Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Hey I bought this from MF, great price. Very easy to use, sounds great, now I'll have to get rid of my other small amp, it doesn't compare to the FBJ. Seriously I have a friend and he has one, I saw him using it at one of his gigs, sounded awesome. I went right to MF and ordered one had it in a couple of days, Fantastic. You really can't beat the sound for the money, I have a few boutique amps very expensive, I wouldn't say it blows them away. I'd rather take the FBJ out to gigs than anyone of my Finicky $$ boutiques. You can also mod this thing like crazy. Done some already, just keeps gettin' better Will do a lot more mods also.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

So here's the deal. I have the 3rd version of this amp. There are some upgrades which are cosmetic and some which are from my understanding "under the hood". I bought this amp after selling my beloved MESA LONESTAR SPECIAL which I've used for the last several years. I'm 32 and while not old or out of shape I really just was tired of the weight of the MESA in it's road case.

So... I settled on another EL84 based amp in the the Blues Jr. III
First Impressions are that this is an easy to use amp and easy to carry. 15watts is plenty for me and most places I play I'm usually always mic'd up so volume isn't an issue.

Tone: With a Telecaster and a Stratocaster I find I need to turn the bass to about 2-3 on the bass and not much higher than that or it sounds about flubby. Also this amp being version 3 is a bit brighter than past renditions and I find that I have to dial the treble back a bit too or they can become unbearable. As long as their backed off I really don't have any problem. The mids are very nice and I have them dialed up around 6 so it'll cut more.
With humbuckers the treble is nice around 5-6 and I still keep the bass at 3.
Reverb is nice, but I use my Reverb pedal always regardless of the amp. But the Reverb on this is nice. Verison III seems about bit more "Fender" sounding than past versions in my personal opinion. Not that past versions are bad or anything like that.
The fat switch I don't really use, but it's nice for some added warmth for your single coils in case you need it. I feel a little robbed since they don't sell the fat switch foot switch with the amp. Nickel and Dime I guess.

Plenty of Head room for me going for classic rock and blues tones. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

A Wonderful little amp. I've had Roland, Ampeg, Marshall, and Line 6. None of them have the Usefulness of this Powerful little guy. I expect to be discovering new uses for it as time goes by but it picks up the nuances of my Nashville Power Telly Perfectly. Rings like a bell, and captures the round, bass, power sound of my Telly. The reverb is awesome.

One thing, though: it doesn't look like the pictures of it in the MF website. The picture makes it look rectangular. It's not. The face of it is almost square, 18" across and 16" down. It's pretty small and not too heavy.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

First, kudos to the folks at MF for working with me! That have been helpful and courteous. Now to the problems. I have tried two of these amps. The first one exhibited an intermittent "crackling noise" like a short in a connection or a tube issue. This amp was exchanged for another one that has a constant "buzz" that seems to be associated with the reverb (it disappears when I turn the reverb completely off) and increases/decreases in intensity but is particularly noticeable when playing some notes/chords. The noise is always present, but at times is almost overwhelms the guitar. I am returning this amp today, and and not going to try another one of this model.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Wanted an extra amp for visiting in Florida. Les Paul Studio sounds sweet through this one.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

What can I say, its a Fender tube amp! I have owned almost every amp there is. I also have a Line 6 Spider IV 150 2-12, and it don't come close to the Jr. The Jr is a no frills basic tube amp that delivers! If you want all the other bells and whisels, add a peddal or two. I've been playing fo 42 years and trust me when I say there is not a better amp for the size, price, and tone out there. This baby gets loud too. Its perfict for home, studio, and live. Why would anyone want to hual huge stacks when this amp will do the same thing. Just set a mic in front of it, plug in a pedal or two, and walla! Let it rip! Why do you think Eric Clapton uses Fender? Sweet tone! Stop wasting money on gimmick amps and invest in a real amp that has been proven. Fender all the way! Go to your local music store and check this amp out. Throw on a pedal or two and you will see what I mean. Buy this amp, its the last one you will ever need or want.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Can't get the feel for a tube amp until the tubes break in, so it's a little early. Initial impression was that the Amp was a little too bright with the Lightning Bolt speaker, but once you get familiar with the various combinations of the controls you can pretty much dial in any sound you want. A very versatile amp. Getting to love it more and more the more I play it but still may swap out the speaker at some point in the future after it's off warranty.

One more con I could not fit in the space they provide - that is, the floor switch that activates the fat circuit is mandatory and should be included with the amp, even if they had to increase the price incrementally. You will end up ordering it so you might as well do it up front

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Buy this amp you will not be disappointed. I was surprised how loud this amp is for its size. The sound quality is amazing.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

What a phenomenal amp. I am an intermediate player, but along with my Les Paul Studio, the Blues Jr can create some wonderful sounds. Since I only play at home, the volume this little baby puts out will wake the neighbors. I read all the positive reviews, and now I understand why everyone loves the FBJ. Highly recommended.

Comments about Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior III 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I had been in the market for a tube amp for the last couple years, loving the sounds coming from the larger amps (the 30 and 40 watt tube amps). Finally I decided that my living space wasn't really going to support a 40 watt amp, so I started looking at 15 watt models. The first note I played on this amp I fell in love and new that I would buy one. I love the reverb and the simple controls. I mainly play clean / bluesy so this amp suits me perfectly, even when I only play it at 3. It doesn't sound bad when I turn up the pre-amp either.