Pro Junior Fuzzy Sound

[muraski909]

I have a Pro Junior in a 2 10 cab with Weber signatures. I have stiffened the PS and retubed (nice NOS in V1). The amps sounds great at low volumes but get's an annoying "fuzzy sound" at anything higher. Any ideas? Could this be the bias of the el84's? They run crazy hot.

[Blue Strat]

Did it sound better before you changed things? If so, backtrack.

[muraski909]

No. It has always had the Fuzz. I should have said that in the OP. I thought a retube and stiffened PS would fix it.

[grizdeluxe]

Ive been playing through a Bill M modded Pro Junior for the past couple of weeks. After making sure the bias is spot on, it still gets fizzy with two 12ax7's at high volumes. The right tube in V1 can really make the difference. Ive tried a bunch and a Jan Phillips 5751 has the best balance of grind and smooth high end.

[muraski909]

What did you bias it at?

[grizdeluxe]

[DeaconBlues]

My Pro jr. is in a 1x12 combo cabinet. I run a 12AY7, 5751 or 6072 in V1 that really reduces the "fuzzy sound". To further reduce the "fuzzy sound" I run a 12BH7A in V2. This really cleans the amp up all the way up the volume range, especially with single coils. Humbuckers will dial up some OD, but it will be loud. I've, also, installed a T020 Heyboer OT and that helped tighten up the bottom end.
The PJ is a great amp once you clean up the wiring for the hiss and open up the headroom. I have a second PJ on the way. It's in a Tonedog 12" cabinet w/Frommel mods(orange drop caps). Can't wait to compare the two. The "new" one will probably get a T020, as well.
T

[muraski909]

I have used a 12au7 and a 5751 to alter the gain. I am currently running the 5751 in V1. I am intrigued by the 12BH7A idea. Is that a drop in for the 12ax7 I have gotten mixed messages about this on the interwebs.

[Rambergwest]

dampen the chassis or at least make sure it is tight to the cabinet. also all internal assemblies and components should be tied down in some way, a little heat resistant silicon or even hot glue will secure most components and go a long way toward getting rid of the buzzes associated with printed circuit board construction.

[grizdeluxe]

FYI, after running the PJ through various cabinet configurations, my favorite is the 2x10 Gold/Green combo. It's a nice blend of chime and syrupy goodness. It seems voiced for 10's, as most 12's can be a little boomy, but that isn't present with 10's at all.

[FM1968]

I've been using a 12BH7 in V2 as well and I feel it really helps clean the amp up. For what it's worth I also have experimented with the usual replacements for V1 but in the end concluded that the 12BH7 in V2 was more useful. The amp doesn't load up as fast and is smoother but still has plenty of gain and clarity.

I also had really good results from converting the amp to cathode bias and removing the negative feedback. It seemed to make my amp a little more "old school" for lack of better words.

Good Luck!

[Gearaddict]

Just curious....why the Pro Jr.? No tone options to speak of, you are fighting to get tone out of an amp with no tone options to begin with. These amps are useless outside a studio or bedroom. All of the stock amps I have demo'd or heard live sound muddy and fuzzy at higher volumes. If you have to go through speaker changes and mods, I would have serious reservations about owning one of these. The Blues Jr. is a far superior amp for not much more coin.

[grizdeluxe]

Originally Posted by Gearaddict

Just curious....why the Pro Jr.? No tone options to speak of, you are fighting to get tone out of an amp with no tone options to begin with. These amps are useless outside a studio or bedroom. All of the stock amps I have demo'd or heard live sound muddy and fuzzy at higher volumes. If you have to go through speaker changes and mods, I would have serious reservations about owning one of these. The Blues Jr. is a far superior amp for not much more coin.

Hated the Blues Jr., love the Pro Junior. Dont you love variety?

[muraski909]

Ha. I agree with Griz. I did not care for the Blues Junior but love the Pro for practice and small gigs. I just want to shake the fuzz. I got it in trade and as far as " If you have to go through speaker changes and mods, I would have serious reservations about owning one of these.".. It's the journey. You always learn something when you dig into an amp and make it better. It's a hobby I enjoy. I have rebuilt blackface Supers old Ga40's and weird old ElectroLabs... the Pro is a new challenge. It's fun. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance kind of stuff.

[jmoose]

Originally Posted by Gearaddict

Just curious....why the Pro Jr.? No tone options to speak of, you are fighting to get tone out of an amp with no tone options to begin with. These amps are useless outside a studio or bedroom.

OooooK then. So why are cats like Warren Haynes & Jeff Beck using them? Because they're useless "no tone" machines. Right. Gotya!!