Fender Blues Junior

I think we all know the features by now. Whether you're a gadget head or a purist, I'd still give this a 6. I'm more of a purist. I mark it down for solid state rectifier, op-amp driven reverb, and dime-a-dozen garden variety Eminence 12" speaker (with Fender badge on it). Word is the first generation of these had Fender blue-back Alnico speakers, and sounded better.

If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have given it a 10 like so many others exhuberant over discovering this amp. And if you're coming form a ratty-ass solid state amp or even some of the rattier cheap tube amps (I'm thinking low-level Crate & Peavey), the Blues Jr. is a treat for the ears. You can also improve the sound significantly by swapping in better tubes. I put in military surplus Philips 12AX7's and Groove Tube Tesla EL84s. Both fattened out the sound nicely and the 12AX7's made for better touch sensitivity.
If a Matchless or a 1961 Fender Deluxe is your idea of a 10, then this is a 7. Not bad at all. Better sound's gonna cost a lot more.
It's actually a fairly quiet amp until you turn up the reverb, in which case it gets pretty hissy. Has a nice warm tone, not capable of a lot of brightness. Gives out good overdriven tones (but not crunch/shred). Not the last word in transparency or low-level touch response, but very good for under $350, and no solid state amp in that price range can touch it.

I think this is very reliable. When the reverb tank springs loosened up, I started getting some feedback when the reverb was turned up. Reverb tank bags are for preventing speaker backwave feedback through the reverb springs, and the Blues Jr. has not tank bag. But an authorized repair station fixed it in under a week under warranty.
I would have no qualms about gigging without a backup. The pots are quiet, it shows no hint of fussiness or unreliability.

Transferable 5-yr warranty. See above for customer support experience (very positive).

I've only been playing elec. guitar for a year, but I've been a musician for 37 years and a sound nut for 29. I own two G&L ASATs, one of which is a classic Thinline. Really, it was the Thinline and it's dynamic range and finely nuanced tone that prompted me to sell the Blues Jr. and get something else. Still, I never hated the Blues Jr.; it just wasn't up to bringing out the best in the G&L's.
If it had been stolen or lost, I would have been hard-pressed to find something better for the $318. Right now, however, you can find some closeouts (at around $325) on the green vinyl Trace Elliot Velocette, which is a far better amp. To be fair, the Trace's normal street price is around $500, and has only volume, tone, and a bright switch.
There are several decent $350 15-watt tube amps out there -- the Blues Jr., the Ampeg Jet II R, the Epiphone Electar 30. I recommend you take your geetar to the store and try them all out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don't know.

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

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

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

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

N/A

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's some technical info: 3 gain stages, 59 Bassman tone stack, long-tailed pair driver feeding 2 class AB EL84's. Fat switch add a 22uf cap to the first gain stage, increasing low & mid gain. Preset "presence" circuit in the feedback loop ala 60's Fender amps. 329 volts for the output tubes, just like Fender's tweed era. Reverb uses TL072 op amp for drive & return. The only thing I wish it had is a dual-gain configuration, to switch between clean and scream.

If the above means nothing to you, it doesn't matter. This amp flat out cranks!! I literally could not stop playing; it sounds that good! Played with a strat, all pickups sound equally well, and when cranked past 6, there's a nice compression to the top end. Breaks up smoothly, not a bit of harshness. Definitely a blues amp (thus the name?), no metal to be found here. Real quiet, as noise goes (it has groove tubes). Very nice bass response, never gets muddy.

Looks pretty well built; I hope I never have to use the warranty.

5 yr. warranty. Never dealt with Fender.

For blues, and at this price, this amp is hard to beat! I bought this amp without even listening to it first, relying on the opinions posted in this database. It's all true!! I would buy another one in a heartbeat. This amp makes you want to play with dynamics, unlike my peavy classic 50. I'm in tone heaven!!

Some of the submissions complain about not enought features on this amp This amp sounds so Fendery how can anyone complain. If you complain about this amp no need in spending money on a Bassmen or Victoria. I fell in love with it the first time I plugged it in. If you don't like this amps tone don't shop for a fender. I give it a 10 if you play blues

I am using a reisue Strat with EMG pickups. It suits my style ( blues & blues bassed guitar) just find. If I deside to play some Gilmore stuff I do go back to my JCM900. It does have some hiss at high settings but not enough to bother me. This little amp is not a high gain monster so but will put out a little dirt just perfect for blues.

I've only had it for two weeks and has performed as expected. I hope it doesn't break because I couldn't stand to be without it while being fixed.

The warranty is for five years. If Fender doesn't back it up there is going to be a lot of pissed off guitar players

I have only been playing for 3 years. I have a JCM900 and HD28 and Carvin PA. If it were stolen I would shoot the SOB and buy another. I love the real Fender tone, the simplicity, and portibility. I wish it came with a foot switch for the FAT feature. If this amp isn't loud enough for you just mike it. It will sound huge

Features include- Single channel 15 watts RMS total power, 3 12AX7 preamp tubes, 2 EL84 power tubes, 12" Fender Gold Vintage Speaker. Controls (all go to "12")- volume, treble, bass, middle, master volume, reverb, on off switch (no standby), input, F.A.T. switch. Located in the back of the amp underneath the chassis is a footswitch jack for the F.A.T. switch, output jack (speaker plugs in with 1/4" phono jack, unplug it and you can pulg in an external cabinet at 8 ohms). No effects loop, no headphone jack. I particularly wish it had a headphone jack since I use it mostly for practicing at home. I also jam with some friends it can keep up just fine. An effects loop would be nice also. At 15 watts, this amp is plently LOUD- perfect for practice at home (get good overdrive at low volume) or jamming. For larger venues, get an extension cabinet (ex. 2 x 12") for more sound coverage or if more volume is needed, you probably have to mike it.

I bought this amp for a good, warm clean (Fender) sound with an ability to get some good bluesy overdrive. This amp delivers. But with some tweaking of the controls and pedals, you can get quite alot of sounds out of it. I use a Fender Strat with SSH configuration. This amp won't (on it's own) give you a metal or grunge distortion, but it will give great overdrive. It's a bassy sounding (dark voiced) amp-the 12" speaker definately helps. Crank the master volume to 12 and as you turn up the volume (preamp tube gain) you get a warm clean that starts to overdrive nicely at about 5 or 6. Hit the F.A.T. Switch and it hits the preamp tubes harder-I think it sounds like suddenly cranking the volume (preamp gain) up about 3 notches- good for solos. This amp has a suprising amount of clean headroom. Reverb unit is small, so it won't sound like a Fender Twin, but I think the reverb unit sounds fine- it's a little noisy when you turn it to max (12) and have the volume way up but aren't playing. Reverb doesn't feedback at fairly high volumes. If you stick to the single coil neck and middle pickups you can grok some great bluesy clean (preamp volume <6) and overdriven tones (SRV, Clapton, Hendrix with preamp volume >6 and or earlier with FAT switch on), switch to my bridge humbucker (higher output) and you can get some kick'n 70's style distortion (preamp >6 and hit FAT switch).
I also use a Boss DS-1 and Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-5 Soundtank. Tube screamer sounds great with this amp-gives you great overdrive at lower volumes and in conjunction with the higher preamp settings (>4) it will go from warm overdrive to scream'n distortion (especially with the FAT switch on). Tube screamer gives the amp some great sustain and ability (at higher preamp gain on the amp) to get some controllable feedback. Boss DS-1 works well if you keep the preamp settings fairly low (<7)- but you can balance it with the distortion level on the pedal if you crank the preamp volume past 7. With the DS-1 I can get some pretty heavy distortion. Just for a kick I hit the DS-1 on full, Tube screamer on full, and hit the FAT switch, with the vol=5 and master =5- RESULT- extreme distortion on the edge of being out of control! Pretty cool though.
I play blues, rock, a little metal, and want to play some jazz. This little amp is a blues monster. On its own it will give you a great warm, fat clean (Fender sound) through to a warm overdrive, to a 70's type distortion (a little more with a PAF high output pickup). I wanted an amp with a good clean sound and some nice bluesy overdrive (this amps got it) since I could dirty it up with pedals. With some knob tweak'n and pedals, I was pleasently surprised at how many different tones I could get out of this amp. My amp came with SOVTEK (Russian) tubes, I know Fender is shipping now with Groove (USA) tubes, so I don't know how this will affect the tone of the amp.

I've only had the amp for about 1 week, so I can't comment on it's reliability. But being a tube amp, it will need some re-tubing at some point.

I called Fendera couple of times with some questions about this amp, including aftermarket installation of a headphone jack. I had a tough time getting through (BUSY, BUSY, BUSY....) and the service people I spoke to were less than friendly and were NOT very knowledgable or helpful. Peter Bruni, a salses person at Steve's Music Store in Toronto was very helpful and got me the information I needed from their Fender rep. and also gave me some information on authorized service people. Shame on you Fender- improvement in customer service is needed.
Warranty for the amp is Fender standard (covered by the store)- 5 years on electronics (circuit boards, transformer, etc.), 1 year on the speaker, 90 days on the tubes.

I've been playing for around 14 years (off and on) and also own a Traynor TS-50 solid state amp, Boss CE-5, Crybaby wah-wah, Boss BF-1 flanger, and ovation acoustic/electric. I would definately buy this amp again if stolen- nothing comes close to the sound with this price and at the lower (managable) wattages. I love its warm sound and creamy overdrive and its tone versatility with the addition of pedals. Only 32 lbs too! I am building a 2 x 12" cabinet for it with two 30 watt Jensens. I wish it had an effects loop and headphone jack. I don't really miss a 2nd channel- the FAT switch or a pedal solves this problem almost all of the time. I wish the reverb tank was a little bigger, but I don't mind it.
I compared this amp with amps about the same wattage including the Marshall JTM 30 (not very warm clean, overdrive was to harsh), Crate Vintage Club 20 (not very much clean headroom, not very warm, overdrive came in to early and very harsh), Peavey Classic 30 (TOO LOUD before you get overdrive, not as warm clean, and gain channel overdrive was harsh). For fun, I compared it to a Fender twin (about 3X the $$) and the Blues Jr. still sounded pretty darn good. For the money-you can't beat an all tube amp with 12" speaker and Fender tone.
I think if your looking for a good warm "Fender sounding" amp with great clean and creamy overdrive for bluesy tone at reasonable volumes, this amp is it. Depending on how loud you play, this amp with do for home practice, recording, and jamming. When you add some pedals, you can extend the range of this little amp. When you try this amp out, ask for some pedals at the store and experiment with it before you dedcide to buy it-it may surprise you even more.

15 watts (hard to believe--boy this thing can crank), separate volume and master volume, bass, middle, treble. 12" Gold Label speaker. One channel w/ "fat" switch for more middle and bottom response. Optional footswitch available to switch on "fat" option. Reverb. About 28 lbs. Made very well. Not alot of extras--pretty basic.

I play a strat w/Texas Specials in it and it sounds quite good. Allows for a fairly wide range of tonality. Unbelievably loud for 15 watts. Seems as loud as my Peavey Bandit (80watts) but sounds alot better. Ideal for clean to moderately overdiven blues. With humbuckers, I'll bet the Blues Jr. distorts alot more than with my strat. This baby puts out fantastic gutsy clear tone if you crank the power tubes (crank Master to 12) and use the Volume knob to control loudness. SRV is in the house with the Volume on about 4 or 5 (Till the cops come that is). OR...for Hendrixy light fuzz crank Volume to 12 and set Master to about 3 or 4 (get ear plugs!). Super versatile. Not capable of heavy distortion. Not for metal/thrash. Pure tube-boogie heaven. w/Volume on about 4 or 5. Reverb sounds good up to about 4. I also have the larger (40 watt) Hot Rot Deluxe (sweetest sounding amp I've ever owned)and this baby actually keeps up with it fairly well.

Seems very well constructed--heavy gauge plywood, well applied Tolex covering. It doesn't come with a cover so BUY ONE (about $17). It's well worth it. Tubes vibrate loose so check them periodically. Not problems so far (knock on wood). I have a good Fender dealer and am not worried a bit.

I hear that Fender is not very customer friendly. I am mixed on this. Several years ago I called them to ask for help determining the date of and old strat and they were EXTREMELY helpful. Recently, I called to get info on an amp and they totally blew me off. I don't really about it though, my dealer is fantastic. This is the key. You really need to buy from a good dealer.

Been playing for 20 years. Also have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Have owned many amps from Ampeg, Fender, Vox, Peavey, Univox, Traynor, Roland, Crate, Sunn, and others. Have always come back to Fenders. Maybe I'm a sucker, but I just love the way they sound. The Blues Jr. is not the best sounding amp there is, but it does what it does very well and for the money, I think it's hands down a better tone than the small combo Boogies (Heartbreaker) and the Peavey Classic 30. I like this amp. It has a really gutsy tone for only 15 watts. LOUDDDDDD!!! (Did I mention how loud this amp is?)

Enough options to play around with - fat switch and master/volume give some flexibility. Wish list item is a headphone jack.

Seeking classic Fender (tube) blues tone. Found it. Great, great practice amp. I use it in bedroom. With the volume at 4/5 I can express myself while not getting too much louder than the tv. (That was my objective) Tried a distortion pedal for fun ... you can tell it's still a tube amp

Just bought it 2 weeks ago. Will re-post if I experience any problems.

Haven't dealt with any issues yet.

Beginner, about 2 years. Play SRV & California Strat plugged directly in. Traded a Blues Deluxe which was overkill for bedroom. After playing the Blues Junior in the store for two minutes I knew I found the perfect amp for me. It only got better when I got it home. This amp was EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. (Bedroom practice, classic blues sound, enough volume to sound good but not bother the neighbors) May not be the best amp for everyone, but it is PERFECT FOR MY SITUATION. If it was stolen I would buy another one immediately.
P.S. If any more experience players have knob setting or effects suggestions, please email me. I have a Boss Blues Driver ... Tubescreamer seems like the thing to get.

What can be said about this amp that has not already been stated? The amp is perfect for those of us who know what we want. It's true, the amp does not have an effects loop, headphone jack or standby switch. All of those things may or may not be needed and judging by all the positive reviews of this amp aren't needed. What it does have is reverb, tone controls (treble, mid and bass), volume and master controls along with a fat switch. I use this amp mostly for home practice and jammimg with a group. For only 15 watts of tube power, it is more than loud enough to be heard while playing with saxes, drums, bass and keyboards.

I mainly use it with a strat with 3 single coils and play blues, R&B, rock and a little jazz. It seems perfectly suited for the styles and varieties I'm into. Distortion is only mild for those rock tunes and the overdriven tubes are perfect for the blues. You can always add a pedal for a hard rock crunch sound. I have noticed some hum and feedback noise when reverb is set at 6 or higher. I'm still trying to figure out how to eliminate that noise.

I've only had it for a year. No problems so far!

No contact with customer service yet but I will give them a call about the reverb noise just to see if they are helpful.

I've been playing for only 2 years but, during that time have experimented with many different amps trying to find the perfect one for me. I always thought that I would buy one of the smaller Mesa Boogie's or Peavy Classic until I heard the Blues Junior. It seemed like every weekend I was in a guitar store trying out a different amp but now, I can spend that time playing. I would definitely buy this amp again!

This amp has Master/Volume which rates a high score for its price, you can dial a good tone, clean or crunch and play with your kid sleeping next door. This was one of the reasons I chose it.

Cant beat the sounds for the price. I play STD US Telecaster with stock PU's. Blues and R&B. Reverb a bit hissy and weak (its solid state), but this doesn't bother me. Clean is clean and distortion is punchy and dark.

This is my only grump. Firstly it is rather poorly finished. The covering probably won't last long, I understand some of the electrics have been compromised but I hope the insides will still work in 10 years, after all its a real Fender at real competitive price, I dont care so much about the outside. My problem was that I had ordered it from my store after testing one and took it home10 days later still in its packing. On opening the box one of the power tubes fell out, the other was barely still in place. The power tubes have a kind of spring-bracket to hold them in place(but didn't), the pre-amp tubes are just stuck in with nothing to hold them. Why don't they ship with the tubes packed and not installed ? Secondly I noticed after 5 minutes of playing that low notes started to sort of electrically vibrate (like a nasty distortion). I took it back to my store (who are great), they agreed immediately, tried changing tubes to no avail and determined the speaker was the cause (you can attatch an external speaker). They brought it back to Fender who fitted a new speaker and I got it back 2 days later. It is now playing like a dream.

They changed the speaker pronto so I have no complaints. This was Fender in Duesseldorf (Germany). I dont know what they are like elsewhere.

Whatever the grumps (reverb is solid state and a bit thin and hissy) for the price this amp is a killer. I haven't really spent a long time playing it dialled up but I understand it is loud enough to play with drums and bass. If I would play a big venue then I'll need a bigger amp, but that bigger amp will sit around just waiting for venues because the BJ is the one I can and want to practise on.

Excellent at what it does: it is very versatile within its range of darkly voiced sounds, but if you play with the volume controls you can go from fairly clean to smoothly distorted. FAT switch is nice for mid boost for solos, etc.; invest in a footpedal for it. This amp is surprisingly powerful for 15 watts: can play quite loud and I've had it in small clubs where it's done fine, and other players have remarked on how good it sounds. Greath tube warmth, darkly voiced.

I use mostly a Heritage 535 and a Gibson ES-125TC, playing blues. Good clean crunch, nice smooth tube distortion, and it can play well at loud volume, where distortion is smooth, not shredder harsh.

well made, 5 yr. warranty. Have taken it out a few times and it's been knocked about a little, but looks mint still and no problems....

have not dealt with them...

Can't see doing much better for under $300 for real tube warmth and some versatile sounds.

Treble, Bass, Middle, Reverb, Fat switch (footswitchable), Master volume, 1x12, 15 watts,3 12AX7's, 2 EL84's. Oh yeah, this amp just wants to sound good!

I use this amp with a PRS EG (the one with the Fralin pickups), and a 335. Man, honestly this amp has no bias, single coils and humbuckers both sound great without having to readjust the amp's settings. I play blues and I use this amp for practice and it just kills. The distortion is quite flexible. It is really easy to get a good SRV type of tone as well as a very cool Bluesbreaker type of thing going. In fact I wish I could get my gigging amp to sound as good as this thing. This has got to be one of the loudest 15 watt amps made. I originally bought it for practicing around the house and decided to try it at band rehearsal and was blown away. Especially that it could hang with our drummer no problem (he's pretty loud). It probably would be loud enough for smaller club gigs (unmic'ed) too. Had read about the Mesa Subway Blues and tried it and decided that it couldn't come anywhere near the Jr. in terms of sound (not to mention in price). Have heard of guys swapping tubes in the Pro Jr.'s with positive results, anybody out there tried it with this amp?

No problems with it yet. Wouldn't have a problem gigging without a backup.

Haven't had to find out, although I've heard that they can be jerks to deal with on the phone. Comes with the standard Fender warranty.

Been playing 14 years and have to honestly say that I'm really impressed. I have owned Blackface Princetons, Peavy Classic 20, etc. and was never really all that excited about any of them. If you're in the market for a killer blues machine look no further than this. I have also heard a lot of very positive things about the Pro Jr., I haven't had the chance to check one out but would have to believe that it is every bit as good as the Blues Jr. I would definetly buy this amp again in a heartbeat and have recommended them to all of my buddies in the market for a small tube amp.

The specifications on this amp have been stated before. The options are limited but I knew what I was buying and what I was looking for tonally. And fortunately this amp has it. I was looking for an amp that would distort at low volumes without the need for OD pedals of any sort. Just plug in and play. I use this amp for practicing at home and jamming with freinds. It is just loud enough for playing with drums and bass. I have not played out with this amp however. The amp is more or less a one trick pony; great bluesy overdrive. But this fact suits my playing needs perfectly. This is definetly not a shredding amp. Great weight too.(~35pds)

I play a japenese reissue strat with vintage style pickups through the blues junior. It sounds excellent with just about any setting on the amp. I even played a friends subpar korean squire through this little beast and it sounded ten times better than it did plugged into his Crate solid state. Much fuller bodied tone. This is my first tube amp experience, and I must say that I am completely sold. I can't imagine how good one of those 2500$ Matchless amps must sound. For 300$ this amp has suprisingly good tone and bite. I also have a Fender solid state 112SE that doesn't come close as far as blues tone. The 112 does however sound better when played clean(much more headroom at high volumes). If your looking for a very clean sounding amp this amp probably isn't for you. I've got a JC120 that fits this bill perfecly. But if you like great sustain and mild overdrive at low volumes this amp kicks ass. I've read some of the other reviews about this amp that state that the reverb tank is noisy.. I haven't encountered this problem at all. The reverb is quiet all the way to the top(and sounds pretty good too). I keep it set between 3 and 6 usually. The junior distorts nicely with the master cranked and the preamp set about 4 or 5. Just right without being to loud.

I've had it about two weeks now and had now problems to speak of. I ordered this amp mail order and it showed up with one of the preamp tube dislocated from its seat. It was lying in the bottom of the cabinet. I'm not sure if it came out before or after shipping, but after sticking it back in, I was in tone heaven. Otherwise, I think the amp is built quite sturdy. Dependable knobs, speaker cabinet etc. The corners of the amp could use a little more protection, however.

I think for 300$ this amp has what I was looking for. Iv'e been playing for about 6 years and had solid state amps up until this time. I think SS amps have their particular strong points(clean tones), but the junior makes me smile every time I pick up my axe. Hopefully someday I can afford the custom shop amps, but at the present time I am completely satisfied with this thing.

This amp has a very limited number of features, but that is to be expected from an amp this small. It would have been nice if it had another channel for the drive, but simplicity has its advantages. I was amazed by the amount of power that this amp put out. When I saw that it was only 15 watts, I almost passed it up. When I plugged it in, I was plesently surprised by the volume produced . I used the amp mostly for jazz band at high school, and I had no problem being heard through the other instruments. I was very fond of the FAT switch. It gave the amp a nice full tone and a small gain boost.

I played a 1950's fender telecaster that had a single coil seymor duncan broadcaster bridge pick-up dropped in through this amp. The combination of the amp and the guitar was incredible. The amp didn't give any kind of high gain distortion, but it did give a very nice dirty crunch. With the pre amp turned down low, the master would go all the way up to 12 and not distort. If you are willing to play with the nobs, you could get a wide variety of sounds from bright treble to a dirty crunch. If I needed to go beyond that, the big muff was there. I could also get some incredible controled feed back with this amp when used in conjunction with my tele and volume pedal. Just the fact that it's a tube amp scores it major sound points.

In my experience, this amp was very reliable. Being the clutz that I am, I often knocked it in to walls, tipped it over, and it often fell over in transit. After all of this abuse, it kept on putting out good sound.

I never had to deal with the company, but I doubt Fender would be willing to back it with a 5 year warranty if it was junk.

I loved this amp. I would buy it again in a second. In fact, the next time I have some money and see one, I will. I was forced to get rid of it in August and I want it back. It is the best practice amp you can buy.

10 Love the amp! Have a Hot Rod Deluxe and wanted an amp that was not as big to carry...but liked the sound of the Fender F.A.T. product. This little amp is a blues monster! The tone that can be caoxed out of this gem is surprizing for it's size. One channel. No effects loop. No Headphone jack. No channel switching. No problem. Reverb and "fat" switch. For what it is, who needs more? I play at home and at small parties and this amp has more than enough power. It can be played "loud" without being overpowering. Some folks complain about no standby switch, which is no big deal. Just turn the amp on when you need it and off when you don't. Important note...the el84 tubes sound real different in this amp configuration than the 66's found in the Hot Rods.

10 A tone monster. For my ears there is no amp under 300 that can even come close. Had a Fender Champion 110, Crate vintage Club 20 and sold them both. If you like rock, country rock and blues (blues is it's specialty), this amp will suit you well. I set the controls at 6 and reverb and adjust the volume to my mood. Godin Acousticaster, Fenders Tele 50's reissue and "Fat Tele, Carvin tc 60, and Gibson Firebrand 335 all sound relly good. The amp sounds good no matter what.

Don't know as yet. My Hot Rod has been fine but I don't take it out of the house or abuse it.

Fender service is a joke. Rainbow Guitars in Tucson is my dealer (thanks Scott!) and they are really supportive and stand behind what they sell.

Yes. Love it all. Would buy it again. I spent much more effort in buying this amp than my Hot Rod, as the Blues Jr had to be portable, under 300, sound fabulous, be all tube and so forth. The many other amps I tried did not meet all of these needs. Like some of the other reviwers of this amp, plug in and it's straight ahead. Loads of creamy smoothe overdrive at moderate volume levels. If you really turn it up, you get more of the same.

Word to you all, I've noticed that alot of the reviews of this amp mention the lack of a standby switch. I recently talked to a tech at Matchless Amps and asked him why some of their 2000.00 amps did'nt have the standby, he stated that the smaller tubes El84's don't have as much voltage going through them, hence, no standby. Or something like that. If it works on the best amps on the market, then it works with the Fenders.

SIMPLICITY IN ITSELF 3 BAND EQ, VLOUME MASTER AND REVERB. THIS AMP WAS OBVIOUSLY DESIGNED FOR PRACTICE PURPOSES BUT IS QUITE ABLE TO STAND WITH THE BEST. THE AMP SHOULD OF BEEN FITTED WITH A EFFECTS LOOP, STANDBY SWITCH AND POSSIBLY A PRESENCE CONTROL.

SOUND FROM THIS AMP IS QUITE EXCEPTIONALY. I DRIVE THIS AMP VIA EMG ACTIVE HUMBUCKERS WHICH IN TURN GO FIRST THRU A GP8 BEFORE BEING WARMED UP BY THE AMP ITSELF. THE AMP DOES TEND TO OVERDRIVE EASILY AT HIGH VOLUMES BUT ALSO THE ACTIVE PICKUPS TEND TO PUSH A LARGER SIGNAL THAN THE NORMAL PASSIVE ONES. DISTORTION FROM THE FAT SWITCH IS WARM.THIS IS NOT REALLY AN DISTORTION THAT WILL SURFICE TO PULL OFF ANY MAJOR METAL LICKS BUT THEN MOST GUITARISTS USE A PEDAL TO ACHIEVE THOSE SOUNDS ANYWAY. I PERSONALLY USE THIS AMP FOR PRACTICE AND FOR LIVE GIGING MIKING THRU THE P.A.

TUBES HAVE COME LOOSE ONCE BUT THE AMP WAS SUBJECT TO A RIDE IN THE BOOT OF THE CAR ALONG A DIRT ROAD. OTHERWISE SO FAR SO GOOD.

NO IDEA!HOPE THEY PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH

I COMPARED THIS AMP TO A FENDER HOT ROD DELUXE AND ALSO A JTM60 MARSHALL THE SOUND FROM THE DELUXE WAS SLIGHTLY BETTER AS WAS THE SOUND FROM THE MARSHALL BUT THE PRICE DIFFERENCE DID NOT WARRENT THE SOUND DIFFERENCE ALSO THE SIZE OF THIS AMP MAKES IT SUITABLE TO BE CARRIED WITHOUT ANY CURSING. SHOULD BE FITTED WITH A STANDBY SWITCH AND MAYBE AND EFFECTS LOOP BUT THIS WOULD PRACTICALLY MAKE IT A FENDER DELUXE. I THINK THAT THIS AMP IS ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING AMPS I HAVE EVER OWNED. WOULD BUY IT AGAIN NO PROBLEM.

Fetures Tube-Tone, 15 Watts worth. Nuff said. Or should I mention 3-band Eq, Master vol/gain, Reverb but no loop. With loop it could be even better, but the simplicity of this amp is it's strength. External speaker can be connected, 8 ohms. Single channel, but the "fat" switch boosts the gain sligtly, along with pushing the midrange and overall volume. This comes in handy for that 4-bar solo... The amp is perfect for rehearsal and miked gigs. 15 W TUBE amp is plenty loud, I have never turned it all the way up (gain, that is - Master volume usually stays dimed). Great looks - genuine Tweed covering. It will look worn a couple of years down the road, but it is way cool anyway. Tubes (3x12AX7; 2xEL84) are reasonably well protected by the back panel. Lastly, it's small and light enough to carry with one hand, so you can be our own roadie without busting your back...

Sounds great - for the money and still some. No extensive tweaking needed - just plug in and wail. I play blues, pop, rock and "alternative", this little gem covers all styles easily. A very fine "strat" amp! For the SRV sound: set "master" to 12, "gain" to 4-5, activate the "fat" switch and use a strat, neck pickup. There you are. For dirty blues, crank the gain and ride the guitar's volume control. The tone is, as for many tube amps, dependent on output volume, but at 15 w you can reach this tone before you get too loud. Great clean Fender sound with a little breakup as the gain is about halfway, where the overall volume is loud enough for rehearsals - trust me. Reverb is much more subtle than normally for a Fender, and yes it is noisy at higher settings, but this is no big deal. Goes well with a TubeScreamer (as you'd guess, it's a Blues Monster) as well as other dist/overdrive pedals, I also use a Metal Zone. I have a Blues gig pending, then I will play this amp unmiked, no worries.

Just bought it, so... Schematics included, so service should be no problem.

Yes, I'd buy it again... Have owned several (Fender, Marshall) amps and this is actually the best, hate to say this, COMPROMISE between tone, volume, features and price yet. My vintage 50 W Marshall sounds (slightly) better - at airplane engine volume. My bandmates always complained about that, but no more so. Tubularity is a MUST for me (tone, dynamics), and the "fat" boost is handy. Of course there are even better 15 W tube amps, at twice the price and up... I thought this was meant to be my rehearsal amp, but it looks like it's going to be used for gigs (miked and unmiked!) too. Alredy tried once and almost took up smoking afterwards, just to have one after the Act... It is a great blues amp but also a very nice allround amp. Cheaper than many solid-state or "hybrid" amps, it is a MUST buy for the beginner, it will save you money and frustration to own a REAL amp from the start.

Face it ... this amp is pretty feature-free. Preamp gain, master vol, bass, treble, mid, "fat" switch to boost the preamp gain, footswitch jack for the fat switch, and NO DAMN STANDBY SWITCH! So if yer lookin' for features, buy a Boogie. I'm a simple kinda guy who kinda likes simplicity, so this amp's lack of features suits me just fine, thanks. As you probably know, it's got 3 12AX7's for preamp/inverter and 2 EL84's for a smokin' 15 watts of tubal tonularity. Oops, I forgot to mention reverb (solid state driven) and solid state rectifier.

I adore small tube amps 'cause you can crank 'em and spank 'em. This baby's a dream come true. You can go from sweeeeet sweeeeet Fender clean to warm, rich bluesy overdrive. IMHO the clean is not QUITE as nice as the Hot Rod series, but awfully damn close. As noted in previous reviews, this is NOT a shred amp. I love the way I can play that Ronnie Earl middle ground, where I'm clean with the soft touch but a little spank on the attack makes 'er growl! I also love the fact that I can choose preamp or poweramp distortion (the latter with preamp gain on 3 or 4 and master volume cranked). The reverb is nice (3 spring, short tank) and not overdone, but there's a little hum at high settings. Not too objectionable, though. Overall, the tone is exquisite ... the kind that inspires you to just keep playin' ...

Only had it for a couple of weeks. You can't beat the 5 year warranty, though.

Never tried to deal with them, and from what I've been reading, probably never will.

It's so cheap, and so damn cute, and sounds soooo good, I'd recommend it to anyone that needs a small amp. It's loud, but not enough for a big gig - PERFECT for home practice or jamming, though. I find I never use the "fat" switch. I wish they'd left it off and given me a standby switch instead! I'm predicting that in about 25 years there will be a huge vintage market for these babies. Buy one. NOW!!!

The amp has a single channel input, a single jack, 3 stages of 12AX7A pre-amp, pre-volume, master volume controls, separate bass, mid, and treble controls "fat" switch on panel (foot switchable ) spring reverb (not tube driven), two 6V6/EL84 output tubes, one external speaker jack, a 12" Eminence speaker, only one power supply on/off switch, but no standby (I intend to add this), I bought the 'new' Blues Junior with black tolex - finish. The nominal wattage rating is 15 watts but it's plenty loud for clubs or jam sessions as well! The only poor thing is that the amp has no FX - loop, it could be very useful. I also would like a second channel to switch easily to the fantastic crunch - sound !

I'm really satisfied with the sound ! The clean tone is very clear and sweet - it's a real Fender. If you roll the gain knob up you get a warm, creamy overdrive I like most. I bought the Blues Junior in addition to my Fender Hot-Rod Deluxe because the Hot Rod is simply way too powerful and for my kind to heavy for quick gigs. The Blues Junior is a perfect supplement. The sound is very similar to the Hot Rod's clean sound, with less of headroom - especially the bass - frequencies sounds weaker, but the Blues Junior has a warmer - mellow overdrive sound I really like. The FAT switch further boosts the overdrive and gives you a astonishing full sound for this little package, for that the 12" speaker helps a lot. The amp's speaker provides tons of low-end punch which is surprising given this amps fairly small size. What I really like is the fact that you can drive the power-amp tubes harder without playing louder. Fender designed this amp right. It's made to be driven to get a real classic blues flavor, so if you mostly play blues-rock and want to be flexible, this amp is a dream come true! Small, versatile, and controllable. But I'm sorry, also the Blues Junior has one week point - it's the reverb. It's "hiss" gets pretty noticeable above about half way up. The reverb also don't sounds very intensive. If you know the Hot Rod reverb and like his very full sound and long reverb-time you will be disappointed like I. O.K., the Blues Junior is a much smaller amp with a smaller reverb-pan, but must it produce such allot hiss ?! Overall I would give the amp a 9, but in his price- and build-range it's still a 10.

This amp hasn't given me any problems yet. It seems to be built very solid. I've found the amp to be very reliable so with 5 years warranty I'll rate this a 10.

Haven't had to deal with 'em yet, hope it still remains so.

I really love this amp and I'd buy it again. For it's 15 Watts It's really powerful and can easily be used for a club gig as well as for practice. The amps I compared it to were all Mesa/ Boogies I'd played for years, but I'm sorry - the Fender won hands down. The search is over, I'd found my amps: The Blues Junior for small and quick gigs and the Hod Rod Deluxe for bigger things! The clean sound is very good, but also the crunch sounds are, much better than a Boogie or anything else in this price-range. Why could this thing not has a FX-loop and a second channel?!

This reveiw is an update/amendment to my previously submitted review on the Fender Blues Junior. My BJ finally arrived via UPS, in perfect condition I might add having been shipped to Florida from New England (thanks for the TLC, UPS !) Anyway, I plugged it in, fired it up, and played it, and played it, and played it, and.......(my poor Marshall JCM900 combo feels SO neglected since the BJ arrived). To say the least, I am VERY impressed and satisfied with it. It is just what the Tone Doctor prescribed !!

... the amp is voiced on the dark side, which you would expect from a blues oriented amp. It has a wonderful clean tone, much better than that of my Marshall JCM900 combo, and it dirty's up when the pre-amp is overdriven and the Master is cranked, although not like the infamous Marshall grind. This is a blues amp, remember, not a grunge amp. Country/Blues/Southern-rock sounds are its forte. The FAT switch works well to slightly beef up the sound, and also causes the volume to increase slightly. There is a jack, next to the speaker output jack, for a FAT-control footswitch (not included with amp). The reverb is good; you get a little hiss when it is cranked up high, but since I just add a tad, it compliments my playing style well. For 15 watts, this amp is LOUD. The Eminence 12 inch speaker seems of good quality and construction, projects well, and adds that depth and bottom end necessary for a full, rich tone (i.e, it's got BALLS !!)

Too new to tell.

5-year transferable warranty. No need for repair or support yet.

Yes, I would buy it again, and may in fact buy a second one. I like everything about this amp; size, looks, tone, volume. It's only shortcoming seems to be the lack of a power stand-by switch; it's either ON or OFF. The Operation Manual which comes with it is simple; there is nothing complicated about this amp at all. If you can't figure this amp out in 5 minutes, you should be playing a kazoo ! Just plug in, dial in your tone, and then play on, and on, and on, and on......

It doews just what it is designed for: quality, low power practice/studio work or small venue gigging (larger venue if mic'd through PA. I's a single channel, all-tube 15 Watt (EL84 Class AB bias) amp w/12" speaker. Pre-amp Vol, Master Vol, Bass, Middle Treble, and Reverb Controls. Single "Power" Switch.
I would prefer it having a Stand-by power Switch and a foot-switchable Reverb, but for the money it's great. I'll put in my own STBY switch to ease the stress on the tubes, and live with the manual reverb. fix THAT !"

Great tube sounds from country clean to mild blues overdrive. The Master Vol control allowed great volume versatility and I liked the 3-segment tone section in an amp this small. Just stick a Rat or Tube Screamer pedal in front of it and you'll have a mini-monster on your hands. I may buy another so as to run my ZOOM 3030 in stereo.

To new to tell, but Fenders typically are very reliable (then again, maybe Fender owners just treat there amps better). EL84 power ubes are held firmly in place by a metal bracket. Pre amp tubes are not. All tubes are well protected by the cabinet back panel, although extend down VERY close to the speaker magnet.

I never deal with the factory for any amp repair (who does ?). Any amp shop can fix a Fender, and should have the schematics. It's just the warranty period that counts and this is a 5-year transferrable warranty.

I played the Fender BJ, and immediately placed one on mail-order (via Music Tools) for $270 plus $20 s/h. I can't wait to have mine arrive, cause it sounds so GOOD. I went and tried an Ampeg Jet re-issue (J-12T) later in the day and, although it sounded very nice as well, decided to stay with the Blues Jr (see my review of the Ampeg.

Your basic setup here. Three tone controls gain and master volume as well as reverb. Class A so there is only one channel. It would have been nice with a FX loop. No headphone jack. Fat switch which increases the gain a little.

Very, Very nice sounding amp. Clean sounds are beautiful, clear and warm. Such a huge difference from my old amp (Fender Champion 110). Believe me when I say that this is one of the most smoothest sounding amps out there. It gives a very full sound at low and medium volumes.
The reverb is kind of noisy. I don't use the reverb at all because I have reverb on my Korg AX30G which is very quiet and gives a more versitile reverb.
I hardly use the fat switch. All it does is boost the gain a little, nothing special.
I use this amp with a mesa boogie V-twin so I could get a really fat distorted tone. I don't think over the top distortion can be achieved with the amp alone. Don't get this amp if you like heavy, heavy distortion. If you have a really good distortion pedal it will sound great, if not go buy a V-twin or something.
I use this amp with a fender standard strat with texas special pickups, this combined with the V-twin and the Korg AX30G for effects gives me so much more versitility with the tone of this amp. This amp really is a tone machine alone but when combined with a good axe and a good distortion pedal you really have a side variety of sounds.

Comes with a five year transferrable warranty. The tolex seems like it can be easily ripped off. No corner protectors either. The tubes in the back seems like they are protected nice. I'll be playing this amp in my bedroom so I don't expect the amp to break down.

The salesman told me that if I ever have problems all I have to do is take the amp to a service center with the reciept.

I would definitely buy this again.
I love the clean tone. This amp adds so much to the way my whole setup sounds. A really good tube amp can really improve a lot of things. I have used it for three days so far and I am very impressed.
The only thing I don't like is the reverb, because it is noisy. I don't use it anyway because I use it with my Korg AX30G. Very quiet when not using the reverb on the amp. You won't even know its on it's so quiet.
I didn't compare it with other amps in this category. But when compared to a cheap solid state amp like the Fender Champion 110, the Blues Junior is 20X better. So, everyone out there with a cheap solid-state, BUY THIS AMP! You will sound so much better.
I wish it had an FX loop but you can't have everything.

Very simple amp to use, only one clean channel. A very loud 15 watt, sounds more like 30 watts. All tube amp, two EL84's and three 12AX7's, and tweed covering. Your basic controls, Volume, Master Volume, Treble, bass, mid, and reverb. Also has FAT switch to increase preamp gain, also has footswitch for this. One 12" Fender Gold Label re-issue speaker. Only problem is I wish it a gain channel and a effects loop would be nice. Great amp for its price. Altough I've never tried it I'd like to hear what is sounds like when driving an external speaker cabinet.

Great amp. I play mostly alternative music and I can definatly get the tone I'm after with amp. Just like the name says I sound terrific when playing blues. Pretty good variety of tones, even though it doesn't have a gain channel you can get a natural tube distortion when cranking it. If you can't get this amp to sound good then you just can't play.

I'd use it without a backup, but then again it's the only amp I have and it's never let me down. I'd carry extra tubes around though.

Never dealt with them. Comes with a 5 year warranty and 90 day warranty one tubes.

I'd definatly buy this amp again. I'll probably never get rid of it. Simple to use with terrific sound and just about the loud 15 watt amp you can find. 12" speaker allows good bass response. Better then any other amp in it's price range. I just wish it had two channels and an effects loop.

When I firt bought this amp, I bought it for the sound. I didn't think of it as too feature-rich. However, being fairly basic might be this amp's greatest feature. Pure simplicity. You dial in the tone you want on the eq, and play. This amp will faithfully reproduce the sound you're looking for with minimal interaction between you and the amp. It's controls are Gain, FAT switch, MID/LOW/HIGH eq, master volume, and reverb.

First, let me say that each amp sounds different to each individual player. I don't care if it's a 10watt Peavey Rage. If you like it, and you can make music with it, then buy it. That said, I personally LOVE the sound of this amp. I mainly play blues and this amp is made specifically for blues - and it accels at blues. The clean tone is sweet, sweet, sweet. Roll the gain knob up and you get a warm, creamy overdrive. Press the FAT switch and you get a little more boost for some dirty blues. When I first got this amp, I thought the reverb was a little weak, but now I like the sound. Sometimes less is more. This amp is VERY good at making one nice, sweet, and really tight sound.

This amp appears to be built well. Since it hasn't broken yet, I'll rate it a 10.

When I got this amp, it was the last one in the store. I called Fender and they sent me a manual within a couple days. The guy on the phone was kind of a jerk, but he did what he said he'd do. That's unique in the music industry.

I would buy this amp again. I like the features, the sound and the power. Even though it's so small, it seems to have tons of volume and punch. The amp doesn't really break up at high-volume like some other small amps. I like the 12" speaker because it really adds to the bass-end of the sound. This amp sounds surprisingly good given the smaller cabinet size. The bass response is one of it's best features. Some other amp makers could learn from Fender. There's nothing I really hate about this amp. When shopping, I compared it to the Peavey Classic 20, The Fender Pro-Junior, The Crate VC2110R, and the Ampeg SJ-12r. The Fender easily wins given its features, sound, and price. For the money, you simply can't get a better sounding blues amp. Please don't let the size fool you. Take it for a spin before you rule it out because of it's size. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at this amp. I sure was.

I like this amp a lot. It is very simple and easy to use. Controls are Reverb, Master Volume, High, Mid, Low, FAT switch and Master Volume. This amp has a 12" speaker and offers 15 watts of power. Don't let it fool you - It sounds like 30watts. There is one footswitch jack, but the footswitch is not included. My only gripe is that there is no standby switch.

I LOVE THIS AMP! I bought it in addition to my Fender Hot-Rod Deluxe because the Hot Rod is simply way too powerful. If I put the Hot Rod on level 2, I run the risk of getting evicted from my apartment. The Blues Junior is a perfect supplement. The sound is very similar to the Hot Rod's clean sound, but the Blues Junior has better reverb and a warmer - mellow overdrive sound. The FAT switch further boosts the overdrive and gives you some good fuzzy overdrive when you push it. I really like the fact that you can drive the power-amp tubes harder without playing louder. This amp gives an incredibly WARM sound without being loud. The amp's 12" speaker provides tons of low-end punch which is surprising given this amps fairly small size. Fender designed this amp right. I couldn't ask for a better sound. Further, this amp is powerful enough to use on a small gig. Overall, I'm very impressed. Since I mostly play blues-rock, this amp is a dream come true! Small, versatile, and controllable.

This amp is built rock-solid right here in the USA. The tubes are protected in the back, and the power tubes even have their own "cage" to keep them safe and in place. This is the first time I've seen this design on an amp, and this adds tohe reliability. The only thing I'm skeptacle about is the fact that there is no standby switch. I am worried about this amp blowing tubes prematurely. I hope Fender designed aand implemented a circuit to protect the tubes on power-on. I'm pretty sure they did.

I got a really good deal on this amp and I think it is well worth the money. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. This amp is just what I wanted. I love the sound and features, and I LOVE the reverb. The reverb isn't overkill on this amp like my Hot Rod Deluxe. The overdrive is warm, smooth, and creamy. This amp really cooks when cranked. I recommend it to ANY blues or blues-rock player. I'm sure it would also sound good with a decent overdrive stomp-box, also. Therefore it would make a good amp for any playing style. The only thing I wish it had is a standby switch. Ohwell... can't have it all. I'd give this amp a rating of 11 if I could.

Gain, Treb, Bass, Mid, Reverb, Master and a FAT switch that increases the input gain. All tube amplification, though it has solid state reverb drivers on a spring pan, solid state rectifier, and uses a transistor to increase the gain with the FAT switch.

Very warm sounding, maybe due to the Eminence speaker (standard). Not as trebley as my Super Reverb, neither does it have the very deep solid bottom of that amp. As the name suggests, its a blues amp. Also, don't let the 15 watt size fool you, it sounds very big (12 inch speaker helps I suppose) and seems made to be driven to get a real classic blues flavor.

It's new... so far so good.

I'd use this for any small to medium venue, its that good.

I previously owned a Fender Blues Deluxe and found that it was impossible to overdrive except at extremely high volumes. The Blues Junior has a beautiful sound, from clear and clean to fat overdriven. I rented it and played with my loud drummer friend and it was easily loud enough, even though it's only a 15W amp.
I don't understand it but the Blues Junior is everything I wanted: small (1x12), loud enough for jamming, compact for carrying, full tube sound (100% tube circuitry).

I play pop blues (a la Chris Rea's Road to Hell) and pop alternative (a la Stone Temple Pilots). This amp can sound clean and full or heavy and sustained. I used to hook up a Real Tube Driver to my Blues Deluxe and don't bother with this. The FAT switch takes the place of the effect pedal. The only thing is that the clean channel will overdrive slightly if you turn it up, oh well, can't have it all.

Just bought so don't know how reliable, but it has a 5 year warranty which is good enough for me. It seems very solidly built, compared to the other amps I have had: Roland and Marshall.

5 year warrantly, have never contacted Fender

I love it being cute and small and so powerful. I love the creamy sound and the portablity.
I have the black finish, also availble in classic tweed...

well everyones pretty much covered everything, so I'll pretty much ditto everything said. This amp is not versatile, it does one thing and one thing very well. It gives you one sweet guitar tone, You can do what ever with it after that.

This is an amp that you can really crank (it goes to 12). I usually come in from work at about 2:00 in the morning. Put my volume on my strat about 2 or 3 and the sound comming out of that very nice clean. You just want to keep playing on and on. As a little bit of icing, I sometime run my Real Tube to get a smokier sound.

I've had it for about a year, I try to keep things just as they were when I bought it .i.e. no problem

n/a

I had heard quite a bit about this amp through the grapevine, And it all pretty much turned out to be true. The idea of being able to crank 15 watt without bleeding any ears (mine for one) sounded very appealling. Once the the tubes get nice and hot, your pretty much cooking. I do believe the longer its on the warmer the sound gets. No regrest, would buy it again at the same price of course.

This is a "meat and potatos" amp. I wish it had an effects loop as Fenders web page implies, but as someone else said before, this is one of the best kept secrets for bargain amps now!!! This is an INCREDIBLY loud amp for only 15 watts. Plenty loud for most gigs.

This amp is FANTASTIC!!!! I have owned many amps from Ampeg to Vox and been tweaking and modifying them for 20 years and this amp blew me away!!! I believe the thing that makes it so good is that it has been designed to be a clean sounding loud tube amp so since it only is a 15 watter, by putting an overdrive box between your guitar and it, you have the correct volume/tube drive/SRV creamy type sound that most of us Blues/Rock guys strive our whole delinquent life in search of!!!! If you are a Marshall player, don't consider this amp, it is too clean for you, but if you use a smooth OD pedal like a Tube Screamer or a regular RAT pedal and like the classic overdriven "Fender on 10" sounds look no further,,,this is all you'll need.... I can't believe the sounds out of such an inexpensive amp!!!! I use a couple of Strats with different humbuckers and single coils and they all agree with this amp. I've owned many Les Pauls before so my bet is those would sound great too but havn't tried one yet. It is definitely geared more twords the Strat sound though.

Have only owned it for 3 days so who knows....

In the past for me Fender has been very helpfull in getting info out of so I guess I'll find out if they still are when I request the schematic for this little puppy!!!!

As I said, I can't say enough about this amp!!! It sounds soooo good!! I wish it had an effects loop but can't have everything. I compared it to several but the Pro Junior, Peavey Classic 30 and the Marshall JTM-30 were the finalist and this blew them away with its tone and loudness!!!! I would buy this amp for twice the price today to get this great a sound without tweaking till the cows come home!!!!

I use this amp at home only. I was looking for a pure low-power tube amp sound, not features (I found my Marshall stack a bit oversized for private practise). But when comparing it with Pro Junior, I realized that more versatile tone control, 2 volume knobs, reverb and specially the "Fat" switch make Blues Junior much more desireable.

I'm keen to find blues/R&B/rock type of tube distortion sounds from my amps. this amp is killer for that purpose. Sometimes I experiment with heavy distortion, but then I plug in my Ibanez PUE5 Tube pedal. I'm using a modified American Standard Strat (Seymour Duncan littl' Screamin' Demon humbucker in bridge position, coil split, floating bridge). However, this setup is not perfect. The sound is slightly damped and dull. Not to blame the amp, though - a -62 Reissue Strat created killer sounds (I think I'm gonna by one...). was

I bought it yesterday so I really don't know. The tweed cover etc. makes it look nice, but it's not a roadworthy solution. Again, I'll never use this amp outside my home so I don't care.

Very nice treatment when making the purchase. It was a trade-off - I came with a Marshall 1960TV cabinet and left with the Blues Junior.
A 6 month warranty.

I would definitely buy one again. Being a Marshall lover, I'm suprised how much I really love the tone of this amp. I compared the amp with Pro Junior, and the difference is incredible. This amp does not need any extra device to beef up the tone. My main amp is a vintage Marshall 50W bass head. I love that too, but it's way too loud when "entering the tube distortion zone".

This little amp is one of the best kept secrets, and sounds great for every type of music that I play - from clean to blues to rock and roll. It even sounds good with my Takamine acoustic. I was looking for a low-powered that would suit mainly playing at home, but also for practicing and small gigs. This is it. Don't let the fact that it only has 15 watts fool you -- this thing can cook. I almost bought the Pro Junior, which is also an amazing little amp (15W, 8" spkr), but when I tried the Blues Junior right after, the difference was astounding. While it doesn't have channel switching, it does have a 12" spkr, reverb and bass, mid, treble, and two volume knobs (master and volume), along with a "FAT" button, the tone coming out of this little unit sounds like it's coming out of a much larger and more expensive amp. It can go from clean to creamy, and even creamier on its one channel, although I wish it had channel switching.

My last amp was a Blues DeVille which I liked a whole lot, but because I used it mainly in the house, I was totally impractical (on "2", I was on the verge of being evicted. I had a chance to compare them side-by-side for a couple of weeks, and what amazed me was how the Blues Junior could sound so close the the DeVille's quality and creaminess. My Humbucker-equipped 1979 Ibanez Artist sounds like it was built for this type of amp. I don't get any distortion at the clean setting's high volume, and while the distorted is easily adjustable (from creamy to enormously overdriven). Matched up with my Boss ME-8, I'm ready to roll.

I bought the amp a month ago while on holidays in Myrtle Beach (I'm from Canada), so I can't comment about its reliability. But I can say that it survived the long trip back (almost 2,000 mi) in the trunk, and the bumps and hot sun didn't affect it one bit.

Fender's warranty is 3 for years

I would buy it again - in fact, because the ME-8 is a stereo unit, I may buy another one. The fellow who sold it to me said his buddy had two of them working in stereo and that he was in amp la-la-land. As I mentioned earlier, I just wish it had channel swithing, or at least , some way of going from clean to creamy without fiddling with the knobs. Other than that, this is the best bang-for-the-buck going. If and when you get one, try the blindfold test on your friends - they won't believe that the sounds they are hearing came from such a small small amp.

One input, 15W, tube, reverb, treble, middle, bass, master and volume control with a 'fat' switch to od the pre-amp tubes I suppose. Tweed covering, leather handle. Has internal footswitching capabilities.

Using a std strat for blues, this has a lovely warm sound, with reasonable reverb and enough volume to blow you out of the room at home. Have not tried yet but am confident it would work well at rehearsals, jams, and could be miked easily for larger venues. Not a thrash amp, but has warm overdrive capability if pushed.
Noisy at loud vols and the reverb can be noisy at times but re-seating the tubes seems to settle that for my amp anyway. I have a TS5 pedal for more overdirve but have given up using it as I like the straigh thru sound best.

The build quality is questionable. There's a lot of amp crammed into a small box and the rear cross support is very weak - would expect damage to be done if the amp fell on its back. Don't lug it around so can't vouch for its roadworthiness.

Standard Fender warranty - 5 years except for tubes (3 months) etc.

Can be obtained cheaper it seems, even if the MRP is over $440 - but the local dealer let me demo it for ages and agreed to haggle for cash deal so I was happy to give him the money - would buy again without a doubt.Better than any Peavey I played, or Marshall, but this is a blues/jazz amp, not a metal machine.

For a practice amp this one has just what you need. It would be crazy to wish for more features in a little tube amp this cheap. Remember this is a practice amp! The only thing I would wish for is a cover. Otherwise its just what the tone doctor ordered.

God this guitar is a Jazz players dream. If you have a great sounding guitar and don't need to play with the sound that you already have this is the clean amplifier for you. Plug in turn it on and play. If you're not that good a guitarist this amp will let you know. There are not a lot of gimmicks to hide a hack. The sound from this little honey is as honest as a boner in a speedo. Blues, Jazz or Rock sound great thru this. Straight forward tone, silence when your not playing and decent volume level, Ive used it miked and unmiked on several gigs.

Its a Fender, Ive never had a Fender die on me. Its fairly ruggedly designed, not designed for the road but it'll do fine. This amp will not fail on its own, you'll have to do something stupid.

Never had to deal with anyone but the dealer, Twin City Music. They were knowledgeable and they can repair anything.

It does what it says it does, it sounds great, its cheap and it works like a politician soliciting a campaign contribution. Id buy one for every room in my house if I could afford it. I could not find any amp from any company at this price with this great a sound and this great a product

single channel input, single jack 3 stages of 12AX7A pre-amp (Sovtek) pre-volume, master volume controls no effects loop separate bass, mid, and treble controls "fat" switch on panel (foot switchable) spring reverb (not tube driven) 12AX7A splitter tube driving two 6BQ5/EL84 output tubes in push/pull (Sovtek) Single output jack, no headphone jack 1-12 inch, 8 ohm Eminence spkr solid state power supply on/off switch, but no standby (I intend to add this) tweed covered open back cabinet (it's ugly, but I've sort of warmed up to it)

I play a strat through this amp while figuring out songs with the stereo blaring, and it's plenty loud enough. Fills a living room nicely, but probably not a blimp hangar for example. It's not super squeaky clean at higher volumes (master vol all the way up, pre-vol 1/4- 1/3 up) but has only a slight hint of breakup. I like this amp for it's tone at moderate volume (my gal-pal calls it loud). That's the main reason I bought it, but features, price, newness (didn't have time for another amp project), and size also were factors. It is capable of a very distorted sound (master vol down, pre-vol up) but I don't much care for it (too harsh). I tend to find the "fat" switch on more often than off after I'm done twiddling- probably to help compensate for the open back cab's lack of bottom end.
Noise- IMHO noise is this amp's weakest point. There are two notable sources; 1. My amp has a mechanical vibration (resonance) at higher volume levels that I'm not happy with. I didn't notice it while demoing the amp- should have tried it out in an empty room. The sources seem to be the reverb pan housing/springs or the output tubes which (unfortunately) are all in very close proximity to the speaker due to the compact design. Have only had the amp for two months, and I'm still looking into fixes. Took it back to the Fender dealer's amp tech who tightened the reverb pan screws, deemed it fixed, and then tried to convince me that the vibration (which remained unchanged) was part of a tube amp's "character". Yeah right. Adding some acoustic damping material (high density foam rubber) to the top and sides of the reverb pan may help. Also may need a different set of output tubes (the internal spacers may be vibrating against the glass envelope). Some experimenting is in order here (oh boy, a project...just what I was trying to avoid), but I'm pretty confidant that this noise can be controlled. 2. Reverb "hiss" gets pretty noticeable above about half way up. I usually keep it about 1/4 to 1/3 up so this is not a big issue for me.

The cabinet seems sturdy enough except for the back panel which is 1/4 inch ply. The open back design leaves the unsupported edge sort of hanging in the breeze (another possible source of vibration). Maybe someday I'll be inspired to attach a stiffening channel to the inside of this panel.
Nits; The white letters/numbers do not adhere well to the chromed panel. I'm already missing a few after dusting once with a soft cloth.
Amp is only 2 mos old so the jury is still out on reliability.

I was not impressed with the local dealer Rhodies Music, Savannah, GA as described above. Warranty is something like two years parts/labor, 90 days on tubes, (less time for speaker if I remember correctly). Fender includes a legible schmatic, chassis layout, and a useless owners manual.

Well, it seems that I have outdone myself on the criticism of this amp. It does have a few shortcomings, but hey, what do you want from a $300 cookie-cutter practice amp, perfection? Get real. Would I buy it again? Yes- it fills my personal amp requirements pretty well and it's problems I can either fix of live with. Love the sound, and the small size. Hate the fact that I have to fix my brand new amp (vibration) but some things just have to be done yourself before they are to your satisfaction.
Compared it to a Peavey Classic something or other which had more features, and was cheaper, but I just couldn't face owning another Peavey (personal bias pure and simple- my second amp was a Peavey Pacer and it played a part in stunting my musical growth).