound with it) If any body out there nows of a way to make the reverb stronger please let me know. Thanks in advance. The only reason the rating wasn't a 10 was the weak reverb.

Sounds great with any setting that I've tried. (and I've tried many settings) I use; 1.A Fender Deluxe Plus Stratocaster with blue, silver and red lace senser pickups, maple neck and ash body. It sounds full and smooth through this amp. 2.A Fender Squier II Stratocaster that has been moded with Dimarzio Chopper (neck), Fast Track 1 (middle) and Fast Track 2 (bridge). Tone control circuits have been modified (alot) and Seven way swiching added. It is now a fantastic guitar and sounds very strong and punchy through this amp. 3.An Epiphone Sheraton II thin semi hollow body guitar with two humbuckers. It sounds good with this amp, but the Fenders sound better. And last; 4.An Epiphone Les Paul. This guitar normally sounds good with most amps that I've tried, but for some reason, it sounds muddy with this amp. I mostly play blues, gospel and praise and worship and a little old classic Ventures stuff. For what I play, this amp is almost perfect. (could use some more reverb). The volume overdrives the amp so good that it makes my Tubescreamer (moded to 808 specs) almost useless. The amp is very quiet in operation, no humming, hissing or any other objectionable noises. The amp can go from sparkling clean to a tube distortion that reminds me of Hendrix and SRV. The distortion can be controled to be smooth and creamy to harsh and edgey(depends on how you set up the tone and volume together) For my use, mostly at home, trying to keep the family happy and still get good sound, this amp is as good as it gets, it fills the bill perfectly. GREAT FENDER SOUND in a small package.

The Amp is brand new. The dealer I bought it from, Cleveland Music in Cleveland Tennessee, Checked it out, inside and out, and made sure every thing was right before I got it. With Fenders customer policy, your dealer is in effect "Fender". The way mine treated me, I would highly recommend him and feel that he is an excellant dealer

As stated above, with Fenders current customer policy, Your dealer is "Fender". I have dealt with Cleveland Music (Austin Music) in Cleveland Tennessee many times. He has always been very helpful and took care of any problem immediately. Prices are lower than most.

I've been playing since 1964 (I think thats about 35 years now).During that time there has been many changes in equipment, except for my first guitar that mom bought for me, which isn't for sale. Lately, I've used some Peavey amps (tough and good value); a Bandit 65 and currently a Stereo Chorus 212 (you know, the one that every body hates, but has a good clean sound) I use a Sabine rack tuner, an ART FXR Elite and a Digitech GSP 21 Legend with the Stereo Chorus 212. This rig gives a good sound, but, it's very loud for home use. So, after reading all the reviews I could find and researching small tube amps, I decided to go with the Fender Blues Junior. It was an excellent decision. This amp is great. If you're needing a good sounding amp for home (or small church) use, this is the one to get.

Read the other reviews for the features.

I play 70's rock/blues on my '83 Telecaster with stock (read crap) pick-ups and will hopefully be switching to a Texas Special at the neck and a Seymor Duncan Anitqua (sp?) at the bridge. The clean tone, which everyone raves about in this review forum is incredible. Extremely warm and creamy. Sounds great for Clapton's Sunshine of your Love.
OTOH, I give it a thumbs down on distortion. It's quite capable for playing rhythm guitar, but trying to play lead is insane. The notes break up into a mush TOOOO EASILY. I don't think it's just the pre-amp, because it still sounds terrible when I use my Tube Screamer for distortion. My old Crate amp had better distortion, giving me clear, long, sustain when the gain was maxed out without going into a mush.
Reverb is okay, kinda noisy when turned past 5. Not too bad since I don't play very loud.
Where is the bass on this amp? I'm not asking for ground shaking performance, but the bass is pathetically weak. Trying to get a sound other than the creamy Clapton stuff is difficult.

No opinion at this time, it's only 2 weeks old. However, the cord jack on my old Fender (can't even remember the model, the one with buttons for clean, jazz, rythm and lead) went kaputt 6 months after I bought it.

Haven't dealt with Fender yet. We'll have to see how the input jack holds up.

I've owned a Marathon (why I still ask), a Washburn KC-40 (great guitar for it's relatively low price) and the current '83 Tele. During this time I also owned a Fender solid state (with push buttons for different tones - was young and ignorant then), a Crate GT-50 (great amp, too bad my friend disappeared with it) and this amp. Keep at Ibanez TS-10 for extra gain.
I should've tested this amp in a quieter setting, definitely a mistake trying to test this particular amp with about 10 other guys jamming in the background. The amp gives a great clean sound for blues, but it is severely lacking in the other departments, namely a good lead sound and bass. If it were stolen, I don't think I'd buy another one, I'd probably try out the Crate Vintage Club amps or the Peavy Classics before I decide.
Hmmm... wish list... more bass and better lead sound. My complain all along. Maybe I'll try some other tubes, any suggestions?

Others have covered this, so I won't repeat. The most important feature is that it is a low-priced, tube amp. Having both pre-amp gain, and a master volume control is very handy in shaping the overall tone. For the price, its hard to beat.

Some folks have said that the amp oozes Fender-osity. I beg to differ. Fender amps typically have a bit of a mid-range dip, with pronounced bass and treble. This amp has more middle than a chubby, desk-bound, 40-year-old (I'm 44, and I know what I'm talking about here ;-). To me, the amp sounds like a cross between a Vox AC15 and an early Boogie. It's got a lot of creamy, crunchy sounds in it; great for blues and blues-rock type lead playing. What it lacks is bottom end. It has some bass, but it's not pronounced... metal players who want tons of low end, or rhythm players who want beefy, chunky surf-like chords should probably look elsewhere. I think there are several reasons for its distinctive (for Fender) mid-rangey sound: 1) the small cabinet will tend to limit bass responsiveness 2) the low wattage and EL84 power tubes are better at driving mid-range than bass. Low-end oomph usually requires a bit more power, and I've never heard an EL84-based amp that wasn't on the mid-rangey side... like some Vox, Matchless, and Peavey amps, for example. Most Fender amps use 6L6/5881 tubes, which tend to bring out more low-end frequencies.
The amp seems to excel when driven by humbucker-equipped quitars. The PRS McCarty, and CE22 sound wonderful through this amp. A Les Paul Junior (stacked HBs), and Telecaster (single-coils) also sound quite good. A Stratocaster (single-coil) sounded OK, but a bit flat compared to the sound through other, beefier amps.
None of this is necessarily bad... just different, for a Fender. I say all this because most other reviews have simply gushed about the tone of this amp, and while it *does* sound very good, there are some applications, requiring more low-end, that this amp is not quite as well suited for.
Its great for creamy, overdriven leads, on-the-edge crunchy rhythm (ZZ Top, AC/DC), or for moderate volume, Steve Cropper-ish tasty, clean fills. It might be a pretty decent jazz amp.
I don't think there are many other $300 amps that can touch it.

It has a 5-year warranty, but I haven't had it long enough to assess reliability. Ask me again in 5 years.

No repairs have been needed yet.

I've played, off and on, for 33 years... fairly intensively during the last 9 years. I've owned a number of guitars and amps. As mentioned above, the Blues Jr doesn't excel at everything, but in its size and price range, its near the top.
I wanted a small, easy-to-carry, decent-sounding tube amp for blues jams, practice around the house, and band rehearsals. The Blues Jr. seems to fit the bill very nicely.

This is an update from my previos submission. I got my Les Paul and the sound is darn near close to exacly what I was looking for. Diffently more of a blues crunch. All hail humbucking pickups. Single coils sound good too. I am getting Texas specials for my strat. SRV here I come. I plan on buying some distortion/overdrive peddles to soonI want a Snarling dogs black dog and tube screamer and big muff. I already bought a Vox wah and it will be in the mail soon. When I get all this stuff I will update it again.

Not much on Features. Infact, I find the beauty of this combo lies in it's simplicity and transportability. This is a single chanell amp, barren of the usual features most modern amps have. (No chanell swtiching capabilities, no FX loop, no standby switch, no headphone, or external speaker jack) The absence of these features to me is irrelavant. I'd assume that if Fender's engineers felt that a Standby switch was necessary, they'd have no doubt put it in the amp. As far as an FX loop, I'm nuetral, given I'm not much for FX in the first place, I could care less. As far as channel switching, it would be nice, but this would no doubt drive the cost up to the point where this would almost overlap with the Hot Rod Delux. The amp does include a spring reverb, and when used properly is about as good as built in any spring reverb I've used, however there is some noise introduced when the reverb is turned up past 7 or 8 (which is way too much grease for my tastes anyway.) One nice feature is the "Fat" swtich, and this is footswitchable. (not a bad idea..) Cosmetically, it's realy o.k. I like the way they worked them chicken head knobs on the front panel, but the printing is tuff to read, the white on the silver control panel is sometimes hard to see, so you're better to remember which control does what for tweakin in dimly lit environments. Also, I find the way Fender put the tolex covering on, to be a little subpar. Clearly this to me, is the most unfavorable feature, and they could have done a more complete job of covering the amp. Looks like something I'd have done in my basement..

What this amp does have is great tone. Clean tone is excellent, and while this amp is not a "high gain" amp, you can get some fat crunch tones out it (I hate to use the words "Vintage Crucnh but that's what it does.) for Guitars, I use a Les Paul, Fender Tele, Fender Strat, and a Heritage H575. The Fenders SING through this amp, espeically the Tele. (It's almost as if this amp was made to have a tele played through it.) But I do like what the texas specials do as well, but there's something magic about this amp, and my tele. The Les Paul and the Heritage sound great in this amp as well. The amp is very responsive to attack, and te humbuckers really bring this element out. Turn the amp up and it does what a low wattage tube amp should do... "Scream..." Realisticall this is not a "Do All" combo (such as my Marshall JTM60 or my Crate VC30112) but what it does, it does well, and thats the clean and vintage tube crunch tones. For the money, it was the best bang for the buck in Tone and form factor.

Just bought it, time will tell...

Again, for the money, it's got the best tone out of anything I tried. What brought me to the store was that I needed an amp for my lessons. So something small to stick in the corner of my home studio so my students could plug in to something. Even though it was more money than I wanted to spend, I felt that it was worth the cost. It also gives me an amp I can take to jam and recording sessions when the Marshall won't be needed. Easy to move, easy on the ears, not much on features, so you're just not gonna spend a lot of time tweaking things.. get your tone set, and leave it alone. Again, I find the simplicity is one of it's best attributes. If you're looking for a do-all small combo, forget this one.. It's not gonna do hi-gain well, not made for it. But if you're looking for a great sounding, affordable tube combo that offers sparking clean to vintage cruch, this amp is probably worth the time to test drive. I suggest you bring your own guitar, as this amp is quite responsive to pickups, so you'd want your own axe to make the right decision

I won't waste your time, read the others. There are so many because this amp is so great many people have taken the time to created reviews.

10+ for the bucks! I just sold a Hot Rod DeVille because I got sick of having to play it at 2 to keep the wife, child and neighbors happy.
Those of you that are looking for a tube amp to play at home this is the one! Much better than the higher 40W Deluxe or 60W DeVille they are just too much power to enjoy at home, you need to crank up a tube amp to really enjoy the sound and you can with this one. Not to say it's not loud because IT IS! It's just so much more enjoyable to heat up those tubes and get that smoking sound from this little baby.
I play a Godin LG (a great guitar for the money as well!) I had a PRS CE maple top and this guitar is so dam close to it in playability for a grand less its not even funny.) I also use a Digitech RP7 with it and can get almost any sound from it. It's best to start with a clean tone and obtain other sounds through effects than a dirty sound and try to clean it up. If you want a tube amp to play at home BUY THIS AMP you won't be disappointed.
I don't play out (not good enough yet, but I'm trying) but this thing is LOUD and I bet you would have no trouble with it as others have stated.

Have not owned it long enough, but it look solid. I don't know what the other are complaining about. Fender 5 year backing so I'm not worried. They must have faith in it or they would give us a 2 year instead.

I hear they are not people minded from so many reviews. The bigger you get the less responsive you get as with most cases.

For the money if you're looking for a great clean sounding tube amp you can't go wrong. Sure you could spend two grand and get a Messa but you would have to keep the dam thing on two! Unless you play Madison Square Garden don't do it. Thinking of getting another one and running my RP7 in stereo.
I have often thought of writing a review on many pieces of gear I have owned but was never compelled to do so. I could not resist with this one, its such a great product for the money. Go out and get one for yourself and enjoy!

It is a good amp. It has a 3 band EQ a volume/gain and master volume, reverb and a fat switch.It is 15 watts Really good the only reason I give it a 9 is that it is missing a few things I would like. What do you expect from a $320 amp

This is my first tube amp. I like to play the blues it is my main music stylle, but I also love Nirvana and some metal(not much though). Why buy a Fender you say. Great blues sound. It sounds wonderful. I haven't had all that much time to experment with it but it does have a wonderful warm sound. Reverb does hiss but I am not much of a reverb fan in general. Distortion isn't Marshall and you get no crunch but its a Fender it isn't supposed to. I am getting a Les Paul in a few days and can't wait to see what it sound like. I hope I get some crunch but I am going to buy a new peddle soon anyway.One problem I have this rattle when playing above say 4. It makes me made even though it isn't that bad. Don't let the 15 watt thing fool you it is loud. It is louder than my 60 watt solid state. That is why it rattles I think it is because the speaker creates so much vibration that it make something rattle. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS?

All great except for the rattling

All in all good for its price. Diffenatly has great blues tone. I would buy it again simply for the blues sound. I want to buy a 4x10 cabinent to plug it in. It will sound awesome

Made in 1996, tweed covering, all tube (solid state rectifier and spring reverb). 2 EL84's and 3 12ax7 for the tubes.It suits my needs very well, I play blues and this is THE amp I've been looking for for months. One channel, no effect loop (I don't care, I never used it on my SS amp), headphone jack (would be nice), Fender's usual EQ (Treble, Bass, Middle), volume (pre-amp gain), master (overall volume), reverb, FAT button (or you can plug in a footswitch on the back on the amp), one imput for instrument. I use it at home for practice and jamming with friends. Don't be fooled by the 15W, this amp is LOUD. If you're looking for a pratice amp and live in an appartmement where you can almost hear your neighbor breath, this amp is too loud.

I'm using it with a Mexican Strat with stock single coils. I also have a Tube Screamer (TS-5) and a Zoom 505, but I don't use them with this amp. I prefer to use the FAT footswitch rather then the Tube Screamer to boost the gain/volme. This amp is perfect for blues / 70's rock. I didn't find the reverb noisy at all (master was on 5, volume 5 and reverb at max). I can have a real clean sound out of it (Volume at 4, T=10, B=4or5, M=8, Master = 6) and real good blues sound a la Stevie Ray Vaughan (with Master at minimum 3, V=8, T=10, B=4, M=10) and rock sound (Cream, BluesBreaker, Clapton). I can't get a perfect SRV sound out of it, but it is the closest I ever heard. I didn't tried to play clean at high volume (Master over 6), but at 6 it was pretty good. This amp is for blues / 70's rock and even country, but not for metal or grunch. I find that this amp has a good bass response (I use it on the floor). The sound is FAT, really FAT and this is what makes this amp sound so wonderful. The higher the Master volume, the better the sound is. But you can get good sound at low volume too.

I bought this amp used (2 years old). When I got home, one of the power tube was toasted. I replaced the power tube with the Fender Groove Tube (red) EL84 (made by Sovtek). I brought it to my local Fender dealer to have them re-bias the amp and my tech told me the bias was non-ajustable in the amp. All you have to do is to buy matched tube and put them in. He checked the inside and said everything looked OK. It's a Fender ! 5 year transferable warranty.

I had the power amp tubes changed by my local Fender dealer. He didn't charge me anything since the amp bias was non-ajustable (would've been $15 us to re-bias the amp). Good srevice from my local Fender dealer.

I only had this amp for 2 weeks, and very happy with it. I would buy it again for sure. I was looking to buy this amp new, but when I saw this one with tweed covering which is not offered anymore at $200 US, I couldn't resist. It is a udge improvement in my sound compared to my Fender JAM solid state 25W amp I had before. I compared this amp with the Peavy Classic series, they sound nice, but to me the classic Fender sound it so much better. This amp will give me many hours of musical pleasure.

It has all the features it needs GREAT SOUND

I play a tele and a strat in small to medium size clubs. I have had everything else out there. It's crazy but i like this little amp better than the 65 Twin Reissue. Put master on 7 and gain on 7 and it covers everything. For the money, the best amp i have ever had and i have been playing for 35 years. By the way, it is plenty loud for clubs (i always mike it)

Five year warrenty so it must be pretty good. Had it 6 months playing hard twice a week--no problems.

Never delat with them but it last for the five years of it's warrenty i"ll be more than happy

Crazy but i like this amp better than mesaboogie subway blues (which was the most nasal mid range awful amp i ever had) bettter than laney lc50(decent amp)better than even fender 65 twin reissue, better than Peavy classic 50. To me low wattage amps just sound better cause you can turn them up to get just the right bite. Set it in a chair up off the floor so you can hear it over loud drums, bass, etc., beleive me , it will cut through. Been playing 35 years. Light weight, great sound, cheap--don't know what else you could ask for.

Barebones amp, but not as barebones as the ProJunior. The master + volume control (along with the fat switch) gives you considerable control, which is not possible on the ProJunior. The three tone controls actually work. It's great to just plug in a bang out some blues.

This amplifier sounds fantastic. I play blues predominantly, and also classic rock. The tone is a classic warm tube sound. You can get most blues sounds out of this thing; I usually shoot for EC+Bluesbreakers, Muddy Waters, and Freddy King sounds and the Blues Junior does the job. And cranked up, it's just as good for Cream and Zeppelin. As far as equipment goes, I play a Gibson Lucille, which sounds great through the amp. I also have a hybrid Ampeg, which I'm planning on keeping for highly distorted sounds and very clean sounds. For those of you who are looking to buy your first all tube amp (and this is mine) this is great--you will quickly find that you don't have to fight this thing to get great tone (as I do w/ the Ampeg.) The reverb deserves it's mixed reviews--it does hiss above 5 or 6, and it does have a slightly harsh springy sound-- but I don't particularly care. I also played the Fender ProJunior, and that is much better for someone who wants to play edgy rock, probably through a strat or something-- the ProJ just sounded too harsh compared to the creamy BluesJ, for what I needed.

I've had it for 3 weeks, and it hasn't broken down yet.

haven't dealt with the company. it's got a great warranty--something like 5 years (I forget)

I've been playing guitar for 10 years, and in the past 2 years I've majorly upgraded all my equipment. I also play a Martin EC-00028 to round out my blues arsenal. I would definitely buy this amp again--I can't believe how inexpensive it is for what you get. Like I said, I also play the Ampeg, which is an ok amp with a nice Celestion speaker, where you get lucky occasionally and find a real nice tone. With the BluesJ, pretty much no matter what settings you have it on, the tone is great.

This is actually just an add-on to my review. For all you rockers out there who love the sound and portability of this amp, but figure it lacks gain: don't use just any stomp-box or it'll sound like a fart. I used it with my SIB Varidrive last week (high-gain preamp pedal with 12AX7) and it sounded godlike! Took some fiddling, but now I've got the best of both worlds. Low gain sweetness from the amp itself and high-gain rock from the combination Junior/SIB. I couldn't get the SIB to sound good with any of my other amps, so I couldn't be happier right now. I'm home...

features have been previously noted. it gets a 6, which is actually high when compared to ALL other amps, simply because it's a cheap amp, and so not much should be excpected. groove tubes el84's and 12ax7's. crappy reverb. pre and post volume and three band eq. many complain about no standby switch but it is not necessary, especially as it uses very cheap tubes. as another reviewer noted, some more expensive hand built amps don't have a standby, and the majority of the people i know with amps with standby switches don't use them properly anyway.

the rating of 8 may be slightly harsh when considering the price of this amp. it's not that bad, especially for a fender. for the most part fender is a cheap company. they produce products of inferior quality and are able to sell them at inflated prices due to a reputation created decades ago and still fueled today by bandwagoners. however there are some fender products that are quite good instruments, but again, they sell for much more than they are worth. for what you pay for most of their products,you should expect much more. with that said, i must admit that as far as overall sound goes, this amp is nice. this is my second one as i returned the first one because it didn't have near enough clean headroom at the volume i wanted. now that i have an all tube marshall for that, i am satisfied with it. the weakest point of this amp is the reverb. it is very loud and hissy and gets worse as you crank it. my friend has a hotrod deluxe 1x12 and this is not a problem at all. again, if you deal with fender, don't expect too much for what this amp costs. they don't even supply a cover. how cheap is that? this amp is pretty much for hard rock and blues with or without pedals. trying to do full shred heavy metal, even with a pedal, with this amp, you may get laughed at. for that try something like a 5150 combo or stack. all in all the tones decent. the tone is not quite as good as a hotrod, but just slightly. the hotrod 1x12 comes in a widebody combo and sounds fatter, bigger, but is much too loud for my purposes. noise isn't too bad. if i was comparing it to all currently made tube amps, i'd give it about a 3 or 4. for what i paid, it gets an 8.

i definitely would not depend on this thing. as others have said, what can you do to prevent the inevitable melt down of this thing? it's made very cheaply. the pots have plastic posts with press on chicken heads. the cabinet seems sturdy enough, i'll just have to wait and see.

fender, what can i say? they don't give a crap about their customers unless they are very famous musicians who will endorse their products and therefore hypnotize more, less savae consumers into buying their products. bottom line. it's imposible to even find a phone number or email address with these people. very poor.

the two very weakest points about this amp are the reverb and quality. an 8 may be too high of a rating in this area. this is what seems to be a disposable amp. it's certainly not made to last. the only reason in the world to buy it is a decent tone, other than that, find an amp thats made better than this.

Most features have been covered in the existing entries... My Blues Junior came with Groove Tubes(!). I agree with those desiring a Standby switch and the dials should be placed on the front of the amp where they can be accessed easily during play. I use this amp for professional gigs in SMALL clubs.

I use the Blues Junior with a Gibson Night Hawk and a Gibson Les Paul Custom. My style of music is Blues (from Chicaco to finger-picking...) and this suits my music just fine. The amp sounds SWEET for finger-picking and WAILS for some SCREAMING BLUES at higher volumes. For its size, the Blues Junior is amazing!

No experience with this category (A Fender is a Fender is a Fender!)

The Fender warranty is five years. No experience - no opinion (yet!).

I have been playing 25 years. I own a Gibson Night Hawk, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Ovation Accoustic Electric, and two accoustics (a Taylor and a Martin). I own a Fender Super Reverb Amp (HEAVY and LOUD!). I have owned Marshall amps in the past - they just did not do justice to the Blues. Their tone was NOT the sweet sound produced by the Blues Jr.

This is a tweed-model, I guess from 1995. It has 1 channel, volume (gain), fat switch, treblemiddlebass, master & reverb, 12" Eminence-speaker, like everybody elses. I consider it pretty versatile cause it can sound bright and fenderish as well as very dark and raunchy (with a std- strat!). The main features to me are SOUND SIZE & WEIGHT. Plus: you can get them used at great prices.

I play mainly classic/alternative rock with a USA std strat and I usually play marshall, but I also do some not-so-loud gigs and rehearsals with another band, and here the BJ fits the bill perfectly. I'm not exactly into Blues but I like the sound of this amp very much. The amp by itself can go from shimmering clean sounds to pretty loud and distorted (no metal sounds of course), with quite a good variety in between. The 2 volume-knobs plus the fat-switch help a lot with that. It can't be very loud AND clean - but that's to be expected. It is a bit noisy at higher settings but it's not annoying and you don't hear it when you play. I usually keep it on a semi clean setting (vol. & master around the middle) with a bit of reverb and use a TS 9 for more drive and loudness if requested. I also use a mesaboogie V-twin pedal with it (with the gain backed off-off/otherwise it gets way too mushy for me) and it sounds just great: from clean to drive to over-the-top feedback soloing.

Have it for almost two years, no problems so far, but I've heard they're not as well-built as fenders used to be. The jacks and knobs do seem a bit flimsy.

No experiences so far/from what I've heard about the company I'm glad about that.

Been playing for about 15 years and own/have owned several other amps, mainly fenders and marshalls. First when I got it I was a bit disappointed because it seemed to be too loud for home-use and not loud enough for rehearsals/gigs, but after I got used to it I'm really pleased with what this little amp can do. I'm gonna use it for (mic'd) gigging in the future because I'm tired of lugging marshalls around and all these engineers asking me to turn them down to "2". If this one was lost I'd be very sad. The only reason I wouldn't go out and buy another one instantly is that I just got a sf Princeton Reverb, which is a very comparable amp, exspecially as mine has a 12"-speaker installed. I'd say that the basic sound of the Princeton is even better than the BJ's (it is 20+ years and has more of a "sag", is overall even warmer and yet more "in your face") and it does have the unbeatable tube-reverb, but it doesn't offer the broad variety of sounds from clean to drive as the BJ does. But even Princetons are getting costly - so you'll have to check your funds and decide for yourself... Anyway - I love the SOUND, SIZE & WEIGHT of this amp (oh, I also like the looks) and there's really nothing I hate about it. Time will tell about the reliability of the parts - but for now (exspecially at used market prices) I'd say this amp is "Fantastic Value".

The past reviews summarize it but if you're lazy to scroll down: 15W (LOUD!), 12" speaker, no HEADPHONE or FX LOOP, 1 channel, EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble), Reverb, Master and Volume Control. Oh yeah, there's a FAT button which kicks the gain up a bit. No STANDBY SWITCH :( and the tubes are GROOVE TUBES: 6L6 for Pre-AMP (3), EL84 for the Power-AMP (2). In short, a very good PERSONAL TUBE AMP, for small gigs or the bedroom.

I bought this as my first TUBE AMP, and I have no complaints. VERY CLEAN sound (can someone say CRYSTAL?)... definately for Blues. Use an external box for Overdrive/Distortion if you're into Alternative or Rock. I know I'll be saying old stuff by mentioning WARMTH and GREAT TONE but it delivers! I've compared it to my solidstate Peavey TRANSTUBE (25W) and there is a difference on how the chords and notes sound. I think this is part of the natural compression of tubes.

5 years transferrable warranty, hey, no complaints here! Just bought it, so only time will tell. As far as Tube Amps go, the TUBES are the main cause of trouble (loose, aging, and noise).

Never called them - YET

I've been playing for 5 years. I've got a Gibson Les Paul with EMG pickups, I use Danelectro Pedals (Cool Cat, Fab Tone and DanEcho) for principal effects. They all blend together seamlessly. There's this saying about not matching a Fender amp with a Gibson (only a Marshall will do), well, I've proven them wrong!
I just love the tone! Kinda like Pizza and Beer... they're just perfect!

1998, US made all-tube amp. 15 watts, 12-inch eminence speaker, reverb and the usual bass/mid/treble. No bells or whistles, no funny extras, just simplicity to the max. But this has been said before. I give it an eight since it's not very versatile, but then... it wasn't meant to be. You want versatile, buy a Boogie Heartbreaker or something. This thing was built for one purpose only... roots music.

The name says it all... "BLUES" Junior. If you play blues (anything from Wes Montgomery to Jeff Healey), this is your amp. I play blues, country and some jazz through it on a Mexican Strat, an Ibanez S540FM and an Ibanez AF120 Hollowbody. The "clean" on this amp is not superclean, but it's very warm and more alive than when it would be clean (like my Princeton). But the real fun begins once the volume goes past 4. I use it on 5 for my S540 and on 6 for my Strat. This is the kind of overdrive I was looking for for my roots playing. Not too harsh or thin, but very creamy and lush. I soon found out that without the FAT-switch activated (for extra mids) it sounds a bit thin, so I keep it on all the time. I roll back my mids a bit, keep the bass about halfway up and the treble on 12 (since it's a very dark-voiced speaker). I've read some people complaining about noisy reverb... Well... there's a little hiss, but it's barely audible and when you start playing you don't hear it at all, so no problem with that. But really, it's for roots music only! I tried to keep it clean and hook it up to my Boss MetalZone, but it came out sounding like a fuzzbox. That's no good... But the amp itself is a tone-monster. I compared it to some of its bigger brothers (HotRods), but they couldn't live up to this thing. Also, the fifteen watts can get pretty loud, so small-sized gigs are a goer. Even bigger gigs, I suppose. Just mic it and you're in business. This tone's a winner.

Haven't had it that long, but it already survived a couple of bumpy car-rides and after a good look inside, I have to say it looks pretty sturdy.

Never dealt with Fender (never had any problems with my gear, so...) but the guys at the music shop are great.

Going into my tenth year of playing and this is the first tube amp I own. I also own a Princeton (a Japanese solid state amp from the late seventies, good warm clean sound) and a Fender Princeton Plus (which I still use for clean sounds). I still like solid-state clean better, but this thing really has the sort of overdrive that the solidstate amps can't deliver. Beautiful! Also, 482 USDL is a lot compared to what you might pay in the US, but I bought it in Belgium, where it's a very good price! In this price catagory, you can't find anything better. Believe me, I looked around! If you're into roots music, and you need great tube overdrive, buy one! It beats a tube-preamp of the same price, cause then it still depends on how it's compatible to your amp. If my Junior ever got stolen, I'd be ready for the loony bin.

I have to start off by saying that the Blues Junior is the best musical investment that I have ever made. I found a slighlty scratched floor model at my local music store and talked the manager into a smokin' good deal - with 5 year warranty included. The features of this all-tube amp are enumerated in previous reviews, but I want to focus on a couple of important aspects - volume and tone. The 15 watt output is conservatively rated because this baby is loud. It is so good that I use it on gigs in medium sized venues and have no trouble cutting through with strong leads. At home it blows my walls down with its standard 12" speaker. The tone is warm, vibrant, and just plain unbelievable - I will expound on this later. My only two complaints are the lack of a standby switch and the labels on the control plate facing backwards (shame on Fender for this mistake which causes me major aggrevation when I need to make adjustments from the front of the amp).

The outstanding tube tone is where this little powerhouse shines. I have 2 Ovation acoustic/electric guitars and a Mexican Standard Strat. When my 6-string Ovation is played through the BJ, I get a wonderful, clean sound that maintains a fine "acoustic" quality. If I want a more blusey tone, a sight tweak of the preamp volume gives it to me. My 12-string Ovation Legend sounds like the angels ascending the "stairway to heaven" when I play it clean with a touch of reverb. Although some other reviewers have complained about a noisey reverb, I have no such problem even at levels over 6. However, the primary reason that I bought this amp is for the way my Strat sounds through it. For over a year, I suffered a lot of angst about the way the Strat sounded through my old transistor amp. It was hard, metalic, and lifeless; I was ready to trash the guitar. The first time I plugged into the BJ, I was astonished - there was that warm, funky, Strat sound that I always wanted. The FAT setting (used with an optional footswitch) is really nice and adds a cool overdrive whenever I need it for leads. If I could rate the sound higher than 10, I would - you gotta try it to believe it.

I have only had the Blues Junior for a short time, but many years ago I owned a Fender Super Reverb and never had any problems. I really like the fact that Fender backs their newer amps with a 5 year warranty.

N/A

I did a lot of research prior to buying the Blues Junior. The only other small tube amp that I was considering was the Ampeg Jet reissue. When I played them side-by-side and evaluated the features, the Blues Junior was the obvious choice by far. This is a fantastic value. If my baby was lost or stolen, I would break down the door of my music store to buy a new one.

This is a Fender Blues Junior 15 watt tube amp, made in '97, I believe. 12" Fender designed speaker, 3 Sovtek 12AX7's and 2 Sovtek EL84's powers this lil' monster. All the basics are covered here. Solid state reverb and a "FAT" switch to thicken things up a little bit. Only has one channel, no FX loop, nor standby switch, but for that matter, you really don't need 'em. What sets this amp apart from the rest is TONE.

I've played a variety of guitars through the B.J. but my main axe is a '97 Squier Super-sonic. The sound of the two together is absolutely amazing-i've finally achieved the sound I've been looking for. I play a fairly diverse range of music-everything from Sabbath to SRV to Rancid and I can get whatever I need out of the Blues Junior. It's isn;t particularly noisy until you edge up the reverb past about 5 or 6, but you really don't even notice it after a while. I run a Elector Harmonix Big Muff Pi, an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer and a Vox wah through it and the amp sounds fantastic.

I've had it about a year now, and no sign of trouble as of yet. Occasionally the tubes my come dislodged after a long car ride, but that's no big deal. And every so often my roommate will run his bass through it (doesn't seem to understand that it'll blow my speaker!!). Not really worried about it falling apart or anything.

Never tried to contact Fender, cuz' I never really needed to.

For the money, this amp is just incredible. Gives those of us on a tight budget the chance to get a decent sound for a relatively cheap price. I'd definitly buy it again if I had to, this amp is the backbone of my sound!

If you've read the other reviews, you know about the layout. I'll concentrate on my subjective comments about the tone of this amp.

I did NOT expect to like this amp. Years of boutique snobbiness have instilled in me a strong preference for point-to-point amps with reliable components. I still have misgivings about the quality, but I cannot fault the tone. Really thick and warm, not too bright. Sustain is great, feedback comes effortlessly. This amp really digs my pedals, especially the Rat overdrive (makes my Metalzone-playing friend sound like bees buzzing in a bottle of flat, warm coke.) I've recorded this amp with great success, too. Through a 2X12 Dr. Z cabinet with Greenback RIs, the tone is almost too good to be true. I play it just the way it is with a full band, and it can hold its own, if the drummer isn't too loud. I back of the gain quite a bit to avoid over-compression at those volumes.

What can I do to avoid the inevitable meltdown of this amp? Does anyone specialize in bullet proofing these things? Maybe installing a standby switch, better jacks and sockets, etc.? If I were more handy at fixing things, I would even like to chop it down into a head only.

No idea.

Wow. Great sound, even better than my SF Deluxe Reverb. I've recorded this amp side by side with a tweed deluxe, and it sounded nearly as good on tape. The quality issue is serious, though.

Based on the features listed in prior posts, I bought this amp...Perhaps the best feature is the 12" speaker insead of the usual 10" or even 8" of most low wattage amps. As far as other features, i would love a foot switch for the FAT drive instead of the button. Also, why are the labels on the controls always facing the wrong way??? Other than these nits...tone is the only feature you really need and this little monster has bags full of it.

This amp has blown me away for the past two weeks. Using a '68 reissue strat, I was totally impressed with the tone quality...fat and warm with great compression at higher sould levels. Before purchasing, I was going to rip out the pickups in the strat. From the first time I plugged in, it was my old music man, not the guitar. I swear someone left a tweed in my living room. If, however, you are looking to play anything but the Blues, forget it. (This is a ggod thing!)
As far as other amps, I looked at the Peavy 20 and 30...Impressive, but sounded too modern and like the Music Man this amp replaces. Finally, I really like the compression at higher volumes...real claptony....

This is the perfect amp for home. At 15 watts, you can rip at home without any potential for a visit from big blue or having to resort to playing through a practice amp that sounds like an AM radio. Mike it up in a club and you are good to go. You wont pry this one out of my dead hands......

15 watts, 1x12 tube combo (2EL84, 3 12AX7), high, low, mid, reverb (solid state), FAT switch (boosts pre-amp gain), optional foot switch.
A back-to-basics, no frills tube amp, simple to use. Plenty loud for gigging in a small club, tho it doesn't have a lot of headroom for clean sounds at high volumes. Generally, I plug my strat in direct and go- no effects necessary. Its great for blues and classic rock- shredders should look elsewhere, or use a stomp box.

I play a '97 American Standard Strat with stock pickups, and the amp sounds great. One plus is that you can get both pre-amp and power amp distortions at relatively low volumes. Definitely has that classic Fender brown sound. Crank up the master volume, and it really wails- smooth, creamy, fat overdrive. Reverb sounds good but gets a little noisy when set higher than 6. Not for drippy surf sounds.

I've had for about a year and its been reliable- it gets knocked around a bit but everything seems to keep on working fine.

It's never broken down, so I don't really know.

I've been playing for about 9 years- I do love this little amp. I've been thinking of buying another and definitly would if the one I had was stolen. Its the best sounding little tube amp you can get for the money- a bargain for those looking for vintage tube sounds in a new amp.

This amp is for the musician that needs a fantastic sound and only that. It is pure simplicity and you really can't get a bad sound out of it. 15W RMS power output. What I feel is important to note is just how loud these 15 watts are. It has a three band EQ....traditional Fender Bass, Middle and Treble. Very useable Reverb. One channel with Volume (preamp gain) and Master (overall loudness). A footswitchable "FAT" switch (footswitch not included) which slightly boosts the preamp gain. Fender's intent IMHO is to make a perfect sounding small amp directly aimed at Blues guitarists and harpists who don't need or want to fool with lots of gizmos. But I do give a low score for features mainly because Fender ommitted some simple features that I really think they could have included on this amp without raising the price: namely a headphone jack and/or recording line out and a speaker mute switch. You can disconnect the 12" internal speaker (by way of a barely accessible jack in back) and connect an 8 ohm external speaker cabinet. This is fine (and I can't wait to see what it would sound like with say a 2X12 or 4X10 cabinet) but disconnecting an internal speaker can be a bad idea since if the amp gets powered up with no speaker load it can do real damage....hence a mute switch would be safer. I wouldn't recommend trying to use the speaker jack as a headphone jack (as someone else suggested) since this can possibly damage ears, headphones, and amp not neccesarily in that order. The sound of this amp is so good that I think many musicians (including myself) will want to gig with it...and it just may be loud enough for that...but a line out for recording/sound reinforcement would be very welcome, especially since Fender in their own marketing suggests that this would be a great studio amp. You can always mike it, though.

This amp is a godsend! Beautiful Fender sound...nice darkly voiced tone coming through the 12" speaker. I play blues with a stock Gibson LP Standard and it is just wonderful what this amp does for this guitar. Cleaned up it is a dead ringer for the '65 Blackface Bandmaster I had in college (why did I ever sell that!). Drive it hard (Volume anywhere above 7) on the neck pickup and it's Albert King's huge sound ala "Blues at Sunset". The drive you get out of this thing is perfect for blues...very smooth tube distortion, beautiful sustain...will make an OK guitar sound very good, and a very good guitar sound classic. You'll get a wild, raccous Chicago blues sound (Hubert Sumlin comes to mind) that can be used for rock, and even some alternative/grunge music but don't expect this one to thrash in the metal zone...not by itself. Even with the Les Paul's hot humbuckers and the Volume (gain) driven to the max...single lead notes will ring very clear, preserving the guitar's natural tone...chords and double stops will give you a nice growl....I am starting to see how B.B. King can play so loud and with such fantastic sustain while still sounding so clean....this amp can make it possible for you! Jazz guitarists should also check it out...with a nice archtop or hollowbody I would imagine it can sound heavenly and it would have easily enough power (and headroom) to play coffee house gigs. As others have noted...the reverb does hum at you at settings above 6. I really think that you have to be a real purist to be offended by this...you will not detect it while playing and it seems to me that after about 10 minutes of playing you won't notice it when you pause either. I am not really an expert on reverb sounds (I played so many years with the Bandmaster with no reverb) but I do like the reverb sound on this...it is wet and lush and very useable with no perceptible feedback or ringing (make sure that the amp is level and not tilted though) and IMHO the hum would only be a problem recording, not rehearsing, warming up, or gigging. The FAT switch is a nice little feature that I do plan on using when I jam with friends. It doesn't seem to alter your tone (maybe alittle midrange boost) but punches the gain some but not enough to use to emphasize your solo...you will still have to use a combination of guitar volume and the switch to really make your entrance. That's the way I prefer to do it anyway since rolling off your guitar's volume will really clean up the sound which will allow you to really explode when the solo comes! (again ala Albert King)

If this amp is anything like the old Bandmaster I had then it will be as tough as a tank. The whole package seems very sturdy and solidly built...reinforced corners might have been a good idea though. There is a back plate that is designed to protect everything in back but the tubes seem alittle exposed...the edge of a bench or table could easily penetrate the access slot and crunch all of the tubes...just be careful! We shall see....I baby my equipment so I don't really expect problems.

5 year warranty that you can register for right on the Fender website! Haven't dealt with the company yet...the dealer I went to was very helpful. I would have liked it if the Owner's Manual had more info...doesn't need to be the disertation that Mesa's manuals are but some helpful info on maintenance, tube changing and other technical details would be nice since tube amps need TLC. It did come with complete schematics.

First off I would like to thank everyone who submitted a review on this amp. I really depended on the info I got from Harmony Central and everyone gave valuable insights. I really love this amp...it is exactly what I wanted...I had been dreaming of owning another great tube amp since parting with the Bandmaster and this is a dream come true plus some....namely having wonderful and useable overdrive and good reverb. I am really glad that I didn't get anything bigger (I had originally wanted a 30 watter) Remembering my gigging days with the Bandmaster (a 50 watter), I recalled many frustrating nights being told by the sound man to turn down to the point that my amp lost all of it's gutsy drive. That won't happen with this little gem. I considered the Laney VC30112 (liked it but decided 30W too much for my needs), the Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues (fantastic amp but half a grand for 20W???), the Crate VC2112RB (very nice Class A tube amp with some of the additional features I wanted but the overdrive wasn't quite as nice as the Fender's). The Mesa was what I really wanted but I could not justify the huge expense....IMHO the Fender sounds just as nice except the reverb...Mesa's reverb is excellent. The Laney was very nice but reports of poor quality control, lack of dealers and service in my area and just too much power for my needs cancelled that idea. The Crate was a close second...it just seems to be alittle more suited for rockers. Perhaps in the end it was nostalgia for the Fender name that made my decision. I am very satisfied, will buy it again if it is ever stolen...even thinking of getting the Pro Junior possibly if I get a band together so that I can run them together. These small amps are really the way to go; they sound so good cranked and since it seems so many music clubs now have house PA's, the low wattage is not really an issue.

As noted in several other posts, this amp is rather sparse on features. I am using it for a practice amp, and it fills that bill quite well. It produces a wide range of tones, from clean to nice, warm distortion. In contrast to some previous reviews, I found that the reverb sounds fine at all settings. I have noted two inconvenient aspects of using this amp. First, changing the distortion level requires adjusting both the pre amp and master volume controls to get consistent volume. The FAT switch boosts the pre amp, and helps some with this, but channel switching would sure be nice. Second, while the clean tones are sweet and clear, it's not possible to get a clean volume equivalent to that produced by overdriving the pre amp.

I play mostly blues-related music, and some folky stuff. My primary guitar is a '78 Strat, which sounds excellent at all the amp settings that I have tried. My other guitar is a '62 Gibson ES 125 hollow body. It has a very warm, bassy sound through this amp. However, some notes at some settings of the amp controls, cause a raucous rattling with the Gibson (not so bad with the Strat). I'll take the back off and see what is loose inside - possibly the reverb springs, as mentioned in an earlier post. My previous amp was a Crate G40C, and both guitars sound infinitely better through the Blues Jr, particularly at the bottom end, which the Crate made very muddy- sounding. Also, the distortion on the Fender is much more appealing than the harsh and thin sound of the Crate, and far better suited to blues.

Too soon to tell, I've have had it only a week.

Fender's 5 year warranty sounds good. However, the lack of a customer service number in the manual makes it seem like they'd rather not be bothered with service.

The sound is a huge improvement over the Crate, and I am quite happy with the Blues Jr as a practice amp. It will also work fine for small jam sessions. In both circumstances, adjusting the controls to change the sound is not a major inconvenience. Now, if I can just figure out what's making that rattle...

15W, 12" speaker, 2 EL84 and 3 12AX7 tubes in an small, handy cabinet, (mine is black but I believe they also come in tweed). The one-channel amp has reverb, 3-band eq, volume and master controls. In addition there is a so-called FAT-switch for beefing up the middle. This can be operated by footswitch, but the jack-connector is hidden inside the amp, and it's positioning was chosen by Harry Houdini. Alot of people complain about no standby switch, effects loop or line out, but what do you want for the price

I am a harp player and need a Chicago blues sound as well as a rock sound.The amp really does the job. The simplicity of the controls helps a lot. I just set the preamp on full and tweak the power amp, or the reverse, according to what I want. The eq is on liitle or no high, a lot of low, and a bit of middle to beef up the sound. Like any harp player, I fight with the feedback blues, but this amp is so small that I can just place it anywhere out of the way, and reduce this problem. The amp is loud, and needs no extra mike to the pa at "normal"-sized venues. It can hold it's own against the worst guitar heroes. Reverb is a bit noisy but I don't turn it up too much anyway. I guess I could get a better sound from a vintage amp, but not for this price. A tip might be to unplug the speaker (jack-plug) and connect up a 4x10 cabinet. 10" speakers are known to be more favourable for blues harp.

I use the BJ at gigs, although I've only had it a few months and can't say how it will hold up in the long run. I'm considering having a case made as I'm a bit nervous about the tubes. The sockets don't look too solid to me and I don't want one knocked out during transport. The amp comes with Groove Tubes /Sovtek tubes and these are basically pretty reliable. The amp only weighs 30-odd lbs., which means it's light enough not to drop or bang about when being carried.

No idea!

I've been playing harp for 10 years. Prior to this I played guitar. So Ive tried many amps from vintage Fenders, Marshalls, and Roland solid state. At present the BJ is my only amp and I use the band's pa as a backup. I use different mikes, SM58, Hohner BluesBlaster, even a Shure condesnor, but the Shure Green bullet is my favourite. All these mikes work through the BJ. Yes, I'd buy another BJ if this one disappeared. It does the job, it's compact and it's cheap. There are improvements that could be made but what would that do to the price? One basic improvement would be to move the FAT-switch pedal jack-connector to a place where normal people can get at it ( it took me 3 days to discover that there was one at all!). When I bought it I checked out Peavey's Classic range, other Fenders and a Carvin. I won't say any of these are worse than the BJ, but I fell for the old-time tone and the put my trust in the Fender name

This amp is about 9 months old. Has one channel. Has your standard 3 band eq, reverb, volume and master, plus a fat switch(Would be nice if there was a footswitch for this feature). I stand in front of my amp, so it would have been nice to have the controls facing towards the front of the amp, instead of behind. This can be a real pain sometimes. I have used this amp for small clubs and outdoor gigs(when I am miked) and the sound is incredibly good. Not too much volume to run the crowd away, but plenty enuf to be heard. Would be nice if it had an effects loop. Yeah, that way I could run a stomp box delay through it.

I have a custom strat and an Ibanez Artist 100(1980) that I use with this amp. I play jazz, fusion, blues and some rock. This amp is great for the blues and jazz(with a little edge). When I crank the preamp and adjust the master volume, while adding some compression, I get a killer fusion tone for soloing. I can back off the guitars volume to clean it up if I want to. Not much internal noise, except when the reverb is turned up past 5 or 6. I especially like to do jazz soloing with my strat this amp is perfect for me. I really like the way it is voiced.

Have not had any problems yet(K.O.W.). But i have only had it 2 months.

See the above.

Not sure if I would buy it again. This may sound wierd, but when I originally bought this amp, I was looking for a practice amp. But the way this thing cranks, It almost has enuf volume for a regular gig. Maybe I would consider getting a comparable Fender with a few more watts. But don't get me wrong, I love this amp to death and would not trade it for anything in its class. It's alot lighter than my Boogie MKIV or MKII(about 30 lbs). My Boogies give me plenty of preamp overdrive, so its nice to get power tube distortion for a change.

15 Watt all-tube amp with a 12" inch Eminence speaker and spring reverb. It has a FAT (Fender American Tube) Switch that beefs up the tone a bit. Overall the amp insn't that versatile being that it really only has one channel and you need to alter the volume setting every time you want a little more drive or to clean things up. It could really really use a second channel! It's good for practice and for warm-ups, but not loud enough to gig with.

I play this amp with a Parker Nitefly IV which has 2 singles and a humbucker at the bridge position. It also has a piezo under the bridge for acustic sounds. This amp has a really nice clean tone, but doesn't break up very well when you want to get heavier tones from it (Can be solved with effects boxes). The amp is surprisingly loud for 15 watts, but like i said before, really lacks in the heavier overdrive department. The reverb is a bit hissy and tends to ring a lot at any setting over 3.

The amp is pretty tough, but I never gigged with it, so I wouldn't be able to tell you. It's really more of a practice/warm up amp. It is all-tube, so you might want to have a backup at small gigs just in case.

I've never had to deal directly with Fender and I've heard mixed stories about their customer support. The amp does, however, come with a 5 year warranty, so I guess Fender has a lot of confidence in their product.

I have been playing for about four years and this really is a decent amp. If you don't have a lot of money and really want a good sounding amp....go for it. I will confess....you're gonna go crazy having to change the volume every time you want a distorted tone. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely go to one of the higher "Hot Rod" series amps, like I did. I went up to a Hot Rod Deluxe and it just has so many more features than the Blues Junior.

The usual high,mids,bass,preamp,masterand reverb.Nice feature is the fat switch,seems to boost the mids.The amp seems best suited for rock,bluesand jazz.One shortcoming is the lack of a standby switch.My other beef is the fact that they charge you extra for the footswitch that engages the fat switch.This amp is LOUD and has plenty of power for any small club or recording gig.Mine came with sovtek tubes in the pre and power sections.New ones come with groove tubes from the factory.

Tex-Mex Strat with Texas special pick-ups.This amp suits the SRV,KWS sound that I crave.Great for blues/rock,not a heavy metal amp!I run a TS9 and a micro-vibe and boy does it SCREAM!Nice bell-like clean sounds too!

Never any problems,backed by Fender`s 5 year warranty

read above

I`ve been playing for 18 years,diehard strat fanatic.If this was lost or stolen I would replace itin a minute.I love the TONE of this amp,and it`s plenty loud.I`ve owned Marshall`s,Peavey`s and nothing comes close to the sound of this amp.The lack of astandby switch stinks ,but I`ll deal with it.I disconnect the Fender speaker and run a 212 Marshall cab with Celestions.This gives the a nice "big" sound.

I think everybody knows the features

I play a 1988 American Standard Strat w/ Texas Special single coils. Pedals: Boss Super Overdrive SD-1, Ibanez Analog Delay AD-9, and Ibanez Stereo Chorus CS-9. Musical style is Roadhouse Country (Lee Roy Parnell, Delbert McClinton) Lots of slide. Mine was one of the earliest ones made. I don't have problems with the reverb being noisy like most people do, I play it with the reverb on 6. I have the master volume on about 5 and the volume on 7 for a semi-clean tone, then use the overdrive pedal for full-drive.

This amp has been incredibly dependable. I've had it for 2 and a half years without a hint of trouble. And I'm not talking about occasional use in the garage. I'm American, but I'm touring in Europe (Denmark)and I use this amp a lot. I never have a backup with me at gigs.

never dealt with Fender

I've been playing about 6 years, but only a couple professionally. I own another strat, acoustic, pa system, keyboard, etc. If it were lost I would get another immediately. I love the tone, the reverb isn't that great, but the tone is the real deal. My other guitar player in my band plays a '69 tele through a '65 Blackface Deluxe Reverb. I routinely listen to DAT recordings of our shows and I know for a fact that it would shock most guitar players to hear just exactly how this amp sounds in a real gig setting, up next to one of the all-time holy grails of guitar amps.

Features include treble, bass, mid, spring reverb, master volume and volume. Also included is the fat switch which Keep on all the time. My amp came with Sovtek tubes. Doesnt have channel switching capability ,effects loop , head phone jack, or a stand by switch. It is just an all tube beauty and has everything that I need. It is a loud 15 watts. Have never had to crank it up all the way to be heard at any gigs. I give it a 9 because I would like tube reverb.

I play a Gibson SG Std thru this amp and it sounds like heaven. I compare it to that old Freddy King tone or that Blues Breaker tone with Fender sparkle. I play mostly Blues and some classic rock n'roll and it fits my needs to the tee. I havent had any problems with noise from the reverb tank at all so no complaints there. This little gem leaves out all that annoying Fender brightness and thinness that I've experienced with fender. This amp has sweet overdrive and fatness that I expected from my JTM 45 without driving people out from the clubs. I have always been anti Fender amps but this thing has sold me. This amp has some tonal variety depending on the settings you choose. You can dial in some classic fender tones or really darken the sound up. Yes the tone controls do work! I personally keep the master volume cranked and the volume around 5. Trebble on 12, mid at 10 and bass at 8. Fat switch is always on. My gibson overdrives the amp nicely at these settings. A strat my take more pre amp volume to get that overdrive. The distortion is smooth and very classic not harsh at all. Im not going from some cheap solid state amp or some low grade tube amp so Ive had some great amps to compare it to. To me this is the best new fender amp out there, then again good tone is in the ear of the beholder. Check it out, I see people paying thousands for amps that don't compare.

Ive had mine for about 6 months and have had no problems yet.

Have never dealt with fender or anything repaired under warranty. I think my warranty is for 5 years.

Ive been playing for about 14 years but playing clubs for only about 3 years. I also own a JTM 45 reissue and a 4x12 cab with greenbacks. The guitar that Ive settled down with is a Gibson SG std.I've always loved that classic Gibson/Marshall sound but even 45 watts is too much. I really researched this amp before I bought it. I first bought the Pro Jr but traded it in for the Blues Jr because of the 12 in speaker and reverb. The Pro jr is also a great amp and will probably get one of those too again. If I lost this amp I would buy again the same day. I would like to hunt down one with tweed. I love everything about this amp. It has the big fat tube sound I've been searching for and it fits in my car unlike my half stack. Before I bought it I compared it to the 59'bassman reissue, 65 twin reissue, Blues breaker combo, all the Hot rod Devilles, not to mention owning various Marshall JTM's. I may try the Deluxe reverb, Ive heard some good reveiws. Im really leaning to the low watts amps, their just more practical. If you go try one out give it some volume, this thing was made to be cranked. The bad reviews that I've read about this amp made me wounder if they were talking about the same product. To me this has the ultimate blues tone, so get one before Fender jacks up the price.

This amp is really cool. I find it to be better than the Pro Junior just because of the features and because of the "Fat" switch and reverb. Has one channel. No effects loops, no headphone jack. It gets distorted at high volumes and you can adjust the max. volume with the master volume control. I really wish the Blues Junior had an effects loop and maybe a vibrato control. I use this amp for stuff like musicals I play guitar in, a back-up amp, jazz band, and many other situations. It definetly gives you enough power for 15 watts. It's got 2 EL84's and 3 12AX7's. I replaced them with Sovteks to get more of a gritty feel, and I also replaced the speaker with an EV that can handle 200-300 watts; the results were cool. It now breaks up at higher volumes.

I use a Tex-Mex Strat with new custom 50's pickups and a custom-made Fender Relic-style body through this thing and it sounds cool. I play blues (ala Blues Junior) and it can suit that just fine. It will also suit anything like Classic rock or lighter than that. It doesn't get too noisy to bother anybody. I usually leave the settings at: Volume-4 M. Volume-12 Treble-6 Bass-4 to 5 Middle-7 Reverb-3 This gives me a nice clean sound, then I put my TS-9 in front of it and spice it up a bit. I wouldn't suggest a wah in front of it, it sounds tooooo trebley. The distortion is not high, it is just a nice warm, round, fat, Tube Screamer-like distortion that suits me just perfectly.

I rely on this amp to back me up on stage if I'm in trouble, I would not use this as my main up, but just as a back-up for my Twin Reverb. It has not broken down yet, I take good care of my equipment.

I've never had to deal with Fender yet. It comes with a 5 year warranty.

I've been playing for almost 2 years now. I own my tweaked up my Tex-Mex Strat, a Martin DM, a Kay Strat copy, TS-9 reissue, Sovtek Big Muff, Vox wah, Boss ME-8, Twin Reverb, and the Blues Junior. If it were lost or stolen I would hesitate to buy it and look at the other small amps out there. I do love the quality of this amp at such small wattage and price. I'd just like to add that if there's anybody out there that has this amp, but plays it with a metal pedal, GET A GOD DAM LIFE!!

the features are fairly decent. can't really complain about that. it's a small amp so any features is good features, i guess. a footswitch would've been nice (as a gesture of...something, i don't know.)

i played a few strats through it. the amp sounds small. that's my biggest complaint. it just sounds like a tiny little amp (which it is) but i've had a few fender amps (blues deluxe HR deville, HR deluxe, princeton) and the blues jr just can't hang. small, boxy sounding and the reverb is...well, it's there, i guess. let's just say there's not much of it.

i had the thing for 3 weeks and one day it shut off, started burning and then came back on. i returned it ASAP. maybe it was a fluke, but it happened.

i've heard fender's customer support is sub-par. ive never dealt w/ them but i know someone who has and it took a long time. i'm sure everyone knows a story. i guess the fact that i returned the amp instead of trying to get it fixed says something about their reputation.

i might buy another one...no, i take that back. i'd look for a used princeton reverb. the blues jr is a goodidea and it has a really good reputation but, to me, it's only an okay amp that comes in a convenient size. a HR deluxe down too low still sounds WAY better than the blues jr.compared to other fender amps i've owned, it was a huge disappointment.