Fender HotRod Deluxe II or Fender Blues Jr III?

[jetluga]

Hey, guys! First time poster here. Hoping you could help me out with my dilemma:

I have an opportunity to purchase either a brand new Fender Blues Jr. III or a second-hand Fender HotRod Deluxe II. Both will end up costing me around the same price. I need your help in figuring out which one I should buy. I know the HotRod Deluxe is a bigger amp and will be really useful for gigging, however, I'm mostly a bedroom guitarist. Maybe I'll end up gigging in the future, I don't know. But again, it's the older model HotRod. I'm wondering if that has any substantial difference in tone compared to buying a brand new model of the Blues Jr? Is the brand new Blues Jr. worth buying over the old HotRod Deluxe despite it being a smaller amp?

Looking forward to hear your thoughts guys!

Guitars: 2014 Fender MIM Strat (upgraded to Fat 50s) and 2016 Squier Vintage Modified 70s Strat

[melody]

Welcome to TFF...

The Blues JR will be loud for bedroom jamming the Deluxe will be insanely loud. The hot rod deluxe are known to have issues. Dunno about II or III series line but do know both amps sound good. I would lean towards the BJ just for the home use and it will be a good choice for jamming with friends..

[NTBluesGuitar]

Blues Jr.

The Hot Rods are very loud and have dependability issues.

[VibroCount]

Most places where you might gig can mike the smaller amp and bring it to big volume.

I know a number of gigging guitarists with Blues Juniors. I use a Red Nova Blues Junior III.

[FrankJohnson]

Having both - I would say you can't go wrong with a decent Jr.

That said - I will also say that I have seen a LOT or touring guys who have/use Jr.s and they do just fine. They are not quiet amps- and set to the sweet spot with a OD pedal- have no issues getting to gig volume, and as mentioned - can be mic'd in if you need more.

I do sound at a venue 4-6X a month - and the amount of grossly oversized amps that come through the place is amazing. The fact that many players cannot ascertain that they are using them WAY too loud just makes me shake my head.

[GregsGuitars]

PARTIALLY EDITED BY MODERATOR.

If you want a smaller amp look into the Epiphone valve juniors, they were decent amps, several to choose from and the smallest one if I remember correctly was like 7 watts...

[Gravity Jim]

I have a blues junior for small spaces and a tweed one from their first year of production presently for sale ...PM if interested.
If you want a smaller amp look into the Epiphone valve juniors, they were decent amps, several to choose from and the smallest one if I remember correctly was like 7 watts...

I know you might not get this concept, since it appears to be the entirety of your contribution so far, but you're not supposed to be hawking your crap for sale in the open forums.

[ch willie]

Dude... Buy an ad like everyone else.

[pc]

I have a blues junior ...for sale ...PM if interested.

While you are more than welcome to speak to the admin about becoming an advertising vendor, TFF's (very few) rules do preclude you from advertising items for sale as a standard member. Please be mindful of this for future posts. Thanks!

[Offshore Angler]

Blues Jr. hands down. The Hot Rod is known for reliability problems, and the reverb sounds not-so-good.Plus, I never really liked the sound of the Hot Rods. They're overly loud and yet seem to disappear in the mix. Either is a bit much for a bedroom amp. At those volumes you'd probably get better sound with a POD or similar device. The HR seems have been designed to give a solo, boingy SRV sound when that was all the rage.

If you aim is to gig remember that amps that sound full and round in the music store tend to get lost onstage and amps that are a bit "bitey" alone tend to sound great when placed in context with bass and a kick. The sound you use for all alone your room is not the one you want onstage.

Chuck

[ch willie]

The sound you use for all alone your room is not the one you want onstage. Chuck

Our failure to understand this has resulted in a booming aftermarket pickup biz

[chuckocaster]

Blues Jr is probably the better choice for you, and even though it's "only" 15 watts, it's still gonna be pretty loud! I don't think they've radically changed anything on the Hot Rod series, I in fact read an article a couple weeks ago where they did a shootout. I think they preferred the older version as the speaker was more broken in.

Check out "Tone Report Weekly", they're an online magazine and have great articles. They're also the ones who did the shootout

If you do gig in the future you should have plenty of amp, unless you're playing outside or with guys who insist they're still playing in the 70's. You can add an extension cab or mic up the amp and throw a little through the PA.

[GregsGuitars]

I know you might not get this concept, since it appears to be the entirety of your contribution so far, but you're not supposed to be hawking your crap for sale in the open forums.

Yes, I should have PM'd the OP, but why be rude with replies?

[Gravity Jim]

Yes, I should have PM'd the OP, but why be rude with replies?

Because I've been a member of this forum for many, many years, through a lot of changes both personal and in the forum, and it's always been my first source for solid advice and moral support. I know these guys, and this is the last guitar forum that hasn't been overrun with teenage knuckleheads or vintage corksniffers. This is a sort of elite man cave, and the guys who hang here are the coolest.

So it rankled me to see a new member with a guitar store's name as his screen name begin posting virtually nothing but pics of guitars from that store, either sold or for sale. I'm sure you understand that the effect on me was pretty close to doing said man-cave hang with The Guys, when someone I've never seen before starts handing out business cards.

I apologize for being rude. It's just what I do.

[GregsGuitars]

I completely understand and graciously accept your apology. The last thing I want to do on any forum is not be a welcomed member, I have been on forums for more years than I can count and do like to engage in constructive conversations regarding our passion(s) for all things stringed. I never want to come across as someone with a hidden agenda and am more than forthright in stating who I am or what I do within the guitar community.I just read the OP's post and gave my honest answer.