Purchased a Fender Pro Jr - can't wait to get rid of it

[crossroadsnyc]

I'd ratherhave a BJ than a PJ too!

I'd take a PB&J over a PJ.

 

[Alter]

Lol, all you proved is that it's the player and not the gear.

I suspect you could use an empty beer can with a bunch of wasps in it for a fuzz pedal and sound good.

Thanks, but that's not always the case. I have gigged the pro junior IV a lot, blues and jazz, and have had people play through it with electrics, semis and hollow bodies. It can handle everything. It is however a bit of a weak choice for home playing at low volume, cause the bass is kind of weak due to the tweed character and the small enclosure. I can totally get someone not liking the amp at home, and live also if you dislike the mid heavy, tweed tone it has. The Blues junior is a much more versatile amp, i've had an american made older one, but i thought it didn't really have a Fender character and it was too heavy and cubersome for a 15 watt amp. Still a good amp. The Pro Junior does one thing, but to my ears it's much better.

Here's the pro junior again with cleaner playing at a rehearsal:

 

[LPman]

Well well folks. Surprise update! It turns out that this cheap little thing is not half bad after all!

After basically a decade of playing on my cranked beast of a '69 JMP stack religiously, I guess my ears were not that easy to please. You could have handed me the latest $$$ boutique $$$ handwired p-t-p superstar MVP amp and watch me turning it off with disgust after 5 mins of playing just the same.

This little beast is not the 8th wonder of tube amps but it definitely has its place in the right environment with the right guitar (I recommend one with P90s). I would even call it a great recording amp after experiencing and learning the list of things it can't do and getting familiar with that one or two things it delivers truthfully.

I thought the JMP is the one trick pony and now realized it's a universal amp compared to this small simple sexy box. The Pro Jr IV Tweed does one thing but does it explosively: big fat juicy, swampy, squishy, chewy, fuzzy power tube saturation. It's the opposite of the super clear, percussive, jackhammer attitude of the JMP. The JMP is a pitbull ready to attack and tear your head off. This is a different animal but far from being unlikable!

Listen to what I was able to coax out of it with my '68 SG Special and my mediocre playing and decide it for yourself. Both two knobs are dimed to max on the amp, no external effects, no added EQ, just the guitar's tone and vol controls and a touch of added reverb. Mic'd up with a budget Shure mic.

(PS: of course what you really hear is the JMP in the background, but don't tell it to those squares on the Fender forum whom I will sell the amp and make a few well-deserved bucks)

 

[Mike_LA]

(PS: of course what you really hear is the JMP in the background, but don't tell it to those squares on the Fender forum whom I will sell the amp and make a few well-deserved bucks)

Ok, so I'm full blown gonzo cofused, ummm, which amp are we hearing?
Yah, like the playing, sounds good, man I wish my old lady wasn't working from home now, can't play my tubes as much as I used to.
Keep rockin!

 

[1958LPJR]

Been gigging exclusively with Pro Jr's since 1995. Frankly any one that says they aren't good amps likely has never played one, or owned or they are all about judging amps by onboard distortion available.
I have 6, from American 95's through to and up to the model IV's. I have rented two of mine to Bill Frisell as backline for shows at An Die Musik in Baltimore, seen Leni Stern using them in the Dennis Chambers band, Dan Baird has toured with them for years, and Bonnie Raitt frequently records with them. It's one of the best pedal platforms and does not need to be wide open as some here have said to come in to it's own.
Sorry but ragging on these like their junk is not true.

 

[X2203xman]

I miss mine.It was a great pedal platform.I used to crank it through a greenback "12 cab then attenuate it to tighten up the bottom end and it sounded pretty good.

 

[AlvisX]

It's in the way that you use it .......


Pro Junior is one of the best pieces of over the counter gear you can buy
Done a LOTTA gigs with the PJ since around 1994...electric guitar / harmonica / acoustic guitar . There's usually one onstage every night , doing somethin

Fender has been makin amps since the 40's . I feel like there's no real "Fender" sound ....just a sweepin' generalization associated with the brand

The Pro Junior is a very "tweed" sounding amp IMO . It's very simple .... too simple
It gives to nothing to hide behind .
Like all amps, they could stand a little tuning. One of the best /easiest things you can do with a PJ is, put a 12at7 in the phase inverter and a 12ay7 in V1. I do this mostly because the PJ is usually my harmonica amp on my band gigs ...but it also gives you a little more range ,up the dial as you move into overdriven guitar territory

All my pro juniors (I have 5) are 20 to 30 yrs old, so I have no real clue about the present model
But I imagine they haven't changed much . It's saved my ass from being fired on many a gig

 

[AlvisX]

Oh BTW , the Blues Junior kinda sucks . It's not remotely anything like the Pro
I guess its attractive to some people cuz it has a 12' and a reverb ....whatever
Like I said , I own 5 pro juniors , zero blues juniors
I would never buy one

PJ in various situations at the house

 

[Crikey]

I play on my trusted old '69 Marshall JMP 50 exclusively but decided to make my feet wet with Fenders out of curiosity so I purchased a nice Tweed Pro Junior IV combo with the Jansen Alnico speaker. I didn't want to spend a fortune, I thought the simple Pro Jr circuit would serve as a good benchmark for the tube Fender tone. Everyone online praises these small amps and generally prefer them to the bigger Blues Jr version. Jeff Beck using 4 of them on stage and all.

Well it arrived today. I had other small amps before both with EL 84s and 6v6 (Marshall DSL 15, Vox Night Train, Orange TT). Here's the thing: I'm unable to coax any usable tone out of it, no matter if I use the stock combo speaker (which sounds nice and full btw) or any of my own cabs with various Celestion and Eminence speakers. This amp is insanely noisey, it's slow responding to the touch (I'm used to the JMP's jack hammer like percussiveness) and once it's turned up the lows go into flab city. It overdrives in a way that is similar to a cheap fuzz pedal.

I can't even say anything special about the cleans because my old JMP does the jangly stuff better too. I guess I'm not a Fender guy...I was really excited but now I can't wait to get rid of it. Wish there was a chance to try it first.

Give it a few days and you may dial it in. Prolly works best with a strat or tele