If you would like a compatible tank with a longer decay time, the 4eb3c1b would work. Quick and dirty iphone video showing the mod replacement reverb tank for a fender blues junior replacing the stock belton tank. I thought if it made such an improvement in the frontman it was worth a try on the blues jr. Reverb is the marketplace for musicians to buy and sell used, vintage, and new music gear online.
Another case of fender cutting corners on this series of amps. The reverb driver circuit is also a poor design choice. I tried doing the classic unplug it, replug it stuff, but that didnt help. The pure tube tone you get is really nice and fills the room with sweet fender clean tones. After deciding i wanted to scratchbuild a modded blues junior, i started searching the web. A much better circuit could have been implimented at. The reverb has a fizziness to the decay that is just not appealing. Take control of the blues juniors reverb and fat circuit from anywhere on stage or the studio with clear visual feedback of what these circuits are up to with b5 amps super switch. The blues junior does not have a tube reverb circuit, it uses two halves of a tl072 chip for drive and return. I never used it, which pissed me off, as reverb was one of the reasons i bought my blues junior. Fender forums view topic replacing reverb tank in blues. All stock blues junior amps run a hot bias setting with no bias adjustment control. Input impedance 8 ohms, output impedance 2250 ohms, long decay 2. The fender blues junior tweed amp is what ive been looking for in a amp.
Fender blues jr usa reverb tank sort of not working. As far as mods go they really do enhance the amps tone especially adding the coupling caps. The stock tank did not play well with crunchy guitar sounds and sounded like things were rattling around when i used them. The blues junior is a tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1990 by the fender musical instrument corporation. From the schematic floating around online, this amp has a reverb driver transformer with an 8 ohm secondary. Jun 05, 2018 comparison of 3 different reverb tanks for the lacquered tweed fender blues jr. Click on photo for larger view, revisit reverb tank, 17 long. The three spring reverb is a bit much for some folks. Vacuum tube reverb circuits traditionally have used a lowimpedance reverb tank coupled to the driver tube by a small output transformer. Fender blues junior iii 15watt 1x12 guitar combo 2010 2018.
Some 12at7s that will work just fine as phase inverters v6 will crackle and hiss in this position. The reason is the solid state reverb driver circuit not having the same impedance as the tube driver and also probably running at different levels. The reverb tank should be isolated from vibrating surfaces as much as possible. It features 15 watts of tube el84 power, and it has a single channel with basic eq as well as a fat switch which pumps up the midrange and gain a bit and onboard reverb as well.
But i have a stock blues junior iii and am very happy. I have in forums but all the guitar players i actually talk to love it. If the reverb tank cannot be mounted in the ideal vertical connectors up plane, the tank should be. Mix, dwell, and tone controls give the play many tonal options. I bought it used in 2012 and really dont know how old it was then. Accutronics reverb tank, 17 long, 2 spring, 4ab3c1b current production. Fender blues junior modifications fromel electronics. The bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. Princetons dont really distort without a pedal unless you dime the. Looking for a stock reverb unit for the crate acoustic 60. Fender blues junior iii cannabis rex fsr limited edition 15watt 1x12 guitar combo 2016.
The ruby reverb tank that comes in the fender blues junior is a huge disappointment, shrill and tinny and useful only below about 3. One thing i do think could definitely do with upgrading is the reverb tank i find the stock one really bright and crashy. Well, after having done the basic mods on my blues junior ii, upgraded the output transformer, changed the master volume taper, replaced the broken stock reverb tank with the ruby tubes model and changed the reverb taper and added the presence control, i was impressed with the improvements. Fender frequently releases limited editions of the blues junior. I have owned maybe 5 blues juniors over the years and every one of them had the reverb stop working after a while.
Changed one for a friend, and he really liked the sound. Measure resistance of the input side of the old tank. But that is not the only way to drive a reverb tank using a vacuum tube, and in fact it is not the best way. Maybe its a mechanicalvibration thing, i did use a bag to mount the full size tank. The mod tank did warm up the reverb nicely, not as dramatic as it did on the first amp but a very good improvement. On first impressions at least, the fender blues junior iii is perfect. Plugging in, the clean tone was exactly what i was looking for.
The label is often located on the bottom next to the reverb tank, sometimes it is placed on the side. About 30% of the components on the fender pcb are used in the solid state reverb circuit all of this is now gone. And it is plenty loud to be used clean with pedals both for blues and classic rock at clubs and jams. Why a fender blues junior does not sound like a vintage fender. If an item is marked backorder then they could take up to 3 weeks to. See explanation of accutronics reverb tank numbering system here. Better 12at7s notably, the mullard cv4024, mullard ecc81 or rca 12at7 s will also improve the tone of. If you want longer delays, get a type 4 tank 2 spring and. It is aimed at achieving the warm, tubedriven tone common in many styles of american blues and blues rock dating back to the 1950s, while remaining both portable and affordable.
Revisit reverb tanks bringing back the sound of vintage accutronics tanks. But if vertical orientation is quiet, just screw the tank to the side of the amp and be done with it. They dont even give you a socket for the chip, which means that the entire amp needs to be disassembled so you can get at the bottom of the pc board to unsolder it and. Jan 05, 2011 musicains friend is good about returning items that are defective. Some blues junior power transformers have a strong hum field that bombs right into the reverb tank and the output transformer. A transformerless constantcurrent reverb driver introduction. Accutronics 4bb3c1b reverb tank accutronicsbelton reverb tanks 4bb3c1b is used by fender in the. The blues junior featured above sports the super switch mod and other key mods that elevates this blues junior to deluxe status.
The fender blues junior is like a smaller version of the famed hot rod deluxe and deville amps, right down to the cosmetics. If you want longer delays, get a type 4 tank 2 spring and cut 14 of sheet metal off each end. The mod tank did warm up the reverb nicely, not as dramatic as it. The blues jrs reverb sounded good stock except it would get a bit tinny sounding above 4 or so. Used in fender blues junior, fender transistor amps such as. Check out the videos linked below for some sound comparisons of the variations listed here. Then, a bias adjustment pot was installed, so designed as to keep the stock bias when the pot is turned completely to one side. When i turn the reverb knob from 0 to 10, i can hear it opening up but cant get it to reverberate unless i tap read. Testamonials amp repair services guitar stereo vacuum tube.
There are lots of cheap upgrades for the reverb tank out there, but id just as soon stick my holy grail pedal in front of it and call it a day. Genuine fender blackface amplifier logo 0994093000 for most 60s amps. The blues junior s reverb is solid state and does not sound as lush or warm like a tube reverb or even as nice as a high quality digital reverb. Billm audio the right speaker for your blues junior. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps. Fender blues jr, reverb tank comparison mod, accutronics. I havent met a single guitar player that doesnt love the blues junior iiis sound.
Avoid mounting the outer channel of the reverb tank directly to the mounting surface by using grommets, rubber standoffs, reverb tank bag and liner or other products designed for mechanical isolation. The ruby tubes 3eb2c1b is a 9 3 spring drop in replacement reverb tank for the accutronics 8eb2c1b. Replace the weak reverb tank in your amp with a new mod tank for richer, fatter reverb. You can experiment with a dab of silicone to glue the ferrite beads at the ends of one spring to the laminations to tame it down. Watford valves amp parts accutronicsbelton reverb tanks. I figured that the tinniness was just a byproduct of the short 3spring tank. Everything the good folks at fender have said about this amp is true. With the 5 year warranty,fender will take care of the repair but it baffles me that they cant upgrade the quality to avoid the inevitable returns to repair these amps. If it is an open in the tank, try the full size 4eb2or3c1b. Fender amp preamp tube layout and recommendations kca. Im going to buy one of these within the next 3 months, but i cant decide on which one. The mod reverb tanks are high quality upgrade units. So you can try swapping tanks but if the new tank doesnt work it doesnt necessarily mean that the problem isnt the old tank unless you know you have the correct. I would try unseating the connectors and cleaning them and checking the cable for issues.
So the reverb on my blues jr busted, and i havent a damned clue whats wrong with it. With the 5 year warranty,fender will take care of the repair but it baffles me that they cant upgrade the quality to avoid the inevitable returns to. Testamonials amp repair services guitar stereo vacuum. The stock replacement tank is the accutronics 8eb2c1b. Anyway, you should get a stock blues junior iii which has lovely cleans. Primarily used by all fender amplifiers with tube reverb from 19631990. Comparison of 3 different reverb tanks for the lacquered tweed fender blues jr. Oct 06, 2011 quick and dirty iphone video showing the mod replacement reverb tank for a fender blues junior replacing the stock belton tank. The reverb tank has also been replaced with an accutronics unit.
I bought this as a replacement for the stock fender blues junior reverb tank. Blues junior, bandmaster, bandmaster reverb, bassman, bassman 100, bronco, champ, vibrochamp, deluxe, deluxe reverb, dual showman, princeton reverb, pro reverb, reverb driver, super reverb, tremolux, tweed. I too dont understand why the jr has so many reverb problems, many other manufactures use ss reverb drivers with great success. Its a rectangular metal box mounted to the inside wall of the amplifier. The longer tank, used in the hot rod deluxe and blues deluxe, is electrically compatible with the blues junior, but it doesnt fit inside the bjr cabinet. Why a fender blues junior does not sound like a vintage. Based on the famous fender reverb unit of the 60s the classic reverb unit is the benchmark for great reverb tone. Fender frequently releases limited editions of the blues. I left it off and under my bed like normal, and when i turned it on, the reverb didnt work. Not all amplifier models of the same name use the same transformer model. If you can, check the solder joints on the pcb and maybe redo them. The blues junior is a tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1990 by the fender musical instrument.
Its a warmer amp than the black one tried them both and just for my ear i liked the tweed better but you do get more drive out the black one. Fender blues junior iv 1x12 15watt tube combo amp black. Luckily for me i dont use reverb so i am fine without it but it is a seemingly common problem for blues juniors. Deluxe, is electrically compatible with the blues junior, but it doesnt fit inside the bjr cabinet. Whether you need cavernous space or subtle ambiance this unit will deliver. Fender blues junior iii 1x12 15watt tube combo amp.
Fender blues jr vs pro jr fender stratocaster guitar forum. I listened to a lot of examples, and even though the blues ju. Bassman 5, twin reverb, showman reverb, quad reverb, vibrosonic reverb. Why would the reverb suddenly not work in my fender blues junior iii. Because of the high demands placed on this tube by the fender reverb driver design, its important to get a good quality 12at7 for this slot. The preamp stage boasts a subtleness and fullness that is absolutely inspiring. May 22, 2016 on first impressions at least, the fender blues junior iii is perfect. We also have the three spring version with the long decay time which is the 9eb3c1b. The 9eb2c1b is the three spring version of the stock tank. Fender amp preamp tube layout and recommendations kca nos. One combination you definitely dont want is the longdelay tank with the stock reverb pot. Mod replacement reverb tank for fender blues junior youtube. Please make sure the amplifier transformer which you are replacing has a fender number matching the equivalent fender transformer number listed here.
Classic tube reverb and tremolo unit carls custom amps. Well, after having done the basic mods on my blues junior ii, upgraded the output transformer, changed the master volume taper, replaced the broken stock reverb tank with the ruby tubes model and changed the reverb taper and added the presence control, i. Is this something at others have heard happen before. The reverb tank signal is notoriously noisy in this version 1995 darkgreen board, so i moved the return lead so that it comes in at the second preamp tube, instead of the first. Musicains friend is good about returning items that are defective. If it is around 35 ohms or so, the 8db2c1e is correct, roland cube 60 specifically the cube 60 models which were designed with a reverb tank. Again an amp with solid state reverb is much cheaper to produce.