JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Hi Folks... I just treated myself with a Fender Blues Junior :D =P~ It's all stock and I cannot believe the great sound this baby produces!!! It's just unbelievable! Do not let yourself get fooled by "wanabe-pros" who think the sound is too "boxy" or whatever! The stock, black tolex version of this amp is probably the best amp I've ever played! The stompy, and on the other hand so bluesy, creamy, bassy sound is just incredible! My Epi Casino with this amp is the greatest pair in history! No fancy effects or whatever... Reverb. That's it! Back to basics! I've played some Epi tube amps (the little 5 watt, 10"speaker version, and the cab version of this amp) and I have to say I'm not really convinced... sorry. But the Fender is just divine! I'm so thankful to the people who designed and created this amp! What do you guys think? Any opinions on the Blues Junior? I'm curious Nick
m-theory Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 All in all, for the money, it's not a horrible amp, and with a few mods, including getting the bias under control and getting the right speaker into it, they can actually sound pretty good. You can definitely do worse. It's not really my cup o' tea, because I much prefer a closed cabinet, but I enjoyed banging around with my kid's after I did the mods. The reverb is pretty much a joke, but Ruby tubes makes a really nice replacement tank for about $25 or so that actually makes it useable, for those who actually have a use for live reverb. The stock speaker is crap, and the output tubes are just ridiculously out of bias (why doesn't Fender fix this?), but those are both things that can be changed. I personally find the amp difficult to dial in, tonewise, probably because of the small, open cabinet. The lows aren't very well defined, and even modded, it can easily swing from a bit on the harsh side to a bit on the mushy side, when pushed. Yes, it does sound "boxy," unfortunately. Pretty tough to avoid that when you're dealing with such a small, open cabinet, although a decent speaker is a huge improvement. Not my desert island amp by any means, but I'd certainly take it over nothing, and over much of what else is available at that price point. All in all, you can do a lot worse than this amp. You can also do a lot better, but again, at this price point, it's not easy. It actually is a pretty decent little amp for the money.
lostindesert Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Hi Folks...I just treated myself with a Fender Blues Junior =P~ It's all stock and I cannot believe the great sound this baby produces!!! It's just unbelievable! Do not let yourself get fooled by "wanabe-pros" who think the sound is too "boxy" or whatever! The stock' date=' black tolex version of this amp is probably the best amp I've ever played! The stompy, and on the other hand so bluesy, creamy, bassy sound is just incredible! My Epi Casino with this amp is the greatest pair in history! No fancy effects or whatever... Reverb. That's it! Back to basics! I've played some Epi tube amps (the little 5 watt, 10"speaker version, and the cab version of this amp) and I have to say I'm not really convinced... sorry. But the Fender is just divine! I'm so thankful to the people who designed and created this amp! What do you guys think? Any opinions on the Blues Junior? I'm curious Nick[/quote] +1 Peter
Svet Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Hi Folks...I just treated myself with a Fender Blues Junior :- =P~ It's all stock and I cannot believe the great sound this baby produces!!! It's just unbelievable! Do not let yourself get fooled by "wanabe-pros" who think the sound is too "boxy" or whatever! The stock' date=' black tolex version of this amp is probably the best amp I've ever played! The stompy, and on the other hand so bluesy, creamy, bassy sound is just incredible! My Epi Casino with this amp is the greatest pair in history! No fancy effects or whatever... Reverb. That's it! Back to basics! I've played some Epi tube amps (the little 5 watt, 10"speaker version, and the cab version of this amp) and I have to say I'm not really convinced... sorry. But the Fender is just divine! I'm so thankful to the people who designed and created this amp! What do you guys think? Any opinions on the Blues Junior? I'm curious Nick[/quote'] I think you've discovered the Magical sound of Fender amps! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy many years out of it! My first tube amp was a Fender Blues Deluxe and the first chord I played through it was pure love! I'll never play another solid state amp ever again! All you need is a guitar and a tube amp and you're set! I actually use an Ibanez Tube Screamer on some of my amps because I can't crank em to levels of tube breakup. I've never had the oportunity to play the little Epi amps but I must say the Blues Custom 30 is a monster amp and anyone in the martket at any price point ought to give it a try. Enjoy My Amp heaven I I I V
rafaelh Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 That amp has gone through a few improvements from Fender since it's creation....sound like you've only experienced the newer ones. Which they do sound great to me too...then again my Casino sounds great through anything anyways I think. As a mater of fact I was just playing through one last night and it was great sounding. Staright up with just the Mids and volume...had a blast. Anyhow the first ones where indeed a bit on the boxy sounding. Heck they have a guy that's made almost a carrier of modding the earlier versions to help with the boxy sound it had. Then again what do they know...according to you they are just a bunch of "wana be-pros".
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Posted February 24, 2009 That amp has gone through a few improvements from Fender since it's creation....sound like you've only experienced the newer ones. Which they do sound great to me too...then again my Casino sounds great through anything anyways I think. As a mater of fact I was just playing through one last night and it was great sounding. Staright up with just the Mids and volume...had a blast. Anyhow the first ones where indeed a bit on the boxy sounding. Heck they have a guy that's made almost a carrier of modding the earlier versions to help with the boxy sound it had. Then again what do they know...according to you they are just a bunch of "wana be-pros". It was a little harsch to call em like that... but you know... reading all of these reviews made me go into the store and disliking the amp before I even played it... But when I started to play it blew me away! Perfect sounding amp! I have a Twin Reverb but I never had the oportunity to crank that baby so I got this one as a "play at low volumes and still have a full, rich tone!" sort of thing! I mean hello? It's fender, remember? They wouldn't bring out a prduct of it wasn't any good. Maybe the really early USA ones were a bit boxy but with every "generation" things get improved. But once the image is around it can't be stopped unfortunately (except maybe through this posting of mine..) Why do people think that, only because it's a musical instrument it isn't being improved or anything or do you fiddle with your stock Dvd Player even if it's in it's 5th generation? Nick
rafaelh Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 It was a little harsch to call em like that... LOL..yeah maybe a bit. But hey...freebom of speech. Just I've seen and heard so much putting down in this bussiness of each others that sometimes you can't help but saying something....although I should probably learn to keep my big mouth shut at times though . I belive if one is a few levels ahead of someone' date=' get your self to his level and bring him up to yours. Maybe somebody else will come along and take yous both further...or you can just keep each other company . Maybe it's just my laziness...I figure the more you know the less I got to do . but you know... reading all of these reviews made me go into the store and disliking the amp before I even played it... Man don't I know. That works both ways too. I've been hiped due to some rave reviews just to be totally disappointed. But once the image is around it can't be stopped unfortunately True, but only if you rely only on what they say. I mean yeah pick others brains and learn maybe from their experiences and mistakes, but IMO you should still do the leg work and find out for your self. Hell you know this.....you just did. Anyhow it is a kick ars little amp. I was loving the one I was playing last night....definitely way better sounding than the first ones I've tried IMO. I never used any of the EQs other than the Mid and no Reverb. With that setting it was almost tweed sounding...well maybe not, but close enough for me. Hope you got lucky and where able to get yours at the old prices.
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 Hope you got lucky and where able to get yours at the old prices. Switzerland is the oddest of places to buy guitars and amps. Prices never ever change, no matter what (--> too many middle-men who make the price go up). I payed too much, because I missed my chances to get a used one around here (it's basicly people buying it and not letting 'em go). Or at least too much for american standards =( And buying one from around europe wouldn't make any sense because the taxes for importing an amp like that are just mindblowingly high! But really, it's an absolute fantastic amp and I'm glad I bought it new. I will need some more playing time to find 'faults' or things that could have been made better (or not) but I'm pretty much happy just the way it is... And I'm the pickiest of customers (finishes, flaws, price....). But I mean if you pay much you can pretty much be picky! I'm very disappointed though that prices have gone up, because for me it's the perfect amp for everyone! No matter if you play an Epi or a Gibson. It's not restricted to this hierarchie we guitarplayers have in terms of what sort of instrument and which sort of brand you play. I would say it's the working class hero under the tube amps! It's classy, 50's rockabilly, simple, pure, clean, shiny, enigmatic... Rock and roll music started with these little amps! Sincerely Nick
Dave Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 I sat in with a group outside on a bar patio one night and played the singer's strat through a Blues Junior. Strats are known for lower output than humbucker guitars, but the Blues Junior kept up with the drummer and the lead players Marshall VS 8080. It also got some nice creamy tones out of my solos. The only thing that bothers me about the blues junior is that for another $100-$150 bucks you can go to the Hot Rod and almost triple the wattage. That might be the difference between being heard and not in some bands, especially on outside gigs.
m-theory Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 The only thing that bothers me about the blues junior is that for another $100-$150 bucks you can go to the Hot Rod and almost triple the wattage. The Blues Jr. is a Hot Rod series amp. You're thinking of the HR Deluxe or DeVille, which go for $800-$850. At that point, you're getting rather close to what you'd pay for a really fine, handwired amp, such as a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia or Maz Jr. Imo, the HR amps all have pretty harsh distortion out of the box. Much of that is due to the output tubes being so far off bias. Getting the bias under control greatly improves these amps, though I still don't think the distortion on the bigger models sounds very good at all.
rafaelh Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 The Blues Jr. is a Hot Rod series amp. You're thinking of the HR Deluxe or DeVille' date=' which go for $800-$850. At that point, you're getting rather close to what you'd pay for a really fine, handwired amp, such as a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia or Maz Jr. [/quote'] You right....that 850 tag you mention is just for the Hot Rod Deluxe. With Fenders new prices the Deville's at almost 1000 bucks....we talking "new" now. Should have bought that fricking '65 Twin RI last year like I was planning...dag nab it
m-theory Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 If you want hyper loud and clean, a Twin is a good choice, but I think you'd be far ahead of the game in buying a vintage model, vs. one of these new ones. Although the new ones aren't necessarily poorly built, they're not built anywhere near as well as yesteryear's versions, and you could buy a vintage version and have it completely rebuilt for no more than what you'd pay for a new one. If you're just looking for a great amp, and aren't all that hung up on blackface cosmetics, the silverface amps are an astounding bargain. Champs and Princeton reverbs changed so little electronically from BF to SF that they're virtually identical in that regard. Deluxe and vibrolux reverb changed only slightly, and even those changes didn't occur until the mid-70's. Twin Reverbs didn't change radically until they became ultralinear (85 watt Twins are very similar to the BF versions). The Pro Reverb changed radically, and fairly soon in silverface land. BF versions were 40 watts. Ultralinear SF versions became 70 watts, but even before that happened, they were changed fairly significantly elsewhere. The Pro Reverb and the Bassman were both favorite platforms for CBS engineers to experiment with, and saw many circuit changes, not all of which were favorable. The knock against the UL models were that they were a bit sterile sounding. It turns out that 6l6s don't necessarily play all that well with UL transformers. That said, some people prefer them, because they're loud and clean. Pretty ironic (or back a$$wards) that Fender was rolling out louder, cleaner amps at a time when players were drooling over crunchy and screaming Marshalls and Boogies. There are some great blackface amps that are still rather reasonable as well. '64-'67 Bassman, Bandmaster, Tremolux, and Pro Reverb are all still great bargains, especially considering that they're truly vintage amps at this point. But, I digress...The Blues Jr. is still a decent amp, for the money. Not a great amp, but a real decent amp. It's pretty tough to find a better new production amp of that output and at that price point, so if you're looking for a 15 watt amp and don't want to spend more than about $500, you can certainly do worse than that one.
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 Yeah, you're right! I have a Silverface Twin Reverb... it's a great amp (when turned up), but I never have the oportunity to do so... So the Blues Junior is a great compromise... I would have gotten a 68/69 Deluxe Reverb because of it's Blackface cuircuits and the impecable styling (that aluminium triming.... ) but it's rather rare and kinda expensive... But hey, Lenny Kravitz has one, as well as Noel Gallagher (through a 4x12), Keith Richards has a tweed one, and even The Edge (whom I hate dearly as well as "I'm-saving-the-world-with-my-signature-Gretsch-and-Ipod" Bono)... What would be good Modding kits for that thing? I heard upgrading with a Jensen Speaker makes a huge difference... What else? There are alot of offers on ebay and I'm kind of interested (since they're so cheap) to have a mod-kit at hand when I start to dislike the sound.. Nick
rafaelh Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 I know what you mean M as far as buying used. That's the thing though..LOL..amps it seems I'm always buying used. I just wanted to by a brand new one...regardless of whether a RI or not. Like my '61 SG..always wanted a brand new one, just could never afford one back in the '60s...even used, which as I said that wouldn't cut it cause I wanted a brand new one. By the time I could afford one they've been reissues...what can you do. As you mention, definitely much better deals in the used market, especially like tha silver face. Just one of those old fart eccentricity thing....want a brand new one LOL. I've been a Fender amp guy for to long. It seems I always stick with the proven formula for me...but I'll jump the band wagon in a minute if anything else grabs me. My favorite fender tube amps are the twin and the princeton...already have a princeton so.. Although last year I tried a '65 Vibrolux Reverb that might have ruined me though....or made me add a third to the favorites. They are just asking to much for it...or more than I can afford, or willing to pay, at the moment anyhow.
Dave Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 The Blues Jr. is a Hot Rod series amp. You're thinking of the HR Deluxe or DeVille' date=' which go for $800-$850. At that point, you're getting rather close to what you'd pay for a really fine, handwired amp, such as a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia or Maz Jr. Imo, the HR amps all have pretty harsh distortion out of the box. Much of that is due to the output tubes being so far off bias. Getting the bias under control greatly improves these amps, though I still don't think the distortion on the bigger models sounds very good at all. [/quote'] I meant to say Hot Rod Deluxe, the 40 watt 1x12 model. I have a friend who plays one and swears by it. They used to be advertised for $649 and the Deville for $749 to $850 or so. Since the prices went up I'm not sure they are worth it.
m-theory Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 I would have gotten a 68/69 Deluxe Reverb because of it's Blackface cuircuits and the impecable styling (that aluminium triming.... ) but it's rather rare and kinda expensive... The BF circuit remained unmolested in that amp from '64 to about '75 or so, and even then, the changes weren't so dramatic that they couldn't be reversed easily. You can find SF deluxe reverbs for $500-$700, pretty much all day long, any day of the week. The driprail amps that you describe would naturally be worth a bit more than other SF amps, because that was the only year for that particular cosmetic feature. Nice looking amps. Just one of those old fart eccentricity thing....want a brand new one LOL. Well, a new RI Twin Reverb is what, about $1700? For that money, you could find a very clean SF and have it completely gone through, including new speakers, and still have enough left over for a new guitar, too. Cosmetically and electronically, you'd have a "brand new amp," but you'd likely spend less and you'd have a much better amp at the end of it. Aside from the common issues with PCB amps to begin with, not the least of which is the component selection is typically far from superior, the transformers in yesterday's mass-produced amps were far better than what we have today. I'll admit that I started out doing this because I was a cheap bastahd, but by every measure, it makes more sense than buying new, imo. Either way, you have a new amp, but buying and fully restoring vintage will get you a much better amp, and instead of buying something that's immediately worth 1/2 what you paid for it the moment you walk out the door with it, you've got something that will INCREASE in value over time. Although last year I tried a '65 Vibrolux Reverb that might have ruined me though Perfect example...that amp will probably cost you $2500 or more today, and it likely wouldn't be electronically up to snuff, meaning you'd have to spend another $200-$300, depending on how much work needed to be done to get it up to spec. On the other hand, the SILVERFACED Vibrolux Reverbs, which remained identical, in terms of circuit, up until the mid-70's, and even then didn't change horribly, go for about $700 these days. Stick another $300 into it and you've got yourself a "brand new," vintage amp that'll kick the snot out of those pathetic "custom vibroluxes" that Fender sells for $1400 or so. You'd have an amp that you can completely rely upon to gig with, that'll sound utterly fantastic every time you plug into it, that you spend $1000 on, and that's still worth $1000. Buy a new one for $1400 and it's no more reliable than the overhauled vintage amp, it's difficult to get decent sounds out of, and it's worth $700 the moment you walk out the door with it. Fender fans are real lucky, because with Fender having re-issued just about all of their most desireable amps of the past, people like you are lining up to shell out hard earned cash for the new models, leaving those awesome BF and especially SF amps for the rest of us, and the prices on those terrific amps represent a tremendous value, for all but a very few select models and years. I meant to say Hot Rod Deluxe, the 40 watt 1x12 model. I have a friend who plays one and swears by it. People are funny this way...whatever particular amp or guitar that we have at a given moment is what we tend to swear by. I shudder to think at what I used to consider my "God's tone." I listen to old tapes and just cringe. That said, the HR amps aren't necessarily "horrible" amps. They just aren't that great, imo. They're useable, and they're cheap, so Fender sells boatloads of them, and probably will for many years to come (although that Super Champ XD MIGHT give the Blues Jr. a run, if they prove to be a reliable amp over the long haul). This whole discussion reminds me of a friend of mine whom I used to gig with. He used to gig a BF Super Reverb, although, like most players who're simply players, he knew nothing about amp service, nor was he aware that old amps REALLY need service work before they can be gigged and relied upon. I did this myself for years. Anyway, one night, the super tossed its cookies on stage. I'd guess it was probably a filter cap failure. It shut down completely, and he just decided that it was time for a new amp. He sold that beautiful BF for next to nothing, and bought himself a brand new HR Deville. He HATED it. He couldn't get a tone out of it for anything, and the more he tried, the more frustrated he got with it. He finally ended up getting a re-issue Super, which was far better, but still wasn't near the amp that he'd sold for next to nothing. Now, imagine if he'd have sunk $200-$300 (or, perhaps more, if he blew the output transformer) into that BF Super, instead of buying one new amp that he absolutely hated and another one that he liked, but that wasn't as good as his original? How much money, time, and aggravation would've been saved? What would be good Modding kits for that thing? If you're referring to that Blues Jr., just replacing the speaker and getting the bias under control is a massive improvement. You can also tighten up the bottom end with an additional filter cap, improve the tone stack, and even upgrade the output transformer, all of which will give you measured and distinct improvements over stock components. They aren't the funnest amps in the world to take apart and work on, though. When I dug into my kid's I first did so only to replace the crappy, plastic jack that had broken (if your's hasn't yet, it will). The next time I dug into it, it was to work the mods, and I did everything but the OT, and would've done that had he coughed up the $50 for the iron. The most dramatic improvement, bar none, was to upgrade the speaker. That stock speaker is truly pathetic. Pretty much ANYTHING you can find lying around to throw in there, will be a vast improvement. Weber makes some fantastic speakers, Tone Tubby, Eminance, Jensen, Celstion...whatever floats your boat. Anything will be a vast improvement, trust me. Aside from that, if you're going to tackle the output tube bias, you might as well do the tone stack mods at the same time, because you'll have the entire thing apart anyway, and it'll only take you another 10 minutes. If you're nervous about the bias mods, just calling up Bob at Eurotubes and telling him what you've got, what style of music you play, and at what volumes, will get you much closer, because he'll send out tubes that will run better in that amp. The other simple mod I can recommend, if you're into reverb, is the Ruby Tubes reverb tank. Four screws hold that tank in, so the "mod" takes all of about 5 minutes to complete, and, like the speaker swap, is VERY dramatic and worthwhile. Doing just those three things, ordering tubes from Eurotubes, replacing that crappy stock speaker, and replacing the reverb tank (assuming you use reverb...I don't, so I could've easily done without, but this was my kid's amp), will get you a markedly better sounding amp.
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 If you're referring to that Blues Jr.' date=' just replacing the speaker and getting the bias under control is a massive improvement. You can also tighten up the bottom end with an additional filter cap, improve the tone stack, and even upgrade the output transformer, all of which will give you measured and distinct improvements over stock components. They aren't the funnest amps in the world to take apart and work on, though. When I dug into my kid's I first did so only to replace the crappy, plastic jack that had broken (if your's hasn't yet, it will). The next time I dug into it, it was to work the mods, and I did everything but the OT, and would've done that had he coughed up the $50 for the iron. The most dramatic improvement, bar none, was to upgrade the speaker. That stock speaker is truly pathetic. Pretty much ANYTHING you can find lying around to throw in there, will be a vast improvement. Weber makes some fantastic speakers, Tone Tubby, Eminance, Jensen, Celstion...whatever floats your boat. Anything will be a vast improvement, trust me. Aside from that, if you're going to tackle the output tube bias, you might as well do the tone stack mods at the same time, because you'll have the entire thing apart anyway, and it'll only take you another 10 minutes. If you're nervous about the bias mods, just calling up Bob at Eurotubes and telling him what you've got, what style of music you play, and at what volumes, will get you much closer, because he'll send out tubes that will run better in that amp. The other simple mod I can recommend, if you're into reverb, is the Ruby Tubes reverb tank. Four screws hold that tank in, so the "mod" takes all of about 5 minutes to complete, and, like the speaker swap, is VERY dramatic and worthwhile. Doing just those three things, ordering tubes from Eurotubes, replacing that crappy stock speaker, and replacing the reverb tank (assuming you use reverb...I don't, so I could've easily done without, but this was my kid's amp), will get you a markedly better sounding amp. [/quote'] I have absolutely no idea about amps and modifications of any sort. does this sound good: http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Blues-Jr-Junior-Complete-Mod-Kit-for-Newer-Amps_W0QQitemZ180331484287QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item180331484287&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
m-theory Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Sure, but look at what you're getting with that "kit." $5-$7 worth of parts and the same literature that you can find for free online (check Bill M's Blues Jr. mods). If you don't have a clue about modding, just do the speaker swap and get a pair of output tubes from Eurotubes for now, and spend some time reading about other mods. The speaker swap alone is an astonishing improvement that will truly impress you.
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 Sure' date=' but look at what you're getting with that "kit." $5-$7 worth of parts and the same literature that you can find for free online (check Bill M's Blues Jr. mods). If you don't have a clue about modding, just do the speaker swap and get a pair of output tubes from Eurotubes for now, and spend some time reading about other mods. The speaker swap alone is an astonishing improvement that will truly impress you. [/quote'] I think I'll start with the jensen (C12N) speaker... If I buy a mod-kit I'd buy it from that Bill M guy. Only problem... there are so many components to buy from there that I have no clue where to begin. and to be quite fair, I like the reverb not being too 'springy' (not, that I don't like surf music )... Nick
m-theory Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 That sounds like a great idea. The speaker alone will be a tremendous improvement, and, like I said before, the amp isn't horrible in stock form. It's just that it can easily be dramatically improved upon with some tinkering. Spend some time reading Bill's site, so you can get an understanding of what the mods are and how they're done. It's going to seem overwhelming at first when you're not familiar with it, so just be patient and soak up as much as you can, at your own pace. If you've never soldered, now might be a good time to order up a pedal kit from someplace, and dive in. BYOC, OLC and GGG offer great kits at reasonable prices, and there's plenty of guidance to help you through the builds. Start with something simple, like a boost of some sort. I think BYOC gives away a booster kit with a first order, if I'm not mistaken, so maybe order up a fuzz or overdrive, and take advantage of that free booster to prime your skills. You're going to have to be familiar with soldering on PCB if you want to eventually work on your Bjr. When you feel like you're ready, you'll know where to get the parts and what parts to order. You don't need a "mod kit." You just need a few components. I will say, though, that Bill's value recommendations are pretty solid, based upon my own experiences.
JohnMcClane5000 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 To be quite honest I'm about the unhandiest person on this planet! Everything I touch, breaks! (or sometimes it seems so). I will keep your idea in the back of my mind. It would be very interesting to understand all the components that are responsible that there's sound coming out from that box =D But replacing the Speaker should be an easy thing to do. (unscrew the 'back' of the amp. unscrew the stock/crap speaker, unplug the speaker, screw in the new speaker, plug it in, screw in the 'back' of the amp, done! Right?) Nick
m-theory Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 You can get it...it just takes some time, reading, and practice. Like I said, start with something simple like a boost pedal, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll begin to figure things out as you go along. You'll have to remove the back panel in order to replace the speaker, but that's only 4 screws, I believe. Be careful you do this when the amp is unplugged, and don't touch anything in the chassis once it's exposed. The speaker is held on with, I believe 4 screws as well. Once you've removed those and unplugged it, just pull it out. Be careful when putting the new on it, so you don't snag the cone on something, or drive your screwdriver through it while your tightening it down. Tighten it gradually, too, so you don't warp the frame. Start by getting all screws snug, then go cross-wise as you tighten, so that you're applying equal pressure. Make sure you plug the wires into the right terminals on the new speaker, replace the back cover, and you're good to go. Meanwhile, here are some kit sites to get you thinking about it, at least: http://buildyourownclone.com/fxkitindex.html http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=7&Itemid=45 http://olcircuits.com/olckits.html There is a veritable encyclopedia of information on those sites to absorb, and help you understand the basics.
ssgfowler Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 On the subject of BYOC kits, can anyone tell me how their chorus sounds? I'd like to find one that sounds as nice as the lavender colored Ibanez stompbox I sold way back when, and if I can build it myself for $78, all the better!
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