Fender Pro Junior IV (Small & Simple Tube Amp)
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- čas přidán 27. 12. 2020
- Fender Pro Junior IV (Small & Simple Tube Amp)
Is the Pro JR the business? It's compact, fairly affordable, 15 watts, but does it sound any good? It's also really simple. It only has two controls. Even I can operate it.
It looks like a classic Fender tube amp, tweed and all.
I hope you enjoy!
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At Sweetwater here in my homestate of Indiana USA. This amp new is listed at $499.99 sir.
@@hoosierdaddy2308 Thanks for the info :)
@@MrPolevaulter Absolutely my friend.
This amp played with humbuckers and a hollowbody is simply incredible. Gypsy Jazz - Blues - the harmonics just keep the tones going to where your hands really start to realize the magic of playing without any onboard or pedal effects.
For Gypsy jazz it is essential to play on a stolen amp.
Thanks for doing a proper demo. Starting at low volume clean and working up to its limits. So many people do it the other way around. Lol. Drives me nuts.
This is a great amp, and it does have a speaker out. You just unplug the internal speaker and use whatever cabinet you want, essentially using the PJ as a head. Theres a jack in the back that the speaker plugs into.
I have the PJ IV in tweed and its here to stay.
Normally that requires a specific grounding to the circuit- it has that?
I got one of these bad boys a few months ago. I was playing some of the new squire guitar models in a store. I plugged them into the tweed Pro Jr. IV. I always play clean with reverb (not every guitar player is a metal monster). I was really impressed with the sound so I bought one a few weeks later. I'm play through this little amp regularly, using a reverb pedal, and I love it.
Cool :)
finaly someone who rolls down guitar volume when the PJ volume is all the way up...thank you man, great demo and even better playing
These amps sound incredible and prove that sometimes less is more.
I had a tonemaster deluxe that was pretty good, but I didn’t play it much so sold it. Then when needing an amp for when I visit my parents I bought this - the cleans are just so sweet. For country, clean blues, jazz - esp with 335 style guitar - this amp is fabulous.and can be played at bed room levels or in small clubs. If you want heavy or for shredding - this will not float your boat - but blues etc. yeah yeah yeah!
This comment answers exactly why I am here. I have a TMDR blonde and am liking it quite a bit, but the Pro Jr has always nagged in the back of my mind as one I'd be happy with long-term. I don't gig, it's all just here in the house by myself, with close neighbours and small kids, so volume must be low (which is why the TMDR is so good, the attenuator saves me trouble lol). I have pedals to achieve effects I'd want... now, I'd like an effects loop, of course, but whatever. Maybe I ought to go for it and just trade up.
The speaker is plugged into the amp chassis via a 1/4-inch plug. You can run an external cab from there.
That circuit was design by Bruce Zinky imitating the Supro Thunderbolt downsized to 15 w. I would really like it if comes without particle board cabinet, 6v6 ínstead el84 and a better pcb electrónic. But sounds very good and it’s Fender best choice among core amps. IMO
Oh forgot to mention for home use I use a Bugera Power Soak so its nice and neighbour friendly.
I first had the pro junior III and loved it but had to returned it to the store and all 4 pro juniors they had at the time had a defect so they told me i could either wait a few months or get a blues junior III for 50 bucks more was a good deal.... still have the blues junior since 2013! but one day might get this bad boy again!
I've got an older one I bought about 20 years ago and it has a speaker out socket inside and I'm pretty sure these newer ones do too. I use a lower gain preamp tube in V1 for more headroom and a Rat pedal for distortion. I run a Palmer PD09 speaker simulator DI between the output and the speaker then XLR cable to the PA.
I know I was one of the ones singing the praises of this amp when you were asking for amp suggestions, so 1. Thanks for doing a review! And 2. Sorry you didn’t love it as much as I did. Great review as always though, I do love a good high gain monster but for a compact, reasonably loud, off-clean sound, the Pro Jr. is a personal fave. I’d be looking to pick one up if I wasn’t already eyeballing a new acoustic. Maybe one day!
No worries. We can't all like the same stuff, and that's what makes all of this fun. It would be boring if we all liked the same things.
Great review Elmo, thanks for the fantastic content.
Advice to all guitar players, if you only have a single amplifier buy a second different type of amplifier before buying a second guitar.
We are all searching for our own sound, amplifiers actually impact final tone more than pickups of guitar types.
Most of us have 1 or 2 amps and 6 or 7 guitars. Truth is we should have 1 or 2 guitars and a collection of amps.
Amen to that!
Exactly. Or, if another amp is too expensive for a time, a different speaker even can make a Huge difference too.
Or buy something with good amp sims, find out what you like, then try out the real valve version of those amps.
@@cliffb2454 Great idea! ✌️
These amps are a lot better than you think. They are a simple amp but perfect for blues and classic rock. As for plugging into another speaker cab, all you need to do is unplug the internal speaker. Jeff Beck has run a pair of these into quad boxes on large stages. With a Strat, I like to run mine with the the volume at 7/8 which is at the point of breakup and the tone back to 4. Use your volume pot on your guitar if you want it a little cleaner. For smooth creamy leads anything with a little mid boost will work.
I like yenson! I have an old USA one modded with a bias adjust and a line into the power end and a swart attenuator. I can plug a pedal board with any preamp.
I think this amp is good enough to make a good jam it sounds great and tween even more beautiful than the Blues junior two knobs you no need anymore
Reasonable Fender sound. There are good instructions for adding an external cab, switch, etc ... for me the lack of loop at this price limits my enthusiasm. Especially since I can find used Blues Deluxe for almost half this price. Though that beast needs to be tamed for "home use" IMO.
Yeah, no loop is a bummer.
If you've catch a blues deluxe at half price then you no need anymore joy it it's great amp with a full end top features
Love mine more and more. I run it through a 2x12 w/o the 1x10 for big gigs.
when you push the amp, try turning down the feedback knob on the delay. You can even set it to one repeat. Should clean things up. Set the delay very long. Steve Vai for example does that.
Street price here in the U.S. is $500 as of 2020. Big plus is the Jensen speaker. Biggest downside is the all particleboard (not even MDF) cabinet which is listed right on the Fender web site spec sheet, though on an amp this small it may not resonate quite enough to make a difference. In the U.S. you should be able to get 15% off the street price all day long. For that I think it's worth it. I love my Marshalls and my 100w EVH Stealth and I also love my Pro Junior IV! Good job on the demo, Elmo.
Cheers :)
I have this exact amp but in the 12" model. It plays like a dream. Elmo is right about the fact the it lack versatility, bummer no ext. Speaker out and no loop out, but the creaminess is in the clean tones. This amp comes alive when you add a boss sustain/compressor pedal, and a boss overdrive or boss blue driver. Amazing for small gigs, mic recording, vintage rock tones. Is it the one and done? No. But no amp really is. An amazing amp to add to your arsenal for sure!!! The main reason I bought it, is because of it's construction actually. The 3/4" solid wood is beefy thick which brings out some really amazing thickness and solid tones. Trust that construction makes a difference. As usual elmo is super accurate in his review not for everyone. I play jazz all the way to metal. Amps are like cars, lol you can never find a perfect one :)
Oh and amazing playing Elmo, enjoying the fat tones!!! Long days are a pain in arse but your youtube family appreciates you man💯 Keep rocking and whatever it is that's bothering you take it out on the guitar 🎸
Thank you very much. And you're spot on. No amp is THE amp. There are just different amps that do different things well, some better than others.
Thanks
Elmo, really nice warm sounds and great crunch 👍 but you could play through a flower pot and it would sound phenomenal! I could play through a bar of soap and it would still sound.....dirty...I agree with you on the effects loop, Bruce.
Dirty bar of soap. Nice name for a song :D
"Holy Shnikes!" sir Elmo. I went to your "oldest" posted music videos and it was like going back to 'music' appreciation school. You transcend the mechanics of guitar playing and ooze pure gorgeous music, like Robbie Blunt and Doug Boyle did too in their day. You are World Class sir Elmo.
Thank you very much :)
Great job. I just bought one. It hasn’t been delivered yet tho. I rarely return things. I’m pretty good about knowing what I want when I order it but this one I made sure I could return it if I wasn’t happy. I’m trying to simplify everything. From cars to guitars to amps, etc. Maybe 3 electric guitars, a pedal board, this amp and my acoustic guitar stuff. We’ll see. That was perfect and your honesty at the end made me like and subscribe. Thx
Simplify, my moto! I have 2 amps that only have a tone knob and if the amp has good inherent sound, it's all I need.
How's the amp? Treating you ok?
@@e.paradigm7415 just saw this, sorry. I live the amp! It’s perfect
Good you mentioned the Koad... saving me the words here. But then again, you took wind out of my sail! Happy new year my friend.🤐
Happy new year :)
I always enoy Elmo's impros. The amp is nice but he makes it look so easy to get good tones.
Excellent presentation and thanks for sharing.
I recently put my Pro Junior into a pine cabinet with a 12 inch vintage Celestion Alnico Silver speaker. Sounds absolutely amazing now!
Cool!
Nice review, the old laney cub 8 is kinda similar, two knobs, class a single ended, beautiful chimey cleans. The new super cub 10 seems interesting too, more gain, fx loop, speaker out and with about 300,- really affordable.
Been thinking of trying one of those.
@@MrPolevaulter the palmer eins comes to mind aswell. raving reviews at thomann (considering the price) and 5 possible tube configurations.
Always terrific, honest videos. Thank you for what you do.
My pleasure!
Lovely playing. Nice honest review too. Ive just bought one so thank you for the demo. Its ideal for me and I run it with sn Orange Crush 35RT for a low cost stereo rig thats also easy to carry. I used to use Peavey 212 combos and they were just soooo heavy. I love the squishy Fender tone and it sits well with the Orange. I run a delay and phaser in the Orange loop so its a bice wet/dry set up.
Cool, thanks!
Love the finish on your strat! just ordered a PJ. thanks
Cleans sound great with the strat in the neck position. The gain is a bit hairy but it's kind of expected with a 10". I think it'd be a great little amp for softer styles 👍
Yep.
Finally a review for this that uses pedals! Thanks for the great video.
Cheers!
Awesome Amp and great playing dude 🤘
Thanks!
The "Fender clean" is, obviously, gorgeous but the overdriven sound with the volume maxed is rockin', too!!! Even you can play pretty good Malmsteen stuff with it! I would prefer to push it with a TS-style pedal or the SD-1 instead of the Riverside that costs half the money of the amp and for the sake of simplicity. It will get you into hard rock territory, albeit you'll need a power attenuator, the down side of this amp.
Yep. It can get pretty loud, which can limit home use.
So..........this amp will not accept a Power attenuator ?
@@artdecco8617 It will, and you need it to turn it up to sound good, that what I wrote.
Nice review, buying one tomorrow because I like the sound and the look cheers
I have to say, I have one, and for only a ten inch speaker; which by the way is exactly the same as in the ‘59 bassman, I don’t feel I need a speaker cab. For home use or even small gigs. If I play bigger gigs, I could always mic it. Eric Clapton used one, just himself and guitar for a song or two in the Albert Hall. It’s great by itself but pedals will get any tone I need; and plenty of volume. This easily keeps up with my Orange 120 analog amp, as far as loudness. The only knock on this for me is it should have a pine cabinet, not particle board.
Cool bananas :)
Jeff Beck plays with these also. So much for needing monster cabs for tone
What a spectacular little box
Changed the Jensen with a Celestion, sounds better to me.
I discovered too late the regular Celestion version.
But it' s okay. Nice amp and pretty loud, enough for stage or rehearsal room.
Sounds the best with my LP jr. double cutaway.
The P-90 seems to sound perfect with this amp.
The Jensen is better.
@@gregshirley-jeffersonboule6258I have a Pro Jr Tweed IV. Tested both the stock Alnico Jensen and a G10 Greenback i had. Jensen has «sweeter» cleans and is very bright. The Celestion is a bit more mellom when clean, but in my opinion a bit «woodier» and nicer when the gain is turned up. Both are very good, but I left the Celestion in (at least for now).
I love this amp, simple, power saving, space saving, great sound quaility, inexpensive, and tube amplification. I have some pedals including a DS1, TS9, Slo, RC5 and Crybaby and I'll tell you right now I have a lot of fun with my set up. Classic tone yet you can get some vicious nasty leads with the volume up and the tube screamer. I was debating to get this or the blues jr. and since I already have pedals I just didn't think I needed anything extra that came with the blue jr 4, and in a 12x12 bedroom I have to save as much space as possible so this was the clear winner, and I am completely happy with it. Great job fender. I never giged with it, BUT a friend of mine says that you just need to mic it up at your venue if you're playing in a big place. 😎😎 I just need to get a nice FUZZ, CHORUS, and a different kind of reverb.
Inexpensive is a relative term😢
those first couple of chords.. I waa getting ready the Elmo smooth jazz album.
Haha :D
I turned the amp into a tweed head/cab unit. Used a mojotone pre made head cab with an oversize mojotone 1x12 cab with a weber 12A150. No pedals, no reverb. Killer.
Just bought one...fantastic sound
Enjoy!
I think it is great little amp and really like this demo
I love mine. Did a little demo video some weeks ago.
Cool bananas :)
I kinda want to upgrade from this to a fender deluxe reverb but...the pro junior is so good.
Be aware a lot of these amps have a hum/buzz issue. Lots of ppl on forums complaining about it. I just returned mine for this reason 😢 Try before you buy.
Always try before you buy.
Sorry to correct you, Elmo, but this DOES have an 8 ohm speaker out since the speaker is wired via a 6,35mm (1/4”) jack. Anyway, good review. Keep up with the good work. Nice.
Yeah, I've learned so since. My bad.
Monster chops buddy!🔥
Great playing brother!
An honest dude.. Suscribed.
Very good vid. It would have been nice to hear how it sounds with humbuckers.
Another Awesome video Elmo! Cheers & Happy New Year to You & Yours!!!
Thanks! You too!
Nice LP Elmo
Thanks!
When you showed the vol and tone scales went to 12 it hit me as to the why. Being that there are only two controls Fender is saying be judicious in your adjustments I.E. small changes will reveal the nuance of the amp. Two Cents.
Wow! Tone!
$499 in the U.S. Neat demo!
Thanks!
@@MrPolevaulter LLP
Real no nonsense tone!
Haha I was thinking abut this amp and booom☺️👌mr Elmo☺️Thank you
My pleasure! 😊
It's May 30 2024 when I'm making this comment, but right now, it sells at Sweetwater for $499 USD
I’m gonna get one. It’s my thing.
Man, I love how that sounds. I just wish I had the space to enjoy it...can't use an attenuator without an external speaker output :-(
Yeah :(
It has an external speaker out. I use a captor x with mine
I have this amp and just got a Weber Mini Mass volume attenuator.. works great. Maintains the amp’s awesome tube tone at lower volume. You don’t need an effects loop. It just plugs in between the speaker output on the amp and the speaker.. as long as your amp has a 1/4” removable speaker plug and speaker out jack.
It's a quarter inch jack, where the internal speaker plugs in. So, you can unplug it, plug in an external!
It has a speaker out. Sounds great through external cabs.
I relate more to the "Toastmaster Deluxe" moniker. Fake slots on top would be too much.
I like this because it'll give me an excuse to buy lots of pedals. Super nice ones.
Cool video :)
There is a external speaker out. You just have to unplug the speaker.
Yes, you are right
I bet the mustang micro would sound even better through this amp!
For some reason, my pro junior doesn’t sound as good when I play it...
Good review! Definitely prefer the Harley Benton Tube15. And a third of the price of the Pro Junior.
Yep. Me too.
Sounded good, but for that price it should have an external-speaker outlet.
You can unplug the internal speaker and connect an external speaker with a standard speaker cable.
Sounds very good! Wonder what sort of dB level is required for the amp to start to break up.
The PJ 4 has good tone but it's very sensitive to dirty electricity - lots of crackling, pops etc.
years later I realized that Elmo is not a random name!
he's sitting there! in the corner of the screen and warms his buttocks with Vox tubes! 😂
🤣
For the price, more features would be nice. Great video.
Thanks :)
It seems you don't like almost nothing almost all your review you always have negative comments. This amp is one of the better sounds for the size and handles pedal very well. I'm willing to bet the Vox ac 10 you would have negative comment also
Wow! You're really familiar with my videos.
I SOLD my Vox AC10 to get this amp...yeah, that's right
Not always. Theres been very few occasions where he’s rated something. But i trust his reviews because theres no bs. He tells you the good and the bad which there will be for every product. Its impossible not to. But also look at the gear behind him. Hes got marshall stacks, a mesa boogie mkii (nice btw) a peavey 6505 mh. Im not surprised it wasnt for him. And im not surprised abt the criticisms he made either. But he didnt acc bash the amp.
No effect loop ? The Harley Benton tube 15 has one.... But this little Fender seems to sound better without pedals. Need to try both...
I had one of these up against a Stageright Monoprice (might be Harley Benton 15 where you are) and I thought for features and tone that the Stageright kicked the Fender’s butt! After 4 gens of this amp it should by now include switchable reverb, speaker out, FX loop, etc. and yet it doesn’t but is still 3X the $$. It’s dumb, but you’re not ;-) rock on.
Yeah, that's the same as the Harley Benton. I also think that beats the Pro Junior hands down, especially for the money.
Sounds great.. I wish this amp was 5 watts and bit cheaper...
Give the Harley Benton Tube5 a try then, or the Bugera V5. I've done videos on both.
@@MrPolevaulter just bought the v5 last week...your review was very helpfull..
JHS Pedals Little Black Amp
Check this out...
@@ghundmanful Is that the volume pot? That requires a loop. I use a similar thing with my Plexis.
The Fender Blues Jr IV 15watt 12" tube model that is..
I'm thinking of selling my Ac15C2 when I get bother of carrying it around (30kg) and getting this boy. Given that I use clean tone as a pedal platform (grunge/alternative/blues/shoegaze) and play mostly a tele (and recently a hollowbody Gretsch), do you think it would serve well? I love my Vox, but it's starting to become a nuisance weight and size-wise :/
Have you ever played one of the fender deluxe 5e3's or one of the 5e3 clones? They seem to have quite a following. Different tubes, maybe not your cup of tea, but I value your opinion as you seem to have a good ear for tone.
Haven't tried them, no.
I've given up on the Pro Junior and the blues Junior. They look good on paper but they do not perform. I'll wait for number 5. And I will probably get sucked back in.
Yeah, I have similar feelings.
I watch this guy's every video because i am having GAS problem.a.k.a guitar acquisition syndrome.
Yeah. That can be a real problem.
They have got a speaker out jack. Why do you think they don’t? The old ones and the new ones do.
I understood now. You make comments that are incorrect deliberately to get people to comment to boost the algorithm.
That is right.
Amp sounded good, at that price it should have an external-speaker outlet.
Maybe. I'd want a loop though.
I've got an old version from the late ninetees and you can unplug the on board speaker and jack it into another speaker and use it as a head. Only just the one speaker output socket. I use a Palmer PD 09 speaker simulator Di box between the speaker output and the speaker and send an XLR to the PA.
Was your opinion this amp was suitable for bedroom playing in the wee overnight hours?
Can't remember.
I can finally pronounce your name. It isnt tricky at all.
Can you unplug the quarter inch cable and plug it into a cabinet?
Yep
At least I think so.
Surprise!
Yeah you can actually run it as a head just got to disconnect the internal speaker
Nobody has mentioned the scalloped neck…….
15:11 holy moly
I had interactive controls on an old Guyatone. That didn't help it - at all!
nice vid
Cheers!
what is the microphone you used in this video?
I'm a very disappointed the price is very closely to a blue's junior that gets more features, add 5 watts, weirdest cabinet, 12" speaker, spring reverb is more usable than the pro but I like it sounds
Blues Juniors and Pro Juniors are both 15 W
Tulipahan "puskan takaa" tämä kanava, kun hain tästä vahvistimesta tietoa. Hyvä, että tuli, on tullut katsottua muitakin videoita. Kiitos näistä! Ja kyllä, Pro Junior on tulossa.
Kiitos Arto :)
550.00 in the states
This vs DSL 15 / 20 Marshall which is better ?
Yes, I bought DSL first then this love them both bro. They both rock got a special place in my heart for DSL though but ultra happy that I added a fender to my arsenal. My first amp was a fender 112 plus, then fender rock pro head with Genz Benz 4 12inch stack, but when I switched to Marshall it was a game changer. Changed my life bro! Marshall is a must have if possible :)
Haven't tried the DSL20 combo, so can't really say. I suspect that I'd like that more though.