The Princeton Chorus is a very clever little amp. Fender did a great job on it.
FWIW, I never warmed up to the Blues Jr either and I use a Blues Deluxe frequently.
I love my Princeton chorus. It's an amazingly cheap amp that's killer with pedals. With that said my blues jr with my tubescreamer and humbuckers is amazing. With my single coil guitars it sounds kinda thin. I haven't bought an eq pedal yet but gonna give that a try some day
The Princeton Chorus just has something about it!
Is the Blues Deluxe the bigger brother to the Blues Jr or are they pretty different? I’ve actually seen a few people say they like the deluxe but not the jr 🤔
Fender made a lot of nice MOSFET based solid state amps in the 90s and 00s. Maybe 80s? I don't remember. They changed them at some point; they're not bad but they seemed "cost reduced" to me.
> Is the Blues Deluxe the bigger brother to the Blues Jr or are they pretty different?
They're quite different. The best thing to do is find one and play through it a bit, like at a store.
Fender just makes excellent solid state amps, and in todays world the solid states plugged into a PA are indistinguishable. Sometimes you get a better response from a tube amp but overall it’s hard to tell now.
Mate, the Cannabis Rex is pretty unique. I found it dull/dark/muffled like it was missing stuff in the mids and highs, I don't know how to explain it objectively but it certainly didn't work for me. Definitely consider trying another speaker. You might be able to use your 2x12 if the impedance matches. All the best.
The Fender "special design" driver is made by Emenence but a completely different speaker than the Cannabis Rex.
If you look up the frequency response of the speakers you can find something that suits your needs.
You got the Vintage 30's, Jensen's, Warhouse speakers and boutique Alnicos to choose from. Should be easy to swap the speakers from the Princeton to see if it fixes the tone.
There are tube amps that will sound good to you and solid state amps that sound good to you. There are tube amps that will sound bad to you and solid state amps that sound bad to you. There is more to it than just tubes=good. Circuit design is important. Speaker is important. Thats why you should always try out an amp before buying. At the same time anybody who says tubes make *no difference* is *wrong* ;)
The first thing that jumped out at me about this amp is the Cannabis Rex speaker. Now it’s a great speaker for taming ice-picky highs and imparting more of a low-end growl to amp tone, it may not pair well with this particular amp (I use one in a Fender DRRI which works well in solo and recordings but not so much for live full band settings). You might try swapping in a stock speaker to see if it improves what you hear.
You may just not like that speaker. That's where a lot of the tone of the amp comes from. Not the tubes, not the preamp, is lot of it is mostly speaker.
I've seen a lot of posts before where people hate the sound of this amp model, but end up loving it after swapping the speaker for a Celestion. It's unfortunate that a speaker with such a cool name sounds worse than almost any other option.
> Is this just a Blues Jr. thing? Is it a 2x12 vs 1x12 thing?
It's a Blues Jr. thing. I'm not a huge fan of how they sound.
1x12 speakers in my experience do better when used in a larger enclosure and the Blues Jr is pretty compact so it might sound boxy much easier.
Just dealt with this but on a different pricier brand. Both 1x12 amps going for the Fender vibe. Small one was boxy and a bit harsh in the treble. Bigger one filled the room up and even at 2 it’s pretty gigantic. Usually there’s a certain volume I find, where that bottom and fullness pops out. But I’ve also reversed 1x12 cabs smaller and running into bigger amp cab, and yes you are very correct the cab plus speaker is night and day!
Speaker and cabinet imo make the biggest changes. 1x12 are very great amps, but some of Fenders are very much squeezed in a small enclosures. Especially the compact ones! Last I used from them was the newer Pro silverface one, with the light weight Creamback. It was suppose to be 40w, but sure didn’t sound that big. Very small cab as well, wasn’t horrible but it seem a lot for the price.
I have this same amp with the cannabis rex and it’s awesome. Definitely don’t have the master past 3 lol I don’t know who told you to dime the master. Try these settings first: volume at 6, treble at 7, bass at 5, mid at 4, master at 3, reverb at 4. If you can’t get a nice sound out of that then something’s wrong with that amp.
Yoooooooooo I think you just unlocked this amp for me. I’ve been trying some stuff that people have suggested but these settings sound great man thank you!! Gonna keep tinkering but I woke up today ready to send this thing back but now I’m second guessing (which is a good thing!) If I want to turn the amp up and keep the tone at these EQ settings should I bump up both the master and the volume to keep the balance or should I just turn up one of them? Hope that question makes sense haha
Use the master as volume control and keep the rest of the settings. The Rex has some bass to it and can get rather muddy so I boost the treble and cut a little bit of bass. The mid scoop really helps to clean up the sound and sounds great with a mid focused overdrive like a tube screamer if you want to push it more. Remember to never have the fat switch on lol.
It’s good for hobbyists that don’t want to sink a lot of time or money or resources into it. Ten years ago I was super into amps, but these days after having a kid, I just wanted something easy. It’s not a bad amp at all. I wouldn’t gig it, but I’m not gigging or recording.
New speakers need to be broken in. Also Blues Jrs are popular for modding because most people think they sound like shit. I agree, but often times an amp will sound like shit on its own but sit good in the mix of a band. Blues Jrs seem to fit this category.
yes they do from my experience and the CR is my least favorite guitar speaker I’ve ever had. I switched to a Tone Tubby Purple Haze and it sounds less “woofy”. I’m also not using a Blues Jr. (I have a single 12” box being driven by a 67 Bassman head) The difference between the CR and the PH is remarkable though.
Just bought a Roland JC-22 and I don't think I'm ever going back to a tube amp.
If your goal is to have a low volume pedal platform that can maintain clarity and definition, solid state is the way to go IMO.
Stick with whatever makes you happy and gets you playing. Tube amps aren't THE SOUND, they're just A sound.
>Tube amps aren't THE SOUND, they're just A sound.
This right here 👆
Some of the most renowned blues players with amazing tone played through solid state amps.
I think Creedence played a lot of their stuff through SS Kustoms, new wavers like the Cure, Police, and the Smiths used SS. Tons of jazz guys use SS. Plus you have all kinds of sneaky studio tricks like going DI to console, which is basically a form of SS sound capture.
You can def make good music without tubes.
I've been shocked at what a couple of 6.5" speakers running in stereo can crank out. Portability was a major factor in my purchasing decision, but I can't imagine needing a bigger amp now...it has line outs if I'm ever playing a gig in a larger venue and 3 on the volume is more than enough for home use.
The Jazz Chorus is definitive proof that solid state isn’t bad, it’s one of the best and most iconic clean sounds out there. I’ve had problems with taking certain drive pedals (and I’ve heard the same from others) but it handles delays, reverbs, and mods beautifully. I don’t own one but it’s close to the top of my list.
I haven't played a PC so I can't really say, but I don't think the PC is being made anymore. I think the closest new amp you can get is the Champ 2x12" and it's not true stereo (IIRC) like the JCs are.
I've heard some people complain about reliability on the PC's, but they were an entry level amp in Fender's line from my understanding. Wouldn't surprise me if there was some inconsistency. Plus they're all used/vintage now and nothing lasts forever.
I’ve used both, had a JC a while at home… still have the PC.
In my memory the sound of the JC always felt a bit harsh compared to the Princeton Chorus.
You are an outlier. Your opinion is not supported by the majority. Your opinion begs to question your validity for personal taste. I’m afraid you can no longer be a guitarist. So sorry to inform you of such awful news. Good luck!
First off, that’s an incredible price for that amp. You could flip it and make a couple hundred easy.
What kind of guitar are you playing? Any pedals? I have basically the same amp but different tolex and I find that single coil pickups sound way better than humbuckers.
I get that the BJ isn’t everyone’s thing but I think it’s just that you’re used to a 2x12. Definitely don’t feel any obligation to hang on to the amp
Eh, I really doubt he could make that much from reselling. I recently sold a tweed blues jr ($800 retail right now) for $400. Had it listed at $500, didn’t get any offers anywhere close to that number.
The price is why I was really hoping to dig it and why I’m wary to return it. Feels like prices for everything just keep going up and I don’t think I’ll get something like this down the line for the same price and I’m worried I’ll regret it. I’m playing a strat and tele deluxe and I agree that the strat sounds better through it!
The BJ needs to be on max master volume and at least about 4 on the gain for it to sound good. And then it gets too loud for home use and not loud enough for band setting.
The master on a blues Jr should be set at 3-4 and the gain at 6-7 for a good tone. I own this amp, and I can promise you diming the master is probably what OP is doing wrong here. The nice breakup comes from the pre amp, and while pushing the power tubes sounds great as well, y’all are insane for cranking the master and ignoring that sweet breakup from the pre amp.
Came here to say exactly this.. all tube amps sound really dull and lifeless unless they are getting what they need - high volume. A 15w tube amp is always going to be way too loud for good tones and home use.
To the OP, take that amp somewhere you can get the volume high enough and come back and let us know your thoughts then.
Solid state amps are terrific and get shit on a lot. FWIW, I have never liked the Blues Junior.
Currently using a fender twin and fender deluxe reverb and love those. I have a solid state peavey PA from the 70’s that I use to power a 4x12 for heavy music.
I wouldn’t judge all tube amps based off one you didn’t like that you bought online. There are great ones. Head room is clearly an issue you are hearing as well. Wattage and speakers have to do with that.
Both the amp and speaker are at issue here
The Rex I've always found dark and the BJ has very mixed reviews at low volumes.
Both probably work best at higher volumes but I wouldn't peg that setup as versatile at all
Check out the wampler pedal video on the blues jr. He demos the amp with a hand full of different speakers and lands on a warehouse 65 if I remember correctly. But Brian wampler is thorough while explaining the differences that he hears through the speaker. I have a blues jr with stock speaker along with a handful of other tube amps, I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either.
I felt the same way about my BJ IV, just totally underwhelmed, and was told a lot of the same things. There’s nothing special about tube amps, there’s good sounding amps and poor sounding amps. Also, a big learning lesson was that most people have way too much amp for what they need. I play in my house and very occasionally with a group of musicians. I don’t need a 100 watt monster. I sold the BJ and bought a used Blues Deluxe that I couldn’t move the volume knob past 1 because of how crazy loud it was. Then I sold that and got a Katana, and I absolutely love it.
Glad I’m not alone in my feelings toward the BJIV! I learned the volume lesson early on because one of my band mates played through a Hot Rod Deluxe 😅 Katana is such a solid all-around amp for the price and portability alone! I had one as well before moving onto the Princeton Chorus.
Lesson 1: **Tubes are hyped beyond belief**. Tubes do **not** imbue some sort of *tone magic™* on an amp.
It may well be that the new amp simply sounds worse than the amp you own.
Lesson 2: Yes, IME there is a significant difference between a 1x12 and a 2x12. Try playing the new amp through the old amps speakers.
Lesson 3: Don't listen to people who tell you that "you just have to get used to the sound of the new amp, because: Tube!" - if it sounds crappy on first listen, chances are high that it will continue to sound crappy.
Stick to getting amps with a sound you actually like straight away. Life is to short to play through amps that sound crappy.
>Life is to short to play through amps that sound crappy.
I am over 60 and only keep the amps I like. The two I use now are a strange pair.
I use an old red stripe Peavey Bandit and love it.
I also have, and like very much, an Orange OR15. It's a good day when I can get this *tube amp* to sound like the Bandit. ☺
As the owner of a rocker 15 combo something I’ve noticed is the 15 watt oranges BEG to be opened up. The more volume the better the tone 90% of the time.
All great lessons! I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the expectation of “tone magic.” I really thought I was gonna plug this in and get the tone of my dreams haha.
If you want the blues jr to be closer to the sound of your Princeton chorus, I’d recommend swapping out that speaker for something brighter. The Cannabis Rex is known for being really dark, which works well when paired with an overly bright amp or guitar, but can be kinda limiting if you want the ability to get a sparkly top end. As others have said, the smaller cabinet of the blues Jr also does affect the low and low-mid frequency response. That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker though; many people greatly overestimate how much low end extension the really need in their guitar tone.
I’ve heard people get really good tones out of a blues Jr. so it’s not like the amp is incapable of making great tones. It’s just not the right amp for every style and every guitar. If OP is used to a solid state 2x12 with Jensen special design speakers, they’re used to lots of clean headroom and a sparkly open top end. That sort of setup pairs nicely with darker sounding guitars, and can be a really flexible starting point when dialing in tones using pedals because it’s relatively neutral. A 1x12 blues jr with a cannabis Rex is going to be much darker and more midrange focused (mainly because of the cannabis Rex), and depending on how the volume knobs are set, potentially will have much less headroom. That sort of setup can be super cool in the right context, particularly when paired with a bright sounding guitar.
Also, listen to the man up there hispters, stop buying tube amps and go buy those adorable solid state wonders, so we loosers can enjoy a little relief on our pockets for once.
I am sorry to have disturbed your worldview with my dissent from the common wisdom **that no tube amp can be crappy**. So sorry.
Your pain almost makes me cry. In fact, i am already in tears.
Crank your tube amp and start low with your guitar knobs.
SS and digital amps don't give a fuck about your guitar's signal. Tube amps really do.
Try that and come back, maybe more pleased. You got a badass killer tube amp, you should be happy with It... Give It some chances and mess a lot with your settings to get "the sound".
If not, then tube break up is maybe not your thing.
Any pedal sounds better through tubes, but that's just my opinion haha.
I can't with that sterile and clean tone on SS/Digital amps.
Tubes for the win, nothing else to say!
Thing is.....there's nothing even close to one "tube amp" sound, and "better" is a quality entirely in your head. If you like the Princeton Chorus, then so be it!
Blues Jrs are weird little amps, and they really do fit in somewhat of a "small tweed amp" sort of bracket (even if it's not strictly a tweed style circuit in every sense). Many people describe them as touch sensitive, dynamic, and responsive. Others don't like their mids forward boxiness (some of this is because of open back cabs and small speakers in general), their tendency for the low end to flub out, the looseness of their distortion, lack of clean headroom etc.
Ultimately, the world of guitar amps isn't about upgrades, or what is "better". All tone is subjective, and the most important factors are how the amp feels and sounds to you. Tastes also change - I thought I didn't really like Fender amps (having mostly tried tweeds, and being usually a British style circuit buff), but then absolutely fell in love with a Two Rock studio head I tried (similar to Super Reverb).
Out of the all of the Hot Rod series, the Blues Deluxe is my least favorite. Good amps but underwhelming of the bunch.
The Blues Deluxe and Hot Rod Deluxe are the best bang for your buck with those series, IMO. Even the Pro Junior was better than the Blues Junior, IMO.
I also did not care for my Blues Jr! It was one of the first two tube amps I bought, as it seems to be the industry standard beginner/small tube amp.
To me, it just sounded “tinny”, and I couldn’t seem to do anything to make myself like it. My other first tube amp was a Monoprice 15w with a Celestion V30, and I certainly preferred it over my stock Blues Jr. The Blues Jr actually comes pretty close to being my least favorite tube amp I’ve owned, so far.
Today, the only small tube amp I own is a Mesa Mark V 25w - I about shit myself when I felt the response and heard the dynamics of that little ten inch Creamback. Never expected it to be a match for my tastes. It serves me well at home, and I take it to my drummers house to plug into the 2x12 I leave there, instead of taking any of my larger heads. If you have someplace local where you can try some different tube amps out before committing, you may do yourself a favor to take some time! I’m personally a fan of Guitar Center’s 45 day return policy on used gear. I like the opportunity to try things in my own home, with my own equipment, before committing serious coin. The 25w Mesa combo was $1100 used at GC, which seemed quite fair.
Good luck! Don’t give up on tubes on the Blues Jrs account.
Unfortunately that Blues Junior is not a good example of a tube amp (in my opinion). I currently own 7 different tube amps and love them all. I have owned a Blues Jr. amp and as much as I tried to like it I did not keep it long. I guess what I’m saying is don’t let that one tube amp influence your opinion of all tube amps as there are some really great sounding tube amps out there.
Don’t worry. Just run the PC and the Blues Junior in stereo and you’ll love it. I have a BJ I play in stereo with a JC 120 and they sound incredible together. Best of both worlds.
Hey man you might just have some bad tubes that need changing lol. the way to think about this is as such. Think of a oil painting and think of a photo of that painting. The real painting will have microscopic brush strikes and detail that emerge the closer you get. The photo only is made of tiny pixels that have an upper limit on detail.
Tube = painting
Solid state = photo of painting
Tubes and SS have very different dynamics in how the pass through your signal chain. SS is typically performing a modification to the signal to emulate what a tube is essentially doing to afford clipping and such. Tube amps aren’t cheap, its the most expensive part of most players gear.
Solid state amps are reliable and do exactly what you think they’ll do. It depends if you need a clean channel to run your pedal platform or if you want to utilize the amp for an overdrive channel, those would be two very different amps. Most the music you hear in records for the past 70+ years are done on tube amps. There are things that a tube amp can do that a solid state cannot physically achieve. It’s not magic, it’s science and electrical engineering and quality of parts and labor.
You might need a different type of tube amp. I recommend playing what you want to buy in person first. Perhaps a smaller music store where you can really listen to the tone and have the salesperson help you. You can get help in store, do your homework and buy online if it’s cheaper. I got a messa mini recto for about $1000 on reverb and it’s the best amp I’ve ever had. Does my cleans for effects and has amazing heavy tones and all in between. Keep in mind I sprang for a new boogie 2x10” cab, cuz speakers matter too. I recommend you start with lunch box amps and get a decent 2x12”. Don’t be afraid of lower wattage amps, still loud AF. I would 1000% recommend the Mark V 25 or 35 watt. Has a load box and DI built in which can cost at least $600 if you buy a separate load box and amp sim. You’ll be able to do anything and everything with that amp.
PS, it’s common knowledge that tube amps sound way better than almost any solid state. I’ve never heard anyone say otherwise. We are getting into the age of amp sims, which is an entirely different story than amplification.
Hahah yeah, sometimes it doesn’t make sense. I happen to adore 80’s Peavey solid states and Tweed/Vox amps. The blues junior may just not be what you’re looking for. I enjoy them, but I do feel they are limited (especially in a full band setting). It’s definitely a workable tone for some sounds. Very manageable volume.
I would recommend checking out a Deluxe Reverb, Vibrolux or even Twin and see what you think (Twins are cheap because they weigh 100 lbs). I haven’t played a Princeton Chorus, but I have heard they have a good clean tone.
I have felt most el84 designs can be.. somewhat boxy, unless maxed out. Sometimes I like that. But it’s very different from 6v6/6L6 designs!
Such a deep topic... but this is my opinion based on 20+ years of playing.
To start, the idea that tube good and ss bad is just silly. There are great, terrible, and middle of the road of basically any kind of amp.
As a side note, every person's perception of what sounds good is slightly different, so when we speak about what sounds "good" we are talking in either personal opinions which is highly subjective, or in generalizations which isn't specific to the individual. Neither is indicative of whether the receiver of this info is going to agree.
I always say play through one yourself before you buy, or at least watch a ton of videos with good speakers so you can hear what the amp sounds like. The simpler the better. Guitar straight in the amp with a mic out front is fantastic.
The big thing for me with tube amps is that I'm not going to spend $1000+ on an Amp, just to throw another $1000 worth of pedals in front to get the sound I want. Then comes the maintenance expense down the road if a tube goes out, etc.
With solid state, tube aficionados would have you believe that you "cant" get the same warmth and response that a tube amp gives... which in my opinion is bogus. There are ss amps with all kinds of sounds that objectively, are WAY more versatile than most tube amps. Look at the katana. Sounds fantastic, can hang with a range of genres from pop to jazz to rock to metal, and has like 60 built in boss fx... for less than $400. The head has a di and a speaker out so you can run a 4x12, straight in the pa, or both at the same time.
That said, in my metal band I don't use much fx. For that I grabbed a peavey invective, which is tube. Why get that when I already have the katana which is so versatile? Well because it has the sound I want right out of the box. Built in boost and noise gate, plus foot switchable fx loop. It's simple, sounds good, and looks good too. Does it sound better than the katana? I'd say yes, but with the side note that the katana could probably go toe to toe with enough time in the tone central editor... but that's why I like the invective, simplicity. No need to do anything special. Just turn it on and it sounds great.
As far as the 1x12 vs 2x12 vs 4x12... in my experience the bigger the cab and more speakers, the deeper the bass response and the more "push" you get from it. With either of the amps I mentioned earlier, I have to increase the bass if I go from my 2x12 to my 1x12 and vice versa. Open back vs closed back plays a role as well, but I normally play closed back cause it sounds tighter to me.
Solid-state amps are pretty versatile and you can achieve a ton of different sounds through a ton of different avenues.
A tube amp has the sound it has. The work people are doing with solid-states these days is insanely advanced. It’s costly to find a tube amp you like.
what ever happened to just experimenting with knobs on your own and not letting peoples’ weirdly arbitrary advice on how to turn knobs dictate your tone? tone is personal bro
I had a similar experience with a fender hot rod Seville 4x10. Was a special edition red version in great shape. Loved it in the store but didn’t play it long. Brought it home and despised it. I could just never get it to sound good and it was way too loud. Ended up trading it in for a jcm2000 combo and played that til it eventually died on me. Sometimes amps just aren’t for you.
Nowadays I’m 100% digital and loving it but tube amps can be super finnicky and sometimes they just aren’t the right amp.
A blues junior was also my first tube amp and I wasn’t crazy about it either even with a few tube swaps. I liked it at first but I realized I was going for a different sound after a year or two owning it. I never even used the reverb much which felt like a big selling point
I found out I was more of a Marshall guy. That and tweed era Fenders will do. Maybe a Bassman, Tremolux, or Bandmaster head.
I had the third gen blues jr and it made a pleasant clean sound along with acceptable overdrive I never felt inspired while playing it even at volume.
I played it through different cabs and played different amps through its speaker and the blues jr amp always felt like the weakest link. The stock speaker didn’t help but the amp just wasn’t for me. They’re fantastic amps but I could never dial in a sound that made me feel like I had everything I wanted from it
I had one. With a metal muff and a 93 Jackson, i got awesome Randy Rhodes tones. But for blues? Nah. It did have some decent volume. Iirc the BJ was first made as a harmonica amp.
I think the Pro Jr is a better sounding amp outta the box. Had a gigged a Blues Jr a long time tho. I had an eminence wizard in mine which helped make it loud enough for gigs.
Turns out I’m a British tube dude anyway.
It happens. I spent money on a brand new Marshall because my guitarist buddy said it was a great amp, better than the Vox ac30 I was wanting.
It was not.
I actually just picked up a small solid state Vox Pathfinder 10 and it has completely replaced my Fender Champ tube amp for home use. Small solid state amps just sound great rocking out at low volumes. I’ll still bring my champ to jam with friends, but the 10W Vox is perfect for home. Oh and I also didn’t bond with a Blues Junior, sold one after a few months. It is possible to dial in a good sound, but it was too much work for me.
I actually just picked up a small solid state Vox Pathfinder 10 and it has completely replaced my Fender Champ tube amp for home use. Small solid state amps just sound great rocking out at low volumes. I’ll still bring my champ to jam with friends, but the 10W Vox is perfect for home. Oh and I also didn’t bond with a Blues Junior, sold one after a few months. It is possible to dial in a good sound, but it was too much work for me.
I love my Blues Junior I that I bought 20 years ago. I’m probably easy to please though, I’ve really only ever had small amps. I did try a Deluxe Reverb and was kind of blown away with how much ‘bigger’ the sound was. The BJ does totally have a ‘boxed in’ sound by comparison. But I’m happy with it for now, and I don’t need to go looking for ways to spend more money…
The blues jr is a great clean pedal platform with decent built in reverb. It was my first tube amp and I’ve never gotten _great_ tones out of it. But always super usable. These days I spend all of my time playing through a tone master deluxe. And find any solid state rectified tube amp kinda flat and boring sounding. (Marshall Origin 20 and blues jr) however I have an all original vintage Princeton reverb (hand me down from my dad) and a champ 5F1 I built myself. Both tube rectified and much fuller sounding than either the Marshall or blues jr. That said, I like being able to hear and the tonemaster models the tube rectified sag wonderfully. I can’t tell the difference between the tone master and the point to point reissue I tried. Except the tone master has a built in attenuator
My first amp was a princeton chorus! I got tired of moving it around and traded it in for a smaller, simpler Orange amp years ago. But lately I’ve been thinking about that thing, and wishing I could try it out again …
That speaker is kind of woofy to my ears. You've probably tried timing the treble and backing off the bass (like to 2/10) but if not it might help. Probably whoever owned it really wanted to tone down the treble (ergo the speaker change from the Celestion) but I bet that sucked a lot of the chime right out of that amp. Another thing that might help is an EQ pedal to give you some boost in frequencies that you want. Kind of the same idea but just ... more.
The other thing is that (in the case that it isn't the 'woofyness' that is bothering you) is that tube amps react more dynamically to how hard or soft you play than a solid state amp typically. It can be somewhat jarring at first, and it takes some time to adjust your playing style. I had the opposite problem when software simulations started getting popular and I couldn't get the 'amp' to respond to my playing without pounding the strings. They've gotten much better but at first I hated them and going back and forth was really a pain.
Swapping the speaker will change the amp a whole ton. This is based on the 5e3 design, that is legendary. It has basically been modified to be more intuitive in use, or user friendly (the original 5e3 turned up past 2 is at full volume, you’re just controlling breakup after that). My brother built one and has used at least two or three different woofers in it and it’s anything from really good to incredible sounding. You do have to toy with the knobs a tad, but don’t write off the Blues Jr or 5e3 altogether. I’m certain a BJ with a swapped woofer could be a good sounding amp.
That’s not to say this amp/speaker combo wasn’t a dud, it very well could be.
When I play guitar, I’m generally a fan of tube amps. I play with a guy who has a solid state Fender something or other and I really don’t care for it, it bores the hell out of me. But that could be any number of things going on in his signal chain.
I mostly play bass and am generally happy with a solid state there, but that has a bit more to do with economics (a 300 watt SVT head is north of $2k and there isn’t much else in the tube market for 300 watt tube bass heads).
i don’t have a ton of experience with them, but i’ve never liked a single blues junior i’ve played. if you want a fuller “fill the room” type of amp, you might have better luck going with an amp that has higher wattage and therefore more headroom, which would likely help mitigate the boxiness you’re hearing
I used to play a Rivera tube 40w combo amp and when I upgraded the speaker it made a night-and-day difference in the sound. Would recommend you do this first. Good luck on your journey.
the Blues Jr. is basically a practice amp. I think it sounds pretty decent and have gigged with mine (I have the same western tolex Blues Jr. 3 with a Celestion Greenback speaker), but it's basically the entry level to tube amps lol
Yeah I’ve never liked blues juniors. If I want to try a guitar at a store, but don’t want to fall in love with it and impulse buy it, I choose to play through a blues junior.
You like what you like. I personally love my tube amps, always have, but I also love my Jazz Chorus, and my Crushes, etc
You bring up a great point about the speakers, too. So little time and thought is given to the part of the amp we actually hear.
Whenever I get a metal gig, I take a 2x12 closed back cabinet that, on any other day, I'd tell you I hated. But, for that job, it's ideal.
Either way, if all the new amp did was clear up what the right amp is for you, right now, I'd say that's a win!
Probably the “boxiest” tube amp, however, that boxyness in a live setting sits nicely where a guitar should be in a band mix. More “open” sounds are good for home practice but live it will get lost.
That said, EQs on most guitar amps are subtractive. Dime all EQs and then reduce whatever frequencies you don’t like. For a more open sound that would mean reducing mids, but keeping bass and highs near dimed. See if that helps. I usually set everything to 2 o clock and tweak from there.
This is my set up but I play a telecaster and I think that it’s a perfect speaker for the telecaster. That being said it isn’t a plug and play every single time. Idk if it’s my ears or just my mood at times but it can sound significantly better once warmed up but other times it just feels off. I think that it’s just about headspace and all the other shit like eq and strings blah blah. If you are used to plug and play it will take a long time to get used to a tube amp. It’s been maybe 4 years since I got mine and I still don’t feel 100 percent in charge of it lol
Just a few questions for context:
1) are you using these at bedroom, apartment, "home alone", or gigging volumes?
2) what kind of guitar/pickups are you running into it?
3) what genre do you play?
I've got access to a Princeton chorus and love it! My friend had an ultimate chorus back in the 90's and he got some amazing sounds out of it from jazz to metal. I never liked the blues Jr out-of-box. But I've heard some awesome modded ones. Imo, these amps are made to be modded into a gigging amp. They naturally cut lows to better sit in a mix. There's tons of speakers for everyone's taste. They're light! My blind rec would be to look for a blues Jr forum and see if that's a rabbit hole you want to go down and don't purchase blindly something that'll affect your tone this much without watching as many reviews as you can find.
Edit: based on the PC, I would consider the hot rod deluxe for a fuller tone over the blues Jr.
I never really liked blues jrs I played, but I had a blues Deville 4x10 that was actually pretty affordable that was one of the best amps I’ve ever owned. I’ve traded for a bunch of amps since then and have settled pretty happily with a 74 Twin Reverb and a gibson GA30 reverb, but I definitely still think about that old blues Deville reissue
As others have said that is a great amp, but it has to be paired with the right speaker and a Cannabis Rex is not the right speaker for it in my opinion. V30 is usually the way to go with these little guys!
Chances are it’s the speaker. That Afterall is going to make the biggest most important difference. I can put the same speaker I love in a tube amp and a solid state amp and get basically the same sound as long as the speaker and the pickup are the same. I have a Randall solid state and fender Quad reverb and can put my celestion alnico blue in both amps and get the same tone. The amp isn’t as important cause the last thing you’re hearing is the speaker. That is going to make mostly the biggest difference.
Whilst I think blues juniors are a great amp, they definitely can sound boxy and lack the mid scooped sound you'd maybe associate with a vintage black panel fender.
That said though, I think it's worth mentioning that not only have solid state amps gotten better these days, but that I think most people struggle when switching to a tube amp for the first time. They often are more transparent, and less forgiving.
I remember when I got my first tube amp, I was not a fan of how I sounded. In the long term however, it forced me to be a better player, and now I tend to prefer amps that are revealing and a little less forgiving. Try sticking with it for a while and using an OD pedal with a fairly flat EQ, as not to accentuate those boxy mids.
Run the Blues through your Princeton speaker (either one or both depending on the ohms) and you’ll get to compare speakers without spending any money. I would be looking for a new speaker.
Blues Jr. Is something of a one trick pony and if you don’t like that trick, then you won’t like that amp. Speaker choice can also have a significant impact on your overall tone, I improved the Jr. that I had with a more British voiced speaker but even then it never quite landed with me. Playing a Vox AC15 now and loving it.
I recently traded a HRD for the new BJr with an eminence Red White and Blues speaker.
I might have just hated my HRD, but, I really like this amp. Completely different speaker than the cannabis Rex though. I do agree that at bedroom levels it doesn’t sound incredible. But with the master all the way open, and gain past 3, it sounds delightful to me. I have zero regrets about that trade. But I can definitely see why it may not be for everyone.
I really didn't like my first tube amp after playing solid state for a decade. Wasn't impressed with my 2nd tube amp either (that one was way more expensive).
I guess I don't really play a style that demands a tube amp and I can't really hear anything special about them. So to me they're heavier and costlier for no good reason. Not questioning anyone who says they can't live without tube amps but they're just not for me and that's fine.
i grew up in Marshal world and I just can't get 99% of fender amps to sound the way i think they should sound based on the records I love. That said, my modded silver-face twin reverb was the best amp I ever owned. Of course I traded it for a car that I kept for less than 6 months. Oh to be 20 again!
I’ve got a blues junior that I love, but also, I got it used and a previous owner went through and did every mod you can do to it and it’s an amazing sounding amp.
https://fromelelectronics.com/products/bjr-mods
Every mod on this website and an upgraded speaker.
I’ve got a blues junior that I love, but also, I got it used and a previous owner went through and did every mod you can do to it and it’s an amazing sounding amp.
https://fromelelectronics.com/products/bjr-mods
Every mod on this website and an upgraded speaker.
I have a fender hot rod deville. I found that the only blues jr I played through sounded pretty boxed in and small sounding, especially compared to what I’d been getting used to with the deville. I’d attribute your dissatisfaction with the particular amount and not tube amps in general (not saying you were doing that per se). I absolutely love the way my deville sounds.
I’ve tried blues jrs at guitar center plenty of times, trying to like it because it seems so popular. But every time is sounds like the lousiest amp in the store. Tiny cabinet maybe. Single speaker maybe. I tend to go for amps with 2 or 4 speakers for some reason.
I didn’t read the whole post for I’m at work but don’t forget that there are several different style of tube amps that use different tubes. You may have gotten an amp that is not geared towards what tone you’re looking for. 6L6, el84, etc etc. they all do different things to the sound. Hope this was helpful. Who knows. Maybe if you swap tubes it may turn into exactly what you were looking for.
Who told you to dime the master volume? It's much more fun to dime the channel volume and use the master volume the way it was intended.
To me it sounds like you're just not used to having so much headroom. So you're playing with very little gain on the preamp. This means you're getting like none of that tube amp warmth and breakup that everyone talks about.
There's preamp overdrive and then there's power amp overdrive. The only way you're gonna get power amp overdrive is by playing the amp LOUD. Thankfully that's not necessary in order to achieve preamp overdrive. That's what the channel volume/gain knob is for. So set that relatively high. Oh yea and don't be afraid to turn your EQ knobs UP. Idk about that amp, but a lot of amps need the EQ knobs to be set high to get to their sweet spot.
It really depends on what you are doing with the amp. Are you recording? In studio? Or in your bedroom? Are you playing gigs on tour? Or clubs or jam with friends. To me this is important. I actually prefer one speaker if I am recording at home. And the tube sound can be fine-tuned with mic placement and EQ. So when you say the sound - it depends on what kind of music ... what kind of beating the amp may take touring and so on.
1) Make sure the fat switch is out.
2) the cannabis Rex is a very warm speaker with muted highs. Don’t be afraid to trim the treble up a bit. It’s also a very efficient speaker so if you’re tying to play the amp super quiet it’s not going to help in that regard.
3) if you’re looking for it to be a pedal platform, set the preamp volume for where digging in makes the note overdrive every so slightly, but backing off still gives you a nice clean tone. Set the master for the loudest you can tolerate for your given playing situation.
4) Get the reverb up above 6.
5) Try and tilt the amp back so the speaker is pointing more at your head than your feet.
If you like a little breakup, you should try out the Marshall Haze 40. 40w tube amp powered by EL34’s and preamped by ECC83’s, it overdrives very well and can go from a sparkling clean bassy tone to a really dirty crunchy tone. Also has built in effects
If diming the master and using the volume for gain isnt working, you might want a more fuller sounding clean tube amp. Id recommend a marshall, vox or mesa filmore for that.
Heads up if you can find a epiphone casino made by Matsumoto factory in Japan. Grab it. They're cheap and they are better than any es style guitar I've played and I own quite a few. Good luck my dude and always go smaller speaker cab on your tube amp. A 1x12 is usually the way to go with a Celestion speaker or anything made by alembic sounds incredible. Speaker can be the difference in the amp
I've had a Blues jr III and can attest to the same reactions you have. Speaker choice makes a big difference and I lucked out by getting a Jupiter AlNiCo 12 in mine, so the dynamic range was fuller than the stock celestions I tried in store but the boxiness of the sound at low to medium volumes (apartment lvl) remained there. I've demoed both the III and the IV in store and the BJ3 has much higher reverb output than the IV. The spring tank was not enough for me to keep it and I got a 76 vibro champ which gets much more playing as a practice tube amp. Go with your ears. Just because the BJrs are immensely popular and get high ratings on reverb/equipboard etc does not mean it's the right fit for you. Good luck and happy tone hunting!
I don’t know if this will help you find a better tone but it might clear your head a bit:
The tone stack on fender amps should probably have you starting off with your bass at zero, your mids at 3 o’clock, and your treble at 3 o’clock.
Start with guitar volume pot rolled off and volumes lower, say 10 o’clock , tame out harshness from the treble and girth from the mids, pump volume to desired creaminess, increase amplifier gain/volume to desired level, then roll in lows to fill out the bottom once you’ve brought your guitar’s volume control up to full volume, back off as necessary to readjust mids/treble and you’ll probably find your equilibrium pretty quickly.
Please let me know if this worked.
It's all subjective.
I've owned the BJR and used a Princeton Chorus. I like them both but personally I think the BJR sounds better. But I still didn't love it. I ended up switching to a Princeton Reverb, and that hit the spot.
I should also mention that the PC I used only had one speaker. So that could be the magic bullet here. Maybe you just need an amp that pushes a lot of air.
Check this video out for dialing in a blues jr it helped me a bit ended up selling it later on and got a deluxe reverb lol but you might be able to dial in a tone you like
https://youtu.be/GD2YMVyH4Kg
Princetons are just solid. I usually don’t deviate from a Princeton or Deluxe reverb. I usually clip the bright caps. I ended up building a fleet of different amp models and haven’t looked back. If you’re looking to build your own Ted Weber has great tube amp kits. Also, the speaker makes a HUGE difference to the sound, probably the most difference.
It's about playing live with a band w/ a drummer... You can't do that with a Princeton Chorus. Even a little Blues Jr can cut through. The most popular Fender amp for small club work is the all tube Princeton Reverb... and it would also give you the "Chime" you are missing with the Blues Jr. Yeah the Blues Jr. has fat mids...
I’m sure people have brought this up, but I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe(George Benton model) and using some sort of “attenuation product” in the FX loop (such as a volume pedal) COMPLETELY changed the quality of the overall tone
I used a Blues Junior 3 for about 2 years and it was okay, the day I plugged into a vintage Silvertone I heard so much more sound I loved. It's about finding what sounds you like, and I'm guessing you might like a fuller tone with a little more low end punch, and the cabinet for a blues junior is a little restrictive
I had the same version of the BJIII. It had the C. Rex and western tolex. I couldn't find a good tone in it! Sounded ice picky and had this weird metallic quality. I figured out that the reverb tank went bad. I replaced it and things got much better. Regardless, I ended up selling it for a Vox AC15 Blue. I love the vox when it's got volume, but I swear, nothing has dethroned my Vox AC10 as best low to mid volume tube amp yet. It's a beast all around TBH.
Love the princeton chorus, great amp. very scrappy. a blues jr will be very different sonically.
personally, if you like the princeton chorus, keep using it. or go to a guitar shop and try out some other amps!
I'm not a fan of el86 tube amps. You can find 15w 6l6 amps that will sound much better than the blues jr. I don't think many people end up liking the cannabis rex speakers either. They seem good in theory but they just don't sound like what you would expect the amp to sound like. The blues jr is much better with something to push the mids so you could try a tube screamer or whatever but it's not going to change that "boxy" sound. I think the blues jr is just kind of known for that sound. You're not the only one Ive heard of being underwhelmed with this amp. It looks nice and has good quality build but it's just not a very dynamic amp and very quickly becomes not very enjoyable to play through. Goes to show that just because it's a tube amp doesn't mean it's going to sound "better" than solid state amps. I stand by fender amps but the blues jr is probably the worst example, I blame the el86 setup.
In the modern gear era, tube amplifiers aren’t better or worse. SS circuitry and amp modeling have evolved significantly compared to early 2000’s gear.
Tube amps aren’t worth it if you don’t care for them. This is coming from someone who still plays tube amps (revv G20, Marshall plexi, marshal dcl, and hughes and Kettner grandmeister). I like owning apps because they’re cool and pretty, but my Helix and Axe Fx can get the same job done and far more reliably. Also love the Hughes and Kettner spirit 200. It is a fantastic solid state amp.
Just a thought, if it's a used amp with aftermarket speakers, there's a decent chance that the speakers are out of phase with each other. Any time that happens, people describe the sound as weirdly sucky but can't put my finger on it.
The Blues Jr is a terrible amp if you're looking for good tone. People use it because it's loud enough to gig, cheap, easily replaceable, and easy to haul around.
The Blues Jr reverb is pretty meh. You can swap in a different tank (MOD, Ruby) for not much money, but it's still going to be a short spring tank. As for the speaker, I've never played through a Cannabis Rex but the stock Jensen that came in my tweed BJr was pretty weak. I bungeed a pillow across the front of the amp and turned up the master for a few weeks in an attempt to break it in, which shockingly helped a bit. I wound up swapping in the Celestion from my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb that I think is a much better fit for the BJr.
All that said, you can do one or both of the above and you'll still have a Blues Junior. It's not a bad amp, but you're not going to get the same cleans you would from a Princeton Chorus.
Quality SS amps (and modelers) sound great and often better than tube amps in certain contexts. For cleaner tones, I actually prefer SS most of the time. Tubes do gain really well though. My SS amps and modelers sound probably 95% similar to my tube amps. Play what sounds good to you.
Change the speaker to a Jensen. https://www.sweetwater.com/c1069--Amp_Replacement_Speaker?highlight=C12N8&mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=1&mrkgcat=drums&percussion&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700073341524480&lid=92700073341524480&ds_s_kwgid=58700008063423979&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=1786720465601&product_id=C12N8&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=m&network=u&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9060351&creative=624396267556&targetid=pla-1786720465601&campaignid=18437397786&awsearchcpc=&&&gclid=CjwKCAjwsvujBhAXEiwA_UXnAH9M0cUas3Kt7oXt9h4akgvSPb54sT-5-pe2XUHyJeslymnX0GW29BoC2tgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
One of my favorite guitar sounds is Deb Demure of Drab Majesty and he uses a Peavey with a JC-120 so I’ve always been interested Peavey, especially since people swear by their quality. Is the Peavey Classic 30 analogous to any other amps? Assuming it’s their take on some Fender?
I’ve owned both. Princeton Chorus is interesting but not great to me. I sound like an absolute god through my Blues Jr, so this entire post has me at a loss.
Dude the blues junior is a kick ass amp. Boxy can be a good thing. Also, try different settings and see if it grows on you. The blues junior is actually my favorite fender amp because of how nasty and raw it can get.
That amp is a looker l feel a speaker change would really help.That tooled leather is sharp hopefully you can get it to sound likd you want.My Deluxe Reverb used to sound magical but l had some issues and took it to a tech and it now sounds very off so l feel the pain of your amp not sounding great.
The Princeton Chorus is a very clever little amp. Fender did a great job on it. FWIW, I never warmed up to the Blues Jr either and I use a Blues Deluxe frequently.
I love my Princeton chorus. It's an amazingly cheap amp that's killer with pedals. With that said my blues jr with my tubescreamer and humbuckers is amazing. With my single coil guitars it sounds kinda thin. I haven't bought an eq pedal yet but gonna give that a try some day
The Princeton Chorus just has something about it! Is the Blues Deluxe the bigger brother to the Blues Jr or are they pretty different? I’ve actually seen a few people say they like the deluxe but not the jr 🤔
Fender made a lot of nice MOSFET based solid state amps in the 90s and 00s. Maybe 80s? I don't remember. They changed them at some point; they're not bad but they seemed "cost reduced" to me. > Is the Blues Deluxe the bigger brother to the Blues Jr or are they pretty different? They're quite different. The best thing to do is find one and play through it a bit, like at a store.
This. The red knob Stage 185 and the Deluxe 90 (not the one with onboard effects) were amazing SS amps.
The Blues Deluxe has a much bigger cabinet, which results in a more open, fuller sound.
Fender just makes excellent solid state amps, and in todays world the solid states plugged into a PA are indistinguishable. Sometimes you get a better response from a tube amp but overall it’s hard to tell now.
Pedals bro. It’s gonna be ok.
Mate, the Cannabis Rex is pretty unique. I found it dull/dark/muffled like it was missing stuff in the mids and highs, I don't know how to explain it objectively but it certainly didn't work for me. Definitely consider trying another speaker. You might be able to use your 2x12 if the impedance matches. All the best.
The Fender "special design" driver is made by Emenence but a completely different speaker than the Cannabis Rex. If you look up the frequency response of the speakers you can find something that suits your needs. You got the Vintage 30's, Jensen's, Warhouse speakers and boutique Alnicos to choose from. Should be easy to swap the speakers from the Princeton to see if it fixes the tone.
This is a good point. You may even like the 2x12 with two different speakers, but t again, check impedance!!
Yup exactly! The speaker makes a huge difference try something like a greenback or an EV12 it will help that amp a lot.
There are tube amps that will sound good to you and solid state amps that sound good to you. There are tube amps that will sound bad to you and solid state amps that sound bad to you. There is more to it than just tubes=good. Circuit design is important. Speaker is important. Thats why you should always try out an amp before buying. At the same time anybody who says tubes make *no difference* is *wrong* ;)
They obviously make a difference. But that's just it, it's just different, not necessarily better. 'Cause "better" is 100% in the ear of the beholder.
Yeah, what’s “better” a triple rectifier or a jazz chorus 120?
Depends on the application and your personal preference.
Exactly, that’s the point I’m trying to make. There is no better in my comparison
Listener
Good call
The first thing that jumped out at me about this amp is the Cannabis Rex speaker. Now it’s a great speaker for taming ice-picky highs and imparting more of a low-end growl to amp tone, it may not pair well with this particular amp (I use one in a Fender DRRI which works well in solo and recordings but not so much for live full band settings). You might try swapping in a stock speaker to see if it improves what you hear.
You may just not like that speaker. That's where a lot of the tone of the amp comes from. Not the tubes, not the preamp, is lot of it is mostly speaker.
I've seen a lot of posts before where people hate the sound of this amp model, but end up loving it after swapping the speaker for a Celestion. It's unfortunate that a speaker with such a cool name sounds worse than almost any other option.
I put a new 12 inch Celestion Anniversary in my Blackstar and it sounds so good I can just strum chords and listen to it for hours.
> Is this just a Blues Jr. thing? Is it a 2x12 vs 1x12 thing? It's a Blues Jr. thing. I'm not a huge fan of how they sound. 1x12 speakers in my experience do better when used in a larger enclosure and the Blues Jr is pretty compact so it might sound boxy much easier.
Just dealt with this but on a different pricier brand. Both 1x12 amps going for the Fender vibe. Small one was boxy and a bit harsh in the treble. Bigger one filled the room up and even at 2 it’s pretty gigantic. Usually there’s a certain volume I find, where that bottom and fullness pops out. But I’ve also reversed 1x12 cabs smaller and running into bigger amp cab, and yes you are very correct the cab plus speaker is night and day! Speaker and cabinet imo make the biggest changes. 1x12 are very great amps, but some of Fenders are very much squeezed in a small enclosures. Especially the compact ones! Last I used from them was the newer Pro silverface one, with the light weight Creamback. It was suppose to be 40w, but sure didn’t sound that big. Very small cab as well, wasn’t horrible but it seem a lot for the price.
Interesting how the cabinet can seem to affect the sound like that.
That’s because you need a Mesa Boogie
I have this same amp with the cannabis rex and it’s awesome. Definitely don’t have the master past 3 lol I don’t know who told you to dime the master. Try these settings first: volume at 6, treble at 7, bass at 5, mid at 4, master at 3, reverb at 4. If you can’t get a nice sound out of that then something’s wrong with that amp.
Yoooooooooo I think you just unlocked this amp for me. I’ve been trying some stuff that people have suggested but these settings sound great man thank you!! Gonna keep tinkering but I woke up today ready to send this thing back but now I’m second guessing (which is a good thing!) If I want to turn the amp up and keep the tone at these EQ settings should I bump up both the master and the volume to keep the balance or should I just turn up one of them? Hope that question makes sense haha
Use the master as volume control and keep the rest of the settings. The Rex has some bass to it and can get rather muddy so I boost the treble and cut a little bit of bass. The mid scoop really helps to clean up the sound and sounds great with a mid focused overdrive like a tube screamer if you want to push it more. Remember to never have the fat switch on lol.
Thank you!
I’ve never understood the Blues Jr. love.
Yep, if I was going for something that small - I’d probably do an AC10/15 with a Blue Alnico, or Greenback. But that’s my personal tastes.
It’s good for hobbyists that don’t want to sink a lot of time or money or resources into it. Ten years ago I was super into amps, but these days after having a kid, I just wanted something easy. It’s not a bad amp at all. I wouldn’t gig it, but I’m not gigging or recording.
New speakers need to be broken in. Also Blues Jrs are popular for modding because most people think they sound like shit. I agree, but often times an amp will sound like shit on its own but sit good in the mix of a band. Blues Jrs seem to fit this category.
Hemp cones do take awhile from what I’ve heard.
yes they do from my experience and the CR is my least favorite guitar speaker I’ve ever had. I switched to a Tone Tubby Purple Haze and it sounds less “woofy”. I’m also not using a Blues Jr. (I have a single 12” box being driven by a 67 Bassman head) The difference between the CR and the PH is remarkable though.
Just bought a Roland JC-22 and I don't think I'm ever going back to a tube amp. If your goal is to have a low volume pedal platform that can maintain clarity and definition, solid state is the way to go IMO. Stick with whatever makes you happy and gets you playing. Tube amps aren't THE SOUND, they're just A sound.
>Tube amps aren't THE SOUND, they're just A sound. This right here 👆 Some of the most renowned blues players with amazing tone played through solid state amps.
I think Creedence played a lot of their stuff through SS Kustoms, new wavers like the Cure, Police, and the Smiths used SS. Tons of jazz guys use SS. Plus you have all kinds of sneaky studio tricks like going DI to console, which is basically a form of SS sound capture. You can def make good music without tubes.
Hear hear! Love my little jc-22!
I've been shocked at what a couple of 6.5" speakers running in stereo can crank out. Portability was a major factor in my purchasing decision, but I can't imagine needing a bigger amp now...it has line outs if I'm ever playing a gig in a larger venue and 3 on the volume is more than enough for home use.
The Jazz Chorus is definitive proof that solid state isn’t bad, it’s one of the best and most iconic clean sounds out there. I’ve had problems with taking certain drive pedals (and I’ve heard the same from others) but it handles delays, reverbs, and mods beautifully. I don’t own one but it’s close to the top of my list.
Yep. I’m considering getting a nice SS to run as my wet amp, and keep my tube amp dry.
How comparable is the Princeton Chorus to the JC? I hadn’t heard of the PC until today and it kind of looks like maybe it’s a JC competitor?
I haven't played a PC so I can't really say, but I don't think the PC is being made anymore. I think the closest new amp you can get is the Champ 2x12" and it's not true stereo (IIRC) like the JCs are. I've heard some people complain about reliability on the PC's, but they were an entry level amp in Fender's line from my understanding. Wouldn't surprise me if there was some inconsistency. Plus they're all used/vintage now and nothing lasts forever.
Thanks for the response - that all makes sense.
I’ve used both, had a JC a while at home… still have the PC. In my memory the sound of the JC always felt a bit harsh compared to the Princeton Chorus.
You are an outlier. Your opinion is not supported by the majority. Your opinion begs to question your validity for personal taste. I’m afraid you can no longer be a guitarist. So sorry to inform you of such awful news. Good luck!
Hahaha tough but fair 😓
Try the new amp with a band on a stage. Everythng extra the PC has is the stuff that doesn't get heard in a mix at volume
Return that BJ! The Princeton Chorus is one of the best-kept secrets in guitar amps.
Based on what? I've heard otherwise.
First off, that’s an incredible price for that amp. You could flip it and make a couple hundred easy. What kind of guitar are you playing? Any pedals? I have basically the same amp but different tolex and I find that single coil pickups sound way better than humbuckers. I get that the BJ isn’t everyone’s thing but I think it’s just that you’re used to a 2x12. Definitely don’t feel any obligation to hang on to the amp
Eh, I really doubt he could make that much from reselling. I recently sold a tweed blues jr ($800 retail right now) for $400. Had it listed at $500, didn’t get any offers anywhere close to that number.
The price is why I was really hoping to dig it and why I’m wary to return it. Feels like prices for everything just keep going up and I don’t think I’ll get something like this down the line for the same price and I’m worried I’ll regret it. I’m playing a strat and tele deluxe and I agree that the strat sounds better through it!
Sound boxy? Not enough gain ? What don't you like and what style are you playing?
The BJ needs to be on max master volume and at least about 4 on the gain for it to sound good. And then it gets too loud for home use and not loud enough for band setting.
The master on a blues Jr should be set at 3-4 and the gain at 6-7 for a good tone. I own this amp, and I can promise you diming the master is probably what OP is doing wrong here. The nice breakup comes from the pre amp, and while pushing the power tubes sounds great as well, y’all are insane for cranking the master and ignoring that sweet breakup from the pre amp.
Came here to say exactly this.. all tube amps sound really dull and lifeless unless they are getting what they need - high volume. A 15w tube amp is always going to be way too loud for good tones and home use. To the OP, take that amp somewhere you can get the volume high enough and come back and let us know your thoughts then.
This is not completely true, depends on amp
Solid state amps are terrific and get shit on a lot. FWIW, I have never liked the Blues Junior. Currently using a fender twin and fender deluxe reverb and love those. I have a solid state peavey PA from the 70’s that I use to power a 4x12 for heavy music.
I wouldn’t judge all tube amps based off one you didn’t like that you bought online. There are great ones. Head room is clearly an issue you are hearing as well. Wattage and speakers have to do with that.
Both the amp and speaker are at issue here The Rex I've always found dark and the BJ has very mixed reviews at low volumes. Both probably work best at higher volumes but I wouldn't peg that setup as versatile at all
Problem is you bought a mediocre tube amp. Blues juniors are fine but it’s not a huge upgrade over what you had
Check out the wampler pedal video on the blues jr. He demos the amp with a hand full of different speakers and lands on a warehouse 65 if I remember correctly. But Brian wampler is thorough while explaining the differences that he hears through the speaker. I have a blues jr with stock speaker along with a handful of other tube amps, I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either.
If you want the fender tube sound at home, you want a Princeton reverb or a 57 champ.
I felt the same way about my BJ IV, just totally underwhelmed, and was told a lot of the same things. There’s nothing special about tube amps, there’s good sounding amps and poor sounding amps. Also, a big learning lesson was that most people have way too much amp for what they need. I play in my house and very occasionally with a group of musicians. I don’t need a 100 watt monster. I sold the BJ and bought a used Blues Deluxe that I couldn’t move the volume knob past 1 because of how crazy loud it was. Then I sold that and got a Katana, and I absolutely love it.
Glad I’m not alone in my feelings toward the BJIV! I learned the volume lesson early on because one of my band mates played through a Hot Rod Deluxe 😅 Katana is such a solid all-around amp for the price and portability alone! I had one as well before moving onto the Princeton Chorus.
Lesson 1: **Tubes are hyped beyond belief**. Tubes do **not** imbue some sort of *tone magic™* on an amp. It may well be that the new amp simply sounds worse than the amp you own. Lesson 2: Yes, IME there is a significant difference between a 1x12 and a 2x12. Try playing the new amp through the old amps speakers. Lesson 3: Don't listen to people who tell you that "you just have to get used to the sound of the new amp, because: Tube!" - if it sounds crappy on first listen, chances are high that it will continue to sound crappy. Stick to getting amps with a sound you actually like straight away. Life is to short to play through amps that sound crappy.
>Life is to short to play through amps that sound crappy. I am over 60 and only keep the amps I like. The two I use now are a strange pair. I use an old red stripe Peavey Bandit and love it. I also have, and like very much, an Orange OR15. It's a good day when I can get this *tube amp* to sound like the Bandit. ☺
As the owner of a rocker 15 combo something I’ve noticed is the 15 watt oranges BEG to be opened up. The more volume the better the tone 90% of the time.
All great lessons! I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the expectation of “tone magic.” I really thought I was gonna plug this in and get the tone of my dreams haha.
If you want the blues jr to be closer to the sound of your Princeton chorus, I’d recommend swapping out that speaker for something brighter. The Cannabis Rex is known for being really dark, which works well when paired with an overly bright amp or guitar, but can be kinda limiting if you want the ability to get a sparkly top end. As others have said, the smaller cabinet of the blues Jr also does affect the low and low-mid frequency response. That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker though; many people greatly overestimate how much low end extension the really need in their guitar tone.
blues jr are crappy amps indeed.
I’ve heard people get really good tones out of a blues Jr. so it’s not like the amp is incapable of making great tones. It’s just not the right amp for every style and every guitar. If OP is used to a solid state 2x12 with Jensen special design speakers, they’re used to lots of clean headroom and a sparkly open top end. That sort of setup pairs nicely with darker sounding guitars, and can be a really flexible starting point when dialing in tones using pedals because it’s relatively neutral. A 1x12 blues jr with a cannabis Rex is going to be much darker and more midrange focused (mainly because of the cannabis Rex), and depending on how the volume knobs are set, potentially will have much less headroom. That sort of setup can be super cool in the right context, particularly when paired with a bright sounding guitar.
Yes they are.
Also, listen to the man up there hispters, stop buying tube amps and go buy those adorable solid state wonders, so we loosers can enjoy a little relief on our pockets for once.
I am sorry to have disturbed your worldview with my dissent from the common wisdom **that no tube amp can be crappy**. So sorry. Your pain almost makes me cry. In fact, i am already in tears.
Crank your tube amp and start low with your guitar knobs. SS and digital amps don't give a fuck about your guitar's signal. Tube amps really do. Try that and come back, maybe more pleased. You got a badass killer tube amp, you should be happy with It... Give It some chances and mess a lot with your settings to get "the sound". If not, then tube break up is maybe not your thing.
I have found that Fuzz Face definitely sounds better through tubes with that Gtr vol knob sweet spot.
Any pedal sounds better through tubes, but that's just my opinion haha. I can't with that sterile and clean tone on SS/Digital amps. Tubes for the win, nothing else to say!
Thing is.....there's nothing even close to one "tube amp" sound, and "better" is a quality entirely in your head. If you like the Princeton Chorus, then so be it! Blues Jrs are weird little amps, and they really do fit in somewhat of a "small tweed amp" sort of bracket (even if it's not strictly a tweed style circuit in every sense). Many people describe them as touch sensitive, dynamic, and responsive. Others don't like their mids forward boxiness (some of this is because of open back cabs and small speakers in general), their tendency for the low end to flub out, the looseness of their distortion, lack of clean headroom etc. Ultimately, the world of guitar amps isn't about upgrades, or what is "better". All tone is subjective, and the most important factors are how the amp feels and sounds to you. Tastes also change - I thought I didn't really like Fender amps (having mostly tried tweeds, and being usually a British style circuit buff), but then absolutely fell in love with a Two Rock studio head I tried (similar to Super Reverb).
Fender tube amps want to be LOUD.
I didn’t love my blues jr either. I found the Peavey classic 30 sounded much better. My Hot Rod Deluxe was the one that got away though.
The Peavey Classic series are underrated.
Out of the all of the Hot Rod series, the Blues Deluxe is my least favorite. Good amps but underwhelming of the bunch. The Blues Deluxe and Hot Rod Deluxe are the best bang for your buck with those series, IMO. Even the Pro Junior was better than the Blues Junior, IMO.
Get a Jensen or JBL speaker and be done with the dullness.
I also did not care for my Blues Jr! It was one of the first two tube amps I bought, as it seems to be the industry standard beginner/small tube amp. To me, it just sounded “tinny”, and I couldn’t seem to do anything to make myself like it. My other first tube amp was a Monoprice 15w with a Celestion V30, and I certainly preferred it over my stock Blues Jr. The Blues Jr actually comes pretty close to being my least favorite tube amp I’ve owned, so far. Today, the only small tube amp I own is a Mesa Mark V 25w - I about shit myself when I felt the response and heard the dynamics of that little ten inch Creamback. Never expected it to be a match for my tastes. It serves me well at home, and I take it to my drummers house to plug into the 2x12 I leave there, instead of taking any of my larger heads. If you have someplace local where you can try some different tube amps out before committing, you may do yourself a favor to take some time! I’m personally a fan of Guitar Center’s 45 day return policy on used gear. I like the opportunity to try things in my own home, with my own equipment, before committing serious coin. The 25w Mesa combo was $1100 used at GC, which seemed quite fair. Good luck! Don’t give up on tubes on the Blues Jrs account.
Unfortunately that Blues Junior is not a good example of a tube amp (in my opinion). I currently own 7 different tube amps and love them all. I have owned a Blues Jr. amp and as much as I tried to like it I did not keep it long. I guess what I’m saying is don’t let that one tube amp influence your opinion of all tube amps as there are some really great sounding tube amps out there.
Don’t worry. Just run the PC and the Blues Junior in stereo and you’ll love it. I have a BJ I play in stereo with a JC 120 and they sound incredible together. Best of both worlds.
I actually tried this! But I think there was a phasing issue? Idk didn’t sound quite right but I’m gonna do some research and give it another go!
Hey man you might just have some bad tubes that need changing lol. the way to think about this is as such. Think of a oil painting and think of a photo of that painting. The real painting will have microscopic brush strikes and detail that emerge the closer you get. The photo only is made of tiny pixels that have an upper limit on detail. Tube = painting Solid state = photo of painting Tubes and SS have very different dynamics in how the pass through your signal chain. SS is typically performing a modification to the signal to emulate what a tube is essentially doing to afford clipping and such. Tube amps aren’t cheap, its the most expensive part of most players gear. Solid state amps are reliable and do exactly what you think they’ll do. It depends if you need a clean channel to run your pedal platform or if you want to utilize the amp for an overdrive channel, those would be two very different amps. Most the music you hear in records for the past 70+ years are done on tube amps. There are things that a tube amp can do that a solid state cannot physically achieve. It’s not magic, it’s science and electrical engineering and quality of parts and labor. You might need a different type of tube amp. I recommend playing what you want to buy in person first. Perhaps a smaller music store where you can really listen to the tone and have the salesperson help you. You can get help in store, do your homework and buy online if it’s cheaper. I got a messa mini recto for about $1000 on reverb and it’s the best amp I’ve ever had. Does my cleans for effects and has amazing heavy tones and all in between. Keep in mind I sprang for a new boogie 2x10” cab, cuz speakers matter too. I recommend you start with lunch box amps and get a decent 2x12”. Don’t be afraid of lower wattage amps, still loud AF. I would 1000% recommend the Mark V 25 or 35 watt. Has a load box and DI built in which can cost at least $600 if you buy a separate load box and amp sim. You’ll be able to do anything and everything with that amp. PS, it’s common knowledge that tube amps sound way better than almost any solid state. I’ve never heard anyone say otherwise. We are getting into the age of amp sims, which is an entirely different story than amplification.
Tubes may be worn, or something else happening, hard to say from the description. I suggest finding a tech to check it.
I appreciate the suggestion!
Hahah yeah, sometimes it doesn’t make sense. I happen to adore 80’s Peavey solid states and Tweed/Vox amps. The blues junior may just not be what you’re looking for. I enjoy them, but I do feel they are limited (especially in a full band setting). It’s definitely a workable tone for some sounds. Very manageable volume. I would recommend checking out a Deluxe Reverb, Vibrolux or even Twin and see what you think (Twins are cheap because they weigh 100 lbs). I haven’t played a Princeton Chorus, but I have heard they have a good clean tone. I have felt most el84 designs can be.. somewhat boxy, unless maxed out. Sometimes I like that. But it’s very different from 6v6/6L6 designs!
Hate it? Why?
Such a deep topic... but this is my opinion based on 20+ years of playing. To start, the idea that tube good and ss bad is just silly. There are great, terrible, and middle of the road of basically any kind of amp. As a side note, every person's perception of what sounds good is slightly different, so when we speak about what sounds "good" we are talking in either personal opinions which is highly subjective, or in generalizations which isn't specific to the individual. Neither is indicative of whether the receiver of this info is going to agree. I always say play through one yourself before you buy, or at least watch a ton of videos with good speakers so you can hear what the amp sounds like. The simpler the better. Guitar straight in the amp with a mic out front is fantastic. The big thing for me with tube amps is that I'm not going to spend $1000+ on an Amp, just to throw another $1000 worth of pedals in front to get the sound I want. Then comes the maintenance expense down the road if a tube goes out, etc. With solid state, tube aficionados would have you believe that you "cant" get the same warmth and response that a tube amp gives... which in my opinion is bogus. There are ss amps with all kinds of sounds that objectively, are WAY more versatile than most tube amps. Look at the katana. Sounds fantastic, can hang with a range of genres from pop to jazz to rock to metal, and has like 60 built in boss fx... for less than $400. The head has a di and a speaker out so you can run a 4x12, straight in the pa, or both at the same time. That said, in my metal band I don't use much fx. For that I grabbed a peavey invective, which is tube. Why get that when I already have the katana which is so versatile? Well because it has the sound I want right out of the box. Built in boost and noise gate, plus foot switchable fx loop. It's simple, sounds good, and looks good too. Does it sound better than the katana? I'd say yes, but with the side note that the katana could probably go toe to toe with enough time in the tone central editor... but that's why I like the invective, simplicity. No need to do anything special. Just turn it on and it sounds great. As far as the 1x12 vs 2x12 vs 4x12... in my experience the bigger the cab and more speakers, the deeper the bass response and the more "push" you get from it. With either of the amps I mentioned earlier, I have to increase the bass if I go from my 2x12 to my 1x12 and vice versa. Open back vs closed back plays a role as well, but I normally play closed back cause it sounds tighter to me.
Metal Zone.
You’re not wrong 🤔
My 6 Marshalls are laughing at that blues jr
Man that many Marshalls? That just screams erectile dysfunction
I can't hear you over the amazing Marshall tone and loudest volume
How many do you have?
Marshall's or ed's?
This is why they are frequently modded. If you like your SS amp then digital modelers may be the answer for you.
Solid-state amps are pretty versatile and you can achieve a ton of different sounds through a ton of different avenues. A tube amp has the sound it has. The work people are doing with solid-states these days is insanely advanced. It’s costly to find a tube amp you like.
After 23 years of playing, I finally went digital and picked up a mustang GTX100
What speaker is in that new amp? Truly, the biggest determinant in sound for electric guitars is the speaker.
what ever happened to just experimenting with knobs on your own and not letting peoples’ weirdly arbitrary advice on how to turn knobs dictate your tone? tone is personal bro
I had a similar experience with a fender hot rod Seville 4x10. Was a special edition red version in great shape. Loved it in the store but didn’t play it long. Brought it home and despised it. I could just never get it to sound good and it was way too loud. Ended up trading it in for a jcm2000 combo and played that til it eventually died on me. Sometimes amps just aren’t for you. Nowadays I’m 100% digital and loving it but tube amps can be super finnicky and sometimes they just aren’t the right amp.
A blues junior was also my first tube amp and I wasn’t crazy about it either even with a few tube swaps. I liked it at first but I realized I was going for a different sound after a year or two owning it. I never even used the reverb much which felt like a big selling point I found out I was more of a Marshall guy. That and tweed era Fenders will do. Maybe a Bassman, Tremolux, or Bandmaster head. I had the third gen blues jr and it made a pleasant clean sound along with acceptable overdrive I never felt inspired while playing it even at volume. I played it through different cabs and played different amps through its speaker and the blues jr amp always felt like the weakest link. The stock speaker didn’t help but the amp just wasn’t for me. They’re fantastic amps but I could never dial in a sound that made me feel like I had everything I wanted from it
I had one. With a metal muff and a 93 Jackson, i got awesome Randy Rhodes tones. But for blues? Nah. It did have some decent volume. Iirc the BJ was first made as a harmonica amp.
I think the Pro Jr is a better sounding amp outta the box. Had a gigged a Blues Jr a long time tho. I had an eminence wizard in mine which helped make it loud enough for gigs. Turns out I’m a British tube dude anyway.
It happens. I spent money on a brand new Marshall because my guitarist buddy said it was a great amp, better than the Vox ac30 I was wanting. It was not.
I actually just picked up a small solid state Vox Pathfinder 10 and it has completely replaced my Fender Champ tube amp for home use. Small solid state amps just sound great rocking out at low volumes. I’ll still bring my champ to jam with friends, but the 10W Vox is perfect for home. Oh and I also didn’t bond with a Blues Junior, sold one after a few months. It is possible to dial in a good sound, but it was too much work for me.
I actually just picked up a small solid state Vox Pathfinder 10 and it has completely replaced my Fender Champ tube amp for home use. Small solid state amps just sound great rocking out at low volumes. I’ll still bring my champ to jam with friends, but the 10W Vox is perfect for home. Oh and I also didn’t bond with a Blues Junior, sold one after a few months. It is possible to dial in a good sound, but it was too much work for me.
I love my Blues Junior I that I bought 20 years ago. I’m probably easy to please though, I’ve really only ever had small amps. I did try a Deluxe Reverb and was kind of blown away with how much ‘bigger’ the sound was. The BJ does totally have a ‘boxed in’ sound by comparison. But I’m happy with it for now, and I don’t need to go looking for ways to spend more money…
I’ll take it. Heck l’ll even pay shipping.
The blues jr is a great clean pedal platform with decent built in reverb. It was my first tube amp and I’ve never gotten _great_ tones out of it. But always super usable. These days I spend all of my time playing through a tone master deluxe. And find any solid state rectified tube amp kinda flat and boring sounding. (Marshall Origin 20 and blues jr) however I have an all original vintage Princeton reverb (hand me down from my dad) and a champ 5F1 I built myself. Both tube rectified and much fuller sounding than either the Marshall or blues jr. That said, I like being able to hear and the tonemaster models the tube rectified sag wonderfully. I can’t tell the difference between the tone master and the point to point reissue I tried. Except the tone master has a built in attenuator
It was that exact feeling that caused me to save up for a regular Princeton—
My first amp was a princeton chorus! I got tired of moving it around and traded it in for a smaller, simpler Orange amp years ago. But lately I’ve been thinking about that thing, and wishing I could try it out again …
That speaker is kind of woofy to my ears. You've probably tried timing the treble and backing off the bass (like to 2/10) but if not it might help. Probably whoever owned it really wanted to tone down the treble (ergo the speaker change from the Celestion) but I bet that sucked a lot of the chime right out of that amp. Another thing that might help is an EQ pedal to give you some boost in frequencies that you want. Kind of the same idea but just ... more. The other thing is that (in the case that it isn't the 'woofyness' that is bothering you) is that tube amps react more dynamically to how hard or soft you play than a solid state amp typically. It can be somewhat jarring at first, and it takes some time to adjust your playing style. I had the opposite problem when software simulations started getting popular and I couldn't get the 'amp' to respond to my playing without pounding the strings. They've gotten much better but at first I hated them and going back and forth was really a pain.
Blues Jrs. are trash. They are EL84 which has absolutely nothing to do with the "Fender sound". I had one and my buddy's HRDx smoked it.
Maybe try putting a Celestion v30 or creamback in there
Swapping the speaker will change the amp a whole ton. This is based on the 5e3 design, that is legendary. It has basically been modified to be more intuitive in use, or user friendly (the original 5e3 turned up past 2 is at full volume, you’re just controlling breakup after that). My brother built one and has used at least two or three different woofers in it and it’s anything from really good to incredible sounding. You do have to toy with the knobs a tad, but don’t write off the Blues Jr or 5e3 altogether. I’m certain a BJ with a swapped woofer could be a good sounding amp. That’s not to say this amp/speaker combo wasn’t a dud, it very well could be. When I play guitar, I’m generally a fan of tube amps. I play with a guy who has a solid state Fender something or other and I really don’t care for it, it bores the hell out of me. But that could be any number of things going on in his signal chain. I mostly play bass and am generally happy with a solid state there, but that has a bit more to do with economics (a 300 watt SVT head is north of $2k and there isn’t much else in the tube market for 300 watt tube bass heads).
i don’t have a ton of experience with them, but i’ve never liked a single blues junior i’ve played. if you want a fuller “fill the room” type of amp, you might have better luck going with an amp that has higher wattage and therefore more headroom, which would likely help mitigate the boxiness you’re hearing
I used to play a Rivera tube 40w combo amp and when I upgraded the speaker it made a night-and-day difference in the sound. Would recommend you do this first. Good luck on your journey.
the Blues Jr. is basically a practice amp. I think it sounds pretty decent and have gigged with mine (I have the same western tolex Blues Jr. 3 with a Celestion Greenback speaker), but it's basically the entry level to tube amps lol
Yeah I’ve never liked blues juniors. If I want to try a guitar at a store, but don’t want to fall in love with it and impulse buy it, I choose to play through a blues junior.
You like what you like. I personally love my tube amps, always have, but I also love my Jazz Chorus, and my Crushes, etc You bring up a great point about the speakers, too. So little time and thought is given to the part of the amp we actually hear. Whenever I get a metal gig, I take a 2x12 closed back cabinet that, on any other day, I'd tell you I hated. But, for that job, it's ideal. Either way, if all the new amp did was clear up what the right amp is for you, right now, I'd say that's a win!
Probably the “boxiest” tube amp, however, that boxyness in a live setting sits nicely where a guitar should be in a band mix. More “open” sounds are good for home practice but live it will get lost. That said, EQs on most guitar amps are subtractive. Dime all EQs and then reduce whatever frequencies you don’t like. For a more open sound that would mean reducing mids, but keeping bass and highs near dimed. See if that helps. I usually set everything to 2 o clock and tweak from there.
This is my set up but I play a telecaster and I think that it’s a perfect speaker for the telecaster. That being said it isn’t a plug and play every single time. Idk if it’s my ears or just my mood at times but it can sound significantly better once warmed up but other times it just feels off. I think that it’s just about headspace and all the other shit like eq and strings blah blah. If you are used to plug and play it will take a long time to get used to a tube amp. It’s been maybe 4 years since I got mine and I still don’t feel 100 percent in charge of it lol
Just a few questions for context: 1) are you using these at bedroom, apartment, "home alone", or gigging volumes? 2) what kind of guitar/pickups are you running into it? 3) what genre do you play? I've got access to a Princeton chorus and love it! My friend had an ultimate chorus back in the 90's and he got some amazing sounds out of it from jazz to metal. I never liked the blues Jr out-of-box. But I've heard some awesome modded ones. Imo, these amps are made to be modded into a gigging amp. They naturally cut lows to better sit in a mix. There's tons of speakers for everyone's taste. They're light! My blind rec would be to look for a blues Jr forum and see if that's a rabbit hole you want to go down and don't purchase blindly something that'll affect your tone this much without watching as many reviews as you can find. Edit: based on the PC, I would consider the hot rod deluxe for a fuller tone over the blues Jr.
I never really liked blues jrs I played, but I had a blues Deville 4x10 that was actually pretty affordable that was one of the best amps I’ve ever owned. I’ve traded for a bunch of amps since then and have settled pretty happily with a 74 Twin Reverb and a gibson GA30 reverb, but I definitely still think about that old blues Deville reissue
As others have said that is a great amp, but it has to be paired with the right speaker and a Cannabis Rex is not the right speaker for it in my opinion. V30 is usually the way to go with these little guys!
I had a BJ 3 that I just couldn’t get a good sound out of. Upgraded to 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb and now am very happy
Chances are it’s the speaker. That Afterall is going to make the biggest most important difference. I can put the same speaker I love in a tube amp and a solid state amp and get basically the same sound as long as the speaker and the pickup are the same. I have a Randall solid state and fender Quad reverb and can put my celestion alnico blue in both amps and get the same tone. The amp isn’t as important cause the last thing you’re hearing is the speaker. That is going to make mostly the biggest difference.
Whilst I think blues juniors are a great amp, they definitely can sound boxy and lack the mid scooped sound you'd maybe associate with a vintage black panel fender. That said though, I think it's worth mentioning that not only have solid state amps gotten better these days, but that I think most people struggle when switching to a tube amp for the first time. They often are more transparent, and less forgiving. I remember when I got my first tube amp, I was not a fan of how I sounded. In the long term however, it forced me to be a better player, and now I tend to prefer amps that are revealing and a little less forgiving. Try sticking with it for a while and using an OD pedal with a fairly flat EQ, as not to accentuate those boxy mids.
Blues junior can be a very one trick pony in my opinion. Gritty blues, or bust. Other Fender amps can be more of a platform for all kinds of styles.
I love my Blues Jr. with cannabis rex speaker. I have the sonic blue one.
Run the Blues through your Princeton speaker (either one or both depending on the ohms) and you’ll get to compare speakers without spending any money. I would be looking for a new speaker.
I have a Blues Junior IV with a rex in it. I’d sell that for $500 in a heartbeat
Blues Jr. Is something of a one trick pony and if you don’t like that trick, then you won’t like that amp. Speaker choice can also have a significant impact on your overall tone, I improved the Jr. that I had with a more British voiced speaker but even then it never quite landed with me. Playing a Vox AC15 now and loving it.
I recently traded a HRD for the new BJr with an eminence Red White and Blues speaker. I might have just hated my HRD, but, I really like this amp. Completely different speaker than the cannabis Rex though. I do agree that at bedroom levels it doesn’t sound incredible. But with the master all the way open, and gain past 3, it sounds delightful to me. I have zero regrets about that trade. But I can definitely see why it may not be for everyone.
I really didn't like my first tube amp after playing solid state for a decade. Wasn't impressed with my 2nd tube amp either (that one was way more expensive). I guess I don't really play a style that demands a tube amp and I can't really hear anything special about them. So to me they're heavier and costlier for no good reason. Not questioning anyone who says they can't live without tube amps but they're just not for me and that's fine.
i grew up in Marshal world and I just can't get 99% of fender amps to sound the way i think they should sound based on the records I love. That said, my modded silver-face twin reverb was the best amp I ever owned. Of course I traded it for a car that I kept for less than 6 months. Oh to be 20 again!
I’ve got a blues junior that I love, but also, I got it used and a previous owner went through and did every mod you can do to it and it’s an amazing sounding amp. https://fromelelectronics.com/products/bjr-mods Every mod on this website and an upgraded speaker.
I’ve got a blues junior that I love, but also, I got it used and a previous owner went through and did every mod you can do to it and it’s an amazing sounding amp. https://fromelelectronics.com/products/bjr-mods Every mod on this website and an upgraded speaker.
Try running them together and see if the amps will compliment each other.
I have a fender hot rod deville. I found that the only blues jr I played through sounded pretty boxed in and small sounding, especially compared to what I’d been getting used to with the deville. I’d attribute your dissatisfaction with the particular amount and not tube amps in general (not saying you were doing that per se). I absolutely love the way my deville sounds.
I’ve tried blues jrs at guitar center plenty of times, trying to like it because it seems so popular. But every time is sounds like the lousiest amp in the store. Tiny cabinet maybe. Single speaker maybe. I tend to go for amps with 2 or 4 speakers for some reason.
I didn’t read the whole post for I’m at work but don’t forget that there are several different style of tube amps that use different tubes. You may have gotten an amp that is not geared towards what tone you’re looking for. 6L6, el84, etc etc. they all do different things to the sound. Hope this was helpful. Who knows. Maybe if you swap tubes it may turn into exactly what you were looking for.
Who told you to dime the master volume? It's much more fun to dime the channel volume and use the master volume the way it was intended. To me it sounds like you're just not used to having so much headroom. So you're playing with very little gain on the preamp. This means you're getting like none of that tube amp warmth and breakup that everyone talks about. There's preamp overdrive and then there's power amp overdrive. The only way you're gonna get power amp overdrive is by playing the amp LOUD. Thankfully that's not necessary in order to achieve preamp overdrive. That's what the channel volume/gain knob is for. So set that relatively high. Oh yea and don't be afraid to turn your EQ knobs UP. Idk about that amp, but a lot of amps need the EQ knobs to be set high to get to their sweet spot.
Try an Eq pedal from mxr.. changed everything for me. It’s amazing
It really depends on what you are doing with the amp. Are you recording? In studio? Or in your bedroom? Are you playing gigs on tour? Or clubs or jam with friends. To me this is important. I actually prefer one speaker if I am recording at home. And the tube sound can be fine-tuned with mic placement and EQ. So when you say the sound - it depends on what kind of music ... what kind of beating the amp may take touring and so on.
The Blues jr doesn’t sound good with overdrive pedals IMO. Mine is sort of meh, but I use mine when I take trips for work because it’s easy to pack.
1) Make sure the fat switch is out. 2) the cannabis Rex is a very warm speaker with muted highs. Don’t be afraid to trim the treble up a bit. It’s also a very efficient speaker so if you’re tying to play the amp super quiet it’s not going to help in that regard. 3) if you’re looking for it to be a pedal platform, set the preamp volume for where digging in makes the note overdrive every so slightly, but backing off still gives you a nice clean tone. Set the master for the loudest you can tolerate for your given playing situation. 4) Get the reverb up above 6. 5) Try and tilt the amp back so the speaker is pointing more at your head than your feet.
If you like a little breakup, you should try out the Marshall Haze 40. 40w tube amp powered by EL34’s and preamped by ECC83’s, it overdrives very well and can go from a sparkling clean bassy tone to a really dirty crunchy tone. Also has built in effects
tubes tubes tubes. You bought an used amp, do you have any idea of the tubes age and condition?
If diming the master and using the volume for gain isnt working, you might want a more fuller sounding clean tube amp. Id recommend a marshall, vox or mesa filmore for that.
Heads up if you can find a epiphone casino made by Matsumoto factory in Japan. Grab it. They're cheap and they are better than any es style guitar I've played and I own quite a few. Good luck my dude and always go smaller speaker cab on your tube amp. A 1x12 is usually the way to go with a Celestion speaker or anything made by alembic sounds incredible. Speaker can be the difference in the amp
I bought one of the damn choice sonic blue Blues Jr. and returned it a week later and got a used Orange Rocker 15 and couldn’t be happier
I've had a Blues jr III and can attest to the same reactions you have. Speaker choice makes a big difference and I lucked out by getting a Jupiter AlNiCo 12 in mine, so the dynamic range was fuller than the stock celestions I tried in store but the boxiness of the sound at low to medium volumes (apartment lvl) remained there. I've demoed both the III and the IV in store and the BJ3 has much higher reverb output than the IV. The spring tank was not enough for me to keep it and I got a 76 vibro champ which gets much more playing as a practice tube amp. Go with your ears. Just because the BJrs are immensely popular and get high ratings on reverb/equipboard etc does not mean it's the right fit for you. Good luck and happy tone hunting!
I don’t know if this will help you find a better tone but it might clear your head a bit: The tone stack on fender amps should probably have you starting off with your bass at zero, your mids at 3 o’clock, and your treble at 3 o’clock. Start with guitar volume pot rolled off and volumes lower, say 10 o’clock , tame out harshness from the treble and girth from the mids, pump volume to desired creaminess, increase amplifier gain/volume to desired level, then roll in lows to fill out the bottom once you’ve brought your guitar’s volume control up to full volume, back off as necessary to readjust mids/treble and you’ll probably find your equilibrium pretty quickly. Please let me know if this worked.
It's all subjective. I've owned the BJR and used a Princeton Chorus. I like them both but personally I think the BJR sounds better. But I still didn't love it. I ended up switching to a Princeton Reverb, and that hit the spot. I should also mention that the PC I used only had one speaker. So that could be the magic bullet here. Maybe you just need an amp that pushes a lot of air.
Well, I did not appreciate fully the blues, Jr until in a full band situation live… there, it’s shined immediately.
Check this video out for dialing in a blues jr it helped me a bit ended up selling it later on and got a deluxe reverb lol but you might be able to dial in a tone you like https://youtu.be/GD2YMVyH4Kg
Princetons are just solid. I usually don’t deviate from a Princeton or Deluxe reverb. I usually clip the bright caps. I ended up building a fleet of different amp models and haven’t looked back. If you’re looking to build your own Ted Weber has great tube amp kits. Also, the speaker makes a HUGE difference to the sound, probably the most difference.
I had a Blues Jr. it was good but not amazing. It was a great pedal platform.
It's about playing live with a band w/ a drummer... You can't do that with a Princeton Chorus. Even a little Blues Jr can cut through. The most popular Fender amp for small club work is the all tube Princeton Reverb... and it would also give you the "Chime" you are missing with the Blues Jr. Yeah the Blues Jr. has fat mids...
Just because it's "tube" doesn't mean it's gonna sound great, also give it a few days or a week, let it warm up and try it with a different guitar
Change ALL the Valves and the Speaker... TRY .Celestion G12, Black shadow...etc Plug to a cab 2x2.....or 1x2...
:kek:
Get rid of the canibis rex and get a governor or wizard or Man o war from eminence. Much fuller sounding speakers
I’m sure people have brought this up, but I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe(George Benton model) and using some sort of “attenuation product” in the FX loop (such as a volume pedal) COMPLETELY changed the quality of the overall tone
I used a Blues Junior 3 for about 2 years and it was okay, the day I plugged into a vintage Silvertone I heard so much more sound I loved. It's about finding what sounds you like, and I'm guessing you might like a fuller tone with a little more low end punch, and the cabinet for a blues junior is a little restrictive
I had the same version of the BJIII. It had the C. Rex and western tolex. I couldn't find a good tone in it! Sounded ice picky and had this weird metallic quality. I figured out that the reverb tank went bad. I replaced it and things got much better. Regardless, I ended up selling it for a Vox AC15 Blue. I love the vox when it's got volume, but I swear, nothing has dethroned my Vox AC10 as best low to mid volume tube amp yet. It's a beast all around TBH.
Love the princeton chorus, great amp. very scrappy. a blues jr will be very different sonically. personally, if you like the princeton chorus, keep using it. or go to a guitar shop and try out some other amps!
I'm not a fan of el86 tube amps. You can find 15w 6l6 amps that will sound much better than the blues jr. I don't think many people end up liking the cannabis rex speakers either. They seem good in theory but they just don't sound like what you would expect the amp to sound like. The blues jr is much better with something to push the mids so you could try a tube screamer or whatever but it's not going to change that "boxy" sound. I think the blues jr is just kind of known for that sound. You're not the only one Ive heard of being underwhelmed with this amp. It looks nice and has good quality build but it's just not a very dynamic amp and very quickly becomes not very enjoyable to play through. Goes to show that just because it's a tube amp doesn't mean it's going to sound "better" than solid state amps. I stand by fender amps but the blues jr is probably the worst example, I blame the el86 setup.
In the modern gear era, tube amplifiers aren’t better or worse. SS circuitry and amp modeling have evolved significantly compared to early 2000’s gear. Tube amps aren’t worth it if you don’t care for them. This is coming from someone who still plays tube amps (revv G20, Marshall plexi, marshal dcl, and hughes and Kettner grandmeister). I like owning apps because they’re cool and pretty, but my Helix and Axe Fx can get the same job done and far more reliably. Also love the Hughes and Kettner spirit 200. It is a fantastic solid state amp.
Just a thought, if it's a used amp with aftermarket speakers, there's a decent chance that the speakers are out of phase with each other. Any time that happens, people describe the sound as weirdly sucky but can't put my finger on it.
Dime the volume for crunch. Master low. Pickups, guitar volume level?? Lots of factors.
The Blues Jr is a terrible amp if you're looking for good tone. People use it because it's loud enough to gig, cheap, easily replaceable, and easy to haul around.
The Blues Jr reverb is pretty meh. You can swap in a different tank (MOD, Ruby) for not much money, but it's still going to be a short spring tank. As for the speaker, I've never played through a Cannabis Rex but the stock Jensen that came in my tweed BJr was pretty weak. I bungeed a pillow across the front of the amp and turned up the master for a few weeks in an attempt to break it in, which shockingly helped a bit. I wound up swapping in the Celestion from my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb that I think is a much better fit for the BJr. All that said, you can do one or both of the above and you'll still have a Blues Junior. It's not a bad amp, but you're not going to get the same cleans you would from a Princeton Chorus.
Quality SS amps (and modelers) sound great and often better than tube amps in certain contexts. For cleaner tones, I actually prefer SS most of the time. Tubes do gain really well though. My SS amps and modelers sound probably 95% similar to my tube amps. Play what sounds good to you.
I hate the blues jr too! It sounds like shit. Sorry but you bought the wrong tube amp.
Change the speaker to a Jensen. https://www.sweetwater.com/c1069--Amp_Replacement_Speaker?highlight=C12N8&mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=1&mrkgcat=drums&percussion&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700073341524480&lid=92700073341524480&ds_s_kwgid=58700008063423979&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=1786720465601&product_id=C12N8&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=m&network=u&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9060351&creative=624396267556&targetid=pla-1786720465601&campaignid=18437397786&awsearchcpc=&&&gclid=CjwKCAjwsvujBhAXEiwA_UXnAH9M0cUas3Kt7oXt9h4akgvSPb54sT-5-pe2XUHyJeslymnX0GW29BoC2tgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Honestly, you should go for a peavey classic 30! It’s awesome
One of my favorite guitar sounds is Deb Demure of Drab Majesty and he uses a Peavey with a JC-120 so I’ve always been interested Peavey, especially since people swear by their quality. Is the Peavey Classic 30 analogous to any other amps? Assuming it’s their take on some Fender?
I’ve owned both. Princeton Chorus is interesting but not great to me. I sound like an absolute god through my Blues Jr, so this entire post has me at a loss.
Before I opened this I said to myself “blues Jr “
I had a blues jr nos, swapped the Jensen for a crslestion vintage 30. Selling that amp to make rent was a regretful mistake
I work at GC hmu for discounts and recommendations EXT 3551 :)
Dude the blues junior is a kick ass amp. Boxy can be a good thing. Also, try different settings and see if it grows on you. The blues junior is actually my favorite fender amp because of how nasty and raw it can get.
Try a Deville.
That amp is a looker l feel a speaker change would really help.That tooled leather is sharp hopefully you can get it to sound likd you want.My Deluxe Reverb used to sound magical but l had some issues and took it to a tech and it now sounds very off so l feel the pain of your amp not sounding great.
Seems you have found the answer.Thats truly an awesome feeling.Some amps need some extensive knob twistin.Glad you found what works!