Thinking of buying a Blues Junior....good choice, or alternatives?

Godlykepower

I’m thinking of getting a second amp - something not overly large, and something classic looking.

I quite like the look of a Fender Blues Junior in lacquered Tweed, but have only heard them in video demos so far.

I’m only after something for home use, that I can pop a couple of pedals in front of - got a bigger amp with a Helix for Sunday best.

In the course of my research into them, I discovered a company called Rat Valve Amps in Cornwall who do loads of mods to them. https://www.ratvalveamps.com/fender-blues-junior
Surely, for an amp so popular...they can’t be as bad out the box, as that website makes out, right?

My thinking is that if I needed to spend another £500 to make the amp better, I should just buy a better amp to begin with.

So, my questions are:

1. Are they THAT bad to begin with?
2. Would some/all of the mods listed on the website, make it loads better?
3. What are viable alternatives (similar footprint, low power for home use, takes a couple of pedals well?)

Seen recommendations for Marshall Origin 20 and I’m already feeling a bit ‘meh’ with what I’ve heard.

Might be tempted by non-valve too....Peavey Bandit or maybe a Blues Cube?

TheMarlin

There is a Yarasov on the forum. Get that instead.  Way better amp.

ICBM

*That* bad... no. But they are not that good at all, and horrifically overpriced for what they are. I really don’t understand their popularity given what else is available at comparative prices - not least the Hotrod Deluxe, which is only about a third more expensive, but three times the amp. It is true that it’s also twice the size and weight though...

That said they are better at low volumes where you can dial the mids out, which you can’t as much at higher volume where the boxy-sounding cabinet overrides everything.

The build quality isn’t great either - in particular the pots and jack are flimsy, and they also have a bit of a tendency to catch fire due to poor PCB design, although Fender have finally started to do something about that.

Personally I probably wouldn’t even look at a valve amp these days for low-volume use, given what else is available. I even prefer my nearly 20-year-old Peavey Studio Pro to most small valve amps.

Toms_Dad

I have a Fender Pro Junior Mk4.  The Blues Junior has a 12” speaker ( from Mk 3 onwards) and spring reverb, but weighs and costs more. Pro junior has a 10” speaker, is a bit smaller and lighter and doesn’t have reverb. I have a TC HOF mini in front of mine and it works really well. Some people will never go with less than a 12” speaker, but I’m not that bothered, especially at home. Beautiful cleans and I have both a tube screamer and a klone on my pedal board and like both with it.

Godlykepower

ICBM said:

Personally I probably wouldn’t even look at a valve amp these days for low-volume use, given what else is available. I even prefer my nearly 20-year-old Peavey Studio Pro to most small valve amps.

What WOULD you look at? I’m already considering a Blues Cube or Peavey Bandit.

munckee

I had a blues jr recently for home and jams. Swapped it for a katana which was half the price.

i like the sound of blues juniors but already have a valve amp at home. 

If if you want to drive the amp to break up at home you need small like a 1 watt black star. I think a larger valve amp,Princeton or AC10 with pedals sounds better than driving a small amp, and better than the katana but I don't need any pedals with that which is appealing. 

aspnet

I've recently picked up one of the Blues Jnr amps that had been modded by Rat Amps. I don't have experience of the stock amp but I'd been impressed with a couple of Andy's modded small amps years ago and wanted to try this one. Only had it a short time but I love how it sounds. It's only for home use with a few pedals when the family are out but it's the most responsive & clear amp I've had the pleasure of playing (not that I've played that many!)

It has bumped a Princeton Reverb II back into storage - similar footprint but sounded a bit dull when A/B'ed together. Both are too loud for family life though - I just plug into a THR10 for quiet practice

noisepolluter

I had a blues junior which had annoying amounts of background buzz even after valve changes, a full service and re-tapping the transformer for 240V. Got rid in the end.  

ICBM

Godlykepower said:

What WOULD you look at? I’m already considering a Blues Cube or Peavey Bandit.

I haven't played a Blues Cube but they do have a good reputation. All the Peavey Transtube series are good, it just depends on your budget and how big you want it - but pretty much any of them are going to be cheaper than a Blues Junior. I also like most of the smaller Vox amps a lot, both valve and modelling, the Yamaha THR100 - much better than the 10 in my opinion, but also much more expensive - and a whole host of old analogue solid-state amps that I know most people wouldn't even consider, but which to me can sound excellent with a good preamp-type pedal in front, and better with a modelling pedal than most modelling amps, for some reason. There are a huge number of non-valve options that don't cost a lot now and are usually easier to dial in at low volume - but also a few old-school valve amps like the Fender Champ. It's nothing to do with the power rating, and everything to do with the taper on the volume controls.

dindude

The Blues Junior iv is a fine sounding amp, way better than the iii - be careful of the tweed FSR ones as often they are iii’s kicking around. Other good options worth looking at around the same price are the Vox AC10 and the new Supro Blues King, or maybe the Blackstar Studio 10 range. And just to counter ICBM’s opinion, most Solid State amps sound like arse.

jpfamps

I love the Blues Junior; I earn  good money repairing them......

In my opinion they are OK at lowish volume. I played through one at a gig at then end of last year and it was not a great experience to be honest.

markslade07

Blackstar Artist 15 (not to be confused with the Artisan). 

Godlykepower

Hmm...a picture is starting to form here. Going to give them a miss.

What are Bassbreakers like then? Can’t seem to find anything online about them being ropey. I played one at PMT in Cambridge a couple of years ago...rather good, but I was focussed more on the guitar I bought.

koss59

The Blues Cube is the best home amp I’ve ever come across and I’ve also toured mine a lot with some well known acts.
It gives the ‘Feel” of a valve amp, nobody could ever tell you it didn’t sound like one.
The thing it doesn’t have is as much dynamic range which I think makes it better at home than any valve amp as you don’t have sudden spikes in volume whilst jamming to tracks etc.

Gassage

Around this price, I know @StrummyBrummie has a belting Cornell Plexi 7 12" that'll shit on most of these from a very big height. Tweeds- Dan Whitlock_Jones Tweeds are fantasticly built and much better- you might find one c. 700. Cornell Romany also decent but I find them too fizzy and lastly, Pro Jr > Blues Jr all day long.

ICBM

Godlykepower said:

What are Bassbreakers like then? Can’t seem to find anything online about them being ropey. I played one at PMT in Cambridge a couple of years ago...rather good, but I was focussed more on the guitar I bought.

If you liked the sound of a Bassbreaker then maybe a Blues Junior isn’t such a bad idea after all...

Gassage

ICBM said:

Godlykepower said:

What are Bassbreakers like then? Can’t seem to find anything online about them being ropey. I played one at PMT in Cambridge a couple of years ago...rather good, but I was focussed more on the guitar I bought.

If you liked the sound of a Bassbreaker then maybe a Blues Junior isn’t such a bad idea after all...

I tell you this, the Vapouriser is better than either.

Also agree with Rich @koss59 re the Blues Cube. Gaz Morris uses one live in his Faces trib band and they sound stellar.

impmann

Blackstar HT20 Mk2

HAL9000

Friend of mine has one and claims it’s good, but I think that’s just confirmation bias. To me it really doesn’t sound anything special. If anything I’d say it sounds a little on the ‘harsh’ side and is lacking any kind of smoothness or valvey goodness. Someone else I meet occasionally has a Blues Cube Stage which, to my ears anyway, is a far sweeter amp.

I’d also look at @icbm ‘s suggestion of a small Vox. My (admittedly limited) experience of them is that they sound good, and are surprisingly loud. 

RiftAmps

jpfamps said:

I love the Blues Junior; I earn  good money repairing them......

They single-handedly pay my mortgage each month

Matt_McG

Another nice small amp option is the Laney Lionheart. I guess, physically, they are bigger than the Blues Junior, but they sound really nice to me.