Hey, you like it, it works, that's what counts.

NOt to seem dumb- because in this realm (and others) I really AM dumb- but what are those Blues Junior mods,and what do they cost? can you do part, or do you have to do the whole magilla? I had the stock speaker replaced with a broken in Jensen and it sounds really good. But.... lifting it is a nice thing for us older folks. If retubing makes a huge difference, I might be up for that. Educate me, please. thanks tom

Tom,
Check out:
http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bluesjunior.htm

Those are the mods, and bill seems to have made himself the resident expert. You can do it in parts - no need for the whole magilla. Read through it and see what you like. I can give you my opinion, but the saying on opinions holds true, especially in something as subjective as sound.... The parts are pretty easy to find, and if your soldering skills are mediocre you could probably do it yourself. If not, there's a guy here in Austin who does them - quality work, but not sure if he's still in the game. I have 2 Blues Jr.'s in my warehouse that are about to get modified, but since they'll be my first full mods there's no guarantee on outcome...

The retube made a big difference, and it's a great place to go after the speaker swap. I used a combination of recommendations and I'm happy. As far as speakers go, the celestion blue is sweet and keeps getting better, but it takes some work getting it in the cab. It's no big deal - you just need to take the cone off - but that big magnet keeps you on your toes. I have one with a Vintage 30 that sounds nice as well, but it seems to take more time to break in. The Ruby Tubes Reverb Tank is great if you use reverb alot. I don't - just a dab seems to do it for me...I guess if Dick Dale ever shows up at my house I'm covered.

Read through the mods and I'll check out exactly which tubes I have where.

Oh - and the Mercury Magnetics OT and PT made the least amount of difference. That swap caused a nasty hum, and in the end I had to re-bias my tubes.

- greg.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: austex,

Thanks. I'm no techie, and no repair guy. Re-tubing I can do, but the bias part is less easily dealt with. I'll read the link, and thanks very much. I'm pleased with the tone, but not knocked out. The Jensen sounds right, but better tubes make sense as the next step up. thanks tom

Sonoman wrote:

quote:

The Jensen sounds right, but better tubes make sense as the next step up. thanks tom

Try tubeman.com for tubes. Check out the internet site but call them on the telephone -- they're very knowledgable and helpful. They set me up a couple times with new tubes for a Boogie Mark IV that were absolutely perfect.

I use a mid 60's Ampeg Reverberocket. That amp is incredible. It's definitely in the Deluxe Reverb class but still affordable on the vintage market.

It's very Sparkly clean and has a nice grind when cranked up. It's tone is pretty Fendery but it's own deal. It has some kind of funky power tubes (can't remember which) that adds to it's unique tone. The reverb is super lush and fendery and has a decent tremolo. If you haven't heard one and you get the chance, you should really check it out.

Reverberockets are cool, nice reverb. They usually use 7591 power tubes, all but unavailable for years, but now, I believe, reissued by someone.

Yeah that's right 7591s. I always forget. They are actually available NOS but they ain't cheap. I'm glad mine are still kickin'. It's also got a rare tube in trem drive too which I am needing.

I have a pretty good collection of Vintage Fender amps which the DR would be a nice addition, but I'm not sure if I can justify it with my Reverberocket. It's definitely a cold dead hands amp. My mint condition all original '64 Super ain't going anywhere either!!

I've got a '65 reissue, pretty nice amp but it doesnt compare to my '73 Vibrolux. My vibrolux is pretty much stock, other than some tube changes over the years it the same amp. Those old Fender speakers sound great (Jensen's if I'm not mistaken). I'm sure if I had an old vintage Reverb Deluxe I would feel the same way.

I went through several speakers before I got the '65 reissue sounding the way I like. Settled on a Fane speaker for that amp.

As far as newer amps go I prefer my Dr. Z Carmen Ghia over the '65 reissue and at $1,300 I think the Dr. Z is a great value for a boutique amp.

I recently bought a '67 Deluxe in excellent condition, with footswitch and cover. It's a very, very early silverface with the blackface AB763 circuitry. It sounds wonderful. I've been shlepping it to a small club in the woods where I sometimes host an open stage, and people have been telling me how good it sounds. It's plenty loud enough, even with 6V6's. Of course, virtually every properly set up DR that I've heard sounded pretty good. In fact, my great-sounding go-to DR is a late 70's. Really correct maintainance by a great amp tech who knows vintage amps is essential. Dan