Blues amp choices

[jgcable]

Fender Pro Junior. It's the most kickass amp in the Hot Rod series. It sounds better than a Blues Junior. You have to replace the stock speaker though - a Celestrion Greenback 10 or Vintage 10 both work great. The Pro Jr is basically one of the old Fender circuits from the 50's.

Tim, a few questions. I need the amp for open mic nights at the local bars around my town. It won't be mic'd. Usually they have a couple of Fender Blues Devilles or Hot Rod Devilles or a Blues Jr onstage. I want to bring my own amp because if you have your own amp you can jump up and play the blues even if there are 2 other guitar players playing and I am a guitar hog and I want to play all night long.
Is the Pro Junior loud enough to play blues or some classic rock live if it is not mic'd?
I was really looking for something with at least a 12" speaker and reverb. I typically don't like combo's without reverb and anything under a 12" always sounds thin and wimpy to my ears. Some guys claim reverb is a must. Other say that with the older Fender circuits I won't even miss not having reverb. What is your opinion?

[markD]

i know you are asking tim, but i have a pretty good vintage fender collection and i am rather experienced with them....you really don't reverb need it with the old tweed circuits. there is a "blooming" on the notes that comes as you dig in. some of the old blackface amps are like that too. unless you are going for a surf tone, the reverb is not needed. as far as volume, i have found that a 15 watt fender is MORE than enough to hang with a band on its own. i have a 35 watt tremolux that is almost as loud as a 50 watt marshall 2204. one of the reason that the princeton, champ, pro jr, etc are so loved is that they deliver a REAL, organic tube tone as you crank them. a lot of those older circuits only have a tone knob, or at the MOST advanced, treble and bass. the sound is spectacular!!! regarding the 10" speaker, part of the tone is the speaker fighting for life when the amp is cranked.

remember, when you go into the world of vintage amp designs what hard rock/metal players often consider "neccesities", i.e., 12" speakers, high wattage, tons of preamp gain, etc. are actually a hinderance to the pure tone. i find that i really like weber alnico 10" speakers in the little fender combos. on the other side, in my 4X12 cabs, i have EVM12L speakers to go with my rivera heads. i am trying to achieve TOTALLY different tones. if i go to a blues jam and i take a fender champ or a princeton, or even my egnater, i want a speaker that will "give" in order to make the sound looser and organic. that "shitty" tone is what makes the blues authentic!!!!

most blues drummers aren't real hard hitters. most blues bassists aren't using super high powered rigs - the guy at the jam i go to uses a 4x10 bassman for bass (imagine that!!) - 45 watts!!! usually a harp player will be using a champ or something similar - in the 6-10 watt range.....if you aren't sure, the best way to find out is go to a GC, grab a pro jr, take it in to the "expensive" room and crank it up. if it fills the room it should be good. now regarding classic rock....it won't be enough in my opinion. classic rock is a different mentality to blues. classic rock is about loud blues-based music....

[jgcable]

i know you are asking tim, but i have a pretty good vintage fender collection and i am rather experienced with them....you really don't reverb need it with the old tweed circuits. there is a "blooming" on the notes that comes as you dig in. some of the old blackface amps are like that too. unless you are going for a surf tone, the reverb is not needed. as far as volume, i have found that a 15 watt fender is MORE than enough to hang with a band on its own. i have a 35 watt tremolux that is almost as loud as a 50 watt marshall 2204. one of the reason that the princeton, champ, pro jr, etc are so loved is that they deliver a REAL, organic tube tone as you crank them. a lot of those older circuits only have a tone knob, or at the MOST advanced, treble and bass. the sound is spectacular!!! regarding the 10" speaker, part of the tone is the speaker fighting for life when the amp is cranked.

remember, when you go into the world of vintage amp designs what hard rock/metal players often consider "neccesities", i.e., 12" speakers, high wattage, tons of preamp gain, etc. are actually a hinderance to the pure tone. i find that i really like weber alnico 10" speakers in the little fender combos. on the other side, in my 4X12 cabs, i have EVM12L speakers to go with my rivera heads. i am trying to achieve TOTALLY different tones. if i go to a blues jam and i take a fender champ or a princeton, or even my egnater, i want a speaker that will "give" in order to make the sound looser and organic. that "shitty" tone is what makes the blues authentic!!!!

most blues drummers aren't real hard hitters. most blues bassists aren't using super high powered rigs - the guy at the jam i go to uses a 4x10 bassman for bass (imagine that!!) - 45 watts!!! usually a harp player will be using a champ or something similar - in the 6-10 watt range.....if you aren't sure, the best way to find out is go to a GC, grab a pro jr, take it in to the "expensive" room and crank it up. if it fills the room it should be good. now regarding classic rock....it won't be enough in my opinion. classic rock is a different mentality to blues. classic rock is about loud blues-based music....

Thanks Mark, alot of useful info. I have narrowed it down between the Blues Jr the Pro Jr. I like the idea of pushing a 10" speaker and the purity of the tone when only a volume and tone control are on an amp so I am leaning towards the Pro Jr.
I was also looking at the Marshall Class 5 only because it could probably do blues and classic rock. These open mic nights are about 60% blues and 40% everything else. I am really only interested in the blues. I am already in a classic rock band and a progressive metal band.

[Cygnus X1]

Great observations Mark D.
Adds to what I was trying to convey when I posted the Bassman clip.

[DonP]

If you haven't already, swap the speaker. The stock speakers in the Pro/Blues Jr. leave a lot to be desired IMO.

Stock speaker. Would a V30 due? I have a G12M-25, but it's 16 ohms. I hate the "boxey" tone. Wish they made the cab larger.

[jgcable]

Stock speaker. Would a V30 due? I have a G12M-25, but it's 16 ohms. I hate the "boxey" tone. Wish they made the cab larger.

For the Pro Jr you would need a V10.

For the Blues Jr you would need a V30.

[jgcable]

Thanks Mark, alot of useful info. I have narrowed it down between the Blues Jr the Pro Jr. I like the idea of pushing a 10" speaker and the purity of the tone when only a volume and tone control are on an amp so I am leaning towards the Pro Jr.
I was also looking at the Marshall Class 5 only because it could probably do blues and classic rock. These open mic nights are about 60% blues and 40% everything else. I am really only interested in the blues. I am already in a classic rock band and a progressive metal band.

To be clearer, what I am looking for is an amp that will give me enough "gain" to play blues solo's. Mainly SRV type stuff because he is the guy I am studying currently. I would like to be able to roll down the guitar volume and play clean (or as clean as possible) and roll the volume up to increase the gain enough to rip some bad ass blues solo's.
I have a nice Tube Screamer to throw in front if I had to but I would prefer to just crank the amp to 10 and have at it.
This pure tone stuff is all new to me. Sometimes they call me king of the smutz! I love reverb, delay and all kinds of effects. For my lead channels on my metal amps I have tons of gain. This blues stuff is blowing my mind although the few guys who have heard me play the blues say I am a natural. I already learned Rude Mood which is supposed to be pretty difficult. Seemed super simple to me although all the little nuances need a ton of work. I got the basics down. Now I need the little things and a purer tone.

[Larz]

toss in a celestion blue

[Chad]

To be clearer, what I am looking for is an amp that will give me enough "gain" to play blues solo's. Mainly SRV type stuff because he is the guy I am studying currently. I would like to be able to roll down the guitar volume and play clean (or as clean as possible) and roll the volume up to increase the gain enough to rip some bad ass blues solo's.
I have a nice Tube Screamer to throw in front if I had to but I would prefer to just crank the amp to 10 and have at it.
This pure tone stuff is all new to me. Sometimes they call me king of the smutz! I love reverb, delay and all kinds of effects. For my lead channels on my metal amps I have tons of gain. This blues stuff is blowing my mind although the few guys who have heard me play the blues say I am a natural. I already learned Rude Mood which is supposed to be pretty difficult. Seemed super simple to me although all the little nuances need a ton of work. I got the basics down. Now I need the little things and a purer tone.

A person only gets that good when they've never not been in a band since they were 16.

[markD]

To be clearer, what I am looking for is an amp that will give me enough "gain" to play blues solo's. Mainly SRV type stuff because he is the guy I am studying currently. I would like to be able to roll down the guitar volume and play clean (or as clean as possible) and roll the volume up to increase the gain enough to rip some bad ass blues solo's.
I have a nice Tube Screamer to throw in front if I had to but I would prefer to just crank the amp to 10 and have at it.
This pure tone stuff is all new to me. Sometimes they call me king of the smutz! I love reverb, delay and all kinds of effects. For my lead channels on my metal amps I have tons of gain. This blues stuff is blowing my mind although the few guys who have heard me play the blues say I am a natural. I already learned Rude Mood which is supposed to be pretty difficult. Seemed super simple to me although all the little nuances need a ton of work. I got the basics down. Now I need the little things and a purer tone.

the pro jr has EL84 power tubes. it is GOING to break up and get nasty sounding on 10. you will be able to roll back your volume and get it a little cleaner. a lot of it will come down to the guitar too. what are you planning on using? the vintage type amps all react very differently to different types of guitars. my current favorite to take to the blues jam is a fender duo sonic. it can give me some serious guts on the neck pickup, nice bite on the bridge pickup and with the volume/tone rolled back and the selector in the middle i can get a nice clean sound. all from 2 single coils. telecasters are great that way too.

using the tubescreamer probably won't be neccessary - that would be good if you were using a 40 watt amp like the blues deluxe. the OD helps simulate the "sing" you get when cranking a low wattage amp. the EL84 tubes will give you nice sustain and a level of creamy-ness that should meet your desires, but you never know until you try it.

[jgcable]

A person only gets that good when they've never not been in a band since they were 16.

I couldn't have said it better myself.
I'm not chasing the technique or the chops, obviously I got those...

I am chasing the authentic blues tone. I just bought a Fender Nashville Deluxe Telecaster. Now I need the amp.

[Cygnus X1]

Fuggit!

5E3! There is no better, unless you get a 59 Bassman.
Sorry...I had to say it.
Although I like the Spitfire it won't get the volume you need.
5E3 will.

[markD]

yeah, 5E3 is killer, '59 bassman is too powerful to really get the goods though - especially at a blues jam!!!

[jgcable]

yeah, 5E3 is killer, '59 bassman is too powerful to really get the goods though - especially at a blues jam!!!

been listening to clips on Youtube and I am really digging the Pro Junior.

Alot of guys are telling me to check out the Crate Vintage Club 30 too. I had a 20 and the VC508 a while back but I missed not having reverb.
I originally was going to buy the Carvin Vintage 16 but its too expensive. I don't want to pay close to $400.00 for an amp for open mic night blues jams.
I can get a Pro Junior for around $250.00 tops. The Blues Jr is closer to $350.00

[markD]

i do feel pretty confident that you will enjoy the pro jr. it'll deliver the sound/tone you "need" in order to be authentic.