# Jr's - Love em or hate em?



## Sparrow Guitars (Mar 17, 2009)

I'm in the love em category. Super simple great sounding rock and roll machines. Super tough, but elegant at the same time.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Some people may find them to be a on trick pony. A very good one trick pony, but never-the-less.


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## weener (Apr 9, 2009)

Love them,if you can`t get your rock on with a jr.you just might be a drummer.


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## vasthorizon (Aug 10, 2008)

Jr's are one of the most versatile guitars out there because of their P90's. You just need to know how to use them.


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## wintle (Mar 25, 2008)

I'm in the deep in love camp.

Actually does two tricks, a clean one and a dirty trick, really, really well.

This is where all of the good mahogany has been going all these years (can't hide the holes), BTW.

Cheers


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I never sued to like P-90's but I have come to like them in the neck, but still not a big fan of them in the bridge--for my playing that is--I know some players get a great tone out of them.

But as I never used to like them at all, and now like them in the neck---who knows maybe I'll like them in the bridge some day.

I've played ones I like though--saw a used one at L&M a little while back that actually played quite nicely--it had a beautiful feeling neck.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Love 'em myself, but have never owned one. I need to rectify that soon!


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

I want one with two p90s and a bigsby


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Why do these sound the way they do? I saw a picture of one with the pickguard off. I swear the tenon went half way to bridge pickup.


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## tonydawe (Feb 25, 2009)

Peter said:


> I want one with two p90s and a bigsby


you have great taste! back in december i got myself a jr double cut special in TV yellow and added a bigsby to it. mmmmmm
looks like this (not my guitars. i'm sure i'll get photos of her online one of these days!)


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## Phlegethon (Dec 18, 2009)

if I had to side with tone camp it would be the "love" one . . .I'm a fan of guitars that don't suffer fools at all and show the player and their playing for what it is


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

I love the mahogany body - single P90 config. but prefer the thin body version (i.e. SG Jr.) myself. My Motorave Lemans it kind of a SG Jr. put into a blender with a Mosrite and some el-cheapo vintage Japanese guitars.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

um...correct me if i'm wrong...but "juniors" have one pickup..."specials" have two pickups...


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

jimihendrix said:


> um...correct me if i'm wrong...but "juniors" have one pickup..."specials" have two pickups...


Yeah, but a lot of people lump them together.
And the one I mentioned above had two pickups, but the TRC said it was a Jr.


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## Sparrow Guitars (Mar 17, 2009)

That Motorave is cool lookin! Hadn't seen those before. Thanks for the photo!

Yeah, a good jr tenon goes halfway to the bridge pickup. I was making them go all the way to the bridge pickup, but it was overkill. I have seen a bunch of the short tenons where once you put a neck pickup in there, you don't have enough meat and the neck pops right there.

The specials are always lumped in. I'm sure some day I'll grow up and start to love the specials too. (Not the UK ska ones, I love them already) I guess I am really easily influenced. I didn't like double cut Jr's till I got into Johnny thunders. I fell in love with an SG Jr when I saw them being played by two local players I respect a lot. Man they are great guitars. Probably the same reason I like teles - like Phlegethon was saying, there's nothing to hide behind. Maybe that's what I love when I see other people playing them, and what I hate when I'm playing them!


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## GUInessTARS (Dec 28, 2007)

I played at a barbeque last night with a PRS se one. I got some great tones out of it and some so so ones depending on the song (all covers) and my amp settings. The se one has no tone control - just a volume, so I know the tone was up to me. On the Rockier (is that a word?) songs played hard, it was awesome, it even made me sound good.


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## xbolt (Jan 1, 2008)

I like my cheapy Epi Jr...used the rest of the money I saved on a vintage Jr to round out the collection.


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

tonydawe said:


> you have great taste! back in december i got myself a jr double cut special in TV yellow and added a bigsby to it. mmmmmm
> looks like this (not my guitars. i'm sure i'll get photos of her online one of these days!)


It looks awesome man


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I love P90s (I have 2 P90 guitars), I love Specials and I love Juniors.


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## Gazoo (May 3, 2010)

While I can certainly understand the appeal of P90 (or 90's) as the case may be. I have never understood why someone would buy a Jr. when you could have an LP for just a few hundred dollars more? Any of the Jr.'s I've seen are not that far off an LP in price and if you wanted P90 punch you could swap a P94 into a LP and away you go? For the purists I'm sure you could get a P90 installed if you really wanted one but after hearing a P94 I actually prefer 94's.


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## Sparrow Guitars (Mar 17, 2009)

It's the same thing with Esquires. They sound different and they feel different. It's more than just a lack of a maple cap, and different pickups. Somehow a Jr is a completely different animal. Also lighter and easier for some people to play. It's a bit like a 4 door vs a 2 door car of the same model, they're a lot the same but they're a lot different.


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## Duane (May 11, 2010)

LOVE em!!! I had a 61 JR double cut but it was stolen!!! Replaced it with TV double cut from the 80's or something was not the same...fatter neck and you could trip over the frets if you were careful. So I picked up a TV single cut special with P100's and it is a dream!!! I put a P90 in the bridge but that didn't last and the P100 went right back in. The P100 is a great pickup. Last year I also picked up a used White double cut JR the Nashville JR which was a guitar of the week. Recently put in a Lollar hum cancelling P90....NICE!!! If you learn how to use the volume and tone controls there are an infinite number of sounds to pull out of the guitar. Plug it into a Tiny Terror that only has 3 knobs and just PLAY.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## delander (Jun 16, 2009)

Here's my Custom Jr by Roman Rist. Simple yet elegant and expressive. Very similar to his "Workhorse" which I think is a great bargain at $1,895.00.


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## Sparrow Guitars (Mar 17, 2009)

That guitar looks wicked awesome!


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## fishin' musician (Jun 19, 2008)

Duane said:


> I picked up a TV single cut special with P100's and it is a dream!!! I put a P90 in the bridge but that didn't last and the P100 went right back in. The P100 is a great pickup.


I have a double cut Gibson that goes by the unfortunate model name of "Les Paul Junior Lite". As far as I know, it is the only official Les Paul Jr. that came from the factory with 2 pickups . Both pickups are the much maligned P100, but I love 'em and would never even consider swapping them out.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I tired a double cut Jr today--never actually played one before (not the SG shape).

I must say they are quite comfortable and it felt a bit odd how much fret access I had.
Nice guitar.


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

I love the looks of the double cut jr. and the wrap around bridge is my all time favorite. Therefore I guess I'm in the love em camp. I don't have a jr but I have the next best thing a PRS Mira Mapletop...


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Delander, that is an excellent looking Custom Junior by Rist. Pure rock n roll machine. I have an older LP Special with 2 P 90's and it has tone to die for. Fairly light as well.


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