PSA - Pro Junior III

[Mullenski]

What a great amp! Switched to a Rajin' Cajun and some really nice tubes from Mike at KCA. Mic'd up, this amp hangs with a couple of my semi-booteekie amps costing $1,000+ more than the PJ. And, it's about 30 pounds lighter. (Unmic'd, what comes out of that little cab is pretty shocking, also.)

Even without the speaker and tube swap, it's a fantastic amp.

PSA over.

 

[ungarn]

What tubes did you swap in?
Thanks!

 

[Chicago Slim]

I'm finding that I really like amps with a simple tone stack, Volume and Tone, or Volume, Tone and Gain. They really respond to tube and speaker changes.

 

[Telecaster62]

I could kick myself for selling my 90's tweed Pro Jr. Best little amp that I've ever used pound for pound. I'm going to buy another soon.

 

[Mullenski]

Brimar in the preamp,
Tesla for power amp.
Both NOS

 

[tamader74]

Like I've been a sayin', and as a Fender Fella',...The BEST upgrade to these Hot Rod series amp.'s came from Fender themselves when the III series came out,...I have a Blues JR. III, and a HRD III (I think the Devilles are still a bit 'LOUD', but still better), and I know a fellow player that is running two Pro Jr.'s in stereo, and lovin' it.

He likes is sound/tone better than a Vibro-lux reissue, he has a Medical condition and just cannot lift more than 20 lb.'s without some possible danger to himself,...he was using 2 Peavey rages that he worked on,...But these Pro III's has him just a smilin' and pickin',...Glad your digging it. Tom

 

[Tiny Montgomery]

I recently got a second Pro Jr., and look forward to running them in stereo, sometime. I've had a tweed US one since about '95 or '96. Mine had the ceramic speaker, originally, rather than the alnico blue frame the very first ones had. I blew it a long time ago, changed it to a Weber P10R (back when he still called them that), then when it (probably) blew, I put in a Weber Blue Pup. JJ's for the power tubes. Not sure about the pre's, off the top of my head. The bias has been corrected in it (they're biased hot from the factory).

I just bought the second 2 weeks ago. It's a black Tolex Mexican one, stock speaker and original tubes. A little noisy, but I'm going to get it to the tech, soon, to have the tubes checked/changed and the bias adjusted. It sounds pretty similar to my tweed one, already, but not quite as good.

I've only played a III in passing at a shop, a couple times, but it sounded great, and by all accounts, the III is an improvement over the earlier ones. My tweed one has a lot of sentimental (as well as practical) value, though. It's definitely not going anywhere. Something about the 10 and the frequency response of the amp makes it cut through a mix, great, defying it's relatively low volume.

I played a gig on a borrowed Blues Jr. not long ago, and they're great, too, but I still prefer the little Pro, overall.

 

[HawkeyeKane]

...and some really nice tubes from Mike at KCA.

Unfamiliar with this vendor. Have any contact info or a website?

 

[GOLDENSTRAT]

I think Mike is Bluestrat on the TGP.

 

[Trotter]

I demo'd another one yesterday.

I really want to love the PJIII, but the idle noise (when not playing) is right on line of being too much for me...

does switching out the stock tubes really quite the amp? Or is the real fix installing a bias pot?

 

[GOLDENSTRAT]

The right preamp tubes usually quiets it down.
Which are the right ones??
The ones that don't hum - a bit hit and miss.
Lots of new 12ax7's seem to hum to me.

 

[Mullenski]

www.kcanostubes.com

Mine is vewy,vewy, quiwet.

 

[richpjr]

I've toyed with picking one of these up. I was in a GC at lunch today killing time and they had one on clearance for $349. I don't really NEED one, but was still tempted.

 

[FF71]

I was fighting my Pro Jr. GAS for 3 weeks!!