Members Karma1 Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 I've heard a lot of good things about the Pro Jr and was very psyched to buy one a few weeks ago. I drove 3 hours round trip to check out a used one someone was selling and I was astounded by how noisy it was. Even with nothing plugged in it had the loudest hum I've ever heard from an amp. I tried the "remove the middle screw" trick I've read about, but no difference. As a comparison, I went to a music store and tried a brand new one. Not as much hum as the other one, but a huge amount of white noise hiss. It seems like a lot of people talk about how great they are for recording, but I don't understand how they deal with the noise. Can changing the tubes really make a difference? Tonewise, it seems like a great amp - not as full sounding as the Blues Jr I used to have, but a more focused tone. But I wonder how Fender (who I'm a big fan of) can put out an amp that has so much noise. I wanted a smaller tube amp than my Mesa Boogie for recording, but I don't think the Pro Jr is going to be the one (I'm currently checking out a Silver Face Champ instead). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 Pro Jrs can be a very noisy lot. It doesn't really bother me, though. Mine has no hum, just hiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wilbo26 Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 I've heard a lot of good things about the Pro Jr and was very psyched to buy one a few weeks ago. I drove 3 hours round trip to check out a used one someone was selling and I was astounded by how noisy it was. Even with nothing plugged in it had the loudest hum I've ever heard from an amp. I tried the "remove the middle screw" trick I've read about, but no difference. As a comparison, I went to a music store and tried a brand new one. Not as much hum as the other one, but a huge amount of white noise hiss. It seems like a lot of people talk about how great they are for recording, but I don't understand how they deal with the noise. Can changing the tubes really make a difference? Tonewise, it seems like a great amp - not as full sounding as the Blues Jr I used to have, but a more focused tone. But I wonder how Fender (who I'm a big fan of) can put out an amp that has so much noise. I wanted a smaller tube amp than my Mesa Boogie for recording, but I don't think the Pro Jr is going to be the one (I'm currently checking out a Silver Face Champ instead). Crazy hum like that is always tricky. For one thing it could have been they outlet it was plugged into at the guy's home. Bad wiring can make any amp a noisy beast. Mine Blues Jr. will hum if I'm sitting right in front of it, but otherwise it hasn't been an issue for me, although I'm sure it could be better. I have no clue about the white noise issue. I've never had a problem with that...but maybe I'm just not picky??? Also, some of them might be poorly built or something. Fender isn't exactly known for stellar quality control these days. And a SF Champ is a great little amp, and with current prices for the Pro/Blues possibly a better buy if its in great condition. It also uses completely different tubes and is a lower wattage amp. I wouldn't mind having both around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RelicJunky Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 I have read alot about the hum problem. I bought a used PJ and fortunately mine does not have it. I guess I got lucky, I plug my tele in and crank it up and there is absoluetly no hum at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shepherdspy Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 the older ones including the tweed MIA had alnico speakers and did sound a little better. mine is a black MIM with a ceramic speaker and sounds pretty fine but it is somewhat noisey and has little to no headroom. but what do you want for a $200-300 tube amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 the older ones including the tweed MIA had alnico speakers and did sound a little better. mine is a black MIM with a ceramic speaker and sounds pretty fine but it is somewhat noisey and has little to no headroom. but what do you want for a $200-300 tube amp. You can get more headroom easily with different tubes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wilbo26 Posted January 31, 2007 Members Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think I need to upgrade my tubes soon for sure. I'm still running the stock ones after 6+ years. Should be a fun little experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members citizens_X Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 I just pulled the trigger on a Pro Junior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Josh Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 The BJ with the BillM mods is one serious amp for under $450 all told. I've taken it and a Fulldrive to a jam and gotten favorable reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adlo76 Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 i have an early 90s Tweed Pro Jr. USA made. Red Eminence speaker. all i can say, and every guitar geek thats heard this thing in a live situation says the same thing..."magical" i've played others in the store and they're really good, but i got lucky on this one. it's a one off for sure. i'll be buying another in the near future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Urinate Forever Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 i think the blues junior is a better amp overall, but the pro junior is probably better for home practice. i played one the other day, and it found that it has distorts at a lower volume than my blues jr. it also seems useless if the tone is less than half. blues junior is good for gigging, pro jr is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adlo76 Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 i think the blues junior is a better amp overall, but the pro junior is probably better for home practice. i played one the other day, and it found that it has distorts at a lower volume than my blues jr. it also seems useless if the tone is less than half.blues junior is good for gigging, pro jr is not. I gig with my Pro Jr ALL THE TIME. Everything from small coffeehouses, to bar gigs, to outdoor festivals, to the Cains Ballroom in Tulsa. The amp goes to 12, doesn't distort until about 8, and is so loud I've never gotten to play it live past about 5. Again, mine's probably the exception to the rule, but I doubt it's the ONLY exception. I'd recommend anyone to buy one, just play as many as you can and find the right 'one' for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Urinate Forever Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 I gig with my Pro Jr ALL THE TIME. Everything from small coffeehouses, to bar gigs, to outdoor festivals, to the Cains Ballroom in Tulsa.The amp goes to 12, doesn't distort until about 8, and is so loud I've never gotten to play it live past about 5.Again, mine's probably the exception to the rule, but I doubt it's the ONLY exception. I'd recommend anyone to buy one, just play as many as you can and find the right 'one' for you. if you can't use it past 5, what's the point? it's an overly expensive amp with two knobs and you can even utilize it's natural tube distortion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adlo76 Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 The point is, is sounds AMAZING. Even @ 2. It's light and portable. And while the natural distortion isn't there at the lower volumes, the warmth and tone are.I've always relied on pedals for distortion anyways as I can have many different variations of that type of tone easily adjustable and changeable at my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squareking Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 The blues jr is hooked up the my store's 'Wall-o-BOSS' pedal board. Johnny DeMarco'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Electric Catfish Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 I gig with my Pro Jr ALL THE TIME. Everything from small coffeehouses, to bar gigs, to outdoor festivals, to the Cains Ballroom in Tulsa. The amp goes to 12, doesn't distort until about 8, and is so loud I've never gotten to play it live past about 5. Again, mine's probably the exception to the rule, but I doubt it's the ONLY exception. I'd recommend anyone to buy one, just play as many as you can and find the right 'one' for you. Same here...I gigged with mine for years, too. Got a good overdrive happening running it around 5 or 6...I've noticed the pickups in the guitar have a lot to do with how early they'll distort. My Gibsons drive it pretty early on, whereas the tele stays clean a little longer. But what do we know? This guy did play one the other day, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adlo76 Posted August 12, 2007 Members Share Posted August 12, 2007 Same here...I gigged with mine for years, too. Got a good overdrive happening running it around 5 or 6...I've noticed the pickups in the guitar have a lot to do with how early they'll distort. My Gibsons drive it pretty early on, whereas the tele stays clean a little longer. But what do we know? This guy did play one the other day, after all. HAHA~ yea. exactly. what do we know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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