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Post subject: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:15 am
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So my cousin who plays in a band with me always comes to me on gear questions and I'm stumped so now I'm coming to you fine folks. Basically he is trying to get the most clean volume he can out of it. I do know the pro Jr is a 15 Watt amp made to distort early. Its being used for rehearsal and small gigs and even at that volume its breaking up very soon. I told him to switch v1 out with a 12ay7 which helped but only added about a number on the volume. Aside from that it is all stock. So my question is should I be looking at different tubes? Speaker? Other mods? Or am I on an impossible quest?

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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 2:11 am
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Low watts amp like Blues Junior are not a powerfull if you want clean sound . Switching first tube for a 12AY7 may help.
Almost amp break at half volume and less .


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:29 am
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+1 stratele52, it's made for distortion.

I would try a 5751 in V1 and a 12AT7 in V2 (PI), and maybe even a harder set of output tubes. Check the hardness rating on your existing output tubes. Lots of lower gain preamp/PI tubes to try, but there is only so much that you can do with tube choices. The lower the gain of the tubes that you use in this amp, the more lifeless the sound will become, and you'll have less overall volume. A higher efficiency speaker might help some also, but maybe not as much as lower gain preamp tubes and hard output tubes.

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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:59 pm
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The tubes in it are jjs. What do you mean by hardness rating could you recommend some power tubes? Will you lose volume with an at7 in v2?

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I like my tone like my women. Full round bottom, sweet and clean but can get as dirty as I desire.


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:30 pm
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Hardness simply refers to current draw and/or transconductance of output tubes. These numbers can be used to determine whether the tubes will have early breakup (soft) or more clean headroom (hard), as compared to similar tubes with a lower or higher rating.

GT tubes use rating numbers from 1 to 10, with 1 having the earliest breakup and 10 having the most headroom. The PJr originally came with GTs, and if the stock tubes were in the 4 to 7 rating range (medium), you could get more headroom by switching to an 8 to 10 rating range (hard), or more breakup by switching to a 1 to 3 rating range (soft).

If you like JJs, email Bob at EuroTubes, and he might be able to recommend some tubes to get a cleaner sound. Most tube vendors use their own rating system, but the results are the same, and they can all recommend tubes to get a cleaner sound.

You might lose a little volume with a 12AT7 in V2, but this is a trade-off for more clean sound. Changing the preamp and PI might give you the most change, and using harder output tubes if possible can give you even more change. But, keep in mind that you won't get a real clean sound with this amp stock, and the tube changes will only get you closer to clean.

Tone is very subjective, in this case my choice would be:
V1 - JAN Phillips 5751 (or similar)
V2 - GT 12AT7 or JAN Phillips 12AT7
Output - GT EL84-S (8 to 10 rating) or 7189 Preferred Series from TheTubeSore

The right combination of tubes can result in being able to control the amount of breakup from the amp, with the volume knob on your guitar. With guitar volume at 10, set the amp volume up to the point of breakup, and when you back the guitar volume down, the sound will be cleaner.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:52 pm
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The original PJs did not come with GTs. They came with made in China Fender tubes. I still have them in my original PJ. They do not say GT anywhere on them.


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:11 pm
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That's correct. Fender labeled their own tubes from China, Russia and elsewhere until Fender acquired GT, and since then the amps come with GT labeled tubes from China, Russia and elsewhere. Both of these two labels, Fender and GT, used the same sources for their tubes. Besides the tested and relabeled tubes, GT also has tubes made exclusively for them, not relabeled. I assumed that the OPs amp was new enough to originally have GTs stock, but they might have been Fender labeled.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:24 pm
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That is correct they switched over! I got GTs in my MIM BJ. My PJ is what hit the shelves in 94, made in Brea, with the Chinese Valves. The BJ is 2009. I dig the way the AP Tube book goes into detail about all things tube. It is a great reference book covers alot of the tubes used these days and, back in the day. I did not know about the hard and soft tubes. Thanks for sharing that. If I live to retire; I plan on building an amp or two, in the future. I'm still taking baby steps. Peace out for now!


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Post subject: Re: pro jr question
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:56 pm
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Awesome thank you very much guys.

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