#31
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I have had my PJ IV Tweed for a couple of years and find it stays surprisingly clean and LOUD before breakup. It is too loud at home to go past 3 on volume but does not break up until about 7. At that volume it is surprisingly LOUD. After 7, there is not a lot of increase in volume, just natural tube amp saturation. Depending on the kind of venues you intend to play, the PJ works great for blues/jazz at small to medium size venues. It depends too if you have a drummer which notches up the overall volume. You could always mic the PJIV.
Another option and very affordable one is the Boss Katana MKII amps. Very affordable and stay clean for your pedals, or even the onboard effects are “okay” if you don’t overdo them. I carry one as a backup in case I have any problems with my PJ (which has not occurred). For real jazz by the book players, I have an AER Compact 60 II which just has a beautiful transparent jazz tone and good delay and ‘verb built in. These are more pricey but really good for acoustic amplification as well as clean jazz tones. All of this said, there is magic in tube amps that really shine. Davidc |
#32
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Well I'm sans amp at the moment. I went ahead and let my PJ go with the Les Paul. At least I can get a fresh start. But I've decided for now to just get a small amp, something capable of small gigs and it doesn't have to be crystal clean. I'm leaning towards an Epiphone Galaxy 25 just because I've heard some good things and I found one under $200. I realize it may not even be as good as the PJ but when and if the time comes I'll step up and invest more into a better amp.
The Vox AC4 with 12" speaker is tempting as well. There are quite a few options in that low watt tube category. |
#33
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Edit….see you let go of the amp so the below is irrelevant. But I left it. Perhaps it would help you or another future tube amp owner. Do you mean the noise is loud compared to the volume output Or is it just 2 loud If its a volume issue that’s an easy and inexpensive fix Change the 12AX7 V1 preamp tube to a lower gain tube. You get lower volume with more head room. No need to bias the amp for a preamp tube swap. This might also help with noise For kicks I’ve tried all the tubes in the chart below with my hot rod deluxe, which is known to be unruly with its volume. The 12AU7, which is the lowest gain tube, gave me a sweet bedroom volume, but I settled on a 12AY7 (for home). I can crank the amp without blowing out my windows and it stays clean all the way up to “10”. At “11” I get some On-The Edge-Of-Break-up https://blog.thetubestore.com/wp-con...Gain-Graph.jpg In regards to noise, is it hiss, hum, and or snap-crackle-pop. Are you using single single coil pickups? Do you play close to, and facing your amp? Is your guitar shielded well? Does the amp make noise with nothing plugged in. Are there fluorescent lights in the room (or anywhere in the house)? As far as reverb, the Pro JR does not have an effects loop but you can still use a reverb peddle in the chain…… Or spend the money for a black face amp with reverb and change the V1 preamp tube for lower gain staging FWIW: with the preamp swap (and some other maintenance) my old Hot Rod Deluxe which I got used for cheap, has become an amazing sounding amp that far exceeded my expectations.
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David Webber Round-Body Furch D32-LM MJ Franks Lagacy OM Rainsong H-WS1000N2T Stonebridge OM33-SR DB Stonebridge D22-SRA Tacoma Papoose Voyage Air VAD-2 1980 Fender Strat A few Partscaster Strats MIC 60s Classic Vib Strat Last edited by Mbroady; 01-24-2023 at 09:11 AM. |
#34
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Hi MBroady,
When I said loud, i mean it had a lot of idling noise, hum. Once playing, the amp was fine, nice and clean and plenty of good wall rattling volume. To make a sale on a Les Paul, I included the Pro Jr as a package deal, so its gone. That also gave me the opportunity to try out a different amp. I always generally liked the Pj so i looked for something similar and finally found a used Epiphone Galaxie 25. All tube, 12” speaker pushing 25 watts. Seems like it could be a good amp and probably close to the Pj but hopefully less hum. Ill try your suggestions if I feel it needs some work. |
#35
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1990 Martin D16-M Gibson J45 Eastman E8D-TC Pono 0000-30DC Yamaha FSX5, LS16, FG830, FSX700SC Epiphone EF500-RAN 2001 Gibson '58 Reissue LP 2005, 2007 Gibson '60 Reissue LP Special (Red&TV Yel) 1972 Yamaha SG1500, 1978 LP500 Tele's and Strats 1969,1978 Princeton Reverb 1972 Deluxe Reverb Epiphone Sheraton, Riviera DeArmond T400 Ibanez AS73 Quilter Superblock US[/I] |
#36
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Thanks David, I'll make sure to experiment. I definitely have been fooled by bad grounding before. I rebuilt all the parts in my telecaster before realizing I was playing on an ungrounded circuit
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