Marshall version of Fender Pro Junior
Hi there
I'm looking to buy my first Harmonica amp.
I focus on Blues music.
I've had a number of people I respect recommend a Fender Pro Junior.
I'd like to buy a Marshall if I can though, does anyone know a similar spec'd Marshall?
How do they compare?
Thank you
Cheers David
Maybe I should just stick to the Fender then :)
Probably depends On what you are aiming for. There may be a one size fits all amp solution but I don't know what it is. I have 6 amps, 2 of which I use a lot and the others don't quite fit what I mostly do. At home I mostly use a 5 watt vibro champ for practice, and for gigs I take my most powerful amp. For quiet jams I find the 5 watt amp is enough and sounds quite good; if it gets a little louder I expect my mid size amps will do the job. I used to do more jams, not so much now, so those amps don't see much use; too loud for home, not loud enough on stage. I also have a portable battery powered amp for busking or other outdoor situations, but I rarely use it lately, more often it's an iPhone amplifier.
Pro junior is a groovy little amp by all accounts but is it what you need? I can't really comment on that as I haven't used one. I've seen Ian collard use a similarly powered amp, blues junior, at a small gig with drums and guitarist playing through a Vibro king, an he sounded good and said he was hearing it reasonably well, but venue, intensity of playing from various instruments, skill of the engineer all make a difference to what you can work with. I play tight stages with a 5 piece band with loud drums and 3 front people who need as much space as they can get, so often don't get much choice about where I can stand relative to my amp and monitors. And I got sick of gigs where I couldn't hear through the monitors, so I take an amp I know I'll be able to hear onstage. Also, this is a mean sounding band, so my cherished mellow tones don't work; I need an amp which sounds pretty mean. I dunno, the fender might be right or wrong, just depends.
Dave
I'm a newbie, so the truth is that I don't know.
Budget is limited (i'm amateur not pro). I can afford the Fender Pro Junior. But only just.
I have an electric guitar that needs a suitable amp, and ideally I'd prefer not to buy 2 amps. Though I may be forced in to it.
I like a gritty chicago sound for the harp, and a little distortion for the guitar. Some my limited knowledge says they might be ok with the same amp....but please correct me by all means.
I can't see me needing something loud and large for some time.
Nor can I justify 2 amps for some time.
Thanks again.
Ah, yes now I see. I'd hesitate to recommend a particular amp to anyone because it's ultimately quite a subjective choice. But the pro junior would do the job. Probably has more grunt than you really need, but that could be ok if you can make a bit of noise when you practice and you want yo use the same amp to play with others at some time. So would the super champ xd, but some may object to its solid state Preamp. Yeah Marshall I dunno, I know they have a 5 w combo but I've never tried a harp in it though seems pretty well liked for guitar. and there are a bunch of 5w amps which do pretty good for harp. I don't know about their relative merits for guitar though. And maybe your guitar sound is more important? It's gonna be some kind of compromise anyway. Are you in a position to try a few before you buy?
Thought I'd chime in here as a long time Fender Pro Junior user.
The PJ is well documented as a great little guitar amp and certainly a useable harp amp although without any modification it can be a bit too punchy/ harsh with a bit too much gain . To make it more harp friendly the usual speaker and lower gain tube changes are a good idea although this may have a detrimental effect on the tone for guitar (I don't play guitar but a friend played through my amp once and quite liked it but if he had to be critical he felt that my modifications had "muddied" the sound a bit too much for him).
The issue of being heard on stage when playing harp through the amp can certainly be a problem- although the amp packs a fair punch for it's size, the 10" speaker limits the spread of the sound so you get plenty of volume in the direct "beam" of the amp but significantly less so outside of this. There are ways to address this to a certain degree (using a harp specific preamp, for example, that can send an "emulated tube" signal to the PA for extra volume as well as going through the PJ). Having said that, it sounds like this potential problem doesn't particularly concern you at the moment.
Dave has already pinpointed the problem in the above post- if you want an amp that can multi-task then you will probably have to compromise in certain areas- good for guitar is potentially less good for harp, smaller and more portable compromises volume, etc. but if you want a decent amp that can work for both guitar and harp without the need for high volume then the PJ may well be a good place to start your search.
Alternatively, have you considered the VHT special 6? I don't have expereince with this amp myself but I have read plenty of reviews claiming it to be pretty good without modification for harp and guitar as well. Could be worth checking out!
Rob
Yep, I can go to some shops and try before I buy. I suppose I could take the guitar and harmonicas (and harp mike).
What sort of mic do you have?
I had to use a Marshall bluesbreaker (?) amp at a marshall sponsored gig, it was the type Clapton used in that famous John Mayall beano album. 2x 12 and heavy as hell, but managed to get a really nice horn type of tone that cut really well, esp as it was a guitar based show with some guest monster guitarists
I'm no Marshall expert, but I use an amp which is pretty much based on a Marshall design I believe, though I've forgotten which one. Sorry I know that's not helpful. It's 30 watts and a single 12" anyway. There are plenty of good 15-ish watt amps about, but I don't know if Marshall make one. In my mind marshal are famous for high gain amps which is kinda exactly what I think of as unsuitable for harp
An important consideration may be in what situations you intend to use it. Size matters.