rhykko77 I was wondering how he was. that sucks but I've got a blues jr. with basically every mod he came up with that will live on and probably live on with grandkids if i ever have any.
1:00 - 'R21 and R22 on the green board.' Is that correct? My green board has R31 and R32 exactly in the positions shown in this video....and underneath a blue trimpot as shown here R21 and R22 are in 2 entirely different locations. Thanks!
I did a Billm mod on my BJ3 cream board and it was a huge improvement! BUT THEN...I attempted to revive a muddy-toned early BJ from the 90s and it still sounds muddy. I tested just the head with the BJ3 speaker, swapped the tubes and still nothing fixed it. I did the Basic Kit mod, bias control, High-Voltage Preamp mod, Re-Cap Kit, and replaced the input jack. ***UPDATE: I found the problem. After the mods on the green board I needed to clip the C35 capacitor to get rid of that muddy tone. C35 is the voicing cap that the later cream board models did away with (C9). Could also replace it with a 300pF if it's now too bright.
Hello Rick, thanks a lot! I am looking for a way to fix my 1996 green board BJ. Even in the Bill mods page i didnt find a mod or suggestion fot this particular issue. I have very basic knowledge of electronics. This clipoff job can be a DIY or should i approach an amp tech? Will have an effect if i dont do the basic kit mod? i live in europe and the mod kits are expensive to come by. Thanks again!
So sorry to hear Bill has passed away...I have a question about his homemade trace probe...do you trace on an amplifier that is turned on or is he amplifier off when you inject the signal?....what happens if the amp turns on and immediately blows fuse?
So the tubes on my Blues Jr III need to be changed. Do I have to set up the bias after that? Or is it fixed and I can play again after just installing the new tubes ?
so, I just installed a lot of Billm mods, including the bias mod. Good news, I have sound (a great sound actually!) and I can measure the voltage of the bias: clip to ground and clip to R31/R32. But I cannot measure the Voltage drop between the brown wire and the power cap like shown in this video... I guess my amp is running a little too cold but that's okay... Just wondering what the problem could be... any suggestions?
so, after a couple of weeks playing, today I tried to set the bias again, but just for the sake of if I've put one clip on the power cap and one clip on the blue(azl) wire and I could measure the voltage drop... after this I measured between ground and R31/32 and it did read approx. 11.6V When I turn the amp on standby the voltage slightly increases and when I turn it on again the voltage drops to 11.6...
Maybe someone can answer this question: In this video it looks like BillM removed R51 and R52 and jumped them but I can't tell how he connected the pot. I saw where someone put a pot by replacing R52 but left in R51. From the schematic R51 and R52 are in series and putting a pot on R52 allows for adjusting bios. If you remove R51 and R52 and put in the pot the way BillM has it in the video, what happens to or at C33?
Hey mate! please help me with the wires of the transformer for blues junior. I have а black, white, white with black stripe and violet. What for every wire?
I too was a victim of the billm scam. After placing an order on 12/10/19 I haven’t been able to reach these people by phone or email. They also don’t respond to New Jersey BBB inquires. Steer clear of this fraudulent website!
Wow, some rude responses, but I guess that's what you get for placing a rude remark. But, what they are saying is... it's possible you placed an order before (or during) Bill's death. They've tried to correct all these type issues, from what I understand... but maybe not all?
There is also the Ken Fischer method where you shunt the output transformer primary and measure the current flow through the plate. This is DANGOUS so be very careful and know when you are out of your depth.
I have a stock Blues Jr. III NOS. if I just want to replace the stock tubes with JJ replacements (nothing wrong with the stock tubes, just looking to improve the sound) of the same type/size, do I even need to bias the amp or can I just install the new tubes and begin using it? Thanks!
Is it advisable to download it from the factory settings? I do not have the necessary equipment, I can only turn the loop a little to make the adjustment? would it be to the right or left?
Finding the right amp tech and supplying the cost for the upgrade, it's a fairly inexpensive amp, I'd love the upgrade for sure I had this amp for about 18 yrs.
Hi. I had my mods done by someone else as this stuff is pretty over my head. Bias, I assume, was set when the mod was done by the shop. I'm now looking at retubing, even though I don't NEED to, because I want more headroom. JJ tubes sells kits and BEFORE I modded, I chose a matched set for high gain. Now I want more "low gain" tubes. I assume I should rebias, but is it necessary - or can I get away with the bias that was (probably) set on the high gain tubes when the amp was modded?
At this time I'm not finding the kits for sale, but you can DIY using the parts list: smithtinkertech.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/upgrading-the-fender-blues-jr-the-plan/ Then find each part at Reverb, Ebay, Digikey, or where you like. Further advice about DIY: "For the tone stack caps, anything above 400VDC will be ok. Usually these mods called for a 50K pot. It's replacing a half watt resistor." www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/caps-specs-for-fender-blues-jr-upgrades.1518894/ If you prefer a kit, there are Fromel kits, fromelelectronics.com/collections/amp-mod-kits, not identical to BillM kits but similar. Fromel based his Blues Jr mods on his own mods for Hot Rod Deluxe, which has a similar tone stack.
@@shckltnebay Yeah, lately I see a lot of comments that BJrs aren't worth the trouble. I'm still deciding. I've had two in storage for years, which I'm now dusting off and repairing. I've been out of the loop, I feel like I just stepped out of a time capsule or bomb shelter, since I've been playing acoustic only for around 20 years. I'd be interested to know, what is your preferred low-power amp these days?
Billm mods online. According to the main page, Bill after a long illness, passed on in October of 2016 , but soon his son who has been working with him for years, will be reopening and running it himself. I have done all Bill's basic mods and several others also ..... quite pleased.