New Amp: Fender Blues Jr. vs Hot Rod Deluxe III

[Boognish]

So I am getting a new amp, and its down to these two.

I actually have purchased the Blues Jr. and have it at home. The Hot Rod is on its way and I will be able to play both at home for about 30 days and return the one I don't want. I need a good amp that will work for home studio (laptop) recording as well as small gigs.

Anyone have one (or both) and have any preference?

I'm starting to really really really like the Blues Jr. the more I play it. I'm anxious to play the Hot Rod and compare.

[T.C. Elliott]

I haven't played the Jr at all (maybe twice in a store) but I've heard it a fair bit. I think it's an excellent amp. I have a Hot Rod Deluxe (but not the III) and it's an okay amp. I think an upgrade in the speaker would help. Personally, I wouldn't buy another one but I don't hate the one I have.

Oh, on both amps, I would use the clean channel with a couple of pedals. The second channel on my deluxe isn't very good, imo.

[Farrell Jackson]

I have a Blues Jr. but I've not had any experience with the Hot Rod Deluxe III. My son has an older Hot Rod Deluxe and he likes it. If I remember correctly the Blues Jr. is 15 watts and the Hot Rod is about 40 watts. The Hot Rod is heavier and louder than the Blues Jr. I've gigged with the Blues Jr and it holds up well for small venues but for larger ones you need to mic it. The tone on the Blues Jr is good and so is the reverb but I'll give you another option if you want one. Once I heard the Pro Jr. I purchased one and it replaced the Blues Jr as my gigging amp. It's 15 watts x 10" speaker but the little amp rocks circles around the Blues Jr. It's a no frills amp that works great with pedals. It doesn't have reverb so you'll need to add a pedal if you want that. It has just one volume and tone knob but that's enough to get all the tone and power you need. It's actually a louder amp than the Blues Jr. plus it cost less. If you get a chance check out the Pro Jr., you'll be surprised.

Farrell

[Boognish]

Thanks guys.
Farrell, I'll have to check out the Pro Jr.
T.C., The new Deluxe III has an upgraded Celestion speaker, and also it has an effects loop for pedals which I'm anxious to check out.
I'm also interested in the secondary input. I'll probably try running a drum machine through it or even the BR-600 for backing tracks just to try it out.
I actually got the Hot Rod Deluxe III today and I'll be able to break it in a little tomorrow, so I'm a little geeked out right now.

It's gonna be a good Christmas.

[bruno]

I have a Mark 2 Hotrod - Surf Green, sounds brilliant. Is a great amp. Clean sound is great, distortion sounds fantastic when it is cranked, not so good a small volumes. Its amazing loud for a 40W amp, I'd say its louder than my JMC900 through a 4 by 12, never had it past about 2 - and that is bloody loud, it will alway cut through a mix!!!
B

[kenny mac]

You could put all those in the new gear Bruno and sell them surely?
Then get more guitars 

[bruno]

You could put all those in the new gear Bruno and sell them surely?
Then get more guitars 

Kenny, except I can't sell anything!!!! Dooh!

[Boognish]

Well I went ahead and took back the Blues Jr.
It was a pretty sweet little amp but I like the Hot Rod since it has a few more bells and whistles.
I really like the second input. I've been using my Alesis SR-16 drum machine in line 2 and playing my guitar through line 1. Effects loop is pretty sweet also, but with the drum machine on 2 I've been running guitar > pedal board > amp on line 1 to avoid the pedals affecting the drum machine.
I've been just playing it in my small jam room with master and volume at 3 to 4 and it sounds great.

[T.C. Elliott]

Glad you got to keep what you wanted. I do have a question, though. If it weren't for the effects loop and the second input, which would you prefer? If it were just the sound of the amp, I mean. Really, neither amp is bad, imo, especially since you mentioned the upgraded speaker.

[Boognish]

T.C. I liked the Blues Jr. for its simplicity and its warm rich tone. It had an upgraded Jensen vintage style 12-inch speaker which sounded great and only a few knobs to twist and turn... pretty easy to find a nice full sound.
The Hot Rod Deluxe III has a 12-inch Celestion which is really nice, too. It can really give you a rich sound as well as all the extras as mentioned.
I think if my setup was different, and I didn't have my pedals, etc. I would have stuck with the Blues Jr. If you're just simply running guitar > amp then that would work fine and it is 30 lbs compared to the 50 lb Hot Rod Deluxe. I figured I'll get more use out of the Hot Rod though and can do a few more things with it and can still get a very similar sound to the Blues Jr. if I want it.

Lastly, I paid around $625 for the Blues Jr. with tax at GuitarCenter, and got the Hot Rod Deluxe for $650 on Sweetwater.com. Hot Rod was a demo model but is still under same warranty and looks brand new.