Fender Pro Junior

Don't know the year it was made, but it was made in USA; I play rock but don't like a lot of distortion. It has one channel with an output jack for a separate speaker. Volume knob, tone knob, that's it. Wish it had a standby switch, but I do like the simplicity of it. Color is Blonde; has cool genuine leather handle.
I use it in the basement and bought it because it's only 20 lbs. Has plenty of power for 15 watts and easy to carry around.

I use it with a PRS singlecut, Gibson Nighthawk, Strat Plus, Ibanez AS120, and Les Paul Studio. When I bought it(used), the sound broke up early with distortion way too early, bass sound was flubby. And it rattled a bit at high volumes.

Here's what I did, based on reading some of the reviews:
Leather handle was in bad shape--got a brand new one on Ebay!
Got rid of the Sovtek tubes; replaced them with JJ's from Eurotubes.com. BIG improvement in overall sound. They have a very informative website.
No rattles now(I read the review where they mentioned defective Sovtek's caused the rattles--who knows)?
Anyway, the guys at Eurotubes were great...they have matched kits for this amp and many options designed for how you play and what sound you want.
Sound is great now!

Read many reviews off this site before I bought used. Seems like you at least have to change the stock tubes for a better sound. I'll take care of it and cross my fingers!

Been playing 25+ years; I also own a Blues Jr. and a Fishman Loudbox. The Pro Jr. is a good amp for the price. Like I said, you'll probably have to get better tubes like JJ's instead of Sovteks.
I don't think they make them anymore, so it's a used market now

I have owned 3 of these and the ones to get are the older ones with the blue alnico speaker. The newer ceramic speakers are to harsh and buzzy, for my tastes, you might like it better. The one I have been gigging with for over 6yrs. now is an alnico model. No features to speak of, other than TONE.

I play in a country/hard rock/heavy blues band and it works for most situations, just use your pick dynamics or volume on your guitar to find a range of tones. It gets one of the best Big Sugar tones this side of a cranked Marshall. These amps are LOUD for thier size but, they are small enough to crank up in most clubs to get that nice power tube saturation. Mine is usually set on 9 for both volume and tone (they go to 12). One of the best things you can do is add an extra speaker jack so you can drive an extra cabinet or two and experiment with different speaker configurations. I've sat it on top of a 4x12 and ran both the stock speaker and the cab and it sounded awesome. As with most tube amps, the quality of the tubes make a big difference. The stock tubes were OK but, after I swapped in some Tung-sol 12ax7's and Ei EL84's it sounded sooooo much better. The bass can get a little flubby at times but, tone wise, that's my only complaint.

This was my main amp for over 6yrs. until recently when I bought a Laney TT50 112. I own 7 or 8 amps at any given time and I never brought a back-up, never needed one. I never had a serious problen but, being a combo, it would rattle the tubes pretty good. In a way that was a good thing, as when the tubes would start to rattle audibly, it was a good sign that the were due for a change.

It's Fender, the warranty and service will depend on your dealer.

I have been playing 25yrs. and have owned too many guitars and amps to write about here. My current gigging guitars are a G&L Legacy Special, a G&L Asat Classic Custom, a Hamer Archtop Studio and a Gibson Double-cut Faded with P-90's. It sounds great no matter what you plug into it and I always get compliments about what a great tone it has. Most people can't believe that something that small sounds like it does. If it were stolen I would find another one but, with the blue speaker.

Let me start by saying I have owned 2 of these amps. One was an earlier US tweed model, the other was one of the newer Mexican tolex models.
The features are reasonable for this type of amp. Volume and Tone knobs are the only controls, but by varying the two controls you can get a decent array of sounds.
It's supposed to be a simple amp.

I know a lot of people like these, but i have SERIOUS issues with the sound.
I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but the tubes rattle a ton. I was able to dampen the power tube rattle by inserting rubber gromets into the holes in the provided metal stabilizer, but the preamp tubes still rattled a fair amount. This was a significant problem w/ both amps and I found it very annoying.
The other issue I had was the fact that the amp is very noisy. Even with nothing plugged in, there is a substantial amount of background "shhhhh" coming through the speaker. Again, pretty obnoxious.
Finally, the general tone of the amp.
I play a 1997 Fender '57 reissue Stratocaster with Fralin pickups. It's a nice guitar and sounds great through my '73 Pro Reverb.
The Pro Jr sounded muddy and muffled w/ any volume/tone combination. The best description I can give of the amp dimed is that it barks...you know, like a dog...
I replaced the speaker in the 1st Jr I had w/ one of the nicer Weber Alnico speakers, and the amp still sounded pretty bad.

Hard for me to rate this one. They don't strike me as particularly reliable and I feel they have a lot of issues, but neither of them broke down and I think the issues are with the design. I have never gigged w/ a Pro Jr.

Never contacted Fender about this amp.

I've been playing for 14 years. I have some nice equipment and I feel like I have a good critical ear.
You're probably wondering why I tried this amp again after my first experience.
I was looking for a quiter amp to play in my apartment and, after failing to find a nice Deluxe, Champ, Princeton, etc, I found this at a guitar show for $200. It sounded fine in a room where other people were playing guitar. I guess it was too loud in there to hear the tube rattle and hiss, and since so many people rave about these amps, I decided to give it another try. I realized my mistake when I got it home...
I would not use this amp to record or gig. If you are looking for a relatively quiet amp to practice with, I would recommend something like a silverface Champ. They don't cost that much more, they're handwired, and they were made when Fender was still making decent amplifiers.
I have not been impressed with the build or sound quality of any of the recent Fender amps...It's too bad, because they used to make some really cool amps.

I got this second hand, I traded it for my Marshall JMC900 combo. My Marshall was too loud (I had to turn it way up to get some natural break up) and too heavy for my use.
The Pro Jr. has only two knobs (chicken, great look): volume and tone.
Nice and simple. The louder you go, the more break-up you get, with the first signs of break-up at about 4-5 (this depends if you use an extension cab or not). From about 8-9 you enter complete rock 'n' roll heaven. Playing with the tone, you can vary between warm and jazzy (3-4) to edgy and sharp (9-10).
I give it an 8, because I'm all for simplicity.

I play a Strat-like guitar (Hohner), with EMG-pickups (s-s-h). Effects: Boss ME-5, Dunlop Crybaby, Boss OD-20. I mostly play country rock, hard rock and some blues. I like my overdrive a bit rough, but I like my clean sound really "clean". Result: Fender.
I hooked it up to an 2x12" extension cab, with Celestion V30s.

Out of the box: a bit harsh. The 10" stock speaker doesn't mean much. I needed to turn the tone to about 3-4 to get some warmth out of it. Once I hooked my cab on, everything changed. Really warm tone. And loud as hell. I rehease at about 3-4 on the volume. At 5 my drummer, bass player and second guitarist start to complain.
15W is more than enough when playing small venues. You can still get enough head room for your clean sound. Just turn it up a notch to get some overdrive.

It takes my pedals really well. The OD-20 is digital, but the valve-sounds makes up for that.

No problems so far.
My intention is to get some JJ tubes to replace the stock tubes.
No experience with the noise/rattle as mentioned in the other reviews.

no experience.

Lovely little amp, but it's best to get an extension cab (or replace the stock speaker) if you want to really benefit from the warm tone. Best for blues/gritty jazz/rock, but with a good stomp box, you can get into metal as well. Remember that the valve tone will come through.

I bought it June 2008. It's new but had been sitting around the store for a year or more kind of buried behind some other amps, so I got a good deal. 15 watt tube amp. About 14"X14"X8", 20 lbs. Only 2 knobs-like my Tele. I don't mind that. I bought it for the portability feature which is why I give it 10. I think it's the perfect loudness for garage-sized jamming. I like 50's-60's-70's rock,country,blues,jazz,r&b and any thing else anyone likes to play. I can cover these sounds well with this amp.

I was prepared for the worst because of the mixed reviews this amp gets. The first time I tried it at the store I just grabbed some cheap Strat copy off the rack and it sounded pretty bad through this amp. I thought I'd give it another chance so I brought in my own older vintage re-issue Tele and it sounded quite good. Got it home and it still sounds good, stock speaker, tubes and all. Amp has a good clean sound but not a lot of headroom. I like the knobs set at 2-3 o'clock for a nicely overdriven sound and use the guitar for different tones. A little hiss and hum, tube sockets cheap and fussy. Don't notice this when I'm poundin' that guitar however.

No break downs yet. I don't gig much any more I mostly play for fun. I think you better give the drummer some light sticks if you want to gig with this thing. I always have a backup for a paying gig. I have seen too many shows ruined by equipment failures and no backup.

I've had pretty good luck with Fender amps so I never had to contact them. The local store is authorized and stands behind what they sell. Warranty is 5 years. I have 3 vintage and 3 new Fender tube amps. Never had a serious problem but I suppose the paper caps should be replaced on the older amps.

I have been playing for 40+ years. I have lots of gear, all kinds new and old. I am giving it a 10 because it suits me fine for what I bought it for- an easy to carry 15 watt tube amp. I really couldn't find another tube amp of that size and power for what I paid so I would replace it.

A relatively recent purchase that does not do the Fender name justice until you follow the advice of many other reviewers. I notice someone mentioned its incompatibility with guitars like the Epiphone Casino. Well let me tell you that it all changes with just tube & speaker swapping.
Out of the box, it doesn't hold a candle to my Roland Cube 30 (not the most exotic of amps in its own right!), but with 2 x JJ AU7's, 2 x JJ EL84's and a Jensen Alnico speaker replacing the originals, it's a whole new ball-game! Pity Fender couldn't have had the foresight to do this before dumping it on an unsuspecting market, but if you've been bitten, this could be the way to go if you're looking for a 60's style Casino sound.

Out of the box I'd rate it as below, but it's definitely hovering between 9-10 now.

Warmoth Tele & Strat, both fitted with Kinman pickups, plus a fairly new Chinese built Epiphone Casino (See my review on this. You won't believe it until you try one!)

If you're into The Beatles, then it's not for you unless you're willing to make the quick & easy modifications.

Hellish noisy, but has improved since the JJ's were installed.

Once again, my opinion is pre-changes. 8 afterwards, mainly due to the noise.

Playing 43 years, but the first amp I've purchased in nearly 10 years due to the reliability of the Roland Cube 30.

I would most definitely NOT buy another if it were lost. I'd do my homework a little more carefully next time!

Seems to be built well enough, and LOOKS like a real Fender, but looks aren't everything (or anything, come to think of it!)

The 10 is because this piece of gear is mainly governed by the guitar and its master, the player. Anything can be versatile if you know how to use it.

I had to sell my Marshall 50 watter to pay my taxes. These are rough times for some of us, A friend gave me this Fender Pro Jr. and I honestly tell you that if I was in a music store I probably never would have given it a second look. When I first got the amp it was like a new machine not broken in and sounded stiff and not very sweet in the overdrive realm. I have built amps in the past so am fairly familiar with whats up. I changed tubes and that helped a lot. Then i removed the cheap plastic pots and input jack and wired in some real metal pots and input jack and that WOKE THIS BABY UP. I can honestly say that I am proud to own this little monster. There is probably alot more that can be done but I think what I have done so far is sufficient.

This is a straight forward no digital components tube amp. The only difference between this amp and one from the 50's and 60's is the Printed Circuit Board(PCB)and the ribbon cables. You will have to change tubes every now and then but other than that i cant see any reason this would not be a reliable piece of equipment.

No experience with them at all

If this amp was Point to Point it would be a massive killing machine. I have no idea why Fender wont go the extra mile and make it so.
Right now i am very satisfied with this amp and hope i can hang on to it.

Very simple, volume and tone and nothing else. I'm glad they didn't put in a cheezy spring reverb in this.

Sounds very good for what I do with it. I knew I had to have one after watching a street busker playing some jazz on it.

It has a very warm clean thick tone that's only suitable for jazz, blues and early rock. It gives an aura that a solid state amp can't duplicate.

You're mistaken if you'll be able to do Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page on this. You need to get a marshall to do this. It does a good Fender style tone.

It packs too much sound into too small of cab and speaker, so you can't really turn it up past 4, but it's plenty loud at 4.

Haven't broken down yet. I got a good quiet one that doesn't hum.

na

This is a very good amp, in my opinion if you don't try to overdrive it too much.

You probably need to put it in a bigger cab and a bigger speaker if you wish to overdrive it.

Volume and tone. I give it a 10 because most fender tube stuff isn't cluttered with features (and that's good).

Please take all reviews with a grain of salt (including this one). I don't understand all the glowing reviews. This amp is a gimmick: small amp, big watts (relatively speaking). There is not a usable sound in there. Get a valve junior for $139 and save the rest. I tried eq pedals and other tone-shaping effects and there is literally nothing redeeming about the sound.

Everything is jammed into that small cab. Everything rattles around too much. In my opinion, there's too much power inside too small of a space. Sooner or later something will go.

Compare the size to an AC-15 or blues junior (both ~15 watts). No wonder everything shakes and buzzes. Think long and hard before being sucked in. Please don't think "it will be great to walk into a rehearsal with just a guitar in one hand and this amp in the other and blow everybody away". It ain't gonna happen. Kids will like this amp for the sheer volume it can pump out, but older guys (and gals) who like more sophisticated sounds will be sorry.

Virtually no features at all, this is a plus point for me, it allows you to choose whose reverb you want etc. There is no gain control which suits me also because I use a tubejuice attenuator power soaking device that lets you drive the whole amp, not just the pre stage. They are only $40, and you have full volume control with monster drive tones.

With the tubejuice plugged in and volume cranked up the tone is fantastic, smooth and warm, 7-8 wind cries mary 9-10 red house. It almost seems to be alive with it's little valves aglow.

too early to say.

too early

I was originally going to buy a blues junior, but coudn't justify the ??350 on a practise amp. This came up for a song and I couldn't really refuse it, especially after seeing the tubejuice attenuator for ??29 on ebay. Also every amp I've owned has developed faults with one or more of their features eventually. I'm the sort of bloke who buys hifi seperates rather than an integrated system that is fine while all the components are working, but crap when it fails and you find out that everything is on one pcb.