Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

[glassman]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

then what I would try is a 15 to 25 watt, 8 ohm resistor and solder it in series with one of the speaker leads or in parallel with the actual speaker lugs.
One setup will double speaker load and one will halve the speaker load... they both will create power tube plate load imbalance that shouldn't hurt the tubes but effect the max power output and tone.
Do the resistor installation to "taste" because I'm not sure which will sound better for your application... although I suspect the resistor in parallel will be a little more grindy sounding with some midrange hump.
Anyhow, with the resistor installed either way, half the total output power of the amp is going into a device that makes no sound and the tubes have a mismatch that will make them produce a little less power too.

I recommend you consider this one...it will give you a chance of being able to set the volume control at a point that the amp begins to fill out. If you push it to the point of break-up it will still be quite loud. Here's a quick drawing of a circuit that will keep your impedance close to the 8 ohm load that the amp currently has...I would use 25 W resistors:
View attachment 12402

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

Unless you are trying to get the amp to sound even cleaner, I would not use a 12AY7, 5751 or any other preamp tube with any less gain then the original 12AX7s... as a matter of fact I'd look for a hot, 12AX7WXT+ or one of the old Chinese Silver Special 7025s (seem to have more gain too) and use that in the first preamp section.... then what I would try is a 15 to 25 watt, 8 ohm resistor and solder it in series with one of the speaker leads or in parallel with the actual speaker lugs.
One setup will double speaker load and one will halve the speaker load... they both will create power tube plate load imbalance that shouldn't hurt the tubes but effect the max power output and tone.
Do the resistor installation to "taste" because I'm not sure which will sound better for your application... although I suspect the resistor in parallel will be a little more grindy sounding with some midrange hump.
Anyhow, with the resistor installed either way, half the total output power of the amp is going into a device that makes no sound and the tubes have a mismatch that will make them produce a little less power too.

APO/FPO? I'll treat.

he will need to clarify but i think the op is going for a clean tone, just wants to have more control over the bottom of the volume range

Yeah I want cleaner. I would've already done the "clean" mod to it but alas I didn't have time or money before leaving for Kunsan.

I'll save my money for some 12AY7's. Thanks! This should work out good for me, hopefully! How much would a matched set (i.e. "no biasing required") run me?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

The impression I get from your post is that you can only turn your amp up to 1 1/2 and your tone sounds thin and lacks a certain rich, thick and warm quality. And that when you turn your amp up beyond 1 1/2 your tone is much more satisfying but then you're to loud.

Is that right?

But your Pro Junior is already a small amp - 15 watts or so right?

Boy - getting a good tone at church gig volumes are tough sometimes. Sounds like you guys are just playing so quiet that, IMO, you'll simply not be able to get the tone you want.

I'd go for Bruce's suggestion...

Lew

 

[jeremy]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

any 12ay7 will work, no reason to worry about matching

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

The impression I get from your post is that you can only turn your amp up to 1 1/2 and your tone sounds thin and lacks a certain rich, thick and warm quality. And that when you turn your amp up beyond 1 1/2 your tone is much more satisfying but then you're to loud.

Is that right?

But your Pro Junior is already a small amp - 15 watts or so right?

Boy - getting a good tone at church gig volumes are tough sometimes. Sounds like you guys are just playing so quiet that, IMO, you'll simply not be able to get the tone you want.

I'd go for Bruce's suggestion...

Lew

I am able to (just barely) get it to where the tubes can breathe, so I still get the tone I want, just that it's a difficult balancing act. When I can, I'm going to have the amp modded so that there's a dip switch next to the volume knob. It will be to turn on/off overdrive. Sort of like the "all clean" mod but set up so that it can be turned on and off.

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

I'm not sure what kind of volume pot you have but it seems like it would be a "linear" pot. Try changing it out for a "Log" or "audio" pot and see if that works. It'll give you a more gradual increase in volume.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

The impression I get from your post is that you can only turn your amp up to 1 1/2 and your tone sounds thin and lacks a certain rich, thick and warm quality. And that when you turn your amp up beyond 1 1/2 your tone is much more satisfying but then you're to loud.

Is that right?

But your Pro Junior is already a small amp - 15 watts or so right?

Boy - getting a good tone at church gig volumes are tough sometimes. Sounds like you guys are just playing so quiet that, IMO, you'll simply not be able to get the tone you want.

I'd go for Bruce's suggestion...

Lew

Lew I think you and I were on the same page. I suggested he move the amp farther away, you suggested turning it around. Another suggestion would be to ditch the electric & use an acoustic:1:

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

If all else fails...POD FTW.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

If all else fails...POD FTW.

This is why thread creators need the ability to delete replies from their threads

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

Lew I think you and I were on the same page. I suggested he move the amp farther away, you suggested turning it around. Another suggestion would be to ditch the electric & use an acoustic:1:

I'm 59 now and much of my own tone quest over the last 45 years has been centered on getting a satisfying blues guitar tone at lower volumes.

So my amps are all under 50 watts and the amps I gig with most often are my 18 watt Princeton Reverb or 22 watt Deluxe Reverb.

Once in a blue moon I'll be able to take an amp like a Vibrolux Reverb or Matchless Chieftan on the gig and turn it up a little.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

This is why thread creators need the ability to delete replies from their threads

Yeah, yeah. :dot:

Like it or lump it, my solution would work, and work well.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

Yeah, yeah. :dot:

Like it or lump it, my solution would work, and work well.

Actually, no, it would not.

1) Their emulation of anything tube sucks. Either that or my ears are just really good.
2) I'd have to buy something (see above comment on not having much money).
3) I already have a multi-effects. My ME-50 through a keyboard amp sounds better than some POD emulations I've heard.
4) I'd have to wait forever (tm) for it to come in the mail.
5) I'd still have to run it through a keyboard amp, or buy a direct box to run it into XLR to the mixer.

Thanks for the advice, but your solution isn't good for me at all. Much less you didn't read my original post because I was looking for a way to make my amp lower power in a cheap and non-destructive way. I love my current tone, it's just difficult to fit it into the current band situation.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

.... Another suggestion would be to ditch the electric & use an acoustic:1:

No, no ,no ,ono, ........that is never an acceptable option! LOL

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

Actually, no, it would not.

1) Their emulation of anything tube sucks. Either that or my ears are just really good.
2) I'd have to buy something (see above comment on not having much money).
3) I already have a multi-effects. My ME-50 through a keyboard amp sounds better than some POD emulations I've heard.
4) I'd have to wait forever (tm) for it to come in the mail.
5) I'd still have to run it through a keyboard amp, or buy a direct box to run it into XLR to the mixer.

Thanks for the advice, but your solution isn't good for me at all. Much less you didn't read my original post because I was looking for a way to make my amp lower power in a cheap and non-destructive way. I love my current tone, it's just difficult to fit it into the current band situation.

Ok Ok

So you need the amp there beside you. I just thought it might be much easier to get a saturated sound from the pod, cause it can go straight into the board, without a DI box cause it IS a DI box.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

Ok Ok

So you need the amp there beside you. I just thought it might be much easier to get a saturated sound from the pod, cause it can go straight into the board, without a DI box cause it IS a DI box.

It's all good. I'm just short of funds right now.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Fender Pro Junior "too loud"?

if you use the me50 for your distortion, then change tube1 from an 12ax7 to something with less gain such as a 12at7 or 12ay7. This will reduce the input sensetivity so you will get less gain - and as a result less volume as well as making the input gain knob easier to trim. Plus - turn down the output level on your ME50.
Cheap and totally non invasive!