Fender 1x12 Shootout: 65 Princeton Reverb Vs Blues Jr IV Vs 64 Deluxe Reverb Custom Hand Wired 

I love the way you did the comparison by playing reasonably instead of shredding. I was able to get a much better feel for the dynamics of each amp.

I'm shocked I've never heard such a huge outdoorsy type tone from a jr. That was awesome.

While my preference of the three is the hardwired Deluxe for overall tone and presence, that is the best sounding Blues Jr IV !!! It has a really amazing balanced sound, volume and presence. Thank you for a wonderful comparison. Well done!

that blues junior sounds EXCEPTIONAL

If I knew nothing of the price of these amps I would have said that I prefer the blues junior over the princeton and deluxe. The blues junior really sounds amazing in this demo.

This was very generous of you to take your time to make this video for us. Also very good playing:) thank you

The Blues Jr definitely had more chime to the tone. The Princeton much more mid range. I'm very surprised at the Junior! Very nice tone.... But then, I think you could make any amp sound great! Love your playing.

IMO the Bjr sounds even better if you roll the mids down a ways more than you have it. I love that you backed the tone down on the guitar. I don't know why people dime the guitar knobs leaving you nowhere to go if you need to cut through the mix a little more, My Bjr has the C-Rex speaker and I'm delighted with the tone I get but I may have to modify the reverb as the sweet spot is hard to locate at a little over 1 on the dial. I do not care for the tone of the princeton especially when you turn it up and it goes all fizzy. Nice demo actually revealing the amp's tones. Thanks.

Great demo. I just bought a Blues Jr IV with the Celestion A-type 12-inch speaker. I like it, especially for the money. If I were a working professional looking at Fender amps, I'd spend the money on the hand-wired Reverb Deluxe. It has better components, is more serviceable, and can last forever. The Princeton and Blues Jr use cheaper components, and due to the construction of the PCBs that they use (single sided traces, etc.) aren't as serviceable and really aren't built to last. That said, I'm happy with my purchase of the Blues Jr.

In this demo, the Deluxe Reverb has the body and presence. Being hand-wried terminal strip construction it can probably stand up to gigging travel. That said, I have a Blues Jr and it sounds quite good especially for live use. Its PC board construction makes it mechanically less robust, Thank you for the demo.

i absolutely loved the Princeton, oh no here comes the gas.

As an owner or former owner of all three of these amps, I’d like to say that that is the best sounding blues I’ve ever heard. I always found the EL style tubes to shrill for my style. And every time I buy one I end up selling it. I own a copy of that Princeton but I ended up replacing the speaker and going with a Alessandro GA 64 but I have found the 12 inch Princeton cabinet too small for the 12” speaker. It feels and sounds boxy. I have a 1963 fender deluxe with the original Oxford speaker, this is the non-reverb deluxe, and it is the best sounding amplifier I’ve ever heard. I guess I’m just a 6l6/6v6 guy Fantastic comparison

I know this is a year old, but damn! That is THE BEST BLUES JR. tone I've heard. And really tastefully played. I'm setting my Blues Jr. the same as you described.

The Princeton is my favourite.Very clear and distinct.Sounds wonderful.

one of the better “shoot outs” I’ve seen; given the audio fidelity of youtube vids, the difference between the 3 is really clear….

It’s my ride or die amp. The BJr tweed with the Jensen is hard to beat for the $$. I don’t think most people spend enough time tweaking them when they first use them. They can be bright at first but learning how the volume/master and tone controls work together opens it up to quite a few different tones. Takes pedals and easy to mod. I’ve modded mine over the years, minor things like upgrading caps and filters, lowered the value on the reverb gain resistor and replaced the tubes putting a set of 5771s in V1 & V2 with a 12AT7 in the V3, and it sounds incredible. I’m probably in an extra $200 bucks and it’s worth every penny. Loud enough for a small venue, a jam and sounds great at lower volumes for the house. It’s all subjective but, given some time, that BJr will steal your heart. 🤘🏻🤓🤘🏻

Deluxe 1st, Blues 2nd, and Princeton in 3rd. I have the same Deluxe but with a Celestion G12 Neo. Also have an all original 69 Princeton that my mom bought me new in 69. Great comparison and playing for those in the market. Thanks again.

I have a Blues Jr IV and put several different celestions in it. I have a G12 H30 in it now and it sounds great. It sounds good with the stock speaker, but as you have displayed in this video, a good speaker will really bring the Blues Jr to life. It’s really light in comparison to my other amps. But if I could buy another Fender, it would be a Deluxe Reverb, probably the ‘68 reissue for the price point. I am very concerned about the quality of my Blues Jr. The tones and playing here are nice. You didn’t even mic the amps and it sounds fantastic.

Surprisingly impressed with Blues Junior. Disappointed with the Princeton. Great comparison - very well done 😊

Have you tried the Jupiter in the Deluxe?? Or is the Jupiter you have mounted 10"?I just bought a Deluxe Reverb and I have a Jupiter mounted on a Supersonic 60W and I love it. I had thought about putting the C12K that the Deluxe comes with on the Supersonic and the Jupiter on the Deluxe. I also have a Weber 12F150 stored that I could mount on either of the two.. how do you see it

This is the first Blues Jr I've ever heard that I even remotely liked. Must be that speaker, or the fact you didn't put all kinds of excessive gain on it like most people seem to do. Really good demo, thanks

Blues jr. hanging with the big boys. Might be my next amp for the price

Great video, thanks for sharing! I'd rate the amps as.. 1/ Deluxe. 2/ BJ (sounded great, stood up well against much more expensive opposition) 3/ Princeton (got squashed by the other 2) 😮

in this vid i actually preferred the blues jr over the other 2 , color me surprised , but maybe i shouldn't be because i love el84 amp in general

Sounded so awesome I forgot what amp I was listening 🎶 to.😃

A compressor and Klon with my Blues Jr works really well for an amazing clean tone. Also sounds fantastic with a Blues breaker or morning glory style pedal.

All of those amps have active tone controls correct? So if your bass is at "3" then your overall volume is less than if your bass was at "7"

I gotta admit I was very impressed with the tweed Blues Jr IV I played at GC. I almost bought it. I was surprised it sounded so good and kept looking to see what speaker was in it. Just a standard Jensen C12N....I like that speaker!

Bluntly put...Remove the blues jr out of your life forever.

Nothing like those "Pristine Fender Cleans" - I love my 65 Blackface Princeton Reverb reissue. This amp exceeded my lofty-expectations. It's "Going to the Grave" with me = Killer little amplifier. oNe LoVe from NYC

Subbed. I love these types of tone test videos. I have a blues jr IV & a deluxe reverb & used to have a princeton & miss it. May look into the Chris stapleton model princeton or the '64 hw. Great playing Love the content!

Its even sweeter tone for Blues Jnr with Cannabis Rex speaker. 😊

I appreciate that you mc'd the room rather than the amp. Mic'ing the amp only gives the overall tone of the PA. Funny...The Princeton was only a Student Amp up from the Champ.

Very well done! Loved the demos - and the classy playing was great.

Don't be afraid to turn the treble up on the Princeton. I usually run mine on 7 give or take. Not with the C10r, that would be insane. I have the WGS G10c in mine.

Very tasteful playing, love it! Just bought a Blues Jr. with Celestion Greenback trying to get back to that sound I remember from my Twin Reverb in 68.

Princeton!

Two of those amps sound really good, the 3rd amp would sound nice going through a window landing on the ground from about 3 stories up.

Which pickups are in that tele exactly? It sounds great through all of the amps. Thank you.

I had the original Blues Jr in 2000. It was pretty darn loud. I did some mods that gave a little more bottom. Why such an inefficient speaker like a C12Q? That’s 7dB vs a Vintage 30 or Celestion C12 Alnico. A Deluxe Reverb with a reasonably efficient speaker is a beast. I have a ‘68 Custom Princeton Reverb with a Celestion G10 Gold Alnico and it is a bit noticeable vs the stock speaker.

Interesting, I liked the Princeton perhaps least on its own, but played together with accompaniment, it has that nice juicy midrange, which makes it stand out! Maybe the better gig amp for that reason...

I really liked the video but I would like to comment that a small adjustment to the equalization and drive gain changes the sound quite perceptibly. I have this same Blues Jr. NOS and I liked its tone in this video but it is possible to get a much fuller tone close to that presented by the Deluxe Reverb.

I'm a Fender clean tone snob. I've always loved the sound of the Blues Jr. with a good speaker (like this NOS version, not so much the stock black tolex ones). I didn't expect it to beat out these two powerhouse amps, but I gotta say, it has that tube clarity, quack, sparkle, with just the right amount of thump that is perfect for me, personally. Pairs perfectly with Fender guitars or single coils in general. I'm surprised the Princeton came in last for me, I've heard players for whom it totally works with amazing warm tone, even through a strat. To me, the BJ just sounds more SRV, which is the gold standard for clean Fender tone IMHO. The Deluxe is very good also, has a bit more mid-range and low end naturally. If it had a 3-band EQ like it's big brother the Twin (or oddly, like it's little brother the Blues Jr.) you could notch out a little of that mid-range and probably get a similar boxy sound to the BJ....but I just think there's something special about the little cabinet 1x12 that makes the BJ sound great. Some people say it sounds boxy and hollow.....sure, okay, call it whatever you want. It sounds great to me! Thanks for the great video!

Great video demo. I have the BJ IV tweed with Red White and Blues speaker i boght from Sweetwater and a tweed Blues Deluxe that work well for me depending on the size of the venue. Just couldnt part with the $1400 they wanted for rhe 64 Deluxe Reverb and especially the $3400 they want for the hand wired job.

Your presentation was so helpful to me because you are focused on showing what the amps sound like, and not your guitar skills, which are basically incredible. Not showing off in other words. I have a Princeton Bordeaux with a Jensen 12, but being an acoustic guitar performer, I have only a chorus pedal for my Loud Boxes. I play my acoustic Gibson Super Jumbo as if it were a Strat, and want to move into Strat or Jag for performances. Tempted to trade the Princeton in for a Hot Rod of some sort, your video has shown me that I ought to keep the Princeton and just find the right distortion pedal. I'm indebted to you, kind sir.

I compared the Jr with the Prinston and I preferred the Prinston.

Best comparison I have seen to date. Thanks

oh Fender vs Fender. way to go. edit = $799.00 for that blues jr amp. really? edit2 = wow fantastic playing on your loops. kudos man

All sound good, I think the Princeton catches the higher end The blues jr is alittle bassier I think the deluxe is definitely better at reverberating. Take one I don’t think you’ll be wrong but you might keep some money in your pocket for strings and stuff

Thanks for the quality video. I've been considering a Princeton or a Deluxe Reverb, but not a Blues Jr. Your video made me curious about the specific model you've got there, so I went looking for it. Are you sure it's an IV like you say in the description? Fender's website and Sweetwater have a model that seems like the right one, but I think they are III's not IV's.

1) love your playing 2) love the black telecaster .... I'm looking to get Fender 🇺🇲 professional 2 telecaster, Miami Blue 3) I was looking at the Princeton, but the blues jr is looking good, especially since about half the price 4) thanks for doing both the tele and strat 🎸...gives me something on both 🎸 5) I think I'm going for the blues jr

Blues Jr would be my choice way more versatile

20:00 20:38 Deluxe reverb if you want the tone of your pedal to come through...Blues jr if you want your pedal to sound surprisingly transparent i.e. natural. For a smooth jazz/country tone, the Blues Jr seems to be better which is stunning. 24:58 22:46 Deluxe has more aggressive bite but blues jr is so sweet... 24:39

For those deciding between these three, here’s a solution. Buy all three!

Blues jr for me was the winner. Honeslty the princeton sounds dull to my ears, lacks that punch and chime for me. I think its a lil ovetrated ...

can I come to your house an play with all your cool toys???

In my headphones the lead sounds better through the Princeton. That midrange makes it more apparent in a mix. Imho. But all are great sounding amps. You are correct about the speaker making a big difference.

Love the vid comparisons. Is the BJ set directly at the camera? If so it would seem to yield some different results...Amp placement is so important IMO. The Princeton seems to be in last place here but I believe up front and personal the Deluxe and the Princeton would be the winners. BJ always seems overly bright. I would think also that these amps might give up the goods better or worse at the different volumes, the Princeton might be getting pushed a little farther than what is good for it, or for its circuit. I would take the 64 Deluxe over all these amps. Great work!

I take it your a batchelor.

Good video!! Deluxe for the win! Very surprised how good the Blues JR sounded, specifically compared with the Princeton. The Princeton really had nothing going for it compared to the other 2 and I usually like Princeton’s!

Thank you Sir! Beautiful playing and my favourite guitar going through my favorite guitar amps. I’m so tempted to get blues junior. May I ask your favorite?

That's the first video I watch from you and I just loved your playing, specially the harmonics, they are really cool, man. Just bought the Princeton Reverb and I'm in love with it, but with the tele it's the one i liked the least from this video hahaha. I loved the sound with the strat, though, really sweet I feel like they are all nice though.

Loved them all, unfortunately had to listen thru phone on the night so probably wasn't getting the nuances but do own that model of bls jnr and love it, however did really dig that midrange poke from the princton

Finally, 2/3 through the video, you plug-in to the deluxe!

Best comparison I love my jr more again...thank you

Tip- when playing backing tracks, especially any that include Drums with cymbals, use Studio Monitors or even a home theatre set-up if you are playing at home. It will sound MUCH nicer. Guitar amps are terrible at reproducing a full range signal and forget about cymbals. It becomes a muddy mess. They are great at replicating GUITAR only. Also, not vocals. Monitors will shine in that regard. I got mine for $200 and they sing. I have tried it both ways- A and B and there is no comparison. I use them with my Trio+.

Wonderful playing. Great demo

Another great Gary video. I’m interested in the Princeton re-issue but got to say the Bjr sounds pretty awesome too. So many decisions . The hand wired exceeds my budget. Thanks for sharing. Love that tele too.

Great play. I tried a princeton reissue at a shop. It wasn't stunning at all for my taste. I think each guitarist has a different flavor on amplifier character. I tried a 64 true vintage amplifier at another shop. Even though a rental Fender strato was in terrible condition, that amplifier tone was perfect. I wanna own it if could live in a big house someday.

The Blues Jr sounds kinda like a baby deluxe, the Princeton sounds different than the other 2.

super vids amigo. I wish we could jam together more! ...such sweet sounds but I gotta say I'm prejudiced against the Blues Jr.'s "boxy" sound...which somehow you seeme to have avoided here. Great sounds are possible if you dial it in right I guess...and you're the Gairman!

GREAT! Presentation! Now I regret selling my Blues Jr. II

Speaker and cab design plays a part as well.

Do not be fooled by listening to amp reviews on RU-vid. The Blues Junior is a toy amp. It sounds ok, rather boxy and small sounding to me. I have owned a couple. They will leave you high and dry in the middle of a gig. It all has to do with how the tube sockets are mounted; right on the circuit board! This amp gets very hot. The tube sockets can be repaired a couple of times, but it's for the most part a disposable amp. Spend a little more and get the Princeton. Even more and get the DRRI. I currently own my favorite Fender of all time. 68 Custom Pro Reverb. You get what you pay for in Fender amps. Also, stay away from the HotRod Deluxe. They sound good, but will also break down.

I like your crisp sound and play.

My compliments Sir. Really !!! Most on RU-vid that attempt this type of review are FAR from Professional Status. Very Good Job !!!! Its hard to deal with Fender at times due to Fender changing Tone Stacks all the time. When Fender went to the general Marshall TS it lost it's Soul for a while. I will always prefer the DR. But the BDRI and BJ I have...their tone stacks were modded to the 60s TS. And they sound Classic Fender. I agree completely. The EL84s are Brit.. Period.

Some of it I liked the Princeton and some the deluxe

Great comparo, thanks! Overall sound and sweetness goes to Deluxe. But your playing brought out nice tones from other too as well 🎸😎

cant sleep on blues jr clean sounds for practice. very fulfilling imo

I love this comparison. I’m leaning toward a Blues Jr. I had a Blues Deluxe Reissue but it was heavy and hard to dial the volume in for certain size venues. This looks like a great option for sure

But wait coming up on the rails to take it by a nose its...The Roland Cube Micro Amp.!

Excellent playing too!

I have both the the Blues Jr. and the 65 Princeton Reverb both with stock speakers. When using an A/B switch I find my Princeton has a deeper and clearer tone than the Jr. I do use the fat button on the Jr., as without it, it's way too bright for my tastes. My Princeton with a Fender Hotrod (12" stock celestial Seventy 80 speaker) bass cabinet has given me the best tone of all my amps with any cabinets attached. My collection consists a Henrikson 312 jazz amp.,Polytone 12 " Mini-Brute 2, Polytone Mini-Brute 4 (15" speaker), Roland Jazz 40(2 10" speakers), Quilter Micro Pro(8" speaker) with Cab(12" speaker), Quilter Mach 2 combo (12" speaker) and the Blues Jr. plus the 65 Princeton Reverb(Tweed). I have A/B'd all of these amps against the 65 Princeton over and over and the 65 Princeton always comes out on top. I realize tone is subjective but, if you heard what I hear in my comparisons, you might agree with me. My musicals tastes are the old standards, Rockabilly, some country, and pop from 1950- 1980. I don't really care for the Blues as I'm a pretty happy guy. Well, that's my two cents from someone who is all about tone. p.s. The choice of pick thickness is crucial for variation in tone. This demo shows the Blues Jr. to have a sweeter tone than the 65 Princeton. The vintage Princeton comes out on top. Hey, you like what you like. Gary Flagg Buffalo, N.Y. .

First time hearing a Blues Jr wow , so what type is that ?

Sounds like your princeton wants to be a tweed amp. Somethings wrong. I have the same stuff. The black faced Princeton is fenders scooped Sound.

Had the blues jr 3. Great amp and ive recommended it to many people. Recently bought the bordeaux reserve princeton w/12" speaker. Another great amp. Anybody hating on blues jrs i think are trying to get jcm800 tones out of em or somethin!! One of those amps seems to sound good at almost any setting. All these sound great

Good video and very interesting. I have a 65 Princeton reissue and it's been my go to amp for some time now. I absolutely fell in love with it from the start. I'm really not sure what all the differences are between your and mine, but such a different tone. I do not have a Blues Jr. However I have a clone of one. I like it, but not in the same way. I had it before my Princeton and it left me looking for that one amp. This was a very different sounding comparison. I'll have to try my hand at one of those Blues Jrs. It's always wise to keep an open mind and try things out. Good video bud.

Delux by a country mile for me

Excellent review/comparrison. My favorite is of course the 64... but the blues Jr sound pretty good too. ...but that 64 is obviously the best.

That telecaster is the real winner

They all sound good at this volume The Princeton will fart out first on a bigger stage The Blues Junoir will get a bit more strident at higher volume settings The Deluxe will have the headroom necessary for even an outdoor event The Blues Junoir is a great lightweight tubeamp and the speaker change they did to the iv has done wonders, the old being too stiff for 15 watt. And if you use the EQ well it comes close to the Princeton but without the farting out. I use a blues jr ii for all my rehearsals and smaller clubs

Wow… what a perfect a/b/c compare. And you’re a monster player to boot. I too would lean on the HW Deluxe as my go to rig. Thanks for this video.

Hard to compete with a hand wired deluxe reverb. Like one of the greatest amps in history. The others sound good too

I think I actually preferred the sound of the blues junior with that guitar, which surprised me.

My take is 3 great amps with excellent tone. You could work with any of these. I have the Deluxe reverb and it's a fine amp along with some Twin Reverbs and a couple old Bassman heads. Since I also play pedal steel guitar I use the bigger amps more often. It's hard not to own too many classic amps. Great job Gary.

Interesting how the cabinet size dictates the openness of the sound! Naturally the power creates the feel as well!

Do you feel the Jensen impacts the Blues Jr tone much? That's one of the best Blues Jr sounds I've heard

Great review! I’ve seen the Blues Jr. offered with a Jensen C12N speaker and an Eminence Red White and Blues speaker. Which speaker do you recommend?

I have the same Blues Jr, and agree it produces some great tones. The biggest problem for me is it sounds a little "boxy" and I suspect that is due to the size and case design. The boxy feel and sound of the amp is impossible to "demo" and showcase, I think it must be experienced. I also have a Voc AC15 handwired, this is also a 15watt amp but the casing is much bigger than the Blues Jr and it just sounds much more massive and has a bigger soundscape than the Fender. This has convinced me (for now) to try and get another, bigger Fender amp. Still the Blues Jr. wins points for practicality and for being home-friendly. Anyone with the same observations?

Great video, Gary! I also own a Blues Junior LTD version IV and want to know what drive pedals you use with it. Which work the best do you think?