Fender Pro Junior

MIM. Single channel, tone and volume controls. 8 Ohm speaker is connected via 1/4" plug so external cabinets can be used. 15 watts coming from 2 12ax7 + dual EL84 circuit. Lots of volume for in-house use. All tube circuit with PCB board, "ok" quality parts. Pretty decent amp for blues, country, pop and rock. Mine has an upgraded tube compliment and a Weber 10A125-0 speaker.

The only thing I wish it had was a tube rectifier.

I use this amp with an American made G&L Legacy and a Duesenberg Starplayer Special with a '57 Classic Plus in the bridge. I primarily play blues and rock but some funk and pop style gets in there and the guitar/amp combination works well for all I'm asking of it. I find it a stretch for the heavier stylings. Metal? Forget about it.

The tone of the stock speaker was okay, but the weber speaker was definitely an improvement to my ear. The tone quality and character is very dependent on the tubes. The stock sovteks that came with it had some serious mechanical noise. I'm now running Tung-sol 12AX7s in V1 and V2 and Telam EL84s for power tubes. I've also run Russian 6p14p-EV/EB which were rated to break up a bit earlier than the Telams. Both sets of power tubes are excellent and a marked improvement over the stock tubes. With the tubes and speaker modifications, the amp is a keeper!

There *were* noise issues with mine, but the heater wire twist fix (google it) seemed to mitigate most of that. V1, V2 tube selection can reduce the rest. One of my TungSols is a little noisier than the other and I had put it in V2 for awhile and the noise was awful at any volume. I was messing around with different preamp and PI tubes and put them in a different order when putting them back in. Now all the noise is related to volume position and it is not nearly as bad.

Break up is a decent blackface-ish type break up. I will likely be adding a negative feedback circuit switch though to give it a bit of a different character... just for the hell of it. The light construction, while cause for some concern, does seem to allow the amp to "sympathetically" vibrate (or something). I find myself not using my reverb pedal as much as with my head/cabinet setup.

In its current setup I give it a 9. I'd give the stock setup a 7. To give the rating some relevance, I'd reserve 10s for Swarts, Two-Rocks, etc.

A note on the tone control. If you compare the schematics of the tone control to other amps, you'll notice its a bit different. It's going to behave differently than your standard Bass/Mid/Treble tone control. It's more useful to think of the tone and volume together and that each setting of both is like a preset.

The amp is pretty basic with a fairly inexpensive construction. The baffle is particleboard so the tolex covered cabinet is probably similar. The chassis is pretty lightweight and one wonders how the whole thing could cope with everyday pro-use. I'm not a gigging musician, but if I were I wouldn't go without a backup. They can be obtained pretty cheaply so if you were a PJr die-hard, having more than one wouldn't be that much of an obstacle.

For my purposes, its fine. I haven't had it long enough to comment on long term reliability. I predict that due to its size and construction and relatively high bias on the tubes, the vibrations and heat will probably make eat tubes a little faster than some would like. Some of this can be mitigated (change bias, vibration dampers on tubes, etc).

I bought mine off eBay, never had to have it repaired by someone else or anything like that. So I could either rate customer support as awesome (because its me) but really I have no opinion on what other PJr owners will experience.

I've not been playing long and I'm not good at all, but I care about how stuff sounds. My gear includes a 74 Bassman 100 with a 4x12 cabinet of Vintage 30s, a Line 6 X3 Live, and a pedal board with some of the true-bypass Cool Cats (fun & cheap), MXR, Hardwire, BBE, etc. The PJr fits nicely in my menagerie. I use the pedal board with the Bassman and PJr, PJ for practice and in the basement and half-stack when people either let me or are absent altogether. For the most part, the pedals work well with both and I can get some similarity with some tweaking. The PJr does not like my "metal" pedal though, while the Bassman head loves all pedals. The speaker and tubes probably have a lot to do with that... I just can't see playing metal through a single 10" speaker.

If it were stolen, I'd replace it and redo the mods. In its current state, I'm loving it. With the mods, it approximates the Relic PJrs and is actually pretty similar to the Tweed Champ and Deluxe Line 6 models (only better...). For the price I paid, there really isn't anything that compares. I'm not sure I'd ever pay full retail for this thing though seeing as it seems to want some changes to get the full potential from the circuit. In many ways, while it's supposedly priced for entry level, its more of an amp for the tube amp enthusiast. For folks just looking for out-of-the box great tube amp tone or just a tube powered practice amp, there are better choices available these days.

Compared to other amps I've tried, it's not a swiss army knife and its not perfect tonally. But it has a lot of character and is open for customization. With a little inventiveness and effort, you could turn one into something truly unique without having to spend a lot of money.

I give this amp a solid 10 for features, not because it has a ton of them, but because it's so simple. Volume, tone, and on/off switch.

I love simple and this amp really does it for me. If you use any effects your sound has probably gone through one or two eq's before it hits your amp anyways. It always seemed redundant to me for amps to have a bazillion knobs.

This is not the best sounding amp you'll ever buy. That's just a given with the price range and 10" speaker, but it's a great building block for some good tone.

My solution was to build a box for it and turn it into a head. I play through a 1x12 cab with an eminence private jack and it really sings. I run the amp between 4&5 when I play which is just around the breakup point for the tubes and I just love the tone I get. I use a schecter c1-elite and I can clean up the tone by going to the single-coil setting or push it with the humbuckers to get just a hint of some overdrive.

I love this amp. I wish it had a little more clarity, but it's inexpensive enough that I'm not afraid to keep tweaking it and playing with it to improve the tone. If this was a Dr. Z or something in that price range, I wouldn't even want to take out a single screw. (And I played in a band with a guy who had a Dr Z.. his tone was not much better than mine IMO)

Never had a problem with this amp and I've played the hell out of it. I bought it around three years ago and have never regretted it.

never had a problem, so I can't say anything about the support.

DEAR FENDER,

PLEASE MAKE THIS AMP AS A 15W HEAD AND DON'T SCREW IT UP BY ADDING ANY KNOBS.

THANKS,
JIM

Very simple controls, Volume and Tone. It can sound great for many types of playing, but not all. It is basically an all tube practice size amp with a big sound that can be quite distorted with just a twist of the volume knob. 15 watts, 10 inch speaker. Pretty loud but not firm enough in the bottom for live rock band.

Sound quality is subjective. If you set it pretty low in volume it is relatively quiet and full sound. I really like the distorted tones it will produce, but boy does it get noisy when you go there. The tubes love to rattle as well. I have tried different ones to get rid of the rattle but it eventually comes back. Damn fun amp however, and the size and portability give it great versatility.

I believe it to be quite reliable. It has never stopped producing sound. Tubes are cheap and easy to source so it will continue to be useful forever.

Fender? They are a great brand, but I wouldn't send this amp to them for any reason.

I really like this amp for the vintage styling of the appearance and tones. Now that I own some really serious hand made amps to compare it to it seems a little blah. Fender doesn't really make a great sounding cheap amp other than this one. They are pushing their branding as far as it can go with most of the pathetic line. The so called reissues don't live up to their namesakes in most cases and they the custom shop stuff that does is outrageous expensive .
With that in mind, this about the coolest value out there for the money.

I got the '94 USA blonde with the oxblood grill. Really simple operation which is what I like. ON/OFF switch, Input, Pilot Light, Volume and Tone knobs with 15 watts thru a 10" special design speaker. I bought this one recently to replace one I gave to a friend from Spain that was over here in the US to make a documentary about the blues scene in Texas. More on that later. I love the blues and also play old motown and classic rock and this amp fits in nicely. For what the amp is I give it a 9

I play a USA strat with stock pups and also just got the road worn 50's strat with the tex-mex pups and they both soung really good thru this amp. I never had the bad humm in either one that I owned but they were both used so maybe someone did the short screw mod to it before I got it. It does have a little humm when you crank it but I always turn the volume down on the guitar between songs so thats not a problem. When I had the first one I really liked the way it sounded but really only played it for a practice amp. When I gave it to my friend they had a gig later that nite and I went to check them out. He had his les paul plugged in and the amp was mic'd thru the pa and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The tone was awesome and I knew I had to get another. This thing was bone stock and kickin ass. I read the reviews about the speaker and tube changes everyone makes to get thier tone but think it sounds good right out of the box. Tone is a very subjective thing. What I like my rig to sound like will not be the same as the next guy.

The first one I had was reliable and would gig locally without a backup. I had it for about a year and played it all the time but when I travel I always bring a backup. The second one would be trusted as well but would bring spare tubes and fuses at least. I have been playing tube amps for over 30 years and have only had two problems in all that time. The first time was a leaky roof in a club during a bad rainstorm that dripped a couple of drops behind my blues deville and splashed up on a hot tube. I finished the last set thru the pa. The second time was a defective tube (stock GT) that came in my vibro king. We were playing local and I had someone go and grab me another amp.

Never really had to deal with fender. I have two great amp techs that work on my stuff when needed plus most of my gear is way out of warranty. The only new fender amp I ever bought was that 212 blues deville and it held up well back in '93 or '94. I hear good and bad stuff about fender. GOOD LUCK!!

I have been playing over 30 years and have owned a lot of tube amps. Mostly fender amps but have also had some Solid State Peavey, Solid State Marshall, Line 6 Spider, Tube Newcomb, Tube Masco. I have a pile of fender amps from a 1960 fender bassman to my replaced fender pro and a lot in between. I think for the money that you can get the pro jr for new or used you will find a place for it in your arsenal. It's compact and light and if you need more volume just mic it up. It might not be your holy grail but you never know. Happy Hunting!

I have the USA blonde with the oxblood grill cloth. 15 watts, On/off switch, Pilot light, vol/tone knobs and input. Pretty simple but thats what I wanted. Actually this one is the second one I have owned. The first one I had I got from a friends pawn shop. I was super clean and I really didn't know much about them when I bought it. I liked that it reminded me of my 1960 tweed champ. It was a great deal so I tried it and was like WOW... This little amp sounds really good. The first one I gave to a friend from Spain that was over to tour around and it sounded so good I bought another one to replace it. More on that later....

The first one I had I bought used and it didn't have the crazy hum everyone talks about. Maybe someone had already done the center screw trick. It had the eminence 10" speaker not the jensen blue and still sounded good. I mainly play Blues with a USA strat with stock pups but have played my jumbo body jazz guitars thru it with great results. I remember later that nite when my new friend from Spain plugged his Les Paul into it at a local bar and started playing he was grinning from ear to ear. We mic'd it into the pa and I was listening out front and man that thing sounded good. I had mostly just played it as a practice amp around the house and had never giged with it. After that I had to get me another one and did just that. I have a nice collection of guitars and amps ranging from a 1960 bassman to a MIM blues jr limited edition tweed and I really like the pro jr. I think it fits in as a small club amp as well as a great practice amp.

Everything held up good on the first one and also the second one which is the USA model too that has not given me any problems either. I can honestly say that in the past I was one of those dyed in the wool "it has to say USA" on it but reading the reviews for the MIM Blue jr tweed limited edition and than buying one has changed my mind. That comes from a guy that has a stack of USA strats and would still grab my mexican strat for a gig in a heartbeat. It sounded as good as the others. I would grab my pro jr and play a club without a backup. Not a very good idea to some but I have only had two problems with my tube amps over 34 years. I guess I've been lucky.

I have been playing a long time and have two great techs that keep all my tube gear rolling when needed. I buy new stuff from a local store that takes care of me and warranty work. I rarely buy new amps or guitars that have a warranty. Never dealt with fender.

If it were lost or stolen I sure would buy another. MIM or USA. I have owned a large amount of vintage amps over the years and can honestly say that the fender pro jr has been a pleasent suprise. My working collection includes Newcomb G-12, SF fender prosonic, 1960 fender bassman, 1947 Masco, Early blonde fender vibro king, Tweed fender blues deluxe, fender vibratone, Custom vibrolux reverb, MIM fender tweed blues jr LTD. ED. and thats the short list. Back to the pro jr, Some like to mod it and are lookin for a certain sound and some have found it really good stock. I have not owned the MIM model but would have no problem with buying one. The one thing I have learned over the years about tone is that everyone is searching for their holy grail. I'm not saying that the pro jr is that holy grail for you but it could be. I like it! HAPPY HUNTING....

Only two features that you need.Volume and Tone. Period!Wish it had reverb but my pedals suffice.Believe me, it has plenty of power.

Great for Jazz or Blues or Rock.
I don't find it any noisier than any other amp that I have owned.Excellent clean or distorted.

Not much to go wrong with this puppy.

Never used them. Who cares???

Creamy sounds the way that Leo intended. Buy it! Mine was made in the USA and sounds incredible. I usually don't rave about amps. But, this one really has fit just about any venue that I have played over the years.

I have a mexico made pro junior i bought off ebay. I love the el 84 sound. features are basic

I go back and forth with this amp on sound. It is noisy. When I got it the center top screw on the back was pushing the metal shield into one of the pots. take the back off and bend the flange doen so the screw wont push it eliminated alot of the hum. It still has some tho. The sound is good. It gets pretty loud and sounds good into a seperate cab. The stock speaker sounds sorta confined. I plan some tweeking to get rid of the hum, new JJ tubes, and maybe a different speaker. It sounds good but not up to fender standards.

ok

dont know

This amp would need some work to be really gig worthy. If you mic ed it the noise would probably come thru. Not a bad first amp specially for the price.

Pro Jr, black tolex, mase in USA - don't know when.

OUTSTANDING - one of my favorite amps. I bought mine used so I don't know if the speaker is original or not (I think it was a replacement) anyway, I think the reason mine sounds so great is the speaker. It's an Eminence 10446 blue alnico. I think you can still buy them for about 70 bucks online. For Blues this combo is a dream. All my friends who hear or play it want to buy it from me. Nice fat slightly gritty tone that's even better than my Blues Jr with an Eminence 12" Texas Heat Speaker. If you can find one of the Emi 10446 speakers try it - you will be impressed.

Never a problem.

Never needed customer support.

Blows away every other amp in it's class and price range.

This is an early to mid-90's Pro Junior. I bought it for $100 at a pawn shop in Montana while on tour up there. Features? Volume, Tone, a speaker...

This can widely vary until you figure out which tubes you prefer in your Pro Junior. I keep a spare set in the back of the amp at all times, and even keep the old tubes after I've switched. EL84s, especially in these cheap tube sockets, can be real finicky, noisy, pingy, rattly. But if I keep some good EL84s and a 12AY7 and a 12 AX7 in there, in combination with a speaker upgrade (in my case a Celestion Vintage 10---a bit dark, but still sounds good and can't blow it up if I try).

Try the Pro Junior as a head through a good 1x12 cabinet and it really opens up. I recently recorded using Pro Jr into the 12 (Eminence Cannabis Rex) in my Dr Z Maz 18 Jr, and it sounded fantastic. Mike Campbell-ish chime, Keith Richards rhythm, early Zep lead. Good stuff.

Mine has only been in the shop once in 14 years---and I bought it used for $100. Like I said, I keep changing those tubes and it keeps working.

Don't know. Bought used.

For $100, nothing beats this but my Silvertone Twin Twelve, which I got for $75 in the mid-80s. It rocks; I've used it on stage, in the studio, at home. I've flown with it in the overhead of a Southwest Flight.

No sense in rerwriting what people have written below.

I bought the amp 2nd hand for 225 CDN. Mint shape - I don't think the guy had turned it on. He said he bought it in 2002. A new one lists for 435 CDN plus taxes = about $470 I wouldn't have (didn't) paid that. This is not a $500 amp. You can buy allot more amp for that. Worth what I paid.

I play a '58 Gibson ES125 with a Stock p90. I play swing jazz and blues. I wanted a no nonsense amp. Small, tube driven. The amp is exactly that. My struggle at first was that it was too trebelly for my ears. I replaced the speaker with an Eminece Lil' buddy for a warmer more present mid/bass range. This is a great soloution to using a larger speaker setup. I have also added a new jj and EH tube combination. There is a hiss but not even close to the one before my upgrade. I rarely crank this amp. I don't need to, I play in small clubs - great tone at low volume. The clean has a great puch to it. Rarely go past 5. Honestly, 12 is LOUD and it screams back at you. I wasn't looking for versitility in the amp just a straight up plug in and go set up. I do use a reverb pedal, I think it's a must. However not that I think they should add it too the amp. It's simplicity is it's selling point. I know a guy at work who plays Metal through his pro Junior. I rated sound quality 5 before the speaker switch and 8.5 after.

People continually comment on the tone I get. "That's your amp?!" Yep.

So far so good. 6 months.

NA

I've been playing professionally for 10 years. I own a SG, an Epiphone Sorrento, My ES125 plus a multitude of Acoustics, Banjitar, Mandolin etc.

I would replace it. I would like to have gone with a small boutique amp but for the 1000 dollar difference this suits me and my budget fine. Again the simplicity and 2nd hand price sold me. Small package, easy to upgrade if you wish. I don't need that much volume. And the initial hiss and Trebal prompted me to switch things around. Glad I did.

If you can find a deal - great for the price. Retail price is iffy IMO. A little more money you are in a differnt amp range.