finally! My First Tube Amp

S

silver_rye

New member
I just got myself a Fender Blues Jr. !!!

It's my first tube amp and i immediately noticed how much warmer it sounded than the other marshall solid state that i owned (not to mention that i can use the tubes as heaters - and they look pretty when they glow :D)

So yeah i'm pretty happy , as you can see :) Plays really great, i love the tube cleans and overdrives and it seems pretty damn quiet for recording. And the fact that its my first tube amp just makes it all better...

So i was also wondering what kinda distortion pedal is cool with this amp? I might buy two, one kinda bluesy and one a bit more hardcore :) How does the Blues Driver go? and what about the RAT or something?

Also - i dont know much about tube amps yet. The Blues Jr. doesnt have a standby switch, so is it better for me to just leave it on during the day when i'm using it? Or should i keep turning it on or off (maybe this will damage the tubes though)?

Also, am i supposed to let it warm up when i first turn it on? for how long?

thanks guys... i'll be around here more often from now on
 
Congrats

I am the proud owner of a BJ also. There is so many things to explore on a tube amp. Especially that volume knob on your guitar that doesn't do much;)

I use a Rat. Its probably my favorite pedal. You can get some nice heavy distortion out of it, or you can just up its output to over drive your amp. I have to say that a Rat belongs in every pedal collection.

The Blues driver is also a very nice line driver. Probably the second greatest pedal on earth. Maybe THE greatest in other peoples opinions.

Tube screamers are popular, but many say they suck out the bottom end. Don't know, I haven't used one more than 5 minutes, and it wasn't my amp or guitar.

The Metal Zone is popular and versitile. I had one but sold it before I learned how to turn the gain down:(

I also have BigMuff. I give my nod to that for a "heavy" pedal. Not that it is "heavy", but in that it is a terrific lead pedal. Its a fuzz pedal, not distortion.

You also might want to checkout a CleanBoost type of pedal. One that just increase the output without distorting the signal. They tend to overdrive amps to hell and back. The Fat boost on the amp isn't a huge increase, but it does work well if you get a footswitch for it.

Another thing would be to look into a compressor. A nice way to really shape sound without it ending up "EFX driven".


Back to the amp....tubes do need a moment to warm up. You can start playing within a minute, but if you turn it on as soon as you plug it in, the tubes will warm up a bit more after you have your gear setup and tune. I hear that back in the day, studio guys left their tube gear on 24/7 because they said it just keeps getting better. Doubt much of that stuff used power tubes though. There shouldn't be any damage done if you turn it off for 20 minute while you run to the store, then come back and turn it on. I could be wrong.

At some point you will be told that it is a one trick pony........its not.
Have fun, its a very nice amp.
 
I hear that back in the day, studio guys left their tube gear on 24/7 because they said it just keeps getting better. Doubt much of that stuff used power tubes though.
Click to expand...
Of course it did! That's all there was! Solid state (transistor) amps didn't come along until much later. You should turn off your tubes after you're finished playing for the day, but it definitely won't hurt to turn them on an hour or two before you start playing.
 
Cool amp! I've got a Pro Jr which is a fun amp also..Get the Rat very nice !I have to agree its prob. the best dist.ped. I've ever had... I also use a MXR Distortion+ its just a little less nasty..I have a question...This Blues Driver you speak of who makes it?


Don
 
Tubes are the best for guitar!

Welcome to the wonderful world of tube amps! They're the only way to go.

The Fulltone Full Drive II sounds great with Fender amps. You can score a used one from e-Bay. Also, I understand that the new Barber Direct Drive is an excellent pedal, and....it's only $99.00! A good price for a quality, good sounding pedal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top