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Topic: Fender Blues Jr for steel ? |
Larry Lenhart
From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Posted 9 May 2018 6:55 pm |
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I ran across an old thread regarding amps for the non-pedal steel and some were really liking the 15 watt Blues Jr...now I guess the 4 model is out. They also liked the Micro Cube and I have one of those and pulled it out after many years of sitting around, and I was pretty impressed with it, at least for sitting around the house playing my Rickenbacker D8. Just wondered what the current thoughts are in regards to the Blues Jr...they seem to be easy to find and relatively cheap ! Thanks in advance for posting your opinions, comments, etc.
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Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp |
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Nathan Laudenbach
From:
Montana
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Posted 10 May 2018 5:00 am
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| I had a blues jr for a while. It is a great amp, but you have to crank it up a bit to really get some tone out of it. Even though it's a small amp, it was too loud for my ears indoors. I love Micro Cube. I can get some seriously fat tones at a volume that doesn't wake up the family. Honestly I like the tone of the Micro Cube over the Blues Jr. regardless of volume. The british amp setting at high noon is the ticket. |
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Larry Lenhart
From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Posted 10 May 2018 5:13 am
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Thanks Nathan, thats the kind of info I was looking for coming from someone who has had experience with both amps...you probably saved me $600 bucks...haha...but dont expect a commission  Seriously tho, that reaffirms my evaluation of the micro-cube...I was pleasantly surprised...I have two cube 30s, the Street cube and a cube 80...that no longer works and ironically is the newest of the bunch, but had been letting the micro cube sit, and it is the oldest of the group and still works just fine. Again, thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on the matter.
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Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 10 May 2018 5:55 am
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I have a Micro Cube, a Blues Junior, and two Pro Juniors. For my lap steels, I prefer the Pro Juniors over the others.
My favorite small amp for lap steel is a 6V6-powered late '70s Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp loaded with an old Vox Bulldog 12" speaker from the '60s. Purrs like a kitten. |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 10 May 2018 6:26 am
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I have a 2001 Blues Jr (I guess you'd call it a version 2) that works great for lap steel. I mostly use it for bluesy stuff (go figure) but I have used it for cleaner material.
I haven't had any issues with keeping the volume down. A lot of people online say you get the best sound from it by turning up the master all the way and using the gain knob to manage the volume (along with the volume knob on the instrument) but I haven't tried that -- I'm looking for some drive at a moderate volume.
I don't have a micro amp, but I do have a VOX Mini 5. The difference is night and day - the smaller speaker just can't sound as full as the BJr's, but for space-saving and very low volume, it's a workable solution.
Bottom line - if you like the micro cube, you already own it, so it makes sense to stick with it.
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Peter
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www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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John Limbach
From:
Billings, Montana, USA
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Posted 10 May 2018 8:11 am
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A while back I went to see Bobby Ingano play at Dot's Diner on Oahu. During intermission we had a nice chat and I asked him what he was using to get that full, rich sound from his Frypan. He walked me over to his chair and proudly pointed to the Steetcube on the floor and said, "That's all I need". Proving yet again that tone is in the hands.
That little box filled up the room and sounded great. Impressed the heck out of me. |
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