Sometimes a three isn't a three, Junior (of the Fender Blues variety)

My lack of desire for another guitar has lead me to turn to the amp section to feed my endless addiction. There are two things I "need" as of this week: A low watt Fender-ish amp, and a delay pedal.

In both cases, I've owned them both before and sold them.

Typical. Idiot. Me.

My desire has turned my attention to the obvious low wattage Fender amp, the Blues Junior.  The availability of these over the years has always been consistent, but there are definitely high and low tides.  It's looking like high tide this week...

I've owned two Blues Juniors, the first of which as a Version 1 purchased from Macauley's Music in Cambridge, Ontario.

Careful with buying a Blues Junior on  the secondary market.  There have been three versions, and no, they aren't the same.  I'm not getting into it here - there is lots of information out there on the differences.  Suffice to say I've owned the first and the third version, and they didn't get better with time IMHO.  The "version III" is far too bright and far too sterile. #fenderfail?

There's no "mojo"*, whatever that means.

*Look, I know it's a bullshit term meant to conjure images of Jimi facking Hendrix - and yeah, I just used it.  There is some truth in even the most seemingly superficial statement I suppose?  Either that or lazy.

Yeah, more likely lazy.*

Seriously though, if you want a great little tube amp, it's hard to go wrong with these.  Just don't believe everything you read.  Check out these two pictures:

Different posts, different owners.  Both being advertised as a "Fender Blues Junior III". Same amp?

NOOOOOOOPE.

One of them isn't a version III.

Can you tell me which one?

If you know anything about these amps, you'd know immediately that the one on the left is a version 3, and the one on the right is a version 1 or 2.  How do we know?

The handle.  The one on the left is forever locked in that arc.  The one on the right is a traditional handle, the type you'd find on the DRRI and the SRRI.  Look for the metal anchors that the handle disappears into.

Are there other ways to tell?  Of course.  The V1 and V2 have chrome panels, the V3 has a black panel, along with reversed (or not?) labeling.  I believe the stock speaker is different as well, with the V1 and V2 being a Fender Eminence design, and the V3 being labelled as a Fender Eminence "Lightning" or some such crap.

In any case, these two are listed within $25 of each other, which means they could be had for the same scratch.  Buy the one on the right.  Trust me.

Make sure the reverb works though, and isn't buzz-y.  That can be an issue.

As for the difference between the V1 and V2, it comes down to the circuit board. The V1 board was green, the V2 cream.  The first is considered more desirable I think.  I haven't owned the second, so maybe that is merely bullshit opinion.

In any case, buy the V1 or V2.  Avoid the V3.  Make sure the reverb tank is working, then go out and get a Celestion Vintage 30 for it.  But order it through a Mesa Boogie dealer, and request that they order it from Boogie directly, not Celestion.

Trust me.  There's a difference.