Blues Jr Volume Comparison

Greg Lambert · From: Illinois, USA

I run my Nashville 112 at 5.5 pre and 5.5 post. When Playing a gig I almost reach the max volume at these levels.
Nice clean tone etc.

Will the Blues Jr reach these same levels , or come close , without distortion if the Levels are set to 3 Volume and 10 master?

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

The B Jr is designed to be a low wattage 15 watt EL84 tube amp. At home you may be ok but on a real gig pushing air it will start to do what a B Jr is supposed to do, "break up gently". So the answer is although the actual volume may be close, the N112 will be very clean while the B jr will start to give you grit. (break-up)

Now and then when I gig a moderate room, I carry both a N112 for Steel and a B jr for Telecaster. Both small but easily transported. I don't like the N112 for guitar and I don't like the Bjr for Steel ! Shocked

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Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
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jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Greg Lambert · From: Illinois, USA

Chris Walke · From: St Charles, IL

BluesJr is a really nice amp (especially for the price), but it will break up when pushed. Not an amp for significant headroom, but the break-up is pretty fantastic, when that's what you want. Great rock/blues lap steel amp. Good low vol practice amp for PSG.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

The OP's question can't be answered as stated.

Those control settings are meaningless, and may mean significantly different things especially on different Blues Jr's. No tube amp has a predictable output volume or headroom level at any mix of control settings.

More important to comparative output levels are speaker sensitivity, tubes installed in the amp and how it is specifically adjusted/optimized. Two Blues Jr's with identical settings will be more likely to sound different with differing headroom levels than they would be apt to sound the same. There are simply two many variables involved.

Some Blues Jr's are old enough that their electrolytic filter capacitors are past their effective service life (appx 15 years) - if weak they can seriously affect headroom and other functions; they can also sound fine but fail without warning - so service status on older used examples is critical.

There's no way to know what condition the Nashville 112 or its speaker are in as well.

Power is another often irrelevant item as far as "loudness" goes. For example, a 15-18 watt Vox AC15 is often comparable in output level to a 40 watt Pro Reverb or Super Reverb and generally much louder than a Peavey Classic 30. The differences in design and speakers are that critical.

It's also impossible to compare relative headroom of one solid state and one tube amp, as headroom in a tube amp at different frequencies means very different things to different listeners. Some "hear" certain ranges of frequencies cleaner than others; and opinions vary as to what a headroom limit sounds like on each type of amp, as they each enhance different types of harmonic distortion.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I believe the question can be answered generically. We can assume both amps in reasonably good order, or better, like mine are.

While the answer can be seen as hypothetical, the reality is still the same, given similar circumstances, a reasonable gig.

I shared my response because it is indeed real world. Two amps on the exact same gig at the exact same time. I gigged like this for almost two years at the same dance hall. Both amps in VERY GOOD condition. same moderate volume levels.

The Bjr is a fine amp with limitations, which is HEADROOM . It very well may be good on Steel for an extreme low volume situation. Which I have done with just a Bjr, including rehearsals.

I believe ( assume) the OP is asking about playing gigs, small to moderate room of which a good working Bjr will still come up short on headroom when pushed. Thats what they do . That is totally opposite a N112. It's a clean platform.

One amp is indeed designed to break up early, the other is not.

We should be able answer any and all questions as long as we are accurate and clear, not hiding the fundamental details.

Kinda like the string thing ,

"My 3rd string has lasted 5 years without breaking "

Anyone playing regular duty gigs knows , regardless of what Steel they are playing, that this is not reality. The answer should be qualified.

kinda like this,

"I haven't broke a 3rd string on a gig in probably 10 years".

then this

"But I also change 3 and 5 at home every month"
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Greg Lambert · From: Illinois, USA

Tony , do you use the Fender hot rod amp for your steel?

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Greg, yes , a HR Deville, on the larger stages. It's not quite a Twin reverb but it's near. It has good headroom for clean tone at good volume. My main intent with amps though is to use one , regardless of gigs, that I can get a quality Telecaster tone from. My needs probably vary from others. My desire is Tele tone first, Steel tone 2nd.

Years back ( 2000 ) I moved UP to the Deville from the HR Deluxe as I was not getting the headroom for Steel that I was wanting. i tried speakers, tubes, all sorts of stuff with the HR Deluxe. The path to a bit more headroom was moving up to the Deville. The one I have is a 2 x 12 , built in 96. I bought it in 2000. Great amp. Last year I rebuilt it for the 2nd time, tubes, caps etc...

Regarding the gigs where I may use 2 amps, N112 and the Blues Jr, they are both fairly lite weight amps, easy to haul around while the HR Deville is near 60 pounds ! For many years I used the HR Deville on all gigs, Steel and Guitars. I still think it is the best amp I own. If I was forced to own only one amp, that would be it.

These days I'm using an original 80's PV Bandit that I recently bought for $99 ! go figure ! rated at 65 SS watts or so into 4 ohms, two cabs. Something like that. It does just fine on the small gigs I play.

The smaller HR Deluxe ( Blues deluxe) is a nice enough amp but it will start to break up just when you need a little bit more gas. Nice smaller room amp though.

thats all I got ! Laughing

_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Greg Lambert · From: Illinois, USA

thanks Tony, I researching for another amp. Still haven't made up my mind.

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