Have you taken a look at the BJ mods from BillM Audio? From what I've heard, he's the authority on tweaking a lot of smaller Fenders these days. He might have some insight on harpifying yours. ----------
My first amp was a Blues Jr. Went to a fest and all the harp players had Blues Jrs., I think 5 of us had them out. I didn't like any of them. Left that weekend with a mission to find the an amp that sounded good to me. Long journey and many amps later finally got a feel for what worked best for me. I took the buy everything and re-sell the ones I didn't like approach. Although it sounds expensive, I only bought good deals and actually made money on most of them. I read all of the opinions online, but decided to try anything and everything that caught my eye. Several years later, I came to the conclusion that all of the opinions from the amp experts were right. Now have a collection of amps that sound terrific. A lot of folks have written about the Blues Jr., there are some good websites with mods,, I think you can do better. Just buy any used amp from Bigtone, can't go wrong.
Well Nick, Before you give up all hope a few thoughts from a recent FBJ purchaser. I got mine begause it fit my budget and seemed mod-able which it is. Try this if you haven't: Mullard EL 84 power tubes and a 12DW7 in the third preamp slot. These two made a huge difference in my FBJ, along with gain lower combos in 1 and 2 it became very manageable. Hey, I was gonna sell mine too. Another thing that helps is a Volume and Tone Control (I have an old Martin model VTC designed for guitars) on the way in so you can control the signal your mike is sending the amp. This combo may give you a lot to play with in terms of tone quality. From grits to gravy. I have to tell you I was freaked out when I first tried to get mine to behave. Now I would say while it's not the best I could imagine, it is a solid thumpin' amp that works well in a mid sized room. Good luck!
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Maybe its his recording mic but it sounds better to me without the pedal. If you don't like amp sound you are probably better off trading the amp for one that suits you. Remember your technique and mic choice have a huge effect on amp sound yet amps often get the blame I also personally hate putting solid state boxes in front of tubes. If you like boxes -i would try saving money , weight and aggravation by trying a quality clean solid state amp like roland ,vox or some Fenders and put your effects in front of that---Just my 2 cents
I used to use a Lone Wolf Tone+ pedal with my BJ which helped control feedback issues and gave the amp much better bass response. Then I found Steve's Amps website and had the mods done. Now I don't use the pedal any longer and I still have the tone I want. Steve recommended a 12AU7 tube swap as well as the mods. I didn't like the 12AU7 so I switched to a 12AY7 which I like much better. Also my BJ is the limited edition Blues Jr. III and has a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Maybe this will help you.
Up-date: Have changed the tubes to low gain and now with my 1986 green bullet, dialled to master vol 2 and gain full on..it sounds brilliant, very edgy and broken up
I just helped a fellow with a blues jr yesterday. He had 12AX 12AU 12AU. I set it:
Vol: 4 Treb: Between 3 and 4 Bass: 9 Mid: 3 Master: 9 Reverb: 2
Fat: OFF
You know what? It worked pretty darn well. You have to keep the volume low or you get both too much feedback AND a silly artificial sounding overdrive distortion. The reverb is WAY too much at anything past 2. The FAT switch doesn't help.
@GH I wonder why that guy's BJr had the high gain 12ax7 in the first pre-amp position where it would maximize the potential for feedback? the AU tubes are very low gain and would seem to contribute nothing of value but simply harm the overall signal to noise ratio and lower the sound level at full master.
Swap tubes 1 and 2, giving much lower feedback and boosting the signal past the tone controls which tend to eat the signal. And I don't know what good the AU would do in the phase inverter (3rd) posn.
I fixed my tinny too loud reverb by putting a tiny dab of hot glue on each of the coils.
I find that a 12AU7 in V1 on any Fender amp is not a good idea tonally speaking. It takes away to much of the liveliness of the Fender amps and makes them sound very flat. In my Pro Jr, Princeton Reverb, Bandmaster, Bassman, Pro and Super, I always ran a 12AY7 in V1. It makes the amp much better tonally. In a Blues Jr I'd be tempted to try V1 - 12AY7 and then try a 12AU7 in V2 or V3.
Last Edited by Kingley on Apr 12, 2013 10:13 AM
I would try the 12AY7 in V1 a 12AT7 in V2 and a 12AU7 in V3, Then try it and see. You might indeed find that 12AU7's in both V2 and V3 give you a better tone. With a 12AY7 in V1 you won't get the numbers on the dial up as high as you can with a 12AU7, but those numbers don't mean much really. For example five on the volume with a 12AY7 will usually be louder than seven on the volume with a 12AU7 in the same spot. It's all about the tonal response of the amp. For example with a 12AU7 in V1 on a Pro Jr I could get the volume up to eight and it still sounded very flat and lifeless. With a 12AY7 in V1 that same amp would reach five or six and the sound would be very lively and leap out of the speaker. Of course it's all subjective and a matter of personal taste. From a personal point of view I have found that the 12AY7 is one of the best preamp valves for harp. Another thing to remember is to try as many different mics/elements through the same amp as possible. Too often folk get hung up on the "Oh but this is my favourite mic" or "This one has my black CR in it" train of thought. That doesn't mean diddly squat though. As I'm sure you're aware different amp circuits respond better to some mic elements than others. So my advice would be to make sure you try all your mics with the various valve combinations you try, to make sure of finding the best match.
harmonicanick , I owned 2 FBJ s a number of years ago. I loved them at first, but ran into the same problems everyone does. Feedback before the right volume to keep up with the band in louder venues. It practiced great but got lost when playing out. Guitarists love it, and for good reason. I sold mine and have never regretted the decision. You can do all the tweaks and mods you want, but in the end I believe you will still be unsatisfied. Just my two cents.
