I posted this in "Opinions and Polls as well...
If I had a chance to buy a nice Fender tube amp, which would be the best for my situation? I am looking at the Pro Junior for $299 and the Blues Junior for $449. I might even be able to stretch into a Blues or Hot Rod Deluxe, though these may be a bit too much for the use they would get. I don't gig and I always practice alone at low to moderate volumes. At some point, I hope to start practicing with a buddy that I had lost contact with, but ran into a while back. He plays guitar and bass. My son plays drums and rather loudly, though I don't know how much we will all play together. I currently have a VOX AD30VT and will probably either sell it or trade it.
Thanks,
Jim
>> I am looking at the Pro Junior for $299 and the Blues Junior for $449.
>> I might even be able to stretch into a Blues or Hot Rod Deluxe, though these may be a bit too much for the use they would get.
Those are fantastic choices.
My preference would be the Pro because it has a simpler circuit.
Tubes do have a certain magic tone when turned up, which is why I've been experimenting with low power output tubes. It turns out that 1 watt is pretty loud in most homes!
1 watt of pure tube tone - the Living Room Amp!
http://www.naturdoctor.com/Chapters/Amps/LivingRoomAmp.html
Paper-in-oil caps rule!
My experience with all of these are limited, so take my comments with a heap of salt. But, I've been looking at the specs of these, and went and played a couple at the store a little bit.
- Between Pro Junior and Blues Junior, I would suggest the blues junior. I believe it has more clean headroom, so it should be able to keep up with drums easier than the pro junior clean.
- I think the others (HRD, Blues Deluxe etc) start getting into gig-worthy amps. You could still play them with some pedals at fairly low volume, I am sure. But, not real low bedroom volumes. And they will surely keep up with the drums. The only downsides are higher price and less portability
- I think the VOX is really good for use without pedals, and for low volume playing. So, you may still want to keep that around.
- Also, of the few Fender amps I tried, the one I really liked is the Deluxe Reverb Reissue, but it's a lot more ..
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
I'll sell you a HRD for 300.00 I love it lots of clean headroom doesn't break up until about 6. on 3 its loud to gig with, so 1-2 is bedroom volume which is where i play it most of the time until i gig out....
No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location
For practicing at low volumes I would suggest the champ 600, not only is it $200, but it sounds great. I have one and I love it. The Blues Junior is a great amp though.
Guitars: Electric: Jackson DX10D, J. Reynolds Fat Strat copy
Acoustic: New York and a Jasmine.
Amps: Austin 15 watt, Fender Deluxe 112, Fender Champion 600 5w, 0ld 1970's Sears 500g.
Effects: Digitech Whammy, Big Muff Pi USA, MXR, Washburn Distortion.
I'll sell you a HRD for 300.00 I love it lots of clean headroom doesn't break up until about 6. on 3 its loud to gig with, so 1-2 is bedroom volume which is where i play it most of the time until i gig out....
Leear, unfortunately what I am using for this is store credit. Otherwise, I would take you up on it.
Jim
I own both the HRD and Blues Jr. They are both great amps. The HRD has an outstanding clean tone, the overdrive is not too good. But it takes pedals great and you can get about any tone imaginable with pedals or multi-efx. As others have said, it is a very loud amp, and the volume comes on immediately. It is actually difficult to play the HRD at low volume, at least until you get used to it. It is a great gig amp, plenty of power and a very warm and full tone.
As much as I love my HRD, I love the tone of the BJ more. It is just a great sounding amp. You can get very clean tones like the HRD, but if you crank Volume up, but keep Master low you can get a fabulous overdrive, it actually sounds a lot like early 60s or 70s Marshall amps, especially with a humbucking guitar. Some complain about the reverb on the BJ, because it has a very small reverb tank. But it sounds very good to me, maybe not as good as a Twin Reverb, but what amp does?? :roll:
Being a smaller cab, the BJ does not sound as big as the HRD, but it is very loud and can easily be used for gigs. If you played a big club or big crowd just mic it. I am using my BJ now in a band and it works fine. I love the portability, much lighter than the HRD. :D
I also like the Pro Junior, except that it only has a 10" speaker. A 10" speaker simply does not sound quite as full as a 12" like the HRD or BJ, but don't get me wrong, they sound plenty good.
Another amp you should look at is the Super Champ XD.
My brother bought one of these at Christmas and I got a chance to play it quite a bit. It has great tube tone, and in addition it has modeling of many amps. You can go from clean Fender sounds, to Marshall crunch, and even high-gain Metal tones. It is very portable, and has plenty of volume. It has a 10" speaker like the BJ. The versatility of this amp is outstanding, and you can't beat the price at all. So, try one of these out, it is an outstanding buy for the price. Get the 15 watt model.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I don't have time to thank everyone individually right now, but I appreciate all of the advice.
NETZOK, the prices for the amps are from my local GC. That's why I want to kind of act quickly. They haven't done the price increase yet that everyone else (including the GC website) has.
Jim
