The Perfect 15-watt Tube Amplifier

A couple of years back, I had purchased a used, USA-made, first-generation Blues Junior (1997).

It was a good amp, but at the time, I was not using it much. I did, however, find that I was missing the tone that only a valve amplifier can produce. And so when I saw a 2019 Limited Edition pop up on Facebook, I watched and waited.

Eventually, the seller dropped the price to $325 and I jumped on the deal.

One of the major selling points for me was the fact that Fender used a Jensen C12N instead of their usual "Fender Designed" speaker. I'm not bashing the FD speakers; they are excellent, but the Jensen pushes anything into what I think is sonic perfection.

It has a spring reverb tank, which will always beat an FX pedal. Always.

Finally, the tweed covering is the icing on the Fender cake.

I know that some folks complain that these amps are "boxy" sounding, but, to my hearing, I cannot say that this is true. This little guy sounds amazing.

If you have been considering a tube (valve) amplifier, I would recommend this one every time.

From Gear Setup

Finally found my amp!

Took me many years to find the right amp for me, and the Fender Blues Junior was love at first sight. It has such a great clean sound and it takes pedals very well! Its very versatile, but I don't recommend it for extreme forms of music like Death Metal etc. I love this amp so much that I want to get another as a back up. Definitely recommend it. Also, it's very light too and it's loud enough to be heard for a decent sized crowd.

Great Clean and Crunch Tones

First tube amp I ever owned, and perfect size for both bedroom playing and small to medium sized venues. Classic Fender clean tone, but takes overdrive and fuzz extremely well. The Jensen speaker also gives the tone a nice sparkle, which I prefer to the darker tone of the Celestion in the standard Blues Juniors. If you're looking for a fairly inexpensive tube amp that sounds way above its price point, this is the amp for you.

Downsides: Exterior hardware is very cheap. The 1/4 jack is plastic, and broke very quickly. I've seen that this is quite a common problem, so I'll have to upgrade to a metal jack.

NiCe aMp

It is what it is, right? I bought this for two reasons; it's 15 lbs lighter than my Laney, and the reverb. It's plenty loud at 15 watts Class A/B, and a nice compliment sound-wise, to my Class A Laney. The reverb ain't Super, Twin or Deluxe, but it goes in that direction. The stock Jensen is a jack-of-all-trades, and has mastered none of them. I will be switching to either an Eminence GA-SC64 or a WGS driver. At loud volumes the Jensen just pharts out and loses character. And since it starts out with little character, that's not good! By custom voiced, they mean versatile. I say pick a speaker that works great for this amp, and not to cover many styles of playing, which, IMO, they did, resulting in a drab sounding speaker. I switched the stock tubes to 2 Mullard 12AX7 in V1/V2, and a Sovtek 12AX7 into V3, and swapped the 2 GT EL84's for 2 matched JJ EL84's. Right now, I like what I am hearing. That may change with the speaker swap. I am also considering swapping both the PA transformer and the Output transformer. Cheap and easy plug and play swap, and supposedly makes a ton of difference tine-wise. It is a great looking little amp, and capable of adding an extension cab. Looking the landscape over, I think this amp is better priced at $499 and not $599.

A nice amp for a bedroom musician.

First off I don't have the tweed, regular black. You can get some pretty great clean sounds out of this amp and you got the 12-inch speaker. Definitely, a great little amp if you live in an apartment or are looking to get into tube amps and don't know where to start. From what I have heard on the internet the 3 has more of a durable build if you're looking to use it for more than just a practice/home amp. Its by no means not solid though.

Clean Like a Dream!

Love this simple amp. Best amp I've had which isn't mega loud and sounds great for recording clean guitar. Also I like to put a tube screamer in front of this amp to add a bit of colour just and a little bit of breakup.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

The controls go up to twelve - it outdoes Spinal Tap!!!!

Wow. Anything and everything you'd want out of a small Fender valve combo is here, and then some; the cleans are warm, responsive and dynamic, the on tank reverb is gorgeous (and more than you'll ever need, which is far better than the alternative), and while there's no drive channel, there's a fat switch that'll take you to a pretty fantastic overdriven place; even without, a TS/Klon type pedal will give you a rich, creamy drive even without the fat switch!

For those of you sceptical about the benefits of a proper valve amplifier over solid state technology, the Blues Junior is a serious case in favour of the tube; nothing responds to your playing the way tubes do, and this amp is one of the finest example. Small, but more than capable of roaringly loud volumes, this amp is a mighty beast to take with you to the studio or the local venues, and will do you proud anywhere you put it. Highly recommended, particularly for those that like their gain coming from their pedals (and ESPECIALLY for those that like fantastic amplifiers!)

Nice!

It's a great amp. The amp is not expensive (compered to most) but it has a nice ring to it. I tried more amps before buying this one (VOX AC15, Bluesbreaker..) and I think it's one of the best you can get when your budget is under a 1000.

Versatile, reliable, efficient, and great sounding.

This is the all-in-all best package amp I have played. It might not have the boutique tonality of some of the highest priced amps, but for a working musician, this package doesn't get much better. On the low side, the Reverb tank wired sometimes come loose and are noisy. In a perfect world, this would have tube Reverb and onboard Trem, but at this point who is counting?

Good amp!

I don't know much about amps. This one sounds cool. I love the bass, I can't handle when amps sound trebly, twangy and harsh. It's a warm-sounding tubes amp with a cool vintage look.