fender Pro Junior iv ltd 1X10, hr Deluxe iv 1X12 and hr Deville iv 2x12 combos
A TRIO OF NEW AND AFFORDABLE COMBOS FROM FENDER'S MARK IV HR SERIES
effects loop. The Blues amplifiers were re-born in the second half of the 1990s as the Hot Rod range, with a gain boost feature and revised EQ. These have been in continuous production ever since, with occasional limited editions.
A Mark III update in 2010 saw minor tweaks to the cosmetics and EQ, with a slightly more significant change from the stock Eminence loudspeaker to a Celestion G12P.
Fast forward to today and it’s time for another update: three models from the new Mk IV range: the HR Blues Deluxe IV, the HR Blues DeVille IV, and a limited edition of the Pro Junior IV.
Both larger Hot Rod IV combos feature the same familiar cabinet design as their predecessors, which was in turn based on the legendary narrow panel ‘tweed’ amplifiers of the mid-to-late 50s. One change that isn’t immediately visible is a different construction material; from MDF and plywood back to the solid pine used on the 50s originals, which provides a significant weight reduction as well as improving the cabinet’s resonant properties. The black control panel has a slightly different textured finish, with more visible graphics and ivory chicken head knobs, which don’t quite match the lettering – a very tiny annoyance that could easily be tweaked with a different shade of paint. There’s also a new ‘lightly aged’ variation on the familiar sparkle grille cloth, which blends nicely with the black textured vinyl covering.
Both of the big combos feature a new loudspeaker, the very popular Celestion ‘A-Type’, with a single 12-inch driver in the HR Deluxe and a pair in the slightly bigger cabinet of the DeVille. The Pro Junior LTD’s cosmetics take a more vintage approach: although the cabinet is MDF this time, it’s covered in droolinducing dark lacquered tweed, with a chrome control panel and a Jensen P10R Alnico loudspeaker.
Behind the rear panels of all three amps, the electronics sit in robust open-ended steel tray chassis, which are secured to the cabinet top and sides with substantial mushroom-head machine screws. The layout for all three amps is more or less the same: a large vertical single-sided PCB holding most of the small components
including the panel knobs and switches, linked by ribbon cables to a more robust through-plated board sat horizontally in the bottom of the chassis, which holds the valve bases. Fender has stuck with this type of layout from the beginning and while it’s more than adequate, we’d be happier with through-plating on both boards and stranded hook-up wire replacing those ribbon connectors. Nevertheless, the build standard on all three amps will certainly stand up to long-term use.
All three amps use 12AX7 preamp valves; for output power the HR IV Deluxe and DeVille both use a pair of 6L6s, while the Pro Junior has a pair of EL84s. The Deluxe and DeVille are equipped with a traditional spring reverb, which is driven and recovered with solid-state devices, rather than the valve-powered transformer-coupled circuit Fender pioneered in their legendary ‘blackface’ designs from the early 1960s. Although the DeVille and Deluxe share the same valves, the DeVille has a beefier output stage which produces 60 watts compared to the 40 watts of the HR Deluxe and of course there’s an extra loudspeaker, substantially raising the volume levels. As already stated, the Pro Junior derives its power from a pair of EL84s and two 12AX7 preamp valves.
The two larger combos have identical controls, just like blackface amps of the 1960s, where the output stage and speakers differed, but front panel features remained the same. There are two input jacks with high and low sensitivity, to match to the widest range of guitars. These feed footswitchable normal and drive channels, which share the familiar three-band EQ that Fender introduced on the 1950s tweed Bassman. The normal channel has a single volume control and a bright switch for adding extra snap to mid-heavy humbuckers, while the drive channel has a preamp gain and master volume together with a ‘More Drive’ switch, which adds a large dose of extra gain. This function is also footswitchable, giving the amps effective three-channel operation. A pair of preamp out/power amp in jacks on the top panel make it easy to connect effects pedalboards or connect multiple amps together; the third jack is for the supplied footswitch, which toggles the channels and the Drive/More Drive mode. There’s a pair of main and extension speaker jacks on
the underside of the chassis and not much else. The Pro Junior’s back-to-basics panel features a single input jack, feeding volume and tone controls. There’s no effects loop or channel switching; it’s a very simple design, with an emphasis on the most direct signal path between input jack and loudspeaker. Overall, all three amps look the business, with classic cabinet dimensions and styling inspired by Fender’s rich history.
Sounds
The Pro Junior IV’s simple circuit translates into a perfectly balanced clean sound that gradually adds rich, multi-layered overdrive colours as the volume is turned up, due in part to the excellent Jensen P10R speaker fitted to this limited-edition model. The volume control has been modified on the MkIV for a more gradual change between clean and dirty sounds, and in practice it’s much easier to dial in. Single coil guitars stay more or less polite up until around the halfway mark, with humbuckers breaking up a touch earlier. After this, the clarity gives way to a thick, compressed crunch that sounds great for rhythm and solos at low to medium volume, and is superb for recording, especially when teamed with the right microphones. Our favourite mic choice for small amps like the Pro Junior is Sennheiser’s iconic MD421, blended with an SM57. Tracks recorded with a dash of room reverb sound huge, with little or no EQ needed on the desk.
Sonically the Pro Junior isn’t so easy to pin down, perhaps because of the EL84 output stage, which has its origins in
Europe while Fender’s traditional fare for its smaller amps is the homegrown 6V6. The P10R Alnico driver delivers a sparkling treble and a warm but not excessively powerful midrange, giving it a little more in common with classic British amps than you might expect. There’s a subtle irony here, as many British designs from the 60s owe at least some of their inspiration to Fender’s tweed family.
By contrast, the Deluxe and DeVille amps sit squarely in Fender’s sonic home turf, with a rich clarity from the Normal channel that’s roughly halfway between the polite, slightly scooped mids of 60s blackface and the feistier midrange of 50s tweed, featuring a sweet, sparkling treble and tight bass response that emphasises low-end punch. The Drive channel adds plenty of tweed-inspired crunch, great for blues and classic rock stuff while activating ‘More Drive’ kicks things up another notch for a smooth and fluid sustain. The drive channel circuitry has been slightly tweaked to improve note definition and while it’s a subtle change, you can hear more attack as you hit the strings harder.
There’s no particular preference for single coils or humbuckers; we used both amps with a variety of guitars including Les Pauls and Strats and they were all easy to dial in. The traditional spring reverb circuit on the Deluxe and DeVille has been re-worked for a smoother sound and is a noticeable step up from previous models, surrounding notes with a halo of warm, mostly crash-free delay, although you can hear that it’s still a spring, especially as you turn up the level. Modern digital reverbs have improved to the point where they’re sonically superior, not to mention being electrically quieter and more robust; however, it’s good to see Fender keeping the spring tradition alive.
The Deluxe IV and DeVille IV both have plenty of volume for live work: if you need more clean headroom or use pedals then the extra headroom of the De Ville IV’s 60 watts and twin loudspeakers is worth paying for; however, it’s not essential and the HR Deluxe IV has more than enough poke to cover any occasion. The Pro Junior is capable of surprising power and can also handle smaller gigs, as long as you don’t need a pristine clean sound; however, it’s best suited to studio, practice and rehearsals.
Verdict
Fender has done a good job of incrementally improving the HR amp range over the years and these latest versions continue along the same lines; carefully-considered tweaks here and there advance them, without drastically changing the formula we’ve come to know and love. The reduced weight and improved resonance of a real pine cabinet is probably the best thing about the bigger Mark IV amps and we’re a little disappointed Fender didn’t extend this to the Pro Junior Ltd, especially with its classic tweed covering, however the sounds from all three don’t disappoint, especially at the price.
Aimed at working players at all levels, the prices are still affordable and make the new amps very competitive. Now with their own history that goes back well over 20 years, the HR Series has been around for longer than those Fenders from the 50s and 60s, and the new improved Mark IV amps deserve to be future classics.