Fender Blues Junior

The Blues Junior is a professional tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1995 by the Fender company. It is aimed at achieving the warm, tube driven tone common in many styles of American blues and blues rock dating back to the 1950s, while remaining both portable and affordable. Fender frequently releases limited editions of the Blues Junior, some with upgraded internal components and others simply with cosmetic changes, at varying prices. As of September 2007, the Blues Junior's retail street price varies between $399 and $529 (USD) depending on the edition.

pecifications

*single channel 15-watt all-tube amplifier
*one 12-inch, 50-watt, 8-ohm Fender designed driver
**most Blues Junior speakers are manufactured by Eminence Speaker for Fender, most resembling model Legend 125
**NOS Lacquer Tweed Limited Edition Blues Junior speakers are manufactured by Jensen in Italy, as model C12N
**other speaker models may be in use
*Fender spring reverb
*3-way adjustable tone stack
*"FAT" tone boosting circuit (with toggle switch)
*independent preamp and master volume controls for tube overdrive management
*"chicken head" vintage styled control knobs
*two EL84 "Groove Tube" output tubes
*three 12AX7 tubes - two preamp tubes (which use only 3 of 4 triodes) and one for phase inversion
*solid state rectifier
*one ¼-inch input jack
*stereo RCA output for internal and external 8-ohm speaker use
*foot switch jack for remote toggle of FAT circuit (foot switch sold separately)

Varying Editions

Like many Fender amplifiers (particularly in the Hot Rod series), many limited edition versions of the Blues Junior have been manufactured since its introduction in 1995. The original circuit board underwent a major redesign in 2001, when production moved from the US to Mexico. The earlier circuit boards are green in color and are noted for a "darker," more bass-inflected tone. Many green board models have excessive noise in the reverb circuit, as the signal is inserted into the reverb after the master volume. The later circuit boards are cream or tan colored and sound "brighter" or more treble-oriented, with the reverb situated before the Master volume.

Lacquered Tweed editions, as the name implies, feature a cabinet upholstered with a lacquered tweed fabric. Some of these have been artificially aged from the factory and are known as Lacquered Tweed "Relic" editions. The "Blonde" and "Brown Tolex" Blues Juniors feature traditional Fender Tolex upholstery in their respective colors, while the Sunburst Ash edition features an ash cabinet with a sunburst stain. One edition was issued with a forest green colored cabinet, had a United States flag on the cloth speaker grille, and had United States Air Force markings detailed on the cabinet in yellow.

The standard Blues Junior is dressed like a traditional black Fender amplifier, with black Tolex upholstery and a silver cloth speaker grille.

Although they differ in their external visual aesthetic, all variants of the Blues Junior for a given year are produced with the same electronics, apart from the speaker/driver. Limited editions may use varying driver models, such as the Jensen C12N found in the NOS Lacquered Tweed Blues Junior or the Jensen P12R found in the Relic edition. Groove Tubes EL84's are used instead of Sovtek tubes in the NOS (New Old Stock) Lacquered Tweed version. Fender does not always include these limited edition versions in their updated catalogs (or on their website) either because too few were produced (only a few hundred in some cases) or perhaps because of exclusive retailer agreements (for example, the Blonde edition is only available at Guitar Center retail stores and online).

Trivia

*Guitarist and singer-songwriter John Mayer was using a Blues Junior when he appeared in a sketch on "Chappelle's Show" in 2004.

References

External links

* [http://www.fender.com/support/manuals/pdfs/manuals_elec/guitarpdf/Blues_Junior.pdf Fender Blues Junior Owner's Manual] (PDF)
* [http://www.fender.com/ Fender Musical Instrument Corporation] Fender's official website
* [http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bluesjunior.htm Bill's Blues Junior Modification Pages] contains a revision summary as well as historical and technical info
* [http://fenderbluesjunioramps.com/ Fender Blues Junior Amps Fan Site] Contains reviews, demos, information and more.
* [http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Fender/Blues+Junior/10/1 Harmony Central] Contains user reviews of Fender Blues Junior amps