Getting My First Amp Questions

[JFcm5]

Hello,

I am a fairly new guitar player but I've gotten pretty good and have desided to get a real amp as opposed to the cheap one that came with my guitar. I was thinking about getting the Fender Pro Junior and I just wanted to know what most of you guys think about that amp choice. It would just be for bedroom practice, nothing big. I don't have any pedals now but I plan on getting some pedals after I get an amp. Would this be a good amp to mess with pedals on? Thanks.

~Chris

 

[re-animator]

a fine amp for practice. Its one of those amps that don't have a lot of features or clean headroom, but will have you grinning ear-to ear in the fun factor department.

 

[Guitar Dave T]

Hello,

I am a fairly new guitar player but I've gotten pretty good and have desided to get a real amp as opposed to the cheap one that came with my guitar. I was thinking about getting the Fender Pro Junior and I just wanted to know what most of you guys think about that amp choice. It would just be for bedroom practice, nothing big. I don't have any pedals now but I plan on getting some pedals after I get an amp. Would this be a good amp to mess with pedals on? Thanks.

~Chris

The Pro Jr. is a KILLER sounding little 15 watt amp. It has it's own very real , natural sounding, output tube overdrive, which is fat and juicy, compared to many amps that use master volume, which in some cases, can sound thin and buzzy.

I HIGHLY recommend this amp for getting started learning how your picking style works getting different tones from an honest tube amp.

I know I sound like an old lecturing fool, but too many beginning players start right away with overdrive and distortion pedals before learning picking dynamics and HOW TO WORK/PLAY THE AMP. The Pro Jr. is awesome at this.

And you want to use it with pedals? You can, just don't expect a ton of headroom, so some dirt pedals may push it too far and muddy up the sound. You can still make it work at lower volumes, but for pedals, you might want to go a price point up to a Blues Jr.

The Blues Junior is also a 2xEL84 tube, 15 watt output Fender, but it has more headroom and also reverb. You still have that output tube interplay, but you have to turn the amp up a little louder to get it.

But as a killer toned first amp, the Pro Junior with no pedals would help you develop your technique much faster, IMHO. Plus it will always be a benchmark in your mind for what a real amp should sound like as you later venture into amps with more bells and whistles. (tip: when you go out shopping later for those amps, always start the road test with the effects turned completely off and see if they really measure up).

 

[3 Mile Stone]

This amp is important in my opinion. This purchase will probably form your opinions about your sound and amps in general for years to come. What gear you play through in your formative years stays with you. I say buy a tube amp. Get a few pedals. Oh and have fun!

 

[phatster]

Hang out in the emphorium...its a real education,you might get lucky and find a good buy on a small fender.

 

[JFcm5]

Is there a reason that the black Pro Junior is $40 more than the blonde one?

 

[Guitar Dave T]

Do you have discipline, can you control yourself and concerntrate on practise/playing more than tweaking?

If the answer is yes, then I would recommend the Line 6 Spider Valve.

The problem with Line 6 stuff is you can spend more time tweaking than actually playing.
But if you're willing to just setup a few good tones/patches and then stop tweaking and concertrate on playing, then the SV will be a great amp for you.

With a Pro Junior you'll spend the next few years buying pedals, especially if you hang out here.
With the SV the Line 6 modelling will let you hear "more or less" what great tube amps of the past & present "kind of" sound like, plus you get a poweramp built by the master Bogner himself.

Anyway, that's what I would do.

Hope that helps in your decision.

Sorry, I respectfully disagree. I've tried the Line 6 and IMHO, it is the virtual sex of guitar amps. There is no passionate interaction, no real connection and no real love making.

To stretch the analogy, the Line 6 will get you fast action with an experienced woman who knows all the technical tricks in the sack, but the Pro Jr. will teach you to be responsive in a way that is infinitely more satisfying in the long run.

Edit: Also, with even the lower-powered 40 watt Line 6 (I understand there is also a 100 watt version that I have not tried), you would never get close to the volume needed to get the two 6L6 output tubes cooking in a bedroom setting, so the Bogner designed power amp would not even come into play. In the bedroom, you would be living 100% in the modeling section of the Line 6.

 

[Guitar Dave T]

Is there a reason that the blonde Pro Junior is $40 more than the black one?

Short run, relatively few made, so some are willing to pay more.

In other words, "no".

 

[scottlr]

I'd say forget pedals until you can get a great sound without them. THEN, you can always add to your sound with them. I think if a player goes to effects to achieve a sound before they grasp the basics, they "depend" on the pedals, and miss out on learning some amp basics. Cranking an amp is cool, and will force you to articulate more clearly to get what you want. Once you can do that, a pedal is fine. Going right to a pedal first off, you might not learn to articulate all that well. Does that make sense?

BTW the blonde and tweed Pro Juniors are just slightly less plentiful. Sort of a limited edition thing. No difference in the sound.

 

[Guitar Dave T]

I'd say forget pedals until you can get a great sound without them. THEN, you can always add to your sound with them. I think if a player goes to effects to achieve a sound before they grasp the basics, they "depend" on the pedals, and miss out on learning some amp basics. Cranking an amp is cool, and will force you to articulate more clearly to get what you want. Once you can do that, a pedal is fine. Going right to a pedal first off, you might not learn to articulate all that well. Does that make sense?

++++100

 

[JFcm5]

So I just went to Guitar Center and got the Black Fender Pro Junior (for only $299 as an extra bonus).
Thanks for all of your input guys. I have only been messing with it for a little while but I absolutely LOVE it. I had never played a tube amp before. It sounds amazing. I'm just playing it in my bedroom so it is extremely loud and I can't get the volume on the amp past 4 out of 12 without hurting my ears , even with my guitar volume at 1. Any tips on how to get the Tube Distortion without it killing my ears?

~Chris

 

[The Captain]

So I just went to Guitar Center and got the Black Fender Pro Junior (for only $299 as an extra bonus).
Thanks for all of your input guys. I have only been messing with it for a little while but I absolutely LOVE it. I had never played a tube amp before. It sounds amazing. I'm just playing it in my bedroom so it is extremely loud and I can't get the volume on the amp past 4 out of 12 without hurting my ears , even with my guitar volume at 1. Any tips on how to get the Tube Distortion without it killing my ears?

~Chris

Wow, your volume goes to 12, no wonder it is so loud !! LOL !!