Fender Pro Junior

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.

I OWNED 4, NOW 2. NO FRILLS ALL TUBE AMP, A VOL AND A TONE KNOB. IT IS A 1 TRICK PONEY BY ITSELF. REALLY WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED THESE DAYS AS MOST PLAYERS ARE USEING MULTI EFFECTS PROCESSORS OR A MULTIPLE PEDAL SET UP. I USE THE PAIR OF THEM LIVE IN A STEREO SETUP BUT HAVE USED 1. I USE AN SM 57 TO MIC. PLENTY OF VOL YOU JUST NEED TO GET IT UP OFF THE GROUND. I USE A TABLE ON MY MIXER RACK AND MY CORD CASE BOX. YOU CAN ALWAYS GRAB A CHAIR. 15 "TUBE" WATTS GREAT GREAT TONE!

I USE 2 STRATS WITH HOT RAILS IN BACK AND COOL RAILS UP FRONT, AS WELL AS A PAIR OF TELES 1 A B BENDER AND THE OTHER IS A SLIDE RIG ALSO LOADED WITH HOT RAILS AND MINI HUMBUCKER UP FRONT. I PLAY EVERYTHING FROM COUNTRY, POP, ROCK, TO METAL. WHOEVER IS PAYING. I HAD 4 BUT SOLD 2. I HAVE A USA MODEL AND A MEXICAN MADE UNIT. THEY BOTH SOUND GREAT TO ME THEY ARE VERY CONSISTANT AND EVEN ON HEADROOM AND BREAK UP TONE AND THEY BOTH BREATH VERY, VERY WELL. ONLY ISSUE I HAD WAS THE TACO MODEL HAD QUITE A BIT OF NOISE. POPPED OFF THE BACK COVER AND THE CULPRIT WAS A WIRE GOING TO THE LIGHT WAS ZIP TIED AND IT PUT IT AT AN ANGLE PULLING IT INTO A METAL CLIP. SNIPPED THE TIE MOVED THE WIRE AND "VIOLA" YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM. THE DISTORTION BEGINS AROUND 4 GETTING REALLY HEAVY AS YOU GO UP. I LOVE THE SOUND BUT TRY TO KEEP IT CLEAN AS I CHANGE SOUNDS ON MY BOARD AND USE MY VOL KNOB ALSO. AWSOME TONE AND I AM REALLY AMAZED AT THE SOUND COMING FROM THESE AMPS. BROKE MY BACK, SO MY JUMBO STACK DAYS ARE GONE AS WELL AS MY TWIN DAYS, IS THAT A RIDICULAS AMP OR WHAT! SUPER HEAVY AND BRUTALLY LOUD!!! YOU NEVER GET THE TUBES COOKING. ANYWAY THIS IS REALLY THE PERFECT AMP FOR ME. I HAVE READ ABOUT MODS AND SPEAKER CHANGES BUT I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS ON IT NOW ONLY PRAISE. VERY POWERFUL, VERY VERY LIGHT, GREAT CONTROLABLE FEEDBACK BREATHABILITY QUALITIES. REMEMBER IT IS 15 TUBE WATTS. YES A WATT IS A WATT BUT TUBE AMPS ARE RATED DIFFERENTLY THAN SOLID STATE THAT IS WHY A TUBE AMP IS ALWAYS "PERCIEVED" LOUDER ROUGHLY 1 TUBE WATT = 3 SS WATTS. FOR THOSE WHO DISAGREE GO TO A STORE AND PLAY A SS AND A TUBE AMP OF EQUAL WATTAGE THEN TELL ME WHICH IS LOUDER. A TUBE AMP HAS MORE DEFINITION AND REALY CUTS THRU. SS AMPS HAVE ALWAYS LEFT ME LOST IN THE MIX OR AS I PUT IT FLOATING WHICH IS FINE IF YOUR BLENDING BUT LEAD TIME AND FILLER TIME YOU EITHER BURIED OR MIXING THE INTERNAL ORGANS OF YOUR BAND MATES. TUBES HAVE MUCH MORE DEFINITION WARMTH AND TONE. I HAVE TRIED A FEW SS AND NEVER CARED FOR THEM. SS AMPS ARE LIKE MASTERBATION, YOUR ONLY SCREWING YOURSELF. VERY LIFELESS TO ME AND NO BREATHABILITY.

I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES PERIOD OTHER THAN THE HUM WHICH WAS A WIRE THAT JUST NEEDED TO BE MOVED OVER. I HAVE READ ABOUT SOME HAVING NOISE ISSUES NEEDING TO REMOVE THE CENTER TOP BACK PANEL SCREW ECT. OUT OF THE 4 I HAVE HAD THEY WERE THE SAME AS THE LAST VERY CONSISTANT. I DO AND HAVE GIGGED WITH IT WITH NO BACK UP. NO WAY WILL I TOTE EXTRA AMPS 1 IS HEAVY ENOUGH. IF YOU NEED TO BRING BACK UP GEAR, GET BETTER GEAR.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM ON GEAR. CALLED ONCE FOR INFO ON DATING AN AMP AND THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL.

20+ YR VET ALWAYS USED PEAVEY, TRIED CRATE, MARSHALL, VOX, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS. SWITCH TO FENDERS A FEW YEARS BACK STARTING WITH A TWIN, THEN A DELUXE REVERB, PRINCETON REVERB, VIBRO CHAMP AND FINALLY THE PRO JR. THE HALF STACKS AND TWINS LOOK COOL ON STAGE BUT BEGIN TO PALE IN THE MOONLIGHT AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON AND YOU BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT TEAR DOWN AND LOADING. IF YOU USE TUBE YOU ARE REALLY BLOWING IT IF YOUR AMP IS OVER A 40 WATTER. YOU NEVER GET IT UP LOUD ENOUGH TO REALLY COOK THE TUBES YOU MAY AS WELL PLAY A SOLID STATE. NOW YES YOU NEED TO MIC IT LIVE BUT THATS THE STANDARD THESE DAYS NOT MANY GOING OLD SCHOOL (NOTHING MIC'D ONLY VOCALS ON A SMALL PA, REMEMBER THE GARAGE DAYS?). I DON'T NEED ALL THE BUILT IN EFFECTS AS I HAVE MY PROCESSOR AND ALSO I DON'T TRUST THEM. TUBE AMPS GET HOT, REAL HOT. DON'T BELIEVE ME TOUCH A TUBE AFTER ITS BEEN ON A WHILE. WHAT IS THE MAIN KILLER OF PROCESSORS AND ELECTRONICS? HEAT. NOT A REAL BRAINER THERE. ALSO, IF BY SOME CHANCE MY RIG DID GO DOWN I CAN ALWAYS SHOOT STRIAGHT INTO THE BOARD. BOTH AMPS FIT IN MY CORD CASE BOX SO WHEN THE OTHER MEMBERS BRING IN THE CORD BOX WITH THE SNAKE AND CORDS ECT. WELL THERE ARE MY AMPS. AFTER THE BOX IS EMPTY I PUT 1 UP ON IT. THE OTHER GOES UP ON MY MIXER RACK TABLE. LIKE I SAID GET THEM UP AND MIC EM AND NOT ONLY WILL YOU HAVE A GREAT SOUNDING RIG BUT AFTER THE SHOW YOUR BACK WILL THANK YOU AS WELL AS BAND MATES INVOLVED IN LOADING.

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!)

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.

This review is for a 2006 Fender Pro Junior amp chassis loaded in a Tonedog GuitarWorks Pro-Senior 1x12 combo cabinet. (www.tonedog.com) Stock Fender Pro Junior chassis loaded out with JJ tubes from Bob at Eurotubes. The combo speaker is a Weber Signature Series 12" Alnico model (not the S version). The cabinet is about the same dimensions (16.5" x 20" x 9.5") as a vintage tweed Fender Deluxe and is made of finger-jointed pine and laquered tweed. As configured, this amp weighs approximately the same as the original Pro Junior (about 20 pounds), is highly portable, and looks great. The cabinet and speaker cost $355 from Tonedog, including shipping. I picked up my Pro Junior used at Guitar Center for $180. So, the total reconfigured amp cost about $535.

I have an '89 Strat Plus Deluxe loaded out with Van Zandt blues single coil pickups, a '52 Reissue Fender Ash Tele, and a D'Angelico Excel, and I play anything from classic rock to jazz. I play in two bands, one of which is a classic rock band. I like a vibey, slightly hairy base clean tone and use various OD and Fuzz pedals to take it from there as needed. (The Barber Direct Drive overdrive is one of my all-time favorites.) I also use an outboard reverb pedal for spring reverb. I couldn't tell you exactly what it is, but this particular combination of amp, speaker, and cabinet (is it the pine?)is just fantastic. You get a warm, sparkling, dimensional sound at reasonable/usable volumes. A/Bing this with a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, the Pro-Senior smokes it for a happening Fender clean tone at reasonable volume. And, it weight about half as much! I also have a Victoria 5112, which is similar in concept: a classic, straight-forward, low-watt tube amp (point-to-point, hand wired and made of the best components in the Victoria's case) that is housed in an expanded 1x12 pine combo format. The Pro-Senior easily rivals it and perhaps bests it. Playing in a band setting, the tone is just perfect for classic rock -- spot on!

The Pro-Senior cabinet is very well made and looks fabulous. It took all of about 10 minutes to convert my boxy little Pro Jr. over to the new cabinet -- nothing but a screwdriver required. You use the Pro Junior's screws to mount the amp -- no additional hardware required. Regarding the amp itself, the Pro Jr. is about as simple and tough an amp as you can get.

No need for it so far. Greg at Tonedog is very knowledgeable and helpful.

I have been playing for 20 years, and I have loved Pro Juniors for a while now -- simple, reliable, portable, and 15 watts is plenty loud. But have always wanted to run them through an extension cabinet of some sort to overcome the 10" speaker and small cabinet. The sound was good, but there was just too much stuff to lug around. When I ran across the Tonedog Pro-Senior cabinet and saw that the weight was about the same as a Pro Junior but in a high-quality, expanded, custom-fit combo format, I had to try it. The results truly exceeded my expectations. This is one of the coolest little amps I have ever played. And, it's a head-turner. For about the same total price as a new Deluxe Reverb Reissue, you can buy a new Pro Junior, convert it to a Pro-Senior, get a few good basic pedals, and be rocking out with the best of them. How cool is that?!