Fender Blues Junior

Had originally purchased a little Marshall DFX-15, didn't like it, so "traded-up " to the Blues Jr. from Musician's Friend. Got it in December 2004, so I guess it is a current model. Generally play rockabilly, blues and don't gig out anymore, so the amp stays put.
Really simple amp w/ one channel, no effects loop or headphone jack. Reverb is decent for my needs and nice to have. Have a foot switch for the "fat" option and it' pretty good, although I now prefer to just sue my Route 66 for distortion/compression.

Currently playing an Epiphone WildKat w/ 2 P-90s and a Squier Fat Tele. Generally play rockabilly, blues and this should be an ideal amp for what I do. Originally found the amp to be great, good sound, easy to control. However, after about 2 months, began to hear prominant sub-harmonics (4th below fundamental) that only became worse. Had to pull the bass tone way done to elimninate it. Shortly thereafter the amp didn't even turn on. It appears to be a bad transformer. Very disappointing since I had read nothing about such fun. It's covered under warranty, but the shop I took it to syas they have seen this problem before on the amp. I played one on theirfloor and it soundes great,so I'm just in a waiting mode until I get it back.

Don't know what to think with this transformer issue (also the tubes were all crooked when I got it). The construction seem to be quite durable, so I don't anticipate much of a problem. Although I've seen so much about tossing the stock speaker, getting new tubes, I'm not sure why everyone praises this amp only to change all the guts!

We'll see about the repair of the transformer, although the shop told me tha last one they did took six weeks to get the part. Not encouraging.

I was primarily a keyboardist, but played guitar since the late 60's on an off (depending on the band). No other amps anymore, sold all my keyboard gear except for a Traynor head and mixer and my MiniMoog.

I really like the look and sound of the Blues Jr. and it seems to do everything I need (when it works). Not a big believer of effects so I just run through a Voodoo Labs tremolo, Route 66 overdrive and sometimes a CryBaby.

Having grown up around Fender Twins, Bandmasater and Bassmen, I want to believe that this little amp will live up to it's legacy.

It is designed for practise and maybe small gigs, so expect nothing more from this amp...there is no effects loop which is my only disappointment...otherwise a great little single channel all tubde amp.

The amp itself has a lovely tone especially when driven...I put a Seymour Duncan pickup booster in front of it and it sounds fantastic...my guitar also has powerfull SD pickups as well which also helps. If you are looking for a variety of sounds then look at one of the Line6 or Roland digital amps...but for pure tube tone this is great...I have a GT8 which I have programmed my favourite sounds in and I put this in front of the amp, which is handles quite nicely, so I get some great tones from this set-up, but I also have the option of really nice tube tone if I want it !! QUite a few pro musicians have used this amp such as Noel Gallagher so this speaks volumes for the amp.

This has been the only area of concern...the amp started making some scary popping and banging noises when I switched it on...and if you have ever heard these noises you will know what I mean...but new tubes sorted this problem out and the amp sounded even better...although I am worried about any damage that may have been done. The amp is a little noisy but this may be down to another asoect of my set-up such as cables or pedals. The reverb unit has also been a little iffy...sometime it stops working and I have to knock the reverb housing to get it working.

No experience...Machinehead changed the valves for me and provided their usual excellent service.

Overall this is an excellent little amp that could be used for small gigs if you really needed to. I have been playing for a while now on and off and love the tone of this thing. If it broke, I would seriously look at replacing it although I have to be honest there is so much on the market at the moment I would look around. Apart from troublesome valves and reverb unit this amp has been really good...I wouldn't recommend that anyone buys this amp...but I would recommend trying one out, because I can see that it may not be for everyone.

I have two, One is a 1995 [USA] green circuit board and the other is a 2000 [Mexico] beige circuit board. We all know what this amp has. One channel with Master volume and channel volume. Boost button that is also switchable. Been the same since the beginning.

I have a Fender strat with noiseless pickups [1986]. A Tele with noiseless pickups [1986]. It has 3 pickups. The regular two and a third strat pickup in the middle. Only made 2 years then they changed it to the Tex-mex pickups. But what I really want to add to these reviews is the response of the tubes put in the amp. The ones that Fender puts in, throw out, their garbage. Throw out the speaker, it's garbage too. Pick preamp tubes [12ax7] to your choice. They come pretty much the same. All will distort when driven. But now the power tubes [EL84]. They come in ten different hardness. 1-4 or 5 will start to distort earlier. 6-10 will stay cleaner at higher volume according to their number. Higher number, less distortion. If you want to turn it up high and stay very clean use a 10. Then use a pedal for your chosen overdrive. If you want to get dirty fast use a 1. Or choose something in between to your own volume and playing style. This worked with both my US made and Mexico made amps. By putting 9 in the US made and 4 in the Mexico made, and putting a Peavey Black Widow 12" speaker in each, they sound very close to exactly the same. I was looking for high volume clean. No other amp mods needed. Run the master volume all the way up and adjust your volume with the channel volume. What I realized from this is that the earlier US made amps are designed electronically to distort earlier. When Fender changed to Mexico made, they redesigned the electronics to distort later. This explains my different tube choices for each amp. Each tube choice working with the electronic design to creat the same sound.

Expect them to last a long time.

Haven't delt with them but I hear they are slow.

I've played music for 35 years and the cost per quality of these amps is excellent. Great for low to mid volume situations.

This review is for a mid 1990s tweed covered Blues junior that I purchased used six years ago.

It has the normal features for a small tube amp in this category: the usual controls, spring reverb, 15 watts of output power, and one remarkable feature: it has the legendary look of a late 1950s Fender tube amp.

Mine is stock with no modifications other than a speaker change to a Celestion Vintage 30.

I play two different guitars these days. My first love is a Fender 56 Closet Classic Stratocaster. The other is a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Both guitars are all stock. I play blues, classic rock, and country-rock.

The BJ sounds fabulous with both guitars. I leave the settings the same, but I turn the "Fat" switch on for the Strat and off for the LP. The sound is warm, yet detailed. Not surprisingly, the Strat can stay clean at higher volumes then the LP can. The BJ isn't a distortion amp, but its overdrive at higher volumes is very pleasing.

Speaking of volume, the BJ produces more than you'd expect from a small 15 watt package. It's good for practice and gigs in smaller venues. A little too much for at home use, really. At the low volumes you'd use at home, it just doesn't show its best side.

I've used this amp regularly for six years. No major problems, but the original plastic input jack wore out several years ago and I replaced it with a sturdier metal one.

I've replaced the preamp tubes once, and the power tubes 3 times, even though they probably had some life left in them. I just feel it's good pactice to put in new EL84s every other year.

The leather handle is showing some wear and I'll replace it someday, too.

It was out of warranty when I bought it.

This is as good a buy as you're likely to find, if the BJ is an amp that covers your needs. If you need tube tone at moderate volume levels for blues, country, or classic rock then it's perfect. It's not suitable for loud bands in medium to large clubs and it's not a distortion amp.

The bottom line is that the Blues Junior is a compact, good looking combo that sounds great and costs little.

This is an update on my first review in 2000. Now that the honeymoon is over I'll tell you the falts I've found in it.

Im calling this features or lack of them.

First thing is that this amp is built very cheap. When I looked in side I found out that they cut corners on the quality, for example the pots are all the plastic carbon type, metal pots even the small ones you find on other circuit board amps would have been a better choice for dependablity. Plastic pot shafts, not metal like they should be. Plastic input jack, that will be a replacement your likely to have to do, find a metal replacement if you have to replace it. It has a thin circuit board and the rest of the componets are the absolute minium values required to make it work, what I mean for example: the resistore and other componets are light duty, like you would find in your cheapest home stereo, something like that. Not very road worthy. Should have been built better inside.

If you have one of these you know they sound great. But for me It could be a little cleaner at higher volume, breaks up a little too much with my SG with HB's. Great tone with stock Strat single coils pups. I swapped the 12AX7's for 12AT7's and that helped, still I would like more clean. But over all great tone.

Fender used to make good quality amps, they were over built and it wasn't an accident that they were. Leo demamded it, CBS continued it, today forget it.

Well so far it has worked with out a problem except for the Reverb broke I think it's in the Reverb Tank, that seems like a common problem with these amps.

I still have all the original EL84's in it and they all check out on the tester like new, same with the original 12AX7's, but I recently replaced them to get a cleaner tone, right.

If you consider how cheap they made this amp it's almost a wonder it hasn't had other problems, but unlike some people I know I take good care of my equipment.

Don't drop it or bump it around, I don't think it will take the abuse.

Since it still works and I like the amp, I'll be nice and give it a 5.

Forget it, I tried to contact Fender about the Reverb problem but I'm a year over the Warrantee, time.

The plus is there are lots of after market companies who can help you with most Fender amps.

From what I know now, I would have gotten a Peavey Classic 30 for almost the same price, they are better built and have more going for them and gig well. I wanted a small amp and this fits the bill, I have enjoyed it for 5+ years and hope it last another 5-10, as far as a giging amp, I've used it but think I'll get something with a little more power to get a cleaner tone, other wise it does the job good enough for small Bars and private parties, we don't play real loud music, but this amp is loud enough for most any gig.

Mine is a 1995 tweed model that I bought used. It's stock, except for the speaker, which is a Jensen C12 and it has a set of RCA NOS power tubes. Also, the previous owner shellacked the tweed, which makes it look like a mid 1950s amp. Otherwise, it's stock. The usual controls and features as listed in all the other reviews.

I use two guitars: a Fender American Series Strat with an ash body and Van Zandt pickups, and a Fender '52 RI Tele with a 4-way switch and stock pickups. My style of play is blues and classic rock.

Both of these guitars sound fabulous through this little amp. I usually leave the Fat switch turned on and the Volume set at about 5, and I adjust the Master for the volume needed for the room. The reverb is pretty weak, so I have it turned up to about 10, but it sounds just right at that setting. Present, but not overpowering like some amps I've used.

What the Blues Junior offers is simply a fine, well rounded tube tone that overdrives nicely at resonable volume levels. My band plays in mostly small to medium sized clubs and this amp is just the thing for my purpose.

I've been using this amp regularly for more than 3 years and it's been perfect. I've replaced the power tubes once, and that's been the only thing I've needed to do.

Long out of warranty

For a low priced, gig-worthy tube amp, this is a great buy. For a weekend warrior like me who has 2-3 gigs per month in small venues, it's perfect. But it's not something the professional musician who's out playing several nights each week would use.

It's not all things for all purposes. But what it does, it does well.

I bought this amp in November of '04 new, so i guess its an '04. Its a pretty straight forward amp, one channel, so not really versitile, but i play with my feet more than with my hands, so the pedals give me the versitily. This amp is sweet, it only does one thing, but it does it well. It's got about everything i was looking for. I used a modelling amp before and it just had too much stuff on it for me to deal with, I had time to dial in the 4 or five knobs on this amp. So far I've used the amp only in practices, jamming with friends, and bedroom playing. This is not a huge amp, and that was a big thing for me. For anyone who actually carts equipment around a lot its perfect. Oh yeah it has the fat switch, an awsome idea. Hard to give this amp a lot of points, because it's a minimalist amp. Not a lot of features.

I've used both humbuckers and single coils through the amp, but mostly single coils. Sounds pretty awsome, gives them such a warm sound, no trebely pain, but you can play with the eq knobs to change that. Its an awsome amp, just really warm, I set it so that its just barley breaking up when you play chords, fat switch on. I took the switch from my peavy and pluged it into the fender and use it as a remote switch. Pretty cool for a bit of a solo boost. I play everything from folk to some weird hardcore metal through it. Mostly just garage rock/punk/folk stuff though. It really makes everything sound great and creamy, or on lower setting, warm and crackly. It's not really noisy at all, but I use single coils, and for some reason manufacturers never bother sheilding the wires in guitars so I deal with a bit of hum. I use a whole lot of pedals and get some hum from them but not much, this amp really lets them shine, especially the fuzz and distortion boxes. There's only the one channel on the amp so it gets distorted as you up the volume. I must say that having a master volume is genius, makes it versitile depending on how much hearing damage you want. The amp's distotion never gets too crazy, at max its a good solid overdrive. Solid sounding amp

I've read the horror stories below, fender is a jerk about cutting corners, I hope people really complain and maybe bring Fender down a couple notches. Too many companies riding on their names. So far I haven't had any problems though. Some of the lettering that's screened on near the knobs is wearing off though. I've had the amp for about 4 or 5 months now, so I guess I should have waited longer to give a review, no big reliablity issues as of yet. The pins on the tubes weren't pushed in too far when i bought it. It stopped making sound once, I pushed in the tubes and all was well again. Its a learnign process as it's my first tube amp.

Haven't had the pleasure yet

I have been playing only 3 years, and I probably own too much equipment compared to how long I've been playing. This is my first tube amp, but I put in the hours at the shops and tried out a lot of stuff. This is my step up from the Peavy transtube i was using before, I really just needed a less artificial amp that could warm up my sound and make my pedals sing, and it did that. I like the fact that you can get the good tone and not the broken ear drums as well. The Blues Jr. is not a tiny sounding amp though. Before I shopped I came on here and read reviews. It's all true. This amp is more than enough volume in my band situations so far. This 30 watt is a lot louder than the 65 watt Peavy solid state. This amp is often up against the Peavy classic 30, and although the Classic 30 has two channels for the same price, you can hear the difference. Fender put everything into the one awsome channel, and peavy split it in two. The Fat switch was a really good idea. I only really use the clean setting because of my pedals so the fat switch gives me something I will use. Its a really good idea. Everything on the amp is stock and so far its lived up to my expectations,. I'm really happy with it. Like evrything though it really isn't worth as much as they sell it for, hard to give it full marks for that.

I suppose a 2004 amp. New amp, exchanges in a shop with my 2001 Hot Rod Deluxe to much loud for the small clubs where I play. Most time my volume was about 2/3 too low for a good valvle sound.
Single channel with bass-mid-treeble eq, pre-volume & master volume. Reverb is good for my needs. A pre-out is the only plus feature I need, to drive a second more powerful amp without extra boxes, when I play in big gigs. I've solved with a Marshall Supervibe box.
Is enough loud for the 80% of all my gigs, with a mike in front ad a good pa system I cover the other 20% with non problems.

A wonderful blues tone. Is perfect for my sound. If you play blues, blues rock o old rock this is a great amp. Is very good as a pratice amp. With master volume at 2 and pre volume at 5 the sound is warm and funny.
I play it with a '79 stratocaster, a '91 G&L Asat Classic and a '00 Stratocaster with Texas Special. Is amazing, I can ear the voice of every single guitar, the HotRod was and "effect" this is an "amp" !
Playing since 1980, mostly rock & blues, this amp let me play better becouse every single note is clear and warm. No noise at master volume to 7/9 and the pre volume to 5/6.
My amp at high volume produce a good saturation, with pre volume at 6 I can turn to 12 the master volume with no distortion, this with single coils pu.

It's a Fender I never had problems with amps o guitars.
I use it as main amp on gigs, but I've planned to bought another, used if I got it at reasonable price, to double it on stage and to experiment some modifications.

2 years warranty.

I'm playing since 1970. I own other two transistor amps: a RokAxe Classic 10watt to pratice and a Fender FM65 as backup or monitor in big gigs.
I've just planned to bough another (used), becouse I love all of this amp. I've bought it for the sound and I've compare only with Peavey Classic 20, but it loose.

1995 Tweed BJr.
Simple Master Volume amp with 3 band tone stack + reverb.

Same features for 10 years of production
(not counting factory PC board layout changes.)

Celestion Greenback.

Got it a month ago, not bad but could be better.

I replaced the 4 power supply capacitors (1 x 47uF, 3 22uF 500V),
and dis the BILLM reverb mod (pre-master signal insertion),
and the V1B cathode Cap mod (change C3 from 22uF to 47uF).

Also replaced all the potentiometers, cause they felt worn.
(found a crack in the volume control's trace.)

Resoldered the input jack, as one lead post was free.

Re-tubed with JJ EL-84's, V1 and V2 =12AX7EH's, a Sovtek 12AX7WA
for the phase inverter.

Sounds much much better now.
Good clean and distorted with either single coil or Humbuchers.

Since I just did the 100,000 mile service on it,
I expect that it's gonna last another 10 years,
with just regular maintainence.

I must say, however, that the PC board is cheesy and
difficult to manuver. The snap-in pots (Alpha 12mm) are cheesy too.
But, all in all, the design works.

DIY warranty.

Fender does not sell parts. But they will refer you to a part
company that is barely in business...

Parts are not expensive and tubes are plentiful, but I did have a hard time obtaining the mini-pots, and the 500V versions of the caps
were not available from the usual sources (like "mouser").

The amp was $150, and the parts cost about $40 (not counting my time).
I already had tubes. So, for about $200 I've got an amp that sounds
really good (not as thin as the new BJr's).
I'm happy with the outcome.
Of course, the amp is no AC-30.

BTW,
I don't suggest that folks that are unfamilliar with high-voltage
circuits go anywhere near the amp's internals. If you need help
seek a pro. The voltages inside even these little amps - can kill.

Mine was made in 1995, so it's one of the older tweed ones. It's versatile up to rock. nothing more. But what it does it does do WELL. I mainly use this in my bedroom and I intend to do small gigs with it. I kinda wish it had Tremolo i think that would compliment the vintagey sound I can get out of it. I wish it had a headphone jack.

I use a Vantage Ghost LP style guitar and a TS-7 Tubescreamer with this. I play everything from blues to all out metal. For blues this amp can't be topped in the price range. The OD is very good, really nails that raunchy blues sound that I adore. When i try to drive it hard I hear some rattling, i'm not exactly sure what it is, but one guy who reviewed it said he thought he heard the filaments rattling in the power tubes. So that might be it.

It's ten years old and still kickin. No corner protectors so the tweed is a little frayed on the edges.

Never Dealt with them.

I have been playing about 2 years. If it was lost or stolen I would prolly save up my money and buy this again. Or something a lot like it. I was going to buy a vox AD30VT but I liked this better, and i got a fairly good price on it.

Not sure of vintage, it is blonde tolex, made in usa. I play blues, rhythm & blues, very borderline jazz, country and just plain old rock n roll. This amp is more versatile than I expected, it even sounds decent with my ES175. It looks great.

I find my American Texas Special Fat Strat performs best with this amp. My Yamaha FX550 just crapped out last week bringing closer to my roots with this little amp and it works just fine. I find when I'm doing a high gain solo that I can hear what appears to be the filaments rattling in the power tubes. The guy that owned the amp before me did a lot of recording. I suspect that's why I got such a good deal on this premium little rocker. Humbuckers don't fare well at high volume with this amp. It's a washout.

I've only used this amp to rehearse and record with. No problems. I wouldn't hesitate to use it at a small gig.

Fender is very good with their warranty work. My Strat needed warranty work and I got to pick the Luthier.

I've been playing longer than I'd like to admit for my skill level; but people seem to like me and keep calling for gigs. I've been fortunate enough to have acquired and held onto a little bit of everything good to great. Gibson, PRS, Martin, Taylor and Fender guitars, basses and amplifiers. I miss my MkIII; but I just don't play venues that large anymore. You can't go wrong with a Fender Stratocaster and any gig worthy Fender amplifier.

This 'little' amp is a powerhouse! I bought it new in March of '04 and play in a 60's pop/retro band. I thought I'd use this amp for rehearsal and my Hot Rod Deluxe for gigs, being as they are both tube amps and I love the tube 60-ish sound. As it turns out, I mic it and use the Blues Jr. for gigs. The reverb went on it and needed to be replaced, so it was out of commision for 2 or 3 weeks, but the repair was covered under the warranty. As others have stated it is a design flaw that perhaps Fender should look at. The repairman told me it was a fairly common problem with the Blues Jr's. The clubs we play are small, but I've used this amp in outdoor venues, (mic-ed), and never had any problems.

I use a Fender strat plus and a Fender re-issue '69 thinline. I love the sound of both from this amp. Sixties music is my forte and the guitars mentioned with the Blues Jr. and my 3 stomp boxes, (Chorus, Digital Delay and Overdrive, DOD pedals), I get all the flair of the 60's I need. This amp is capable of clean sounds and just enough distortion and quite a variety of tones in between. I must sound like a commercial for fender products, but I have not been disappointed by the company yet...and I don't even work for them.

I depend on this amp a great deal. I gig without a backup and when the reverb unit quit on me...it was during a gig. Because I mic the amp the front speakers had reverb from the P.A., but using the amp as my 'monitor' it was sans reverb...It was painful, but I made it through the night. I live in a brutal winter climate region so, I baby this baby. I take the amp inside my house and don't let it live in the band trailer between gigs. Take care of your gear, it will take care of you.

Fender is tops in customer service. Friendly and helpful. Repaired, yes. Under warranty, yes. Authorized service center, close by. Five year transferrable warranty....you can't beat that.

My band plays the top hits of the 1960's, and I've been playing guitar/piano since those songs were on the charts. I own several fender amps, tube and transistor. KORG keyboards and Behringer key amps. Several fender guitars and an Epiphone Dot guitar. Heaven forbid it ever gets lost or stolen, but I would absolutely replace it with the same. I love the compact size and big sound. I have nothing else to add except that I am extremely happy with this amp.

This AMP is marketed exactly for the features it offers. Very simple tone shaping controls, FAT switch (increases gain for smoother leads and a bit louder), Reverb control, Volume (pre-amp gain control) and master volume (overall loudness). Suits me fine, nice and simple and complements my marshall nicely. I give an 8, because it's not a very versatile AMP only having a single channel. Beutiful sparkly clean, but not have good heavy power chord distortion, only just distorting to brekaup. Really a good blues amp and slightly overdriven rock type stuff. Extremely loud, considering I bought it for home use. Mines a 2004 mexican built black with silver face, totally stock.

Sounds absolutely fantastic. Very hard to stop playing when plugged in. I bought to bring out the best in my single coil strats, and in this it does a great job. This amp really sparkles. To some it may be a bit bright, but the tone controls can be easily tweeked to account for this. The only hum I get is typical single coil noise, but only when the volume is right up. Other than this, no background noise at all. It has a really sweet gradient of distortion right up until max, were it starts to breakup. Not a heavy or death metal AMP. With FAT switch in and max gain (volume), great for smooth blues type leads. To me, the reverb is great, when it works!. Very warm and awsome for jangly chord work.

Only had the AMP a short time and the reverb went bust. Reverb is a big part of my sound, so I was pissed of. The input coil in the tank had an open circut. Beats me why Fender put up with this, as it is a common problem, and one that would be easy to prevent with a re-design. For the rest of the AMP, who knows, havn't had it long enough to make a judgement.

Good and bad. The order for the replacement tank went missing in action. After two weaks I rang up the dealer on a Friday, it was re-orderd, and the tank was here on the monday having come half way around the world. It was covered under warranty, so that was a good thing.

I've been playing for twelve years, so it was a real boon to own my first real toob AMP. My other one is a hybrid with a single toob pre-AMP. I absolutely love this beast, If it were nicked, I'd certainly buy another (if I could afford it!). I don't trust the reverb will keep on functioning, but am keeping my fingers crossed. I bought it 'cause someone loaned me a Pro Junior, which I fell in love with. I really wanted a little bit more versatility with similar tones. Never did try any other brands as I am a fender nut anyway, so am biased (Ha Ha, get the pun :-))

Had this 1 day , and I must say , it is does exactly what I thought it would . No fancy built in FX (other than reverb which is fine!!)and a fat switch that adds a bit of gain . Works rather well . The combination of the master and volume knobs gives anything from ultra clean to slight crunch. Not for metal heads , but hey , just use your favourite pedal and instant karma!
It is also very loud for 15 watts . More than adequate for home use or I guess even small pub/club gigs

using a US Telcaster 9std) and a delux Strat Plus (Lace sensors). Play blues /rock / New wave style . I have just replaced a silver face Pro Reverb with this , and I am not at all disappointed with the change . Reverb is not as deep as the pro reverb , and only 1 x 12" speaker probably limits the sound , but it is still excellent

too early to tell . But if it is like other Fender products , it will be around longer than me

N/A - 1 year in UK

Been playing longer than my talent suggest !! I love the amps simplicity and ease with which it can a killer tone . It really is a blues amp. I would buy again if stolen . I sound better already.

This is a no frills amp. It does what it says on the lid. Paid 200 english pounds for it and it rocks

I play a fender custom shop nocaster and a gibson ES335. The sounds from this little amp put a lot of larger amps to shame. because of the low wattage you can really push the little mother flipper and get a really sweet warm clean valve sound it has that wonderful chime bell like quality. Turn up the gain and you get a lovely blues sound. It cant compete with my Marshall TSL100 for the real dirt, and bottom end,but this little amp is pure nectar to the ears if you want a real valve sound at low volumes. Thats not to say that its a quiet amp, it can happily keep up with a drummer in the practise room or a small gig. Mine has had a few tweaks/customizations.

Its not a heavy metal amp (you can use any old shite as long as its loud for that) but if you love the classic sound of the electric guitar it wont let you down.

no problems so far

No idea, no problems so far

A great little amp, not for Nu Metal, which sucks any way. But for people who want the real sound of valves with out upsetting the the entire street this amp rules. It loud enough to do samll gigs, and mike it up for large venues. It rocks full stop, and thats the bottom line.

See other reviewers for features - I will note that my new Blues jr amp can be disconnected from the stock speaker and run into an extension cab, but this black tolex silver-grill model I just bought comes with a Fender Special Design Gold reissue speaker, and it sounds GREAT! Deep full bass and clean highs. Forget about the Jensen speaker replacement- the new stock speaker is WAY better than I expected from a $400 tube amp!

Reverb doesnt work at all, but Im actually grateful- dont know if the tank is broken or if it was never wired, but nothing happens when I turn the reverb knob all the way up on the amp. From what I remember the reverb sounded like wet shallow crap on a floor model I tested 3 years ago.
Im not returning the amp just for the reverb because everything else works fine- the amp is VERY loud, and the tone is fantastic. I have an Electro Harmonic Deluxe Memory Man analog delay, and chorus and flanger pedals so I dont need the reverb anyway. And I have plenty of overdrive pedals. A solid state Fender amp NEEDS reverb, but not a Fender tube amp. The amp is VERY loud- I suspect the excellent 12 inch speaker has ALOT to do with the volume the amp can produce. Kudos to Fender for improving this amp over the years- and thank God I waited until now to get this amp with the reissue Fender Gold special design speaker.

Reverb doesnt work at all. The tubes get really hot without even playing the guitar- Hot Rod series for sure.
My Crate V-58 amp (6 watts Class A) has better harmonics than the Fender amp. The Crate amp is for heavier blues or classic rock while the Fender is for cleaner blues and rock.

The Fender sounds better, clearer than my Marshall AVT 50 watt amp, unless Im CRANKING the Marshall. The Marshall needs high volume to sound good- the Fender sounds good at all volumes.
I dont care about the reverb on the Fender amp. I use a 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar which has great electronics. Been playing 25 years and counting. I play blues and rock, lots of lead guitar, some rhythm. I own tons of effects pedals like the Fulltone Soulbender and Roger Mayer Spitfire fuzzes, as well as a dozen overdrive pedals like the Banzai Cold Fusion and the Maxon OD-820.

This blues jr. has the cream colored board, I believe it was made in 2003. Made in Mexico. There's no headphone jack, but you can turn it down enough and still get a good tone. There's a "FAT" switch, which performs like a loudness button on your radio.It's cool but, I seldom use it. I use this amp for practice at home, playing blues, jazz and alittle rock and roll. It's plenty loud for me- I seldom get it above 4. It's a "personal amp".

I use a modified lite-ash strat with alnico 2 pickups. I replaced the solid state rectifier in the amp with a 5Y3 tube. That mod was alittle involved (had to add a 5V filament transformer and centertap the primary, etc.) but was well worth it. It lowered the bias and seemed to open it up. On occasion(when I'm pissed), I can crank it pass,say, 7 and get some awesome natural distortion. If you do the rectifier swap, the tube WILL make it have more noise, of course. It's a nonissue around volume level 3 or 4, where I usually play. A hole got punched through my original speaker soon after I got it. I replaced it with a vintage 1961 Jensen P12Q, while the original was off getting reconed by Weber. The Jensen was in immaculate shape, it's sound was pretty good-maybe a touch too "dark", though. Once I got the original back from Weber, I slapped that baby in and WOW! They (Weber) did a fantastic job! A Weber reconed(no doping) Fender Special Designed Eminence is the way to go.I did the tube exchanges-currently having a NOS 12AT7 in V1, EH 12AX7 in V2 and a 5751 in V3 with J.J. power tubes. To tell you the truth, I really don't hold much stock in the power and preamp tube replacement game. Maybe, I haven't found the right combination. Difference in tones are slim,if any. I also replaced the reverb tank with a larger one(about twice the size of the original). That helped. This amp is well suited for the type of music I play-I like it clean. With all the mods I'll give it a 10. But stock, I'll rate it as a high 8.

I have had this little jewel for alittle over a year, with nary a problem. Seems to be very reliable.

Never dealt with 'em. You can go to www.mrgearhead.com to obtain the wiring diagrams and schematics, if your so inclined. I'm sure my warranty is blown to hell with all the mods I've done.

Been playing for about 8 years. If it was lost or stolen, I'd buy it again. It's a good, inexpensive all tube amp that produces good clean tones. It can get loud enough for your house or a small gig. Anything other than that, you probably need a microphone. It's an excellent practice amp fo' da blues.

2003 made.

not "versatile", but has good basic tone. preamp doesnt do high gain distortion, just "overdrive" tones. poweramp saturation kills, and you can get it at managable levels. versatile enough for me.

it's a damn good amp for playing bluesy rock stuff, take the preamp to halfway ish, crank poweramp, use the volume on guitar to control. very versatile for that kinda music.

but i dont use the amp like that. i run it clean (the preamp at 2 to 3 ish with cranked master). this makes a pretty "saturated" clean tone, lots and lots of harmonics, and a teeny hint of breakup. i run my pedals thru it and use them to create various tones. so basically i use the amp for a basic sweet clean tone to build on.

it has one channel, but i run it clean and use pedals, so i don't mind. it does have a "fat" switch tho, raises the gain a little bit. it doesnt have an effects loop, and sometimes i wish it has one. no headphone jack, but you can mod it yourself and add one if you really want.

i use this amp everywhere, at home, band jams/practices, and gigs. this definately has enough power for ANY situation. it's a fairly bright amp, so it cuts through the mix quite well. loud enough to compete with a loud drummer, and small/mid sized gigs. if you're playing a gig that's too big for the Blues Junior, there will definately be a decent sized PA system anyway, so just mike it.

i mainly use this rig:
squier 20th anniversary strat with seymour-duncan JB jr. in bridge, into...
-->Vox V837 Wah (im gonna truebypass it ASAP)
-->Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
-->Boss DS-1 Distortion
-->Boss EQ-7 Equaliser
-->Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
-->Electro-Harmonix Stero PolyChorus

...and then into the blues junior.

now... a lot of poeple say the tone is a bit too "boxy".
Before you change speakers, buy cabs...

DO THE BILLM TONESTACK MODS.

before you start complaining about your tone...
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/machrone/bluesjunior.htm

DO THE MODS.

pretty dependable. has never broken down yet. ive had it for quite a while now, nearly a year i think.

no opinion here.

if it were stolen or lost, id definately buy it again.
i love it mainly for the basic decent tube tone and the poweramp saturation. i dont really hate it, but i suppose the reverb could be a bit better (it's not too bad, but definately not "fender" reverb).

and one last thing
it's LOUD. class A all tube into a 12inch speaker. the volume is nearly comparable to most other 50 watt combos.

1st or second year made, tweed covered, speaker jack, footswitchable mid boost (fat switch) I have been able to use this amp in every situation from bars to 10,000 seat arenas

I play a les paul dc faded with p90's and a PRS MaCarty. I think this amp was made for p90's, it sounds better than any other amp I have tried for styles I play which include all but shred trash metal but with my original ts9 I can do that too. It's all in your hands anyhow. No more noise than any other tube amp. Live or to tape, this is the best and one of the first el84 based designs of which there are now too many to worry about. If you don't like this amp you need to practice.

Why fender dosen't build it with a better, deeper cab and metal jacks and chassis mounted pots ect come on guys you have awinner here. Build like you mean it. Had to replace input jack and tube sockets suck, tubes rattle if I don't bend pins to secure them, lost retainer years ago, but it has been ABUSED and with a little common sense retro fitting it will last forever.

20 year player. Owned every other amp from silvertone 1 12 to boogie mk4. Still have a Gibson GA-18 1959, use two bj's live, split with a pearl dual delay. Les Paul-Boss CS3-TS-9-Pearl-bjx2 and there you have all I ever needed. I would love to have all of these amps that are sitting unappreciated please call me I'll come get them.

This amp was made in the USA in 2001. I play classic rock, metal, and blues. The features on this amp are basic, but adequate for a small tube amp. As far as power goes this baby has more than enough power for me. I play at home and rarely need to crank it to the max.

I play an American Deluxe Fat strat, and a Jackson RR5. The sound of this amp is excellent. It suits my musical tastes great. The clean sound is really nice, and when going dirty you can crank the volume and saturate the tubes to get great tone.

This is where my amp takes a huge nose dive. The plastic input jack retaining nut broke free after a few months. This caused the instrument cable to not be firmly supported in the jack which loosened the soldering points. This results in the sound going on and off, as well as huge amounts of feedback at times. Very annoying, and dissapointing. Also not easily fixed as the input jack is soldered directly to the circuit board.

The cost of shipping makes it hardly worth having it fixed on warranty.

If not for the lousy build quality I would give this amp a great overall rating. I love the sound, but definitely would not gig with this amp.

A basic tube amp with solid state circuit driven reverb.
The usual controls, no stand-by switch, no ext. speaker.
Nice 15W practice amp for home use. Easy to carry.
Should be mic'ed for playing with a band.

Replaced the original speaker with Celestion Vintage-30 (40 euros): A noticeable change. Totally different amp. More power, definition and vibe.
Replaced the power tubes with JJ's: Not a big change.
Replaced the first pre-amp tube with a Svetlana after testing 5-6 different makes: A little bit mellower sound.

Axes: Fender Stratocaster 1986.

Styles: Instrumental, blues, jazz, pop

Nice clean sound.
Short reverb tank + a solid state circuit do not make an ideal combination.
The Fat switch which activates a solid state circuit never used
Vintage Tube Screamer used for distortion.

Quite optimal solution if you are looking for a reasonably-priced portable tube amp and are willing get mic'ed!

I've used the amp for 2 years wothout any problems.

No experience.

Got my 1st axe 25 yeas ago.

After the modifications the amp does what it is expected to do.
A reasonably-priced tube combo that has a good clean sound.
Great for late-night practising because it delivers in very low volumes, too! Would by it again.
I wish it had an external speaker jack and a tube-driven reverb circuit.

Master, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb. Fat switch. Simple, and they work well. I don't buy 15 watt amps for their complexity!

I got one of the Made in USA models with the Rev D board, so no modifications required.

Woa. I didn't have much comlaint about the sound with the stock tubes, but after I put in an NOS Mullard AT7 (only Mullard I can spare right now), a Sovtek AX7LPS in V2, and a GE NOS 5751 in V3, this thing sounds beautiful. The key to these new amps is to put NOS tubes in them. There is just no comparison to the sound you will get that way. It's one reason the botique amps sound so good - and the secret to the old sounds of the blackface and plexi era. Just go to any of the well respected botique makers and you will see NOS tubes being put in.

The clean is beautiful and articulate. Smooth, rich, warm. The driven sounds aren't very driven at the moment due to my hodgpodge tube arrangement. As soon as I can get all NOS AX7 tubes for it, I suspect it will sound perfect. That Sovtek doesn't break up too well.

Don't know. Not crazy about plastic sockets for tubes.

For ~200 on the used market, this little jewel is a great find. Put good quality NOS tubes in it and you will love the sound.

Not sure about the year - probably sometime in the 20th Century. I got the Limited Edition Blues Jr. with the purple tweed covering and the 13 & a-half inch speaker. Completely awesome!! I use it mainly as a PA to call Bingo at the local V.F.W.

When I plug a guitar into it, I typically use a Coral sitar from the 60's. It has the standard 6 strings, but I can really space out and get my vibe on when I randomly strum the 13 sitar strings and howl my mantra. This particular Blues Jr. is completely quiet. There's no hiss - you can't even tell it's on. On this model, I noticed that when I would turn up the Clean channel, it would distort. And on the flip side, when I turned up the Distort channel, it was clean. I tracked the problem; it seems the purple color of the tweed was screwing up the electronic response of the channels. So I dyed the tweed a natural-tweed color, and all of a sudden it began working better. I do miss the custom purple tweed color, though. Also, I pulled a couple of tubes out of my Sony Walkman and changed out the ones that were in the amp, and the sound was sooooo much better!

It's a very dependable little box. I've never had a problem with it yet on my gig at the V.F.W., though one old geezer who had one too many tripped and fell into it one night. I heard a bunch of stuff fall down in the back of it (sounds of glass and metal hitting wood), and it's had a peculiar rattle to it ever since, but never fails to work perfectly everytime! I've begun setting an oscillating fan behind it now to disseminate the smoke while it's turned on. Other than that, I'd say it's quite reliable.

Fender folks are the best. When I told them about the purple dye in the tweed causing problems, they promptly sent me a bottle of natural-tweed dye. They also supplied the schematics for changing out the tubes with those from portable CD players. They think of everything.

I've been playing since I was a little child. First it was Lincoln logs, then Legos, toy trains...I guess I've played for most of my life. I also own a Marshall amp that I nailed to a telephone pole out back of my house. The extra wood from the pole really makes a nice soundin' board, and some evenings the family and me pull up lawnchairs and sit around it listening to various Mexican radio stations it picks up. If my Limited Edition Blues Jr. were ever stolen, I would probably replace it with one of those totally rad' beltclip Fender amps. I'm a sucker for portability.

Same old features. Blues Jr. Tube amp, Vintage Style. etc.

Using a Telecaster custom. Sounds awful weak compared to Marshall AVT series. Clean sounds alright.

Reverb was broken when I got it. Things rattling around inside. STickers for numbers on dials fall off easily. Cheap chrome and stickers for numbers are very dissapointing. Controls are upside down. BOOooooo.

Sent it back to were I got it. I now have a Marshall AVT50. Nothing compares to the Marshall.

Played for 5 years. Would never buy this again. Poor quality from a famous name.

i have a tweed blues junior and its pretty cool for what i paid . i keep it on my navy ship so i dont have to bring my pre cbs fenders . typical deep fender reverb , the fat switch is just that gives it some balls.

i play blues and go between two strats one with texas specials and one with those new fender pickups ,pretty good strat tones . a real 63 sg junior , the p90 rocks through this one not quite as much as my 15 watt marshall but cool otherwise . the les paul is creamy and smooth . i hope my 52 tele reissue sounds as cool when i get it next week . a 1 at low volumes but crank it a little and it sounds real nice

dont gig with it so i dont know i leave that duty to vintage ptp amps . i dont know about this one because ive had trouble with pcb amps but all i do with this one is play it so i dont worry to much

havent had to yet and wouldnt anyway if it blows up it gets rebuilt with a ptp board . those you dont have to worry with .

ive been playing almost 20 years . i have a 63 sg junior , a late fiftys epiphone , les paul standard premium plus , american standard strat with an ash body , a strat plus with texas specials , a les paul special and a 52 tele reissue , amps a marshal studio 15 , a 63 gibson amp , the blues junior and a 1965 fender bandmaster (pre cbs) .im building a 59 bassman this winter and a high power twin to go with the tele . i would buy the amp again if i had it to do over . its a good player to goof around on .

I have used the Blues Junior since it was first issued (around 1995)and have surprised every musician and soundman with the sound delivered from 15 watts. I have played rock, blues/rock, and blues with this amp. I play very authentic sounding Hendrix (feedback and all), SRV, and blues using the Blues Jr.

Great tone without blowing the hearing of the audience. Changed the stock speaker to Celestion Vintage 30 (16 ohm) and y'd in a Vibro King 2-12 extension cabinet with Celestion Vintage 30s (the stock speaker is ok but the amp really opens up with a Jensen or Celestion). My settings for the Master run 4-6 and the Volume run 6-8, FAT switch always on, Reverb at 1-2, tone controls depend on the room. Pedal chain includes VOX V846 (Italian), TS-808, Marshall Bluesbreaker (a great pedal!), MXR Distortion+, MXR Micro Amp, MXR Phase 90, and Ibanez EM-5. All tubes are stock.

I have never had a problem.

No problems, thus no need to call customer support. The 5-year Fender warranty is a great coverage.

Been playing for 30+ years and have other great amps (1960 Concert, 1966 Super Reverb, 1982 Marshall JCM 800) but always use the Blues Junior for gigs and jams. I have played small clubs, outdoor beer gardens, and small pro concert venues without problem. In the mid- 90s I played a weekly blues jam...five players ended up purchasing Blues Juniors after hearing mine. Walked into a pro-club for an open stage blues jam with a full sound system...the soundman chuckled when I told him I had a 15 watt amp...the other 2 players had 40 and 60 watt amps...the soundman asked me to turn it down! Hands down, a great amp! For most playing situations, plenty of volume...if you need more, mike it (I rarely run through the PA)!

This is a brand spanking new amp - ITS A BLUES JR RELIC, so it comes with a JENSEN speaker, it looks like a beat to hell tweed. It has the std FAT switch and basic controls. I like things simple.

I use it with the built in Jensen and ran my ALTEC extension cab. With a Fulltone 2 I can honestly say I can go from chimey Jeff Buckley Tele sounds to Santana rich leads. I am shocked! It is low power, and ya it a'int a CARR or MATCHLESS but its hella versatile. I play everything from straight R&B to ROCK. see www.olinmusic.com

Sound is amazing for the price

I dunno so far but I have loved all my fenders

Amazing versatile amp. Very small and very strong. With the Jensen alone it gives very stones-y kinda chimey sounds. I use it with a PRS and a Tele 52 RI or a 54 Strat RI. Makes a Les Paul sound very sweet and bell like PAF (ala my Dimarzio Virtual PAFs - great pickup btw). I love its portability. Low in power. The Relic looks awesome. I fooled a lot of people into thinking it was a more expensive vintage - so don't let marketing hype fool you. Great amp so far!

This is a 95-96 model stock rev B green board. It is versatile because I don't use the amp by itself (see below). I play in a couple of bands that play at low stage volume (we have everything miked except drums). The way it is used is important to note because of all the talk of speaker and tube changes as well as the mods that have been recommended (billm etc).

I have a Epi dot, G&L bluesboy, and a 56 Fender lap steel. I play blues and contemporary music. My amp is not noisy. I bought it off of ebay a couple of years ago and the guy I bought it from said the reverb was quiet on this one (He was honest). I don't play the volume and master above 5 in the band situation, however I do crank it once in a while, it does make some noise above 7, but not a lot. This is where I would like to make my point about tone. I changed the speaker to a Greenback and I put some JJ's in. These changes made the amp a bit tighter and stronger. However the amp is a bit boxy sounding without the magic box. I know this area is not suppose to be about effects, but I got to tell you that I think that putting my Digitech RP300 in front of the Blues Jr. makes more difference than all the upgrades and mods you could come up with. As players we are working to make the whole package work toward a sound that makes our ears happy. This is the 21st century, why not use the tools. I don't get it sometimes why guys want to twiddle with circuits when the answer to great tone and versatility might just be a fairly inexpensive effects unit. Anyway I cannot crank this amp in the bands I play into get to tone heaven(way too loud above 4-5). The amp is a good solid platform to build useful sounds. I am happy with it.

No issues with reliability.

Fender sent some manuals that I requested. That was nice.

I have been playing since about 1965 (yeah,yeah,yeah). Instruments listed above plus an Electra Bass and Hartke A35 amp. I love the size,weight,price,useability,sound. I like the fact that Fender hit a nice balance at the price point(We can afford it yeah,yeah,yeah).
I chose this because I had a real blackface super reverb in my youth. I will never stop feeling sorry that I sold it. I would never lug the super around. I would just sit and look at it and turn it on once every 6 months. My only add is that before you upgrade speakers,tubes,and tear the amp apart to change the circuit try some magic boxes. Remember Fender improved the circuit on the NEW silverface line (and they were professionals).

I think the features have been covered - maybe a little too much. I did make a few changes. I started with the cabinet. I wanted wood, so I made one out of birch plywood and covered it with black tolex ($100 for cab). The speaker sounded harsh, so I bought a Celestion GT-75 for it ($95). The stock tubes are crap, so I bought Mullards and used them for preamp tubes ($90). I swapped out the stock Groove Tubes power tubes for JJs.

I am rich so I have just about every guitar there is. If I want to see how a particular guitar sounds through it, I just buy it, then return it or sell it on ebay. I do the same with amps. I play mostly disco and rap music, some jazz and blues, and death metal/thrash/screach this isn't music anymore, just noise. I dunno, I think I need to replace all the ceramic caps with paper caps, and all the resistors with American made silicon ones. I may also change the tone stack. Sound is blah blah blah. I use an LP and American Deluxe Fat strat, they sound ok I guess, kinda sorta. The diodes seem kinda cheap too, so they will be replaced.

It cuts out now and then, but what do you expect after a year? It hisses at me all the time.

I got the schematic from Fender. I did all the mods myself, so who needs support? If it craps out I just throw them out.

Iv'e been playing about a month now, I got this for my 16th birthday.I pretty much know everything about amps by now. Much more than you old tube geezers will know in a lifetime of "I give it a 10 becuase it sounds like my Marshall/Mesa/Bogner what-ever" I have already hand wired 3 amps similar to Fenders old AB763 circuit. Piece of cake. Point-to-point is the only way to go. These PCB amps have a looooong way to go, but with about $200-500 worth of mods, they might sound ok, I guess. What-ever.

Just to address what was said in an a review a couple down from this. I used to work at guitar center (I quit because of the schmuck factor. That and the green ooze dripping off all the salespeople :) ) Anyway, I wanted a little tube amp and the blues junior had all the features I needed. I looked up cost, and GC only makes about $45 in profit on these things. So I suspect that fender doesn't make a huge profit off them either since they probably sell their biggest volume of them to GC and Musicians Friend. Anyway, they are good amps, not the shit, but good for the price. I ended up getting a classic 30 and doing a mod to make the OD channel sound close to the BJ. Same price range, but don't be discouraged. The BJ is a solid little amp for the money. Do the BILM mod and they sound fantastic.

Who ever wrote the "WOW 400 Dollars" review, below, is right on the money, and gave me a real good laugh!
Thanks Buddy!

The Blues Jr is made of the finest quality Fender Stem Cells.
It features pre-digested Alpo in a notable reverb sauce.

I play a Coors StratPaul with KellyRippa pickups and it's the
cat's aargggh! I play with the amp on zero and the stereo on 10
while dancing in front of a mirror wearing only a pyrimid and face smeared with strawberry from 'Little Debbie' jelly rolls.

Fender, having sealed the internal components is a glass of fetid cabbage juice, has made a most reliable salad. Leslie West has chucked his diet as we speak...

Fender is the most people oriented mega-corporation that the third world stone from the sun has ever singed itself on. A Monolithic Corporation, devoid of heart and soul, building products of expression. Go figure...

Actually, I've 2 BJ'rs. An older Green board one and a newer cream board one. Both are tubed with 12AX7EH's and JJ EL-84's. The green board one (Celestion Greenback and Billm Tonestack mod)) sounds best with single coils, while the cream board one (Celestion V30) sounds best with Humbuckers. Both amps played together really compliment each other. Neither one has ever had a minuite of unscheduled down time. Great bang for the buck.

WOW!400 dollars at G center-therefore they paid 150 bucks for it
Fender sold for 150 bucks,therefore it cost them 50 bucks to make it
20 of those 50 bucks were for man labor and shipping across seas-
so figure the speaker mabe cost ten bucks,maybe less,and a 20 dollar preamp-though from what I remember its not really an "all tube" amp-all tube amps have a tube rectifier and sometimes a tube phase splitter I think its called-what makes my amazing sound is a printed pc board that can also be found in 7$ radioshack calculators and toy remote control cars-old school amps had point to point wirring,which means some time and product cost went into them-Ive been playing for 63 years and its great!though I forget what my older amps sound like

Ive been playing for 72 years,I use to own a pevey practice solid state amp that I bought last year-I put some christmas lights in the back to look like tubes and wow!what a tonal differnce-and this amp it the same-there are glowing tubes back there so therefore I can tell you that it sounds good!great!amazing!I play my $100K 59 les paul standard through it and wow,it was like they were made for each other!actually I bought the junior on musicians friend and am waiting for it to be delivered,but its a tube fender!so I can tell you now its sounds great!!!!!!!

Ive been playing for 83 years I can tell you this amp is rock solid!
If anything should brake inside it no matter what part it is it will only cost me 50 bucks or less to replace it.

its great!Fender plus tubes means its great!its better than any old fender,ampeg,gibson amps-those suck-I know,Ive been playing for 81 years-those old amps back then in there day cost adeast a grand + each-which could be about 2-3000 dollars in todays money-so now if you spend 500 bucks on an old school amp ,not only have you bought an amp for for about what it cost them to make it in their day's money value ,yove of gotten a $3000 amp for 500 bucks-why do that?you can buy an amp that cost 50$ to make for your $400-hey,its a fender,it sounds great!

Basic features to be expected from this portable size.

I play a very nice Fender American Fat Strat Deluxe. The combo is very clean but very bland. Couldn't get any natural overdrive from it. Got a lot of hiss from the second one though. See Reliability below. Very limited in what it can do on its own i.e. just clean. Basically you need effects pedals to do anything else.

Very unreliable. The reverb on the first one I got didn't work so I had to exchange it. The reverb on the second one I got worked but it had a very annoying hiss even with everything turned right down. Perhaps Fender didn't bias the tubes right. So I took it back again. By this time I had gotten fed up with Fender Blues Juniors so I got a Crate V1512 instead.

A bland, unreliable basic portable amp with no variety.
I'm actually glad the two Fender Blues Juniors didn't work properly because the Crate V1512 is way better with richer tones, more variety and character in the sound and it is reliable.

Not Bare bones, but not many features either but who needs features when it sounds as great as this

tried it with a les paul, a strat, an esp kh-2 and they all sound great. i have had many amps, marshalls, mesas, vox, line 6, but none have a warm overdrive perfect for blues like thi little amp. don't let the price fool it a real amp, and real loud for 15 watts

just got it

fender won't help you but there are plaety of forums that will.

it is a great value and it sounds incredible stock, i can just imagine what mods will make sound like

Basic features but delivers a good sound for a small amp.

The stock sound is good but if you realy want it to sound great put in a set of JJ Tesla tubes and definately change the speaker. The stock speaker is okay but I threw in a Celestion Vintage 30 and now this amp sings and doesn't break up. The reverb on the amp is basic and I changed my with a three spring reverb that I purchased from ebay through Curtis Lauer. This guy makes great reverb tanks that are easy to change and I can now play surf guitar through this small amp.

Very dependable and a great practice amp or small gigging amp. I would definately change the speaker if you use it to gig as it will greatly improve your tone.

Never dealt with Fender's support but I'm sure they would be good.

Stock this is a good amp but modified and it becomes a great amp. I play a 62 reissue strat with Lindy Fralin blues pickups and a custom shop Robert Cray strat (way better than the Mexican production model) through the amp and it sounds great just running straight through.

the features of this amp are slim, but it delivers great, great tube-tone. i play fender teles and strat plus lapsteel in two bands in germany. the only thing i am missing is a second input, so i don`t have to unplug guitars, when changing to lapsteel. but i knew this when i bought it. so what.....

i play retro-bluesish music and singer-songwiter type of stuff, alt. country and bluesrockish music and with all kinds of fenders and various lapsteel guitars, old framus babies made in the fifties in germany. the amp is very capable to sound in differend, very satisfactory ways: you can get choppy rhythms a pretty high volumes, very nice "Lindley-CooderLowell-George"-slidetones and a excellent "workhorse"-bluesrock-sound. i owned nothing but music man amps before, and it was impossible to get the sounds i needed so easily!!!! this amp really does the trick for little money and it sounds loud enough for small clubs even since the other guitarman in my band plays a twin reverb! time passed and then i startet to fiddle with the amp: i put a celestion vintage 30 into the cab and that was a huge improvement to a already good sounding little amp. and then a miracle happened (to say it a bit dramatically): i ebayed a used handmade full-wood laquered tweed cabinet made by clarkamplification. now this really dit THE trick in a mayor way!!!! suddenly the whole amp sounds much bigger, better and more open. it seems that the structure of the wood has a big influence to the sound. we compared the amp to a couple of others, victoria, for example, and it can stand the race no problem! so here is my little tip: if you plan on souping up a blues jr. try another cab first! it is very easy to do and has a really huge influence! i wonder what happens, if i put really good tubes into the thing, but i can't complain in this department. also the reverb sound much, much better in the clark-cab.

so far no problems, but whem we took the amp apart, it was very visible to see the weak spots in the construction: all pots are connected directly to the "motherboard". so if anything goes wrong, there is no way to easily repair a pot, i would say... but all pots are hidden safely in the cabint so one has to be areal butcher to break them off or do harm to them.

got no idea, since the amp is so heavily modified, it will be hard to get any support.

well i play for thirty years, always in bands . i own a pro jr. stock as well, plus a couple of music man amps. i have a couplke of fenders (tele strat) ans three lapsteels. i am really sorry, that i did not own the little fender amps for a longer time before, because now my sound is the best i ever had. man, i use the juniors in stereo and that blows my mind everytime i plug in. even my bandmates are happy, because the sound happens at low volumes and is very full. i can really recommend the blues jr. as a fully capable amp for all situations. if i would buy one new, i would let the dealer change the emeinence speaker for a celestion before taking it home. evn without the cap-change the amp was really great, life and during rehearsals ans inspired me to play with more fun and joy. hopefully the pot-motherboard-situation will make no troubles, all the rest is good.

I give it a 9 instead of a 10 only because I wish it had an ext speaker jack. I also think it would be nice to have the FAT pedal jack easier to get to. Other than that this amp deliveres what it is aimed at in spades.

As it comes stock I give it an 8. This is a seriously great sounding amp. Stock it is wonderful and covers the famous Fender soundscape famously. After I did the BILM mod (I only did the fixed bias and tone stack mod as I'm too lazy to do anything else to this amp.
With this mod I cooled down the Bias down to about70% voltage at idle
and stuck a set of JJ tubes in both POWER section and Pre section)
These Mods turned this amp into a Blackface Princeton Reverb with none of the issues of an ancient amp (and believe me, I have plenty of them). There's no need to do any mods to this amp though I just couldn't leave it alone. The stock 12" speaker sounds great with my Gibson Les Paul! I'll shave a little off for the sound with my Strats with the stock speaker but when I hook up my open back 2x12 loaded with Electro Harminix Vintage 30 clones: Oh.... My.... GOD!!! What a sound. Try it with my all original 1964 Fender Jazzmaster and it brings me back to my 1st birthday!!
This is a seriously great blues amp at an excellent price and with an hour to spare and $5.00 worth of parts you get the feel of a black face era fender with none of the age associated issues.

Never Had a Problem with mine and It is used regularly for guitar students at my studio

Can't rate it as I haven't ever need help from Fender for any Fender amp I've ever had. By Fender Stable at this time consists of: 1968 Bassman ( Silverface AC568), 1966 Bassman(Blackface AB165), 1972 Dual Showman Reverb (TFL500D),Late 1980's Twin, so the Blues Jr. is in good company and it's right up there with them in terms of great ampness

What more is there to say? Best value out there at this time!!
If they'd fix the noise issue with the Pro Jr. They'd be the best tandem ever.

Made before 2001 - The usual -

Update to earlier submission (search for Flying V98)

Changed the EL84's to JJ Tesla's, and picked up a G212H cab from Avatar with Celestion Blue Alnico's. The Blues Jr sounds fantastic! The stock speaker that came with it isn't as bad as some assert, but mine lacked articulation, and got muddy on the low end. The JJ Tesla el84's brightened the tone a bit, but the alnico's allowed the real ability of the Blues Jr to come out. Creamy yet articulate - really nice throaty Fender sound!

Been beating on this for years - no problems since I bought it in early 2001.

Haven't needed it

With a few tweeks, the Blues Jr can't be beat for the price

Tube amp, no features as such just simple basic design. EQs master vol and volume to control the gain. Comes with reverb and fat switch for fuller tone.

Don't let the size fool you i've used these amps in a variety of setting and people are always blown away by the tone. I use two teles a 52 and a US one. The US gives a great modern bright ballsy tone and the 52 is great for that Steve Cropper thing. I also use a Les Paul which crunches the amp up for classic rock, think Jimmy Page and Paul Kossoff of Free. I use a bluesbreaker pedal to push it for solos which is great. I play blues rock and these amps are great for country, blues, jazz and rock. They do everything except heavy rock. I've never had to push the master volume past four and i play with a loud drummer. They really cut through. If your after that Kieth Richards, Ryan Adams Gold or SRV sound these amps are a must have. Forget Bassmans, super reverbs and Plexis. If you want classic sounds without being heard two towns over these are great.

The only bad thing about these amps is that they buzz quite alot. I use a stereo pair and they really buzz like that. On their own they are quite quiet.

Never had a problem and i tour all around the UK and US. Works great every night.

Never had a need for support so far.

If it were stolen i would get a new one. I love the simple amps. This amp is all about tone. Why by a solid state amp with hundreds of sounds when you will only use a few. This has a great overdrive and a great clean sound, both classic Fender. I 've used plexis, bluesbreakers and bassmans, these are great when your listening to Clapton or SRV but for todays player in a club or smaller venue they are not very suitable. I play in large and small venues and these do it all.

The features have been listed too many times already, and really, there aren't any extras-just a one channel amp with reverb and a "fat" switch to boost the signal.
I gave this an 8 because i believe if you are going to have a footswitchable option on an amp (the fat switch), then a footswitch should be included with the amp. For this amp, you have to pay another $50 just for the one button footswitch.
Also, the reverb is not footswitchable, another gripe of mine.

I absolutely love the sound of this amp! I've only used it at low to moderate volumes so far, but it has a beautiful sound, and i can't wait to get a high-end strat style guitar to play through it. Right now, i'm just using a Danelctro or Ibanez RG into a Fulltone Fulldrive-2 into it, and it handles the overdrive wonderfully. I only use my fingers for picking, and whether clean, or with the Fulldrive, the amp allows my sound to come through.
I like the fat switch, although with the Fulltone it's kind of unneccesary. If i get a chance to really crank the amp, i'm going to try it with just the fat switch and see how well it does.
My gripe in this area is the reverb. It only sounds good to me at low settings (up to about 3), after that it destroys the tone of the guitar.

Only had it about 2 months now, and only used it at home. So far, no problems. Having read a thousand of these reviews before buying it, the first thing i did when i got it home was to check the screws and see if any needed to be tightened, and sure enough, there were a few that i was able to tighten somewhat. Don't know if that would've affected the sound or not, and didn't want to take any chances.

Haven't dealt with them. The main webpage doesn't seem too in-depth, but i follwed links to a discussion forum about this amp, and that was full of info.

Overall, i think this is a great amp, for what it is. You won't go throwing your Bad Cat in the trash for this, but for it's size and intentions, i think it shines.
The most important thing to me is that the amp lets the sound of my fingers on the strings ring true, and this amp definitely does that. If it was stolen, i would definitely buy another. Also, i think it's loud enough for small clubs, and if miked, for medium-large clubs. I like the fact that it can be used for low-voulme practicing as well as for playing out if need be.

Already been said. Mine is basically a Limited Edition Tweed with the Jensen and Groove Tubes If you want a KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) amp, this is your baby. If you want buzzers, bells, whistles, can openers, blenders, nuclear technology, etc., look elsewhere. Don't buy this, then rate it a three for lack of features. Rate it for what it is, guys. I wanted something simple, uncluttered, with nads. The BJ suits me fine. I'm going with a 10 because it delivers the goods for what I ask of it.

I'm a dinosaur, weaned on the blues and '60s rock. I play a Tele Nashville Deluxe, which is a great marriage of a versatile guitar and a no-nonsense amp. This little amp sounds fantastic when used with a vintage, mid-'70s Marshall 4x12 cabinet. I've never been huge on pedals, but have learned to appreciate an EQ pedal and chorus (the latter sparingly). I'm a graduate of the garage band school of rock and roll, where you learn to get the sounds from the guitar and amp, without a ton of stomp boxes. With the Marshall cab, this is a 12!

So far, so good.

Don't know.

I've played Marshall plexi stacks (still my favorite, but I'm too old and weak to haul all of it around), Fender Twins, DeVilles and an ancient Bandmaster, a Peavey Bandit, an old Ampeg something, and a Line 6. Next to my 30-year-old Marshall, I love this the best. It is a workhorse and does everything (and more) I want.

Simple, straightforward, the way I like it. Only real complaint is that the knobs are turned backwards for some reason. Not sure what Fender was thinking with that. I like the addition of the fat switch, which I use pretty much all the time.

This baby definitely smokes. The loudest I would ever use it in my apartment is at 3 of 12. I definitely think this would be fine for small and medium size gigs, which I intend to use it for. I don't know where they got the 15 watts from but this sounds like at least 30 to me.

For $285 before tax new at Guitar Center this thing was an absolute steal. List is $389.99.

I use a Strat through a Digitech RP-50 and Dunlop Wah. I love the way this sounds with the Strat: a match made in heaven. It has only a little blues growl when it comes to distortion, but that doesn't really bother me. I have played very few amps that I would rely on for distortion without a pedal anyway. What I'm looking for is a good clean tone that I can manipulate any way I want, and this amp gives it to me. When I plug the RP-50 (which is a steal) in it responds extremely well. Tube tone cannot be beat. I'd take this over any solid state amp made. Definitely a 10 for the price.

Only had it about a week, can't say, I imagine it's pretty dependable though. Never had any trouble with Fender before.

Fender is always great. Easy to get service on. No complaints.

I have been playing for long enough to know what a good amp sounds like, and this one definitely makes the cut. For the price it is simply unbeatable. I compared it to a few other amps, mainly solid state, which simply do not compare to this one. Do not be afraid of the lack of a second channel. If you're thinking about buying one go ahead and get it. Don't be afraid to haggle though. I got over a hundred bucks off the list on mine at Guitar Center in fifteen minutes. Even at list though, this amp is still a steal.

Made in 2003. The amp was changed in 2001, and the early reverb problems are not existent in the newer amps. The circuit board had a change for the better also. I switched speakers with a high quality Emminence Cannabis Rex and cannot tell much difference. The Fender speaker is pretty good, in spite of what some reviewers say. The Celestion Alnico Blue is tempting but I don't think it will fit as the the chassis is 6.5" deep. The Emminence Red Fang is an Alnico low wattage that is supposed to compete with the Blue. It lists as 6.2" deep. I would be interested in anyone has made either of these deep heavy Alnico magnet speakers fit in the BJ, as I would like to try them. The unit has a speaker jack, unplug the units speaker and you can connect to external cab. I tried it with a Mesa 1 x 12 and it sounded great with the Mesa's Vintage 30. This unit is being held back by the small cabinet, not the speaker. The reverb works great and is very present. The tone controls don't do much, they do only a little. I use it with the tones turned all the way up and the fat (really a presence) in, almost always. Only one input. I have used this slaved from another amp and it is noisy, my understanding is it is the BJ as I can slave other amps without this noise. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone as to why this is and how to fix it. No input for a CD player or effects loops etc. No headphone jack (that would be a nice feature as it is a great tube practice amp). Works for gigging too. Not loud enough? Mic it.

Gibson SG guitar with humbuckers. Sounds great. A very slight noise, not noticable at all and less noise that the Gibson 15 watt I compared it to. If you turn the Master all the way up and control the volume with the volume knob you get the loudest cleans. You get nice pre amp breakup if you do the opposite. The cleans are very attractive, but a bit breathy. I love it, but it's not as clean a solid state or a Fender twin. It is bluesy. I use it with a Barber Direct Drive SS, and it duplicates the preamp distortion very well, so I in effect have a second, foot switchable channel with the distortion box. For a $400 amp I give it a 10. It's not as good as a Dr. Z Maz jr, but its good enough to serve as a backup. I'd gig with it. Mic it if it's not loud enough. It is the best small tube amp out there, IMO. Sounds great at all volumes. I'm not kidding, this amp works great. Save your money and buy a better PA, or get two, one for a backup.

So far so good. Always gig with a backup, you want to end the concert cause your equipment fizzed? No biasing the tubes, just plug them in. There are only 4 tube mfgs, a lot of the others are just one of the 4 relabled. There is also NOS (new old stock). Unless you want to experiment around just get Sovteks or any of the others. Heck, Bogner is using the Chinese tubes, so they must be ok too, in spite of what you hear. If in doubt, get Fender tubes. I'm sure they are ok. Some of the reviewers tout certain tubes, try those if you want. They all work.

Fender will come through. It has a 5 year warranty. Probably get a local tech to fix it, if it does break and try and get Fender to pay for it (call first).

I've been playing since I was a small lad. I am now a middle aged lad. I own some other amps. I'd probably replace it with another one just like it. I swear I think there are a couple of singers inside there singing boop boop. There is something addicting about listening to a good tube amp. I wish it worked better slaved and had a CD input, but hey, for $400 it can't do everything. Could use a second input also. All amps should have two in case your rythmn's breaks, or you have a student, or whatever. To break it in I miked my stereo and plugged the mic into the guitar input (I have a transformer on the mic). Worked OK. Actually I wish I could buy this as a head, and find my own cabinet. I want to try it with Alnico Blue. I also wish I could find a "two tone" which is a BJ in a bigger cab. I'm going to have a cab built for it, someday soon, someday soon...

I reviewed this amp last year after only having it for a week. I sold the amp and this year I bought another one after playing through a borrowed Blues Jr. with my LP Studio. The amp doesn't have any special features, it has a single channel with a boost switch, simple operation with volume and master controls. For my needs the power of the amp is adequate. I do coffee house size gigs and the amp shines in that venue. I don't use effects other than reverb or tremelo. I play classic rock, blues, jazz and country. The amp does well in small venues for all those styles. I would like to see it have a speaker out for recording or running through the PA, but that's a luxury I can do without. I think the amp is a good bargain for it's price.

I play a 96 American Strat Plus Deluxe, a 2004 Les Paul Studio and a Jay Turser Hawk 12 electric 12 string through the amp. The strat has Lace Sensors and the LP and Turser Hawk have humbuckers so there is no noticible noise. I don't like heavy distortion, but I do like to get a bit of a gritty edge on rock soungs, so the amp does well for that. I did some immediate modifcations to the stock set up. I installed JJ tubes and a Jensen 50 Watt C12N speaker. Big improvement in both volume and tone. It's gets a much fuller tone than the stock Eminence Speaker.

I'm on my second one, and I have had this one for about a month. I've owned Fender Amps for over 40 years with little trouble. I don't expect any trouble with this amp. I would like to see tube shields on the 12AX7's though.

Fender has been good to me in the past with support, I see no reason why they would be any different with this amp. They have a good dealer network in my area for warranty service and repairs.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I've owned a Fender Super Reverb, a Fender Bandmaster, a Fender Twin and now my second Blues Jr. All these tube amps have stood up to gigging abuse without problem. I compared this amp to an Ampeg Jet 15 Watt tube amp with reverb and tremelo. The Blues Jr. had a better sound IMO. If you are looking for a simple tube amp at a modest price then what's not to like? If you are looking for modeling, digital effects and other bells and whistles then this amp is not for you.

I have written here before. I have a highly modded BJ with a Weber Alnico BlueDog, NOS tubes and a tone stack mod as per Billm ( makes it more like a classic Princeton Reverb and lets more sound through to make a single 12' speaker really work)) on the fender forum website, together with a Gibson ES 137 with Classic 57 humbuckers I had installed when I bought the axe I'm in jazz/blues heaven...smokey bluesy /jazz sounds, clean jazz,id I use a Keeley modded Ibanez Tubescreamer I get a fat Duane Allman or Santana sound..just remarkable.. but i like the amp without the pedal for the smokey blues/jazz sounds i get.

1994
I give it a 10, because it does what it's suposed to. nothing fancy, just classic tone. The more stuff u add to an amp, efx, etc... the more it takes away. I play classic rock and blues. It's not for heavy metal, but it does what it's suposed to!

I play a 56 Gold top reissue. P90's rock, the only problem i had when i got it was that the tubes were rattling. I replaced them all with JJ's and it rocks! The amp is LOUD, amazing for 15 watts, and it's the tube sound i'm looking for. It breaks up nice, and has a nice growl.

i just got it a week ago, so far so good, it's in mint condition, the guy never used it, he was a novice and couldn't get it. it's 10 years old and still working

i have had many fenders, i havce a concert reverb amp, concert, and never had a problem

i've been playing for about 6 years, i've had marshalls, fenders, peavys. This amp is simple and rocks. i lucked out and ran into someone who needed some cash. i got the deal of the century. i love this amp so far

This is the limited edition tweed model (only 650 were made) and it has a Jensen speaker. This amp doesn't have any gimicks to it, just a 'fat' switch that makes the sound a little fuller. If you want modelling, tricks, and gimmicks, get a line 6. If you want tone, get one of these. I use it primarily for Jazz and blues playing with my Gibson 135 and couldn't be happier with the sound. The 15 watts is loud enough that if I turned it up, I would probably get the cops called to my house.

As I said above, I use this with a gibson 135 and no effects. I can get some great tones out of it. Clean for some nice jazz, or muddy for some rockin blues. For straight rock/metal this probably isn't the best choice, but it is still passible. After 13 years of playing I am finally happy with my guitar sound and play this thing at least a couple of hours each night.

Never had a problem with it. Play it alot. The tubes don't get nearly as hot on it as they do on the Gibson goldtone amp I used for a while. The thing is built very solidly and I don't have any worries about taking it out etc.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 13 years and play mostly jazz/blues at this point in my life. This amp is perfect for that. If it was stolen I would cry, then go on ebay and buy another tweed model. I don't think there is anything I could really find wrong with this amp. I am using this after using a Gibson goldtone, and a marshall tube amp (and a bunch of low budget solid state practice amps). This has the tone I am looking for and the only thing even close to it's price in an all tube configuration is the Peavey Classic 30 (which would be way to loud for my house).

Mine's a mid 90's in tweed. Looks like a 50's model since I lacquered it, which is cool. Not much in the way of features, but that's not what you buy a Blues Jr for. It's a basic, low cost tube amp with enough features to give you a nice sound in a compact package. I wish the reverb was a little stronger, though.

I use this amp for practice and small gigs. My guitars are a Fender '52 RI Tele and a Gibson ES-335. The band plays 60's - 80's rock and blues, which makes the BJ a perfect fit. Lots of volume from such a compact, lightweight unit with only 15 watts. The Master and Volume controls are interactive and allow you to dial in the ovedrive to fit the song. I use the Fat switch a lot with the Tele, but not the 335. It definitely does thicken the tone noticeably. I use a wah and a chorus pedal and they work well with the BJ. I think it works as well as any amp I've owned, within it's power limitations.

I've used it for 3 years with no problems. I've just changed the power tubes twice and the preamps once. Never so much as a hiccup. It replaced an unbelievably screwed up Vox Cambridge that never worked right from day one.

I got it used and it was already out of warranty. But it's never needed repairs.

This is really a good buy. Easy to carry and reliable. Looks great and sounds like it should. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Many others have covered this. Like others, other features would be nice but you can't expect too much more for the price.

All of my guitars sound good through this amp. Nice tones with single coils and humbuckers. My styles are primarily jazz but I like to turn it up and play fusion and blues too. The tone this amp produces is great! Its warm and punchy and breaks up nice when you crank it. As others have noted, it is a loud 15 watts. Unlike others have said, The stock speaker isn't that bad (even though I just replaced it with a C12N). Also, as many reviewers have pointed out, this amp probably wouldn't be one you would choose for thrash, metal and other related styles. Its a great amp if your looking for clean, blues and classic tones at moderate volumes.

So far, so good. Again, considering the price, I don't complain too much. That said, it seems like the engineers could have beefed up the little things that get the most abuse...like the input jack, w/ the plastic retaining nut. Why didn't they make the enclosure 1/2 inch larger so a full size reverb tank would fit? Enough of that...I have used this a lot and don't anticipate any problems.

N/A

Good amp for the money. It does everything I need it to do and exceeded my expectations. The tone is improved with a better speaker but acceptable with the stock eminence. Great weight. Since we are talking about what we wished it had... standby switch, I wish that they would put this is larger box.

2003 Blues Junior. Bought "used", but still had tags on it. Giving this an "8" only because the features are limited; e.g., no FX loop, no modeling, etc., doesn't come with a foot switch for the boost (i.e., "Fat" channel). Not a knock, at all. In fact, I didn't want "features", just great straight-ahead tube sound with authority. Tired of lugging my Twin around and my Marshall JTM 130 sounded a little brittle. This little guy delivers.

Warm, (small) room-filling tones. I play Strats and Teles, both with single coil and humbucker pickups with coil tap. My LP Studio sounds good, too. I play in an original "rock"/alt country band. The Jr. is great for straight ahead blues or bluesy/country stuff. Lots of sustain. Lots of expression. Throw away those pedals, my friend. Well, maybe not the OD, chorus and delay. The reverb is a little thin--maybe. I see that some like to crank the master volume and control with the slave, but I like it the other way around to get a slightly rounder sound. Either technique allows you to dial in a nice tone.

N/A. No probs yet, but they all go after a while, don't they? Been playing Fenders for years. Always pretty reliable.

N/A for me. 5 year warranty, which is nice on paper....say no more.

Playing for many years. I love this amp. I'll keep my Twin for studio work and bigger venues but will probably move my Marshall JTM-130 because the Jr. is a perfect small venue amp: easy to carry, easy to set up, easy to control, no tricksy stuff to deal with in the heat of battle. I would replace it---it was only $300!