Billm Audio» Billm Audio Blues Junior Mods

Series III Blues Junior: First Review

bill — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:52:15 +0000

I just got back from Guitar Center with the first Series III Blues Junior and it’s already in pieces on my bench. Fender claims a bunch of improvements, but only two of them affect tone: the “sparkle” mod and the new Lightning Bolt speaker. continue reading…

Anthony Stauffer reviews Billm Mods

bill — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:20:16 +0000

Anthony Stauffer, proprietor of the Stevie Snacks and Old Tone Zone sites, had some mods done. Here’s his review:

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Plug in headphones or play through good speakers for full effect.

His amp was the first to get the new coupling cap mod that’s now standard in all the basic kits.

Revised Basic Mods: New Coupling Caps Available

bill — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:41:37 +0000

All basic mods kits now include replacement preamp coupling capacitors in addition to the other components. The new Orange Drop caps dramatically improve the low-end responsiveness of the Blues Junior without changing its essential tone. Not all Orange Drop caps are created equal; these fit perfectly and are the right construction for smooth, vintage tone.

If you have an order in progress, you will receive the new preamp caps. If you received your basic mods before March 22, 2010, you can order the kit, postpaid. The price is $4.50 for US domestic delivery or $6.50 for international delivery. The preamp caps are postpaid; they can’t be combined with any of the orders on the mod kits and services page.

Introducing: The TO20 Output Transformer!

bill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:15:49 +0000

This brilliant new output transformer, co-developed with Allen Amps’ David Allen, is a breakthrough for the Blues Junior, Pro Junior, Princeton Reverb Reissue, and Super Champ XD. Designed from the ground up to provide big-transformer performance in the least possible space, the TO20 is built by respected US manufacturer Heyboer, fits the stock mounting holes in all of these amps and has the same height as the stock transformer. The “widebody” core is made of premium M6 steel, which has superior magnetic properties, allowing maximum efficiency and power transfer from primary to secondary. The low-profile TO20 outweighs the stock OT by at least half a pound! Continue reading.

A Very Special Blues Junior

bill — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:05:49 +0000

This is the 1000th Billm-modded Blues Junior.

New! I finally added some sound files so you can hear what it sounds like.

Or as close as I can figure, given the number of components I’ve ordered over the years, shipping records, etc.

I decided to pull out all the stops on this one. I started with a basic black Blues Junior, the perfect platform for a stealth amp that can blow away some much more expensive hardware.

With 5881s, it puts out 25 watts and sounds awesome!

Updates:

bill — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:25:17 +0000

April 6, 2010, Added “Fixing Simple Printed Circuit Board Mistakes”
July 16, 2009, Updated “Aftermarket Knobs: Bad Idea” with a cure for shaft wobble.
May 19, 2009, Added “EL84 vs. 6V6 vs. 5881”
May 11, 2009, Updated “The TwinStack Mod”
May 1, 2009, Updated, added speaker reviews. “The Right Speaker for your Blues Junior”
April 26, 2009, Added standby power switch to available Mods and Services
April 16, 2009, Updated, added speaker reviews. “The Right Speaker for your Blues Junior”
April 2, 2009, Added “The Right Speaker for your Blues Junior”
April 2, 2009, Added “Footswitches for Fat/Clean Boost Footswitch Option”
March 31, 2009, Updated “Blues Junior Revision History” with speaker basics
March 27, 2009, Added ECC88 info (very bad idea), “What About Tubes?”
March 15, 2009: Added “Bad Caps in New Blues Juniors”
February 19, 2009: Interviewed at the 5th Fret blog
February 8, 2009: Added “Aftermarket Knobs: Bad Idea”
February 7, 2009: Updated “Warning”
February 6, 2009: Added “Blues Junior Revision History”
February 1, 2009: New information and photo, “What About Tubes?“

New! Standby Switch for Blues Junior

bill — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:04:55 +0000

By popular demand! People have been asking me for years for a standby switch on the Blues Junior, and here it is.

There isn’t room inside the chassis for another switch next to the power switch, even if you relocate the pilot light. Yes, you could cram a cheesy little switch in there, but we’re talking high voltage here, and only a heavy-duty switch will do. Fortunately, Carling, the same company that makes the power switch that’s in your Blues Junior, makes a clever progressive switch. It has three positions: off, standby, on–very logical. In standby, the high voltage supply is cut off. The filament and bias supplies receive power.

The kit is super-easy to install.

Read more here or order it from the Mod Kits and Services page.

New Home of the Billm Mods

bill — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:04:48 +0000

Welcome to the new home of the Billm mods for the Fender Blues Junior and other amps. I’m gradually moving here from my old site,
http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bluesjunior.htm.

Warning!

bill — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:53:59 +0000

Not all Billm mods are created equal! Some amps advertised on eBay as new, with Billm mods, are neither built by me nor use my kits or parts that I specify. I have had the occasion to examine a couple of these amps, and I believe that some of the components used and workmanship do not meet my standards, nor industry/safety standards. I’m not about to teach an imitator how to do a better job, so I won’t go into detail here, but as a potential purchaser, you should make an informed decision. Also, some clone kits use incorrect parts that do not fit well or may cause hum.

Update:
Now I see the main offender claiming on eBay that Blues Juniors are cathode biased and that adjustable bias is DEAD WRONG (his emphasis). Um, Blues Juniors are not cathode biased. Then he includes a quote from Randall Smith (Mesa Boogie) that mentions bias but is otherwise completely irrelevant. I see that I’ve embarrassed the guy into providing isolation washers, but he still isn’t using shielded wire on the input jack.