I've picked up a Pro Junior recently. Love the sounds and the simplicity of this little amp. I'm just wondering if it is worth it to buy a custom cab for it. There is a guy in the UK who makes great stuff and offers a 1x10, 1x12 and 2x10 option. I'd likely go with the 1x12 option and stick a Celesion Alnico in it. Has anyone went with an upgraded cab for their Pro Jr? Is the 1x12 the way to go? I'm just looking for opinions at the minute, nothing really set in stone yet lol.
The pro jr is the only fender amp I own and the first thing I did was chuck the cab and speaker. The cab is a deluxe size old Marshall that I repurposed and I put a 12" eminence cannabis rex in it. Talk about a monster sounding amp. I also put a 50w l-pad attenuator on it in the back so I could reduce the voltage to the speaker and get that nice amp breakup at about a 1/4 of the volume. Yes, these upgrades ate worth every penny.
When I had a PJ I hooked it up to a nice 112 cabinet I have, and it sounded like a freight train. I considered mounting the chassis in there permanently. But ultimately decided no and eventually ended up with a 5e3, which I am very happy with.
most combo cabs are not ideal speaker cabs. a guitar speaker's sound is affected heavily by changing the dimensions and materials used for the cab.
Thanks for the feedback! I've read of people using pine cabs with ply baffles. I'll talk to the guy who builds them to see what he thinks. I think the 1x12 is the way forward
Yes. Years ago there was a guy who was building a 1x12 deluxe sized cab for them. The Pro Senior. It'll give a tweed deluxe a run for it's money with a Celestion Gold in there. It won't win...but it'll come close enough.
That sounds good to me! I've spoken to him and ordered a 1x12 Tweed cab. It will definitely be getting a Celestion alnico, might as well be the Gold! Thanks guys, I'll update when I get it all together!
I took this route with my pro junior.. it sounded awesome... however I tried a 5E3 clone and succumbed to its wonderful tone
I have a PJ IV. Played it with external 1x10” pine cab or 1x12”. Great sound! I would go for a 2x10” or 2x12”...
My new cabinet should soon be ready and the new speaker arrived today (wasn't expecting Sunday delivery). An old Celestion silver alnico that I got at a good price. If it isn't up to scratch I'll buy a gold but this was worth a try. Hopefully I'll have a completed photo very soon
I have a Pro Jr IV and have no intention of transplanting the innards into a bigger cab. The whole point of why I bought it in the first place is because of its dimunitive cab size so that I could carry it with one hand to blues jams and such (not that there have been many such occasions in 2020). In terms of getting a bigger sound, frankly, once you put a decent ribbon mic in front of it for recording purposes or indeed a good dynamic mic for live applications, listeners won't be wiser if it was a 10" combo or a 4X12 cab.
I built a cab out of old scrap pine shelving from my 1962 kitchen (vintage mojo wood! LOL). Dimensions are 24" wide, 20" high,, 9" deep. So pine sides with ply front baffle and back parts. 12" speaker in it. I use with various amps. But it makes my old 1962 Maestro amp sound glorious. I added a switching jack so I can just plug into cab and it automatically disconnects internal speaker.
My Pro Jr. is one of my favorite amps , gigged it for about 5 years back in the early 2000s . It can only be improved by housing it in a bigger cab with a 12 or 2 10s , or even 1 15 . If you love it now , you will really love it if you upgrade the cab and speaker !! Again , a really great amp .
Well the new cabinet has arrived!!!!! Made in Wales by Mark Philip's of AF Custom cabs I have to say it is phenomenally well made. The first thing that hit me was the smell. I don't know of it's the lacquered tweed or the pine but I think I could spend the rest of the day just sitting smelling it . It sounds fantastic through the 12" alnico. It seems ungodly loud now compared to before, my daughter took cover when I had it at 3! Weight wise I'd say it's about the same as it was before, lighter cab but heavier speaker balances things out. I am really pleased I went this route, here are some photos of it!!!
I use a 2x12 almost all the time, even for quiet practice. Even at play-quietly-til-the-wife-gets-up volume, there just a little more dimension than with any combo speaker or 1x12 cab. You also have the option of using two different speakers.
Yeah I agree completely, a 2x12 really can't be beaten. Always going to sound bigger and better through that.