Fender Blues Junior

The Blues Junior is a tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1990 by the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation. It is aimed at achieving the warm, tube-driven tone common in many styles of American blues and blues rock dating back to the 1950s, while remaining both portable and affordable. Fender frequently releases limited editions of the Blues Junior. All have the same electronic components[1] and specifications but have cosmetic changes and often a different speaker, at varying prices.

Blues Junior
Fender Blues Junior front view
Manufacturer Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Period 1990–present
Electronics
Power 15 Watts
Technology
Preamp Section
3 × 12AX7
Power Section
2 × EL84
Driver
1 × 12"/8 Ohms
Rectifier
Solid State
Features
Package Combo: 16" × 18" × 9.81"

(40.64 × 45.72 × 24.92 cm)

Cabinet
Material
Wood
Covering
Tolex or Diagonal Tweed
Grille
Silver sparkle or brown grille cloth
Weight
31 lbs. (14.06 kg)
Speakers Celestion A-Type Speaker
Other Features Reverb, Fat Switch

Specifications
  • single-channel 15-watt all-tube amplifier
  • one 12-inch, 50-watt, 8-ohm driver (connected with 1/4-inch phone jack for external speaker option); model varies with edition:
    • standard edition Blues Juniors ship with a Celestion A-Type speaker
    • NOS Lacquer Tweed Limited Edition Blues Juniors ship with the Italian manufactured Jensen model C12N
    • Tweed Relic Edition Blues Juniors ship with Jensen model P12R
    • (other speaker models may be in use)
  • Fender spring reverb (driven by a solid-state opamp)
  • Bass, Middle and Treble tone controls
  • "Fat" pushbutton switch boosts gain and midrange frequencies in preamp stage
    • also operable with optional remote foot-switch (not included)
  • independent preamp and master gain controls for tube overdrive management
  • "chicken head" vintage styled control knobs
  • three matched Groove Tubes 12AX7 preamp tubes (graded to Fender's specifications)
  • two matched Groove Tubes EL84 power tubes (graded to Fender's specifications)
  • fixed power tube bias
  • solid-state rectifier
  • single 1/4-inch input jack

Varying editions

Several limited edition versions of the Blues Junior have been manufactured since its introduction in 1995. The original circuit board underwent a major redesign in 2001, when production moved from the US to Mexico. The earlier circuit boards are green in color and are noted for a "darker," more bass-inflected tone. Many green board models have excessive noise in the reverb circuit, as the signal is inserted into the reverb after the master volume. The later circuit boards are cream or tan colored and sound "brighter" or more treble-oriented, with the reverb situated before the Master volume.[2]

Lacquered Tweed editions, as the name implies, feature a cabinet upholstered with a lacquered tweed fabric. Some of these have been artificially aged from the factory and are known as Lacquered Tweed "Relic" editions. The "Blonde" and "Brown Tolex" Blues Juniors feature traditional Fender Tolex upholstery in their respective colors, while the Sunburst Ash edition features an ash cabinet with a sunburst stain. One edition was issued with a forest green colored cabinet, had a United States flag on the cloth speaker grille, and had United States Air Force markings detailed on the cabinet in yellow.

The standard Blues Junior is dressed like a traditional black Fender amplifier, with black Tolex upholstery and a silver cloth speaker grille.

Although they differ in their external visual aesthetic, all variants of the Blues Junior for a given year are produced with the same electronics, apart from the speaker/driver. Limited editions may use varying driver models, such as the Jensen C12N found in the NOS Lacquered Tweed Blues Junior or the Jensen P12R found in the Relic edition. Fender does not always include these limited edition versions in their updated catalogs (or on their website) either because too few were produced (only a few hundred in some cases) or perhaps because of exclusive retailer agreements.

Blues Junior revision history

Fender introduced the Blues Junior in 1995 and has revised and updated the amp periodically since then. The Blues Junior history can be divided into two major categories: the early amps with green circuit boards and the later ones with cream-colored boards. The switch to the cream-colored boards reflects the change in where the amps were manufactured, from USA to Mexico. The cream-colored board is laid out entirely differently from the green board. The biggest change is the reworked reverb circuit. The older amps tend to sound darker, while the new ones are brighter with more emphasis on treble tones.

The table Below details the revision dates and the changes made on those dates.

RevisionBoardDateMajor Change
AGreen Board03/03/95Product Introduction
B05/15/95Unknown
C10/29/96Revised preamp and FAT circuit
D07/29/98Unknown
ACream Board03/21/01Revised reverb circuit, new board layout
B04/20/02Added fuse on filament line
C2003Corrected backwards polarity on filter cap for -15V reverb supply

Dating a Blues Junior

Fender adopted a two-letter dating code in 1990. The code can be found on the Quality Assurance label located inside the cabinet. The label is often located on the bottom next to the reverb tank, sometimes it is placed on the side. The codes can be handwritten, which can occasionally make the letters hard to decipher.

YEARCodeMONTHCode
1990AJanuaryA
1991BFebruaryB
1992CMarchC
1993DAprilD
1994EMayE
1995FJuneF
1996GJulyG
1997HAugustH
1998ISeptemberI
1999JOctoberJ
2000KNovemberK
2001LDecemberL
2002M
2003N

Fender discontinued date codes in 2003. There is no reliable way to date 2003–2005 amps other than to ask Fender customer support to look up the date from the serial number. Amps made in 2006 have a small metal "Fender 60th Anniversary" button on the back plate. Amps from 2007 are undistinguished.

Blues Junior III

In 2010 Fender updated their line of hot rod model amps and released the "Blues Junior III," adding many physical changes to the standard black tolex model. Notable differences include the Fender "lightning bolt" speaker, "sparkle" circuit modification, rattle-reducing shock absorbers, set-screw "chicken head" knobs, "dog bone" handle, larger Fender jewel light, black non-reflective control panel, and "Blues Junior" subtext on the logo plate.[3]

Tube complement and bias setting

A set of three matched Groove Tubes 12AX7 preamp tubes and two matched Groove Tubes EL84 power tubes, graded according to Fender's specifications, are used in all factory Blues Juniors. The Blues Junior uses a nonadjustable power tube bias (no way to vary the bias point), but it is fairly "hot" and can accommodate most matched pairs on the market. However, because they "run hot", a common modification is to add a bias trim to enable adjustments to the idle current when switching tubes.

References
  1. "Schematic Diagram: Blues Junior" (PDF). Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. July 29, 1998. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) (Schematic for the original USA-built Blues Junior amplifiers.)
  2. "All About Your Blues Junior". Billm Audio. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010.
  3. "Blues Junior III" (product page in online catalogue). Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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