personally i consider the blues jr to be one of the best blues harmonica amps today. here is the latest incarnation. it is a steal at only $2000.00 80 proof
There have been a number of topics dedicated to identifying who we might consider the best blues harmonica players, with lists developed. I'd be interested to know, of those on any of the lists, how many or what percentage use blue, jr's for live performances.
2000$ for a 15w amp ? Do you consider it an awesome home/coffee shop amp or a generally the best harp amp ?
Last Edited by Ofir Levi on Jun 29, 2016 2:53 PM
$2000.00 for an amp and it uses a printed circuit board. they could of at least hand wired it.
it is not necessary to spend 2 grand on a a blues jr. there was one for sale the other day for $325.00 it had a weber vintage speaker in it. it pays to shop around. ---------- .
I don't understand this fake aged idea. clothing, furniture, musical instruments. Props for posing. I met a bloke who made a point of rubbing all the paint off a 520 shell because he thought a paint job was pretentious. Sweet irony.
i tried a few when they first came out and hated it for harmonica. if i remember correctly they both had a celestion speaker. i think that is the main factor.
the stock eminence or jensen ....whatever they use now sounds very nice.
i have several vintage amps, there is no need for me to ever use a blues jr. if it did not sound good. but we use one all the time. the only decision is...
will the band be playing at a reasonable volume level? if not, the bassman comes out. i like to play loud at times myself. for a $300.00 dollar amp, hard to go wrong. ----------
All the great harp players I saw in the late 60`s and through the 70`s blew through the PA. with a shure 57/58 mic.a BIT OF REVERB, and these men were cooking.They all had their own tone,and James Cotton was too cool with such a big fat sound and a honk that would scare a goose.`nuff said.......
I've played through one, it was ok. I started with a vintage Princeton Tremolo. Tried several bigger squealier amps. Landed on a slightly modded Silvertone 1482. Had a replica '59 Bassman built. Too huge and it was not getting used so I sold it off. Last year got a Vibro Champ. My needs sound wise are for a duo thing. All my adventures have led me to a point close to nowmon's: Get your tone from inside. Have some fun with amps and use them to benefit, but definitely have your tone developed first. We play acoustic part of the time and it's taught me how to play with better dynamics. I'm never afraid to blow into a p.a. IF the sound guy is harp friendly. ---------- Reverbnation
I've played through many Blues Jrs. I like them. I get some pretty good sounds out of them, but you have to be playing with players that can manage their volume well.
i agree, a blues jr can be easily drowned out. the only options are # 1 get the band to turn down, this is easier said then done. the truth is, most of the places i play the amp has enough volume, if it gets drowned out, the music quite often suffers. if patrons are leaving the venue because the band is too loud, something is not right.
one thing that helps is to put it up on an amp stand, also sometimes i'll use the terminator pedal and split the signal into another small amp. or sometimes a kinder pedal will get you a little more volume without being too loud.
if it is being used at a jam, the player needs to know where the volume knob is on the amp, their are 2 of them. if you change the mic, you most likely will need to adjust the volume.
a friend of mine has 2 blues jrs.... i cannot for the life of me get him to bring both of them. that maybe ideal, you could leave one off until needed.
i have a vintage bassman no need to use a blues jr, but i use one quite a bit. it is not perfect by any stretch, if the band wants to play at concert levels in a small room, i can have my bassman set up in one minute flat.
Out of the box, as far as I'm concerned, a Blues Jr is harsh feedbacky and stiff. With tube subs to reduce the gain it becomes playable and then it is "OK". And then you can go hog wild with a different speaker and changing the treble circuit and changing the stage-coupling caps and ultimately you can get a pretty decent amp. But then calling the Blues Jr a good harp amp is hardly fair. Some amps are good right out of the box.
Many people buy Blues Jr's because they don't know what to buy, or what makes a good harp amp, and "Blues Jr" just sounds like it ought to fit the bill so well, doesn't it? Don't ask me how I know this......
I'm sour on mid-size amps anyway. I consider 15-35W to be mid-sized. Small amps sound great and there are some great ones to choose from, from off-the shelf cheap amps like the VHT Special 6 and the Epiphone wateveritwas, to vintage amps like the Kalamazoo, to new purpose built harp amps like the Memphis Mini and the Harp Train 10. These amps ALL sound better than the Blues Jr. And they're very loud - loud enough to use for practice, recording, coffee shop gigs. But once you need louder than that - you typically need A LOT LOUDER, IF you're on stage with a 5 piece electric band you're not going to hear your 5W amp. But then you won't hear your 15W amp either. Remember you need 10X the power just to get twice as loud. So I found I just almost never used any mid sized amp I ever owned. It was either the little 5W tone monster, or a big Four-Ten (Bassman-like) or, now, my Avenger.
I agree whole hardily with Greg piece. It is good and balanced advice, but I am afraid it doesn't counter much of the stuff written to push/sell the "5 watters" that have appeared on the scene over the last few years. These amps are fine in and of themselves, let me be clear regarding that. But then the "sales pitch" that these can be lined out or miced up or using a bigger amp as a "slave"....ovey. Sure, I have seen the videos, but more oftern than not, the "pros" I see use big amps. I use a 15 watt "Tweed Princeton" I built for small gigs with my band (guitar, bass, drums, me) but once another guitar or piece is added, the 4x10 comes out. It just makes sense, particular since we don't mic up every instrument. I don't suggest this for all bands, we just happen to have played so long together, we know how to modulate ourselves and do our own "mix" while playing.
one thing to remember is... i have a bassman, i also have a kinder anti feed back unit. this is my main amp. i do not or never have owned a blues jr. i have other amps, so it is not necessary. when in doubt the bassman comes out. last month i used this set up for the first set. it was a decent size room, totally packed house. i had zero issues being heard, i was not mic'd up. after our set i tore down. i knew that there was not a chance in hell that this set-up would work for the remainder of the day, but why is that? it worked just fine a minute ago.
once the bass turns up it is over, then the keyboard turns up then the guitars, its over. where's the bassman?
Last Edited by 1847 on Jul 11, 2016 8:28 AM
i have never been to austin so i cannot say for any certainty that this is true. but go to 2 minute and 47 sec. and tell me if this is just hypebol. i would buy this amp for 2 grand before i would ever consider the the 80 proof blues jr.
I agree wholeheartedly with Greg, too. I've heard folks try the blues jr. at loud jams many times and it's always sounded stiff and shrill to my ear. Maybe I just prefer the warm 6v6 sound over harsh el84's. The only small amp I ever heard that sounded great was an ancient Fender Harvard and, as you might guess, no el84's in that.
I heard Rick play his Memphis Mini many times at jams lined out to the PA. He always invited others to try it and it always sound thin, shrill and harsh when cranked. I never once thought , "Man, that could substitute for a larger amp like a bassman." If I I could get by with carrying a small "purpose-built" amp to jams or gigs and keep up with two loud guitar players when necessary, why wouldn't I? Who wouldn't want to get by with less and smaller gear if they could and still be assured of getting their desired tone?
How many of us have spent money on the wrong gear, wishing we could get by with a small amp at a loud jam or gig, only to turn up to keep up, and hurting our ears and those of our audience in the process?
Last Edited by PeterG on Jul 11, 2016 8:14 PM
For me, when it comes to amps, I'll either find one on EBAY, or better yet, a trip to the local music store (they can use the business more than EBAY). You can get some awesome second hand amps (some places work on a consignment deal). Personally, a solid state amp is more reliable than a tube amp (weight is a factor in selection). But since I play bass guitar as well as harps, I bought two amps. A used Peavey 15 watt Microbass amp for fourty dollars, & a new Hartke 25 watt amp with extended 2 year warranty for $120.00 (S+H free) from the Guitar Center website. $2,000.00 for an amp? No thanks.
