For anyone interested, after trying many mics for my new Fender Blues Jr. I found that the new Shure 545SD Unidyne set for high impedence has the best response and seriously helps to kill the mid-high issue with those stock amps. The only mod I've done so far was to change the preamp tube to a 12au7. My only problem with the mic has been that it is not the easiest to hold. With practice I'm sure I'll make it work. I would love to hear if anyone else has mic ideas for this amp. So far the others I've tried are the Shure Commando 420, Sonotone CM10A, and my favorite mic ever which I wish sounded as good, the Spher-O-Dyne. None of which really address the high-mid issue without an EQ pedal. Thanks to all!!
Thanks man, that looks like it will really help. I had no idea there was something like that out there. Seems like he's got a lot of other cool stuff too.
Bought one of these from a previous member. These are the least feedback prone mic I have found to use with my Jr. I don't often use the Jr. for harp but when I do this is what I play through. I bought this early in his production and did not pay this price and he shipped it free from Aussieland. So I gave it a try and was not unhappy. My 2 pennies. ----------
"I have a high tolerance for boredom as long as it has a groove" - Scrapboss
Last Edited by on Feb 03, 2011 7:32 PM
@ANDREWZAR: You might also want to try an AD/W7 tube in the phase inverter slot (v3). I think it fattens tone on this amp (I used to have one).
A useful method for controlling feedback is to get a 545 Ultimate from Greg. Use the volume control to reduce the output of the mic (turn the volume down) which makes the input signal not as hot and then you can turn the amp up much louder before feedback and there is no significant tone degradation on the mic. You essentially will be using the VC on the mic as a gain pad for the input signal. Simple but VERY effective.
Last Edited by on Feb 04, 2011 12:57 AM
@ANDREWZAR: Well, some people claim you've got to swap out the speaker to get the most out of this amp. I don't know if that's true.
IMHO, the stock reverb is a little tinny sounding. I had the reverb circuit on mine modded, and i bagged the reverb tank. But since then Ruby Tubes has come out with a replacement tank for this amp that fits in the cabinet and has better depth of tone than the stock tank. You may wish to consider getting one and bagging it when you do the install. You can get an appropriate size reverb tank bag from Mojo Tone.
FWIW, it's not on their website, but Eurotubes sells a set of JJ Electronics preamp tubes to voice this amp for harp and control feedback. I also put JJ power tubes in mine as well.
Btw, i sold my BJ to get a Princeton Reverb Reissue when the PRRIs came out. No regrets.
I don't use the reverb much. I have a MXR Carbon Copy delay pedal which I love, so I usually bypass the reverb alltogether. But I intend to use this amp strictly for harp for quite a while. So I may do that eventually. When I'm more comfortable with my playing I'll probobly get something bigger and more suited for harp. At one point I read that a good new speaker swap would be the Jenson P12R. Any thought on that? I think I will try the AD/W7 tube. I've read that before.
I have a BJ as well. I tried the AD/W7 tube in V3 and didn't like it. I found the distortion unpleasant to my ear. It is cheap to try however so others may like it. I do use a 12AY7 in V1 which I like - more sweep of volume control before feedback.
I would be interested to hear of anyones experience with Eurotubes product that hvyj mentioned.
I did the speaker swap. Put in a Weber 12A100 (P12R) 12" speaker. Handles 15 watts, straight cone, AlNiCo magnet with an "H" dust cap. Louder before feedback than stock speaker and much warmer sounding...makes the amp a resonable harp amp. The spearker swap is a direct replacement...no mods necessary.
@ANDREWZAR: The AD/W7 tube (actually, its ECC equivalent) is included in the preamp tube swap kit for the BJ that Eurotubes sells. But you have to call or email them--the kit is not listed on their website.
I've never swapped out a speaker, so I have no thoughts to share, except I've heard that Weber speakers are supposed to be good.
Personally, I prefer 10" speakers for harp, but YMMV and there are a lot of good harp players who like 12" speakers.
@ANDREWZAR: A couple of other random thoughts: Personally, I happen to like the sound of reverb from an on board reverb tank in a tube amp--IMHO it provides a nicely dimensioned depth of tone. i tend to use delay with an amp that doesn't have on board reverb. Of course, there's certainly no right or wrong to this stuff.
BUT, delay INTO reverb can sound very cool if the settings on each are right. obviously, it's easy to overdo it, but used with discretion delay prior to reverb can sound pretty good.
Btw, I found that the AD/W7 tube FATTENED tone more than it created distortion. But, YMMV. It may also depend on the configuration of the rest of the tubes.
The mods that you want to do to the Blues Junior are best covered by Bill Machrone.
http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=58
His Twin Stack mod greatly helped ones ability to control the feedback monster. Its one of the easiest things to do.
Last Edited by on Feb 04, 2011 5:22 PM
If you can get a Mullard 7247 for V3 , much better than the 12DW7 equivalents. For V1, a 12AY7 is a decent sub. A 5751 is worthwhile investigating, and a 6211 also could be interesting. 5751's aren't cheap to begin with, so you might as well spend a few extra $$$ for the primo versions ( e.g. RCA COMMAND v. regular ). 6211's on the other hand are relatively inexpensive.
For power tubes, I really like matched blue-tip Sylvania el84/6BQ5's ( shiny black plates ), followed by RCA Japanese ( supposedly Mullard derivatives ). Don't much care for Sovtek's , EH's, and definitely not Chinese. JJ's have a pretty good rep, but I don't have personal experience with them.
Tubes DO effect tone, but it is what you do with the unit after that makes the difference.
Blues Jr's are a challenge for harpers....seems like.
Agree that the brand (and age) of tubes affect tone. However swapping tubes to change to a different GAIN factor is a much more profound change, and is the place to start with a Blues Jr (or any Fender amp set up for guitar.) ---------- /Greg
If I owned a Blues Jr and wanted to keep it, I would probably purchase a Lone Wolf Harp Tone+ pedal. I wouldn't screw around with tubes. The pedal is a keeper and can be used with a variety of amps.
The BJ I had was unplayable without tube swaps because of feedback. it was absolutely necessary to reduce the gain factor. The BJ is a high gain amp anyway which is one reason I like the PRRI bettter.
The "billm" mods are not universally recognized as a good idea. There is quite a bit of criticism of these mods found on the Eurotubes website which is worth checking out. But I have no first hand experience with these.
i know a guy that uses a LW Harp Octave pedal with his BJ and he gets a pretty decent distorted sound. Personally, i don't like playing through his rig due to what I perceive as a lack of tonal variation, but the distorted sound he gets is pretty good if you are into sounding like that on every tune.
Andy Santana has used a Blues Jr with the Harp Tone+ pedal to great effect. His sound isn't highly distorted or overdriven. He has fat, round sound that is purely bad ass. It may not be for everyone.
The guy I was talking about uses a Harp OCTAVE pedal.
Personally, I 'm not wild about the sound Andy Santana is getting with the Harp Tone+ (I don't like all that shit in between the notes because it severely inhibits the ability to maintain clean separation between notes when playing at fast tempo. Play a staccato 16th note run on that rig and i suspect everything mushes together.) But to each his own.
Anyway the tone Andy is getting with the Harp Tone+ is certainly not the same sort of tone as my friend gets with his Harp Octave pedal. The Harp Octave is more heavily distorted but a little "tighter" if that makes sense. They are both made by Lone Wolf but are clearly different animals. Thanks for posting this. I'd never heard a Harp Tone+ in action before.
Last Edited by on Feb 05, 2011 12:42 AM
The Bill Machrone (billm) Twin Stack mod that train-train suggests is worth while for harp and his web site is a great resource for anywone wanting to mod their BJ, however like hvyj says the mods may not all be suitable for harp.
Again everyone, thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna start with my 545SD equipped with Greg's Bulletizer and then check out some of these Billm modds. I'm really excited to start working with my tone. Maybe I'll post a video when I get it together. Much appreciated!!
DO NOT put a 12DW7 in the phase inverter (V3) of a Blues Jr. It lowers the output and is not recommended by Billm. Instead install a 12DW7 in V2 ONLY if you have done the cathode follower mod. If the mod has not been done the 12DW7 in the V2 position is useless and the lower mu section of the tube isn't even used. The cathode follower mod helps lessen the load on the tone stack section. As for V1, for maximum signal a 12AX7 (or the JJ substitute) or a 5751 which has 70% of the gain of a 12AX7. A 12AU7 only has 20% of hte gain and the amp will be VERY QUIET. A 12AT7 has 60% of the gain when used. I have tried them all so I speak from experiance.
Hey Greg, here's the answer to your question from an interview that I found somewhere online.
What did you do before you started BillM?
For the last 25 years I've been a computer journalist. I was the editor-in-chief of PC Magazine for many years, and started a number of other computer magazines. I've been a freelance technology writer for the last four years, but Billm Audio has become my full-time occupation. My son works with me in the business, too. ---------- The Blues Photo Gallery
@Harpman Moe: When I had a BJ i liked the 12DW7 in V3 whether Billm approves or not. These days I have an 12DW7 in the PI slot on my Super Reverb RI and I like that pretty well, too.
It may lower the output, but that's part of the idea behind it since lowering the output helps control feedback. I also think it fattens tone. It's not a cure all/fix all, but there's no reason not to do it if you like how it it sounds. As i understand it, the 12DW7 only works well in amps that have a long tail PI, so, for example, it's of no use in Princeton Reverb RI.
Last Edited by on Feb 14, 2011 8:44 PM
