The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi all,

    Any thoughts on this amp? Quality/tone/price wise? I like the fact that it’s got a headphone jack for quiet practice (wouldn’t expect it to sound too great) but is a fender tube amp otherwise.

    Fender Champ 12 12-Watt 1x12" Guitar Combo 1987 - 1992 | Reverb

    I’m also considering a Pro Jr.. any experience? This will mostly be for a 335 style guitar. Not sure it will stay clean enough.. I sway towards Grant Green and earlier Benson tones if that helps.

    The other side of me wants a decent solid state, mostly for the volume/headphone, but I’m a stickler for tone.

    Thanks in advance!
    Last edited by p1p; 11-27-2019 at 03:51 AM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I have a Pro Jr. and I love it. Low end is quite remarkable for an amp this small. May not have enough clean headroom for gigs if you'll have to turn up to compete with a drummer.

  4. #3

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    I had a red knob Champ 12 in the late 80’s that I purchased new. It was okay, but it was a practice amp and I was very happy to replace with an MIA Blues Deluxe.

    I have only played a Pro Jr. in the store, but I feel it is a superior amp to the Champ 12.

  5. #4
    It’s not for gigging with a drummer.. yet, anyway. Thanks guys, I have been thinking about the Pro Jr.

    I used to have a Blues Jr. that I really enjoyed.. how does the Pro Jr. compare? Unfortunately I live nowhere near a music shop! For example would the pro jr. have more of the tweed tone?

  6. #5

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    I have a Pro Jr. III and I love it. It's my go to amp for duo gigs and practice, but I haven't used it with trio or quartet (yet!)
    Compared to the Blues Jr, I think it has a darker sound which is better for jazz. Also the Pro Jr. is smaller, with very simple controls + no reverb -- "the obvious stuff". I've had mine maybe 3 years now and am still 100% satisfied with it. I have previously owned the Fender Hotrod Deluxe and PRRI, but I like the Pro Jr. better.

    I should also note that the new Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb weighs about the same as my Pro Jr -- around 25 lbs.
    Though the DR is much bigger and more expensive -- but interesting.

  7. #6

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    I used to gig in a situation where I would choose between a Champ 12 and a Pro Jr. When playing a Tele I used the 12, when playing with a 335 I used the Jr.

    The Jr was my favorite 335 amp ever.

  8. #7

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    I think the pro jr would be a good shout. I’ve never played a champ 12 so that might be equally good.

    I don’t like the pro with my es175. I like with the tele. I hear a lot of people like it with the 335 type guitars.

    I’d also consider the peavey classic line though. Great amps for the money!

  9. #8
    Thanks for the input guys. I just received a Laney Cub 10 last night, and have to say I’m absolutely loving it. Simple as controls, to find great clean and crunchy tones if desired. Plenty of tight bass for the size, loud w/ enough headroom for me. And the price seems unreal if this amp lasts.. Bit of a hum/hiss when the volume is past noon - is this normal? (I have no use for it at that volume for the time being anyway..way too loud for where I live). Sounds fantastic at low volumes too. I’m on the fence now with a reverb pedal, but not sure if it really even needs it.

    Thoughts regarding the hiss, and thoughts regarding a reverb pedal that won’t break the bank? Would only use the slightest hint of verb. Cheers!

  10. #9

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    A tube amp will always have some hiss at high volumes. As for a budget reverb pedal, I like my HOF mini. I don't know how big your bank is, but the mini can be had for well under $100. It uses the TC Toneprints, and you can switch between thousands of them in a few seconds with a smartphone, or a USB cable if you only have a PC.

  11. #10

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    I had a Pro Jr. for 7-8 years. I didn’t find the stock sound appealing. It felt constrained in terms of presence and distorted too easily. I changed the output transformer and used lower gain preamp tubes. Much better but still a bit noisy in terms of hum. That might be hit or miss with Pro Jrs. I like the hand wired VHT 12/20 that I picked up to replace it. Very quiet. All I did was replace the speaker with a Weber hemp alnico. It takes a 12” where the Pro Jr takes a 10”. Dollars for dollars these two amps are about the same. You can get many more sounds out of the VHT, however. Also has an effects loop, a line out and 9 volt power for pedals that you can daisy chain. Besides that a big plus is that the VHT is hand wired thus it can probably be fixed easily if something goes wrong. Pro Jrs have everything soldered or attached to a PCB board. The pots are even proprietary. They are attached to the board.

  12. #11

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    I've had both amps. The champ 12 is a great 6L6 sound at home, but didn't like it enough on gigs to keep it. Wasn't bad, but didn't have a specific character the way many other fender amps do. The Pro Junior is a tweed thing, it wakes up and is a great blues amp live. To me it is on another level compared to the champ 12, but also very different. Both amps have a small enclosure, so are a bit weak on bass response with single coil guitars.

    Have played the Laney but not loud so I wouldn't know how it really sounds..