Fender Pro Junior IV (Small & Simple Tube Amp)
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Fender Pro Junior IV (Small & Simple Tube Amp)
Is the Pro JR the business? It's compact, fairly affordable, 15 watts, but does it sound any good? It's also really simple. It only has two controls. Even I can operate it.
It looks like a classic Fender tube amp, tweed and all.
I hope you enjoy!
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At Sweetwater here in my homestate of Indiana USA. This amp new is listed at $499.99 sir.
@@hoosierdaddy2308 Thanks for the info :)
@@MrPolevaulter Absolutely my friend.
The speaker is plugged into the amp chassis via a 1/4-inch plug. You can run an external cab from there.
That circuit was design by Bruce Zinky imitating the Supro Thunderbolt downsized to 15 w. I would really like it if comes without particle board cabinet, 6v6 ínstead el84 and a better pcb electrónic. But sounds very good and it’s Fender best choice among core amps. IMO
I know I was one of the ones singing the praises of this amp when you were asking for amp suggestions, so 1. Thanks for doing a review! And 2. Sorry you didn’t love it as much as I did. Great review as always though, I do love a good high gain monster but for a compact, reasonably loud, off-clean sound, the Pro Jr. is a personal fave. I’d be looking to pick one up if I wasn’t already eyeballing a new acoustic. Maybe one day!
No worries. We can't all like the same stuff, and that's what makes all of this fun. It would be boring if we all liked the same things.
These amps are a lot better than you think. They are a simple amp but perfect for blues and classic rock. As for plugging into another speaker cab, all you need to do is unplug the internal speaker. Jeff Beck has run a pair of these into quad boxes on large stages. With a Strat, I like to run mine with the the volume at 7/8 which is at the point of breakup and the tone back to 4. Use your volume pot on your guitar if you want it a little cleaner. For smooth creamy leads anything with a little mid boost will work.
I think this amp is good enough to make a good jam it sounds great and tween even more beautiful than the Blues junior two knobs you no need anymore
I turned the amp into a tweed head/cab unit. Used a mojotone pre made head cab with an oversize mojotone 1x12 cab with a weber 12A150. No pedals, no reverb. Killer.
I think it is great little amp and really like this demo
It's May 30 2024 when I'm making this comment, but right now, it sells at Sweetwater for $499 USD
I’m gonna get one. It’s my thing.
Nobody has mentioned the scalloped neck…….
Tulipahan "puskan takaa" tämä kanava, kun hain tästä vahvistimesta tietoa. Hyvä, että tuli, on tullut katsottua muitakin videoita. Kiitos näistä! Ja kyllä, Pro Junior on tulossa.
Kiitos Arto :)
I don’t understand the pricing. (I guess they are hoping the die hards will open there wallets for a “tub amp.”) I just got the Fender mustang 25 and honestly it sounds better than the amp he’s testing and it’s loud, clear and versatile at 125.00.
UA-cam compression not giving a true sound sample. In the room these sound way better. The mustang will sound# and reacts differently being a digital amp.
Good video sir. Good review. It's ok sounding, but not my cup of tea. I always think Fender amps sound too spikey in the treble areas. I used to gig with a twin reverb, but later getting better amps I really improved my playing.
It would be ok for maybe country guys. Not my type either.
I would like to see you try some more of the modeler pedals sir.. Just a suggestion. I realize you know a lot more than I do about what you're doing. See you probably next year. 🤣🤟💖🤟💖
Be safe and hope you are well sir.
Which modeler pedals did you have in mind?
@@MrPolevaulter maybe AxeFx 8, or maybe the Moore stuff? I know you've done some. I would enjoy seeing you review any of the AxeFx pedals. Even used ultra, etc, just to see why you like it over the others for instance. That's just me though. I realize you're not just making videos for me, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt sir. 🤣🤟💖🤟
I like when guys are out of tune and they add some vibrato to try and hide it, instead of tuning the guitar.
:D
Sounds horrible
Well, I wouldn't go that far.
This amp played with humbuckers and a hollowbody is simply incredible. Gypsy Jazz - Blues - the harmonics just keep the tones going to where your hands really start to realize the magic of playing without any onboard or pedal effects.
For Gypsy jazz it is essential to play on a stolen amp.
I got one of these bad boys a few months ago. I was playing some of the new squire guitar models in a store. I plugged them into the tweed Pro Jr. IV. I always play clean with reverb (not every guitar player is a metal monster). I was really impressed with the sound so I bought one a few weeks later. I'm play through this little amp regularly, using a reverb pedal, and I love it.
Cool :)
Thanks for doing a proper demo. Starting at low volume clean and working up to its limits. So many people do it the other way around. Lol. Drives me nuts.
This is a great amp, and it does have a speaker out. You just unplug the internal speaker and use whatever cabinet you want, essentially using the PJ as a head. Theres a jack in the back that the speaker plugs into.
I have the PJ IV in tweed and its here to stay.
Normally that requires a specific grounding to the circuit- it has that?
Oh forgot to mention for home use I use a Bugera Power Soak so its nice and neighbour friendly.
Great review Elmo, thanks for the fantastic content.
Advice to all guitar players, if you only have a single amplifier buy a second different type of amplifier before buying a second guitar.
We are all searching for our own sound, amplifiers actually impact final tone more than pickups of guitar types.
Most of us have 1 or 2 amps and 6 or 7 guitars. Truth is we should have 1 or 2 guitars and a collection of amps.
Amen to that!
Exactly. Or, if another amp is too expensive for a time, a different speaker even can make a Huge difference too.
Or buy something with good amp sims, find out what you like, then try out the real valve version of those amps.
@@cliffb2454 Great idea! ✌️
Darker pickups, mahogany body and rosewood board- you were really trying to get away from that spanky Fender tone.
You sounded best with the amp configured alone, no effects, surprised by your less than effusive conclusion.
finaly someone who rolls down guitar volume when the PJ volume is all the way up...thank you man, great demo and even better playing
Surprise!
Yeah you can actually run it as a head just got to disconnect the internal speaker
For some reason, my pro junior doesn’t sound as good when I play it...
Sounded good, but for that price it should have an external-speaker outlet.
You can unplug the internal speaker and connect an external speaker with a standard speaker cable.
These amps sound incredible and prove that sometimes less is more.
I had a tonemaster deluxe that was pretty good, but I didn’t play it much so sold it. Then when needing an amp for when I visit my parents I bought this - the cleans are just so sweet. For country, clean blues, jazz - esp with 335 style guitar - this amp is fabulous.and can be played at bed room levels or in small clubs. If you want heavy or for shredding - this will not float your boat - but blues etc. yeah yeah yeah!
This comment answers exactly why I am here. I have a TMDR blonde and am liking it quite a bit, but the Pro Jr has always nagged in the back of my mind as one I'd be happy with long-term. I don't gig, it's all just here in the house by myself, with close neighbours and small kids, so volume must be low (which is why the TMDR is so good, the attenuator saves me trouble lol). I have pedals to achieve effects I'd want... now, I'd like an effects loop, of course, but whatever. Maybe I ought to go for it and just trade up.
When you showed the vol and tone scales went to 12 it hit me as to the why. Being that there are only two controls Fender is saying be judicious in your adjustments I.E. small changes will reveal the nuance of the amp. Two Cents.
I first had the pro junior III and loved it but had to returned it to the store and all 4 pro juniors they had at the time had a defect so they told me i could either wait a few months or get a blues junior III for 50 bucks more was a good deal.... still have the blues junior since 2013! but one day might get this bad boy again!
The "Fender clean" is, obviously, gorgeous but the overdriven sound with the volume maxed is rockin', too!!! Even you can play pretty good Malmsteen stuff with it! I would prefer to push it with a TS-style pedal or the SD-1 instead of the Riverside that costs half the money of the amp and for the sake of simplicity. It will get you into hard rock territory, albeit you'll need a power attenuator, the down side of this amp.
Yep. It can get pretty loud, which can limit home use.
So..........this amp will not accept a Power attenuator ?
@@artdecco8617 It will, and you need it to turn it up to sound good, that what I wrote.
Reasonable Fender sound. There are good instructions for adding an external cab, switch, etc ... for me the lack of loop at this price limits my enthusiasm. Especially since I can find used Blues Deluxe for almost half this price. Though that beast needs to be tamed for "home use" IMO.
Yeah, no loop is a bummer.
If you've catch a blues deluxe at half price then you no need anymore joy it it's great amp with a full end top features
Was your opinion this amp was suitable for bedroom playing in the wee overnight hours?
Can't remember.
I can finally pronounce your name. It isnt tricky at all.
straight into an amp like this is pure nakedness in all it's glory. Players find out quick how "good" they are or not.
They have got a speaker out jack. Why do you think they don’t? The old ones and the new ones do.
I understood now. You make comments that are incorrect deliberately to get people to comment to boost the algorithm.
That is right.
Sorry to correct you, Elmo, but this DOES have an 8 ohm speaker out since the speaker is wired via a 6,35mm (1/4”) jack. Anyway, good review. Keep up with the good work. Nice.
Yeah, I've learned so since. My bad.
You never seem to have many positive things to say about anything you review! I think your playing style is predominately based around shedding. Maybe the amp is great but your playing style lacks what is required to make this amp shine 😮😬😬
Nice review, the old laney cub 8 is kinda similar, two knobs, class a single ended, beautiful chimey cleans. The new super cub 10 seems interesting too, more gain, fx loop, speaker out and with about 300,- really affordable.
Been thinking of trying one of those.
@@MrPolevaulter the palmer eins comes to mind aswell. raving reviews at thomann (considering the price) and 5 possible tube configurations.
Good review! Definitely prefer the Harley Benton Tube15. And a third of the price of the Pro Junior.
Yep. Me too.
Great job. I just bought one. It hasn’t been delivered yet tho. I rarely return things. I’m pretty good about knowing what I want when I order it but this one I made sure I could return it if I wasn’t happy. I’m trying to simplify everything. From cars to guitars to amps, etc. Maybe 3 electric guitars, a pedal board, this amp and my acoustic guitar stuff. We’ll see. That was perfect and your honesty at the end made me like and subscribe. Thx
Simplify, my moto! I have 2 amps that only have a tone knob and if the amp has good inherent sound, it's all I need.
How's the amp? Treating you ok?
@@e.paradigm7415 just saw this, sorry. I live the amp! It’s perfect
Street price here in the U.S. is $500 as of 2020. Big plus is the Jensen speaker. Biggest downside is the all particleboard (not even MDF) cabinet which is listed right on the Fender web site spec sheet, though on an amp this small it may not resonate quite enough to make a difference. In the U.S. you should be able to get 15% off the street price all day long. For that I think it's worth it. I love my Marshalls and my 100w EVH Stealth and I also love my Pro Junior IV! Good job on the demo, Elmo.
Cheers :)
I've got an older one I bought about 20 years ago and it has a speaker out socket inside and I'm pretty sure these newer ones do too. I use a lower gain preamp tube in V1 for more headroom and a Rat pedal for distortion. I run a Palmer PD09 speaker simulator DI between the output and the speaker then XLR cable to the PA.
I'm thinking of selling my Ac15C2 when I get bother of carrying it around (30kg) and getting this boy. Given that I use clean tone as a pedal platform (grunge/alternative/blues/shoegaze) and play mostly a tele (and recently a hollowbody Gretsch), do you think it would serve well? I love my Vox, but it's starting to become a nuisance weight and size-wise :/
I love this amp, simple, power saving, space saving, great sound quaility, inexpensive, and tube amplification. I have some pedals including a DS1, TS9, Slo, RC5 and Crybaby and I'll tell you right now I have a lot of fun with my set up. Classic tone yet you can get some vicious nasty leads with the volume up and the tube screamer. I was debating to get this or the blues jr. and since I already have pedals I just didn't think I needed anything extra that came with the blue jr 4, and in a 12x12 bedroom I have to save as much space as possible so this was the clear winner, and I am completely happy with it. Great job fender. I never giged with it, BUT a friend of mine says that you just need to mic it up at your venue if you're playing in a big place. 😎😎 I just need to get a nice FUZZ, CHORUS, and a different kind of reverb.
Inexpensive is a relative term😢
You seem make comments that are incorrect deliberately to get people to comment to boost the algorithm.
when you push the amp, try turning down the feedback knob on the delay. You can even set it to one repeat. Should clean things up. Set the delay very long. Steve Vai for example does that.
Lovely playing. Nice honest review too. Ive just bought one so thank you for the demo. Its ideal for me and I run it with sn Orange Crush 35RT for a low cost stereo rig thats also easy to carry. I used to use Peavey 212 combos and they were just soooo heavy. I love the squishy Fender tone and it sits well with the Orange. I run a delay and phaser in the Orange loop so its a bice wet/dry set up.
Cool, thanks!
It seems you don't like almost nothing almost all your review you always have negative comments. This amp is one of the better sounds for the size and handles pedal very well. I'm willing to bet the Vox ac 10 you would have negative comment also
Wow! You're really familiar with my videos.
I SOLD my Vox AC10 to get this amp...yeah, that's right
Not always. Theres been very few occasions where he’s rated something. But i trust his reviews because theres no bs. He tells you the good and the bad which there will be for every product. Its impossible not to. But also look at the gear behind him. Hes got marshall stacks, a mesa boogie mkii (nice btw) a peavey 6505 mh. Im not surprised it wasnt for him. And im not surprised abt the criticisms he made either. But he didnt acc bash the amp.
I've given up on the Pro Junior and the blues Junior. They look good on paper but they do not perform. I'll wait for number 5. And I will probably get sucked back in.
Yeah, I have similar feelings.
Why can't they just mark all knobs like a clock with 12 at the top? It is just mark you know.
I bet the mustang micro would sound even better through this amp!
I like yenson! I have an old USA one modded with a bias adjust and a line into the power end and a swart attenuator. I can plug a pedal board with any preamp.
Changed the Jensen with a Celestion, sounds better to me.
I discovered too late the regular Celestion version.
But it' s okay. Nice amp and pretty loud, enough for stage or rehearsal room.
Sounds the best with my LP jr. double cutaway.
The P-90 seems to sound perfect with this amp.
The Jensen is better.
@@gregshirley-jeffersonboule6258I have a Pro Jr Tweed IV. Tested both the stock Alnico Jensen and a G10 Greenback i had. Jensen has «sweeter» cleans and is very bright. The Celestion is a bit more mellom when clean, but in my opinion a bit «woodier» and nicer when the gain is turned up. Both are very good, but I left the Celestion in (at least for now).
Elmo, really nice warm sounds and great crunch 👍 but you could play through a flower pot and it would sound phenomenal! I could play through a bar of soap and it would still sound.....dirty...I agree with you on the effects loop, Bruce.
Dirty bar of soap. Nice name for a song :D
I always enoy Elmo's impros. The amp is nice but he makes it look so easy to get good tones.
I have to say, I have one, and for only a ten inch speaker; which by the way is exactly the same as in the ‘59 bassman, I don’t feel I need a speaker cab. For home use or even small gigs. If I play bigger gigs, I could always mic it. Eric Clapton used one, just himself and guitar for a song or two in the Albert Hall. It’s great by itself but pedals will get any tone I need; and plenty of volume. This easily keeps up with my Orange 120 analog amp, as far as loudness. The only knock on this for me is it should have a pine cabinet, not particle board.
Cool bananas :)
Jeff Beck plays with these also. So much for needing monster cabs for tone
Beck played pro juniors thru Marshall 4x12 cabs
Sounds very good! Wonder what sort of dB level is required for the amp to start to break up.
Good you mentioned the Koad... saving me the words here. But then again, you took wind out of my sail! Happy new year my friend.🤐
Happy new year :)
Sounds great.. I wish this amp was 5 watts and bit cheaper...
Give the Harley Benton Tube5 a try then, or the Bugera V5. I've done videos on both.
@@MrPolevaulter just bought the v5 last week...your review was very helpfull..
JHS Pedals Little Black Amp
Check this out...
@@ghundmanful Is that the volume pot? That requires a loop. I use a similar thing with my Plexis.
The PJ 4 has good tone but it's very sensitive to dirty electricity - lots of crackling, pops etc.
I had interactive controls on an old Guyatone. That didn't help it - at all!
years later I realized that Elmo is not a random name!
he's sitting there! in the corner of the screen and warms his buttocks with Vox tubes! 😂
🤣
Excellent presentation and thanks for sharing.
I relate more to the "Toastmaster Deluxe" moniker. Fake slots on top would be too much.
Amp sounded good, at that price it should have an external-speaker outlet.
Maybe. I'd want a loop though.
I've got an old version from the late ninetees and you can unplug the on board speaker and jack it into another speaker and use it as a head. Only just the one speaker output socket. I use a Palmer PD 09 speaker simulator Di box between the speaker output and the speaker and send an XLR to the PA.
Be aware a lot of these amps have a hum/buzz issue. Lots of ppl on forums complaining about it. I just returned mine for this reason 😢 Try before you buy.
Always try before you buy.
Always terrific, honest videos. Thank you for what you do.
My pleasure!
Love mine more and more. I run it through a 2x12 w/o the 1x10 for big gigs.
Man, I love how that sounds. I just wish I had the space to enjoy it...can't use an attenuator without an external speaker output :-(
Yeah :(
It has an external speaker out. I use a captor x with mine
I have this amp and just got a Weber Mini Mass volume attenuator.. works great. Maintains the amp’s awesome tube tone at lower volume. You don’t need an effects loop. It just plugs in between the speaker output on the amp and the speaker.. as long as your amp has a 1/4” removable speaker plug and speaker out jack.
Nice review, buying one tomorrow because I like the sound and the look cheers
Very good vid. It would have been nice to hear how it sounds with humbuckers.
those first couple of chords.. I waa getting ready the Elmo smooth jazz album.
Haha :D
I'm a very disappointed the price is very closely to a blue's junior that gets more features, add 5 watts, weirdest cabinet, 12" speaker, spring reverb is more usable than the pro but I like it sounds
Blues Juniors and Pro Juniors are both 15 W
Cleans sound great with the strat in the neck position. The gain is a bit hairy but it's kind of expected with a 10". I think it'd be a great little amp for softer styles 👍
Yep.
I kinda want to upgrade from this to a fender deluxe reverb but...the pro junior is so good.
Have you ever played one of the fender deluxe 5e3's or one of the 5e3 clones? They seem to have quite a following. Different tubes, maybe not your cup of tea, but I value your opinion as you seem to have a good ear for tone.
Haven't tried them, no.
Typical Fender sound and amp - would really come alive with proper humbuckers (not P90's), which is strange for Fender :-) . As a bedroom amp you can't go far wrong - especially as a newbie learning how to dial an amp in for tone and effect. Tone knob is useless but a couple of basic pedals would keep the amp interesting for years of practice.
It can get fairly loud for home use though.
I watch this guy's every video because i am having GAS problem.a.k.a guitar acquisition syndrome.
Yeah. That can be a real problem.
Love the finish on your strat! just ordered a PJ. thanks
Cool video :)
There is a external speaker out. You just have to unplug the speaker.
Yes, you are right
I love mine. Did a little demo video some weeks ago.
Cool bananas :)
An honest dude.. Suscribed.
No effect loop ? The Harley Benton tube 15 has one.... But this little Fender seems to sound better without pedals. Need to try both...
Finally a review for this that uses pedals! Thanks for the great video.
Cheers!
Fender fan here, but this amp is made of particle board. What a joke. Great sound but low quality construction.
Wow! Tone!
Haha I was thinking abut this amp and booom☺️👌mr Elmo☺️Thank you
My pleasure! 😊
550.00 in the states
This amp is simply nasty. I run it into a marshall 4×12 with greenbacks
Another Awesome video Elmo! Cheers & Happy New Year to You & Yours!!!
Thanks! You too!
Not sure who they are trying to sell this amp to. It won't gig and it is too one dimensional for a practice amp. I'll pass
Blues players? Not sure.
@@MrPolevaulter Yeah, I play blues ( and a little jazz) and this amp is great for that. Because it sounds great at lower volume, I don't bother my neighbors. There are multiple reasons why many people love the Pro Jr. IV.
It's a quarter inch jack, where the internal speaker plugs in. So, you can unplug it, plug in an external!
I like this because it'll give me an excuse to buy lots of pedals. Super nice ones.
Anyone recently purchased the SE version with Fender speaker?
It has a speaker out. Sounds great through external cabs.
Awesome Amp and great playing dude 🤘
Thanks!
For the price, more features would be nice. Great video.
Thanks :)
Great playing brother!
Can you unplug the quarter inch cable and plug it into a cabinet?
Yep
At least I think so.