Pro Junior Club

The little amp that could!:razz:

I've had mine for a year now and I've enjoyed it quite a bit! I did some mods to it (extra output cap, Switchcraft input jack, Eminence Ragin Cajun, etc) and it's a great amp for practices and club gigs. It's nice have lots of (overdriven) volume in such a small package.

I put JJ tubes in mine along with a Jensen Mod but I would like to try an alnico in it some day. I love the simplicity of it. Not much knob twiddling!

No PJ love?:eek:

Oh, yeah!

I bought my first PJ new, tweed with ceramic speaker, as a result of the rave reviews on the old Tele Discussion Page. I got a second one for a backup used, an earlier tweed with a blue frame alnico speaker, and it's my number one PJ.

Now, I saw one that was completely redone by Ace Pepper of ThunderTweak Amps, with a Deluxe Reverb transformer, a hand-wired circuit like a Matchless Spitfire, and a Ragin Cajun speaker. Nice, nice, nice, but not a PJ...heavier and more in-your-face.

I've done NOS tube tweaks with the #1 PJ, and it just sings. I've sold buddies on this little amp, too. A great pick-up-and-go-play amp.

I love my Pro Jr, so I'm in. I have a question if I may -

Ive swapped the first pre amp tube to a 12at7 as i found it stopped the amp being so noisy. Im I harming anything by mixing and matching tubes this way?

It sounds better to me so Im happy as long as my PJ is...

I've had 2 over the years,sold them both. Which only proves my stupidity.

:sad:

I have one and I think it's the dogs bollocks. Unfortunately, I am moving back to Canada from Taiwan and need to sell it.. Maybe I'll get another one once I get settled.

Bob

I've had it months and the tone never fails to amaze me! Recantly switched to JJ tubes, and now looking into a new speaker.

Try any ol' 12Asomething7 tube you want. I prefer a new-old-stock military grade 5751, which is kind of between a 12AY7 and a 12AX7. Depends on how much you want to tame down the "mild to wild" feature with a lower gain preamp tube.

Try any ol' 12Asomething7 tube you want. I prefer a new-old-stock military grade 5751, which is kind of between a 12AY7 and a 12AX7. Depends on how much you want to tame down the "mild to wild" feature with a lower gain preamp tube.

Cool! Thanks.

I've had one more than 10 years, I reckon; a screaming little lunchbox for sure. I love the simplicity.

I have a early 90's tweed made in the USA Tweed. Any one have some info on these? Years in production, street price when they came out, value now or anything else interesting?

The "dogs bullocks" is a good thing?

The "dogs bullocks" is a good thing?

yes, believe it or not. and its "bol***ks".

I stand corrected! (Obviously my spell check is amiss!)

Its one of those phrases which is hard to imagine how it got into circulation, as it makes no sense at all, I can understand spellcheck not picking it up!

First year tweed here. Replaced the original spkr years ago with some Fender blue thing I had lying around.

These little brutes howl! Mine's been used live, at rehearsal, and has been recorded many times in the studio -by artists that you know!

haven't used my DRRI since i got mine a year ago! love it! $180 bucks used and dirty! replaced T+V pots, input jack. put in JJ tubes(5751 preamp) and a rajin cajun. so far i haven't had a gig that it wouldn't handle!

Count me in! I just got a nice pair (one black, one tan) of them. I use them in a stereo configuration after a Blackstar Ht-dual and a Danelectro reel echo. Mine are noisy little bastards though so I'm looking to hand them over to a good tech for some mods. The reel echo could do with some work as well I guess. Anyone know of a mod for that one?

yes, believe it or not. and its "bol***ks".


Also known as the Mutts Nuts

I'm in. New Pro Jr owner for about three months. It's my first tube amp. Love the simplicity - two knobs is about all I can handle - and love the tone. No mods. I'm just a hobbist so it will stay stock for now. My little Pignose is looking mighty lonely these days.

I LOVE my PJr! I bought it new within the past year - after reading the reviews, then actually playing one at GC and Sam Ash.

I replaced the full tubeset with JJs and EHs and replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Ramrod. It actually sounded okay before the upgrades, but Now=Wow!

I plug my Strat straight into the PJR, set the Volume to 6-7, Tone to 3-4, then use my Strat volume knob to go from clean to mean!

Did I say that I LOVE my PJR?

Any fellow PJ players out there ever try a tone tubby hemp-cone?
recently, I've been trying to expand the sound of that little box with the blue frame 10. SO,one afternoon,I get to experimenting with other cabinets and such. Just out of curiosity(I hear it will KILL a cat)I remove the blue frame to see if a 12 will fit in the cab. And during the proccess..I drop the damn thing. I break the fiber patch that mounts the wires and I put my thumb through the cone.:oops:. SO.....excellent chance to UPGRADE:wink:
Now back to the original question...anybody running a 10" tone tubby?

Go for it!

I have a USA Crate V1512T with a 12" Tone Tubby speaker and it sounds marvelous. Folks love the Cannabis Rex in their Blues Junior's - the CRex is a hemp-cone speaker.

I'm sure if Eminence made a 10" hemp-cone, the Pro Junior owners would be all over it!

A hemp-cone speaker will be warmer and smoother than your stock speaker.

Good luck.

warmer and smoother sounds nice. I play a frankensquire esquire and a jerry jones......and you do have to pay attention. they can get a little piercing if your not paying attention.

Did you check out the Tone Tubby (http://www.tonetubby.com/ss.html) sound samples (click the link)?

Personally, I prefer a ceramic speaker. Unfortunately, Tone Tubby doesn't have a sound sample for the 10" ceramic, but if you listen to the 8" and 12" samples, you can get an idea of how the 10" would sound.

Enjoy!

I have a MIM model that suffered from the dreaded Pro Junior hum; rerouting the wires and installing new preamp tubes got rid of it. Otherwise it's stock; sounds great with my Keeley-modded TS9.

I've had my Pro Jr for 2 years now and still loving it! Great little amp I must say. No mods yet, all stock. Hopefully would get to try JJ tubes when these stock ones expire :)

I just joined the club with a Pro Jr. in the Tonedog 12" cab with a new Weber and some JJ's. It looks beautiful and plays great so far.

I have to be honest, I'm not sre if this amp is the right setup for me right now...but I will admit is sounds great through my new to me MIM upgraded Tele with all American guts and upgrades. Talk about some twang.

I just joined the club with a Pro Jr. in the Tonedog 12" cab with a new Weber and some JJ's. It looks beautiful and plays great so far.

I have to be honest, I'm not sre if this amp is the right setup for me right now...but I will admit is sounds great through my new to me MIM upgraded Tele with all American guts and upgrades. Talk about some twang.

I've got a Tonedog on the way! Been playing my Pro Jr. through an open back 12" cab for some time now, so I thought it was time to go all the way.

My Pro Jr. is one of the first tweed ones. Apparently, there's some difference between the ones coming out of Mexico, to the older made in USA models -but I don't know.

All I can say is that my '52 RI through my Pro Jr. and a 12" spkr. is one of the most harmonically rich amps I've ever played through. It sings, it howls when I want it to, and it feeds back beautifully.

I don't use distortion pedals -I just turn 'er up!!

Sounds like some keep playing through a Pro Jr with no mods...

I have a MIM model that suffered from the dreaded Pro Junior hum; rerouting the wires and installing new preamp tubes got rid of it. Otherwise it's stock; sounds great with my Keeley-modded TS9.

I just got one that looks bareley used. The noise without anything plugged in was pretty bad. I took out the top center screw on the back panel - as suggested on various internet sites - and the noise was greatly reduced.

BUT...when I plugged in my CV tele the noise was REALLY bad and increased as the volume was turned up.

Are these the symptons that your wire re-routing and preamp tube replacement addressed?

cfender, try the pre amp tube first, that solved my hum pretty much totally. changed it for a 12at7 incidentally (the tube in the first slot)

I fixed the hum problem. It was easy. Unfortunately I had to plug in a $4000 Les Paul to get rid of the hum.

This is my first tube amp. I had NO IDEA how obnoxious the CV's single coils would sound. Its OK until I get past half volume. Then it's like sonic waterboarding.

I just got one that looks barely used. The noise without anything plugged in was pretty bad. I took out the top center screw on the back panel - as suggested on various internet sites - and the noise was greatly reduced.

BUT...when I plugged in my CV tele the noise was REALLY bad and increased as the volume was turned up.

Are these the symptoms that your wire re-routing and preamp tube replacement addressed?

Right, taking out the center screw was the first thing I tried. It helped a little. I'd say swapping out the preamp tube had the most effect. Like Steve G, I used a 12AT7.

This wasn't a buzz as much as a low-pitched (but *loud*) hum. Didn't matter if a guitar had single coils, humbuckers, etc. In fact, the amp's volume setting didn't have much effect on it, either.

WHAT! No photos? I'll fix that...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/FenderProJunior_3.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/FenderProJuniorTop_2.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/FenderProJuniorBack_1.jpg

Great little amps, as simple and effective as it gets...:cool:

I got a black PJ to replace an Orange Tiny Terror and the PJ is so much better. The TT seems to have no top - made my tele's and my Rick sound dull. The PJ, whilst a little noisy brings back all the sparkle. Amp is still totally stock, but I plan on trying some of Billm's mods in a while to try to reduce the hiss a bit - once I finish my Princeton build.

I finally got around to picking up a cab with a 12" speaker enclosure for my Pro. Jr. -something I always wanted to do.

I got it here:
http://www.newellamps.com/

Great construction, and looks real cool in Lacquered tweed. I put a Jensen P12Q in it and it is absolutely fantastic!

The 12" really opens up the tone. It's a lot more bassier, and not so boxy. It's my main amp now. Super simple, just the way I like things:

Tone on 12, volume on 12, and I'm good to go!

Can I plug my PJ into a 1x12 cab rated at 16ohm?

Just bought a used PJ last week. Sounds great, I think I may like it better than the Blues Junior I had but not quit as nice as the PRRI I had. Still its a great sounding small amp. I may upgrade the speaker and tubes down the road as well.

i bought a tweed made in usa about five years ago in a pawn shop for $50.00 still looked new. it has the blue frame alnico speaker and sounds great, i don't know when it was built.

Here's my little monster. I took a great sounding amp, and made it better.
I bought a 12" speaker cab here:

http://www.newellamps.com/index.html

I put a Jensen P12Q in it for vintage tweed tone, and cut the negative feedback loop for more warmth and oomph. I've still got a couple of small mods to do as well, but for the most part, she's pretty much there!

First shot with my tele for scale:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Tele%20Sr..jpg

Top:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%201.jpg

Back:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%202.jpg

Back w/back panel off:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%203.jpg

I highly recommend this cab. It's solid pine, doesn't rattle, looks great, and is finished with lacquer over the tweed. As you can see, it even has metal corner protectors which the Jr. cab doesn't.

It's also a real light little brute.

I really love running it wide open!!

Here's my little monster. I took a great sounding amp, and made it better.
I bought a 12" speaker cab here:

http://www.newellamps.com/index.html

I put a Jensen P12Q in it for vintage tweed tone, and cut the negative feedback loop for more warmth and oomph. I've still got a couple of small mods to do as well, but for the most part, she's pretty much there!

First shot with my tele for scale:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Tele%20Sr..jpg



Top:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%201.jpg

Back:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%202.jpg

Back w/back panel off:

http://www.brokenjoe.com/images/web%20shots%20misc/Sr%203.jpg

I highly recommend this cab. It's solid pine, doesn't rattle, looks great, and is finished with lacquer over the tweed. As you can see, it even has metal corner protectors which the Jr. cab doesn't.

It's also a real light little brute.

I really love running it wide open!!

OMG! that is beeyootiful! a PJ through a 12" speaker must CRANK!!! was that a special order?

at my last gig i had the opportunity to plug my PJ through a Marshall 4 banger cab. it was heavenly!

OMG! that is beeyootiful! a PJ through a 12" speaker must CRANK!!! was that a special order?


No, I bought it Here:

http://www.newellamps.com/

No, I bought it Here:

http://www.newellamps.com/

yes but i didn't see a PJ cab of any kind on the newell site. am i missing something? i'd LOVE to check one out!

yes but i didn't see a PJ cab of any kind on the newell site. am i missing something? i'd LOVE to check one out!

Call or email JD and he'll give you a price. It's not listed on his site, but he makes 'em!

Great guy to deal with.

Lots of cool coverings too.

Just bought a used PJ. Should be enroute over the next day or two. Looking forward to getting a hold of it to see what it needs, if anything. (Tubes, Speaker, etc.)

Been GAS'ing to join this little club for some time now...

Been GAS'ing to join this little club for some time now...
me too after i talked a it with dan baird. he really recommends pro juniors. after a marshall class5 deal went bad, my local dealer will get me a pro next week. hopefully there will be no hum- and other-issues. then i will hook it up with a 1x12" cab loaded with a tonker. eddie

I've just bought myself a brand new black (I assume MIM) version after longing for one for years but never having the guts to downgrade from the 3channel all flutes and whistles Laney I had in UK.

Now I'm back in Aus I wanted small, simple and just nice standard overdriven tone and it does it all fine. It's a bit noise with my badly wired, unsheilded single coil Esquires and I think very dirty power. But not uncomfortably so.

I'd love the tweed version when I have money for it, but can't see myself ever selling this now that I have it so the tweed could be #1 and this could be backup.. Maybe even get a signal splitter and run both for bigger gigs? Oooh.

Can anyone explain the differences between the tweed and black versions? Apart from obviously price and the tweed looking soooo much nicer. I'm not too knowledgable about electronics so lamens terms would be nice.

Anyway I love my rig now.. pick an Esquire -->> tuner pedal -->> Pro Jr. .. So simple and sounds so great.

Since last posting here... I have also upgraded my speaker to a Celestion Vintage and that makes a huge difference! Very creamy and smooth.

I was looking at a thread for the Super Champ XD recently and came across some discussion about a cab to house a 12-inch speaker. After looking around, I ended up bookmarking this for future investigation...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Pro-Junior_W0QQitemZ380170431628QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_ DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5883ec6c8c

count me in the pro jr. contingency... great little amp that can be made even greater with tubes and speaker mods. had mine for 4 or 5 years and have used it all over the country... held up fine. never had it turned up over 5, but miced it most of the time. worked well with my pedalboard, too.

rand z

I've had Pro Jr's since they came out. I have a couple at the Studio (http://www.cowboytechnical.com/NewCowboyTechnical/Welcome_New_Cowboy.html) and a couple more for the backline at the club (www.lakesidelounge.com/). I had a dual Pro Jr rig on the road for a while that was pretty cool. I have a personal one that I keep at home for the grab and go amp. Have a Mercury OT and I had a Rajun' Cajun 10" in the stock cab that was pretty darn good.

Recently I got a 12" combo cab from Mather Cabs (http://www.mathercab.com/) in Nashville. They were great to deal with. Custom color no extra charge. With a EMI Tonkerlite 12" the rig weighs in at less than 22 pounds and it really gets up on its hind legs.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/roscoenyc/IMG_0927.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/roscoenyc/IMG_0933.jpg

and my old Dual Pro Jr rig.
One Pro Jr powered the Bassman bottom and the other Pro Jr powered the 10's in each amp. w 66 Tele Custom
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/roscoenyc/DualProJr66tele_IMG_2.jpg

Any chance of some kind of diagram or more detailed info how you worked your dual pro jr rig there and what speakers etc? Looks like a cool setup.

I can't make a diagram for you but I can try to explain it better.
Basically, the Pro Jr on the left (Blonde) powered the 2 x 12" Bassman cabinet with 2 Jensen Alnicos in it.

The Pro Jr on the right (tweed) has had an internal Y cord installed so there are 2 speaker outs. There is a Jensen Alnico in the tweed amp and a Mojotone 10" in the blonde one.

So, Blonde Pro Jr-2 x12 closed back Jensen Alnico
Tweed Pro Jr- 2 x 10" open back, 1 Jensen Alnico, 1 Mojotone

The board that I was using at the time had a Fulltone Choral/Flange as the last pedal so I had 2 outs. I usually had the Blonde amp that was powering the 2 x 12" cab set a little cleaner than the Tweed one so they would react to the pedals differently.

Fun rig for sure.

The little amp that could!:razz:

And DOES!

Deal me in.

I have four tube amps - and use this little devil the most. It's just too easy to travel with, and it always sounds great. An amp that begs to be turned up.

Mine's a tweed (blue alnico speaker) with upgraded pots.

Here's a question: I have JJs now. Always looking for upgrades. What do you think of these?:

http://kcanostubes.com/products/510/TAD-EL84-6BQ5-STR.htm

Cheaper than NOS. Anyone use 'em? Worth a try?

Just bought a used PJ last week. Sounds great, I think I may like it better than the Blues Junior I had but not quit as nice as the PRRI I had. Still its a great sounding small amp. I may upgrade the speaker and tubes down the road as well.

I like 'em better than Blues Juniors. Fewers bells, fewer whistles, more tone.

The BJ's "fat" switch is clearly a typo. They left out the R.

I like the JJ EL 84's. I use them in a bunch of amps. I think you can get more bang for the buck out of NOS in preamp tubes or rectos...

That said, if Mike at KCA says he like's the TAD's I bet they'd be worth a try. He's
never steered me wrong.

I can't make a diagram for you but I can try to explain it better.
Basically, the Pro Jr on the left (Blonde) powered the 2 x 12" Bassman cabinet with 2 Jensen Alnicos in it.

The Pro Jr on the right (tweed) has had an internal Y cord installed so there are 2 speaker outs. There is a Jensen Alnico in the tweed amp and a Mojotone 10" in the blonde one.

So, Blonde Pro Jr-2 x12 closed back Jensen Alnico
Tweed Pro Jr- 2 x 10" open back, 1 Jensen Alnico, 1 Mojotone

The board that I was using at the time had a Fulltone Choral/Flange as the last pedal so I had 2 outs. I usually had the Blonde amp that was powering the 2 x 12" cab set a little cleaner than the Tweed one so they would react to the pedals differently.

Fun rig for sure.

But you only have a mic in the Bassman cab!

THat's all I needed for that particular gig. The Gibson Supergoldtone to the right was also mic-ed.

So I bought a used PJ. It's en route to my home now. Eta, 2 days.

I also have new tubes coming from Bob @ Eurotubes. 2 days again.

And I've already planned using an EV Force10 as my replacement speaker.

:)

I've had one for about 5 years now. Just this week plugged it into a 4x12 external cab. Incredible. I just bought a pair of JJ EL84s for it. I replaced the 12ax7s with some Electro Harmonix a while ago that came in a synthesizer I have.

Mine just delivered at noon. Tone-a-licious. I'm thinking,,
Just a volume and tone on Tele and just a volume and tone on a PJ - no coincidence.

Mine just delivered at noon. Tone-a-licious. I'm thinking,,
Just a volume and tone on Tele and just a volume and tone on a PJ - no coincidence.

Yee Haw!

I remember the first time I plugged into mine.

Crank everything up to 12, and just use the tone and volume controls on yer tele from there. Killer little brute, huh?

Nice clip of a ProJr in use:
Eminence Copperhead Speaker JJ EL84's
http://www.5min.com/Video/Fender-Pro-Jr-Review-97315133

Yee Haw!

I remember the first time I plugged into mine.

Crank everything up to 12, and just use the tone and volume controls on yer tele from there. Killer little brute, huh?

Tried that but a bit much for my tastes. HOWEVER, I did put her up to about 8 and rolled back the tele volume and WOWSA! sounded like I had a caged beast swiping its claws out! Sweet :)

im in
have an original version in tweed with the alnico

rebuilt entire amp to marshall 18 w -merc tranny-real pilot light (the Farshall mod)

easiest amp there is to grab and play-can walk with it for long distances!!!!!!!!

BUT
never have been in love with the sound from the small cab-good but not great (my tweed deluxe has spolied me)

BUT when I plug it into a 2x12 with celestions its tone heaven -those 84s with either a les paul or tele are great with a bigger cab

I'm in that club....stock black but I sure dig the tweed. 15 watts of dog chasing and wife yelling pleasure.

Tom

not THE Tom of Farshall fame?

Who here is gigging with a PJ? I love the tone, but I find myself needing a better monitor rig to go along with it, as I usually can't hear myself well enough.

Having just left the club after selling my black PJ Im now back on board with a tweed one en route to me. GAS is crazy!!

Who here is gigging with a PJ? I love the tone, but I find myself needing a better monitor rig to go along with it, as I usually can't hear myself well enough.

Gigged with mine tons of times! lots of times NOT mic'd.

I can easily do most small bars with a PJ. Larger venues need a mic.

not THE Tom of Farshall fame?

Since I have no idea who or what Farshall is, I guess the answer would be no.

But I am a legend in my own mind.

Tom

OK guys.

Despite playing tube amps most of my uneventful career Im still pretty foggy on how to treat em right.

-If I swap the tubes in my PJ do they all need to be matched, or do the two pairs of tubes just have to match each other?
-My PJ has the blue orig. spkr which sounds fine to me. WHo made that speaker and is there any more info about it?

and lastly

-Why does my Pro Junior look so darn cool?:wink:

Thanks, Steve

Also...

what was the first year of production, mine is supposedly a Feb 94. Is 1994 PJ year one?

OK guys.

Despite playing tube amps most of my uneventful career Im still pretty foggy on how to treat em right.

-If I swap the tubes in my PJ do they all need to be matched, or do the two pairs of tubes just have to match each other?
-My PJ has the blue orig. spkr which sounds fine to me. WHo made that speaker and is there any more info about it?

and lastly

-Why does my Pro Junior look so darn cool?:wink:

Thanks, Steve

There are 4 tubes in PJ's. working from the short tubes inward:
v1 - 1st & 2nd gain stages and major tone shaping, plug and play, no bias
v2 - phase inverter, splits signal for poweramp tubes, minuscule tone impact, plug and play, advice is for a balanced tube no bias
v3 & v4 - poweramp tubes matched is best if you buy ones from folks like Eurotubes who know Fender specs no bias necessary

The important thing to understand is that the tubes in 12ax7 are really 2 halves each with a different amount of gain. So as you buy tubes it's important to know this. For the PI slot you want something balanced meaning the 2 sides are equal so that an equal signal hits the poweramp tubes.

It's also good to know as you start swapping tubes. I always leave the mfg recommended in the PI slot but play around with the earlier slots. This is fun and easy in the PJ as there is only 1! Alot of folks like to swap in a 5751 or 12at7 both lower gain than the AX. But the tubes have other differences which you can read up on your own as it's ALOT of info!

But you can also get on the horn with these tube guys and ask for a lower gain 12AX7 which could work for you!

Finally, keep in mind with things like headroom that it is a careful dance and you need to account for proper levels in each stage.


BTW, I like my stock speaker just fine but found some ear fatigue so I may swap mine out shortly.


Finally, it looks so cool cuz it's just like a Tele: 1 vol, 1 tone, 1 toggle

Also...

what was the first year of production, mine is supposedly a Feb 94. Is 1994 PJ year one?

I'm glad strumminsix took the hard question.

According to Amp Guide, the first year of production was 1993.
http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=77

Great answers, thanks for taking the time. I feel a little more knowledgeable now. My PJ is a little noisy so Im hoping new tubes should help.

hey guys, what would be the best solution to get more clean headroom?

thanks!

For headroom I think Eurotubes has it right:
12at7
12ax7
ELs rated for headroom

I tried a 12ax7 in v1 and found it hits the poweramp tubes HOT and seemed always ready to clip.
I tried a 5751 in v1 and found that I had to turn up more but wasn't louder
The AT was a nice happy medium.

All of this assumes you understand this amp has just barely enough headroom to clear a drummer and that you like your speaker.

Yeah, you're not going to get any more volume by swapping tubes around. I'm on the verge of getting a 12at7 and building a custom 2x12 cab for mine right now. I've been playing into a 4x12 for a short time and I really like the sound the multiple 12"s can offer. The 12"s spread the sound out and add some nice low end. But, I need to lighten up the overall distortion ratio.

Yeah, you're not going to get any more volume by swapping tubes around. I'm on the verge of getting a 12at7 and building a custom 2x12 cab for mine right now. I've been playing into a 4x12 for a short time and I really like the sound the multiple 12"s can offer. The 12"s spread the sound out and add some nice low end. But, I need to lighten up the overall distortion ratio.

Technically you can get some additional volume or reduced volume with tubes. But in practice it ain't much at all and you are only dealing with a couple DBs of clean headroom with a tube tango.

But for me, that's all I needed ;) Or I'd bring a larger amp!

New tele player here. I've been a strat guy for years but just got an Affinity tele and am loving it. Took it and my PJ to the blues jam on Thursday. Straight guitar into amp, and it sounded good.

In fact, I even had a PRS player tell me how much he liked the tone and said he'd never heard a fat tone like that from a tele!

My PJ has the Eurotubes standard PJ set of JJ's and a Ragin Cajun speaker but otherwise stock. Such a great little amp!

Hi all,

Here´s one more! Hmm... Mine looks a bit different than yours - can you experts shed a bit light of this beauty´s history?
(I play mine with American Deluxe Strat & enjoy it quite a bit)
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_1.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_2.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_3.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_4.jpg

Cheers & thanks for this great resource! :razz:

Tomi

Hi all,

Here´s one more! Hmm... Mine looks a bit different than yours - can you experts shed a bit light of this beauty´s history?
(I play mine with American Deluxe Strat & enjoy it quite a bit)
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_1.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_2.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_3.jpg
http://idisk.mac.com/tomilaitila-Public/kuva_4.jpg

Cheers & thanks for this great resource! :razz:

Tomi

Man that looks awesome! Hopefully someone will know something about it, because unfortunately I do not.

Bought mine a few hrs ago. Plugged a cheap Rally Les paul in and it sounded really sweet , notes are clean and clucky at low volumes. Flurbs abit at 3-4 but some modding should do the trick. Money well spent!

ravelle, my experience is that the stock PJ is PERFECT for Tele's and other single coil guitars.

Teeman,I think that is a special run Fender did a few years back along with the Woody PJs.Not sure of the year,I have it in an old Fender catalog,I think it was a bleached ash cab,along with other special runs,Id hold on to it and keep the stock parts and box,etc and onjoy playing on it,killer amp by the way.

Teeman,I think that is a special run Fender did a few years back along with the Woody PJs.Not sure of the year,I have it in an old Fender catalog,I think it was a bleached ash cab,along with other special runs,Id hold on to it and keep the stock parts and box,etc and onjoy playing on it,killer amp by the way.

Thanks Bullitt, great info!
I found the handwritten text "H. Jugan 8-02" inside the cabinet, so 2002 must be the year then. Someone also told me, that this model could have been bundled with some custom shop Teles / Strats with matching colour at the time... Dunno, the colour is close to "cream" and is "reliced" (on purpose or not :lol: )
I just ordered new tubes for it and yes - I´m planning to enjoy it by playing its *** off :grin:

Curious as to how people set their amps when playing live. I took mine to the jam again last night -- put the volume on 5-6, and tone all the way up. Then I usually had the tone knob on the tele all the way up as well. It still did not have that ice-picky treble that teles can have.

The jam leader told me it sounded awesome and wanted me to leave his amp with him. :)

He said it sounded like Neil Young when I hit chords. Big compliment to me because I really like Neil's electric tone. Strangely, I think he runs a Les Paul into a Tweed Deluxe. So if I can get my Affinity tele into a PJ sounding anything like that, it's a good thing!

birv2 - what tubes do you have?! Kinda surprised yours sounded so good with the tone all the way up! Thought it woulda been picky and hissy.

birv2 - what tubes do you have?! Kinda surprised yours sounded so good with the tone all the way up! Thought it woulda been picky and hissy.

I got the standard retube package from Bob at Eurotubes. From his site:
Description: A matched pair of JJ EL84's an ECC83S for V1 & a balanced ECC83S for the phase inverter in V2.

Bob describes the Pro Jr's sound as "juicy", and I agree.

I also have a Ragin Cajun speaker, which might also help explain the non-icepick sound. I believe that speaker is pretty midrangey.

I'm no tube/speaker guru. Just went with a lot of recommendations for this amp, and it sounds great. YMMV.

Nice! I'm guessing that speaker is the trick to allowing the tone pot maxed out!

Very cool results!

I'll play, I had a US made Pro Jr for a few years now and to be honest I hated it! It was way too noisey!! I had a friend gut it and rebuild all point to point as a 18 watt lite....and I hated it but it was quiet.
I also have a Crate V50 which I use as my main amp in the band with a matching 2x12 cab. One day we were having a practice to go over some new songs with some members missing so I decided to try the Pro due to the fact that I would not need the power of the V50 and it weights a tonne. So I plugged it in to the 2x12 cab and the heavens opened up and angels started to sing(LOL). I have never used the V50 in the band since and not a jam goes by that the lead player does not make a comment on how much he likes my tone with the Pro....which I guess is not really a Pro any more but you get the idea.

How many of you use a reverb pedal? Which one? How many think the PJ doesn't need one?

I like my HRDx with its reverb and wondered if I should use some with the PJ. I have a Holy Grail, but since I play mainly at jams, it's too much trouble to take it and find a plug for it -- the HG doesn't use batteries. So if I decide to use reverb, I want to get a pedal that just uses a 9V battery (Verbzilla, Marshall Reflector, and the 2 Digitech reverbs look like good candidates).

But maybe I don't even need one. What does everyone here do?

I don't have a reverb pedal either and simply use a delay pedal for my reverb needs :)

I don't have a reverb pedal either and simply use a delay pedal for my reverb needs :)

Hey strummin, what delay pedal do you use? How do you set it up to get a reverby sound?

Line6 Echo Park, set to "Ducking". Mind you, it doesn't sound just like reverb, but it close. It really gets you to the little bit of wetness vs dry sound.

How many of you use a reverb pedal? Which one? How many think the PJ doesn't need one?

I like my HRDx with its reverb and wondered if I should use some with the PJ. I have a Holy Grail, but since I play mainly at jams, it's too much trouble to take it and find a plug for it -- the HG doesn't use batteries. So if I decide to use reverb, I want to get a pedal that just uses a 9V battery (Verbzilla, Marshall Reflector, and the 2 Digitech reverbs look like good candidates).

But maybe I don't even need one. What does everyone here do?

Hi Birv,

I almost never use reverb either, simply just don´t like the sound of "springs". I also prefer delay for all "echo needs". I own DanElectro´s Reel Echo pedal, but not actually very satisfied its sound, to be honest.
(I prefer my MacBook Pro with MainStage 2 software on it for everything - but have to agree that´s not so portable solution, though)

I swapped my Holy Grail for a Marshall Reflector. The Marshall seems to get pretty good reviews here, and it can work with a battery, which the HG can't. I liked the HG, but the battery issue made it unworkable for me.

Hi All,

I can join your club as per tonight, when I am going to pickup mine PJ, it has a greenback in it so I am very curious about the sound. In combination with my Tele baja + bareknuckle pickups.

Does anyone know if the 60th anni edition has other specs than the normal one? It's a bit unclear for me.

Welcome to the club! I don't know anything about the greenback speaker or the 60th anniversary specs, so I can't help you out there.

I put a Ragin Cajun in mine and swapped out the tubes with JJ's. All I can say is that this amp gets better sounding every day, and sounds AMAZING with my Affinity Tele. I think you'll be glad you joined the club!

Got mine now! It sounds really good with the greenback. This little amp is pretty loud!
The 60th anni-thing is just a logo on the backside of the amp ... specs are the same...

I use to play with a digitech rp-155, but now i don't use that anymore, I love this pro jr tone! I only need some reverb..any (affordable) ideas?

Depends what you mean by affordable. I got a Marshall Reflector reverb pedal because i thought I needed some reverb. But I'm not using it. Personal preference but I don't think I need the reverb.

And yes, it's a loud little sucker!

Hi,

I first heard a Pro Junior on a Rock quiz show on TV (Rockwiz, google it, well worth a look at the tele player James Black) and started hunting one down.

I picked up a tweed mexican one that had been worked on or so I'm told. I know the speaker has been replaced with a Weber. It sounds great and I use it a lot. I tend to use a Vanamps reverb with it cause it adds a bit more depth.

Overall, couldn't be more happier with it.

cheers

Wow looks great! I love the sound of mine too!
Great combination Tele + Pro Jr !

Just curious. Is that a Pro Jr he's got miked in front of the drum kit?

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Just curious. Is that a Pro Jr he's got miked in front of the drum kit?


I doubt it's a Fender. He tends to use boutique amps.

I doubt it's a Fender. He tends to use boutique amps.

Clapton? Boutique? He used a Cornell or two for a while, but all he's ever really used have been Fenders (mostly) or Marshalls (rarely). He's used vintage Tweed Twins, Custom VibroKings, all kinds of all-tube Champs, and now a set of custom Tweed Twin replicas if I'm not mistaken.

Clapton? Boutique? He used a Cornell or two for a while, but all he's ever really used have been Fenders (mostly) or Marshalls (rarely). He's used vintage Tweed Twins, Custom VibroKings, all kinds of all-tube Champs, and now a set of custom Tweed Twin replicas if I'm not mistaken.

True that he has used Fenders in the past, and probably still does. I know he's a believer in smaller Champ sized amps. I was looking at amps last year and happened on to an amp site, and I was surprised by how many blues players use boutique amps- in addition to the major names. That's not to say it's their "go to" amp, but from some of the video and photos I've seen of Clapton lately, the amps don't look like Fenders. I could be mistaken.

Let me get in on this, too !!! The only thing I want is a 1x12 cab to hook mine to. :mrgreen:

http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a458/cactusrob-4tdpri/Picture_00.jpg

Hey guys! I'm total newbie when it comes to changing tubes and I decided this thread would be the best place to seek for help. I've been playing my Pro Jr stock for the longest time and just recently one of my EL84 tube broke down. I'm thinking of getting a JJ's matched set of EL84. Would anyone know what benefits/changes will the JJ bring out? Any tips, help and suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks =)

I get mine from www.eurotubes.com. He has several matched sets for the PJ, depending on what you're going for. You can check out the choices here:
https://ssl.eurotubes.com/cart/index.php?page=view_products&category_id=7&sub_category_id=31

I've always been happy with their products and service.

Anyway, I decided to order a matched set of JJ's EL84's just now. I think they will be good since most Pro Jr users here prefer it. I'm also considering on changing the tubes in V1 and V2.. Could anyone recommend me tubes best for the Pro Jr that would sound warmer, smoother but still dynamic, richer lows, less gain and with more headroom? Advance thanks to anyone's advice and input on it, I hope to learn more from what everyone can share =)

I get mine from www.eurotubes.com. He has several matched sets for the PJ, depending on what you're going for. You can check out the choices here:
https://ssl.eurotubes.com/cart/index.php?page=view_products&category_id=7&sub_category_id=31

I've always been happy with their products and service.

Thanks for the link birv2! The description and choices are really helpful =)
Since I already just ordered a match set of JJ's EL84's from our local dealer here, I'll just need to narrow down between the tubes I need for V1 and V2. Many thanks again!

Thanks for the link birv2! The description and choices are really helpful =)
Since I already just ordered a match set of JJ's EL84's from our local dealer here, I'll just need to narrow down between the tubes I need for V1 and V2. Many thanks again!

Glad to help, OuttaspaceMan! They're also good at giving advice, so if you tell them what kind of stuff you play and what the rest of your rig is, they should be able to steer you straight.

I took one to practice last week. It worked out great. We don't play too loud, so I have not really pushed it. The other guitar player in the band has one of the cheaper Marshall 4 x 12 cabinets. I left the PJ over there and he hooked it up. Can't wait to hear it next time!

Doug

I've heard the PJ described as such by various people. Anybody know enough about amp circuits to say if there's any truth to these descriptions?

Can anyone explain the differences between the tweed and black versions? Apart from obviously price and the tweed looking soooo much nicer. I'm not too knowledgable about electronics so lamens terms would be nice.

Did anyone ever answer this? Are there any differences other than looks?

Normally they put a different speaker in the tolex versions. Probably an alnico one.

I just joined the club. I've been wanting a PJ for a good seven years, ever since a tweed model blew my socks off with a Les Paul in a local guitar store. I've always regretted not buying that amplifier.

Yesterday I purchased a used model off another gear page, a black MIM with the Fromel "Supreme" mod, three way switch for gain, and a Weber alnico blue. Should be a very sweet basement amp!!

I love my Pro Jr. I put an Eminence Copperhead in mine along with new tubes and it sounded great. It loves my Tele.

Any info on the blond PJ's? Were there any changes?

Bailed on the club last year due to the dreaded hiss...tried everything. Still looking for a good one.

NAD!
I just picked up a Pro Jr from craigslist -- $280 like new! I'm trying to break out of being a beginner player, and this is my first tube amp. I'm REAL excited to work on this amp and compare to my Frontman 65R (which is too loud -- I've never used it above 2)!

NAD!
I just picked up a Pro Jr from craigslist -- $280 like new! I'm trying to break out of being a beginner player, and this is my first tube amp. I'm REAL excited to work on this amp and compare to my Frontman 65R (which is too loud -- I've never used it above 2)!

Congrats! It was my first tube amp too, and still my #1. No bells or whistles, just solid juicy tone.

You know , i might be stretching it too far but would removing the tolex cut out some of the amps weight?

You know , i might be stretching it too far but would removing the tolex cut out some of the amps weight?

I can't understand why you would want to do this:shock: it's not that heavy to begin with. But to answer your question, I guess it would make it a little lighter although I don't think it would be a noticeable difference.

Have any of you tried one of these in your Pro Jr.?

Weber Signature Alnico 10s 15 watt (http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Weber-Speakers-Signature-Series-Alnico-10S-15W-10-Speaker-?sku=660019)

If so, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm looking for something warmer and smoother than the stock one for mine but don't have much money to spend. I don't know if the fact that it's only 15 watts would be a problem for me or not. Right now the amp is too loud anyway.

Have any of you tried one of these in your Pro Jr.?

Weber Signature Alnico 10s 15 watt (http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Weber-Speakers-Signature-Series-Alnico-10S-15W-10-Speaker-?sku=660019)

If so, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm looking for something warmer and smoother than the stock one for mine but don't have much money to spend. I don't know if the fact that it's only 15 watts would be a problem for me or not. Right now the amp is too loud anyway.

I find the stock speaker to be surprisingly warm but not smooth at all.

But if you don't I betcha that speaker would definitely help out some!!!

In fact, I want one too :)

I like the sound of the stock speaker fine if the amp is cranked but at lower volumes I find it harsh and thin sounding. I think the fact that that Weber has a lower power rating might be okay because the amp would break up even earlier which means less volume to get a good sound - that's my thinking anyway. I would also think the Weber would have a smoother, rounder sound at low volume and take away some harshness.

I'm also wondering if there is room for that big alnico magnet in there. Anyone know?

I've used and still have both the Weber Signature tens- AlNiCo and Ceramic version speakers in my PJ. The AlNiCo is great for recording but wasn't loud enough to hang with a band IMO. The ceramic fits the bill nicely and lets the amp breath and carry with a band. I used mine in a 5 piece blues outfit and it's still part of my amp collection b/c it covers so much ground. I use it for jazz combo work and most rehearsal situations. A great portable amp with some cajones. If you want another sound option try different 12AX7 types in V1. A high gain JJ may be bold but can get too hot too soon, depends on what tone you're looking for. The sovtek 12ax7s like mesa uses tend to make the PJ a crispy crunchy amp fairly fast. Experimenting is the best way to find what suits your taste.

Just joined the Pro Jr. club today. Great little amp!

Welcome, DG3!

Welcome to the club! But let's keep this our little secret...

We don't want everyone to know.

Thanks! Yeah, after a few years gigging with a Cube 60, which I switched to when I had to sell my DRRI I'd forgotten how nice it is to have that tube sound. It just responds in such an organic way and has a "chime" that the Cube lacks (though it's still an outstanding amp and a real bargain).

Congrats on your purchase! I have an early 90's tweed version. They are awesome amps and can get way louder than one would think. I've found around 5-6 on volume is the "sweet" spot but for me that's usually too loud for around the house playing.

Have any of you tried one of these in your Pro Jr.?

Weber Signature Alnico 10s 15 watt (http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Weber-Speakers-Signature-Series-Alnico-10S-15W-10-Speaker-?sku=660019)

If so, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm looking for something warmer and smoother than the stock one for mine but don't have much money to spend. I don't know if the fact that it's only 15 watts would be a problem for me or not. Right now the amp is too loud anyway.

YES, check out my PJ Speaker Shootout thread here:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/231295-results-my-pro-junior-speaker-shootout.html

Nice reviews, Hoodster!

Should i invest the dough into modding the pro jr with reverb and perhaps a 12" speaker or would the princeton reverb reissue be a better buy?

Should i invest the dough into modding the pro jr with reverb and perhaps a 12" speaker or would the princeton reverb reissue be a better buy?
Its your call, but they are different sounding amps (both great IMO). The Pro Junior definitely has a British (almost) Vox/Fender hybrid tone that really comes out when its cranked, and the Princeton Reverb RI is a great blackface sounding Fender...Don't forget the Princeton Reverb RI is still a 10" speaker, too. I'd get the Princeton if you have the money as with the Reverb and Tremolo its like the perfect "Swiss Army Knife" Fender amp. I'd keep the 10" speaker (maybe and upgrade on that and tubes if you like) to keep the amp portable, and then up the road get a 2-12" cab and you could be in heaven!

Anyone tried one of these cabs?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Pro-Junior-Cabinet-/380250430018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5888b11a42

They are way cheaper than anything else I've seen.

Anyone want to recommend a good replacement speaker? On a budget so probably eminence. Looking to tame the ice picky, shrill highs and tighten up the lows. My pj is kinda flubby sounding at low volume and downright farty at high volume in the low range. Also would like to keep as much clean headroom as possible. I use this amp mainly for home practice. Thanks in advance!!

There's been a fair bit of discussion on the topic of speaker change in this thread. I'll just say what I said before, which is I put a Ragin Cajun in mine and never looked back.

Have we discussed the new PJ III that Fender has released?

It seems that they are trying to correct some things, namely the noise that is associated with the amp. If they have fixed the noise I might get back in the club. Till then it doesn't matter what speaker we use...

I hope the changes work, I miss mine.

Here's something for you: Andreas Arlt with B.B. and the blues shacks using a pro jr.
i2mkstDaME0
I sold mine some years ago - but his sound in the video makes me want one of these "basskids" again.

Great stuff! Who are these guys?

Wonder what the pedals on top of the amp are. Looks like a Boss tuner and chorus.

Besides the tasty playing of the guitarist, I also like the keyboard player's shoes. :)

http://www.bluesshacks.de/english/

German Band from Hildesheim

The green one looks unplugged...

Keyboard player's shoes and moves are great and to me t looks like the red chord is going straight from his gibson to his fender. :lol:

has anyone had a chance to try out the new pro junior iii ? if so did you notice if there is less hum and hiss as fender claims?

has anyone had a chance to try out the new pro junior iii ? if so did you notice if there is less hum and hiss as fender claims?

I've called my local music shops and none have them in yet... I'll be there when they do!

I've had my Pro Junior for about 4 or 5 years now and LOVE the tone! It's an older USA version. I've upgraded to a full set of JJ tubes, but it definitely has a decent low hum, and a little hiss. I don't remember it being this bad, but not sure if I've just been listening to it closer lately. I've tried the top middle screw thing with no luck. Is there a post anywhere, preferably with a photo, of exactly what to do with clipping the zip tie and separating the wires inside? I've might just take it to a tech but if it's an easy fix I'd like to try it myself.

I've had my Pro Junior for about 4 or 5 years now and LOVE the tone! It's an older USA version. I've upgraded to a full set of JJ tubes, but it definitely has a decent low hum, and a little hiss. I don't remember it being this bad, but not sure if I've just been listening to it closer lately. I've tried the top middle screw thing with no luck. Is there a post anywhere, preferably with a photo, of exactly what to do with clipping the zip tie and separating the wires inside? I've might just take it to a tech but if it's an easy fix I'd like to try it myself.

I'd love a pic too! Like you I never realized how noisy she can get!

I'd like to join but all of this hum and rattle talk has me on the fence. I've seen a MIM with the GT EL84's, unknown preamp tubes in a local pawn shop for $300. Its very very clean, owners manual and all.
I had a Champ 600 with hum and all I did was rotate the OT further away from the tubes and it quieted up nice, not silent but nice.
Anything I should look for in perticular, I'm going in with my Tele and $250 hopefully I'll come out with an amp and change. Thanks, Dave

Hi, everyone. I've had a PJ since the very first USA-made run and over the years have done most of the upgrades and mods mentioned in this forum. I'll give a quick rundown of them in the hopes of answering questions that keep popping up. I found all the mods easy to do. Though no great amp tech, I found that learning to drain the caps was easy in order to work safe, but if you can't reliably do that, then don't open your amp. But if you know how to work safe, this amp is easy and fun to upgrade. Here's what I've done:
-- speaker swap. The stock speakers are terrible and just about anything is better. I've used a Weber alnico, which sounds infinitely better. I had a Celestion Vintage ceramic in there for a while, and it sounded great, too. It's worth thinking about how much top end you want, and how tight a bottom, and selecting the speaker accordingly. and just about anything will sound better than stock.
-- Hum. This is a noisy amp, and when I play low at volume, the level of hum was just stupid bad and unacceptable. I reduced the hum substantially by basically doing everything recommended. Remove that chassis screw (not a miracle fix in my case). Buy a kit and upgrade cheap components with good ones. Add the recommended filter caps. Reroute the wires from the manufacturer's rat's nest to shorter, straighter routing. Replace the crap jack. The sum total of all this stuff is a quiet amp with better tone.
-- clip out C2 as everyone suggests. Who needs extra (bypass) treble in an EL84 amp with a 10 in speaker? this really helped
-- swap tubes. I had to try about 20 different NOS tubes to get a quiet front end with adequate headroom and decent cleans without instant shrieky breakup. I found that the tubes make an amazingly big difference in this circuit. I ended up w/ a 12AU7 in the first slot and I think an AT7 in the second. The 12AX7 standard tubes were, to my ears, too hot and bright across the board (even $$ NOS) and I just swapped others in and out until I got the sound I wanted. I an amp w/ one crazy tone control, getting the tubes right for the sound you want is the way to go.
-- I put dampers on my tubes and removed the stupid Fended spring retainers, which were feeding microphonics directly into my tubes. Terrible design.
-- I tried every EL84 imaginable and think the JJs are perfect for this amp. Groove tubes, fake Mullards, real Mullard, Siemens... I think new JJs are best. As w/ the preamp tubes, getting the tubes that sound best for you makes a big difference in this amp.
-- New tranny. I did the Mercury Magnetics OT, which took 10 minutes and added range and depth that are so ridiculously great that any player who hears this amp now just laughs. It's a monster in a can.
-- Hopefully, my photo of this amp will show up on this post. I recovered it with paisley fabric in tweed-like weight, and lacquered it and the little guy looks really cool. A set up now, this amp works for ultra-low valume use at home and for just about any gig I've played recently... unmiked in a club, miked on a stage. I have lots of other bigger amps, but this is the one.

Some years ago, when this was the buzz (no pun intended) on the old TDP, I got one new that had the brown/ceramic speaker, which I agree was harsh, but I got a really good deal on a used one that was a little older, and it had the blue/alnico speaker. Much warmer, and a fine stock speaker to my ear. This is the amp that I tweaked with:

- NOS tubes - stock tubes are a little hot & harsh
- specifically, a NOS GE JAN 5751 in the preamp stage (thanks Bill Hullett!)
- Removing the spring tube retainers

That's it.

I just bought one yesterday. I have had a 4x10 tweed bassman cab sitting around waiting for something. I am going to put the Pro Jr. chasis into it. I will report back with the results.

That sounds like a great idea!
Please let us know about the results.

I hated this amp big time.....

Sorry to hear that olihp. For the most part they are one trick ponies and you either love them or hate them. I think a lot of people mistakingly buy them thinking they would be a good late night or bedroom amp. I have found that the amp really comes to life with the volume up around 4-5. Unfortunately, that's too loud for most around the house applications and I'll admit that to me, most volume settings below that are less than impressive. Take the same amp, put it someplace where you can crank it up to 5+ and it becomes an entirely different animal. Still, just not for everyone.

Does anyone here have one of the Woody Pro Juniors? Rainbow Guitars in Tucson has two on the shelf- One standard and one Bubinga. ($499 and $869 respectively) They're both 60th Anniversary models- 2004?

Any idea how many of these are floating around?

Hi All,
I just finished a fixed value "L-pad" style power attenuator for my Pro Junior. The attenuation is around 20 dB and seems to have very little loss of tone, there is a little less brightness but I always though the amp was too bright anyway :grin:

http://i51.tinypic.com/2ex55s1.jpg


http://i53.tinypic.com/2132gk5.jpg


http://i51.tinypic.com/33e7w5i.jpg

That attenuator looks neet. Do you have the values of the parts?

The series resistor is 7.1 ohm, 25 W and the parallel resistor is 1 owm, 10 watt. Note that that series resistor is actually composed of two resistors in series to get the proper value. This circuit is for use with an 8 ohm speaker. A good utility for calculating L pad resistor values can be found here:

http://www.bcae1.com/lpad.htm

My name is superhand and I am a Fender-holic!!!

I finally feel like I have found MY amp. When I was younger, like many young players, I for years had crappy amps because I could not afford anything else.

Now I feel like I have the amp that I WANT. Not just whatever I could afford at the time. This includes my Vox AC4TV that is a great amp as well, but good luck getting a clean tone out of it a decent volume.

I was shopping around for amps in the $5-600 range and didn't feel like I had to settle on this amp at all. I like the fact that it is so small and easy to move. I work for a living so I don't want to break my back lugging my amp around, I do enough of that kind of stuff at work.

It is loud enough for everything that I want to do with it. Including playing a small club or bar or whatever. For a larger venue, I would think that I could just mic it up to the PA or plug it into a bigger cab.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop for now. Damn I love this amp.

@superhand --

Congrats and welcome to the club. Yes, it's a great amp and so versatile. Perhaps because the pickups on my tele are low output, I like putting my TS9DX in front of the amp to get some extra oomph. But it can handle the small rooms I generally play in.

I feel the same way about not settling. I always get people asking me what amp I'm playing, which is guitarist-code for "sounds nice, man".

Are there any biasing issues with these amps if I swap tubes? Can I just plug and play?

The schematic I am looking at shows it as a fixed biased amp so checking and adjusting the bias as necessary is wise. There is no adjustment pot on the schematic so one has to change resistors to change the current setting.

That being said there are those that will say if your new tubes do not red plate when you crank it you are OK.

If you buy power tubes buy them in matched pairs.

Has anyone tried to fit a 12" into the stock cab? I upgraded speakers long ago and am actually surprised and happy with the power and tightness of the bass I get as-is, and I'm probably just looking for trouble, but I keep wondering how a 12" has worked out if anyone has gone to the bother. As posted previously, I've done a lot of work on my Pro Jr over the years -- it's one of the first made -- and I just love it. It's a great amp out of the box (at least the old ones were) and when you find the right mix of tubes, speaker, and (if you want) a few modest mods, it's an amazing amp.

There was a guy on the net who made a Pro Senior -- bigger cab and a 12" speaker. I think his handle was Tonedog?

I am still loving this amp. There is not a single thing I would change about it.

What kind of tubes go good with this amp? I am thinking about using a lower gain tube in V1 to quiet it down a bit. Can I use a 12AU7 in this amp?

Any suggestions?

I am still loving this amp. There is not a single thing I would change about it.

What kind of tubes go good with this amp? I am thinking about using a lower gain tube in V1 to quiet it down a bit. Can I use a 12AU7 in this amp?

Any suggestions?


Well, lower gain will help with giving you more clean headroom--a 5751 is the ideal lower gain substitute for a 12ax7 because it's identical to the 12ax7 except for lower mu. But other that reducing gain, and therefore possibly the perception of hiss if you're not cranking the amp as loud, it shouldn't effect noise-if you put in a lower gain tube then crank the amp to the same volume as you had before with the higher gain tube you'll probably actually have more idle noise.

@ Jason

Yeah I have been thinking about trying a 5751, but they got stoopid expensive. I remember seeing them for about 10 bucks not too long ago then the price doubled all of the sudden.

Are there any new production 5751 tubes out there? Or something similar?

I've got two and no hum, hiss or rattles. Maybe I'm just lucky?

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n191/guitarguy_01/2010/ProJuniors.jpg

Hi, everyone. For those looking to shape the tone, headroom, and overall gain of this amp, I urge you to try swapping tubes, as it can make a really big difference. (Make sure you know how to do this safely.) I tried many substitutions for the 12AX7 preamp tubes and found that not only the type (12AT7, 12AU7, 5751) but also the specific manufacturer made a huge difference, not only in headroom and tome, but also in noise level, including microphonics (which can be a problem given how the tubes are mounted in this amp). It was a pain in the ass to have to try so many different tubes to get what I wanted (fortunately, I have a huge box of tubes!) but, frankly, it was super productive. I ended up with NOS Brimar 12AU7s (I forget the British code # for this tube) in the pre stages, and JJ EL84s in the power stage. Weirdly, highly-touted tubes like RCA cleartop 12AU7s shrieked with microphonics, and other really good tubes of all types were often disappointing, but eventually I found the ones that gave me the sound I wanted, and the result was really fantastic. Users who have access to tubes and can try swapping shouold really go fit it. Makes a huge difference in the PJ, and you don't have to be a tech maniac or tube snob to hear it!

I am sending my amp to BillM so he can put one of his Hybor transformers into it. Are there any mods that you guys have done to these amps that are worth doing (excluding tube or speaker swapping)? I am going to have a switchcraft input jack installed as well.

Hey, Big Steve. I have a much-modded, upgraded PJ. All the mods were easy. Some were done using parts from Fromel Electronics (he sells mod kids on eBay) but, frankly, the best info I got in deciding what to do came from BillMs various posts (on numerous forums) of from individuals citing BillM. His info always proved accurate for me, so if he's doing your tranny anyway, why not ask him what mods he'd suggest for the sound you're after? For me, outside of tubes and speaker, these were the consequential mods, all of them cheap and easy: new OT (I used Merc. Magnetics and had great results, but others may be similarly good); additional filter caps @ input stage; clipped out one cap (I think it was C2) to tame the too-shrill tone. All these mods had great effect on tone, reduced his and hum, and made the amp more organic and lively and less harsh. I replaced the jack w/ Switchcraft. I also neatened up the rat's nest wiring to reduce hum. As long as you know how to work safely inside an amp, all these mods are easy to do on the PJ. Good luck with your own choices. The PJ really responds well to well-conceived tweaks.

Pro junior was my first amp.
I loved it once I swapped in some vintage RCA blackplate 12AX7's.
The 12AX7's that came in it sounded dull and lifeless by comparison.


I sold it to my father last year for his lap steel but it was a great little amp while I had it.
As others have mentioned not a quiet practice amp, turned up to around 7 was where mine lived most of the time.
http://jpbturbo.com/images/amp/3.jpg
http://jpbturbo.com/images/amp/4.jpg
http://jpbturbo.com/images/amp/8.jpg

Anybody use a reverb pedal with this amp? Or do you find you don't need one?

I tried a Digiverb and it had too much white noise. Then got the Boss RV-3 and really like that one, plus it also has delay. I haven't tried it live yet.

tried a couple new pro junior iii's. to me the hum and hiss is still loud and strong. my old one seems to be more quite. did fender really do anything to address noise issues in the new ones or is this just sales bs.

Picked her up this morning for 225. Made in the US in mint condition with a new set of JJ EL84s and 12aX7s. It was becoming a PITA to lug my V1 Mazerati and Z Best Cab around all the time. I like the Jr very much it will be a welcomed addition.:grin:

Hey guys, I just finished an Instructable on How to Mod the Fender Pro Jr
in pretty much every ways, It's very complete, talks about every possible mods known to me, Hope it will help someone! My amps now sounds great.


http://www.instructables.com/id/Mod-your-Fender-Pro-Jr/

You can find it typing mod pro jr on instructable's site, it should be the first on the list.


Please, let me know what you think about it (here) and if you have questions post 'em there!(to keep all questions at the same place)
If you know other mods, I will gladly add them to the instructable with your name under(if you want)

Thanks, hope it helped!

I recently took the tube stabilizer off the EL84s it was making a odd sound when recording. Small but helpful mod.

Thanks plpicher for the mod information...:smile::cool::smile:

I'm in the club -- picked up a U.S made mid 90s tweed Pro Jr. A few days ago. Knew nothing about this model until then. Man, loving this little thing. Just ordered new jj tubes for it. Can't wait to take it to band practice --it's so light and portable, yet packs a punch and has that tube sound goodness. What's not to like?

I'm in the club -- picked up a U.S made mid 90s tweed Pro Jr. A few days ago. Knew nothing about this model until then. Man, loving this little thing. Just ordered new jj tubes for it. Can't wait to take it to band practice --it's so light and portable, yet packs a punch and has that tube sound goodness. What's not to like?

Welcome to the club! I think you'll hear a big difference with those JJ's. You might also look at a speaker swap. I put a Ragin Cajun in mine, and aside from the added weight, I love it.

I'm in the club -- picked up a U.S made mid 90s tweed Pro Jr. A few days ago. Knew nothing about this model until then. Man, loving this little thing. Just ordered new jj tubes for it. Can't wait to take it to band practice --it's so light and portable, yet packs a punch and has that tube sound goodness. What's not to like?

Welcome I'm new in the club and I feel the same way great little amp. Mine had JJs in it already and they do pack a punch.
:cool:

Picked up a used blonde PJ yesterday. She's completely stock. Played it for a couple of hours and very happy.:mrgreen:

It's amazing how loud this little amp can go!

Picked up a used blonde PJ yesterday. She's completely stock. Played it for a couple of hours and very happy.:mrgreen:

It's amazing how loud this little amp can go!

:cool:

I recently took the tube stabilizer off the EL84s it was making a odd sound when recording. Small but helpful mod.

Thanks plpicher for the mod information...:smile::cool::smile:

I assume you are talking about the little piece of metal and springs that holds the power tubes in place?

Mine would buzz and rattle at louder volumes.
Pulled it off and never had any trouble again.

I assume you are talking about the little piece of metal and springs that holds the power tubes in place?

Mine would buzz and rattle at louder volumes.
Pulled it off and never had any trouble again.

Yup, the tubes are in there and quite stable. I may buy some latex O rings and use them.

Hi, everyone. Yes -- the spring string retainers tend to cause microphonics through the tubes because they sometimes resonate badly at particular frequencies and volumes. Most tubes fit snugly in the sockets, and the retainers are not necessary. You're better of w/o them. I find that tubes can get pretty microphonic in this amp, perhaps because of the way the sockets are mounted. After getting tored of swapping tubes to find the lest microphomic ones, I installed O-rings and have had no trouble since. This amp sounds way better when you get rid of the wolf tones and garbage noise like this.

hi! new member of the pro junior club! got a mim pj used at a local store. i'm just a beginner, but i can clearly see why so many people like this amp.

of course, mine is noisy, but doesn't bother me too much. played around with some tubes -- put el84eh in the power tubes, and tung sols in v1 and v2. definitely an improvement over the gt tubes. tung sols quitened things a little bit.

biggest thing was the speaker -- put in a rajin' cajun which is awesome. nice to have a speaker with some guts!

Welcome to the club (and TDPRI)! A lot of us have put RC's in there. You'll love it.

I picked up a Pro Junior from my guitar teacher -- traded my Line 6 Spider iii 75 Watt + $150 for it, and couldn't be happier. At first the noise from it was terrible, but I realized it was mostly only from my archtop. With my tele, this thing is great!
He modded it with a Jensen speaker and Mesa tubes, but I might switch out the tubes to try to remove some odd sounds it'll occasionally produce (especially when it gets turned up high...)

i have a pro junior and a blues junior and a hot rod deluxe and the pro junior sounds better than the blues junior ( cream board). My amp was a little noisy and I tried taking the middle screw out and it didnt change anything. I did move the wires around a little and that helped some. The most productive thing I did was this ( and I am not going to say it will work for everyone because I dont know) I soldered a wire from the ground plane plate ( the metal plate right under the tone and volume control thats attached to the circuit board) and attached it to the chassis near the tone and volume control and it almost instantly removed all the noise from my little monster. I would like someone else to try this and see if it works for them.

i have a pro junior and a blues junior and a hot rod deluxe and the pro junior sounds better than the blues junior ( cream board). My amp was a little noisy and I tried taking the middle screw out and it didnt change anything. I did move the wires around a little and that helped some. The most productive thing I did was this ( and I am not going to say it will work for everyone because I dont know) I soldered a wire from the ground plane plate ( the metal plate right under the tone and volume control thats attached to the circuit board) and attached it to the chassis near the tone and volume control and it almost instantly removed all the noise from my little monster. I would like someone else to try this and see if it works for them.

Cool idea I'll not give it a go but sounds interesting. All I needed to do was take the EL84 damper off problem solved.

damn I've been a Pro Jr. owner for 6 years now and a member since 2008 how did I miss this tread :confused: I've been gigging mine with a Blues Jr.
set up: guitar/stereo chorus/Blues Jr. & Pro Jr. and just recently I did this mod

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=71956&stc=1&d=1296780640

I loved the amp before, but now zenga :twisted:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=71957&stc=1&d=1296780640

looks like you made a very nice cabinet and stuck your pro junior chassis in there and I am hoping a very nice 12" speaker. I like that color scheme also.

looks like you made a very nice cabinet and stuck your pro junior chassis in there and I am hoping a very nice 12" speaker. I like that color scheme also.

Thanks,:wink: it's a dovetailed birch ply Pro Jr. Twin. so 2 12" speakers :twisted: it has a Fender Brown/Gold (Eminence) and a Fender Blue (Eminence), I was going to use the 12" out of my Blues Jr. and the 10" out of this wired in Parallel but I had the Fender blue around so the 2 12 happened. the tube set up is 2 nos RCA el84's a EH 12at7 and a EH 12ax7. I love it. P.S. I had to try a box of tubes before getting the tone I wanted (after changing the cab), it now breaks up nice around 5-6.

I bet it sounds excellent with 2 12's. Looks like oxblood grille cloth. Did you have the case made or did you do it yourself?

I bet it sounds excellent with 2 12's. Looks like oxblood grille cloth. Did you have the case made or did you do it yourself?
Ya that is cool. I'd like to know as well.:smile:

I bet it sounds excellent with 2 12's. Looks like oxblood grille cloth. Did you have the case made or did you do it yourself?

here's the thread guys :wink:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-brothers-diy-amps/259455-212-pro-jr-combo-project.html

Tim's a great guy and if you need will build one for ya. cheers

Anybody use a reverb pedal with this amp? Or do you find you don't need one?

I tried a Digiverb and it had too much white noise. Then got the Boss RV-3 and really like that one, plus it also has delay. I haven't tried it live yet.
davis1676

Check out the tech 21 boost R.V.B. I did a lot of searching and am pretty certain there isn't a better pedal for the price. I keep it at the end of my chain or in an fx loop on other amps and I'm super happy with it.

JC
TheFox

@Red Fox -- thanks for the tip! I'll look into it.

I'm not thrilled with the Digiverb. Fixed the white noise problem with a Digitech power supply, but it really seems to suck that luscious PJ tone right out. RV-3 doesn't have spring reverb. I've posted something in the classifieds offering to swap reverbs with someone -- looking at the Verbzilla right now.

My Pro Junior has a bit of natural reverb. Just enough to add some ambiance. I have a limited edition version of the PJ with pine cab and Jensen speaker, so I'm not sure if either of those contribute to the ambiance? Either way, its good stuff.

Natural reverb in an amp? That's a new concept for me. Is there such a thing?

It's probably better described as resonance, not reverb.

Hey guys, I've been GAS'n for one of these lately. Got a couple of things going, and a PJr just might be the thing. First off, I'm kind of over the sound of my BJr. I'm looking for something I can grab and go, but has some volume to it. I've owned a PJr years ago, but it wasn't my cup of tea then, but in all fairness, I only had it about a week or so. Ah, innocence. So I'm looking to get a couple of things out of this amp, if I get one. The first, I'd like to use it as a backup in my current band, which I play a '72 Super Reverb. On a side note, I'm also thinking of getting a Weber Z-matcher and I could run the PJr through the Super's cab. The Super is a big amp, and will be too big for some places we play. So I need something smaller, plus, it looks like I'm may be starting a blues band. BTW, my other band plays Rock, Country, and Blues. Based on all the YT videos I've seen this morning, PJrs cover quite a range of styles. My main guitar is a '72 Telecaster Custom RI, and I play a good bit of slide. I also have a 1x12 cab I can use as well. Am I heading in the right direction?

I almost forgot. Used PJrs are going for around $200, any difference in the circuit between the old ones and the PJr III? Thanks!

just wondering...how many guys have blown the original speaker in you PJ? I just had it on 6 or 7 and playing for ten minutes and it started rattling and buzzing..had to replace it with a raging cajun and it sounds great now

I rock the hell out of mine and it has not skip a beat.
Mullens...I have an older American made Jr and I think ti would fit your needs nicely.
FWIW Jeff Beck uses one or two for playing live.

http://www.guitarscanada.com/amps-cabs/31919-jeff-becks-amps-tour.html

This may sound crazy, but I have one that I bought as part of a Fender Esquire/Pro Junior deal on EBay. I sold the Esquire to a friend (I know, I know) and turned the amp on once to make sure it worked, then back in the box. Haven't looked at it since. I have a Blues Jr. that handles all my needs. I keep thinking I'll get it out but I'll miss my reverb.

Let's see here... you sold the Esquire to a friend and then put the PJ back in the box?

Can I be your friend?

Only if you're a Steelers fan. I guess I should pull it out and try it. Do you guys add a reverb pedal or just play dry. If so, which pedal do you use.

Only if you're a Steelers fan. I guess I should pull it out and try it. Do you guys add a reverb pedal or just play dry. If so, which pedal do you use.

Full disclosure here: I'm an Eagles fan. Sorry.

But I use the Boss FRV-1 and love it! Went through a whole series of them and settled on this one.

Been looking at that pedal. I have a Boss BD-2 that I like. Maybe I'll give the FRV-1 a spin. Thanks.

Been looking at that pedal. I have a Boss BD-2 that I like. Maybe I'll give the FRV-1 a spin. Thanks.

As I said on another thread, it does only one thing: that old Fender spring reverb. But it does it exceptionally well. If you're looking for a variety of sounds, it's not the one you want.

What is the difference between the FDR-1 and the FRV-1? Did you try them both?

What is the difference between the FDR-1 and the FRV-1? Did you try them both?
Yes, I've used them both. The FDR is supposed to model the Deluxe Reverb amp. The FRV only models that 63 spring reverb.

Some people like the FDR. I've owned it twice and never got it to work for me.

I'm into simple things and 3 knobs always works better for me than 4. The Boss site has a pretty good demo for all of the Fender pedals. I think I'll like the FRV better as well.

Amen to that. Probably why I play a telecaster (2 knobs), an FRV-1 pedal (3 knobs), and a Pro Jr (2 knobs).

Anything more than that and I start to get confused!

I'm in - I have a Pro with JJs and a Ragin' Cajun - with my Hardwire Reverb & Tremolo pedals it's my poor boy Princeton Reverb RI. :mrgreen:

As it turns out, Guitar Center has a used PJr and a new PJr III in stock so I'm going to A/B them today. In typical GC fashion, the used one is only $30 less than the new one.

Here is my amp rehoused. I put it into a Tweed Bassman 4x10 cabinet. I put two CTS Alnico speakers from the 60's and two Fender Blue Alnico from the 90's. I had BillM do a few minor mods and put one of his Heybor transformers in it. It sounds amazing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/straightblues/IMG_0445.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/straightblues/IMG_0448.jpg

I had a Pro jr. a couple of years ago, loved the sound but hated the hissing. I'm wondering if the new version really fixed that problem.
Anyone already has one?

There have been noise issues reported & trouble-shot in the TDPRI forum. Not an uncommon problem, but not one that can't be licked. Hissing can be calmed down with tube swaps.

Matter of fact, the PJ is a good "lab" for hearing what you can get out of different versions of preamp tubes in the gain stage. I've settled on the GE JAN 5751 in the gain stage, with excellent results.

There have been noise issues reported & trouble-shot in the TDPRI forum. Not an uncommon problem, but not one that can't be licked. Hissing can be calmed down with tube swaps.

Matter of fact, the PJ is a good "lab" for hearing what you can get out of different versions of preamp tubes in the gain stage. I've settled on the GE JAN 5751 in the gain stage, with excellent results.

I use two NOS 5751 five stars in my Mazerati and they are killer.
My Pro Jr isn't that noisy it has your typical amp hiss but no biggie.
I might try a 5751 in there could be fun. All the tubes are JJ in there now and they are great. I run it stereo with my Mazerati version one, mainly for stereo effects but when used for crunch it's a match made in heaven...:smile: Great amp IMHO. The Pro Jr needs to be turned up to get her going. Turn any amp up like that and there will be hiss. I use a BOSS NS-2 in my chain and the hiss is minimal at best. I also removed the tube dampeners which helped lessen vibration noise. Steve that amp looks great!!!

Well, I got to A/B the used and new PJr III at GC and I liked the new one better. I probably liked the new one better because there was definitely something wrong the used one. I didn't hear any hum or rattles, and it breaks up nicely around "5." Might be a little too much OD for me, but that could be because I'm used to playing a Super Reverb. I really liked it though. The improvements Fender made to the amp, while minimal, were much needed. Especially having the numbers on the dial facing the right direction. As I suspected, I wasn't crazy about the speaker. I've discovered that I prefer alnico over ceramic speakers. Both sounded very similar, but the issue with the used PJr affected the sound a good bit. It could have had a blown speaker. I definitely appreciated the amp more this time around than when I owned one originally. Can do blues, and especially rock, really well. I thought it was just OK for country. It truly is a grab-n-go amp. Cool amp, but still not sure if I'll get one unless I can get a price too good to be true. Think I'll play a few more before I make my final decision.

Can do blues, and especially rock, really well. I thought it was just OK for country. It truly is a grab-n-go amp. Cool amp,
I would agree with this. This thing does the edge of breakup and growl tones really well. If you turn down the volume knob on the guitar, you can get it to clean up nicely. But it probably wouldn't be my first choice for straight ahead country.

in the constant quest to reduce the noise of my pj, i put a 12ay7 in v2 and left a 12ax7 in v1. voila! radically reduced noise throughout the range of the volume control! also cleaned up the sound (yes i do like it clean).

i've only read a little about the 12ay7 in v2 -- anyone else found the same success?

I'm getting kind of fed up with my pro junior. It gives such nice tones with my tele, but with my jazz box it sounds absolutely terrible. Feedback, flat tone, all that bad stuff...

Interesting to hear the varied comments about PJ tone. In my experience (lots), this amp is easily tweaked to deal with virtually everything mentioned... just read back through the thread. Misc. noises can be dialed out pretty well. Headroom and tone are super-responsive to tube selection, and like many on the forum, I have used 5751s, various 12AX7s, AU7s, and others, and the combination and order make a wonderful difference. But if you don't want to screw around with tone shaping via tube swapping, then dump the PJ and truy something else, because it's definitely the case that some of them, and some guitar/PJ combinations, can be crap. I love mine -- it's all tweaked (info all over the web) to fit what I want, and it really delivers. And yes, Jeff Beck's live tone (that is, his infinite range of tones) is a miked PJ. I'll post some pix of my modded PJ here when I get a chance, as I've not only done the circuit mods, but have also recoved it in a really cool way. And, finally, to the guy who asked if the stock speaker blows fast, my answer is: absofrickingtively. Mine crapped out at totally moderate levels, and many others have had the same experience. Maybe the new ones have better speakers. the good news? Almost any replacement will sound lots better than the P.O.S. stock speaker.

Hey guys. Have a mid 90's tweed american PJ. Have not done any mods except some tube swapping. My amp tech says don't change a thing...and I have no real desire to as it runs quiet and sounds great. What is your opinion on the original american tweed speakers from the mid 90's - the blue one. I have heard that those are keepers...and I like mine so it's staying....just asking. thanks

I am considering pulling the trigger on a PJ if I like it after test-driving it. The store I deal with was out of stock so they ordered one in for me to try out but, before it arrives, I wanted to ask a couple of questions here.

First, does the PJ sound significantly different from the Blues Jr.? I tried a Blues Jr. with my Les Paul and didn't like it all that much so I am hoping the PJ sounds different.

Second, how well does it handle pedals? I am assuming it handles them quite well but figured I might as well ask as I will only be using it at home and will therefore have to use pedals for breakup/distortion as I won't be able to crank it to get it to break up on its own.

Third, would you say the PJ is American voiced like other Fenders, more British voiced than Fenders usually are, or is it voiced somewhere in between?

Fourth, does anyone here play theirs with a Les Paul and, if so, what do you think of the combination of the amp and the guitar?

Any other info anyone wants to give me would be appreciated as well. I'm going to read through this thread now but figured I might as well ask my specific questions all in one post since some of the info in this thread is rather old.

I'm in the club. Picked up a used MIM one (circuit board says 2002, if that means anything) for $200. It's in near new condition, totally stock and original, and sounds great so far. Sounds great clean, sounds great cranked, sounds great with all my pedals (particularly the BD-2). I'm in heaven.

I will say that I like it much better with my CV50 Tele than with my Ibanez AS73. With the humbuckers, it's much darker sounding, and breaks up much earlier.

Mine doesn't seem to have issues with hum or hiss or microphonics that I've seen referenced a lot on here (knock on wood).

Regarding reverb, I'm finding that I like the sound of a little slapback delay better than adding reverb. A couple other people mentioned the same thing, I think.

Really enjoying the PJ so far!

Quick question for you PJ owners.

I find my BJr goes thin and shrill at higher volumes when you add most dirt pedals (unless you specifically eq or have a dark OD pedal). Does anyone find this the case with the Pro Junior? Does it thin out at higher levels with OD pedals?

Quick question for you PJ owners.

I find my BJr goes thin and shrill at higher volumes when you add most dirt pedals (unless you specifically eq or have a dark OD pedal). Does anyone find this the case with the Pro Junior? Does it thin out at higher levels with OD pedals?

The Blues Junior and Pro Junior are two totally different animals. IMHO
I could never get into the BJr for this very reason. The Pro holds up well to pedals but I use them very little with it. I use the Full Drive 2 Mosfet sparingly.

Thanks. I'm glad it's not just me then. :lol:

My interest in one of the new PJs is rising, as i do like to use a boost or dirt. I'm guessing it's the extra signal path in the BJ perhaps that messes with things?

Thanks. I'm glad it's not just me then. :lol:

My interest in one of the new PJs is rising, as i do like to use a boost or dirt. I'm guessing it's the extra signal path in the BJ perhaps that messes with things?

Ya it's cool like the notes are right there when you play, they jump out at you. The BJ had too much sag for me. Simple design simple sound. My Dr Z V1 Mazerati is a simple design as well and it sounds great.FWIW

I have two PJs, both modified to reduce the hum and hiss, improved the power supply caps too. They sound great, especially when pushed hard. I tried the Blues Jr, and wasn't impressed. I generally use both at gigs, but sometimes just one if I need to cut down on gear.

I'm thnkink of getting one of these to replace the stock speaker...http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/weber-speakers-signature-series-alnico-10s-15w-10-speaker?src=3WFRWXX That or a Copperhead.

I'm thnkink of getting one of these to replace the stock speaker...http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/weber-speakers-signature-series-alnico-10s-15w-10-speaker?src=3WFRWXX That or a Copperhead.
Three pounds sounds good! My only complaint about the Ragin Cajun is the weight it added to the amp. Otherwise I love it.

Just pulled the trigger for a Woody pro 60th Anniversary. Feels like christmas. Due to some worm holes I got it for 350 €. Good deal?
I always missed my pro junior after selling it some years ago, so I am happy I found that deal.

I tried a Blues Jr and hated it, and a Pro Jr and love it. I've recovered it (will try to add a pic) and modded it a lot, and swapped tubes, etc., all of which are easy. But what I liked fundamentally from the start and has not changed is the ability to have a chimey EL84 clean (ish) tone and a whopper overdriven lead tone. For those of you wondering about girth and power, all I can say is that the PJ (with a good speaker) can give a deep, driving, hefty lead tone. I tend to overemphasize bass and minimize treble (and the PJ can get shrieky if you don't look out) and, inexplicably, the PJ with its single 10 really does the job. Adding a Mercury output transformer made it even more whopping. It's loud, too, so I've used it in clubs just fine, but at some point it can't push enough air to do the job in a really large space... but is freaking great when miked. (Ask Jeff Beck).

That Paisley sure looks fine.

Cheers,

Stephan

Thanks. I should have added that my amp is from the first run, USA made, maybe '96, and when it started looking ratty I decided to do a full recover. I did the paisley long before PRS used it. It's easy to recover these small cabs -- just save the old tolex as you tak eit off and use those pieces as pattern. I used Super 77 spray glue and it's held perfectly. When done, I sprayed lots of coats of acrylic lacquer (doesn't show in pic but looks cool). I love the ability to mod a Pro Jr. easily, cheaply, and well, and without losing its basic character.

Got the woody jr. yesterday and it looks stunning (my wife says it looks like a cool box actually) and sounds as I remember my pro jr. (You have to turn it up a bit to make it sound good). There is some tube rattling so I might change tubes. Must I rebias the amp or just put in a matched pair of 84s?

I joined the club today when I brought home one of these little tone monsters!

They normally sell for $419 up here but the store did a price match at $375 and then gave me $80 trade-in value on my VOX Pathfinder 15R so I got the Pro Jr. for $295 before taxes.

I joined the club today when I brought home one of these little tone monsters!

They normally sell for $419 up here but the store did a price match at $375 and then gave me $80 trade-in value on my VOX Pathfinder 15R so I got the Pro Jr. for $295 before taxes.

Cool colahr you will like it. It's a small but robust amp.