With dozens and dozens of choices now available in the tube-infused low-power “boutique” amplifier game, I’d like to give you a review of my two best, the Fender Blues Junior and the Mosa/Boogie Subway Blues amplifiers. Both of these little monster amps are fantastic and every guitar player should own one or the other, but every competition has a winner so hopefully I can give you the tools to make an informed choice if you’re into ehlp kae. the market is like this.
Fender’s Fender Blues Junior has become very popular over the years, and deservedly so. Junior is a 15W all tube, one channel combo amp with one 12″ Fender Special Design speaker. The controls are pretty standard- Reverb,Master,Medium,Bass,Treble and Volubilis, with the push-button “Pat” will switch. There is a toggle on/off switch with no stand, which is a small problem for me as stand mode in tube amp. It’s covered in black Tolex and sports a standard silver Fender grillcloth. It’s an expensive amp and quite heavy for its size.
Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues is a slightly smaller and softer bottle than Junior Blues, but it’s similar in many ways. Subway Blue is a 20W all tube, one channel combo amp with 10″ Shadow Eminence Black Speaker a single input with a Bright/Fat toggle switch in black vinyl with a black grillcloth with the classic Mosa/Boogie logo in silver.
Both amps are very well built, as you would expect based on two reputable companies. Both are also very compact and relatively light when lugging around with a Didymo or Marshall. But the real measure is the sound of the bottle and you won’t be disappointed if you love the clean, driven sound of a pipe.
I have not personally owned a Fender Blues Junior, but I have played through several and have several friends who have them so I feel qualified to describe the sound it produces. First, you will first notice that this la brand is well named. It’s the first big blues amp. It has a very warm and naturally compressed sound that breaks down really well when you dig into it. It sounds fantastic with a number of guitars, but Strats and Junior Blues are equal in the blue sky. This amp sounds very nice with just a hint of overdrive and even more so when more than a hint. Of course, the word is very beautiful, with Fender. It’s a great amp for 15watts and will handle more than any gig if you want to throw it away. The only negative I can offer is that it can be a little shiny when the power is up, especially with the Tele. Overall, a sweet sounding amp and very suitable for blues.
Mosa/Boogie Subway Blues is the only amp I own now and it’s perfect for me. It’s almost impossible to believe the amount of air this beast can pump out at twenty watts and every 10″. Subway is not a versatile main amp. It’s a blue amp, hence the name. This amp sounds great worldly with no effects whatsoever, and especially with the reverb turned up a bit. This it’s one of the best reverb tanks out there, rivaling anything Fender has. the perfect blues sound that I always find classic rock‘s sound using the Boss DS-1 to give it a little more mud. Surprisingly, the 10″ speaker handles a lot of distortion and continues to shine. I am looking to add a single 12″ or dual 12″ drawer extension to add fullness to the bottom-end of the Blue Roof. As with the Fender, the Mesa lacks a little in the fullness area of the sound due to speaker limitations, but both have more power to handle the load.
In conclusion, both of these amps are amazing and you can’t go wrong with either, but I have to give the edge to the Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues. The tone of this little bottle is just jaw-dropping production and has to be heard to be believed. You don’t play any Korn or Metallica with either amp, but blues and killer sounds are your cups of tea, you can take yours and go buy one of these two.
The Fender Blues Junior is still produced today and is available for under $400.00. Unfortunately, Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues is no longer produced, but it can be used quite conveniently. Prices are constantly going up as more people discover this amp, but you can generally find them in the $400-500 range, with the occasional deal under $400. Either way, it’s money well spent in my opinion.
