Dougie Blue
10 posts
Mar 02, 2021
5:56 AM
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Hey, I've got a chance to buy a used Fender Pro Junior at a good price. Note: I live in the Philippines, so stuff like tube amps don't show up very often, and shipping one in can be pricey! Worth it or not? Currently, I have VHT Special 6, and also a pedal rig that I can use direct to the PA with a speaker cab as a monitor if I want (see my recent post about pedals vs. amps). So, should I snag this Pro Junior? I've got a 5751 and a 12AY7 I can try in the preamp slot to tame the gain. I'm not sure what speaker is in it, but figure it will probably need something different. I've read through Rick Davis' discussion of his mods for one about 12 years ago, which makes me more interested. I'm assuming the 15 watts it puts out will be noticeably louder than the 6 watts of the VHT, or am I mistaken about this? Thoughts?
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Kingley
4175 posts
Mar 02, 2021
7:02 AM
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The Pro Jr is a decent amp for harp. I used one for years. To give you an idea of what they sound like. In this linked video my Pro Jr was miked into the PA, but the onstage sound without any in the monitors was more than loud enough for me to hear.
Pro Jr at The Brudenell
Last Edited by Kingley on Mar 02, 2021 7:05 AM
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TetonJohn
387 posts
Mar 02, 2021
7:10 AM
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I also used one for a few years -- I think that amp would be a good score for you -- especially given the limitations of your location and IIRC your desire not to spend a ton of money on harp-specific amp.
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garry
794 posts
Mar 02, 2021
8:41 AM
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Don't assume that 15W amp will necessarily be much louder than a 6w amp. I'm no expert, but the loudness is probably much more affected by speaker efficiency than watts. I'm hoping that others far more expert than I will weigh in and explain why, or why I am mistaken.
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dougharps
2250 posts
Mar 02, 2021
8:54 AM
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Speaker efficiency and size of speakers will affect loudness. A larger speaker can move more air.
With speaker size and efficiency being equal and the speaker and amp impedance matching for each, you would need 10 times the wattage to double the volume.
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Doug S.
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Dougie Blue
11 posts
Mar 05, 2021
11:49 PM
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As always, thanks to all who responded with opinions. I went by yesterday to check the Pro Jr. out, and the seller (who is a friend) said just take it home and play it a while, and if I want to keep it, pay him them. So it's in my "stable" at the moment.
In the sellers music room, we could not get it above 2 out of 12 for volume without feedback, so once I got it home, I swapped out an 12AY7 for the 12AX7 in the preamp socket. I took it and the VHT out to the front yard about an hour ago to let them strut their stuff. Both amps reach a point where they don't get louder with higher volume on the knob, they just get more overdrive. The Pro Jr. is quite a bit louder than the VHT at that point. However, the VHT has a better harp tone IMO. The Pro Jr has a rather harsh, strident tone when overdriven. Based on what Rick Davis says on his Harp Amp Blog for the Pro Jr. this is mainly due to the speaker. I'm thinking based on descriptions that his might be a good amp for the Li'l Buddy (and some sound samples someone else posted on Youtube bears this out). I've also got the tubes Rick recommends for the EL84's and the phase inverter coming in. That's all 2-3 months out (getting stuff in the Philippines without paying a fortune takes a while).
So that's where things stand. I think I can get an amp that meets my needs with a little tweaking. I'll update when the other stuff arrives.
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boris_plotnikov
1168 posts
Mar 22, 2021
1:59 PM
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Always have a good results with Pro Jr. Possible it is not the best tone comparing to custom harp amps, but it cuts thru the mix really good. Consider trying it with LoneWolf HarpOctave.
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borisplotnikov.ru
Seydel endorser. LoneWolf Blues Co endorser. Harmonica teacher. My facebook.
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