Fender Pro Junior

It's small and has 2 knobs. Tone and Volume.

I use this with a Am. Strat with 12 gauge strings tuned to Eb (best thing I've ever done for tone). I have a Lindy Fralin neck pickup, and I use a Visual Sound Jeckyl and Hyde for overdrive. With this setup it gets an awesome crisp, slightly overdriven blues tone that is perfect. Good for blues sounds like Lurrie Bell, Freddie King, and other good chicago-texas blues. I also use a Danelectro BLT slap echo for some slight reverb but its not neccisary. (overdrive is). My gear has a lot to do with the tone so test it out at the store.

I think I could depend on it. I have brought it to a couple of gigs and it has done nicely, I probably should get some backup tubes though.

This is a really good simple blues amp. I personally don't like the sound that much without overdrive (others may disagree), and I never need to play it loud enough for it to break up that much, even during shows. Mic'd it sounds pretty good for a tiny 20 pound amp. But my recomendation is that you get some kind of ts-808 copy overdrive unit. The best part is this thing is so small, it's awesome because people think I'm going to sound crappy and small, but it has a nice tone to it with my setup.

Update only......

I have found what I believe the perfect combination for this amp......USING active pickups. It absolutely growls at lower volumes......and a WHOLE lot of usable clean headroom as well. I have investigated the Weber speakers and received mail from them rec'd speakers for even earlier breakup or the classic Marshall sound.....I will never lug around huge amps ever again!

Tubes......they get hot....go figure

Great little amp.......wish I had two (but I have the Blues Jr.)

15 watts, all tube, 10" speaker, one tone/one volume, one input, speaker out jack, long power cord. Would love to see a master volume on this like the Blues Junior. This is a blues/R&B amp in my opinion....and it does it well. This could be the ultimate club amp for that purpose. It is VERY loud.

This amp likes hot pickups and it starts to break up around 5. Really hot and feedbacky after that. Sustain forever with active single coils. My powerhouse strat sounds huge through this amp. Miked close it can compete in this genre with just about any amp. It is a monster. I played this amp miked against Boogies and Marshalls trying to get bluesy, my little amp just smoked. All went out the door swearing to got get one as well. I also own the Blues Junior and a Super 112......I think I have all I can handle tone wise.

so far so good

Will service myself

playing 20 years....I have several amps and guitars. Super 112, Blues Junior, Pro Junior, Backstage 30, Peavey Classic 212. I would buy this amp again. The only thing that is a hard point for me is the lack of a master volume. This thing gets LOUD when it goes beyond 4. This amp is destined to be a classic.....glad I bought one when I did. Think Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Vaughn, Toad the Wet Sprocket, ect. Roots Rock and Blues FO SHO.

This is the tweed model, about 2-3 years old. Traded for this amp. 15 watt almost all tube amp. Has solid state rectifier, power tubes are 2 EL84s, preamp tubes are 12AX7s. A 10" speaker(blue Jensen P10R alnico), volume, tone, 8 ohm speaker output to external cabinet(if you disconnect internal speaker). Am a harp player,and play, and perform blues. Use a Shure green bullet, or Shaker dynamic mic. I had been curious about this amp, played this one at music store one day after purchasing a mint condition 69 Fender Princeton. After playing, and buying the PRO-Junior, I returned the vintage Princeton, which by the way had new caps, new tubes, and speaker(Weber alnico). For harp, the Junior sounded much better. Fender reissues I think get a bad rap, all the amp tech on and on's about the particle board, no point to point wiring, bla, bla, bla! I have had a 59 Bassman reissue, and it was a great amp, regret I sold it. Had it 7 years, it met an amp tech once, and briefly. So far the Junior is a great amp. I have chosen certain mods. I replaced the Jensen speaker with a Weber P10Q alnico, a great improvement. Also, on preamp put a Ruby 12AU7(next to EL84s), and a 12AT7, which cuts gain. Am about to order NOS Phillips EL84s, and a NOS GE 12AY7 or two. Finally,through Jenkins Sound Shop have ordered a customized 2X10 cab, along with a Weber P10R alnico, plan to mix a P10Q, and an R in cab, use the Junior as basically a head to the cab. I will probably do a brief follow up post a couple of months after I receive, and start using the cab. I am using the Pro-Junior for small/medium venues. I mic. it to a PA, with a Shure SM57. I really think this is a great 15 watt tube amp, even without tube, and speaker upgrades. I may buy a second Junior, if one breaks down, an amp tech can repair it, even if he claims to be allergic to particle board, ect. I am very impressed with the tone of this amp, its very easy to dial in your tone. I do wish it had reverb, but not if it was solid state. By the way, besides the 59 Bassman reissue, have owned a couple old champs(one Rivera made-sold-mistake), a Blues Junior, and a Blues Deluxe. I did not care for either the Blues Junior, nor the 40 watt Blues Deluxe. I think the Pro-Junior for my needs is a much better amp. I very much like its simplicity. I can't stand dual channels/channel switching.

The Shure green bullet mic. sounds great with this amp. I like the overdrive this amp gets, which for me, is with the volume only just shy of 2, with the tone setting around 7. This amp is suited for blues, and can be for harp players. It is the loudest 15 wayy amp I have ever heard.

I believe this amp is dependable. I take good care of my equipment. This is currently my only amp, though I may buy a second Junior, along with an old Champ, or Gibson GA-5 am looking for. I really like low watt amps. I have never had to use a warranty with a Fender amp, even the reissues.

I am 48 years old, played harp 28 years, semi/pro over 20 years. Played in a regionally popular touring/recording bluegrass band for 14 years, been playing amplified blues about the last 11 plus years now. I really like both amplified, and non amplified harp playing. Again, I like the Pro-Junior. At my age I like its small size, though for the most part it will be a head to a 2X10 cab setup. I think it is for harp, besides the 59 reissue Bassman, the best reissue amp out by Fender. For harp players I recommend you play through one before buying. If you buy the new black tolex version, get the ceramic speaker(Emminence?), out of there, put in a Weber P10R, or P10Q. You can buy these amps used for around $200, and if you shop around, new for $250, or so. I would not pay more than $250-$270 for this amp new.

one tone one volume, very simple as per dozens of other reviews

one sound one trick pony, but thats why i bought it

this is the blond tolex version. kindov cool looking in a minimalist '60's vibe.

works well with single coils (tele and strat) and humbuckers (Epi Joe Pass) not too bad with acoustics either (fishman natural II) although i think its better suited to the strat cos the tele gets a bit shrill.

works well, nice valvey tone but HISSY and it really only has one volume level which is TOO LOUD

i run a few pedals in front of it (Boss chorus and reverb/delay going for the chris isaak wicked game sound) and it works very well with them, i havent tried overdrive yet but i think this could be the solution to making this amp work. it warms digital pedals up very well and the big reverb i get is pretty neat.

this is not really a bedroom amp, to get loud enough to distort and then use the guitar volume to clean up is really much too loud in a domestic setting, a gain control is really needed, i havent put an overdrive in front of it because i have plenty of other amps to play with (boogie mk 3, HRD, marshall 8080 valvestate and a peavey classic 20)

i bought it to be a better classic 20 and it isnt really. Have retubed it too to try and see if that made any difference, with sovteks in the preamp its not really any quieter.

I do like the tone, and it is i think a slightly nicer tone than the classic 20 but points off for the noise and the lack of versatility

bought it second hand, seems fine, needed new tubes and seems less "alive" now (weird noises if left on)

would have much preferred a standby, it may only have 4 valves but they're still pretty pricy here in New Zealand.

havent had it very long but it looks pretty simple so what can really go wrong, even catastrophic failure doesnt really matter since at the price it s a bit of a throw away item.

the local fender distributer seems OK. but the retailers are a bit variable, we have a "rock shop" chain here which is the usual bunch of kids who are mega friendly till theyve taken your cash then dont want to know, they dont stock much in the way of valves and i wouldnt trust them to service anything

I've only been playing a year or so, clearly have a bad GAS problem. I quite like the amp but it is nowhere near as good as a boogie or the HRD, but then it was dirt cheap (about US$140) so what do you expect.

It goes nice in stereo with the classic 20 and probably has a very slight edge on tone, but i was hoping it would be a bit more versatile and did i mention the HISSSSSSSSSSSS

i think it matches a strat better than a tele which can get a bit shrill. i think its excellent with a few effects pedals.

dont regret getting it but wouldnt do it again.

We all know the Pro Junior has two controls, volume and tone and I think they offer enough versatility to most players. I just use it at full on tone and about 6.5 on volume. No reverb--no sweat. simplify, simplify, simplify.
Basss and treble might have been handy but you can get by without them

I am using a strat with a humbucker pickup on the bridge pickup.
I bought this amp because it was recommended to me by the lead guitarist of The Angels, Australia's premier rock group. Rick Brewster has been playing lead guitar in this band for over twenty years. He used the Pro Junior on stage. He has used Marshall stacks etc. (having an AC/DC influence) and I was amazed to learn that he used this little amp as his main amp for all his recent gigs, and these were gigs at very big venues-several thousand people.
He was using a tweed version but assured me there was no difference in sound between the tweed and the newer model so I went out and bought the newer one.
It was noizsy at first, making funny sporadic noises, but I got a new valve and it is fine now. Valves are funny things and can behave differently in different sockets, though.
The amp is a bit noisy but is not a problem. I find the distortion kicks in at about six but on another guitar I have with active EMG pickups it kicks in earlier.
Overall the sound is good but like other peeple have said it is a loud 15 watt amp and this can be a problem if you only want to play at low volumes but still get some overdrive. Fortunately I have found a solution for this problem.

I have only had the amp several months so I don't know how reliable it is or will be--only time will tell.

Customer suppport may be good but I haven't really had to deal with them. I don't know what would happen if I said "I don't like it and I want a replacement tomorrow."

I have been playing guitar for over twenty years and have used Peaveys and Marshalls mostly. This amp is good. It may not have the features of other amps but it sounds good and doesn't take up too much room.
Other people have commented that it is too loud for some applications and that the overdrive doesn't kick in until it is at 5 or 6.
I have solved this problem by unplugging the speaker input and putting in a resistor (in a box). This allows me to overdrive the amp at a volume of about 6 or 7 but get an output level equivalent to 2 or 3. So I get the overdrive sound but at a greatly reduced volume that doen't disturb my neighbours too much. If anyone wants details on the resistor device, email me and you can build one for yourself. It solves all the problems of practicing in flats etc.
Can you buy a better amp for price and size? maybe, but I don't know of it.

Tone Vol, on, 1/4" in. Super compact. Black w C10 spkr. I'm getting used to no reverb :-) I'm comfortable with the clean and I love the over-driven sounds it makes. This thing must run hot because I get a conversation-level signal out of it WITHOUT turning up either of the knobs!! I used to have a big 100W combo that would have to be deafening to get the feedback overtones that I like, but this guy does it at much more manageable volumes. Still plenty loud at gigs and for rehearsing. I tried switching an old CTS alnico Fender 10" spkr but it wouldnt give as good a sound!

As I say I love how hot and feedbacky it is. It will sustain over a note and generate harmonics just fine. I use a homemade stratclone with full Dimarzio humbuckers in parallel N/B reversed to the stacked single coil middle PU. I took the tone controls off the guitar and use the amps tone to roll off brightness. I sometimes run through a bevy of pedals (compressor/dist/phase/delay/EQ) and there's a bit of hiss (poor caps?) but it's totally workable on stage.

No back ups, no breakdowns, I use it all dead stock. Tried different tubes and my hot tone went away! AAAH!

Bought used. Know a good tech.

Playin' for a while, love tube amps, got a bunch of little beaters. I'm working on an ADA RA10 kit and I hope it gives this amp a run for the money. Pretty cool to see there's so many responses on this machine. I wonder if anyone else's gives volume at 0 but I don't wannna put my email address here. Maybe on ampage?

Black Tolex, 99-00 Model, 15w, all tube combo. 1 10" V1030 Ceramic speaker (Eminenece), Volume and Tone controls only, YUMMY! Simple, but very cool.

I prefer Telecasters, and have three. My main axe is an ash-bodied American Standard, with a Duncan Antiquity pick-up at the bridge. I also own several guitars with humbuckers, but they have too much output for the P.J. As for my music, it is 90's alternative pop-rock with an edge, ala "Lit", or "Third Eye Blind". My band is currently working on our second release, and I have used the P.J. and several tracks. They record VERY well. My tone is class-A EL-84 saturation -my main amp is a late sixties AC30. The Pro-Junior and I have a long history. I started using these amps about 5 yrs. ago, when I was still searching for an amp that would give me the "small amp sweat", and actually be loud enough to enjoy, possibly even use at small-medium size venues. Along comes the P.J. At first, like many players, I was only reasonably impressed. I loved the simplicity of the controls, and found the tone knob to be quite user-freindly. As far as the over-drive, it was O.K. if you play blues, but I needed this little amp to have a more musical distortion, more compressed and dynamic. It was a little flabby on the low-end (like all Fenders), and I immediately set forth on some pedal research. I have found that the right over-drive, if properly set, can really tighten-up a loose amp, without sounding harsh or shrill. It just takes a little research. After selecting several drives that worked well, I ran accross another one used and bought it for $150.00. Now, I decided to use my old Morley A/B box and run two. Whoa!! Let me tell you, I was pretty impressed. One sounded decent, but two created a very unique tone, a surprising amount of low-end, and were loud enough for most gigs. Now, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I think that over-all this is the best sounding amp Fender makes. I haven't found any other model that suits my tonal needs as well. Granted they make some cool amps that are great for clean, or semi distorted Blues,(not including the Tonemaster, which I hate) but for those of us who are addicted to the EL84 glassy, AC30-ish type saturation, this is the only amp from Fender that delivers. It is very dynamic, and when I turn down it cleans up very nicely,(even with the pedal) and stays nice and "chimey". I think using the Tele helps quite a bit, and the fact that I use a very low-output pick-up also helps. I let the amp do most of the work. The P.J. is a one -trick pony, but so is my AC30. I don't need it to do anything else. It is a very cool amp. But it is an amp that takes some tinkering with to get it to be at its best. The right guitar, and the right over-drive do wonders for this little baby.

Both of my P.J.'s had bad tubes in them right-off. They do seem to run hot, I think that a fair amount of voltage is being dumped into the tubes- that's why it sounds the way it does. I would recommend up-grading to better tubes than the Sovteks, and Chinese/Fender tubes that came in both of mine. They suck, and go microphonic quickly. A good set of NOS's does the trick, and brings out a little more clarity, low-end and volume, depending on the ratings. I do think Fender could have done a better job of securing the tubes. That boingy tube holder on the EL84's is a bother (I removed mine), and it's the pre-amp tubes that actually are more prone to vibration. They should have anchored all 4 tubes more securely, but oh well, it's a cheap amp. I have moved them around a bit(never on a road-trip),and they seem to hold up O.K. I guess I would trust them on the road with the proper cases, and a bunch of spare tubes.

I have found Fender to be rather lacking in their customer service dept. They are not easy to get a hold of, and are slow to respond. They offer a great warranty, but they also make products that are quite often deffective right off the shelf. I have owned several Fender guitars that have had problems, and these Pro-Juniors certainly are not defect-free. (bad tubes, really tight/cheesy pots).

I have been playing for 23 yrs., and again, own a 1969 AC30, a re-issue AC15, a Top-Hat Club Royale, and a Silver-Faced Deluxe Reverb.
Main axes - Teles. I would buy the amp again if it was lost or stolen, I've actually grown to love these little things. They are quite usefull.

This thing has ALL you need!

This is THE amp to use with a Stratocaster. I recently gigged in a small club with my Pro Jr. unmiked. I was actually asked to turn down (by the soundman). It really adds the tube warmth to a single-coil guitar. I've owned many amps, tube and solid-state, and this is the very best I've found for blues on a Strat.

This thing seems VERY durable.

Well, you know what's up here. It has two knobs, volume and tone. It has a 1/4 inch plug for an external speaker; the one in the cab is 10 inches. Not much else. I think the small size counts as a feature, it was the main reason I got this amp.

Well, my point of view is a bit different, I use this amp with my epiphone archtop to play jazz. Well, try to play jazz. I have an epiphone emperor regent, and at first I played it through a crate VC30. I hated lugging that thing around, (it only had one 12 inch speaker, but it was huge by comparison) so I got this little amp so I wouldn't strain my hands carrying the other amp. I also figured that the low-wattage would allow me to have a warmer sound, because my crate, being a tube amp with the unbelievably high rating of 30 watts, was too squeaky clean at the volumes I play at here with the isu jazz ensemble and my combo. When I tried out the pro junior, I realized what I'd been missing. For reference, I don't normally use effects except for an old Boss CE2. I just have a short cord plus my guitar and amp, that's it.
The crate, like most amps, has quite a scoup to it that you can't change with tweaking, but this amp is more flat. For my ears, that's good, it encourages the round warmth of the archtop to shine through, instead of producing an anemic midrange and thin highs. Think marilyn monroe from clarista flockhart. Furthermore, this amp provides a nice WARM sound at realistic levels for jazz. It breaks up ever so slightly when you whack the strings, think Wes Montgomery going crazy with his thumb. It's not like any jazzers had sparkly clean tone back in the day anyway, Kenny Burell, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian? I rest my case.
This amp does have quite a hum to it, which I would love to fix, but I don't know how, or what is even causing the hum. I can live with it though, because this amp has attitude and it sounds sweet.

I've kicked this amp around and dropped it and it works fine. The tubes have held up well too. I trust this amp, and I gig with it without a backup.

I haven't dealt with fender at all.

I've been playing guitar for 7 years, and I started jazz a year and a half ago. I like this amp alot. It's simple, small, has great warm tube tone for jazz. It has attitude. I got a cool metal VW emblem (dinner-plate-sized) from my friend, and I attached it to the grille of the amp. It's sweet.
The buzz keeps it from being perfect, but this amp is supercool. It's very well suited to my needs.