How it REALLY Sounds: Fender Blues Jr. IV

[@MichaelMartinez-sz4yn]

I have this same pairing but in tweed! Absolutely love it! 🎸

[@superweak]

This sounds so great. Nice playing

[@jamesvela3680]

Thanks for the advice Shane. Very much appreciated. 👍

[@johnsee7269]

Brutal! Great combination; guitar and amp! Tasty licks! 🤘

[@mattlau]

The Blues Junior was such a good pedal platform for me during the gigging days. Lightweight and a good clean tone was all I needed. The dirt and distortion came from the pedals and it was perfect for a quick set up. Add in a Strat and you're golden!

[@bcain5823]

@@dustinvoid3922 I would like to know that answer from Mattlau as well.

[@gadd3506]

Love the clean sound! It has that perfect Fender tone! Great sounding amp.

[@philwren1749]

Thanks Shane - you read my mind as I’ve been thinking of getting one of these for small pub gigs as my Supersonic is too loud and heavy

[@electropentatonic]

Man, that sounds so good. Great playing too

[@thedoodl38ug]

I've only ever turned the master volume on mine to 2 or 3, it's surprisingly loud! 🤣

[@marcsullivan7987]

Experiment with the master WAY up, even on full, and then use the other volume to set your overall volume. (And you can guitar volume down some and turn it up as needed) You’ll like get more headroom and the true amp characteristics

[@thedoodl38ug]

@@marcsullivan7987 Thanks, I will try that although I've been using Boss Waza headphones mostly these days!

[@marcsullivan7987]

@@thedoodl38ug yeah what I described is a playing with a drummer setup, for a better tone

[@octtrinittolavg]

Really? Can it overpower drums?

[@thedoodl38ug]

@@octtrinittolavg I'm just a home player, couldn't answer that

[@johnnygreenway3579]

Great video. I really like your playing.

[@chrisgmurray3622]

Sounds really good with your strat, and maybe that's why you played so well today!

[@intheblues]

Thanks, Chris. It's a classic combination for sure.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

The fat switch is great with pedals and at lower volume. It kind of muddles the bottom end when the amp is cranked. These amps do have a cool tweed-like break up. I prefer the Cannabis Rex speaker in mine. Less brittle highs. I can crank the high and mids and it sounds amazing

[@mattgilbert7347]

I sold my much-loved Blues Junior iii w/Jensen and purchased a modified Bjnr IV (Fromel mods) with an Eminence L'il Texas Neo and it's just phenomenal. It's not nearly as boxy-sounding as my old Tweed iii and is a great pedal platform.

[@HamzaVLOGs]

That speaker is a secret weapon!! Unbelievably great tones!

[@CrazyCalabrese78]

Shane - nice to hear it mic’d up properly. A lot of demos have them with camera mics. I run my tweed with bass on 0, mids on 2-3 and treble at 3. Try that with humbuckers and put the preamp gain no more than 3/4 of the way up.

[@totenhosen666]

Amazing amp. I love it

[@johnladdsmusic]

I’ve always liked these amps…especially the clean….but for my money my preference is my Bassbreaker 15

[@nonculus]

defo getting this cheers mate

[@a.j.garrett9639]

Great video!

[@badbrad]

Sounds great with that strat, curious to hear it with an SG or Les Paul.

[@sergioalvarez5949]

I use mine with a prs and an epi lp both with humbuckers. I think it sound great. I use a xotic sl for crunch and Im good to go.

[@StillLivinTheBlues]

Sounds good!

[@To.Si.Ma.]

Great video Shane. - I d love to watch a comparison between the Roland Blues Cube and a Fender Tonemaster (Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb). That was dope.

[@To.Si.Ma.]

If you would need an amp for Jazz and clean B.B.King-ish Blues only which of these would be your favourite? I slightly prefer the Blues Cube with a Catalinbread Formula 55 for the driven tones.

[@J0HN01DATA]

Nice riffs on stones start it up! I think brightness was in order on that one. Cool amp.

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

In terms of sound and looks maybe my fav amp. Got a little DSL-1 I also like. The mini Marshall sounds huge with Jet Phaser 😎

[@intheblues]

Those DSL amps are awesome. Well done :)

[@Bobby_Digital37]

It’s a really great amp! That A-Type Celestion is absolutely perfect for that amp! If fender would put an FX loop in it then it would be the perfect amp!!

[@foxytv4896]

It kind of has one...the Reverb can is 'inserted'... you could try to put RCA-Jack adapters onto it. It's best though you know what you're doing..

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Hopefully the V version will have one.

[@paulhunter3247]

That wasn’t a review… it was a tutorial! 😀 Looking forward to dialling in those same tones into my own BJIV.

[@keithh8661]

Thanks Shane, for pointing out I really need a good size amp for in house, that sounds good! Lol have a great week

[@intheblues]

Thanks mate, have a great one! :)

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Tryva pro-junior 1st.

[@zettepix2009]

on top of a beautiful review I have been encouraged ( I am a novice player) to use the guitar knobs :)

[@intheblues]

Thanks for watching. Let me know what you think of the Blues Jr amplifiers if you own one. Check it out here: 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/g1OW9r 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/3a4kCVF 🛒 Fender - bit.ly/3fZiRMF 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/gbQbDv 🛒 Sky Music - bit.ly/3Ar8Ezd (affiliate links)

[@louielouie5120]

Great amp…I own the same thing…

[@davestrong8889]

Have one with Cannibis Rex speaker. Like it. Great Blues practice amp.

[@i-tiyahman6519]

I own a Roland. J C. 120 and a black face twin reverb they great but heavy I’m in a Reggae band so all my gigs I use my Blues Jr with a Tele Road worn a boss delay a Boss automatic wah a boss chorus it works for me

[@mel290]

I’ve been a bit torn between getting this or a Princeton. But Fender are just about to release a Blues Junior in Racing Green and it’s beautiful 😍

[@brucerichard2904]

I have both. Get the Princeton, but I sure like that green.

[@Prajnana]

Princeton's are phenomenal

[@ss750f]

Tweed w/neo cream back. Love mine gets most if my play time

[@markosimonic]

Great sound from 1:12 onward. Very John Frusciantey vibe 👌

[@joequintana5546]

I own the Fender Blues Junior IV Western version with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker. I have a love/hate relationship with the speaker. At low volumes it sounds gorgeous. But cranked up live with the band it lacks definition and attack.

[@jpn45f133155]

My Amplifier is blues junior III. I've tried the Clean Tone Jimi Hendrix Style. I heard the sound of Little Wing.

[@frankswildyear]

I sold my tweed blues Junior last year, and I’m always looking for one on reverb. I think they are great amps. I bought a tone king gremlin, and ended up selling it because I preferred the blues Junior.

[@iamanovercomer3253]

I was looking at a Princeton but the blues jr 4 is looking better for the price difference 👍❗️

[@joejohnson8966]

2:24 sounds great.

[@jamalabdul2009]

Nice little amp! A little bit bright for my liking.😎🎸

[@paraestonamas881]

Hello, great work and playing, always see your reviews. I just bought second hand one of these, and it has a soft hum , just when it turn on, volumen down, like the single endeds amps, bugera or fender champ 600 , it's that normal? it is soft, but my Harley Benton 15 w it's practically unnoticeable..

[@jmathers1642]

Nice demo... some good tones from that amp and guitar combo.

[@stefanlemottee6998]

Do people think the clean has enough headroom to use with pedals in a wet/dry setup for small to medium sized gigs?

[@thiscorrosion900]

Gorgeous tones. Plus, at least it isn't as heavy as a Fender Blues Deville, which is a total beast. Takes five f00kin blokes to lug it round!

[@TwistedIdentity]

Love the Blues Jr amps. Only caveat for me though is.. I like the sound of the tweed one with the Jensen speaker more. But it is **LOUD**. Too loud for my apartment if you want to play with any kind of grit.

[@karlhoffmann8915]

Great review. I love the pure Fender tone and great playing as well. The newer Jr.'s must sound a lot better. I'd been underwhelmed with them in the past.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Definitely a great idea but the smaller ",Pro-Junior" what I ended up taking home for recording, has a bouncier and less brittle tone than the blues jr.

[@shanewalton8888]

I’ve been staring at a used Blues Junior for a while now. Your Strat sounded great through it. However I think I will go for a Bass Breaker instead.

[@joecash4064]

I don't recall if you have played a Stage right 15 tube amp? It's supposed to be close to this but much cheaper? I have one.and often wonder should I change to the blues Jr, it's too hard to tell on KZbin and nothing around here that has one to try out

[@cyberpunk409]

I had one for almost 20 years, recently sold it and got a Marshall SV20 and never looked back. The Blues Junior always sounded boxy to me, like a toy.

[@Smart-Alex]

I just got a BJIV delivered today :)

[@deanlaster1724]

Shane do you think it's better than a Peavey Classic 30?

[@superfishal]

How do you compare this amp To the Artist tweed tone 20r ??

[@tdunster2011]

Blues Jr always sounds great. The price is low enough to forgive Fender cutting a few corners with respect to how the tubes are mounted.

[@mkrj2576]

Thanks for another great video. Shane, would you be able to give an actual decibel value as to lowest you'd be able to play this amp and it still puts out good tone? I wish more reviews would do this. Trying to protect my ears and I know what level seems safe. "Bedroom" or "home" level is too subjective.

[@intheblues]

You can use these at low volumes but they don't sound great unless you are happy playing clean at low volumes. The overdrive gets fizzy with the volume down too far.

[@mkrj2576]

@@intheblues Yeah. Cleans no problem - I should have been more specific with my question. I'd like to know what the lowest decibel level does a pedal driven OD still sound good on this amp? Thanks again.

[@CrazyCalabrese78]

@@mkrj2576 depends on your definition of good tone. If I play it quiet enough to not disturb people a couple of rooms away it sounds ok but not amazing. If I take the volume up slightly from there it sounds heaps better. But that volume is loud in the room and the neighbours wouldn’t like it for that long.

[@lucassmith1319]

​@@CrazyCalabrese78 So the million dollar question "What do you do?" 🤔😶😆

[@CrazyCalabrese78]

@@lucassmith1319 haha very fair question! If I really want to play and can’t make too much noise I just play. The tone is fine. But once the house is empty and I can turn it up, I play it a little louder and you can feel the air move and it’s great. That’s a special treat for me lol. I am still experimenting with different drive pedals but have found even they can require some volume. But you can still have fun at lower volumes! Just keep the preamp gain lower and nudge the master up. Maybe 3 and 2 respectively on the dials.

[@waxman9550]

I have several of these - the best one was a 3 with a Celestion Vintage 30. Regret selling that one.

[@MrTelekes]

Mine is only a few old and I noticed a static noise coming from even when nothing is plugged in to it

[@lorraineming4590]

I was wondering why mine never sounds like the reviews on KZbin , I get never get past 2 on the master in my apt . Will be selling soon

[@rlarsen4562]

Sounds good to me. My USA v1 sounds warmer.

[@bluesrocker91]

I could never get on with the Mark III I had... Just couldn't get on with that flabby, farty low end. Sounded fine on the bridge pickup, but turned to mush on the neck and middle positions. I dunno if it was just mine, but there was always an odd sort of sickly sweet burning smell whenever I had it on too.

[@interested_in_things]

I remember you not liking the reverb on an older blues jr, what do you think about the reverb on these?

[@intheblues]

The Version 3 had a faulty tank which was unusable at louder volumes. It seems to be sorted out on this model thankfully

[@cmkilcullen8176]

Shane, Is that your 50's original strat?

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

I recently bought this same amp and it's awesome! Several great tones to be had. The brightness of the treble and reverb does mellow out once the speaker is broken in. You can play in an apartment/condo. I achieved a great tone with the master volume on 12, gain/volume on 3 and my strat volume on 3. Watching an action movie on the TV is way louder.

[@DMSProduktions]

These never really impressed me, but THIS 1 did! Groovy Shane! \m/

[@guitarswhiskeyandgolf]

Shane with this amp do you normally play the amp and pretty high volumes and then use the guitar volume knobs to dial things back?

[@intheblues]

Yep. You can do that for sure. Turning the master up will give you better tones than with it down. You get a much bigger sound overall. The guitar volume will help you work the output volume and gain.

[@guitarswhiskeyandgolf]

@@intheblues thanks Shane!

[@bcain5823]

Is 15 watts loud enough for closed room jam sessions and later live gigs? My band rehearses in an above garage room (30ft x 30ft) with no micing on the amps. If we gig I would expect to use a mic on the amp through our PA system. Would you agree?

[@tomdavey4001]

Plenty loud enough 👍

[@JD-te2pv]

IMO...Blues guitar is noted for some level of distortion. The Blues Jr IV of course has a Master tone knob to control distortion...therefore has more headroom than a BJ III. Probably why it works well with pedals. I also own a 65 Princeton with a 12inch speaker, which is loud and has a lot of headroom. For my Princeton I need an attenuator whereas the BJ IV can be useful as is with its Master Volume - which the Princeton lacks. IMO if you must get a Princeton. the 68 Custom model with the 10inch speaker - can distort nicely and still give adequate headroom.

[@rumy6871]

Blues JR is a fun practice amp. Expectations management: it ain't a Deluxe Reverb or Princeton.

[@markmcdonald5711]

Easy to manufacture, uses inferior components on cheap PCB board with ribbon conectors. You get what you pay for.

[@kyledonworth3845]

If you’re so inclined, it can be amazing. Change some caps, take those ribbon connectors and stick some vintage wiring. New speaker 9/10 small amp.

[@michaelsteven1090]

@@markmcdonald5711good point..ok, Im not getting one now..

[@RyanTehPyro]

I’ve never played through a tube amp and after having many nice modeling setups, this thing is just on another level. I love mine!

[@JamieMeyerArtist]

I used my Blues Junior at an outdoor festival and it worked perfectly fine. I don’t like it’s original gain, but using pedals and mic it up - works like a charm 🎉

[@lucistired]

I have issues with the blues junior and similar criticisms of the hot rod amps. You can somewhat ameliorate this with the eq, but they are far too bassy. It sounds great for solo cleans, but every time I've used them with a band I end up lacking definition and interfering with the clarity of the bass and kick drum. If you upgrade the speaker, this improves to a perfectly usable point, but for me and my purposes, the blues junior is too bassy

[@CrazyCalabrese78]

I run mine with bass at 0 and there’s still plenty coming through with humbuckers but sounds better when you have some gain. Which speakers have you tried?

[@lucistired]

@@CrazyCalabrese78 I've never owned one, mostly commented for the algorithm because shane deserves it. I've played them with the original A type, the older speaker that they came stock with (I think it was an eminence? reminded me of the speakers in my silverface twin which are the original special designs, which I think were made by eminence, but I digress), various jensen speakers (i prefer the alnico jensens though, but those don't fit in a blues junior), and one had a creamback. I agree with your settings, I usually turn the bass all the way down with humbuckers too

[@CrazyCalabrese78]

@@lucistired nice, cheers. Andertons did a speaker shootout recently with the Tweed model. Was very cool and really well done.

[@TeleCS]

Hey Shane. I sold my AC15 and I’m looking at a Fender amp for home use. Looking at the Blues Deluxe or the Hot Rod and even the Tonemaster amps. So hard to choose. Haven’t tried any in a shop yet but I like the effects loop option in the Blues Deluxe as I play a lot of ambience too. Can you give me your opinion please.

[@intheblues]

A Blues or Hot Rod Deluxe is overkill for home use unless you can turn it up. 3:49

[@TeleCS]

@@intheblues Awesome Shane. Thanks so much. My mate has a blues junior v3 that he got cheap. He just wants his money back so maybe that’s the way to go.

[@nekkon1989]

​@@TeleCSFender Bassbreaker

[@benlogan430]

Never got on with my BJ? But I kept my Pro Junior! You’ll need a pedal for crunch on either of these amps at a reasonable volume.

[@texasbootlegger3752]

I like my Blues Junior for home practice. I have the "Swamp Thang" speaker in mine. Made all the difference in world. I like this little amp.

[@Rukus012]

I'll stick with my blues jnr killer lol even has a overdrive channel 🤪

[@BrentAdams]

Is it "Giggable" "clean"? Even with the volume at around 3 it seemed to be slightly breaking up already to my ears (crammed in my headphones. LOL!)

[@kyledonworth3845]

I gig wit a pair of these wet dry and it holds up.

[@captainhotbunz659]

How good is this amp for excepting pedals? Especially a tube driver, blues driver bd2, and rat distortion.

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

I saw/heard a demo of a fbj with the boss blues driver and its NICE!

[@Arbuckle_A]

Me: "Oh, I wanna hear this amp demo'd" Also me: "You show off son of a...😠" 😆

[@billwittman0504]

Full, Fat, Fender delight!

[@silverwings1843]

Well.....Once again: You Ain't Never Going To Buy Shane's incredible ability and tone !!!! That will take hard determination and work. Shane will make any and everything sound 24K. But really Shane. You always Mic the amp with 2 high quality and different EQ'd Mic's. Which will not be the true sound of the amp. It will always be colored. But hey...You are the Great.. It's your stage! And I surely Bend a Knee to you. (With a B Jr you need to change the Tone Stack back to Fender & lower the brite cap w/ switch)

[@ricdomrod]

Wich Fender Strato are you using?

[@intheblues]

It's my 50s American Original Strat.

[@BrokenMachine85]

I had an old Blues Junior. Probably from 2002 or so. The thing was so harsh and brittle. Gain basically sounded like white noise. I kind of hated that amp. I’m hoping the new generations are much better than that.

[@misterknightowlandco]

I live on a 4 acre property in 2500 square foot ranch house with only 2 or 3 neighbors within sight of my house… still never turned up any tube amp over 3 lol where the hell do you live Shane that you can crank a master volume past noon? 😂

[@jesse9874]

Bandit 112 vs Debut 50r

[@stevep1941]

OK little amps, but having used one for a number of gigs, I found it got a bit lost on stage, and ended up selling it. I actually prefer my Boss Katana 50 in every respect. I have a Blues Deluxe for bigger stage gigs. Nice review though Shane

[@intheblues]

100% these are only okay for low volume gigs unless mic’d up. I feel the same way.

[@ronross1145]

How does it compare to the III?

[@intheblues]

It's better because the reverb tank isn't faulty once you turn it up past half.

[@user-kt4it3ru9y]

I Mean It's Alright Like..

[@stringlocker]

I'm glad I cured myself of this amp. Periodically I would buy one and end up being disappointed.

[@galuhlivano8574]

Is it too loud if i put this in 12m2 bedroom 😂?

[@ManuelTaeuber]

No. Neither is an Engl Powerball 2, a Marshall JVM 410 or a Supro 1650 Royal Reverb. 😊

[@ParaBellum2024]

I've always found these amps to be boxy-sounding, with way too much reverb. Sticking with Fender, I have a Blues Deluxe Reissue, which is much better. I've also just bought a 1989 Peavey Bandit, which is fantastic on the clean channel, but less so on the overdrive channel, which doesn't have the later 'mid' control. I've tried to like Blues Juniors, but every time I've tried one (or heard people using them) I've been underwhelmed.

[@terryshaw1934]

Shane, you make everything sound great, but the JR always sounded too “boxy” for my taste.

[@milankotevski1663]

How this guy has fully functional pots on all of his guitars is a mistery to me. Left-handed guitars are notorious for having an on-off switch style pots. I suspect he's either installed aftermarket pots, or rewired the stock ones. None of my left-handed Fender (and almost none of the other) guitars I own, have appropriate pots.

[@eduardo_zerobala1340]

Just remember thats a very very very loud amp!!!!!! I mever use mine over 3 volume or it will blow my ears! Favorite set is volume 1 and master cranked to max.

[@Zeal808]

I’ve had that feeling of my ears about to be blown out lol it can get loud

[@davroshalfbeard8368]

Aye 15 Watts is loud lol for a flat or house got a 5 watt amp and with a drive pedal volume is never more than a quarter on amp on clean channel

[@thedoodl38ug]

Yep, I've never gone beyond 2 or 3 on the master, so loud!

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

Jimmy H

[@mikeblue385]

i've owned three. never again.

[@sotiristsamandanis6424]

I plug it in to a Marshall 4x12 . Celestions get rid of the boxiness

[@ronenbeniaminov6162]

i thinking about selling it since iuts just too loud for home use. i will put mater to 12 and volume to 13 my ears will bleed. this video is misleading about the volume levels since its all seems at same volume level

[@nekkon1989]

I still believe it is overpriced when compared to a Fender Bassbreaker 30r. You get so much more if you're willing to spend 100 € more

[@stringlocker]

Unfortunately good tone cost more. There's some beautiful 5-watt Boutique amplifiers out there. But you have to spend $1,500 at least. I think it's worth saving up.

[@nekkon1989]

@@stringlocker while I do not disagree, I believe we tend to overlook the value-for-money aspect these days. An American Stratocaster is not twice as good as a Mexican one, yet it is more than double the price. The same thing happens with guitar amplifiers. A boutique amplifier can give you better tone, but if it is three times as expensive as a Bassbreaker, I expect it to be more than simply 20% better

[@stringlocker]

I'm tired of good enough amps. I am a cheapskate. But I have G.A.S. for a magnatone.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

There you go sounding like Jimi Hendrix?

[@dannybeeler1122]

Lets be real, the bkues junior quality and Chinese build has dropped drastically. Ive had 2 BJs 4 and they have both "died" fender amp quality has fallen apart,, just because it says "tube" dont mean its quality... Thanks Shane for all you do, you are a great product demonstration guy.. but, real tube amps , yea, they arethe real deal. These amps are seriously overpriced.. i have a BJ 3 its been completely upgraded and it does sound good. Just saying be careful what you buy these days.. great job Shane

[@DDE_ADDICT]

I just A/B'd that amp against a blues deluxe and just as I hear in the video, the JR just doesn't cut it is not a professional amp at all and the EL84's burn the PCB boards as the sockets are solder right to it. Junk.

[@barolecaskin8673]

thought i clicked on a pestily video for a sec

[@intheblues]

who?

[@barolecaskin8673]

he's an Escape from Tarkov streamer. video games. @@intheblues

[@adhasky]

In reality, you still need to crank it to make it sound nice.

[@vonmilash823]

Most overrated, overpriced amp EVER. I'll never understand it.

[@briandaviz-oq9st]

just buy a used one