#1
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Fender Amp Shootout: BJr vs PJr vs BB007
Fender Amp Shootout:
3 Small Tube Amps for Home Use: Blues Junior III vs Pro Junior IV vs Bassbreaker 007 Most Often Used: at equivalent to low tv volume Tonal Characteristics: in a following post/ to be continued |
#2
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If you’re the kind of person who likes to noodle on acoustic guitar in front of the tv or you just have to keep it quiet not to wake up the kids (or the spouse!), are new to electric guitar or are wondering if electric is truly versatile for home use, and like the idea of a small tube amp old fashioned style, this thread is for you.
I’ve picked 3 Fender amps to compare at low volume, and especially must keep the bass to an absolute minimum. In a further post I’ll discuss some of my findings which will lead to some interesting conclusions that don’t apply to these specific amps themselves, but rather to broader topics of discussion. |
#3
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For the purposes of this shootout I employed three vintage style single coil telecasters plugged straight into the amps; each telecaster with a different set of pickups. Each amp is completely stock from the factory; in the case of Fender (in my experience) this means both the tubes and speakers are quality components not requiring upgrade for home use purposes, and passed along in the somewhat higher overall cost compared to some lower priced competitors.
To be continued ... |
#4
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Ok First off First Amp to discuss
Fender Bassbreaker 007: 7 Watts, tone controls, volume and gain, no reverb This amp is great at higher volume and gain. Loads of fun with beautiful roar sounds organic and no clipping at reasonably high volumes. Low volume clean the bass is prominent and flat, the midrange is comfortably submerged, and the treble is weak. Altogether soft on the ear and friendly to the neighbors. |
#5
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I have owned all three of these (except I had the bass breaker 15). The Pro Junior is the best I think easily, although I have moved on to a Princeton which I like better than all of them. YMMV.
Looking forward to the rest of your reviews! |
#6
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Quote:
The Pro Junior I have is very quiet at idle. Notes are warm, almost hot with a bright emphasis around 1khz. *volume level so low it may be overkill, especially with the gradual volume taper and soft tone of the particular Blues Junior in this test. Last edited by Jaden; 07-12-2019 at 01:00 AM. |
#7
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Next Amp
Fender Pro Junior IV: 15 watts, 10” Jensen speaker, 1 volume and 1 tone control, no reverb In my opinion the least successful of the three for low volume home use. Bass lacks definition (perhaps due to new speaker not softened up), and although notes pop out of the box, generally tonally unbalanced with emphasis on the upper midrange frequencies. May be very good for fluid lead playing. |
#8
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Curious to hear your thoughts on the Blues Junior. I was really close to pulling the trigger on one but ended up getting a Monoprice Stage Right for $200. So far I'm really happy with it as it sounds somewhat similar to the BJr and, best of all, has a button that changes the output from 15w to 1w, so you can play with higher gain at an apartment friendly volume.
Last edited by pagedr; 07-13-2019 at 11:10 PM. |
#9
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Fender Blues Junior III: 15 watts, 12” speaker, volume and master, b-m-t tone controls, reverb
This example dates from c.2017 the last year of production for the III model and it seems Fender worked out the bugs and responded to criticism of harsh overdrive/ clipping, ice pick trebles as this example has a smooth break up and gorgeous soft on the ear balanced frequency response with colourful midrange but still weak on the bass which makes this easily the best of the three amps for low volume clean with quiet, nicely defined bass and texture to the notes with good pickups. |
#10
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A note on the guitars used in this test:
Fender ‘50s Roadworn Telecaster with TexMex pickups Fender ‘50s Classic Series Lacquer Telecaster with low output vintage type pups Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster Vintage Blonde w/ alnico 3 pickups The MIM CSL Tele with low wind pickups is the clear winner for round, liquid or fluid tone, the RW pickups have an annoying upper midrange spike at low volume - reminiscent of a chicken screech, the Classic Vibe has darker, hotter pickups than the Fenders. |
#11
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Thx for the info on these. Interestingly enough I played all three mentioned and agree with your findings. That being said, I chose the Tweed BJ with the 12” Jensen. IMHO it rates a step above the standard BJ. I’m sure the Jensen factors in. Regardless, all great amps in their own right.
I primarily play my butterscotch black guard players series Tele through it. It pairs very, very well. As does my E series Strat. Haven’t had the opportunity to run my Gretsch guitars through it...although I’m sure they’ll fair well. I’ve tried to keep my pedals to a minimum with an Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master, and a TS9, with a Spark mini for boost. Great home studio rig that could be equally successful onstage. As always, IMHO, YMMV etc. |
#12
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#14
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#15
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I was going to purchase a Fender Blues Jr. NOS, but stumbled onto this one https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...SABEgJMKPD_BwE. I like it....
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Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Fender Robert Cray Stratocaster Martin D18 Ambertone Martin 000-15sm Last edited by RP; 11-20-2021 at 07:07 AM. |