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Post by pata320 on Aug 14, 2005 6:51:04 GMT -7
Hi, I am deciding over a mini z or blues jr. tweed. The tweed version has a jensen c12n speaker in it which sounds better than the stock black blues jr. Now, i really love the mini z but am 4 hours away from the closest dealer and they will have some in in a month they said but im going to college in a couple weeks. I just wanted to see what you guys thought the difference was between the two to help me out. Mini z =699 tweed blues jr=500. Thanks a bunch! Pat
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Post by ripple on Aug 14, 2005 8:15:42 GMT -7
Interesting dilemma Pat! I have a stable of amps, and a Blues Jr is among the "herd". I became a hand-wired tube amp snob a few years back after getting my Maz 18 jr, and swore off anything with a circuit board. I have a few old BF Fenders (a VibroChamp and 2 Bandmasters), but have only played my Dr Z since 2001. In my opinion it's the greatest club amp under 30 watts ever made. BUT, here where the screw turns: I accepted a Blues Jr begrudgingly in a gear trade 8 months ago, and my jaw immediately hit the floor when I got it home and test drove it. It has it's limitations: cabinet is too small and rattly for 12" speaker at crankin volumes, and the chassis is a little cheap, but it smokes for a club amp- especially if miked. Leave the FAT switch engaged, keep the gain knob turned down below 12:00 and let the power amp do the work. It's a great sounding amp, and even has a little cheesy reverb to boot. It's a small 3 spring unit, but it adds a shimmer in small doses. I now bring it to every gig as a back-up amp (though Dr Z has NEVER let me down in 4 years of heavy club use; almost 350 on stage hours! Thanks again Doc!), and sometimes use it with an A-B-Y pedal to compliment my Maz 18 jr 2x10 combo in larger rooms. I tell everyone to buy a Blues Jr if they can find it for $350 or less (good condition of course). I think it's a great little amp, but I don't know about spending $500 on one. I think it would offer more overall versatility than the Mini Z, but I wouldn't last nearly as long. Have you looked at the Peavey Classic 30? They are great, repeat, great amps for the price and are Peaveys are very dependable. Much moreso than modern Fenders. Hell, I still have a Peavey Mace from 1978 that sounds great and will CRUSH any Fender Twin, and it's been dropped down stairs, rained on and generally neglected without ever needing repair. I take it from your inquiry that you are most interested in a small combo , so check out the Classic 30 1x12 if you get a chance. It has a 12ax7/EL 84 tube platform, reverb and will drive an extension cab. It's louder than a blues Jr too, if you think you want more stage volume. Now for Devil's advocate: I do not own, nor have I played a Mini Z, but the lil' bugger seems to get RAVES on the forum, and by all accounts, the sound/volume belies it's tiny size. It goes without saying that the build quality, materials and design if the Mini Z would outlast even the most pampered Blues Jr with Fender's "modern" construction techniques. Don't overlook the Mini's ability to drive an ext cab too. I run my 67 Vibro Champ through a 2x10 cab (disconnect the 6" combo speaker) constantly at home and it's a hoot! A totally different amp, with low-volume balls and it never farts out. The Mini Z can do the same thing, so you could get a 1x12 extension cab for club gigs and treat it like a 6 watt amp head that just happens to have an onboard speaker. Z amps have a way of ruining you for other amps and easily become an addiction, as you can tell by the cult on this forum, so don't tread down that road lightly!!! I'm looking at my second one as we speak! I guess it boils down to which is more important to you: versatility, more clean volume and reverb (BJ), or hand-built quality with a more tactile and responsive feel with less features and a less versatile tone palette (MiniZ). The money difference ($200) will mean nothing to you in a year... trust me. I've regretted opting for the "cost saving option" more than once in my life. Good luck in your quest! Ripple
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Danny
New Member
Posts: 39
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Post by Danny on Aug 14, 2005 8:40:43 GMT -7
...or you could look at a very low hour(less than 20) used Mini-Z for about $550. :-) Contact me direct if this appeals to you.
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Post by myles on Aug 14, 2005 8:43:01 GMT -7
These are two very different amps. I don't think I could think of any way to compare them. If you want to give me a call I would be happy to try.
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Post by ripple on Aug 14, 2005 19:55:59 GMT -7
get Danny's mini for $550!
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shadco
Junior Member
Posts: 72
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Post by shadco on Aug 16, 2005 12:39:46 GMT -7
A Mini Z does one thing well
A Blues Junior does many things, some well.
Mini Z ownership caused my Blues Junior to turn into a Carmen Ghia.
With the Blues Junior there are some compromises.
The Cabinet is unfortunate. You can get a third party recab The Reverb is marginal. You can change the tank. A Normal Black Junior benefits from a speaker change. There is a camp that says the PCB design is suboptimal.
They are cheap They can do Clean and Loud even with hot buckers. Did I say they are cheap??
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Post by bluzsteel on Aug 18, 2005 13:05:07 GMT -7
I really dont like the sound of the Blues JR at all{ looks cool}, but my vote is for the Z ,now if a Fender is what your wanting to compare to the mini you should look at the Pro JR. lots of great cuts on major records comes from the Pro Jr. oh yeah if you want the worst reverb ever made get the Blues JR
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 19, 2005 15:11:15 GMT -7
This doesn't have anything to do with the Mini Z but.... One time I went into Musician's Friend store in Kansas City because I liked the looks of their blonde Fender Blues Jrs and thought it might be nice to use on small gigs instead of my old Tweed Deluxe with a JBL. I played the Blues Jr for a while and wasn't too impressed. Right beside it they had a Reverend Hellhound. I played the Hellhound for 10 seconds and decided that the Reverend sounded like a pro amp and the blues Jr seemed marginal even for rehearsal. I know it's not a fair comparison but why settle for less. I'd still buy a Blues Jr if I could get a used one cheap but if the Mini Z sounds better it's a no-brainer, if it'll do the volume you need.
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Post by bustertheboy on Sept 10, 2005 21:54:31 GMT -7
stay away from modern printed circuit board fenders- i've fixed a junior and a blues delux with input jack problems- (the input jack is soldered directly to the circuit board and each time you plug in you weaken the joint) and it was a ridiculously fiddly job because i had a whole heap of wiring to disconnect just to get to it, none of it labelled- an expensive job anyone who has ever looked at a soldering iron could do the same on a z also z amps sound a lot richer and if my old 65 fender vibrolux is anything to go by at 40 years old your z will be around for a few generations whereas all my friends' new fenders seem to need surgery after a few years
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Post by rpavich on Sept 11, 2005 3:55:26 GMT -7
I have never owned a BJ or a Mini Z but I can say this from experience...take ripples advice and buy based on sound and feel; not dollars...you will never stop thinking about what "might have been"...trust me on this one...
My amp purchases went like this: Randall RG-80>>Peavey classic>>Fender Hot Rod deville>>Roland Blues Cube 30>>Roland blues cube 60>>MAZ-18>>Z28/Ghia....I know I'm forgetting a few but I could have saved a couple of thousand dollars if I'd just started at the Dr-Z's but I was going cheap to try and get "that" tone from something that cost's less...
Lesson learned.
bob
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Post by jiseman on Jan 6, 2009 11:08:07 GMT -7
THREAD RESSURECTION TIME!
I just think this is a really good question so I felt the need to respond.... albeit three years to late.
As fantastic as Dr. Z's sound (and you wouldn't likely be in this forum if you didn't think so) I'm going to have to say that the Fender Blues Jr. LTD's sound fantastic too.
It took some hours to break the speaker in on the one I have, but my lord does she sing once you do. I'm getting ready to use her along with a MB Blue Angel in the studio for my bands next album. I will also note, that from Fender, I do not know of anything that gets this close to the vintage stuff in their current line.
That's not a knock on the Mini-Z either. I couldn't agree more with Ripple's note that if you find one for $350 it's totally worth picking up.
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Post by deaconblues on Jan 8, 2009 6:38:52 GMT -7
Never cared for the sound of the Blues Jr.. I wanted to. Just couldn't. I couldn't find anything to like about it. However, the Pro Jr. sounds great. I just wish it had the 12" speaker of the Blues Jr. (Hey, now there is something to like about the BJ) ;D. I've owned two PJ's. Often wish I still had one.
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Post by jiseman on Jan 9, 2009 20:02:18 GMT -7
Never even liked the tweed LTD BJ? I think there's a world of difference between it and the regular blackface. I tend to agree with you on the blackface.
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Post by jb on Jan 12, 2009 13:36:40 GMT -7
I own a BJ and it is funtional as a grab and go practice amp. After getting my Z's, I don't play it very much because to my ears it sounds really thin in comparison. As mentioned earlier, it also serves as a good and portable backup amp.
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Post by gheston on Jan 17, 2009 21:22:22 GMT -7
Apples and oranges:
I own a Pro Junior and for the price I paid new, $375, it's perfect.
I've changed all the tubes. The speaker is fine, for the price.
It's tempting to attempt a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Vote no.
I'd forget about the BJ - my dealer could have sold me one many times and refused.
So for $400, grab & go, there's not much in the Z line to compare directly.
And I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Z-Freak....
==============================================
A Mini Z is on my 2009 wish-list.
Needs a speaker cab obviously - no combo available today.
I'd start with my convertible 1x12 Alnico Blue cab from Dr. Z.
Overkill, but I already own it. I'll bet it would sound killer.
Perhaps Dr. Z will come out with a 1x10" with his own speaker. ;D
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Post by memota on Mar 10, 2009 18:18:45 GMT -7
Guys, how does the volume of the Blues Jr compare to the Maz 18 Jr? I think the Maz is louder but how much (if you can describe it!)
Also, would the Maz 18 with an air brake be tamed to be on par with the Blues Jr?
Thanks!
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Post by rudymontana on Mar 12, 2009 18:43:24 GMT -7
Guys, how does the volume of the Blues Jr compare to the Maz 18 Jr? I think the Maz is louder but how much (if you can describe it!) Also, would the Maz 18 with an air brake be tamed to be on par with the Blues Jr? Thanks! Yeah.. but with clean headroom. the mini has pretty much nothing in the means of cleans tones. on a separate not.... the mini sweet spot is hard to find. i play only teles and even from tele to tele it changes. sounds better with maple neck IMHO.
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Post by uncleebeneezer on Mar 23, 2009 23:15:38 GMT -7
The Blues Jr is surprisingly loud for it's size. I have used my buddy's at a couple good sized gigs and had no problem hearing myself. The Maz Jr, however is a monster for only 18 watts. With my pre-volume at 11:00 I rarely get about 9:00 with the Master. And the sound is so much "bigger." Full-bodied, rich, 3-D etc. The most amazing amp I've ever played.
On the original question about the Mini-Z I would recommend you check out the Egnater Rebel 20. Kickass little head that can go from 1-20W and blends 6V6's and EL84's. If you already have a good cab, it's well worth the $600. You can use it for bedroom or gigging.
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Post by bluenote on Mar 25, 2009 18:10:55 GMT -7
pata320; So did you graduate?
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