I bought this exact amp 1 year ago. Here's my 2 cents. Super great cleans. VERY articulate and clear, to the point that it will highlight sloppy playing and bad muting, compared to other Fender amps like a Deluxe Reverb. Cranked master volume breakup is a little muddier than the volume/preamp distortion. Crunch sweet spot for me is setting preamp/volume to edge of breakup w/ guitar volume rolled down to 8. Use a Boss Blues Driver as always-on pedal to push amp. Very transparent and controllable overdrive. Speaker is way better than the one in the BJr III. Improved volume pot contour is vastly superior, and no issues getting great tone at bedroom volumes. That said, this amp doesn't like pre-amp volume below 3-4, (regardless of master volume setting) or the speaker flubs out, no treble or sparkle. Related, to get master volume/power stage breakup, you have to really crank master volume and this seemingly unassuming 15 W amp can get LOUD!

@charlesjoynes9497

7 ай бұрын

...oh, and the "tone tweed" DOES make a difference! Lol!

@stonemanguitars

3 ай бұрын

@@charlesjoynes9497 Tweed has way more Toan than black tolex.

@charlesjoynes9497

3 ай бұрын

@@stonemanguitars Lol! Absolutely. That's why the tweed is woven with both brown AND tan. Makes it two-tone!

There's gotta be at least 15% extra tone in the tweed covering alone! :-)

@TheMichaelseymour

3 жыл бұрын

lol

@DMSProduktions

3 жыл бұрын

Tone 'cloth'!

@TheMichaelseymour

3 жыл бұрын

@@DMSProduktions lol

@shaem482

3 жыл бұрын

Any another 5 percent qith the color combinations utilised in this design

@robertbriquet

3 жыл бұрын

If you buy a red cover for your amp, 5% more tone, it's scientific.

I hope you dig the tones of the amp and the new little jam track! I played it pretty clean for a change 😳🤣. ► Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/k534M ► Thomann - bit.ly/3jM7T9A ► Sky Music - alnk.to/7B96mg4 ► My Speaker Website - guitarspeakerguide.com This Tweed Fender Blues Junior is loaded with a Jensen P12N speaker. The Blues Junior is a 15-watt guitar amplifier loaded with mojo and perfectly suited for blues, country, and rock tones. 0:00 - Jam Track 2:42 - About the Amplifier 5:06 - Stratocaster 8:14 - Flying V 10:56 - Les Paul (P90) 13:13 - Final Thoughts

@lenny3804

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome playin’

@daithidoyle5869

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry to ask about this on this demo Shane, but I am going to buy either a Marshall dsl1 or a bugera v5 infinium, I was hoping to hear which amp you would prefer, I can't test these out where I am. Thanks for the reviews 👍

@__Anton__

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, sure did. This is an awesome channel too👍🎸

@daithidoyle5869

3 жыл бұрын

@@EarthSouthside thank you 👍

@emiliolopez8796

3 жыл бұрын

Do you think it can handle non metal gigs hahaha. Cause I wouldn't buy it for home practice,however if I could use it for gigs then....

I just got my Blues Jr III Limited Edition ( C-Rex speaker ) back from the shop after being recapped. It’s such a great sounding amplifier, it takes pedals beautifully, and has such great chime.

One of my buddies has one and it is a phenomenal little amp. Great pedal platform and the cleans and reverb are great. Killer little amps for the money.

Thanks Shane I used some of your settings on my jr and it sounds so much better. Any Video with your Flying V is fantastic.

I love my Blues Junior and I find the boss Blues overdrive is perfect match imo. It doesnt squish the tops as much as a tube screamer or a klon.

I have one of those, it’s was so bright I decided to change the speaker for a creamback and now it sounds amazing, takes OD pedals so much better also. Fantastic little amp, love it!

@TheRemizinho

2 жыл бұрын

@@Alfonzo862 my bad, I actually put a Celestion Greenback 25w, not creamback, but it does sound much better than the stock Jensen

Yup, that sounded great. Nice jazzy change from your normal high gain tones. Liked it a lot. Shows your versatility.

This is the exact set-up I play. A tv-yellow special with p-90s (although I use the 2020 Epiphone) going into a fender Blues Jr (although I have the standard black version). It's a great set-up. I was a crazy punk rocker for the last 20 years, played in a lot of punk bands, toured across Canada, but now I'm 42 and I have kids and this is the set up for grown ups who have learned to appreciate quality.

@DH-og5yr

3 жыл бұрын

What epiphone would sound like a strat? Wouldn’t mind saving a buck

@deadvalley6930

3 жыл бұрын

@@DH-og5yr Most Epiphones (trying to) sound like Gibsons, but a Firebird or anything with mini-humbuckers comes closest to a strat ;)

Great Review, thank you. So many forget or overlook how much of a difference the amplifier's speaker makes. The speaker in this version of the Blue's Jr. really changes it's overall performance/sound.

@Str67777

3 ай бұрын

Jensen?

@hkguitar1984

3 ай бұрын

@@Str67777 Good Question. My 1st choice for a Tweed style amp would be a Weber AlNiCo.

Hey I played through a blues Jr for years. Let me just say it's a beast

Sounds amazing!! Top notch playing sir!!

I can see using this amp in certain situation however I’d really want to see the comparison between this Blues Jr and the Artist Tweedtone 20! Can’t wait to see and hear that video! Another great jam Shane! Cheers!🎸🎸🎸✌🏾✌🏾

@mickbrokenshire6148

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I’ve used Artist amp for over 12 months now perfect both with and without pedals and easily keeps up with full band volume

I’ve had this amp for a few years and learned something about it. Thanks ! And have dropped in a celestion neo cream back, yes it is very loud,

I have this amp. Agree with Shane's assessment. In order to address some of the issues, I had the "BillM" mods done. It now sounds more like a twin and is vastly improved. Goodbye boxiness.

I just got one in black.. thanks for helping me decide. The tone is Awesome !

Thank you for the review!! I’m going to go to Sweetwater today and check this amp out.

Currently I have a Fender Blues Jr III and I think it´s just an amazing killer amp... Works great with every single pedal that I´d ever had!

Picked up the same amp a few months ago. My first smaller tube amp and it completely floored me what a beast it is. And despite its size it can get LOUD. Great playing as always

@ramspencer5492

2 жыл бұрын

Yep. Can't hit the sweet spot in both sets up tubes at bedroom volumes. Pretty loud

Before I went for a handwired amp, blues junior and the 65 Princeton reverb were my go to amps. Reliable especially the newer ones with better PCB boards

@paulwatson9217

Жыл бұрын

Which was better the 65 Princeton or the blues junior?

Been gigging with that exact amp for 5/6 years now. Best grab and go amp I have. At jams I just use a boost in front of it. For playing in small rooms crank up the bass and take the treble down . Just learned the trick a short while ago. I also never run it with that much headroom. I like it on the edge of break up . Really played with a band last nite and turned the volume back to 2. And controlled my my clean to dirty with breakup with volume knob . Ran a Ts9 in the front for boost. Stevie style. I almost always have gain past 12 o'clock. I always have fat switch engaged.

Sounds great CLEAN!

These are cool no bs amps. I tried one of these out. It was fun, but I ended up going with a Fender Super Champ X2 FSR (Wine Red) that comes with a Celestion Greenback. Yeah, it has a smaller cab and speaker, but for home playing, recording, and added voices the Super Champ took it for me. Plus it has the option to run it through a cab, which is nice. These Blues Juniors are still nice though. I think it's awesome how affordable they are.

That strat in the number 4 position is so sweet!

Hi, it's Peter - Brought the live group in here to show off your video!

I don't think the LTD means limited edition. I think it means lacquered tweed

Gorgeous combination between the Strat and amp! :)

Great review, looking forward to the shoot out with the Artist amp

great video mate! frankly, the Blues Junior is my dream amp! cheers!

I've had my little lacquered Tweed Blues Junior for a while now. I like to experiment with different tubes in the V1

I recently picked up one of these and I LOVE it. Had a Blues Deluxe with the Emenence but this one is IMO much better.

I've had one of these for years. The speaker really needs time to break in, mine was also very bright. It sounds so much better now, and the shrill top end has completely resolved, a great little amp.

@SomeStratGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Great to hear. How long did that take? I play for a bout an hour everyday and have had the amp for a solid 3/4 months and still the shrill

@TheKingacevedo

2 жыл бұрын

You say you've had it for years, are you sure the shrill top end resolved or did that frequency in your hearing go as you aged? 😜 Just kidding. Good to know, thanks!

@tobyelkington1244

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheKingacevedo or just masked by the tinnitus?! No, the speaker genuinely takes a long time to bed in, it's now an awesome amp but it took a long time to get there from brand new.

Yo, never have I been first. Keep up the good work man! You introduced me into so much!

Hey thanks for the great sounds with many guitars, top top! I would say that the 4rth edition bjunior has a Celestion A type that is ALSO VERY VERY GOOD!!

I've had a Blues Jr. Tweed ( I think 2nd version) for like 13 years and I just can't make myself fall in love with it. I bought a Super Champ XD about a year after I bought the Tweed Jr for something a bit more versatile to carry around, and have probably plugged in the Blues Jr. two or three times since then.

These amps are golden. I have the jr. and deluxe.

I’ve got a fender hot Rod blues Junior with a greenback speaker and it sounds wonderful

I bought this amp used and swapped the Jensen for a Creamback 65 I already had and Im happier. Maybe I could have waited longer for the Jensen to break in but I found it just too brittle. Now the amp works better with pedals and agree the Boss BD2 works very well along with the TC mojomojo and crowther hotcake amongst others. I use mine with bass up, middl down and treble adjusted to taste.

Awesome vid! The cleans are really great, and I'm looking forward to the comparison with the Artist.

Great jam!

I use a Blues Jr and run it through a Kustom speaker cab and with a Boss OD-1X. Have to say, very impressive.

Damn, never seen a casual Flying V in an amp review, haha. Great video man 👌

This thing eats pedals for breakfast. Every overdrive and fuzz I own sounds good thru the Jnr. Even a Big Muff, if you use the right one (lower gain Sovtek style, Civil War, Green Russian) and set the amp up properly, maybe stack the Muff with an EQ, and soonandsoforth Can't wait for the Artist Tweedtone20 comparison.

I own the standard version of the blues junior. This video does a good job at portraying the sound of the amp accurately.

I have the same amp and totally love it, the reverb is lush and it’s perfect for my home use..mind you I only play clean blues so I don’t have to crank it.

@RogerThat902

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, I have the same view. The reverb is something insane. He's not lying when he says getting it above 3 is about too much hah. Mine sits on 3 and half the time I think "yeah, that's a lot of reverb"

That les paul sounds SO SICK with this amp. I've never been a les paul fan nor a p90 fan. but that sounds absolutely incredible to me.

Oh god, that is smooth!!

Playing is very good, too. Love it!

Upgrade the spring reverb to a big one. I'm using a real fender early 60s one and the amp becomes what it really is. It also uses different components, blue caps not grey, open the back and check it out; fender "sparkle" circuitry. I also put in tung sol but the ruby tubes are fine. Have fun with it, it's an awesome amp!

I had one and I sure do miss it

best clean tone I've found (Tele on neck pickup): master volume, treble, bass, mid -- ALL THE WAY. fat button engaged. and input volume around 2 1/2

It's great to see a demo of this amp using something other than a strat.

This is one of your best sounding vidéo 👍👍👍

The Blues Jr IV has a Celestion speaker and modified the volume pots so that the Master has a more usable lower volume. The old ones would have a very noticeable jump in volume between level 2 and 4, and now the increase in volume is much more smoother and usable at lower levels. I am very curious how the Celestion stacks up against the Jensen, because the Jensen has such a great sound. Also, the IV has a more readable faceplate under the knobs, which helps with it's use on a dark stage, and the controls are right-side up when standing in front of the amp.

@craigshewchuk9018

3 жыл бұрын

I love the tweed amp, I have it also, look into them, great parts and made great!

@AndrewLewisHowe

3 жыл бұрын

Did you swap the pot with a lower value one, or a different curve (linear vs log, etc)? I usually put in a 12au or au7 in the preamp slot to make lower gain more controllable, but haven't done a pot swap.

@mborel

3 жыл бұрын

@@AndrewLewisHowe I didn't try any upgrades, and I no longer have the amp as I sold it to buy a Koch Amps The Greg model. Before I bought my Blues Jr I had watched a bunch of shoot outs on KZread showing the III vs the Tweed model, and you could definitely tell that the Jensen speaker sounded sweeter than the Eminence speaker. Now I'm curious how the Jensen sounds in comparison to the newer ones with the Celestion speaker.

@nickwilson9210

3 жыл бұрын

I’m not a fav of the blues jr 4 I find the changed the voicing to much love the tweed b jr 3 a lot though, I have put a v type celestion in mine and it sound great the jenson sound great too

@RogerThat902

3 жыл бұрын

My worthless 2 cents, I prefer the Jensen, personally. And it seems like most of the people that have heard both preferred the Jensen. That being said, so many factors go into that, as you know. What makes the Blues Jr. such a great amp IMO is it's so easy to mod. There are million of them out there to buy and it's relatively easy for people to swap speakers in and out.

Great sound and great looking amp. AndI understand that it's a throwback to the fifties lap steel players, but I'd still rather see my tone and volume knobs right side up when I play, not the other way around.

@mboyer68

3 жыл бұрын

I completely agree! It's upside down. So what I figure is..it's so loud, I don't need the speaker pointing at me, so I point it towards the crowd. I mean the wall:) Have you noticed the speaker "breaking in" and getting better?

@colliedogjoy

Жыл бұрын

I got mine yesterday - They changed the top plate - now it's the right way up.

Hey Shane, I think you got the speaker name wrong. I believe this is a Jensen C12N (Ceramic), and not a P12N (Alnico). Otherwise, great video! I really liked the tones and your playing in the backing track. More sophisticated than usual! I own this amp and it is indeed very bright and lacks a bit of bass and warmth... but in my opinion it really nails early tweed blues and rock'n'roll sounds and the reverb is also much better than the regular Blues Junior. I'd recommend you breaking the speaker in and trying to mic it with a ribbon mic!

Thank you just got one!

Just play everything with that LP Special please.... “TV Yellow...” - Homer Simpson voice.

I have the blues jr iii NOS with the Jensen. It’s been a work horse for sure. I need to replace the spring tank and maybe change the pot value of reverb. I do love the amp

Here I was looking up a Fender Blues Jr review and who do I find?? I had no idea you had this huge blues channel. Looks like we have more shared interests!! Thanks for the review 👊👊

If you like the sound of this amp, then great! If you dont, then run it thru an extension cab....that made it right for me. Almost deep six'd it, but the extension cab really fixed every issue I had with it.

Love the Blues Jr. Thx

Bought a Fender Blues Junior 3 Tweed, found the Jenson Especially designed speaker seem to struggle on the bottom end, so replaced it with a Celestion Blue Back, and it handles the whole range, voicing seem to lose a bit of sparkle, there is a knack also to replace the amp chasis as the speaker magnet is larger, found if you tilt the chasis standing behind the amp, tilt the amp chasis top towards yourself, then push it into position, it works fine, someone on KZread redrilled the cabinet holes 10mm further towards the back to accomodate, but my tip paid off and all went back as originally intended.

Take it to a good tech to have the bias voltage lowered before it cooks your output tubes. I have had two of these and they bake the tubes as Fender sets the bias way too hot. These are well known for doing that. Have those IC filter caps replaced as they will fail before too long. It is a great sounding amp, but with these changes it will give years of good service. I almost forgot, the plastid input jack breaks a lot. So that replace with a Switchcraft 12A.

damn that P90 sounds so amazing with this blues junior.

It's good to see a lefty living the dream playing awesome left handed guitars. I wish I could afford some top end lefties.

I have a Blues Jnr Lacquered Tweed with Italian Jenson speaker which appears to be the same amp. I favour running out to my Lorantz Pro (vintage Celestion sound) as default and if I gigged I would swap the speaker out. I also find the reverb extremely wet way too soon. All my pickups - Gibson PAF style Humbuckers, Fender late 50's and Gibson P90's - are dark and they work fine with the Jenson which took months too play in. To get a good sound recording it has to be loud in the room!

Just bought one yesterday strictly because I play very twangy ice-pick bright surf sounds and I’m excited to see what it will do with my VM JM running through the surfybear metal. Thanks for the video the buyers remorse is slowly fading 😮‍💨

That Les Paul Special in TV yellow is popping up in all sorts of videos lately. I think the universe is telling me to get one.

I had a version 3 Blues Jr. Tweed. Great little amp and loud as needs to be. I loved the cleans on that amp. The bias is set really hot from the factory. I went through tubes like crazy and even had two trips to the amp doctor for component failures. There is a mod available from Bill M and others to install a bias trim pot. This seems to help tubes being on the menu. Maybe I just got a bad one but it did sound really good. Try a Cannibas Rex speaker in there as it sounds really good in that amp.

@kengevers8738

3 жыл бұрын

Fender sets the bias very hot on these amps with the Pro Jr as well. Bias pot is the only way to go if you don't want the paint to burn off the tubes.

@mattgilbert7347

3 жыл бұрын

@@kengevers8738 Good to know.

@mattdavies7809

3 жыл бұрын

if ur in the uk you need to set voltage to 240 not 230 that fender set it at,easy mod ratamps tells you how

I have had one for a long time now! The handle broke, the reverb is too wet and those high frequencies are insane! If anyone wants a Blues Junior I'd recommend checking out the version IV 👍

Dang really thought u were about to bust out Lenny on us “This is for my lovely wife”

Can’t wait for the comparison video! I’ve got a Tweedtone 20 based on your review video. Morning got swap that 70 80 speaker out of it though... hmmm!

@lincolnjohnson6511

3 жыл бұрын

Might swap out that 7080 speakers!!! Not morning! Just had eye surgery two days ago

@OutstandingBill1

3 жыл бұрын

Like you, I also got a Tweedtone 20 after Shane's review. I've read that the stock speaker has a bad reputation, but it sounds good to my aging ears. What replacement are you considering? Hope your eyes are recovering :)

Oh man that and the V, omfg!

Love your tones and playing in almost every video big ups to the lefties who have problems finding their right guitar im lefty but my first guitar was a righty and it just feels right to me but to all the lefties that have to cope with the options out I Salute you on your struggle

I have the normal blues junior IV and love it. BUT the reverb from 2-max sounds the same as level 2 (weak and doesn’t increase) Anyone else seen this or know a fix??

Good lord when the V came out ...I went of the earplugs man thats loud ...I'll take 2 ...great tones

Nice jam

I am thinking about picking up a Blues Junior as another gigging option and would love to get some opinions on which versions of the Blues Junior people think are the best. My main gigging amp is a Dr Z Maz 18 MKII. If I pick a Junior I am planning to get a solid-wood, tweed cabinet and top shelf speaker for it, but would love some opinions on which version would be a good choice for best build and sound quality. Thanks!

G'day Shane, first up thanks for all your vids mate, you do them well. What i'm wondering is this, could you make this BJ ltd nos sound like a 5e3 deluxe? With your experience do you think that would be possible, and what would your approach be? I know you can't do vids on everything, but a comparison between the 5e3 deluxe and the BJ ltd nos tweed would be great IMO. Keep up the good work 😃

I have this amp. I put a Greenback in it, high end issue sorted.

Lots of good tones.

I play a blues jr for years, it definitely can compete with the band. I played in a arena and didn't need to crank it up.

Like the clean sound with the white strat the best. ps - You're going to have to do a "Tone Cloth" comparison now..lol.

Nice playin!

Just got a blues junior nos tweed today, love the tone. Now I'm readying about problem of overheating tubes and needing to change them more often than you'd like. Any recommendations and info on this? Would leaving the back off while gigging or long practices help?

Feel like a bad cat in saying I would still opt for the Artist 20R. Hope it gets better when the speaker falls into line as it’s not for me at this point.. Thanks for the review.. 👍🇦🇺

Can this amp be used at home? I don't overdrive my tone too much. I'm looking for something along the lines of the first part of the video. I know it's loud but can the master volume be used reliably to achieve this?

Hi, thanks for the review! I don't understand why I read so much very bad reviews on some experts forums.I received mine a few days ago and it's excellent, IMHO! Snobbery?

Very Nice!

Fenda Blues Junia... Right on.

Great review. Subscribed! One question. I have a 6120 Gretsch. I,m actually playing with an Orange Crush 20. Do you think this beautiful Fender is a good amp for rockabilly? Thank you very much!

🤟😎 Great little amp

Sweetwater selling their exclusive one with emmince red white and blues already installed

Help! For home use. One of these or a Blues Deluxe with an attenuator? I really enjoy your reviews and best wishes from the US.

I'm looking at the artist tweed tone 20 for the switchable channels

Do you get you're left-hand guitars custom made? Love the V.

I believe this one has the Jensen C12N speaker.

@HamzaVLOGs

3 жыл бұрын

True, c12n, not p12n. Ceramic magnet. The c12n has more low mids than the p12n, which has a tighter low end and lower resonant frequency. Man that c12n sounded GREAT!!!! I kept thinking, yeah that's that AlNiCo sound, since he said p12n,and then he showed the back of the amp, and BOOM! Surprise! C12N!!!!!!!

My gear had been put away for the past decade but now getting back into it because I have the time. My Limited Edition lacquered tweed Blues Junior is from 2006. I took the one on display at the shop because it had a Jensen P12N (no bell) whereas the one still in the box had a C12N, and at the same price. I like alnico speakers in my amps. Fender appears to make component changes at times without mention. I made some mods to the tone caps and added pots to adjust tube bias. Rather than buy a footswitch for just the FAT feature, I bought a 2-button footswitch and added switching to the reverb feature. One day a friend asked me to repair his vintage 1962 Princeton Reverb, and I enjoyed it for about a week. Since he declined to sell it to me, I decided that my BJr could make do with the addition of a tremolo circuit because it had an unused half of a 12AX7 pre-amp tube available for the oscillator. Of course, another footswitch button was required for that new feature. The BJr works well with my hollow-body electric guitars for the music I enjoy. The little amp benefits from some simple mods, and I personally prefer not to use pedals for what I do. However, I would suggest using a pedal for the tremolo effect rather than rewiring the amp unless you enjoy that sort of hobby as I do. Otherwise be sure to pick a circuit suitable for the BJr's 6BQ5 power tubes than the 6V6GT tubes found in the Princeton. Stay safe!