Pro junior to blues junior ?

[gretsch4me]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet..

Check out the Supro Delta King 12 as an alternative to the Blues Jr. Both 15 Watts and 12" speaker. There's a few YouTube video reviews on them worth watching.

[bfm612]

I have a Blues Junior, and it sounds good to me, but I've been looking for a cleaner amp and my research has been pointing me towards the Roland JC amps and the Fender Deluxe Reverb or Princeton, but not the Pro Junior for some reason. Maybe because I'm focused on the cleans, but I've been following this thread with interest.

[dcopper]

I spent a lot of time trying out both and initially was going to purchase a Blues Junior IV. When I played it side by side with the Pro Jr there was no comparison. I picked the Pro Jr IV Tweed model with the 10” Jensen speaker.

It really is personal preference. I find the BJ amps to be overly glassy (if that is understandable). They lacked any real character and as someone said -uninspiring. No slight to BJ lovers because I think they are a good go to amp for a lot of things. To my ears they would be ok, but just ok.

The PJ goes straight from preamp to tubes two EL84s and there is nothing between. There is some real magic in the PJ. It is a perfect clean amp for pedals and at least in most small to medium venues - can hold its own. I sold a Mesa Subway Rocket I had since 1996 and replaced it with the PJ and no regrets. The PJ is simple - volume and tone. I think the PJ IV Tweed is best due to the 10” Jensen that really gives that Fender tone. I have played everything through it - Tele, Strat, PRS CE22, PRS Archtop and both humbuckers and single coils sound good.

If you have the $$, I would seriously recommend you try the Blackface Princeton RI, I think it was a ‘65. That amp has serious mojo but is twice the cost of a PJ.

My dos centavos.
Davidc

[rollypolly]

Well I believe I might have a buyer for my Pro Junior and a les Paul I’m selling. So I have an excuse to upgrade. Right now I’m thinking the PJ IV. I’ve read those can be quieter than the III that I currently have. I’m also eyeing the jazz chorus amps and others. But there is something in the simplicity of the PJ that calls me.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Well I believe I might have a buyer for my Pro Junior and a les Paul I’m selling. So I have an excuse to upgrade. Right now I’m thinking the PJ IV. I’ve read those can be quieter than the III that I currently have. I’m also eyeing the jazz chorus amps and others. But there is something in the simplicity of the PJ that calls me.

I think you will not find any substantial difference between a PJIV and what you have. PJ's aren't meant to be a clean amp whatsoever. They are meant to provide usable breakup at low to moderate volume.

The fact that in one sentence you are considering a Jazz Chorus and the next another PJ is a head scratcher IMO. Talk about chalk and cheese!

[rollypolly]

I’ve been playing jazz and blues on the PJ and like it fine. I had a JC-55 years ago and it was also good for jazz and blues. So I’m not sure what you’re point is, applied to me at least.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

I’ve been playing jazz and blues on the PJ and like it fine. I had a JC-55 years ago and it was also good for jazz and blues. So I’m not sure what you’re point is, applied to me at least.

Because the Jazz Chorus is called the "King of Clean" for a reason. The Pro Junior is almost the opposite type of amp. PJ's are intended to breakup quickly. Considering making a purchase and comparing two amps that are completely different doesn't seem to make any sense. It would be like saying I either want a Stratocaster or a Gibson L5 for the same purpose. Not trying to be argumentative...

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by davidd

Because the Jazz Chorus is called the "King of Clean" for a reason. The Pro Junior is almost the opposite type of amp. PJ's are intended to breakup quickly. Considering making a purchase and comparing two amps that are completely different doesn't seem to make any sense. It would be like saying I either want a Stratocaster or a Gibson L5 for the same purpose. Not trying to be argumentative...

There also are solid state amps that will be more reliable than the PJ and can give you different flavors of tone depending on what you're looking for.

The current JC amps are great pedal platforms though, so you can get plenty filthy with a JC120 or JC40 and some dirt pedals.

Really need to figure out what sounds you're trying to get, then find an amp or amp/pedal solution that gets there. Or go ampless with any number of pedal solutions. Guitarists have never had the diversity of good sounding choices that we have today. A small tweed box isn't the only way to good tone, and arguably the current ones are pretty hit-or-miss.

[rollypolly]

Originally Posted by davidd

Because the Jazz Chorus is called the "King of Clean" for a reason. The Pro Junior is almost the opposite type of amp. PJ's are intended to breakup quickly. Considering making a purchase and comparing two amps that are completely different doesn't seem to make any sense. It would be like saying I either want a Stratocaster or a Gibson L5 for the same purpose. Not trying to be argumentative...

Yes I remember the JC being super clean, almost too clean for my taste.

The sound I'm trying to get is what I'd call clean blues and clean jazz (Charlie Christian, Joe Pass) as a baseline, then being able to get a little dirty (BB King) when I want, but I'd like to steer clear of using a distortion pedal. I've always stuck with a basic reverb and loop station as my rig , nothing else really needed.
So maybe that's why I've had the PJ for this long since it does get a little dirty. Worse case if I sell my III and pick up a IV, it's an excuse to get one in better condition...mine has been through some years and is sort of falling apart.

[bfm612]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

...The sound I'm trying to get is what I'd call clean blues and clean jazz (Charlie Christian, Joe Pass) as a baseline, then being able to get a little dirty (BB King) when I want, but I'd like to steer clear of using a distortion pedal. I've always stuck with a basic reverb and loop station as my rig , nothing else really needed...

I have a Blues Junior but have been looking for another amp because I'm aiming for a clean tone similar to what you're describing, and I think the PJ gets too dirty too quickly for that in my opinion. Still searching!

[davidd]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Yes I remember the JC being super clean, almost too clean for my taste.

The sound I'm trying to get is what I'd call clean blues and clean jazz (Charlie Christian, Joe Pass) as a baseline, then being able to get a little dirty (BB King) when I want, but I'd like to steer clear of using a distortion pedal. I've always stuck with a basic reverb and loop station as my rig , nothing else really needed.
So maybe that's why I've had the PJ for this long since it does get a little dirty. Worse case if I sell my III and pick up a IV, it's an excuse to get one in better condition...mine has been through some years and is sort of falling apart.

A clean boost or mild overdrive is what you need, not a distortion pedal. You can always add mild breakup, but you can't take it away if it is inherent in the amp. That's why I prefer clean Fender type amps. The Caline Pure Sky is a very low gain pedal that goes from clean boost to very low OD. $35 or so. The Joyo American Sound is an amp in a box pedal and in front of a clean amp or better still the effects return it will go from glassy cleans to creamy tweed tones. IMO a Princeton Reverb w/12" would be a perfect amp for your needs.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by davidd

A clean boost or mild overdrive is what you need, not a distortion pedal. You can always add mild breakup, but you can't take it away if it is inherent in the amp. That's why I prefer clean Fender type amps. The Caline Pure Sky is a very low gain pedal that goes from clean boost to very low OD. $35 or so. The Joyo American Sound is an amp in a box pedal and in front of a clean amp or better still the effects return it will go from glassy cleans to creamy tweed tones. IMO a Princeton Reverb w/12" would be a perfect amp for your needs.

I use this one. It can be dialed in to do exactly what davidd is describing through a clean amp and it’s inexpensive. It’s a clone of the “Sweet Honey” by Mad Professor which is very expensive.

My set up consists of a Strat or Tele into a Moen optical compressor into a Sweet Baby into a JHS 3 Series Delay into my amp. Simple, simple simple.
The tones I can get are glorious for blues flavors of any kind.

https://www.amazon.com/Joyo-JF-36-Au.../dp/B00HB2ZVRC

[nostatic]

My variation on that chain is Wampler Mini Ego compressor (not fully squashed), and Wampler Belle overdrive (along with delay and other stuff). The Belle is not your typical tube screamer or klon style overdrive. I find it great for mild push and it is very open sounding as opposed to mid-focused (and based on the Nobels ODR-1 which is a Nashville favorite).

My main use case these days is actually running into either a bass rig (if I'm doubling bass/guitar) or DeCapo/30M (if I'm doubling acoustic/electric). In that case an IR pedal along with some pedals give options, have been messing with the Flamma preamp pedal, and literally just got a UA Ruby which will hopefully be a good solution for my electric tone goals - I'm a Vox fan.

[GoPappy]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Yes I remember the JC being super clean, almost too clean for my taste.

The sound I'm trying to get is what I'd call clean blues and clean jazz (Charlie Christian, Joe Pass) as a baseline, then being able to get a little dirty (BB King) when I want, but I'd like to steer clear of using a distortion pedal. I've always stuck with a basic reverb and loop station as my rig , nothing else really needed.
So maybe that's why I've had the PJ for this long since it does get a little dirty. Worse case if I sell my III and pick up a IV, it's an excuse to get one in better condition...mine has been through some years and is sort of falling apart.

I watched a video of Tab Benoit explaining his rig setup. It was a pretty short rig rundown because he uses a guitar and two amps. And that's it. No pedals, not even a reverb or compressor.

Now, he's a southern blues player and has a lot more breakup and grit in his sound than you're looking for. But I thought it was really interesting how simple he keeps it.

And his guitar is a 1975 (or 1972?) Tele thinline with the stock humbuckers. And his backup guitar is exactly the same, but he only uses it if he breaks a string on his primary one.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by GoPappy

I watched a video of Tab Benoit explaining his rig setup. It was a pretty short rig rundown because he uses a guitar and two amps. And that's it. No pedals, not even a reverb or compressor.

Now, he's a southern blues player and has a lot more breakup and grit in his sound than you're looking for. But I thought it was really interesting how simple he keeps it.

And his guitar is a 1975 (or 1972?) Tele thinline with the stock humbuckers. And his backup guitar is exactly the same, but he only uses it if he breaks a string on his primary one.

As I said earlier the Pro Junior is a great one trick pony. Clean it ain't...