The Blues Junior is a professional tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1995 by the Fender company. 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, some with upgraded internal components and others simply with cosmetic changes, at varying prices. As of September 2007, the Blues Junior's retail street price varies between $399 and $529 (USD) depending on the edition.

Specifications

• Single channel 15-watt all-tube amplifier
• One 12-inch, 50-watt, 8-ohm Fender designed driver
  • Most Blues Junior speakers are manufactured by Eminence Speaker for Fender, either model P12R or P12N
  • NOS Lacquer Tweed Limited Edition Blues Junior speakers are manufactured by Jensen in Italy, as model C12N
  • Other speaker models may be in use
• Fender spring reverb
• "FAT" tone boosting circuit (with toggle switch)
• Bass, treble, and mid frequency adjustment
• Independent preamp and master volume controls for tube overdrive management
• "Chicken head" vintage styled control knobs
• Two EL84 Groove Tube output tubes
• Three 12AX7 preamp tubes
• Solid state rectifier
• One ¼-inch input jack
• Stereo RCA output for internal and external 8-ohm speaker use
• Foot switch jack for remote control of FAT circuit (foot switch sold separately)

Varying Editions

Like many Fender amplifiers (particularly in the Hot Rod series), many limited edition versions of the Blues Junior have been manufactured since its introduction in 1995.

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.

In addition to the difference in visual aesthetic, some limited editions have also shipped with upgraded internal components (and are likewise more expensive). The NOS Lacquer Tweed Blues Junior, for instance, has an upgraded Italian Jensen speaker. 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 (for example, the Blonde edition is only available at Guitar Center retail stores and online).

Trivia

• Guitarist and singer-songwriter John Mayer was using a Blues Junior when he appeared in a sketch on "Chappelle's Show" in 2004.
• Due to the wrong attribution to Little Walter's chicago blues sound ^{[citation needed]} (historical research indicates that he played through a public address), it was also one of the most used amplifiers for blues harp players.^{[citation needed]}

References

External Links

• Fender Blues Junior Owner's Manual (PDF)
• Fender Musical Instrument Corporation Fender's official website
• Bill's Blues Junior Modification Pages contains a revision summary as well as historical and technical info

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