Fender Review: Blues Junior

History:

Purchase: Purchased: Guitar Center Boston Cost: $300 used (like new condition) Purpose: I’m a non-professional musician, and about 95% of the playing I do is at home w/o other musicians. I was looking for a lower watt tube amp that would be easy to push to that edge without having the police show up. I also wanted a single speaker unit, as they are easier to mic and generally better for recording. That really left me with only a few quality choices: Fender Pro Junior; Fender Blues Junior; or a Vox AC-15 (no longer in production?). Vintage amps tend to be high maintenance, high priced, and accompanied by the usual variety of hums and buzzes which I can live without.

What I Like About This Fender Blues Junior: This amp really does only one thing, which is to deliver that nice Fender tone. I think the circuitry is derived from that of the Bassman, and the tone isn’t too far off. I play with a Tele and a Gibson ES-175 knock off (made by Halifax). Both guitars sound superb through the Blues Junior.

What I Do NOT Like About The Fender Blues Junior: In this price range, you have to make compromises. The Blues Junior simply lacks features. Although you can buy effects laded amplifiers in the sub-$400 range, the effects tend to be on-size-fits-all, and usually not to my liking anyway. The two built in effects it has (reverb & gain) are tolerable but not outstanding. What this amp really needs is an effects loop and maybe a vibrato.

Fender Blues Junior Quality Rating: Construction seems very solid, although I can detect a slight buzz when I play low A at low volume.

Review Summary: The Blues Junior delivers the gamut of Fender amp tones, minus the Fender effects. In my amp shopping I played several mid and high end Fender Tube amps, and almost settled with a used ’59 Bassman Reissue, but ultimately settled on the Blues Junior. This amp is serious about tone, and the tone on this amp rivals the very best of Fender tube amps. If you’re looking for a versatile workhorse or if you are a newer player who likes to play with a variety of sounds, check out Line6.

Rating of this Fender product: 4

This Fender Blues Junior Acoustic Guitars Review Submitted By: DPH

Review Date: 2003-10-30