Fender Pro Junior

This amp is the little brother to the Blues Jr. comes complete with a volume and tone control, 10 inch speaker and is about 15 watts. It has no reverb and no master volume. One input jack and a on and off switch with a pilot light so you know it's turned on! Real simple operation, if you get a little confused with all the knobs on other amps don't worry this thing adjust easly with the 2 knobs you really need.

I wanted a clean little amp with some volume and after owning 2 Blues Jr's found this to play cleaner at about the same volume. I guess it's because it doesn't have as much preamp gain, but it's just about as loud. I think if it had a 12 inch speaker it would sound even better and be a tad louder. Still volume isn't too bad and I can do small gigs with it, mostly 3 or 4 piece Jazz and some light Rock and Blues. Because it doesn't have reverb I use a small FX pedal and preset all my settings, reverb, distortion, tremolo, and so on... I couldn't be any easier. I think if this amp had a 12 inch speaker I'd give it a "10" because then I wouldn't feel the need for a larger amp for bigger gigs.

It was made in Mexico in 2002 and still works. When I got it, it had one mycrophonic tube in the preamp and was making that feed back sound. My Brother-In-Law who I traded a Blues Jr. for the Pro (kind of as a gift to him), had sent it to a Amp Tech to try to fix the feed back problem, who charged him $100 to replace the 2 EL84 power tubes. I tested the originals later with my tube tester and they were still in very good condition, no need to have replaced them. Yes I told him he got ripped off. Don't trust fly by night Amp Tech's, or ones that over charge. This amps seems built good for the job it was intended to do, any amp with tubes is subject to tube failure. Test and check your tubes now and then and you'll be okay.

Don't know.

Fine amp for it's size, I like it better than the Blues Jr's I've owned. Wish it had a 12 inch speaker.

Nice, no-nonsense little 15W tube amp, plenty loud for it's size, a great change from sterile sounding solid-states. Just one volume, tone control and on/off switch, no reverb. Comes stock with a 25-watt Fender speaker (manufactured by Eminence I believe) and the usual budget, standard Fender tubes installed.

Yes, in stock-form this amp definitely is treble-heavy, but changing out the speaker is one of the simplest things you can do to improve the sound, even before swapping out any tubes. I replaced mine with an Eminence 10-inch 50W "Lil Buddy", the stock Fender speaker which came out was only marked as 25W. It was pretty easy to do, for those of you not technically inclined, though because it is all packed in tightly I practically had to unscrew and dismantle the whole thing (not the electronics though, that stayed together in its metal 'tray' to the side). Despite that, the new speaker fit in perfectly and it all screwed back together without any other work needed. Now it sounds much fuller & balanced, and actually has some bass response (what a concept!) Great now for jazz tones with a Les Paul or classic rock/pop, and does well with Boss overdrive/dist & delay pedals for some ambient lead. Not really for metal though. The only con I have is that [ground?] hum when you turn the amp on, even before you plug your guitar in. The local guitar tech mentioned he thought it may just be the manufacturer trying to pack so much bang in a tiny little package. I haven't changed out the tubes yet to see if that may help? Anyhow, it is a fairly low-level hum that is liveable in most musical situations.

Haven't had it for very long, though it is a simple amp and seems as study & reliable as any tube amp carrying 'glass bottles' inside gets. Always a good idea to have back-up, especially if you're gigging a fair distance away from home. If you have a beat-up Solid State you can leave in the trunk of your car for that one emergency situation (whenever that may be?) would be a good practice.

Have not had a reason to contact Fender yet.

Great sound, great value! I own 60W & 30W Roland Cubes plus a couple little Crate practice amps, but for me this is a step up in quality of tone for sensitive ears. You can hear the difference from Solid State when played side by side clean for jazz. Though close, the whole fuller, warmer tube tone thing becomes more apparent. With an overdrive pedal, the sound appears to cut through much more watt for watt than SS (those 15 watts go a long way in comparison, more like 50-60 in most SS). Got no tubes yet? Get this little gem to get started.

I consider the accessibility of the preamp tubes and the ease
of swapping them to be a feature for customizing the sound.
Aside from that, I like the simplicity- easier to keep my sound
dialed in while gigging.
I also consider the relatively low weight for the amount of power
a feature- I have a bad back, and I can handle this, but I couldn't
handle anything heavier.
I mostly use this amp in church, turned around facing me,
with a Behringer speaker emulated direct box to the board.

I've mostly used it with single coil Strats.
My current favorites are a MIM Standard with Mighty Mite Alnicos
in neck and middle, and a coil tapped Duncan Invader in the bridge,
also a mahogany bodied parts Strat with a medium hot DiMarzio DP406
Virtual Vintage in the neck position. It also sounds good with my
hardtail Strat with hot Tele-ish GFS pickups in neck and bridge,
especially in the 2 and 4 positions.
So all my neck position pickups are hotter than vintage,
and they throb nicely through the Pro Junior.
I tried a stock Pro Junior in the store with a two humbucker guitar,
and the Blues Junior did better for that since you could tweak the midrange.
The PJ suits my musical style perfectly.

Noise: it was noisy at first.
Using a quiet ECC82 JJ in v2 tamed the hiss.
Switching to JJ EL84s tamed the tube rattle due to the Sovteks.
I am using an Electroharmonix 12AX7 in v1 for a darker sound.
I have heard an all Electroharmonix set of tubes works well too.
The only tube I have found better in v1 is a JJECC803,
but I can't use it because IT rattles, maybe even especially because that tube in v1 gives a lot of nice bass, which then REALLY rattles the tube!
It would work using an external speaker though.
When I do research on tubes, I often find that a tube that rattles
has a history of those issues, like both the original and replacement
set of Sovteks I tried were from a certain vintage that had a rattle problem. And the ECC803 I read is prone to rattle as it is a long plate design. So really, not all the rattles are the PJ's fault,
but if a tube tends to rattle, the PJ's speaker being that close to them will make it happen!
I seldom get this amp above 6- too loud for my church gig or practice
I seldom use it below 3 though- no tone there to speak of.
For me, 3.5 to 5.5 is it's real useable range.
So for me, it's essentially a clean amp as it is.
The tone control is also most useful in the same range-
more than 6, and it's spikey harsh, below 3 it sounds flat and lifeless.
I seldom use it for practice anymore- too loud- I use an Epiphone Valve Junior for that. Instead, I leave the Pro Junior with it's cover on near the door ready to grab for practices and gigs- makes life easier.
The praise team leader is also an electric guitarist with a a Marshall and a humbucker guitar, though he usually plays an acoustic-
he really likes the sound I'm gettin out of the Pro Junior and my Strats.
The stock speaker was horrible. I replaced it with the cheap Italian Jensen reissue that came with my Behringer GM-110, and it was a great improvement, slightly edging out a Weber and an alnico Eminence,
which were both in turn much better than the stock speaker.

While still stock, it hated stock Tubescreamers.
It liked the TS-9DX with the enhanced bass positions better.
I modded my SD-1 and TOD-9 pedals to give them a slightly fuller sound
and they do fine with Pro Junior now.
If a pedal is midrangey or has harsh treble, it's going to give
the PJ too much of what it already has. Successful tube and speaker swaps in this amp have to add a little more bass, and sweeten the treble

It's even sensitive to cords- I use guitar cables that have quite a bit of capacitance.

I tried a B.K. Butler Tube Enhancer pedal with the Pro Junior in a store, and it sounded fantastic- great thick blues sound.
I'm currently using a tube mic preamp in front of the Pro Junior
with gain maxxed to fatten up the clean sound, and then have the
SD-1 with gain maxxed after it to stomp on for a Claptonish OD sound.

As an experiment, I put a longer screw in the top center position
of the back panel, and it hummed badly
(it creates a ground loop)- by now, most Pro Juniors should have a short screw in that position, but when replacing
the screws after removing the panel for any reason, make sure the
short screw goes in the top middle position- it's IMPORTANT!

It's probably not a good amp for someone who doesn't enjoy doing

I reviewed it 12/1/2005, and I'm still using it, still liking it.
It's never broken down, although there was once a volume fluctuation
on a hot day, possibly tube related.

I've played guitar of various kinds since I was a teenager.
Most of my electric experience has been in the last 9 years,
except for a couple years as a teenager.
My only other working amps are the previously mentioned Valve Junior,
and a Behringer GM-110 Vintager.
The Valve Junior makes a nice companion for the Pro Junior-
it give a similar sound at a lower volume for practice (same tube types, but only 1 of each,
so you can use leftover tubes from the Pro Junior in the Valve Junior.

If it were stolen or lost, I'm pretty sure I'd get another-
the combination of size, tone (once tweaked), and weight is perfect for me. A Zinky Blue Velvet is about the only amp that really compares- which isn't surprising since Bruce Zinky designed the Pro Junior when he was working for Fender!

I also like the Blues Junior- actually stock I think I liked the sound better than the Pro Junior- but it's too heavy for me, and I like
the Pro Junior's simplicity at gigs.
To me the Blues Junior sounds a little more refined than the stock Pro Junior, and I've probably been trying to get a slightly more refined sound out of the Pro Junior with the speaker and tube swaps,
and the tube mic preamp in front,
and I think I've succeeded.
I'm glad it doesn't have onboard overdrive, since Fender usually doesn't do so well with that anyway, and that would only make it heavier.

Check Fender website.

This amp is very versatile. It all depends upon what you plug into the front of it.

giving yourself boundaries for musical composition pushes you to break them. Look at Tom Morello for example using a relatively small amount of gear at any one time.

I have owned this amp for 4 days. its brilliant. just playing it with an american deluxe strat running a seymour duncan 59 in the bridge and a lil 59 in the neck.

pedals are: digitech whammy->boss tuner-> mxr phase 90->digitech bad monkey (brilliant btw)-> boss space echo (also great).

small but versatile set up. pro junior is just right and sounds fantastic FULLY STOCK.

...apart from a very high pitched resonance I can hear as the volume gets higher. Im not sure what this is? if any could shed some light on it, i would be most grateful!

dunno yet! works alrite so far.

ditto.

Just what I needed for my live rig and for recording tube distortion! its small enough so that my live rig can be taken on the bus for christs sake! and its dead loud - definately gigable. Come on for the price its a no brainer. U want a more refined, articulate sound, spend more money but for me its great, which is the most important thing!

If you are worried that the amp may be too simple - think - giving yourself boundaries for musical composition pushes you to exceed them. Look at Tom Morello for example using a relatively small amount of gear at any one time and creating those sounds.

And most importantly, this amp is FUN!

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!)