I have played a lot of blues jrs-I cant really fault them past the master vol design-they are a quality product. They sound ok if not good- but have never inspired me.
I got one of these last May (2019,) and liked it so much I got another a few months later. I run them together (aby switch) and set tone settings a little different. I LOVE this amp! Some may turn up their nose at the 10 inch speaker, but this thing cranks! The tone is amazing. If you like a Clapton or Jeff Beck tone, it’s great. Throw a distortion pedal (and reverb too) in front, and it will get you southern rock, or blues all day long. Like all tube amps it sounds good at first, but the tone comes alive after about 20, or 30 minutes. Peace out!
I love these amps..the simple volume/tone circuit is amaxing and soulful..everybody should try running these thru a 4x12 marshall and get ready for TONE..and the 15watts becomes very loud with the cabinets projection..i use very few pedals and love how amp breaks up when cranked at different levels or depending on your pick dynamics..so good!!!
@Airborne Poet I may be wrong but I think the internal speaker connects to the chassis with a jack plug so you can unplug it and use a cable to connect to a cab, have one on order that should arrive tomorrow so can confirm then
I may have said it in the video, but I have about 20 amps, and this is the only contemporary amp in regular use in my studio and live. That, I hope, says something.
Mark, i bought one of these from a local music store in the mid 90's, it is hand wired, and a limited edition at the time, this little Puppy still sounds great, Cousin Figel
The original early 90s one was a monster- had the same reissue speaker as the bassman reissue of same year. A screamer of a amp-I have gigged my first year model many, many times. If you dont like master vol amps-this is the amp for you! Brutally loud for its size-more marshall than fender. Turn it all the way up and use the guitar volume. I have a nice collection of amps, this is likely lowest priced one-and by far has seen most use over the last 30 years.
Happy seeing all the love for this little amp. Just picked up one, my Bassbreaker 45 is too much to move around and even at 1W I can only play at Half Volume.
I agree on genre and degree!...I'm from Brazil and I have a 1996 pro-jr, I made some adjustments to turn on a microphone to play harmonica...I also use it with guitar...the speaker I use is i Eminence lil buddy that it's fantastic, whoever hears it thinks that the speaker is 12 inches, fat tone, full... I also adapted it to use it with 2 speakers when needed and then the pro0jr is killer... I just wanted to share my experience with this little monster ..Hug to everyone!
The more components there are the more tone loss you get through the circuit. Each piece affects tone. And we know they are using the cheapest parts available. So i agree with you 100%.
The one distinction that wasn’t made (and I think it’s an important one) is that the speaker in the Pro is Alnico. The Blues Jr is ceramic. Alnico speakers (in my opinion) sound fantastic in a tweed-like circuit and this amp is in that “Tweed Champ” realm......
I have a mid 90's version. As some have said boxy sounding, so I build a larger cabinet for a 12" speaker and there was a huge difference. Now you can buy pre built cabinets to house this chassis and the 12". But this is great, simple and loud amp.
Great amp! Only to compare with Mesa Boogie SUBWAY BLUES. If you own them you want them to stay with you forever. I use the Pro Junior in Jazz-settings and it always delivers a beautiful warm but present tone that doesn't need further make-up.
I got it recently, I liked it immediately, although I found it having an excess of brightness and an inadequacy of the cabinet to handle the higher gain. I just did one thing that I really recommend as I think it made it perfect. I changed V1 with a 12ay7. First I tried a spare ehx that I had but I dissed it, I don't like it at all, that's the reason it spends its life in a closet, then I've put in a JJ one and it was pure bliss. More manageable volume and tone, noble sound, it didn't loose any chime, just that hair of harshness it had, and got a bit more harmonics complexity. Great.
@Alfonso THANK YOU MAN FOR THE INPUT. IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY VERY SMALL ALL TUBE LOW POWER PEDDLE PLATFORM AMP FOR THE BEDROOM TYPE USE AND THIS ONE CAPABLE OF SMALL BAND GIGS TOO?? WHAT!!! IM SOLD ALREADY AND ITS A FENDER!! ONLY ONE BETTER NAME IS M3SA BUT NOT IN MY BUDGET SO IMA GETTING ONE OF THESE IF I LOVE IT IMA GETTING TWO FOR A STEREO TYPE RIG. IM VERY GLAD YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE HARSHNESS ISSUE AND YOUR JJ TUBE FIX. ILL DO THE SAME. ILL ALSO BUILD A 2 X 12 CAB FOR EACH THEN MORE THEN ENOUGH FOR GIGS IM SURE. TY N PEACE, THE GUITAR WIZARD
@@andrewnuzzo7919 i just bought a Fender Super Champ X2. it's half tube & 1/2 SS. I haven't stopped playing it for a month, now. It's got Fender sparkle and chime plus it has a 2nd channel with 16 different "voices"....plus a dozen EFFECTS! .that's SIXTEEN other Fender amp sounds. it's incredible. you don't need a pedal, either. oh.....and it's a lot less $ than the Pro Jr. 15 Watts, plenty of gain, too.
I have one.. Jensen speaker I put in switch to cut out neg feedback loop. These are nasty LOUD! Love it.. saw the offspring years ago guitar stack had a pro jr on top with the mike on it ..recognize the sound immediately
"Say Hello to my little Friend" Laughing out loud 😆 Fender makes Great Amplifiers, but not for me. I love to hear others play on them, I have owned about 30 different Fender Amps in my life and can't find one that sounds Right for me. No Offense meant to you my Friend, Great Channel and Great Content 👍
I played one of these and and was surprised at the improvement in tone over the other juniors. I play a jazmaster and I really liked the chimey sounds I was getting. I might have to get one
I had a gig in Cairns 2,400K north of Sydney, they could only supply 4x12 quad boxes (no Marshall amps which was the sound I needed for this loud rock artist) and with no freight budget for the 3 hour flight, I placed my pro-Junior (which had never left the studio) into my luggage wrapped in a towel along with my Marshall JMP pre-amp to hopefully achieve the Marshall sound....that little amp cranked out such a massive sound and pushed air from that Marshall box just like you'd expect from a big Marshall.... they are a surprising little amp!
I bought one of these a few months ago, and love it. I play my Strat through it as well as my big box Jazz guitars. I just add a reverb pedal, and there you go! The amp is classic looking, light weight, and doesn't take up a lot of space. My only concern has to do with how durable it will be (no problems, so far). However that is my concern about anything manufactured by anybody these days.
I remember when That Pedal Show went to visit Analogman and he was using a Pro Junior through a 4x12. Seems like those in the know prefer this over the Blues Junior. I like my Tweed Blues Jnr but I certainly see the point. If I was in the studio I'd definitely take the Pro. Jeff Beck used them, as I recall. That's a heck of an endorsement.
My Ibanez 93 semi hollow - playing gypsy jazz - the sweetness of the harmonics lets my hands go and make sounds without any pedals, reverb, etc. It's all about the tones.. For my needs, it's all I could ask for in an amp.
You are correct the Pro Jr. is the stuff. I’ve had a III and have a IV in racing red with a celestion speaker. Go for gigs, rehearsal and home play. And cheap too!
Hey Mark! I love watching your weekly show on Gary's Guitars. I know how much you love the pro jr.'s and I was wanting your opinion on something. I am kicking myself for not buying the pro jr 4 when it first came out. Now it is selling for $650. First question...is it still worth it at that price? 2nd question...I just saw they are coming out with a pro jr. 4 SE limited edition in black with a Fender Special Design speaker instead of the Jensen for $100 less. Which would be better in your humble opinion??? Thanks so much!!
The speaker does affect the tone, but at that point it's down to opinion. the v4 is 3% better, but that may have to do with the speaker. Thanks again for watching!
I agree..its a great amp having owned one but boy are they loud. A boost pedal, tube screamer and reverb pedal and they come alive and the volume is manageable through the pedal.
I was able to buy the local Fender rep's personal tweed PJ in the early 90's. Made in California, equipped with the Eminence blue frame alnico speaker. Definitely not a Swiss Army Knife, but an amazing little amp in its own right. I sometimes run it through a Marshall 1965 B cab with four 10" Celestion G1035 speakers. A surprising amount of volume for 15 watts, and the 4x10 offers a broader and more balanced sound. With just the stock 10" Eminence speaker the sound is smaller but still great.
I agree all amps have their place. I use my Pro Jr with my (p90 LP Special) and boom that is the sweet spot. My Deluxe or Super Reverb have their place up front in the line up and clearly sonically have way more range. Frankly my Blues Jr is gather dust as the Princeton scratches that itch in spades.
I have recently bought a 94 Fender Bronco Tweed. 15 Amp, 8" speaker, solid state. I'm very impressed with it. Great sound clean and crunch. Your opinion please.
I like plugging this into a 12” cab. Sounds great and takes pedals really well. Just not a fan of the input soldered directly onto the circuit board. Mine took a fall and I had the input hardwired to the circuit board, a little wire bridge if you will, and it works great.
Similar to my Kalamazoo model one but more wattage. You're right about simple being better. Definitely louder, probably more efficient circuitry equates to more volume per watt. But amps like that can be very touch sensitive, which can be a blessing if you brought your A game, just don't have too many beers before a gig. Anyway, I might have heard of that amp but didn't differentiate it from the slightly bigger, more laden with features/more than I want to spend models from Fender, but it looks like I need to try one of those out because all I need is really all you actually need from an amp. If I "want" different features, different colors in my palette, I'd rather get it from elsewhere rather than onboard stuff because it's really never as usable. Fender makes a great vibrato circuit, and amazing reverb too, problem is I hardly ever use either of those so what's the advantage?
Nice little amp, however in all my thriftiness, i'd like it better with a more reasonable price difference. Better yet if Fender wired in a bypass or home-run circuit/switch between input power and speaker. Maybe I'm totally off on this but wouldn't most prefer spend a little more for a bypass option in a full Monty Blues Jr than the stripped Pro?
I bought one of these earlier versions back in 2006 and was annoyed with its “boxy sound”, “Ice-pick-highs” and the overall inability to dial in warmth. I did speaker swap outs, tube swap outs. Nothing seemed to help with these issues. The upside of this amp was its “Mojo & Vibe” it has what most modern amps lack. Maybe these newer versions address the previous issues and it’s worth re-exploring.
These are killer amps to use in pairs, I tech for a big New Zealand artist whose rig has been two pro juniors for decades. sitting at breakup and he has a Hotcake pedal for leads and dials back his guitar for cleanup
I want two of these tweed pro jrs. One for guitar and one for bass guitar. I eventually want to make a 51 tv front bassman amp clone. I missed out on the tv bassmans from 2010s and never see any for sale so i want to build my own 1951 tv front amp with the wide panel tweed cab. I currently have two recent 59 ltds but long for that original wide panel single 15 inch speaker amp
I want one of these. Another contemporary amplifier that is very vintage are the Supro's. Maybe not the smaller ones, but the full-sized ones that cost about $1,300 or so. I have two different models and they are fantastic in my opinion. The fact is I don't like many modern amplifiers either.
I'd like an amp that would hide my mistakes, give or take a few notes no less... But this thing here will reveal you like nothing else, yea you! You will know exactly where you stand with that ax you pretend to know how to wield... cheers!
Hi Mark, nice video, thanks. I have a question fo you about what looks to be a vintage Guild Stafire 11 hanging on the wall behind you. It appears to have small rectangular single coils, as does my vintage 64/65 Starfire 111. For years I had suspected that a previous owner had swapped out the original Guild Mini Humbuckers for what appear to be Hagstrom single coils. However I have seen a few vintage Guilds equit with this type of pick up. Just wondering if you have any backround information. Thanks
this is the model T-100. It has the Starfire logo on the pickguard, but isn't technically a Starfire. It has different pickups.. I think they're deArmond.
Good video, and good amp. Only downside is that the cab is made from particle board. Not even MDF. Particle board. Fender lists it right on the spec sheet. But with such a small package the resonance of the cab may not play as much of a factor as it would with larger combo amps.
The Pro Junior and Peavey Classic 20 are both basic no frills amp but pack a punch. The Peavey is in my opinion a bit more refined with better drive. If these little amps had reverb, Fender would never sell another Blues junior.
in simplicity, but not sound- champ compresses waaaayyy more, has a chewier distortion with less sustain, and is 1/2 the volume. Get both! My PJ has a tweed champ next to it and a 5E3 deluxe on other side! Champ and 5e3 are on a aby switch, and PJ powers a leslie cab.
Ehh, they have a trick and it takes some time to figure it out. I have a blues Jr and a pro jr. I like both. I play the blues jr more because of the master volume. The pro is too loud, lol. Well not really. The master makes it’s more manageable. You can crank the volume and still play in an apartment.
Yeah, no - I've own five of these bad boys - bottom line is simple: If it's good enough for Jeff Beck, it's good enough for me! First thing to do is swap out whatever tubes are in there - and use J&J tubes, not the groove tube rubbish. BULLET PROOF AMP! Pedals are OUTSTANDING on this amp. Get one.
@@tylerblakeney6702 I never have and have never suffered any ill effects. Also, use rubber gloves when messing with tubes so as not to get grime on the glass.
You can buy a Blackstar HT5MKII for the same money...great reverb, two cleans and two distortions and all sound killer with a 12 inch speaker. Mine is my go to practice amp and my Bassbreaker 15 for playouts. I had an original champ from the 50's, got over that one trick pony years ago.
Only amp I actually cranked to full volume to see what it would sound like. Great little amp but mine had a lot of hum to it, probably bad house ground.
I have one of these here in New Zealand. In the first few months it kept blowing tubes ( valves). The shop would replace them. Seemed a bit fishy so I took it to my amp expert. He said it was running way too hot and would keep blowing tubes so it needed an adjustable re biasing pot. It has been great ever since. That means the warranty is void but all the shop and Fender rep would do is a band aid repair even though they knew the real problem. I complained to the Manager and got an apology. But beware...surely they are all made the same and will run too hot?
@@GarysGuitarsUSA Sorry I don't understand? A Pro Junior is a valve amp.How can it not run through valves or tubes? Have they made a transistor amp with the same name?
@@rickyl9540 "doesn't go through" means it doesn't use a lot of them. for example, "I go through a lot of socks, because I rip them." So my amp has the factory tubes in it 5 years later, they're fine. Your "going through" a lot of tubes is not the norm.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA thanks for clarifying that.My amp is great now.No problem.They are quite bright tho. I also have the tone at about 3. Great with pedals🙂
just make sure to bring another amp along because the plastic input jack will quit on you at the most inopportune times...over and over and over again. Get it switched out as soon as possible.
I had one many years ago. I think it cannot be really compared to a '50 / '60 vintage amp because of the gain that is quite higher so that you can't play jazz for istance. Also the low end was too enhanced. I had to replace the first 12AX7 with a 12AY7 in order to reduce the gain.
Much Better I own several( ok A Lot) A+ Review When you push the amp full on the tone control is almost out of the circuit (in a good way) Both knobs on 12 and it's got insane gain ( possibly a little clean booster 3dB Awesome sound Been using there period since 98 Perfection The Longest Continuous Uninterrupted Fender Amp
That is nice! Fender omitted all the dumb stuff that you don't need. To make it perfect, get rid of that "tone control" and you have the really pure amp!
I like it, ver y good tone and Alnico speaker. But I dont like its particle board cabinet, neither its low quality pcb electronics, and would prefer 6L6 or 6V6 tubes
Great pitch! I used to have a blues jr and didn’t care for it. Everything you describe about the pro jr seems to address what I didn’t like about the blues jr. I’m guessing it has more headroom than the blues. I’m wondering if it’s worth the extra money though to get the new vibro champ or a Princeton. What I want is a low watt fender style tube amp that can get nice cleans or break up a little at bedroom or home studio volumes
How do you get a Blues Jr. to not sound so brassy, high end treble? Mine's the tweed with the Jensen speaker. Wish it had less watts too cuz 15w is too loud to get the break-up sound.
you can try and output attenuator to lower your wattage. As for the high end, speaker selection can have a lot to do with it, although it's a Fender, bright has always been their thing.
got mine for 340 $ brand new...on sale at Sweetwater.....what a fantastic amp...im blown away by the sound of my telecaster through this amp....wow.. i have a fender Deville with four 10s...but man...this amp sounds clearer and with a fuller tone...Im blown away by this amp....
its a nice little amp....i use it to fix my guitars at my work bench. but i love my deluxe vibrolux with twin 10" alnicos and my deluxe reverb with a p12q alnico better.
I think they are great sounding amps. The only complaint I have is I wish they would have put them in the same size cab as they Blues Jr with the 10”. The small cab is a bit “boxy” sounding. A Pro Jr head would be great.
Tombob I think a Fender Pro Jr head stand alone /piggy back with a very slightly bigger cabinet with a 12 inch speaker would be a great idea. Good thinking, I have always preferred a piggy back system to a combo amp. I use the 1960's Silver tone 1484 piggyback amp with 12 inch speakers & it sounds great. So I am sure this Fender Pro Jr, Set up as a very small but very powerful piggy back would put out quality sounds. The ,more I think about it the better it sounds to me.
I got mine in 2023 and I smile every time I play it, the simplicity you speak of is magic. Nice video.
I had a tweed Blues Junior and sold it. Bought this one and fucking love it! No frills, just pure raw Fender tube tone!
I have played a lot of blues jrs-I cant really fault them past the master vol design-they are a quality product. They sound ok if not good- but have never inspired me.
Do you add reverb with a pedal?
@@mcdee56 not at this time but I may add one in the future.
I got one of these last May (2019,) and liked it so much I got another a few months later. I run them together (aby switch) and set tone settings a little different. I LOVE this amp! Some may turn up their nose at the 10 inch speaker, but this thing cranks! The tone is amazing. If you like a Clapton or Jeff Beck tone, it’s great. Throw a distortion pedal (and reverb too) in front, and it will get you southern rock, or blues all day long. Like all tube amps it sounds good at first, but the tone comes alive after about 20, or 30 minutes. Peace out!
Love this amp. I have mine set to 8 with the tone on 3 and it is perfect with my strat. I agree that it sounds better than the blues junior
Yeah. I have an older Blues Jr. II but my pro jr. gives me a sound that I really like. It's pretty clean.
Dont know what it sounds like, all he did was talk about it, he's not a very good sales person, need to hear what it sounds like.
@@jesserodriguez2769 it literally says "a talk" in the title of the video, it's not a demo
I got both and I love this Pro Jr the best. Can't stop playing with it.
This amp has killer tone, perfect practice amp, I love it!
I love these amps..the simple volume/tone circuit is amaxing and soulful..everybody should try running these thru a 4x12 marshall and get ready for TONE..and the 15watts becomes very loud with the cabinets projection..i use very few pedals and love how amp breaks up when cranked at different levels or depending on your pick dynamics..so good!!!
@Airborne Poet I may be wrong but I think the internal speaker connects to the chassis with a jack plug so you can unplug it and use a cable to connect to a cab, have one on order that should arrive tomorrow so can confirm then
Yeah..just unplug the speaker cable inside the amp and use the jack in there to plug to a cabinet..i run a marshall 4x12
Could I unplug the speaker and plug in headphones?
The Pro Jr is a fantastic "little" amp. It's simplicity is the magic....it just sounds good and rocks!
I may have said it in the video, but I have about 20 amps, and this is the only contemporary amp in regular use in my studio and live. That, I hope, says something.
I put my '95 Pro Jr in a larger cabinet from Mojotone loaded with a Weber 12" and it takes it to a whole new level - good amp...
One of these turned up beats a big amp turned down any day. These are loud!!!
I own a Pro Jr, Blues Jr, Deluxe Reverb (and a Pignose). Love them all, but the Pro Jr is the one I always plug into.
Mark, i bought one of these from a local music store in the mid 90's, it is hand wired, and a limited edition at the time, this little Puppy still sounds great, Cousin Figel
Hi - great video which confirmed what I wanted to hear. I’m selling my helix and going back to the 50s. Neil, UK.
The original early 90s one was a monster- had the same reissue speaker as the bassman reissue of same year. A screamer of a amp-I have gigged my first year model many, many times. If you dont like master vol amps-this is the amp for you! Brutally loud for its size-more marshall than fender. Turn it all the way up and use the guitar volume. I have a nice collection of amps, this is likely lowest priced one-and by far has seen most use over the last 30 years.
Happy seeing all the love for this little amp. Just picked up one, my Bassbreaker 45 is too much to move around and even at 1W I can only play at Half Volume.
I agree on genre and degree!...I'm from Brazil and I have a 1996 pro-jr, I made some adjustments to turn on a microphone to play harmonica...I also use it with guitar...the speaker I use is i Eminence lil buddy that it's fantastic, whoever hears it thinks that the speaker is 12 inches, fat tone, full... I also adapted it to use it with 2 speakers when needed and then the pro0jr is killer... I just wanted to share my experience with this little monster ..Hug to everyone!
It's amazing how good these amps sound just plugging straight into them
The more components there are the more tone loss you get through the circuit. Each piece affects tone. And we know they are using the cheapest parts available. So i agree with you 100%.
😂
The one distinction that wasn’t made (and I think it’s an important one) is that the speaker in the Pro is Alnico. The Blues Jr is ceramic. Alnico speakers (in my opinion) sound fantastic in a tweed-like circuit and this amp is in that “Tweed Champ” realm......
That depends on which model
there are blues juniors with p12q alnico jensen. although that speaker sounds way better in the deluxe reverb.
I have a mid 90's version. As some have said boxy sounding, so I build a larger cabinet for a 12" speaker and there was a huge difference. Now you can buy pre built cabinets to house this chassis and the 12". But this is great, simple and loud amp.
the cabinet quality is definitely a corner cutting on these, they retail for $499 new, so some corners do get cut.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA I think when I bought mine, they were $299, maybe $349.
Great amp! Only to compare with Mesa Boogie SUBWAY BLUES. If you own them you want them to stay with you forever. I use the Pro Junior in Jazz-settings and it always delivers a beautiful warm but present tone that doesn't need further make-up.
I bought this amp for all the reasons you outlined in this video. I agree! Thanks!
I got it recently, I liked it immediately, although I found it having an excess of brightness and an inadequacy of the cabinet to handle the higher gain. I just did one thing that I really recommend as I think it made it perfect. I changed V1 with a 12ay7. First I tried a spare ehx that I had but I dissed it, I don't like it at all, that's the reason it spends its life in a closet, then I've put in a JJ one and it was pure bliss. More manageable volume and tone, noble sound, it didn't loose any chime, just that hair of harshness it had, and got a bit more harmonics complexity. Great.
@Alfonso THANK YOU MAN FOR THE INPUT. IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY VERY SMALL ALL TUBE LOW POWER PEDDLE PLATFORM AMP FOR THE BEDROOM TYPE USE AND THIS ONE CAPABLE OF SMALL BAND GIGS TOO?? WHAT!!! IM SOLD ALREADY AND ITS A FENDER!! ONLY ONE BETTER NAME IS M3SA BUT NOT IN MY BUDGET SO IMA GETTING ONE OF THESE IF I LOVE IT IMA GETTING TWO FOR A STEREO TYPE RIG. IM VERY GLAD YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE HARSHNESS ISSUE AND YOUR JJ TUBE FIX. ILL DO THE SAME. ILL ALSO BUILD A 2 X 12 CAB FOR EACH THEN MORE THEN ENOUGH FOR GIGS IM SURE. TY N PEACE, THE GUITAR WIZARD
I got mine a month ago and been playing it instead of blues jr.
@@andrewnuzzo7919 i just bought a Fender Super Champ X2. it's half tube & 1/2 SS. I haven't stopped playing it for a month, now. It's got Fender sparkle and chime plus it has a 2nd channel with 16 different "voices"....plus a dozen EFFECTS! .that's SIXTEEN other Fender amp sounds. it's incredible. you don't need a pedal, either. oh.....and it's a lot less $ than the Pro Jr.
15 Watts, plenty of gain, too.
I have one.. Jensen speaker I put in switch to cut out neg feedback loop. These are nasty LOUD! Love it.. saw the offspring years ago guitar stack had a pro jr on top with the mike on it ..recognize the sound immediately
"Say Hello to my little Friend" Laughing out loud 😆 Fender makes Great Amplifiers, but not for me. I love to hear others play on them, I have owned about 30 different Fender Amps in my life and can't find one that sounds Right for me. No Offense meant to you my Friend, Great Channel and Great Content 👍
I played one of these and and was surprised at the improvement in tone over the other juniors. I play a jazmaster and I really liked the chimey sounds I was getting.
I might have to get one
I had a gig in Cairns 2,400K north of Sydney, they could only supply 4x12 quad boxes (no Marshall amps which was the sound I needed for this loud rock artist) and with no freight budget for the 3 hour flight, I placed my pro-Junior (which had never left the studio) into my luggage wrapped in a towel along with my Marshall JMP pre-amp to hopefully achieve the Marshall sound....that little amp cranked out such a massive sound and pushed air from that Marshall box just like you'd expect from a big Marshall.... they are a surprising little amp!
The pro jr. Thru a 4x12 marshall is my main rig..it has a louder and fuller sound thru a cabinet...plays great cleans and cranks when you want it
I bought one of these a few months ago, and love it. I play my Strat through it as well as my big box Jazz guitars. I just add a reverb pedal, and there you go! The amp is classic looking, light weight, and doesn't take up a lot of space. My only concern has to do with how durable it will be (no problems, so far). However that is my concern about anything manufactured by anybody these days.
Do you play jazz on the Strat? Always been intrigued by that.
No. Just a little blues stuff with the strat.@@joeltunnah
I remember when That Pedal Show went to visit Analogman and he was using a Pro Junior through a 4x12.
Seems like those in the know prefer this over the Blues Junior. I like my Tweed Blues Jnr but I certainly see the point. If I was in the studio I'd definitely take the Pro.
Jeff Beck used them, as I recall. That's a heck of an endorsement.
Check out an early (possibly 2007) Crossroads in Chicago, he stacked them high and it sounds awesome 👏
My Ibanez 93 semi hollow - playing gypsy jazz - the sweetness of the harmonics lets my hands go and make sounds without any pedals, reverb, etc. It's all about the tones.. For my needs, it's all I could ask for in an amp.
You are correct the Pro Jr. is the stuff. I’ve had a III and have a IV in racing red with a celestion speaker. Go for gigs, rehearsal and home play. And cheap too!
Ive had a new one since the 90s...love it..great warm tone and sound..lots of bass...loud as hell..can play with a band yup...Best amp for pedals.
Louder than the brother Jrs??
Hey Mark! I love watching your weekly show on Gary's Guitars. I know how much you love the pro jr.'s and I was wanting your opinion on something. I am kicking myself for not buying the pro jr 4 when it first came out. Now it is selling for $650. First question...is it still worth it at that price? 2nd question...I just saw they are coming out with a pro jr. 4 SE limited edition in black with a Fender Special Design speaker instead of the Jensen for $100 less. Which would be better in your humble opinion??? Thanks so much!!
The speaker does affect the tone, but at that point it's down to opinion. the v4 is 3% better, but that may have to do with the speaker. Thanks again for watching!
Thx for an extended explanation of this amp.
I wish they could make a 1 watt version of this to play with it at home, would be great for recording too, a Pro One... 💭
You could try this with an output attenuator
Monoprice might work - 5/1 watt switchable, $150.00.
I agree..its a great amp having owned one but boy are they loud. A boost pedal, tube screamer and reverb pedal and they come alive and the volume is manageable through the pedal.
I was able to buy the local Fender rep's personal tweed PJ in the early 90's. Made in California, equipped with the Eminence blue frame alnico speaker. Definitely not a Swiss Army Knife, but an amazing little amp in its own right. I sometimes run it through a Marshall 1965 B cab with four 10" Celestion G1035 speakers. A surprising amount of volume for 15 watts, and the 4x10 offers a broader and more balanced sound. With just the stock 10" Eminence speaker the sound is smaller but still great.
Great video! Thank you. I am thinking about buying a used one so this helps a lot. 😀
I agree all amps have their place. I use my Pro Jr with my (p90 LP Special) and boom that is the sweet spot. My Deluxe or Super Reverb have their place up front in the line up and clearly sonically have way more range. Frankly my Blues Jr is gather dust as the Princeton scratches that itch in spades.
I have recently bought a 94 Fender Bronco Tweed. 15 Amp, 8" speaker, solid state. I'm very impressed with it. Great sound clean and crunch.
Your opinion please.
I like plugging this into a 12” cab. Sounds great and takes pedals really well. Just not a fan of the input soldered directly onto the circuit board. Mine took a fall and I had the input hardwired to the circuit board, a little wire bridge if you will, and it works great.
This is a problem with most new amps, a great idea on paper, but not practical for real world applications.
Toco Harmonica con un pignose 7-100 y quedé muy feliz con tu explicación. Muchas gracias
Ive got a pro junior in a blues jr case lol 😂 haha yup..had it since the mid 90s...its still an amazing..and loud great sounding amp...love it.
You’re absolutely right!!! A better Amp!!! These are killers!!!
Similar to my Kalamazoo model one but more wattage. You're right about simple being better. Definitely louder, probably more efficient circuitry equates to more volume per watt. But amps like that can be very touch sensitive, which can be a blessing if you brought your A game, just don't have too many beers before a gig. Anyway, I might have heard of that amp but didn't differentiate it from the slightly bigger, more laden with features/more than I want to spend models from Fender, but it looks like I need to try one of those out because all I need is really all you actually need from an amp. If I "want" different features, different colors in my palette, I'd rather get it from elsewhere rather than onboard stuff because it's really never as usable. Fender makes a great vibrato circuit, and amazing reverb too, problem is I hardly ever use either of those so what's the advantage?
Nice little amp, however in all my thriftiness, i'd like it better with a more reasonable price difference. Better yet if Fender wired in a bypass or home-run circuit/switch between input power and speaker. Maybe I'm totally off on this but wouldn't most prefer spend a little more for a bypass option in a full Monty Blues Jr than the stripped Pro?
"Say hello to my little friend" -- lol nice one
Bought a Pro Jr IV today can't wait to get it in my hands. Going to get a pine cabinet for it
yes, a cab upgrade may be a cool thing to do, also you can change the speaker size at the same time.
I bought one of these earlier versions back in 2006 and was annoyed with its “boxy sound”, “Ice-pick-highs” and the overall inability to dial in warmth. I did speaker swap outs, tube swap outs. Nothing seemed to help with these issues. The upside of this amp was its “Mojo & Vibe” it has what most modern amps lack. Maybe these newer versions address the previous issues and it’s worth re-exploring.
These are killer amps to use in pairs, I tech for a big New Zealand artist whose rig has been two pro juniors for decades. sitting at breakup and he has a Hotcake pedal for leads and dials back his guitar for cleanup
Is that for Dave Dobyn?
I want two of these tweed pro jrs. One for guitar and one for bass guitar. I eventually want to make a 51 tv front bassman amp clone. I missed out on the tv bassmans from 2010s and never see any for sale so i want to build my own 1951 tv front amp with the wide panel tweed cab. I currently have two recent 59 ltds but long for that original wide panel single 15 inch speaker amp
I want one of these. Another contemporary amplifier that is very vintage are the Supro's. Maybe not the smaller ones, but the full-sized ones that cost about $1,300 or so. I have two different models and they are fantastic in my opinion. The fact is I don't like many modern amplifiers either.
Bought one when they first came out in ‘94 and will never part with it.
How do they pair with harmonica? I'm in New Zealand cost $1299 over here.
I'd like an amp that would hide my mistakes, give or take a few notes no less... But this thing here will reveal you like nothing else, yea you! You will know exactly where you stand with that ax you pretend to know how to wield... cheers!
A great point, brutally honest sound
They are, these and the champs really make you work hard.
Brilliant review. Thank you
I've played through one at an open mike jam one night .... very capable amp.....plenty of guts for 15watts and a 10" speaker......
Hi Mark, nice video, thanks. I have a question fo you about what looks to be a vintage Guild Stafire 11 hanging on the wall behind you. It appears to have small rectangular single coils, as does my vintage 64/65 Starfire 111. For years I had suspected that a previous owner had swapped out the original Guild Mini Humbuckers for what appear to be Hagstrom single coils. However I have seen a few vintage Guilds equit with this type of pick up. Just wondering if you have any backround information. Thanks
this is the model T-100. It has the Starfire logo on the pickguard, but isn't technically a Starfire. It has different pickups.. I think they're deArmond.
Ya man, I just bought that same amp. I'm shocked on how much I like it. The Jenson took a bit to break it in.
Good video, and good amp. Only downside is that the cab is made from particle board. Not even MDF. Particle board. Fender lists it right on the spec sheet. But with such a small package the resonance of the cab may not play as much of a factor as it would with larger combo amps.
The Pro Junior and Peavey Classic 20 are both basic no frills amp but pack a punch. The Peavey is in my opinion a bit more refined with better drive.
If these little amps had reverb, Fender would never sell another Blues junior.
Ive had the Blues Jr. Hot Rod Deville both made in USA... I just bought my Pro jr. blows both of those US made amps outta the game...
Essentially a modern day 'Champ"
Yes but the el 84 tubes give it a little more head room and 4-range sound. I love my vintage champ too
in simplicity, but not sound- champ compresses waaaayyy more, has a chewier distortion with less sustain, and is 1/2 the volume. Get both! My PJ has a tweed champ next to it and a 5E3 deluxe on other side! Champ and 5e3 are on a aby switch, and PJ powers a leslie cab.
Not a modern day Champ. More like a Tweed Deluxe.
No nothing like a champ .
Looks much like my '56 Fender Champ. Happy with my Blues Jr, but will check one out.
Different tubes, so quite a different sound. It’s also 10”, vs 8” on the Champ.
Never met a master volume that I liked. Go Pro Jr.
Ehh, they have a trick and it takes some time to figure it out. I have a blues Jr and a pro jr. I like both. I play the blues jr more because of the master volume. The pro is too loud, lol. Well not really. The master makes it’s more manageable. You can crank the volume and still play in an apartment.
I also love the simplicity of the amp, a few pedals not much, your off to the races,
From your description it sounds like possibly great for blues harp also?
It’s great for Blues harp! I gig with one regularly. I use a JJ 12AT7 in V1.
Yeah i saw a guy years ago after he just played a sick harp gig at an open mic... he walked out of that place carrying a pro junior
Hello friend, it is certainly a great amp for harmonica..I have a pro-jr with some modifications and it is excellent! ... I recommend it for sure!
Yeah, no - I've own five of these bad boys - bottom line is simple: If it's good enough for Jeff Beck, it's good enough for me! First thing to do is swap out whatever tubes are in there - and use J&J tubes, not the groove tube rubbish. BULLET PROOF AMP! Pedals are OUTSTANDING on this amp. Get one.
Do you have to have it bias if you change to JJs?
@@tylerblakeney6702 I never have and have never suffered any ill effects. Also, use rubber gloves when messing with tubes so as not to get grime on the glass.
Just sold my Blues JR and kept my red knob Champ 12. You should demo one - (if you haven't already)
I had this amp, it was too freakin loud for my home. The lack of reverb bothered me also.
You can buy a Blackstar HT5MKII for the same money...great reverb, two cleans and two distortions and all sound killer with a 12 inch speaker. Mine is my go to practice amp and my Bassbreaker 15 for playouts. I had an original champ from the 50's, got over that one trick pony years ago.
Good point. The Laney Cub 10 is another very good alternative and costs much less
Love that amp man!! It's a screamer!!
Only amp I actually cranked to full volume to see what it would sound like. Great little amp but mine had a lot of hum to it, probably bad house ground.
Love the channel, I'm in the first 1000 club!
if you have never played a really decent small tube amp before, then youll love this , otherwise pass it up!
why
If yiu had the money for eather… what’s better pro jr or the blues jr??? What would be better for my first amp
I have one of these here in New Zealand. In the first few months it kept blowing tubes ( valves). The shop would replace them. Seemed a bit fishy so I took it to my amp expert. He said it was running way too hot and would keep blowing tubes so it needed an adjustable re biasing pot. It has been great ever since. That means the warranty is void but all the shop and Fender rep would do is a band aid repair even though they knew the real problem. I complained to the Manager and got an apology. But beware...surely they are all made the same and will run too hot?
sounds like it came biased too hot, a manufacturer's defect for sure, my own Pro Jr doesn't go through tubes.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA Sorry I don't understand? A Pro Junior is a valve amp.How can it not run through valves or tubes? Have they made a transistor amp with the same name?
@@rickyl9540 "doesn't go through" means it doesn't use a lot of them. for example, "I go through a lot of socks, because I rip them." So my amp has the factory tubes in it 5 years later, they're fine. Your "going through" a lot of tubes is not the norm.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA thanks for clarifying that.My amp is great now.No problem.They are quite bright tho. I also have the tone at about 3. Great with pedals🙂
just make sure to bring another amp along because the plastic input jack will quit on you at the most inopportune times...over and over and over again. Get it switched out as soon as possible.
Ya I played one ...loved it
This little thing sounds amazing, but gee it is loud to get cranked!
I had one many years ago. I think it cannot be really compared to a '50 / '60 vintage amp because of the gain that is quite higher so that you can't play jazz for istance. Also the low end was too enhanced.
I had to replace the first 12AX7 with a 12AY7 in order to reduce the gain.
Sounds great
Much Better
I own several( ok A Lot)
A+ Review
When you push the amp full on the tone control is almost out of the circuit (in a good way)
Both knobs on 12 and it's got insane gain ( possibly a little clean booster 3dB Awesome sound
Been using there period since 98
Perfection
The Longest Continuous Uninterrupted Fender Amp
I don't know if I've ever turned both up all the way, I'll try that
To loud for a town home?
@@A.PGUITARS it definitely can be, I prob never play above 3 or 4 at home
Liked and subscribed, informative video 👍
The best part is the sound demo.
That is nice! Fender omitted all the dumb stuff that you don't need. To make it perfect, get rid of that "tone control" and you have the really pure amp!
I like it, ver y good tone and Alnico speaker. But I dont like its particle board cabinet, neither its low quality pcb electronics, and would prefer 6L6 or 6V6 tubes
Does it have an extension cab jack?
If you have the version with a rubber switch cover, do you think you can pull it off? Is there a normal chrome switch underneath?
yeah, It might have been for "safety" but don't let that stop you!
Good enough for Jeff Beck on certain songs (stacked) 👍
Thank you
Great pitch! I used to have a blues jr and didn’t care for it. Everything you describe about the pro jr seems to address what I didn’t like about the blues jr. I’m guessing it has more headroom than the blues.
I’m wondering if it’s worth the extra money though to get the new vibro champ or a Princeton. What I want is a low watt fender style tube amp that can get nice cleans or break up a little at bedroom or home studio volumes
Having a single volume it should have more clean headroom. The power amp section is the same but the preamp section is simpler
How do you get a Blues Jr. to not sound so brassy, high end treble? Mine's the tweed with the Jensen speaker. Wish it had less watts too cuz 15w is too loud to get the break-up sound.
you can try and output attenuator to lower your wattage. As for the high end, speaker selection can have a lot to do with it, although it's a Fender, bright has always been their thing.
Wondering if it sounds "Boxy" like the Blues Jr?
surprisingly no.
Maybe a tube rectifier, please.
got mine for 340 $ brand new...on sale at Sweetwater.....what a fantastic amp...im blown away by the sound of my telecaster through this amp....wow.. i have a fender Deville with four 10s...but man...this amp sounds clearer and with a fuller tone...Im blown away by this amp....
These are great little amps
its a nice little amp....i use it to fix my guitars at my work bench. but i love my deluxe vibrolux with twin 10" alnicos and my deluxe reverb with a p12q alnico better.
those are some great amps for sure!
Agreed !
I think they are great sounding amps. The only complaint I have is I wish they would have put them in the same size cab as they Blues Jr with the 10”. The small cab is a bit “boxy” sounding. A Pro Jr head would be great.
Tombob I think a Fender Pro Jr head stand alone /piggy back with a very slightly bigger cabinet with a 12 inch speaker would be a great idea. Good thinking, I have always preferred a piggy back system to a combo amp. I use the 1960's Silver tone 1484 piggyback amp with 12 inch speakers & it sounds great. So I am sure this Fender Pro Jr, Set up as a very small but very powerful piggy back would put out quality sounds. The ,more I think about it the better it sounds to me.
It’s an amplifier, it’s not a toaster, because it amplifies a guitar but won’t toast bread and that’s great for a low carb diet.
This is the best !