Fender Blues Junior IV vs Blues Junior III & Blues Junior SE
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Fender Blues Junior IV vs Blues Junior III & Blues Junior SE
In this video I compare the brand new Blues Junior IV against the previous generation of amplifiers. Can you even hear a difference in the mix at the start of the video? I hope this video is helpful if you're looking to buy a new blues junior guitar amplifier.
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Anyone thinking of buying another guitar who doesn't have as nice amp...skip the new guitar and buy a nice amp. I should've gone for the amp a long time ago! Having a Fender Blues Junior whether it's a tweed III or a black IV it doesn't matter, they're so loud and sound so good. Buy an amp and not another guitar, you'll be very happy you did!
I just bought a 3 yesterday for $539. I'm a hobbyist guitar player and it's already so much louder than I'll ever need! I brought it home and playing my guitars on it art my house was way more impressive than playing at the store. It's so loud I can't even believe it! I stayed up all night playing and my ears are ringing! The sheer joy of loud guitar has lifted my spirits, I absolutely love the tweed blues junior ltd! It's funny, there's nothing on the amp or the manual that says anything about III in either Roman numerals or written out..so I'm confused about that, but it's okay!
I am thinking of buying a tweed blues jr where did you buy it ? 🙂
Good advice. My college rig was a $350 Ibanez RG into a Blues Jr. and it sounded great. Especially when I lined out the speaker to a full cab to open the sound!
I like the III. More open sound.
Thanks Shane that really helped. Bought my 4 yesterday it is maybe less organic than the 3. But the 4 is smoother (tamer maybe) fuller sounding and ticks most of my boxes. A good Overdrive and you have the best of most worlds. Plug in and play.
My blues junior three sounds great to me then again I never have the verb more than a third of the way up love your demos man greetings from Bonnie Scotland
Blues jr iv, all the way, it’s a lot warmer sounding, more fuller sounding, and the reverb mod makes a huge difference in making it sound less boxy. I’ve been very happy with the new Type A speaker they put in them, i have other amps with those speakers, they actually have become my favorite speaker. I have both the iv and the iii, and especially when you crank them it’s night and day. I also have the Pro jr iv, which sounds great as well.
Excellent demo. I wish all demos were this way.
I have a 3 and while I can hear some small differences between the 3 and the 4, they're not prominent enough to get me to my local amp dealer to look for a replacement. I'm pretty happy with the 3 at the moment, and if I want to upgrade, I'll definitely look into speaker replacement before I spend the money for a whole new chassis.
In my opinion the Blues Jr 3 is the best sounding , it is the classic fender tone, even though the 4 has the new A type speaker it just doesn’t have the vibe and tone that I’m use to hearing and they changed up
the reverb a bit too, the blues Jr 3 is a work horse and a main stay at most all the local jams.
Great review. 😎
Yeah, you're exactly right here!
Agreed, Tweed with a Jensen or Cannabis Rex is the tone. You gotta max out the Master and use the Volume as your master, then the infamous "boxiness" vanishes.
Hi Matt, the way you say is exactly the way to use this amp - took me some time, actually, to work this out but it's definitely the key to a very convincing sound that responds beautifully to dynamic playing.
It doesn't even take the Tweed, the regular black is fine as well. Obviously some really good tubes and a decent replacement speaker (an Eminence Swamp Thang for me) won't hurt as well.
@@moreorlesslikeso
In complete agreement. The stock speaker in the black (Eminence?) is a fine speaker. It's how to set up the amp - this is what many get wrong, in my humble opinion
@@moreorlesslikeso
Swamp Thang is *huge* tone
FYI - I put the Jensen back in my Tweed iii ! I missed that Jensen thing, that sparkle. Kept the C-Rex and might make a cab :)
Hey Shane... Nothing to do with the topic here but I got to tell ya that I really appreciate that you're not always trying to cram as many notes as humanly possible into a bar here.... I'd much rather listed to something that I can enjoy the "notes" and their tone tand actually see what you're playing... Shredding is fine anymore that's all every is doing... Nice to have some melodic examples to watch and listen to..
Thanks.
Loved the IV, but I tend to gravitate towards punchy low mid, and it didn't seem to flub on the low end as much as the III. Thought the III picked up more of the strat "jangle" and pick scrape which are valid and good in doses but not my thing to that degree. Felt like the IV carried the strat just the right amount. I'll have to go try one out and see if I have the same experience.... then buy it. Thanks for vid Shane!
To make BJ sounds 100% better. 1. Add a compressor pedal, 5%. 2. Practtice more and much more, 95%. This works very well for me as a hobbyist blues palyer. For about 5 years ago I was dissapointed on BJ until I started practice seriously and BJ was "getting better" every day. Now I also got a Princeton 65 and I can say that BJ stands very well in the comparison and it is almost just as good as Princeton, but slice different. I now have BJ in the bedroom and Princeton in my homeoffice so I can paly whenever it works for me and the rest of the family.
Shane can make any amp sounds good! I
The III is a killer! Happy that I got it before Fender has replaced it with the IV. The IV is more versatile though because of the heavier bass. I think they have to keep both versions in the product line.
I prefer the 3, it's unapologetically vintage with character, attitude and chime. that was the whole point. otherwise I'll go play my blackface amp. the 4 just doesn't sound as blues jr to me. it sounds tamed. give me the wild one lol.
I agree with what you said. The IV has more attitude and the III sounds smoother. Yes, each had three different speakers, but they're the stock speakers, and this is a "stock" amp comparison. For me, the reverb sounded better on the III, and the III sounded more "Fender-y." Excellent demo. Thanks for not making it a half hour long.
I have a III and I must have got a good one. I love the way you can work the amp from a very nice clean tones to a good rock tone. My only complaint is that there is no stand-by switch. If you have a tube amp that is a must-have!
I got a up graded reverb chamber in my blues jr 3 and put in Celestion G12H modered sounds great
Having listened to several comparisons between BJs MK IV and MK III - using both headphones and computer-audio through home-stereo setup - this one confirms my opinion that the new MK IV tends to sound kind of muffled and lacking that typical sparkly Fender sound. I definitely don't like it and don't think this is an desirable improvement. For this category of amps the BJ MK III with a decent replacement speaker for more stable lows is still the way to go IMHO...
Exactly my thoughts.
For what its worth I have just repaired a BJ111 altered the circuit and components plus fine tuned and modded the cabinet not forgetting the plastiflex.....this blows all others away....the owner in a very happy man, now there's people at my door, but alas this was a one off and at the end of the day if you like your sound just go with it.....
The answer here is obviously that you need to play both the III and the IV in parallel! :)
For the IV Fender say that apart from the cosmetic changes and the use of a Celestion speaker they have made changes to the pre-amp and to the reverb circuit. If you ask them for a circuit diagram they say they don't have a new issue because the circuit is the same as the Blues Junior III. Perhaps by that they mean they have just changed a few resistor and capacitor values and are keeping the details secret. To me, the III and the IV don't sound hugely different in this demo. I recently repaired an issue 1 Bjnr and a Bjnr III. They both sounded very aggressive and punchy, possibly because of the Eminence speakers. The Bjnr III was very bright because of the 'sparkle' mod - Fenders removal of a single capacitor between the top of the master volume and ground.
Great compare man , thank you . i have limited edition woody of this Bluse Junior III . she has a Jensen p12Q with Ash cabinet . she is AWESOME
I have an FSR Blues Jr which came from the factory with a Cannabis Rex. I still prefer my Deluxe Reverb, but this amp with its 15 Watts seems to work nicely on a decent size stage with six person band. I’ve never much gotten on with stock Blues Junior Models, otherwise. My point is it seems the speaker can make a huge impact on the sound of the amp. Blues Juniors are no different. The Cannabis Rex took the amp from one I wouldn’t buy and leave stock, to an amp I’m happy to own and gig with on just about any stage.
I put my blues jr III into a Marshall 2x12 cab loaded with a v 30 and another (forget which) more scooped celestion and it sounds amazing. Btw, my Reverb seems just fine but, replacements Reverb tanks are fairly easy to obtain and they don’t cost a lot.
I'd look at the speakers in each! All different. IF they have ext outs, I'd check them against the same speaker!
The difference between the III and IV are minimum to my ear so either one is a good buy, unless you have the reverb issue on the III. To be honest, the SE shouldn’t have been in the comparison because of the glaring tone and volume difference between the other two. Once again great job Shane!!!!🤙🏾🎸🤙🏾🤘🏽
The Mk iii has a sharp Fender tone, the Mk iv is more subdued like a Marshall. I suspect the Mk iv is probably more versatile for most people, but the Mk iii is a more specific tone that people will be longing for in a few years.
Your new videos are great! Very classy and great editing!
Thanks so much man! :-)
I'm leaning towards the III.
I liked the 3 and 4 about same. ya the SE is a step down for sure. great vid! man that camera and the footage looks the best it ever has! 🎥🎥🎸🎸👍
Bugger a new blues Jnr. But I do love my B Jnr 3 it has served me well. Don’t know if should up grade. I had to edit I’m swapping the speaker to the one in Your Video. As the 3 on a stand stoves the tank issue. Just add the Tweed champ for recording and lounge room practice blues playing with maybe a delay if not recording into my Logic Pro X on my MacBook Pro. 👍
Listened through the intro 5 times without knowing which was the iii and iv. No doubt about - III sounds better than the iv. Much better mids and sparkle, I also think it sounds fuller than the iv. What do you need the extra bass for in the iv? It will get drowned in a live mix anyway. It might be that the conclusion is - bedroom player = iv in a band player = iii
Plus, pro jr is better for a band player anyway
The Tweed version of the III is the way to go if you like the III sound. Seems like the Jensen speaker works well with the smooth midrange of the BJ III... makes the amp actually "tweedish" in tone. I use the reverb only on 1 or 2... but I know what you mean about the reverb. Most of my reverb, if I want more, comes from a Vox AC15 (it's switchable)... I have the pair of amps on a Radial Twin City amp switcher. Really want to try a IV in my 2-amp config tho. Also leaning heavily towards a Marshall Origin 20... since I already have the Tweed BJ III. I presume we can expect a video on the Origin as well...
Did you had any issues with the reverb on the tweed III?
I don’t even believe him when he says he likes the 4 better. His playing seems way more real with the 3.
lol
I can’t help but notice the Levitate poster in the background. That’s in my hometown all the way on the other side of the globe. Awesome.
I surprisingly really preferred the III. Had the fender top end sparkle I'd expect, not to mention the IV sounded a bit muddy to me.
I have a blues jr 3 and love it! I find the 3 warmer and smoother then the blues jr 4.
The 3 had more of that vintage hot sound. The 4 seemed more cool, controlled, and had more clarity. The SE honestly wasn't too spectacular compared to the 2.
I love the Chris Cain poster behind you, he’s the man.
I agree. The IV is way better. More bite and fuller sounding. Great video Shane.
I picked up a blues jr lv and right away swiched the speaker to a texas heat and love it! Hit my tube screamer for over drive and wow got the srv sound I'm looking for. Sounds great with my strat.great speaker the texas heat and got to have that extra base the bj lv has.had a lll didn't like it not enough base.
I'm looking into buying a blues junior and this video was very helpful. Thanks for making it (:
Hello Jack, there is a chance Fender will make Special Edition of the Blues Junior IV if you want to wait :p
The IV is a little muddy for my taste. I'll keep my III(the tweed one). The word that comes to mind about the SE...anemic...
Is the SE solid state? I think the III, and IV both have their good points. III = chime, IV = girth. That’s why I love my AC-15, it delivers both, and the reverb is very controllable.
If you want to check out a blues junior, you should actually look at the lacquered tweed nos version. It has a Jensen speaker instead of Eminence speaker, and sound way different. The tweed version is about $70 more in the US, but sounds way better and more than worth it.
I think what Fender did with Blues Jr is to make BJr IV act more like a Deluxe Reverb 68 and the BJr III to act more like a Deluxe Reverb 65. I like both but I just love that Reverb of III.
(I love the tweed III for the cleans)
The 3 is brighter, due to an input capacitor sucking all the lows frequency out of your guitar. The iv sounds better they fixed the input capacitor to let the full guitar signal through the amp
Wow sounds like a possibility
Great comparison Man! The SE is really weak...love the label on the SE’s loudspeaker though haha! The IV is a bit more “Marshally” sounding, while III is definitely more “Chimey,” if that make sense. Didn’t care for the heavy reverb on the III much either.
You can save $60 on the tweed model III over the IV in some stores right now, I paid $539 for mine yesterday! The IV might be louder, but they're SO FREAKIN LOUD that it doesn't matter! I can't believe how loud this thing is. I can give my neighborhood a free concert with all my windows and doors closed!
I purchased a blues Junior SE yesterday. I put it through its paces last night. Although it's made in China I must say it has plenty of punch and a beautiful Fender tone. I am impressed.
Were they made in Mexico before ?
The 3 and the 4 could probably be tweaked to sound more like each other just by moving the tone controls a little. The reverb is another issue. The reverb is just a matter of what you like. The 3 reverb sounds more surfy. The 4 reverb seems more refined.
Exactly. Tweak the EQ, gain and volume if you want your 3 to sound like a 4.. or a 4 like a 3.
Love my iv. It rocks. Takes my drive pedals just great.
I liked the III the best. Subjective, I know. It did seem a little smoother and warmer to my ear.
I'd have to shoot out a III and IV in person to see which one I really liked. I can hear the differences on the video, but I bet they both "feel" a little different, too. I may be alone here, but I thought the SE was not without it's own charms. I bet it could do a cool kind of Neil Young-type "gnarly" sound paired with a humbuckers.
I would have preferred to see them against the Tweed rather than the SE. Or just leave the SE out of this comparison all together. Since the Reverb sounds like the biggest difference between these two amps, I would have focused more time on showing the range of the Reverb on both amps. However, I would never bother to try to keep the settings the same when comparing two amps. It's more important to get similar tones and then show when and how they differ.
That’s true, but it objective vs subjective. For personal comparisons, I 100% agree
I like the v4 better - thanks for the comparisons Shane
I tried the blues junior IV out at Guitar center and I thought it sounded really good! I have the blues junior iii and I think it sounds boxy and the Reverb isn’t very good. Did you notice that the blues junior IV sounded more full and less boxy?
awesome camera shane !
the video quality is way better. didnt have a problem before tho. i cant imagine this camera setup was cheap.
Thanks mate I really appreciate it. I don't every go out and buy everything at once. This upgrade is now complete as of a few days ago. I started moving to Panasonic cameras around September last year. and you'll see what hopefully is the final results on of the camera swap coming up on the Marshall DSL1 and Squier demos I have in the works. :-) That main shot at the start is why I wanted to do the upgrade it literally allows me to get much more creative and professional shots. It's not cheap but it's a good investment for the next few years of daily use. :-)
The new Blues Junior IV sounds so dull, somewhat muddy in comarison. The SE was on the other end it was very thin sounding, The III was the most balanced and sounded way better on these settings at least in my opinion. I'm not biased to the Blues Junior III, my Blues Junior III made me pull my hair out so I really wanted the IV to be better
It COULD be down to the speaker too Issac. They all have different speakers, so it isn't a completely fair comparison!
The SE had a generic Chinese speaker. Put it thru a much better speaker and it might sound closer to each other!
BEST way to compare amps is to run ALL thru the same speaker, then it only comes down to circuits, not circuits AND speakers, as variables!
Remember that the video is not comparing just the circuits, but the combos including the speaker. The III and IV will indeed sound different because of the different speaker.
You are correct that if you wanted to compare just the circuits, running the amps to the same external speaker cab would be the way to do it. However, most people who buy a blues junior will probably not swap the speaker or modify it to run through an external cab. This video would be intended for them.
Haha. Long enough to get to the second amp it would appear. Good to know about the circuit making a difference through the same speaker.
What about the III makes you want to pull your hair out? I’m interested in one
@@MasterKydis would like to know as well. 3 sounds better to me.
3 sounded twangy/quacky. 4 sounded like it had a flatter frequency spectrum. Probably better at the crunchy stuff. Kinda made the strat sound humbuckery. Nice comparo.
I have the iv embossed western tolex covering ( Sweetwater exclusive. ) has the cannibis Rex speaker . Side by side with a stock iv mine sounds better . That’s why I bought it instead . Bolder sound .
Finally, why did it take Fender 3 version to finally upgrade this amp? Always had 3 massive problems, low end, speaker and reverb and they finally did the 3 of them. Shane it would be great if you could now do a speaker test with the version 4 perhaps with some of your favourite speakers!
Thumbs up for this comparison! Great job as always Shane!
I've got the Blues Jr. Tweed model, the master volume pot is my #1 complaint, you max out the volume then slowly increase the Master vol but it doesn't really kick in until #2 and then it goes from silent to good breakup but under 2 you just can't hear anything. I guess you have to change out the pot.
Great demo Shane, The IV sounds like it got a great clean tone upgrade with the A-type speaker its warm and full. I still think to get the best drive tone out of these amps a greenback is the best speaker choice. But for clean players the stock IV seems like a great alternative to the usual cannabis rex'd BJR.
The III seems to have more presence and bite - like a compromise between a Vox AC and the Blues Jr IV.
I thought the 3 sounded slightly brighter while the 4 seemed to hit that juicy edge of breakup sooner.
Awesome comparison mate. It really narrows down my choice.
I totally agree, the Fender Blues Jr IV sounds the best to my ears.
The difference is cosmetic. They both use the same board, same speaker. I have two BJ III's. Both have been modded, both now run without the Fender, does it cheap issues. Great amp when time and money is spent making a few improvements!
I like Fender amps but have always disliked the Blues Junior and Hot Rod series. But the BJ IV does it for me! Sounds like a Fender amp should!
Love my lll sounds great with my Strat
Does the blues junior III 230v (Eur) have a headphone and foot pedal jack?
Where will you insert the footswitch to engage the FAT boost? Thanks
Hi Shane! first of all I want to tell you that your sound is amazing, wow!! However I'm thinking to buy a blues junior IV but after reading and listening to the reverb issues, now I am a bit worried! Do you know if the Blues jr. IV have issues? I hope it haven't because I love the BJ tone..
I was pleasantly surprised by the IV - my fave of the bunch. It’s a bit less bright than the III. I’d buy one. Hated the SE. The III is legend but the IV will be legend too. Still love my Blues Deluxe (original) tho’. G’day from a Melbourne expat in Toronto.
Much prefer the IV. Been gigging with it for 6 mos. Takes pedals well. III was just too chimey.
Is it loud enough to keep up with an aggressive drummer ?
You know, I've always liked the blues jrs. Never had a problem with them. Always got the tones i wanted from them. I know you talked about Australia VS USA as far as quality control or whatnot. Im from the US so maybe there is something to that. Anyway, i like both the 3 and 4. They sound great. The 4 is abit louder and more aggressive. Three sounds more mellow. Nothing wrong with either. The SE sounded cheap. No surprise i guess. Anyway, great video Shane. Since i discovered your chanel i always check out your reviews when im doing research on gear. Thanks.
Always enjoyed my Jr.III. Just wish it and the other Hot rod amps came in a head version
I would like to hear a comparative with the master vol. all open and controlling the gain with the volume.
BJ IV ... warmer, reverb not washy, no ice pick highs. Had a BJ III, did all the BillM mods ( r.i.p. Bill ) and put a Cannabis Rex in it before I liked it. But modding is a P.I.T.A. and expensive. Glad to see the IV come out. Btw, love the Antone's poster on the wall, I live in Austin, was there last week ;)
Thanks four the vid. Very usable for decide.
Greettings from Lima-Perú
I like my BJ 3 Ltd with Jensen speaker. I intend to do a couple of mods to it but I'm happy with the speaker.
3. It will sound better and cut throught better in a band. Trust me
i like the blues junior 4 more. sounds fuller and warmer in this video compared to the blues junior 3.
i didnt know you were left handed, nice playing, i have a blues jr its nice, but i needed an amp with a dirty channel but its really a nice amp
BJ 3 sounds sweeter and mellower, great for blues. BJ 4 a more modern sound maybe? Personally I prefer the sound of the 3, this is after listening to a number of comparisons on you tube between the two amps. I suppose Fender had to come up with an updated version of the BJ after 6 or so years of producing the mark 3.
Hey Shane! Thanks for the video on the blues jr 4 - very helpful 😊. This is rather off-point, but I wondering where to get those mini posters that we often see on the wall behind you? I have a classroom that I’d like to ‘jazz up’ a bit.
3:25 The incredible disappearing guitar strap.
hi ... could you explain to me a little more the reasons for choosing celestion creamback 75 over creamback 65 in the bj iv thank you !!!
Are we by chance forgetting the fact that the speakers for the SE & the iii models are broke in and that the speaker for the IV is not ?! Just saying...; is this also the case ?
Excellent demo thanks Shane!!!
I’ve been seriously considering a Blues Junior for a while; I want a clean pedal platform with a spring reverb that I can justify purchasing ie isn’t going to cost much. A Blues Jr is a shoo- in, but there’s now four different iterations.
Fender’s own promo content makes the IV sound fab, but then they would, wouldn’t they?
Your demo makes it much easier to choose.
Thanks Shane!!!
You should always volume match in comparisons.
Thank god they finally fixed the horrible caps cutting so much low end and the horrible treble on the reverb circuit.
And that's with the A speaker which is ok, replace it with a better speaker and it's a whole new beast.
for me, I really like the "iii" with the AX7's, and A type speaker; as I have a separate HEAD and all the tools to built extension speakers in pine or birch etc, I just might build speakers boxes with a different speaker, Celestion A, GOLD and an Eminence legend (better than Jenson; G10R. ALL IN 10 INCH. (Saves space) Then mix them with my GN10-30 . OH, WHAT FUN! PAPA KIRANA.
Blues Jr. IV. All the way for me.
I had a v2 and modded that amp to death! I think to my ears I liked the v4 the best but I always thought the v3 didn’t sound as good as the v2. It would be nice to hear an old v2 against a v4.
That IV sounds a lot darker.
Yup the IV sounds a bit meatier more mids.
What about the Junior IV vs Junior IV tweed, are there differences?
I preferred the III.
Set the reverbs so they sound the same. You have one amp with much more reverb. Don't go by the numbers because Fender changed the amount of reverb on the IV. Also they have completely different speakers.
He said he did adjust for that reason. They are very different anyway so he set them to minimize that.
Great comparison Shane! I have a Bjr 3 tweed and the 4 is tempting. If you just upgraded the speaker in the 3-what would you add? The cannabis rex? I've watched many of your older videos on speakers and just wondering what your current thoughts were. Thanks Shane!
I've gone for the Eminence Swamp Thang in my BJ MK III and still like it a lot. Possibly the Texas Heat would be great, too (or a nice Weber).
Thanks! I'll give one of those a shot.
Isaac Johnson
Cannabis Rex, bro.
Texas Heat is second best. The Rex is sooooo good.