Fender Blues Junior

Amp is a 2006. 15 watts, 1x12, all tube, 1 channel with master volume, reverb and "fat-boost" (which I don't use). I play mostly blues and blues based prog. rock and some popish-rock stuff as needed. This amp does quite well for me in terms of getting the sound I want and the volume I need. Stands up quite well with a reasonable volume band for rehearsals and smaller gigs. Definitely need to mic it for larger rooms. The enclosure is pretty small so you don't get a TON of spread, but I prefer a lower power amp mic'd up than using more powerful combos and stacks. No effects loop on this thing and I don't need it. I bought it for those "fender-licious" cleans and that's my base. My peal chain works great in front of this amp. I give a 9 because it has everything I need and very little that I don't.

The amp by itself gives a nice full sparkly clean tone. Fender seems to voice their preamps with alot of sweet warmth and fatness. I love that tone for cleans but when I drive it past mild breakup, well the tone just gets "confused" and muddled. Not my thing. With the master volume cranked, I get breakup around 12:00 on the pre. The breakup I get has alot more power tube drive than preamp drive. With the master lower, I get breakup a little later on the pre. As I said....not loving the OD sounds of this amp, but I'm fine with that as I bought this amp for it's clean tones and to use as a platform for my modest pedal board.

Here's my signal chain: '96 G&L Legacy >Planet Waves Tuner > Jekyll & Hyde OD > TS9 > Danelectro Delay. I love this guitar (it's what a strat ought to be) and my OD pedals I put MUCH research into before buying. That being said...the BJr really accentuates and brings out the best in my gear. Sure, it's no Matchless Chieftan, or DR. Z, or Buddha, or any other such boutique amp but for my budget and needs I am quite happy.

No issues yet. Heard some bad stories. Heard some good stories. I know there were some issues with the older "greenboard" ones. I hear they are fixed. Time will tell.

No experience

Been playing about 20 years now. Been getting paid for it for the last ten. I've owned quite a few other amps in my day some were great...some were not. When shopping for this amp I also auditioned Crate Palomino's, Pro Jr.'s, Roland Cube 60, and the hotrod Deluxe.
I just love the sound and portability of the Blues Jr. Plenty loud for most occasions (i.e. practice, rehearsals, pickup jams, small to medium gigs). At $400 new, not much else compares. There are better small amps for like 6-10 times the price. My pockets aren't deep enough to justify. Maybe one day... If this amp were stolen...I would get another.

Amp made in Mexico, year 2005. Its features, quite essential and minimalized are just the best to suit my taste (the less you have, the less will break!): 15 Watts of pure all tube power, single clean channel, bass mid and treble controls, volume (pre) and master (power amp), Accutronic spring reverb and -the feature I like the best- a really useful boost named "fat" controllable via footswitch (not included)that adds some juice to the tone for lead sound, making it cut through the mix as a blade through butter! As I wrote, it just have 1 channel and doesn't have any effect-loop; it's anyway really pedal-friendly and putting a really good overdrive in front of it will make it just sing. Its 15 Watts are more than enough to gig in small clubs and if you have to play in a theatre or a Stadium, I suppose you'll have to mike it. I won't give it a 10 here just because for the buck I'm convinced they SHOULD supply the footswitch.

The sound is clean and deep, very responsive to EQ settings and can make any guitar you plug in the way it's meant to play... I mostly use it with a Strat and a Tele (both loaded with Kinman pick-ups)and I can nail everything between Chicago and Rio Grande in the Blues territory (which must obviously be the perfect habitat for this amp): SRV, Johhny Winter, early ZZ Top, Allman Bros. and Lynyrd Skynyrd. It just brings the best out of my rig: the sound is clear, but never brittle, with tight bass response and always 3-dimensional.
It even seem to like some jazzy phrasing when I plug my full-hollow Ibanez semi-acoustic guitar.
I had tons of other amps in the past (Marshall JCM600 and 800, Fender Super Reverb, Hot Rod Deluxe, Mesa Caliber 22, Peavey Classic 50). This is by far the best I've own: after wandering for decades looking for an amp providing good sounds both clean and distorted, I realised that all I needed was a clean tone perfect to my ear and my taste, then a good overdrive that wouln't snaturate that sound...
The Blues Jr gave me THAT clean sound, but don't forget that THE sound is totally subjective: the same sound may be Heaven for me and Hell for somebody else...

It seems well built, despite some reviews I read here... It never let me down so far, though I often mistreat it a bit by gigging around in Clubs where I have to "squeeze" it a little ;-).
I always gig without a back up, even if I just got another one trading off my Hot Rod... Sofar, so good.

I never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 30+ years, a decade as a pro across late 80's and 90's with more Blues and Southern Rock bands than I can remember.
I'm really in love with this amp; I think it gives its best with the Strat, but let's remember that the amp is 25% of your sound, as 25% is in your guitar and the last 50% is in your hands and heart!
I wouldn't buy any other amp and I guess you hardly could find another in this price-range that sounds better! Oh, by the way... It weighs in under 18 Kg, so you won't have to rent a lifter to bring it out for gigs!

Mine was made in 2006. There are plenty of reviews here so I will focus only on this amp's usefulness in playing surf music.

I play surf music through this amp with an assortment of Fender and Danelectro guitars, generally preferring neck+bridge. You can get a good surf sound out of this amp. Needless to say, you will want to turn the reverb all the way up to 12 and leave it there all the time. You can get a good deal more reverb out of it by turning down the EQ's. I find that a setting of between 1-2 for middle and bass, and between 2-3 for treble yields a nice tone. It would be nice, of course, if the reverb could be turned up past 12, perhaps to 20 or 400 or so. But then again, the sky is the limit.

I found the Sovtek 12AX7's to be lacking in dirt and snot, so I pulled one and replaced it with a 1953 GE 12AX7 that trashes up the sound a bit more (I believe it runs a bit hotter as well). If you have a box of 12A?7 tubes around, try out a few others.

The Blues Jr pretty much has all the features you can expect from a small tube amp - single channel, 3 band eq, master volume and Reverb and 12 inch speaker.

One unique feature the act has is what they call a "FAT" switch, which is a fixed gain and low-end booster that's footswitchable. A good substitute if you don't have a Tubescreamer. It thickens up the signal and makes it more powerful - I'd leave it on all the time but I run a rather noisy flanger before the amp so can't have any gain boost after it, so leave it off. This is where an effects loop would have been great.

I've had this amp for a few years now so am pretty well versed with what it likes and does not.

First this is a Fender, not a Marshall 18w so don't expect a lot of overdrive. The name of the amp is Blues Jr, not Rock Jr or Metal Jr. What this means is it's designed to produce a Blues sound - as you turn up the volume the tone gets increasingly woolly and middy, losing high end detail. Personally I'm not a Bluesman (I play Indie rock) so I swapped out the 12AX7 in V1 with a vintage RCA 12AT7, which increases the clean headroom of the amp and suppresses the middy, woolly gain sound for further along the turn of the volume knob. You still have to be careful boosting the amp with pedal - a large volume boost from a pedal will of course push the amp into the woolly middy drive, so I tend to be fairly conservative with pedal volume, although some bright dirt pedals mix quite well with the amp's own overdrive.

The general dark, middy, woolly tone of this amp means it's probably best suited to single coils (not surprising again - it's a Fender). I play HBs (HSH) and think you can get the most out of this amp with lighter gague strings - I use flatwound 10s. Previously I'd used flatwound 12s (I'm no shredder) but the tone was really much too thick for this amp. I had to run the treble control on full and the Bass on 2 and it was still too difficult to balance between the neck and bridge. Now I run each EQ at around noon - if the tone of the instrument is good then there's little need to compensate at the amplification stage. I leave the volume at 5 and alter the master depending on whether I need to keep things quite. It's quite loud with the master maxed.

The spring reverb is ok, but nothing to write home about. Of course it's not tube driven, and it's a very small spring tank, so isn't that deep and has that small tank twang. Some guy on ebay used to offer a bigger spring tank that he'd file down so it would fit into the cab. I'd always intended to pick one up but never got around to it and I've not seen them listed for a few years now.

I also swapped out the stock speaker with a Jensen C12N reissue several years ago. From memory it improved the tone slightly, maybe by 10-15%.

Well I'm not a gigging musician so can't comment on how it stands up to being moved from place to place, but I've never had an issue with the amp. I was disappointed to read that Fender Australia would only honour the 5 year warranty if the amp was serviced by an authorised repairer annually.

I also noticed that the knob labels were very easily rubbed off (the ON under the power switch has completely rubbed off my amp).

One thing it is prone to is tube rattle, though this is more an issue of the tubes than the amp, and a risk with most combos. The stock grovetube preamp tubes in V2 and V3 rattle on the neck pickup with the volume is high enough. I'd probably worry about it more if I had an audience.

I've had a love-hate relationship with this amp. I'd fallen for a little Pro Jr, yet when I went back to the store the next day for the sale they'd discounted the Blues Jr, which I hadn't bothered to try, into my price range. The store was far to packed to try the amp out and I just assumed it was the same as the Pro, only with more features. I think the two amps have different purposes - the Blues Jr is obviously meant for the Bluesman and the Pro is better voiced for classic rock. In any event I've learned to live with the Blues and can appreciate that it's a pretty good amp for the money. It's never had an issue and is still running strong on 4 of the 5 stock tubes 4 years later. Ultimately I think I will eventually sell it in 6 months to help fund a holiday, and would probably look at something else to replace it when I return, perhaps a Deluxe Reverb reissue or possibly an old Princeton Reverb if I can find one. I think the Blues Jr is better than old Champs and Vibrochamps - they sound tiny next to one.

Anywho, they're available everywhere so try one out and let your own ears decide. Best to ignore criticisms from gear snobs because it doesn't measure up to their Matchless - it's an entry level mass-produced amp for God's sake. For what it is, it's pretty good. value. There's not a lot available in the alternative.

This amp has no frills, except for a "Fat" button, which gives it an overdrive effect. This is different than the Fender Blues Deluxe set up. The other pots are just for volume, master, reverb, etc..
I basically use this amp at my home, but may be suitable for a small gig.

This was my first tube amp purchase after having several solid state types. I play a Fender Telecaster, usually tuned in open E to play bottleneck with. I am very happy with the sustain I get with the amp fairly cranked up. The tone is powerful, but dampening the strings helps omit any clutter. So it works well for this application. I also just purchased an Epiphone Dot, which is generally rigged in standard tuning, and it's a blast to play throught this amp. It has a nice warm tone, and depending on how high the volume and master are set, I can rely on only amp distortion for good rockin effects. I also use a wah wah with the Dot at times, and I feel no need to add any other effects device to the set up to achieve any better tone. It's powerful for it's size, and it's got some versitility depending on styles and guitars

I had to have a tube replaced recently, but it's held up nicely.

I have found many players who are fond of this amp for different reasons. For the price it's a great investment for a smaller tube amp that packs a little punch.

The amp was made in 2006. 15 watt amp, EL84 Groove Tubes inside. Sovtek 12AX7 preamp tubes as well.

I play rock, but mainly a singer, so fine for me. For practice, home, small gigs...can't go wrong. It's not some wonder amp; simple is best.

VERY HAPPY with the sound. I have a Les Paul 58 VOS, and I have been playing everyday now! The amp is small so it starts breaking up at about 5. The FAT switch adds warmth to it, but don't expect "shred-head" tones. I have a LINE 6 Uber Metal for that. The reverb is tasty! For the size, a great sounding tube amp!

Just got it so can't tell you that....

Fender?

No comment.

Great value, will use this live. I hope I can advise people like this: I was a GAS maniac who went through axes and amps like wildfire. I slimmed down to just a Gibson J-45 acoustic, and the 58 LP VOS. I had a Mesa Boogie Lonestar 50/100W. I felt bad for the amp, because its chance to shine was being taken away by my living in a condo in hyper-sensitive Japan! Many friends came to my aid and so I got this. I admit the Lonestar's reverb and clean is not to be beat, but realistically, how could I play that amp? You know the answer to that.
This amp play beautifully, it's all tube, and your neighbors won't try to kill you. This can be used in smaller venues, so worth the dough. Been playing about 20 years. If it got stolen I'd buy another, but here in Japan, they're SOLD OUT along with the PRO junior. I was lucky to get one. Check one out.

We all know these by now!! but i gave this i high rating because i dont use effects loops, or any fancy channel switching, so it has enough features for me!!

This is not a fizzy ultra gain distortion amplifier so dont buy it if thats what you want!! a few reveiws on here have complained about the lack of drive on this amp but...ok...sorry..Its a BLUES JUNIOR!!! and the idea of a classic blues sound is to drive the power stage as far as you can and not use that nasty fizzy overdrive that you get on a lot of amps!! thats why its only 15w and not 50w so you can crank it!! The sound is very sweet, and is sensitive to pick attack. Hard to get a clean sound when cranked, but if you have a Strat/Tele/Ric or any single coil guitars,it should do the job well. But again it is a BLUES amp!!!It does that BB King SRV modern Clapton sound well!!! also good for Oasis The Beatles, any classic rock really!! But i would recommend using only classic type guitars with this! tried a Jackson through it and it sounded very dull! i use Strat, Les Paul, Rickenbacker 330 and they all shine there unique sounds through this amp! I have it set up driven and just use the volume on the guitar to control gain level, works well for me..but may not for others, so you do need to try before you buy!!!!

no probs yet!!

Been playing for 16 years, 12years live in bands!! I own a Marshall DSL100 head & cab!! and a Marshall 2554 Jubilee combo!! all great amps!! but this little thing is well up there with them!! i use it more than the Marshall Jubilee and those amps are fantastic!! dont listen to the crap!! its got plenty of power for most live places i play pubs & clubs and its fine!! If you use 100w amps, the bass then uses high wattage amps..the drummer then gets louder! the singer then gets a 5000w PA with 6 monitors!! and it gets stupid!!! we all use small combos in my band now, dont use the big stuff anymore! and have a much more dynamic sound then ever!! And for me the BLUES JUNIOR fits the bill well and does a great job!!!

I don't know the year, but I know it's Made in America. It's a single channel amp with a gain boost and reverb.

3 12AX7 preamp tubes feeding into 2 EL84 power tubes, into a Fender Eminence 12" speaker that I find is lacking but does its job.

15W tube

Really, it's all I want from the amp, so no problems, but an effects loop would be a welcome addition, as I would like to put an EQ between the pre and power sections of the amp.

Oh, and a standby switch would be a really good idea.

Here's where things are awesome.

Here's how I'd describe this amplifier: JCM-800 Marshall with tighter low end and much lower power. Oh, and if you're wondering, I do have a JCM-800, and that's my main gig amp. I've had the opportunity to crank this amplifier numerous times, and the sound it produces is very Marshallesque. With humbuckers, just stick an overdrive pedal in front with the level maxed out and the gain at zero, and the tone maxed. Maybe add a little drive from the pedal, and you're in the metal zone (but better sounding). Think Jerry Cantrell.

The sound from this amp is creamy and it really sings.

This amp is capable of playing an unmiced gig if you're okay with not having a good clean sound, though your volume knob will help. Paired with a more efficient speaker, this amp can almost do it all. I've played metal shows, unmiced, with this going into an Avatar 1x12 when my Marshall has gone in for repairs.

This amplifier sounds really great when miked for a recording or through a PA, and it's a convenient, relatively light, and great sounding amplifier. It's my main recording and rehearsal amplifier.

My two qualms are that its reverb no longer works, which I need to fix, and the speaker is pretty dull sounding, not to mention inefficient.

Reverb does not work, and that's half of why you buy a Fender. I bought the amplifier from my teacher, who sold it because he hardly used it, so it really looked brand new. I've used it extensively, so it has its nicks, but the reverb never worked to begin with on this amp.

I've never dealt with Fender. I'd imagine they do their best but given the size of the company, things fall through. But I won't give a rating here.

I've been playing 10 years, gigging for 5. Considering the deal I got on this amp, I think it's an incredible value. I'd replace it in a heartbeat.

My other amp is a JCM-800 4210, which I only use the clean channel on, as that's the real all-tube, JCM-800 channel. My signal chain is as follows:

Guitars:
1987 Fender Stratocaster MIJ
2005 Dean Vendetta 3.0 with DiMarzio Megadrive and Air Norton
Early '90's Charvel Model 3
Frankenstrat with EMG SC's, Kramer neck, Squier Alder body, Schaller Floyd Rose II bridge.

Effects:
Dunlop Crybaby
Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
Digitech Screaming Blues
1985 ProCo Rat Pedal
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus
DOD Stereo Phaser (the maroon one)
Danelectro Fish & Chips EQ

Amps:
Fender Blues Jr.
1983 Marshall JCM-800 4210
Fender Frontman 15

This is my 2nd blues jr. !st was used and i sold it and just got a 06
model. brand new. You know the features,1 channel, reverb, fat switch,all tube 15w. I will be using it at church miked thru pa. wish it had a stand by switch [ what i do is turn master all the way down] wish it had a effects loop.

Like the label says,blues, awesome clean, lil meat when needed as you dig in, I got a Boss bd-2 also. I have a Prs swamp ash hsh, with a 5 way switch, a american tele deluxe with 2 Barden twin tone p'ups and a awesome strat copy with peavey wolfgang neck and anderson p'ups, got a kelley ts9, v-stack, boss chorus, boss dd-6 delay and a incredible BBE sonic max. stomp box.
Im a blues based player playing comtempoary christian music, very hi-energy.
Fat switch is ok, i like to get as clean as i can and let the pedals do all others

Had manyyy amps, fender has had problems i hear, none here

Ive called fender before for help, total jerks

Im 51, been playing since i was 8. I do have a 2006 peavey classic 30, upgraded to jj tubes and a weber silver dog.
If you cant get tone outa this thing stock, get guitar lessons, tone is in your fingers also, Ive had 'em all, guitars and amps.
I bought this cause I wanted some fender clean, also ck out the crate 30w class a palamino, got some sweet clean, fender style, also had a 15w palamino, i didnt like it. The peavey classic has a better od/ dist. channel, crate has a sweet fender sound clean, let the pedals do the work on the clean side

small light weight, does have plenty of punch. I use it mainly for a pratice amp but have used it in small clubs.

I`m a blues guitarist and like the tube tone, it does breakup OK but seems to have a hum when the fat button is engauged.

within a week the reverb went out and continued to fail approx. every 3 months just like clock work. in a 3 year period this amp was in the shop for a total of 36 weeks for reverb repairs. I wasn`t happy about that. Fender denied there was a problem but after 6 trips to the repair shop they finally replaced it with a new one. haven`t turned the new one on yet considering selling it and buying a Peavey 112 Valve King.

Fender Lies, numerous phone calls and e-mails between Fender and I along with the point of purchase dealer I bought the amp from. each time it was sent for repairs it was gone from 4 to 6 weeks, repair shop says to many to fix in their shop, humm! a friend of mine has same exact problem with his.

I`ve been playing guitar for 30 years, played most venues, bluegrass, rock, country and now blues. If this amp was lost or stolen I would not replace it, has been a piece of junk ever sience I brought it home. at the time i was looking for a small amp that would be easy to transport, I considered a Peavey and probally should have bought it. I own a 1980 Fender 75 112 combo and it is my main amp but weights in a 80 lbs, difficult to transport but does work fine after 26 years of service.

Features very basic and easy to understand- ideally it could have two channels clean/overdrive but for this price you could buy two amps or buy a volume boost pedal to get the same affect changing between clean /overdrive

Sound quality is the best. Really great sound.Its not and out and metal shredders amp. Think more blues warm sound tube overdrive at its best.

A definite addition to your rig with this amp would be to add a graphic equaliser as one of your pedals.This really refines the sound.

never had to deal with them.Had it 6 months never a problem

dont know

I would replace this amp if stolen.Definately the best.i have two other amps a marshal and a fender twin.The fender blues junior is the one that comes out with me every time

I bought it brand new in September 2006 from a shop in Denmark street (London UK). I have many good amps but I needed an all valve good sounding amp small enough to travel by tube and but to my gigs with my country-blues-pop band. You know all the features already. 15W: it's got plenty of power. With the band (good drummer) I never used it full power - too loud. I even played an outdoor festival once and was OK (obviously miked up). The spring reverb is decent not great, still very useful and usable. Fat channel gives a bit dirtier sound, a bit richer with harmonics and fatter. I had it on all the time. Nothing missing here! Very versatile for all styles. Heavy rock or metal is a no-no. Maybe could be used with distortion pedals as practice amp only. For me its magic was the portability.

I used it only with a G&L telecaster and a Fender Stratocaster and for the money is the best thing out there! For this money. It's got that valve rich and thick sound which can cut its way out through the band on stage. I did extensive researches before buying it and I definitely did the right choice for the budget I had. To my ears the best sound was with the volume as high as possible and the gain low, that way the power valves really breathe and the sound is more dynamic. I liked the mids and bass quite high (8) the treble on 3.
Maybe because my guitar is quite bright. Reverb always on 3. Quite impressive good sound for such a small box especially if you have a chance to really crunch it up to saturate the speaker. I read here that many people changed the speaker and the tubes. I put in some nice J/J valves and to be honest didn't make much difference. I wouldn???t recommend changing anything in this amp. It won't make too much difference. Just crank it up and happily play. It's a cheap amp and will still be a cheap amp. The best cheap amp around indeed.
After saving money I sold it and bought a Cornell Romany Plus but I have to say that the Cornell cost about four times more (and sounds four times better).

In the first out of the box the reverb didn't work. I think is a weak point the reverb in this amp. I unscrewed it out and kept it separate outside the amp in a foam envelope to travel by bus and tube on the trolley and connect it back just to play the gig.

I had to wait few weeks to get a new amp just after I bought it because the reverb didn't work. So check the amp in the shop before you go home.

In my opinion is the best amp out there in this price range if you play anything but metal. I would reccomend this amp but if you are picky about the sound don't think that you can change the speaker and it will sound amazing. Save some more money and buy something in a different price range.

All tube, 12 inch speaker, reverb, master volume (distortion capable). fat switch. bass-treb.-mid. controls.

YES YES YES-WARM BRIGHT BASSY- TRUE TUBE VINTAGE SOUND*THIS AMP IS IT*

tubes amps require maintenance. but this will be my main amp. if I have a problem, I will buy two, or three and have the same amp backing up the same amp.

don't know

This amp sounds good with pedals and by itself, sounds good with my strat and my acoustic. For 15 watts it sounds like 50 watts on other mosfet amps. this amp is a time capsule to back when the sound of music mattered. I'm very impressed, I will keep this amp a long time and will probably buy another one later as a back up.

This amp is extremely basic and so rating it a 10 is not because of the vast amount of different sounds, but more because it is an awsome amp for the money and it is versital enough to play a variety of music. The best feature and it's saving grace is the master volume. This allows you to crank the regular volume and us it as a gain. Other than that it has the typical fender controls, volume, bass, mid, treble, and reverb.

I love tube sound, and this amp is tube sound. If you want an amp with crazy off the wall distorsion built in than this is not your amp. However if you want a sweet sounding Tube amp with enough power to play small indoor gigs and practices, as well as outdoor gigs thru a PA.
I play Classic Rock and Blues, and I have a Telecaster, Les Paul, and a Melody Maker. This amp sounds good with all of them. If you can use floor pedals then you can achieve any sound you want. The clean on this amp is clear enough to facilitate any distortion pedal or overdrive pedal. All I use is a tube screamer and it gives me some beautiful leads.

I played a few with reverb problems. The guitar center guy said fender was having some problems with reverb units, but I think thats probably bullshit. I only gave it an 9 because I played 2 before finding one that was perfect. But hey if you get it new then you get a 5 year fender warranty so you'll be covered.

Fender has a 5 year warranty for anything that breaks. I have never had a problem with any fender I have owned. I have had a Twin, deluxe reissue, blues junior.

Anyone concerned 15 watts is not enough juice should be warned, this is a loud amp. I have played in a band for the last 8 years and I usually play with a twin. Due to weight and it being a pain in the ass to move around I bought this little joy. It keeps up with the drums and the rest of the band and I have pleanty of room to get louder. I should say I play really loud. I love my amps loud and I love to feel the music. This little thing, sound so good I may be using it more often than the twin. We'll have to see. I HIGHLY recomend this amp. Very light, beautiful tone, great value.

Volume, Master Volume, bass, mids, treble, reverb. All you need though.

I have been at music school for a while. Prior to this I had a Roland Cube 30. I liked the solid state sound that amp put out at lower volumes. It soon went to shit cranked. I should note I play jazz/modern jazz. Having had the privelege to play several differnt amps at school I decided that a fender was the way to go. I than had a friend from another country who is quite the heavy weight player. I noticed he was using a blues junior. I thought it sounded good despite the way he was eq'ing it. I couldn't afford the deluxe so I said hey lets try it. I have had it for months not and I love the sound it produces. I generally prefer what some would all a "dark" sound. Not like Wes's or Mehteny's but more like Rosenwinkel's. I can get there with this amp if I crank the treble..put the bass at 1 or 2...and put the mids at 5. I have been experimenting with odd eq's for a while...I find with that setting i can control the rest with my guitar. All the sound is there. I run a line 6 DL4 through it and sometimes an Alesis Nanoverb. I am hoping after the holidays to update it with a celestion since I tried one wth a celestion V30 and thought it sounded much better. Let's face it the stock speaker ain't great but my guitar makes up for it.
I am not a hobbist or at home Blues banger....so I don't find using the amp's distortion much useful. It is nice...but I do find the amp to sound "boxy" when it is used. Ironically I do use a Barber Direct Drive every once in a while...and that thing can not only make the amp rip....it acts as a clean boost aside from the one provided on the amp.

good thus far.

good

I dig the sound for what I do. I mean gigs are small venues so it is fine there. It is light and portible. I run my own effects through it like I said. I am not a fan of the reverb on it. It is fine..I just prefer a darker hall reverb. As far as the comment I read bellow mine about the amp's reverb only being useful at max settings. I find that to be completly ridiculous to be honest. Unless you are playing 80's music. I mean I find it fine at 3. I guess if you use tons of drive and are making up for technique or something that is fine to crank it. Just not a useful tone.
I like Harmony Central reviews...but you have to be careful waht you read. You get every kind here writing reviews; which is fine. You just need to search for the honesty. The truth is that this amp is a decent start to a small rig if you are playing small venues....or it is miced. It is an awsome start to work with. Add nice pedals if that is your bag..etc....and this amp is fine for the money. Infact, I don't think for the money you'd find much better. Although I heard Peavy classic 30's can compare.
If I had the cash I'd go with a Deluxe just becuase you can get a better tone for what I do.
This is fine though.
Don't buy if you play that nu metal shit...or are just looking to make alot of noise.

Reverb, all tube, small and cheap price

Out of the box you get the best for the money, but in all honesty not that great. Has a really ice pick tinny sound to it. Not bad just not great. I did a couple do it yourself mods and put a Weber 12F150 speaker in it. The mods I did were the Bill tone stack mod and lower the bias with a higher resistor value. The two mods alone did help a little, but the speaker made the best change. I looked and looked for a good speaker for this amp and it's hard to finds any good advice. The Weber has a VERY nice warm detailed sound. If you like warm smooth highs and a crapload of bass this is it. In no way could I live without my setup it sounds VERY VERY Good!! I'm giving it a 10 because I can't find a better sound anywhere. Better then my Mesa MKIII clone

Good

Never dealt with...that's good!!!

I know its not the best amp out of the box, but with anouther $120 in mods you can't find a better amp. I have owned a Fender Blues Deluxe, Ampeg VH-140 and a Roland Bolt 60 (police and Jeff beck have used it for recording). The blues jr, beats the deluxe with no mods but the Roland crushed this thing in warmth. After the speaker none of these amps can mess with this thing. Remember it's only 15watts so if you plan on playing a huge show or out side un-mic'd show you would be pretty stupid. For small bars and recording it's the best!

A 2006 Fender Blues Junior, manufactured during this last June in Mexico. All tube. The amp is quite versatile, I play country, blues, rock and jazz and this amp covers those styles with a very nice warm tone.
This amp has only one channel and that's how I like it - keep it simple! Six knobs: Master, Bass, Treble, Mid, Reverb and Volume. One input jack and one ON/OFF switch. One 12" Eminence speaker. That's all but it's just what I need, again, simplicity is the key word here.
I hardly use effects loops, headphone jacks or foot channel switching so I've got exactly the basic good little amp I was looking for.
As a 15 watts amp this is a mean little beast of prey. It has a lot of power and sounds like a much bigger amp regardless to its size and type. I use this amp mainly as my bedroom practice amp but I also gig with it once in a while.

The amp delivers sounds from the "Fender clean" to a classic overdrived tube amp. The amp can get distorted at very low volume settings which are very cool. The distortion isn't really a distortion but more of a warm crunchy overdrive. This amp is not for those who are looking for a head banger Metal sound.
I have a 2005 Les Paul Standard, a '52 Tele reissue and a 1988 American Standard Strat. They all sound great through this amp but to my ears the Strat sounds the best, especially while playing blues.
The amp keeps it quiet, even when I play single coil guitars.

I only have it for two weeks now - so far so good! It looks well built and reliable. As I???ve said before, I already gigged with it (without a backup) with ease.

I've dealt with Fender Consumer Relations once 'cause the "QA" sticker on the back was missing and I wanted to date my amp. They were helpful and got back to me fast with the answer. VERY NICE!

I love that this little amp can produce such a big warm tone. I play guitar for more than 20 years and heard few amps, this little baby is one of the best sounding. If it were stolen or lost I'd surely get another one - I love this amp!
I like it because of its lightweight and size - "Good things come in small packages"...
The amp was bought in Israel for 2800 NIS (650 USD).

2006 fender blues jr. 1 input, reverb, fat switch, all tube 15 watts. A friend of mine owned one of these for approx. 8 years and gigged all the time with it and never had any problems. Easily loud enough for gigs (although I mic it anyway) I play country, rock and blues profesionally and the amps tones were great, I was using a hot rod deluxe but wanted something with less power.

The tonal quality of the amp was great, sometimes a little boxy (really small cabinet) but my eq pedal took care of that, I use a tele, strat and es-175 and it worked well with all of them. I found the amp to be very quiet, it did break up a little at extreme volumes but isn't that why we use tube amps!! this amp loves tube screamers and boss ds-2

My amp must have been a dud because I have owned alot of fender tube amps and never had a problem, until this amp. With in a span of 3-4 months it was sent back and turned out it had a couple of cold solder joints, after that I used the amp at one gig and again started losing power and got really distorted took it in and they said it had some faulty caps in it, played the amp at home doing some recording at low volume and the same thing happened, took it in turned out the output tubes were shot, got it back again played 2 gigs and it happened again, I returned it to thew music store for a full refund, despite this I would still buy another fender tube amp as I have used them for 9 years with out problem and love there tone.

Both fender and the music store where it was purchased were both very professional and dealt with problems very quickly and were eager to help. Very Good service

I've been playing for 10 years, lots of fender tube amps, national tube amps, ampeg tube amps etc.... I have a bunch of guitars but mostly play the tele's, mps-9 pedal board, lots of boss pedals, george L cords

I will still buy fender tube amps, this will not sway my loyalty

Amp is a 04 model, it came with a guitar I bought.

I was not satisified with the sound, it was missing something, Tried every different setting, even with a few different guitars I still was unhappy with the sound. I removed the original tubes and installed some JJ"s. They woke it up some, something still not there but I think this little amp can do it. Time for a heart transplant. After some speaker research I decided to go with the Weber Blue Dog P/N Blue 12-A-15W. Alnico ring, British cone. Very expensive speaker, I did not want to try ten different low dollar speakers so I saved up for the big dollar one. After a few months I got the money together and called Weber 765-452-1249 and ordered the blue dog. I removed the Jensen and installed the blue dog and I will tell you this, you have to remove the bell cover or she will never fit. with the bell cover removed I mean she just fits in there. Pluged her in and have mercy, talk about a totally different amp. I thought about getting some of the mods done but I am going to leave her as is. This is not the same amp anymore and the sound is unbealiveable. I will take it anywhere now.

Reverb never worked when I recieved it. I have only had it about six months so far, no problems.

Never delt with them.

Been playing mostly off for a long time. Now it seems to be on. I am a fender guy and dont use effects to much, just the amp and a Maxon OD 808 to give it a little kick in the butt. This is a great little amp now, with the tubes and speaker change I give her a nine, she is a keeper. If stolen I would be heartbroken, and most likely get another one.

15 watts, All tube, 12" speaker, reverb Cream board version (newer one)

Just the amp alone with no pedals you can get a real nice blues/country sound and chunky break-up on chords. With pedals you can do whatever you want. I use it with a Dillion PRS copy with PRS pickups (HFS vintage lead). I liked the sound at first and then a friend came over with his ampeg SS-70. I thought his amp so SOO much better sounding so I bought an Ampeg VH-140c. I tried selling my blues Jr on Ebay and some dude backed out....just never got around to selling it. Then like two weeks ago I was getting real pissed at the muddiness coming from my Ampeg. I pluged in the Fender and could not believe I almost sold it. I noticed right away how much more sustain you get from a tube amp....I figured I would sell the Ampeg ang mod the Fender a little. I did some free stuff...solding jumpers on mid pot and changing some values with resitors and caps. I love my little amp. I really still suck at guitar and don't play out much but this amp is a sleeper....I have very nice tone. Better than most people who can play. I did a lot of research and bought a Weber 12" speaker (12F150)...I'm still waiting on it, but even without it my tone is great, just thought I would get it even better. The Weber speakers are handmade in USA for each order and you can get one for $100! This amp will go down in history as a Classic. Plus it's small and loud!!

Made very well....just don't drop it down the stairs or somthing

Never dealt with Fender

I been playing for over a year now...had a Fender Hot rod deluxe, Ampeg VH140 combo, Transtube Crate, and have played through a Dr Z, and Fender Champ. I play a SeaGull acoustic, Dillion PRS copy w PRS pickups and locking grovers, Dillion rosewood tele (Wilkison bridge, 59 Tele pickups, locking grovers, grap nut, and use 11's on both my electrics.

I love the sound size and simplicity of this amp...the mods help but only enhance the already good sound. I just like haveing a stock looking "sleeper" that people can't figure out. The only thing that I hate about the amp is that when Fender made these they put the labels for the knobs facing the back of the amp! To read the print you have to stand at the back of the amp!!?

This is a single channel amp with reverb.Includes 3 band eq and a master control with a fat switch.Retro chickenhead knobs.

I play blues and rock and this amp fills the bill quite nicely.I play a srv strat and a texas special fat strat.Amp comes quite close to srv,clapton hendrix territory.Nice clean sounds and can be overdriven easily.It takes pedals easily too.This amp is plenty loud.

I have had this amp since about 2002 and all i have done is replaced the tubes, and I gig with it alot.

Never had to deal with fender.

I have been playing since 94,but onle been playing electric since 2002.If it were stolen I would hunt down the person who stole it.It would be replaced.I love the fact the amp only weighs 31 pounds and sounds so great.I only wish it had a little more thump, but thats only due to its small cabinet size.

I have to qualify this review and say that I just got my Blues Jr. chassis back from the Blues Jr. Guru, Bill Machrone (BillM). I've had the amp for 10 years, but this is a different amp.

Tweed (not lacquered), built in 1995 in the USA. Green board, Rev B. Stock, you already know what features this thing has. With BillM mods I now have a new tone stack, revived reverb, and a presence/bright control which contours the sound in ways the treble/mid/bass controls never could.

The addition of the presence control is what makes this puppy sing. With the control maxed, the muddiness generally associated with these green-board BJrs disappears. Instead your notes leap off the strings with crystal clarity. My MIJ 62RI Strat sounds like a whole new guitar.

Roll back the presence and it sounds more subdued, like the stock BJ; great for Jazz and such. Pull up on the switch and you get a slight bright boost that helps cut through no matter where the presence control is set.

The reverb, which before had pretty much two useful settings--on and off (maxed and rolled all the way back), now has real uses. Before you had to put the reverb on 10-12 to get any useful sustain. Now anything above 4 is really pushing some reverb.

This is where the amp has really started to shine. I liked the warm mellow tone it had before, but now the range of sound has increased dramatically. Bright clean tones, muddy gritty overdrive, smooth jazz, and with the new tone stack, the tone controls actually shape the sound with incredibly versatility.

The amp has more of that bright clean Fender flavor. The new reverb lets you go from subdued to Dick Dale, whereas before it was like a child's "Mr. Microphone" type of reverb.

I was thinking about changing the pickups in my Strat (MIJ 62 RI Foto Flame) but nevermore. Before, I felt like the neck and middle pickup settings were pretty much the same. The neck sounded mellow and was fine for finger picking some chords, but it never cut through. Now, all five pickup settings have a very distinct flavor which are all extremely shapeable.

My Ibanez Artcore AK85 is a warmer hollow body guitar with two Ibanez humbuckers. It doesn't benefit as much from the upgrades, but it still loves the warmth. Great jazz flavors with the presence control pulled back.

Both guitars have the ability to shape the sound much more with the guitar tone and volume controls. Before, I had to use the amp to shape the tone, as the guitars' controls didn't contribute as much. BillM's magical mystery mods have given my guitars their ability to shape their own sound much better. I don't know how he did it but I sure love it.

You're not going to play any Metal out of this amp unless you get some serious outboard processing. But why would you buy an amp named "Blues Jr." to play metal anyway? If you want some serious classic rock and blues sounds though, this is going to make you a happy camper.

The overdrive is just sweet. Fully cranked, you get a nice gritty classic rock sound. Depending on the guitar, the amp is clean from about 4-5 and down on the gain but breaks up every so nicely when you push it just a bit. Very responsive to the guitar and your playing style.

The overall tone with the BillM mods is indescribably improved. This is a tone shaping machine.

This thing has always been the loudest 15 watts I've heard. The first time I took it to a small venue to gig I thought I'd mic it. I had to take the mic off and turn down the master a bit because it was actually almost too loud and was overpowering in a smallish venue. Given, my band was not a loud metal band with Marshall stacks, but this puppy puts out some juice.

The reverb tank crapped out after about 7 years and I replaced it with one from Mojo Tone for about $25.

The cheap plastic input jack broke after about 5 years and the guitar plug would move around and crackle and make bad noises. BillM replaced it with a nice metal shielded jack for $20.

Tubes need to be replaced in this thing every year or so because the bias is set so hot.

The gain pot got dust in it from being stored for a couple of years with little to no use. I couldn't clean it out so had it replaced for $10.

I gigged with this thing reliably for about 2 years every week and practices to boot. The tweed is a little worse for wear as it was never lacquered, but I may have it replaced and lacquered in the next year or so.

Overall, the case is built tough and it's a pretty solid amp. After this many years, there are bound to be a couple little problems. BillM said a couple of solder joints were cracked too. I never noticed that as a player.

No idea. Got it used and out of warranty.

I've been playing for about 12 years and had this amp for 10. With the new life breathed into it by BillM, this thing is a classic in my book. I would cry like a baby if it got ripped off.

I thought about ditching it for a new Vox modeling amp or something in the $300 range (I'm poor). But I figured the $230 I spent on upgrading it gave me a much nicer tube amp at even a better price.

I do sometimes wish it had channel switching, but hey, it's still sweet.

Before the mods I would have rated it an 8. Now it's a 10.

One channel, fat switch, reverb. Basic 15 watt tube amp with a 12" speaker.

My guitar teacher has three Fender Amps, Simular to this Blues Junior, and I alway admired thier sound. I have had four Amps since I began playing and was never satisfide with thier sound. I found this Blues Junior by fluke, and, in my small house, sounds just like the larger Fender Amps - BassMan etc. The clean channel is great, adn the distortion is not super crunchy. It sounds like the distortion AC DC would use. I'm getting a distortion pedal, then it'll be great. I feel like I've searched for the perfect lady and finally found her.

Had it for a month - it's still perfect.

It didn't come with a owners manual, but the Fender web site was very useful for finding it and downloading it.

I've been playing for three years. I play a Fender Squire Strat. Ifthis Amp were stolen I would get the same one again. Awsome!!!!

One channel, fat switch, reverb.. basic 15 watt tube amp with a 12" speaker.

Its simplicity is its beauty. It has a boxy tone that many may find unappealing but ironically makes the character of the Blues Junior. Its gritty blues sound - dirty and simple and boxy is what you get, and for this, the amp has few if any rivals I know of. Its 15 watts are tremendously loud, equal to a 60 watt "sterile state" Crate w/ a 12" Celestion. For $400 USD brand new you won't get better. As far as buying it and swapping out the stock speaker for a vintage 30, forget it, the stock speaker is an excellent match to the amp. And furthermore, don't concern yourself with swapping out the cheap Sovtek EL84's either, they have a warm easily distorted flavor that belongs in the Blues Jr. Fender has hit the target in most respects and the only things I can say to critique/advise as an upgrade would indeed be the "splashy" Sovtek 12ax7's and that it is a fixed bias amp as opposed to adjustable (factory set a bit hotter than it oughta be).
I speak from experience. I popped out the stock speaker for a celestion Vintage 30. "Wow, much better!", I thought. A year later I removed the Vintage 30 to put into a Blues Deluxe and put the stock one back into the Blues Jr. Guess what? The stock speaker is BETTER! So there it stays. I replaced the tubes for JJ's too. JJ 12ax7s improved the tone but only marginally for the power tubes. Point is, stock right out of its $400 box the Blues Jr. sings. If it takes $200 of upgrades to make it sound great, use them for guitar lessons. I've got a Blues Deluxe 1x12, Deville 4x10, Traynor YCV40 and a SS 60watt Crate(I use to beat to death with drum machines, bass guitars, you name it)and I love'm all a lot but my favorite is the Blues Junior.
Oh yeah, its overdrive is a bit unrefined sounding despite my love for it. A Peavy classic 30 seems to get top billing in this area. Fender's gain/od not the greatest.

Hundreds of hours, many at full tilt volume, and I replaced the power tubes once for JJ EL84's ($16 for the pair!)when a stock Sovtek went cherry glowing red on me. Reliability is ridiculously good.

Playing 25 years, LP, MIM and US made Strats. Vox wah and a TS808 is all I'll bother running into it. Guitar, cord, Blues Jr is more than enough if you can play though as long as your target isn't high gain metal. For Black Sabbath type tones I'll mix a dash of TS808, B.Jr gain and a fat measure of Master volume to overdrive the pinky sized power tubes.

My amp is new. Made in 2006. Mexican made. I play rock, blues and some kind like theese and this amp is very versatile and perfect for those music styles. 15 watts all tube Class A and 8 ohms into 12 inch Fender speaker. Tubes are 2x Sovtek EL84 power and 3x Sovtek 12AX7 preamp. It has one channel only. There is no effects loop headphone jack etc... Only 1 input. Although it's 15 watts its too loud for home. 15 watts is enough for live playing with mic. Wery well.

Sound is very very good for me. I love it. I am using Washburn x20 guitar with di marzio steve's special on bridge and seymour duncan cool rails on neck. Guitar is bad but with these magnets amp sings quite well. It can be a bit noisy without regulation on voltage and if grounding wasnt done well.

It is small so it's very easy to carry. You can pick your amp and play with your own settings on concerts...

It's new. (3 months) and havent got a problem since i have bought.

I havnt got an idea. Sorry.

It's a good amp. Small but beautiful tones and loud volume. It can be great amp for a long time.

Made in '05 or '06, this amp brings treble, mid, bass, volume, master volume, reverb, and a "fat" switch. It's got a single channel, 15 watts, 10 inch speaker, and no frills. I pretty much don't use the fat switch at all - it just makes the tone a little hollow, which doesn't fit my taste. I use this amp at home and its more than loud enough. I don't think I've ever had the master switch past halfway, and that's jamming with a drummer and a bassist. The master switch is perfect for me because I can get nice dirty sounds at low volumes. One issue that might be a problem for some people is that, at least on my amp, the reverb, even when rolled all the way off, is still audible. You can hear it if you really pay attention but I rarely ever notice it.

This amp's clean is one of the best I've seen. Obviously it should be better than most for being a Fender, but for the price and size, it's really amazing. With the volume knob at 3 (knobs go all the way to 12) I can get smooth jazz tones; this thing really loves humbuckers. I'm not a big fan of the clean sound with my Tele's single coils but it's also very usable. With the volume past 4 you start to get that breakup that really bites when you tell it to. You can really tell the true sound of the guitar with this thing; the response is really clear and a good player can get practically any sound here. The full out distortion comes on at around 8. It's not brutal by any means, but it's definitely there. With my SG, I could use a little more brightness in the distortion, but it's still completely usable. I like it best with my Tele: pretty much the best distortion sound I get with the gear I currently own (this, a Marshall DSL combo, and a Mesa Tremoverb head w/ 4x12). I usually don't turn the volume knob past 10. The amp sounds good at all volumes between 2 and 7. I've never turned it up past 7 to tell you. Only 1 point taken off because the distortion is not perfect for the type of rhythm stuff I play (lot of palm mutes and such). The reverb is also not a very good one, but I don't really like or use reverb so that doesn't affect me.

I've had the amp for almost 2 months now. It's been good to me. It's been knocked around a bit but no problems yet. I would definitely gig with it, but I don't really have any gigging experience, so that might be a mistake :). I don't expect anything to go wrong with it, and if anything it's covered for 5 years under warranty. I haven't sat down on it like I do with my other amps. I wil only really find out about this when an accident happens, heh.

Never had to deal with them. Pretty hard to get a hold of their customer support phone number though.

I've been playing for 2 years now (taking it seriously). I've owned a few pieces of decent gear (tele, SG, this, Tremoverb, DSL401 combo, and some other cool stuff). This is definitely the most worth-it piece I've ever bought. I don't think I'll find a better amp for this price. If it was lost or stolen I'd be really mad, but due to my being very stingy I don't know if I'd buy it again (probably would though). I love its clean, really like the distortion with the Tele too. The Blues Jr. belongs to that select group of gear that just makes you wanna play all day.

Mine is a 2006 model, made in mexico.
Regarding the features, it has an on/off switch(but no standby), a reverb control, master volume, middle, treble, bass and volume controls. The eq controls are ok, with a fair response, but they only really kick in when the master volume's beyond three.

As for speaker, it has an 8 ohms 50 watts fender speaker.

One channel of 15 watts class A valve power, though there is a FAT swithch(wich i tend to leave on, as it increases gain)

valve setup is: 3 12ax7 and two EL84

This amp isn't the most versitail, but hey it aint a Line 6, and besides when it comes to valveamps, simple is often best.

This amp has some serious nice cleans. When i resently bought a new guitar(an AM Tele, S/S) i tried it with the new oh so fancy fender amp: The Supersonic, and i really expected that it probably wouldn't sound as good through my own little 15 watter...

Guess what? It sounded better! That's still talking the cleans.
It has that nice fender sparkle but can still go to real bluesy cleans(it's afterall not called blues for nothing).

As goes for the distortion on this one, there pretty much aint nothing to come for. But what there is, it's pretty sweet. Still it doesn't really goes past blues tones. Fortunally it goes very well with pedals, so it is possible to get a higher amount of distortion.

As goes for the reverb I pretty much always leave it on at two, though it can be used for more extreme settings.


It suits my music perfect, as i play in a band focused on rock from the british invasion. I.e Cream, Led Zeppelin, Beatles and stones.
But also a bit of newer material, like oasis, raconteurs and arctic monkeys.

It's not very noisy, and if was i probably wouldn't blame i on the amp... Single coils, twisted cables and low end effects are pretty much noise for me, if it aint one it's the other.

To sum up:
Cleans get a solid 9 for real nice but it can be found better if you have the cash.
Chrunch get an 8 for doing what it says it does but can still be found alot better.

9+8/2= 8.5

I wouldn't hesitate to use this baby on the road. It is totally dependable. Though the first one i got had an issue with not being able to play without a statue on the bass control. Got a new one.
Never broken down, though i've only had for a little past half a year.

2 for the first
8 for the secound that's 5

never used them. Only used the store

I've been playing for bout three years. My setup is like this
AM Fender Telecaster-> Crybaby(with a fasel)-> Boss DS-2-> Marshall Blues Breaker-> Blues Jr.
Part from that i have an Epiphone les Paul(worst peice of shite i've ever bought!). If it got stolen i'd buy another in an instant, as i've gotten used to this thing, and it fits me better than any i've ever played, that includes ENGL classics, more expensive fenders, VOX CC AC-15/30 and highend marshalls. The marshalls are the only one i'd chose over this thing, and let's face it: Who the fuck in their right mind wouldn't?
There are no flaws in it, nothing except a marshall gain channel. So to conlude: Perfect for me, but it's not the most versitail so a 9 is in place, as it doesn't really sell it self on being versitail or having a mashall gain channel...

9!

It is a good amp, just tried for a big gig & i was surprised of the power (with & without mic) & versatility
i've played rock of 60 & 70 & 80 & had no problem with it, just changing settings thru' master & volume (power & preamp tubes)
it has just one channel, i don't understand people complaining about this & that, why do you need a boost on it or a dist channel?
just use a good pedal like a TScreamer & it's done, if you're looking for effects buy a cheaper solidstate amp with 1000 effects on it
this amp is what we need to play at home & gigging around without & with mic: it is really amazing sound & power!
the only thing that made me give a 7 is for the case, a little too small, but after a year i really don't consider it as a negative point, & maybe also the knobs, hateful & not clear at all, but this has nothing to do with the sound quality

this amp is really great can reach all kind of melodies except maybe headbangers sound (that i don't really appreciate) so....
a few days ago we performed for about 200 people, & the blues junior amazed the people, many asked how much it costs & how do i get such crazy sound, you can do anything you want with your guitar, make it weep & create a creamy sound..... everything as long you qualities permit
there's is no distortion, i don't need it, just a reverb & a fat channel that looks like a loudness
my music style is pure rock music: eric clapton, jimi hendrix, santana, sonic youth...., great clean sound, crunch & with a pedal a wonderful distortion! & it does the greatest job!!!
now some people may say that a marshall may sound better or a mesa boogie... but this is a blues junior, & you really don't need a formula 1 ferrari to go to school, it is very light, good sounding! & i can do wathever i want with my guitar, lots of feedback, dynamics, finger effects, sensibility..... so why need more??

I've been playing for almost 15 year, owned a few marshall & other fender....
every amp is different (tube amp!), this is & will become one of the greatest amps, it makes me laugh to see people looking for marshal jcm 800 as though they were performing in festivals every month, while they just play at home & sometimes gigging
so why buy a powerful amp, just for the label or the class AB or just because that artist performed with it?
if all the labels stopped making crap amps like valvestate & frontman & valvetronix the choice for people would be much interesting
of course if you can't play guitar every amp is a mess, & off course there are better amp than this ($$$$!!!!), but not as beautiful as this & I mean: you can walk with your blues junior in a hand the guitar in the other & the effect bag on your shoulder, you can play at home, in a band, gig everywhere, the sound it produces is just perfect & satisfies my needs... so why go looking forward??
if you're looking for a great tube amp that really can satisfiy you go on with this
give yorself the time to try it for a while using different settings & you'll notice how sweet the sound can change & how great it is.
friends use marshall jcm, deluxe, valvestate, vox ac30, laney vc.... i tried it all, I'm in love with my blues junior, they made it for me!

I have a made in mexico (corporations business)
this amp is just perfect for practice, little gigs, big gigs with mic.....
in the beginning i was complaining about the lack of standby, headphone jack, line out, but now i really don't care, & i understand that it's not really important
i use this amp with my bands & during little concerts, people often can't beleive such little amp can create such beautiful sound
i think most of the people know how it's made & its components
the only negative aspect are the knobs that are placed on a kind of mirror plate & directed to the back

this amp is perfect for blues rockblues classicrock sound & also some jazz
the versatility depends of the settings so turning up the master you get a clean sound also thru' a pedal distortion or fuzz
if you turn up the volume you get a heavier sound much crunchy
i can make my guitar scream & cry, is really sensible & very good harmonic & dynamic, i really can get out what i want: from clean sound to crunch till the craziest feedback & pure distortion
so from a deep purple sound with high volume till a pink floyd sound high master & a hendrix sound in between
but with my axisfuzz i can reach sounds of any artist (75%)
it is very silent & the tubes don't get really hot after 2 hours jam comparing to others amp
it is a class A, hotrod deluxe is to heavy for 99% of the people who play guitar, so why buy 40 watt if you won't pass thru volume level 3?

till now is perfectly working
i don't believe people talking about solid state amps
they should just try these tube amps before

i've been playing 5 years classical, 5 years latinjazz & 3 years classicrock-blues own style
i use an axis fuzz of roger mayer & a wahwah
i like pure guitar music not really modern, vintage sounds, & this amp do the job perfectly!
don't believe people who say the tubes are not good or the speaker is bad, i changed the speaker but didn't notice a big difference so i left it stock!!!
it depends on your settings & your qualities as guitarist
invest yor money in study: you'll get more satisfaction
i was comparing it with a hotrod deluxe, a peavey delata blues, a peavey classic 30.....
15watt are the best need for a guitar player who will never play in a festival or big concert
at 4 volume & 3 master the hardbeating drummer is reached & bassplayer too
so.....
but try things before you buy!!! & inform yourself about class a, a/b, tubes.....
anyhow great amp!

Basic Fender tube amp. Great simplicity. Single channel amp with master volume and reverb. Fender sound. 15 watts with 12" Special Fender speaker. Nicely finished cabinet. Light carry weigh.

This amplifier makes a wonderful warm tube sound. It rocks. Got to say sound is night and day in comparison to my SS amplifier. And I thought my SS amp rocked. Play a Strat, Ibanez, ES335, and Les Paul. Great sound from all. Can get bluesy crunch. Fender clean. Nice tube tone. One may think 15 watts isn't enough, but this pup can get pump out good sound.

Unknown and no matter. The bias is set way too hot on this amp so a modification is in order. Otherwise the power tubes cook the the circuit board can get burned. Give it a 7 without the mod.

Not applicable. Will never use.

I have been playing awhile now. Alot of research along the way. Wanted a tube amp. But of course which one? Took awhile to decide on criteria for choosing one. New? Used? Wattage? Features? Reviewed alot of amps and talked to other musicians. Finally decided I wanted a simple tube amp for now with master volume and reverb, relatively portable weight, suitable wattage amp for home playing and gigging with drummer. Bought this amplifier used for a super price. USA made. Refreshed with new tubes. Sound is night and day in comparison to my SS amplifier. Awesome... Next step some basic mods to circuitry to rid amp of hum and to fine tune the sound. Couldn't be happier with this purchase.

A lovely bog standard 15watt valve amp with the exception of the FAT switch which boosts top end volume and gain by just that little bit.

Tradional style "stand behind" amp, hence the controls being at the back. (Just to correct people who think the text is facing the wrong way, that is why. Its styled like a stand behind amp which were around before the days of mic-ing up and PA systems)

Coiled reverb. (not for big emotive solo-ing but just to take the boxiness away from the sound you get in a small grotty back street pub.

Lovely!!

I've replaced the Eminence speaker with the standard Fender speaker from a Deville. This officially makes the amp double in volume as the extra 3db in a speakers capacity equates to twice the ear damage!!

Great blues tones and even punky sounds if you're playing anything with a humbucker. Unfortunately doesn't particularly handle my cheap budget Jap tele well because the guitar itself is too bright. Can't get enough bass through and even with the treble down low, I cant seem to relieve my ears of the shrill top end. I know that this is a problem with my guitar, but i thought id just say it to highlight that crap instruments sound even worse through this thing.

With the right amount of knob twiddling you can get this amp to really crack up well even at low volumes but its just as good at getting squeaky clean tones and performance volume too.

As with any valve amp, sometimes the tubes blow. I've had it happen to me once or twice but nothing else otherwise.

For a small amp it does take a surprisingly long time to warm up. I can turn it on a good few hours before a gig for the sound check and come show time its still warming up, ie. the volume slowy increases slightly throughout the night. Its nothing i moan about though as you normally need to turn it up later in a gig to contend with the drummers ever more drunken state and therefoe louder playing.

Never use anyone.

Good little amp with a big sound. Just 15watts can well contend with a large pub or a small club. You dont really need a bigger amp anyway, presuming you play large venues you should have a big enough PA to cope with the little Fender being mic-ed up.

No reliablilty problems so far and ive had it six years, bought second hand at that.

Looks nice too. The tweed limited edotion looks better though!

I bought it new in 2003. Black with silver grill. As stated below it has volume, treble, bass, middle, master, and reverb controls. It also has a ?fat? boost switch that have on pretty much all the time. It has all the basics for a one-channel ?blues? amp. I haven?t modified the amp at all, except to change the tubes, which I replaced with JJ?s (a nice improvement over the stock sovteks). I wish it had an effects loop and that the footswitch for the boost switch and the slipcover were included. Other than that it has everything you need in a small package.

I play various styles, but mostly blues and rock. I use this amp with a Strat, Tele and SG Standard. All of them sound great. I usually keep the treble, bass, middle set between 5-8 and the reverb between 2-4. This amp can go from a really nice clean to a warm overdrive depending on the volume setting (I also use the volume on my guitar to control the level of gain). I can get a great Mark Knoffler clean with my strat and a nice warm overdrive sound with my SG with the volume above 8-10 (it gets a bit fuzzy after that). I also use a TS808 as a boost, which works great. Although all of my guitars sound good through this amp, it seems to love my Tele. I can get a great Tom Petty/CCR sound with just the BJ and my Tele?s bridge pickup!

This amp also has a decent reverb. Obviously it?s not as good as a Twin, but for the price it?s definitely better than its competition, including the Traynor YCV20 and the Peavey Classic 30.

This amp has more than enough volume for home practice, jamming with friends, or playing small gigs. If you need more than that mic it or buy a bigger amp. As others have noted, it does sounds a little ?boxy? at higher levels but I usually play at home or in a studio so this isn?t really a problem for me. I suspect the ?boxy? sound could be treated with a better speaker.

Essentially, this is a great sounding small tube amp. If you can?t get a good sound out of this amp and a decent guitar then you?re better off spending your extra money on more lessons rather than buying a better amp.

I?ve had this amp for almost four years and I?ve never had a problem with it. I have two other amps (a Marshall DSL401 and a Tech 21) and both had problems with volume loss. I wouldn?t trust either of them without a backup, but I?ve never had a reason not to trust the BJ.

I?ve never had to deal with Fender and hopefully never will.

I?ve been playing for about 15 years. Right now I own a Strat, Tele and SG Standard. I also have a Marshall DSL401 and a Tech 21 Trademark 10. I own a bunch of pedals, but usually just use a TS808 and a Vox Wah. If it were stolen or lost I would buy it again, although I?d probably try to get the new tweed version with the jensen speaker (it just looks cool!). When I bought this amp I looked at several other amps, including the Pro Junior, Traynor YCV20 and the Peavey Classic 30. I liked all the amps, but I decided I wanted built-in reverb so that ruled out the Pro Junior. Then I decided that the BJ had a nicer clean tone than the Traynor or Peavey. Even still, it was a difficult choice between these three amps because the Traynor and Peavey have two channels with effects loops. However, in the end I decided that the BJ was cheaper so I bought it and used the extra cash to get a TS808... and just like that I had a two channel amp!

Overall, I?d give this amp an 8. Pros: great price, good tone, nice reverb, flexible controls, portable, and reliable. Cons: a little ?boxy? a higher volumes, no effects loop (although it does take well to pedals), and I think the footswitch and slipcover should be included.

I was a Marshall guy for a long time, but since I bought the Blues Junior I?ve switched over to the Fender camp. Fenders just seem better suited to blues and the style of rock that I like (Neil Young, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam?). I?m actually thinking about trading in my Marshall DSL401 for a Fender Blues Deluxe!

Basic features, volume, tone, reverb, simple

has a great sound, can be muddied up, accepts effects pedals well

unfortunatly, this amp is not reliable, only had it for 1 week when the trouble started, reverb went out right away, Fender repaired it but was in the shop for 3 weeks!! 10 months, reverb goes out again, back to the shop, 4 weeks on return!!within the first year the power tubes went away, back to the shop, 3 weeks!! at 26 months, reverb goes out again, back to the shop, 4 weeks, so you can see I`ve had some problems, this amp has been in the shop for a total of 14 weeks in less than 2 years

I have had extensive contact with Fender Customer support with no resolve. the warranty on this amp is 5 years and you need every bit of it. Fender refuses to replace this lemmon even after extensive documentation on the problems I`ve had with it. They just want me to go away! after the warranty is up I`ll be screwed if it continues to breakdown at the same pace, will probally sell it soon for a huge loss

I`ve been playing for over 30 years, Strat, tele, es-150 main guitars; if it were stolen I would not replace it, as a matter of fact I have esentially replaced it already with a Peavey because of it`s lack of dependability, I do like the size and weight, great for small venues or practice, mics up well for larger shows, and has great sustain

I'm not going to bother listing the features, becasue you can figure that out from other reviews or looking online. But I will say this amp doesn't have a lot of features, but it doesn't need them. If you want lots of cool effects, buy pedals. If you want a great sounding amp thats small, and easy to use, this is it.

First, this amp is can get loud. For it's size, it can get amazingly loud and still sound great. It was a very rich warm sound, and sounds very nice at quiet volumes. If you turn it up a bit, it sounds even better; it adds a bit of natural distortion. Again, a very rich, bluesy sound.

I've owned this amp for about 2 years now and it hasn't failed my yet. I haven't been gigging with it daily or weekly, but the amp gets to venture out of my apartment about once or twice a month. Nothings broken yet. If your cafeful (which you should, because it has 2 tubes and 3 pre-amp tubes...in other words, it's full of glass)you won't have any problems with this amp.

I love this amp. But I don't really play in any huge auditoriums. I've used little amps that sound huge in my practice/bed room and somewhat small in larger rooms, such as music shops. and at the same time I've used big amps that sound like crap in small rooms, becasue if you played them at a volume to where they sound good, you'd go deaf. If you're playing at home, in your garage, or in a small bar, this amp sounds wonderful. If your playing in an auditorium, or larger, get a bigger amp.

This is intended to be a basic amp. It succeeds. Low rating simply because it doesn't have a lot of features.

I play a clean, jazz oriented style. The BJr. seems nice and quiet in my practice space (also known as Dad's chair in the corner of the living room) playing at low volumes. I bought this amp after several months playing with a friend who uses a BJr. as his amp in a 17 pc. big band. He has no problem keeping up with the volume and sounding good in a reasonably sized hall. It does the jazz thing with my modded MIM Strat just fine. No buzzes like my PJr. No hisses like my Cube 60. Does the J thing a little better than my Traynor YVC20 (and a little lighter and a bit more compact too.)

40 years playing music. I've owned and played most of the usual suspects. (LP's, Tele's, Strats, ES-175's) So far, I love this amp. Excellent sound. Simple. Has the features I use. Doesn't have features I don't (ie. effects, extra channels). I've gone through the PJr., Traynor YCV-20 and Roland Cube 60. They're gone. I'm keeping the B.Jr.

Mine are newer models, tolex with the green circuit board. Not incredibly versatile, but I don't require much versatility beyond volume & tone. 1 channel, no effects loop. I wish it came in a bigger box. I use one or 2 with my band, depending on the size of the stage, but one is pretty loud. 3 12AX7 preamp tubes into 2 EL34 power tubes.

I play a LP or a Mustang with vintage-y alnico pickups. Louder indie rock. No noiser than any other tube combo.

Some say this amp sounds 'boxy.' I don't know if that's the right word. Maybe 'muddy.'I swapped out the stock eminence speakers for lighter, green Jensen P12s, which cleans this up. The original tone is nice, too, but the mids can be piercing with the Eminence, & you need to crank the low & mid & kill the treble to get the life into this amp. Sounds somewhere between an AC30 and a Bluesbreaker Jr. More Marshally with the swapped-in speaker.

The distortion is warm & glassy. I usually crank the "master" and just edge up the "volume" to a "Marshall Clean" kind of sound & stack my fuzz & sometimes a clean boost into that. For what I play, it's a good amp. 2 at once sounds phenomenal.

At louder stage volumes, the breakup can be too much & the amp can get lost, but 2 at once solves this, & it's a cheap enough amp. It's quite loud, though, almost too loud for the smallest venues.

Never broken down in the year I've owned 'em. The tubes seem to fit a bit loosely into their sockets, but that hasn't been a problem.

Playing for 23 years. I have several guitars, a pignose Hog 20, several stompboxes (though I really only use one)& a bunch of recording gear.

For the price, I'd buy it again, though my next amp purchase will be replacing a stolen '69 Traynor YBA1 head.

2005 model. Volume, treble, bass, middle, master, and reverb controls. It has a fat boost switch which I leave engaged pretty much all the time. Its got pretty much everything I was looking for out of a single channel amp minus an effects loop.

I use it with a Strat for a good blues and rock tone. It definitely delivers what I was looking for. Sweet, chimey clean all the way up to a nice dirty sound. It's full of harmonic overtones even at low volumes, and it just gets better as you turn it up. It lacks a bit of bass but hey a Strat is a bright guitar anyway. The reverb isn't the greatest Fender has ever offered, but since I only use it for a slight verb to thicken up trhe sound a bit, it gets the job done. For what it costs, its a steal for the tones you get out of it.

Its never let me down. I don't gig but I imagine it could take the punishment easily. I've had it since October of last year and its never even needed any extra attention.

Never dealt with them.

I'm giving it a 10, not because I think its the best out there, but because it has delivered everything I had hoped to get out of it. I wanted a low-wattage, plug and play type of amp. Some earlier reviews stated that a speaker/tube swap was neccesary. I'm not going to argue that those could bring subtle improvements here and there, but it's really not neccesay unless you're very picky. About the only thing I wish it had is an effects loop to put my memory man in, but it works fine without it. If it got stolen, I would defintely buy another one if I still had the same budget as when I bought it. For any blues or rock guitarist out there looking to break into the tube amp game, I would definitely recommend this amp as a good starting point.

Built in the last year or so I think. Bought it as new from a shipment they'd just had in. I've had it for about 10 months and was quite disappointed with it until yesterday.

Single channel amp, no frills as already outlined here. Twin channel version would be a nice addition for this category of amp. Not versatile, but it did what I wanted it to to.

It's plenty powerfull - forget the advertised power of 15watts - and will hold it's own in an unamplified drum band set up.

I play a form of modified blues + classic pop/rock, with a couple of Strats (one with Seymour duncan pick ups) and a humbucker loaded Fender Toronado.

It's quiet when the valves are warmed up and remains very well behaved at close to max power. When set for clean, the amp is noticeably quiet.

My initial disappointment came with the overall tonality of the thing - prone to harshness and a real thick mess at over half power. A real bark that was noticeably sharp, even with a compressor after the guitar. Generally quite muffled too, with little improvement afforded by the EQ section which had suprisingly little range over it's 3 frequencies. I put up with it and just used it for a clean tone. I acquired an Ashdown Peacemaker 40watt tube combo for my o/drive requirements, and this beat the Junior hands down for clarity. I probably would have sold the Fender, were it not for some suggestions here.

Suitably inspired - and after a lot of research - I took the Junior apart yesterday and fitted a brand new Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Oh my God, the difference is remarkable. At a stroke the sound was dramatically cleaner, but still retained the warmth the amp always suggested. The gain was a little higher (the Junior is NOT a high gain amp) and the EQ controls are now much more effective. Even run flat out with volume and masters up full, I couldn't make it bark or sound harsh. Pure sweet bluesy tone with just the right amount of aggression. Just how it always should have been.. I've left the stock tubes in (Sovtek - power amp and Groove Tubes - pre amp)though I understand that further minor improvements can be effected by upgrading these. For now at least, it sounds absolutely beautiful.

Needless to say, my rating is post driver modification.

The amp is solid and so far completely reliable. It is of course only 10months old however. Even for a tube amp novice like me, stripping it down was a breeze and with no special tools required, or even a soldering iron - my upgrade took only 20mins. Servicing Tech heads may be disappointed or stressed by the circuit board arrangement, but it's a lovely clean job.

Never dealt with Fender - hope not to have to. For the sake of 2 months my warranty is now invalid I guess, but that's hardly an issue.

Gear used as already specified. Also use the brilliant TC Electronics Vintage Overdrive & the ridiculous great (for the money) Digitech Bad Monkey Overdrive.

Post modification, I'd recommend the Junior to anyone after a traditional tube amp in this category. My nearest comparison point of reference is my Ashdown Peacemaker 40watt combo. I'd buy the Junior again tomorrow, if I had to, knowing I could upgrade it in such a simple and effective manner. Why Fender ship it out the door with such a crap stock Fender/Emminence speaker is beyond me..

Let me start by saying I am a total tone freak. Can't stand a crappy sounding amp. I've played through Marshall's and owned Mesa Boogie. Pure crap! Now back to the Blues Junior. Not sure what year this Junior was made. Versatility? Not really unless you have a variety of pedals. Straight into the amp, this baby is made for blues and some classic rock. with some good pedals you can add some great country and harder rock. Metal? probably not. One Channel with a Fat switch. Fat just boosts the volume a little and maybe adds a little grit. Wish it had a standby knob instead of just the on and off but it's no big deal. I use this amp mostly for practice. I do gig with it but only for a few songs. I play in a mostly country band. I'm actually the bass player but switch to this amp with Fender Custom Special HH Gold top guitar to do rock songs such as by ZZ Top, Black Crowes, Georgia Satellites and the Stones. It works very well for these. I used to play in a rock band and know good rock tone. This baby sounds great. We play for dances, weddings, clubs from 100 to 800 people. I just mic this amp with a sm57 and she does exceptionally well. I give it an 8 because it works well with pedals although can't use my Rocktron Chameleon effects processor for some reason it sounds like crap through this amp but regular ol' stompboxes sound great! Don't need a lot of features. I have had amps with shit loads of features, they just bring on shit loads of headaches. The simpler the better.

Through this amp I mostly play a Fender Custom Special HH equipped with Dimarzio Tone Zone and Air Norton humbuckers that can be split into single coils. I also use a Fender Lite Ash Telecaster and an Ibanez JS 100. They all sound great through this amp. I play everything, country, classic rock, hard rock, funk, blues, western swing / jazz, metal, grunge. To me this amp lacks the bottom end I like for country but it still works fine with the use of an EQ pedal. I'm not the lead country picker in the band so don't need that tone right now. For country I'd prefer the big brother to the junior, the Hot Rod Deville. For blues and classic rock, early hard rock, this amp kicks ass. on it's own it's good but throw in a Boss SD-1 distortion pedal and a Ibanez, ts-808 or ts-9 and this lil thing becomes a wicked little bitch. It was a little noisy when I got it. It was used and don't know how old. Still had the stock Fender GT tubes in it. Replaced them with some Svetlana's and took care of the noise. I keep the gain down between 3 and 6. The amp is not real loud but loud enough to get the job done. In smaller settings it's fine in a larger setting, just mic it and she sounds purdy! Some other people's reviews say it sounds "boxy". Yeah it does. There's a lot of people spending money on mods for it. New tubes sure, If you want to clean it up and get rid of the boxiness I just use a boss EQ pedal. A person can do all kinds of tone modifications with just an EQ pedal. I'm a huge EQ pedal believer. thing about mods is what if you don't like it? EQ pedal, just need to move a few sliders. I take 2 points off just because It lacks the low end I like on the clean sounds. Not that it's bad it's just I like the clean on a Deville better. I'm sure it's the just the amp cabinet with one twelve versus 4 tens in the deville. I probably like more low end in my clean than most people.

So far so good. Haven't had any problems but then again I treat my gear with a lot of care. I do keep extra tubes handy but haven't needed them since I replaced the originals. Tubes on this amp are a snap to replace.

Never needed them

I've been playing for about 20 years. I have owned a peavey special 212, peavey 5150 combo, Dr Z maz 18 jr 2x12 with alnico blues, Mesa Boogie Nomad 2x12, and a Crate GlX 2x12 that I run a Rocktron Chameleon 2000 through. Sounds great for country and hard ass rock and metal! I've had some expensive stuff but but sold it to buy PA equipment and a nice Bass Rig as I have turned into more of a bass player in the last 3 years. Sold all my expensive gear and bought a used Crate and the Rocktron just to have something to play through at home. Love the Rocktron by the way. The crate is nice and clean but lacks the tube warmth I prefer. I owned the Dr Z (friggin sweet!) prior to it. I wanted a tube amp again and bought the Blues Junior because I didn't want my wife to divorce me. Like I said earlier the Rocktron doesn't sound well with it but the pedals I have sound awesome.

FOR $300 YOU CANNOT BEAT THIS AMP! Your not out a lot of money and you'll have a very usable little amp. You have to let the tubes warm up a little. At first she's very thin sounding. It doesn't have a lot of low end but mid range is what is crucial and this is where she shines. Does it compare to my Dr Z. Not even close! but then again I didn't spend $1950 on this one and I can still get great warm sounds out of it and don't have to lug around a 65 pound back breaker. I turn the bass to twelve the mid range to about 5 and the treble to three and she is very clean and responsive to pedals. If someone stole it I'd definitely buy another one. Even If I still had the Dr Z I would still want to have one of these just because it's a lot of fun to play through. For the money you can't go wrong. If you want to do hardcore metal then look elsewhere. Blues and Classic rock this baby is all you need. Throw in a nice distortion pedal and total bliss! EQ pedal and even more bliss if that's possible. After I bought mine our rhythm guitar player fell in love with it and bought him one also. He plays a Gretsch through it and absolutely loves it. Nails ZZtop and CCR tones perfectly. He's been playing for 30 years. Met Marty Stuarts lead guitar player and he owns one as well. Uses it for just jammin with friends and warm up back stage. Perfect example of tone is in your fingers. He makes his Junior sound like a million bucks.

Got the amp off Ebay and it's a 2005 model. I mostly use my MIM Strat with Fat 50's installed and it sounds beautiful. Much better than my old Crate GFX-15.
No real effects other than the fat switch. One thing I miss is the headphone jack. Mostly because I like to record myself on my PC and used to hook my old amp up to it via the headphone jack. Has nice breakup when you turn up the gain, but I mostly use my Tubescreamer anyway. You can get an optional footswitch for the fat switch, but in my case that's unnecessary.

As stated, my MIM Strat with Fat 50's sounds beautiful and I finally have the tone I was looking for. My Epi LP with stock pups sounds kind of muddy, but I attribute that to the crappy pups. Sounds great for bluesey stuff. I play Phish, Dead, Floyd, Stones, etc. As others have said, the reverb can get noisey at higher levels. I don't really use the gain on the amp as I prefer the Tubescreamer.

So far no problems.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 6 years and I'm strictly a basement wanker. My previous amp was a Crate GFX-15 and this is a major step up. Goes nice and loud as others have said, but it also sounds surprisingly good at low levels. A footswitch for the reverb would be nice, but for me it's not a deal killer. If you want a bluesey sound, put a Tubescreamer in front of this baby and have fun! Sure, I'd love to have a Deluxe Reverb, but for the price this amp is perfect. I love it!

Standard 2006 MIM model. No upgrades as of yet. The only thing it's lacking is a line out, which I doubt I would use, but it would still be nice to have. The lack of an OD channel doesn't bother me. I like the tube break up more, and if I need more drive, then I just turn on my pedal.

I play a MIJ 83' squire strat and an Agile ad 2200 (lp junior copy). I play everything from jazz to hard rock.

Don't let the 15W fool you. This thing is loud! I only use it to practice in my bedroom and jam with a friend, but in both situations I only use about half of its potential volume. At first when I bought the amp, I found it to be too bright and trebley, but after a day or two, it warmed up, and now its full tube tone. It starts to break up at around 7 (out of 12) on the channel volume, which is plenty of headroom for me, but those interested in gigging might need more.

I plan on doing the Billm mods to this amp. It doesn't NEED them, but considering how cheap and easy the mods are to do, who could pass up the opportunity?

This amp covers all my musical tastes. It can't do metal, but if I want to, I could just throw a pedal in front of it and call it a day.

Also, this amp does not need a new speaker or tubes. It's all preference.

Haven't had a problem.

n/a

Overall, this amp is amazing. It's accurately priced, unlike many tube amps nowadays. It's good stock, and can become amazing with a few mods or changes. Could be cheaper, but so could everything. I'm happy with it for the money I spent.

Its a very simple tube amp with an input only.

Out of the box its a great tube amp for the money. This lil tubey has a lot of potential if you want to drop a few duckys to rid it of its "made in mexico" sound. Like a few people have done is replace the speaker, I put in a celestion vintage 30 that in my opinion is very mid based in its sound but has an advantage over the stock speaker when teamed up with the right power tubes. I went with a another post that reccomended Ei tubes and I purchased the Ei Elites. This amp shines when driving the power tubes as opposed to the preamp tubes just the way Leo would have wanted it. I play only strats through this and they sound great. I have yet to replace the pre tubes.

So far so good.

Never dealt with this corporate giant Leo Fender started. My hats off to Fender for keeping the spirit alive with there commitment to tube affordable amps and great guitars. I forgive you all for the CBS period ya scum sucking accountant driven back stabbers.

This is great tube amp. It is simple in design and that is a good thing, and it has room for improvement that makes for the fun factor. Tube amps will always sound the best period.

Mine is a new 2006 made in mehico model. It has all the standard features that everyone has mentioned already. I upgraded mine a bit to make it even better than the stock version. I recommend these EASY mods to anyone who wants to spend very little money, and get lots and lots of tone. First i swapped out the stock speaker for a vintage 30. Fender obviosly uses some cheap parts to keep costs down, but a cheap speaker is not something i can put up with. A speaker change is the best way to change your tone. Their are tons of great companies out there now adays to find the perfect speaker for your style. The second and final upgrade I did was to replace the tubes. The boneheads at guitar center swear up and down that all tubes are exactly the same. Well they are wrong! Some are made in China, some are made in Russia, and others in Yugoslavia! Some are even still made hear in the good old USA just to name a few. I traded out my El-84's for a pair of EI elites. These happen to be a company operating out of Yugoslavia. I find these to be a little clearer and tighter soundind than the stock groove tubes, which are bottom of the barrel groove tubes. I also swapped the 12ax7's for Electro Harmonix. These are Russian tubes, and I feel that they are slightly creamier than the stock Chinese groove tubes. With the upgrades the amp is really a killer killer amp, and I own to much boutique stuff to mention. Guess which amp gets the most use, and is the most fun to play?

I use this amp for small to medium gigs, and recording. It is extremely versitile. My style encompasses country bluesy material, to pop and harder rock. The amp was slightly noisy when i got it but with the upgrades i mentioned its much queiter. I believe that has to do with those EI tubes. I really like them in this amp! The amp has a great clean sound with the master about 8 or so and the volume around 3 or 4. With this setting its clean, but barks a little when you hit it hard. Thats my personal favorite setting, especially with a good OD pedal infront to push up to the next level. I actually love this amps distortion as well. It gets nice and saturated without getting muddy. Very smooth, not fizzy, and it is never harsh. Once again, my upgrades really really add to this factor. But even without the upgrades, still a killin amp. Basically the V30 speaker makes the overall sound tighter, smoother, and adds some volume and bottom end. The tubes clean up the sound, and give it that finishing refining touch.

These amps are built like tanks and can really take a beating. Im lazy so i never carry a back up amp, but i don't know many people that do. I know these amps don't run too hot, so the tubes should last for a while. Almost all of the more expensive stuff I have runs very hot, and burns tubes out rather quickly if you play the amp a lot. I can't stand that, and I am a player, not an amp tech. Give me somethin I can depend on night after night, and I'll change tubes every 6 or 7 months.

I never dealt with fender and I hope I never have to.

After my little mods I performed....Speaker $110, and tubes about $40, the amp ended up costing me around $550. Compare that to other 1x12 low wattage combos out there, and you realize what a deal it is even after you throw some extra loot in there. For such a versitile amp that covers so much ground, its quite a deal. By far one of my favorite amps I own, and definitely one of the best all time amps ever made. Believe me.....I'm a gear junkie, and I've researched and played tons and tons of stuff. The boutique stuff is awesome, but very expensive, and if you don'y know exactly what you are looking for, you will end up with a very expensive decoration. This amp is classic guitar tone, fun to play, easy to gig, and I forgot to mention, it eats up all my pedals very well. Not too many amps out there are as good as this guy......Try one out, and try my simple upgrades.....I promise, you won't be dissapointed!!!

I have 2 of these amps. One blonde & one black. Both are 2004. I wish it had a standby switch. But simple is good.

OK...I play ALL Strats. From the guitar, I run to an inline tuner, then a Vox wha-wha, to a TS-9 to a TS-8 then to the Blues Junior. I had these amp around as back-up amp. I gig a LOT. SRV, Clapton, Hendrix, ZZ Top, Skynard... I Used to use a Red-Knob Twin - WAY too loud...then down to a 4X10 Bluess Deville...then down to a 1978 Deluxe reverb (SWEET amp by the way !)...but the other day at rehearsal (yes - real working musicians DO rehearse !) I decided I was going to get to know my "back-up" amp a little better in case I ever really needed it. I was never "real" happy with it's tone...seemed "box" sounding...BUT THEN I DID WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE FROM THE BEGINNING - I turned OFFt fat switch, turned DOWN the Volume - and turned UP the "Master". In other words - I set the amp real CLEAN. Oh....My.....GAWD ! NEW amp. I get PLENTY of gain from the tub screamers...I run one set low for a little punch and the other for full on lead work. Truly - try running this amp set clean and a TS-8 for boost !

So I gigged with it (Brought the deluxe as my "back-up" !!!) medimum room...maybe 100 people...we're a 3 piece guitar, bass & drums...this amp was PLENTY loud enough. I don't play football feilds...I'm a "working" musician - that means BARS !!!! And this amp is plenty for that...

It's a Fender - tough as nails. "What happens when a Strat falls over ? It breaks the Les Paul it landed on" !!!!! LOL !!! No - really - if you're at all careful - Fender makes good, tough equipment. Anybody can be unlucky and get a bad one...but for the most part - there's a good reason Fender has the good name it does.

Never needed it. Gave it a 5 but really have no idea...

It's a simple little amp. Good for small gigs - which is 99% of what we all play. Need more ? MIC it ! A SM-57 is all you need. Understand this too - MOST OF YOUR "TONE" IS IN YOUR HANDS AND "HOW" YOU ATTACK THE INSTRUMENT. I'm sorry ? What was that I heard you say ? MOST OF YOUR "TONE" IS IN YOUR HANDS AND "HOW" YOU ATTACK THE INSTRUMENT. Really - Clapton will sound like clapton thru a Line-6 or a 100 watt Twin. You equepment won't make you Stevie Ray Vaughan. Buy this amp - it is a great sounding amp - BUT SPEND YOUR TIME LEARNING TO PLAY. I do a dead on VooDoo Child - and it ain't because of what amp I bought...get it ? Yes - THis is a WONDERFUL amp in my opinion...set it clean - crank it up - and PUSH the little monster !

First of all, people, when you're writing reviews of an item, don't just say: "you know all the features, so I don't have to write it", if you're gonna do something do it properly or don't do it.

Now, This 15 watts tube-amp was made in Korea(i guess)2006, so i guess it's fairly up to date. Black cover, typical fender grey tolex, six chicken head knobs(on the top of course), which are: Reverb, Master Volume(overall volume), Middle, Bass, Treble and last a volume knob. For those of you who are new to tube amps, this knob doesn't only control the volume level but also how fried you want your tubes, thus how much gain you want. And last an On/Off switch. Theres no channel switching(though there is a FAT switch), headphone jack or effect loop. The lack of these three things doesn't really consern me, i bought it for it's clean sounds, not a million different ones. If you want an amp of thousand sounds go for Line-6 or some other modulation thing!

With this fella i'm using my standard les paul(which has humbuckers in it). I mostly play classic pop/classic Rock and britpop, let me tell ya it's perfect. Someone has even told me that Noel Gallagher of Oasis uses a couple of these, so it can be just me.
The sound is incredible even at low volumes and it just gets better, and better as you crank it up. The distortion isn't much, but what there is, let me tell ya it's sweeeeeeet, though not much.
What I really bought this baby for, is the clean sounds, Treble at three o'clock, Middle all the way up and Bass around noon and reverb at 8 o'clock. VOX GO F***ING HOME! It has a lot of headroom this thing and can play loud as hell, so if youve got a 50 watt transistor and thinking, nahh 15 watt is not enough, think again.
Clean: 10, Distorion:9 Average 9,5

This is a bit of a problem, when I first took mine home, there were this little thing about the bass knob, you couldn't play it without having anything standing on it... hmm must have been a bad apple, 'cause the next day i went back to the store, got a new one and it has been playing beautifully ever since. Ill say a five cause if only half is good then whats the point right?
Never gotten to gig with it.

Never really dealt with them.. But theres a life time warranty so thats something..

Well i've been playing for about 2 years maybe a bit more, though i have a fair bit of knowlegde 'bout things you know?
In addition i own a les paul standard(epi) a boss ds-2 and a marshall Blues Breaker. Though these things all pretty much suck(!) the Fender makes them all come alive.
I love the fact that theres only one channel as it makes the circuit more simple and thus the sound more alive. I wouldn't say i hate anything about it, but the EQ section could be just a little more responsive.
When i tried this thing, i compared it to a vox ac30cc(utter shite!), another vox this time ac15 real deal(too expensive for almost the same sound), Peavey Classic 30(great amp by the way, but the tubes tend to get very hot), a marshall AVT150(too heavey, too dead), Laney VC30(also a great amp, but also a little heavey).
In the end I decided that the Blues Junior was the way to go, because of the typical great fender cleans, the great reverb, the fact that it doesn't get very hot, it's not heavey at all (28ibs.), and it's pretty darn loud.
A ten based on the load of things i said, but one point down for the bad apple thing

Made in Mexico '05 model, All tube. (Mexico models apparently have more head room)

Fat Switch, Volume, Treble, Bass, Mid, Master, and Reverb. But no Stand-by switch, which would be nice to have.

I bought this amp for home/bedroom practice since my Traynor YCV40T (40watts) is usually kept at band memebers house. The 15watts of power is more then enough (a lot louder then I expected)

Very versatile, gets any kind of Blues sound your looking for. If you don't play blues don't buy this amp. Duurrr...It's called "Blues Junior"

Gave it a 9 for the lack of a stand-by switch.

I try to keep my set-up fairly simple, and I rarely buy new gear, but when I do I usually find no more use for the stuff I currently have. I play an 80's Fender Japanese '62 re-issue Strat with texas special pickups, and an Epiphone vintage G400 with Bareknuckle Stormy Monday pickups. My pedals right now include an Electro Harmonix Big Muff (selling pretty soon), MXR 6 band EQ (selling aswell) and an Electro Harmonix The Wiggler (vibrato/tremolo pedal) Soon to come is an Electro Harnonix Graphic Fuzz, that's why I'm selling the Big Muff and EQ since the Graphic Fuzz has an eq built in.

I play a lot of blues (Clapton, B.B. King, SRV, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker etc..) 60's psychedelic/classic rock (Yardbirds, Cream, The Doors, Zeppelin, The Who, Beatles etc..), and a little more "modern" rock (White Stripes, Soledad Brothers, Blind Melon, Velvet Underground, Flashing Lights, QOTSA (though it's not really that great at getting that higher dist. sound from QOTSA, but sounds good none the less). It suits all these styles wonderfully.

There is a little bit of hum but it doesn't bother me since I can't hear it when I'm playing. But I will be sending it in to Bill Machrone soon for some mods to improve the sound/tone and completely rid it of the hum since this year or next year I plan on using it for home recording when I get a studio set-up in my basement.

The clean channel is great, crystal clear and bright. But you really have to crank the volume and master switch high to get some nice tube break-up, and that's due to the fact that I have the Mexican model. Regardless, it sounds amazing when I get it cranked like that.

10 because I didn't expect it to do anything other then Blues, but it's an all around great sounding amp, except of course if you play metal.

Had it for about a month now, so I can't really say how reliable it is right now. Seems like it's built pretty solid. Though I'll mainly be playing it at home, maybe I'll gig with it after the mods, for some nice blues tunes.

Not putting a rating since I have no idea how it will hold up in the future.

Never dealt with them, hopefully will never have to deal with them. So no rating aswell.

I've been playing for about 7-8 yrs now. The gear I own barely ever changes, and this amp will stay in my hands t'ill I find something better, but considering the price of this little monster I don't think it will be going anywhere for a long long time.

If it were stolen I would buy another one without even thinking about it, but I would probably buy the tweed version instead for a classier/vintage look.

When buying it I didn't have many amps in the same category to compare it to. I did try out a Traynor YCV20WR (brown leather model) but it was way to expensive ($630 plus tax), and I really liked the way the Blues Junior sounded over the Traynor. But I still prefer my Traynor YCV40T over my Blues junior. Maybe that'll change after the mods.

Once again it would be really nice to have a stand-by switch, but it's still a great sounding amp that does exactly what it's meant to do.

Last thing I'd like to share !WON PMA SIHT YUB

Bought new in 2006. Fairly versatile with reverb and fat tone footswitch. Very lightweight and reliable. One channel, but cleans up good in mix when you roll volume off guitar, and fat boost on footswitch gives some more good options in that grind area. I would be in heaven if there was tremolo and reverb was footswitchable and a more like a vintage deluxe sound, but good features. EL84 vox style breakup mixed with fender tone. Best feature is master volme. Preamp distortion very good. Quite loud at 15 watts AB, 12" speaker in small, light box.

Play with a strat. Playing in my room, my totally tricked out, point to point, merc magnetics OT Deluxe sounds better. Used to have a tweed deluxe that had the tone all the way. This one is good though. It is way better the hot rod deluxe in my opinion. The reverb has the same tone as hot rod deluxe, but the amps tone is better, must be the el84's, somehow it is warmer and more satisfying than hot rod deluxe, more like my vintage amps, only with faster breakup, and preamp overdrive when desired. It grinds pretty good too, even with the master in the low area (4 for master, 12 for volume) It is very loud. The hot rod deluxe is too loud. This is very loud, and if you are wailing full volume, your drummer would have to be a maniac to play the master much over 5. It is so clear in the mix. I was skeptical and kept trying to find fault with it in my home, but when I got it to practice, it has power to spare, and I did not need a fuzz box which is a great relief. I will not lug my deluxe to practice, maybe not even gigs.

It seems so reliable. My deluxe gets 60 cycle hum so easily and the reverb is noisy, but this blues deluxe works really good.

They probably suck. I never keep my receipts, warranties don't work well with me unless I am dealing with a one-,man shop.

Unbelieveable little amp. It is light, can grind at re volumes. If it were stolen I would buy another. It makes me wonder about the 40 watt blues deluxe. It is good for me, and it has more in common with a tweed tone than it does with the hot rod deluxe. I wish it had tremolo, but it is good.ght weight and the breakup is really good. I play grindy rock and mix in some clean country chicken pickin. You get more grind than old stones, but sort of that type of grind.

As said in other reviews, single channel, 3 band eq, etc.

Stock: good (8)
Modified: amazing!! (10+)

Here is a quick soundclip: http://www.indyguitarist.com/soundclips2/blues_junior_compare.mp3

That is a comparison between the stock amp and the amp after the modification. This is an amazing little amp after the tweaking...beautiful shimmery clean tone, awesome breakup and even more distortion now if I want it.

I also tailored the reverb so it wasn't so 'surfy' sounding. I'm really not into the dick dale stuff which is what the stock reverb sounded like. Modified to be warmer and no brittleness. My attempt at making it sound more like a tube tank ;)

PCB based, but don't throw it around and you should be fine.

very helpful, they were quick to send schematics when requested with no hassle.

Great amp, my next amp will be a hot rod deluxe most likely - if my results were *this* great with the little blues jr, I have to try the next size up. ;)

Feel free to email me with questions, email info at http://www.indyguitarist.com/contact.htm

1 channel,all tube, 15 watt, 3-band eq, "fat" switch, blah, blah, blah.....

American Lonestar Srat, Carvin custom dual hum + piezzo, Vox Bulldog OD/Dist, Seymour-Duncan Pick-up booster.

Look, Ive read all the other Blues Jr. reviews on this site, and they vary in what is said, however if you read this one then you don't have to read anymore. I'm not saying I'm the biggest expert, but I'm very picky about sound, I've got a good ear, and I can separate oblectiviy from subjectivity to allow a reader a fair and simple review in order for them to make a good decision.

I've read a lot of differnt mods with different opinions about the outcome. Right out of the box, the BJ is a good sounding tube amp with better than expected volume at a good price. If you want a low priced tube amp this is definately for you. This is where your pickiness becomes a factor.

Some people think that the Emminence speaker is fine; they are not very picky. The highs are muddy and the lows are loose with decent mids. For $100 I replaced it with a Celestion Vintage 30 with suprising ease. Some say there is not much difference in sound with this mod; They are wrong. There is a total difference in sound quality and, believe it or not, volume. Maybe the volume just seems higher though, because the lows are tight, the highs absolutely sing with clarity and even the mids are much improved. The treble is no londer ear piercing. If you can't hear the difference, you weren't paying attention beforehand.

The stock groove tubes are decent and sound good. Some say that changing them to JJ's or some sort of Mullard or = N.O.S. tube gives only a subtle change in sound; they areright, sort-of. I replaced the EL-84s to JJ's and later the 12ax7s to mullards. Although the change was subtle, it was noticeable and exactly what I was going for; warmer tone ballsier tube attack. I could have definitely lived with the stock tubes but am happy with the change.

Also heard of a reverb change. The reverb isn't the best for obvious reasons, but this ain't the 80's anymore and there's no reason to have the reverb higher than 2 ever, so I personally would not waste my money.

As far as a rating goes I'm going to have to base the rating on a for-the-money scale so as not to compare it to Mesas and AC30s. Keep in mind this thing is called a blues Jr, so you know it's strengths. Before the mods this thing gets a strong 7.7 considering what a great value it is but keeping in mind it's weaknesses. After the mods this thing is totally different and somewhat more versatile. Top of the line as far as practice amps go and even suitable for small gigs and house parties.It gets a 9.5 because of the minimal expense and ease of the mods, and for the overall sound quality acheived.

Look, I see people's points about upgrading this amp as opposed to just buying a better amp, but here's my point. I paid about a total of $500 for this amp (310+100 for speaker+90 for tubes) and it sounds fabulous for it. The next best thing Fender makes, a Hot-Rod deluxe is still $600 and still has the same crappy speaker and tubes that I had to replace in order to be totally happy. Find me a better tube amp for $500 than mine and you win. I've heard people say this amp can only do one thing, but I disagree. It is great for recording and I've even recorded some more heavily distorted type stuff through it and gotten compliments on the sound. I personally play all kinds of music and it can do all of them pretty well, great for the money. That's the key, it's no $1,500 amp but I'll take it over a Hot-Rod all day and still pocket a couple hundred bucks.

P.S. To you guys who think you are funny mocking people who upgrade inexpensive stuff and people who read reviews to make the most of their money and write them trying to help somebody out, not everyone has enough money to sit on their computers all day and write clever little parody reviews so they can feel better about not having a life. We have jobs and have to work for our money, thus wanting to make the most of it. Plus in order to create your parody, you had to have read a lot of the reviews and write one to, so who's the
Morr Onn now?

The Fender Blues Jr. is one of the best little tube amps availible. Right out of the box it's got a good sound without a lot of tweaking. I play blues but I also 'mic' it for contempory church music. For versitility I've added a few stomp boxes. De'ja Vibe, wah, delay the usual. The amp provides a stable quiet sound even at 50% volumn. Although it's a single channel amp the "Fat" switch can add a real big overall boost. I rarely use this because sometimes I can't tell whether it's on or off.(you get used to it and tend to leave it on) An L.E.D. on the pedal would solve this problem.

I use a deluxe custom strat w/lace sensors. Red,Silver,Blue. It works well with most styles that require a little edge. It is a very quiet amp even with a few stomp boxes. Of course I don't use any cheap pedals. The variety comes mostly with how the guitarist plays. The amp does provide a good starting sound for most kinds of music.

No major problems. Never broke down. I have been using it on an average of 3 times a week since 2000. I used to have a back up amp, but sold that in favor of another piece of gear. Just never got another amp after that!

Never had to deal with Fender. But there are tons of authorized Fender dealers around.

Been playing for about 30 years. Own lots of gear' too much to list. If I had to replace this amp. I'd get another. Ya see before I bought the Blues Jr. I compared it with most of the other tube amps in the 15 to 30 watt range by playing them side by side. In almost every catagory the fender was best for me. I had to fiddle with the others too much to get that "on the edge tone". It has long been known that the Blues Jr. is truely a great little amp.