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Fender Blues Jr vs. Fender Pro Junior vs. Fender Princeton 65


Angelojf

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I'm looking to find a light weight amp that's in the $300 price range that meets this criteria:

 

1) Can be used for small gigs

2) Can play clean tones at louder volumes and not distort

3) Won't really be used for heavy stuff....think jazzy and some blues/early rock and roll

4) i have some pedals to use with it.

 

So who wins in the Fender Blues Jr vs Fender Pro Junior vs. Fender Pronceton 65 battle to meet my four criteria above?

 

Or do you know another amp that might fit this criteria better?

 

Thanks again

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I have a Blues Jr. Not the most Fender-y sounding amp ever and is just barely big enough to play a bar. Does not stay clean all the way up. If I have the volume maxed, I'll start to get OD at about 4-5 on the master. I guess it depends on how loud and how clean you want it. To me, it's acceptable (barely) for a small gig.

 

That amp is actually my son's, but I use it quite a bit. When he leaves home next year (I hope) I'll look for something a little bigger. Maybe a Deluxe.

 

Can't speak to the others you mentioned.

 

EG

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I own both Pro JR. and a real 1965 PR. I'ld go Pro Jr. used around $200 stays clean to about 4 , 20 pounds 15 watts. The Pr has more clean headroom but weight more and cost More $700 + used also around 15 watts. For $700 you can buy a vintage Twin Reverb but they 're 80 +lb.I tried the Blues Jr and didn't like it as much as the Pr Jr.

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The Pro Junior sounds the best of them all, but will not stay clean at all.

 

If you don't care about solid state vs. tube, you should probably go with a high-wattage solid state amp. The Roland sounds perfect for what you're looking for, but it's heavy as hell. I like Tech 21's stuff, but also check out ZT amps.

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The JC-120 is big, heavy and noisy (solid state hiss).

 

I had a solid stat Fender Princeton 650 that was so noisy I had to put a compressor in the effects loop to act as a master volume control. I don't think the Princeton 65 is as bad. I have a Deluxe 90 DSP that is from the same era as the Princeton 65 and it is okay for gigs and definitely has the Fender Clean thing going.

 

One of the locals here used to use a Princeton 65 and the overdrive on that amp was awful but it was easy to carry around. One of the nice things about solid state is the portability.

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I asked a similar question a few days ago and got some great feedback. Here's my short list:


Peavey Delta Blues

Tech 21 Trademark 60

Egnater Tweaker

Fender Blues Junior

Roland JC-120

 

 

The Peavey Delta Blues or Classic 30 will do everything you ask, although keep in mind that tube amps are a little heavy by nature. The Classic is the slightly lighter of the two.

 

I owned a Blues Jr as my first amp and it almost turned me off to tube amps forever. I played other tube amps after that and immediately learned how much the Blues Jr. sucked. I was only a beginner and bought it based on other beginners recommendations. That was a huge mistake. There are so many better choices available on the market. Two happiest days were the one I bought it and the day I got rid of that boxy, fizzy, sounding POS.

 

I tried both the Classic and the Delta Blues in stores. Both sounded great right out of the box. Brought home the Classic but later regretted not buying the Delta, thinking it sounded a bit better with it's stock 15 inch speaker. That was until I upgraded the factory speaker in the Classic. With a matched set of JJs and a sweet NOS 5751 in V1, the Classic just sings. That plus a Weber alnico Silver Bell, turns the Classic into a very, very serious amp with incredibly warm, organic cleans and fantastic, paper ripping tone when it starts to breaking up. It's perfect for the styles you mentioned.

 

Heads up though, it gets very loud before breaking up but the transition is smooth and it takes pedals very well. I hardly ever get a chance to turn it up that loud but that's ok since it sounds good and full at lower volumes too. I run a Boss GT8 through it and can get any tone I want at any volume. I can plug in straight too and it's still outstanding. I imagine a modded Delta would be fantastic as well. You should be able to buy used in the $300 to $400 range.

 

The only way I could imagine the Classic could be better is if it had tube rectifier to get that nice note bloom. The only amp I've owned that I think possibly sounded better was a Dr Z Carmen Ghia, although I much prefer the Classic's versatility. The Carmen Ghia was a one trick pony, although it did that one trick very well.

 

Don't make the same mistake I did. Go visit stores with your guitar in hand and try as many amps as you can. Play the cheap ones and the most expensive ones as well since they'll teach you what to listen for. After that, focus on your price range and if possible, go used. You can't go wrong with a Classic.

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I owned a Blues Jr as my
first amp
and it almost turned me off to tube amps forever. I played other tube amps after that and immediately learned how much the Blues Jr. sucked. I was only a beginner and bought it based on other beginners recommendations. That was a huge mistake. There are so many better choices available on the market. Two happiest days were the one I bought it and the day I got rid of that boxy, fizzy, sounding POS.

 

 

The Blues Jr. is actually quite a good and versatile amp. Maybe it is just not a good amp for a beginner. I always recommended a Fender Champ for my students because small tube amps really help develop the connection between the fingers and the guitar. After all, tone is in the fingers.

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I really think that a Classic 30 with something like a Weber Blue Dog or Silver Bell is likely the best value in an easily attainable used amp. These sound pretty good stock but a proper speaker is a BIG upgrade. A Greenback or G12H30 is great for moderate to dirty tones but the Blue Dog and Silver Bell sound really great both clean and with a decent amount of gain. Blue Dog if you want warmth and some chime, Silver Bell if want more bottom end, more warmth and less chime.

 

The Pro Jr is NOT about staying clean at gig levels so that would be out. I had a Blues Jr that I lightly upgraded and I didn't hate it. The Blues Jr and Princeton reissue both sound kinda small to me in a way that the DRRI and the Classic 30. I'd say unless you are unable to carry a 50lb amp because of back issues, I'd step up to that range for gigging if you want a chance of staying clean with a drummer.

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I really think that a Classic 30 with something like a Weber Blue Dog or Silver Bell is likely the best value in an easily attainable used amp. These sound pretty good stock but a proper speaker is a BIG upgrade. A Greenback or G12H30 is great for moderate to dirty tones but the Blue Dog and Silver Bell sound really great both clean and with a decent amount of gain. Blue Dog if you want warmth and some chime, Silver Bell if want more bottom end, more warmth and less chime.


The Pro Jr is NOT about staying clean at gig levels so that would be out. I had a Blues Jr that I lightly upgraded and I didn't hate it. The Blues Jr and Princeton reissue both sound kinda small to me in a way that the DRRI and the Classic 30. I'd say unless you are unable to carry a 50lb amp because of back issues, I'd step up to that range for gigging if you want a chance of staying clean with a drummer.

 

 

IMHO, the Pro jr can do both clean and dirty providing of course the right dirt box and using your guitar's volume control. It takes dirt boxes better than the Blues jr IMHO.

 

[video=youtube;V4H4FtLP8Gw]

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One I've been looking at and trying out lately is the Ibanez tube screamer amp.

It uses 6L6 tubes and, on the clean channel, stays clean all the way up. It's 15/7 watts.

There's also a 6db footswitchable boost on the clean side.

The other channel is pure TS.

 

I'm thinking this amp sounds a lot more like a Fender amp than the Blues Jr. It's like $500 for the head/cab.

 

EG

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Admittedly I've only played Pro Jrs in the stores, but I am pretty handy with working the controls on the guitar but I can't really imagine without going through a PA that a Pro Jr would be capable of keeping up with an average drummer and stay clean enough for true cleans. I'm a low power guy... my main amps over the last five years have all been 12 watts, 15 watts and 18 watts. But I'll certainly defer to those with experience gigging them without a PA.

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The JC-120 is big, heavy and noisy (solid state hiss).


I had a solid stat Fender Princeton 650 that was so noisy I had to put a compressor in the effects loop to act as a master volume control. I don't think the Princeton 65 is as bad. I have a Deluxe 90 DSP that is from the same era as the Princeton 65 and it is okay for gigs and definitely has the Fender Clean thing going.


One of the locals here used to use a Princeton 65 and the overdrive on that amp was awful but it was easy to carry around. One of the nice things about solid state is the portability.

 

 

I believe the OP is referring to the 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue as opposed to the solid state Princeton 65.

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One I've been looking at and trying out lately is the Ibanez tube screamer amp.

It uses
6L6
tubes and, on the clean channel, stays clean all the way up. It's 15/7 watts.

There's also a 6db footswitchable boost on the clean side.

The other channel is pure TS.


I'm thinking this amp sounds a lot more like a Fender amp than the Blues Jr. It's like $500 for the head/cab.


EG

 

 

You must mean 6V6 output tubes if it is only 15 Watts - similar in power to a Princeton Reverb.

 

A pair of 6L6 tubes would produce power in the range of 40 - 60 Watts.

 

It seems like a great idea for an amp - any idea how much it weighs?

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I think I read somewhere that the head is about 15 lbs. From that, I'd guess that the combo is about 40 lbs. Haven't seen a combo in person though.

 

I'll probably pick one of the Ibanez heads up sometime next year and see how I like it. If it gets at all in the Fender ballpark on the clean side, I think it would be a great value. The one I played was hooked to one of the smaller Mesa cabinets which isn't very Fendery at all in my opinion. Still, I was pretty impressed.

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I believe the OP is referring to the 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue as opposed to the solid state Princeton 65.

 

 

I thought about that after I made the post.

 

The Princeton Reverb is a great amp and I highly recommend it but it is in a different price range than the others.

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I had Bob at Eurotubes send me a set of preamp tubes graded for max headroom and my Pro Jr. stays clean up to about 7, at which point it is quite loud for a 20# amp. Loud and punchy, cuts thru very well, but not the typical Fender-ish clean. Plenty loud enough for a smaller room and sane sound levels. However, having said that, I only gig with it when I'm going to mic it because it is very directional. This is going to sound backwards, but I have a Twin for those smaller type gigs with minimal PA that takes pedals really well, so it works fine at lower levels. The Pro Jr. is a pretty cool little amp.

 

D

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