Justifying A Princeton

[Arnie Guitar]

I've got half a bug for a vintage Princeton (w/wo Reverb), but just can't seem to part with the money.
Portability? I own a Blues Jr and a Peavey Classic 30...and they're 1/3 the price.
Trem? Rarely, rarely use it.
Tone...boy, I might start some trouble here, but I'm not unhappy with the tone of the two amps I have.
Adding to the collection? That's only thing I can justify, adding to my small collection of older tube Fenders. I have a '68 Twin Rvb and Deluxe Rvb, a '69 Super Rvb and a blonde '61 Showman.

I mean, for the price of a vintage Princeton Reverb, I would rather buy another Deluxe Rvb, and have a more useful amp, that really isn't that much heavier...and a Deluxe can keep up with a drum kit at rehearsal, and maybe be used at a small club...and I get another channel!

I dunno, I've come close on a couple of eBay auctions, but just haven't been willing to go high enough to win.

They sound great cranked at a lower volume level? My Peavey sounds pretty good cranked, and has the added versatility of a Master Volume and an effects loop.
(The Blues Jr. ain't so great cranked, IMHO.)

So if you had a Blues Jr. and a Classic 30 and a '68 Deluxe Reverb, what would be the attraction of a Princeton, except that they're kinda popular right now?

Maybe I should play a nice Vintage Prince and see for myself.

 

[PremiumPlus]

I think you just answered yourself!

 

[TheFlash]

I owned a blues jr. and a classic 30 and I never loved my tone like I do now with my PRRI...it was definitely worth the price jump for my ears and playing.

 

[teleking36]

Just go and try one.

Honestly, the '68 Princeton Reverb I recently picked up is the amp for me, and was before I even owned it. It is PERFECT for my needs, both in the studio and for small gigs. It complements the EL84 tone of my Supreme 16 very well.

I'm a gigging musician and not a collector, so this amp is getting used quite a bit. I think it terms of investment, it's a great buy right now. The release of the Reissue has certainly excited a lot of musicians (I was surely affected by it). To be honest, I'd rather have $800-900 into a vintage Fender than the money sitting in my ING account! Playing an investment is far more entertaining than a monthly statement!

 

[paddywhack]

....i recently bought a 71 princeton for 350...it was working great but died and needed a new power tranny....got that done and retubed it...replaced the the stock speaker with a Weber alnico Blue Pup....its a killer amp now....tone to the bone...i have a stock vintage 65 Deluxe and i prefer the the tone of the princeton....

 

[Jahn]

Why? Because they kick ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jgcyrM3z9c

 

[donnievaz]

Tone...boy, I might start some trouble here, but I'm not unhappy with the tone of the two amps I have.

Get all 3 in the same room and i have a feeling that'll change real quick

 

[Arnie Guitar]

Get all 3 in the same room and i have a feeling that'll change real quick

Sounds like a good plan.

From what I getting from those who posted here, I think the fact is that a Princeton is a great recording amp ( thank you LC, Mr. 335 ), and great for playing at home...(and posting YouTube videos), but that's about it.

A 15w 1-10 combo amp is never going to keep up with a drum kit and other band mates for practice. It's a house amp.

Great tone? I've got vintage Fenders with similar tone, that can also be used for rehearsal and playing out.

I might ad one for the collection some day, but till then...

Thanks guys.

 

[Mastervolume]

Why? Because they kick ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jgcyrM3z9c

that is sick

 

[ROKY]

Sounds like a good plan.

From what I getting from those who posted here, I think the fact is that a Princeton is a great recording amp ( thank you LC, Mr. 335 ), and great for playing at home...(and posting YouTube videos), but that's about it.

A 15w 1-10 combo amp is never going to keep up with a drum kit and other band mates for practice. It's a house amp.

Great tone? I've got vintage Fenders with similar tone, that can also be used for rehearsal and playing out.

I might ad one for the collection some day, but till then...

Thanks guys.

I'd kill for your '61 Showman ..I'll bet that one's a fountain of tone .

 

[Arnie Guitar]

I'd kill for your '61 Showman ..I'll bet that one's a fountain of tone .

She ain't pretty, she looks exactly like it did since I got her, prolly 30 years ago...I've thought of redoing her...but yes, the tone is fantazmic.

There's rat rods, rat guitars, so I guess this is a rat amp...

 

[TravisE]

Sounds like a good plan.

From what I getting from those who posted here, I think the fact is that a Princeton is a great recording amp ( thank you LC, Mr. 335 ), and great for playing at home...(and posting YouTube videos), but that's about it.

A 15w 1-10 combo amp is never going to keep up with a drum kit and other band mates for practice. It's a house amp.

Great tone? I've got vintage Fenders with similar tone, that can also be used for rehearsal and playing out.

I might ad one for the collection some day, but till then...

Thanks guys.

Try it before making your decision. I just reheased with a PR last night and it did fine. They're louder than you think.

 

[princetonreverb]

Yeah, they're great friggin amps. I went the swart AST route, which is a little bit more wattage but similar to me in a lot of ways. My amp hangs all the time in rehearsal, and you can always go ala ryan adams and plug her into a 2X12 for some SERIOUS tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y_ey_BH3fM
this is my swart at a rehearsal, miced to the board of course, but really keeps up fine without

 

[Axekisser]

I have a '71 non-verb and a '69 PR. Great amps that can get loud (especially the PR). Get one!

 

[joel98z]

I just picked up a mid seventies PR on a trade, and it sounds killer.. I also have a classic 30 IMHO they both have a place in my aresenal.

 

[69mojostrat]

Sounds like a good plan.

From what I getting from those who posted here, I think the fact is that a Princeton is a great recording amp ( thank you LC, Mr. 335 ), and great for playing at home...(and posting YouTube videos), but that's about it.

A 15w 1-10 combo amp is never going to keep up with a drum kit and other band mates for practice. It's a house amp.

Great tone? I've got vintage Fenders with similar tone, that can also be used for rehearsal and playing out.

I might ad one for the collection some day, but till then...

Thanks guys.

Uh tell that to Ryan Adams, and Jim C. Princetons are loud amps. Ditch those other amps man, I own plenty of amps, but nothing like a princeton. Really nice amp.

werd....

 

[willhutch]

You clearly love Fender amps. Therefore, I say you should get a Princeton to round out the collection. Sure, you don't need one. If you're worried about the dough, sell your Peavey. A Silverface princeton reverb can be had for under $800.

My Princeton sounds as good as any amp I own.

 

[PeeCee]

Brownfaces or white knob blackfaces sound great! I've got a 63 that's got tone for ages.

If you haven't fallen on hard times like so many in this economy, this is probably a good time to be looking for an older collectible amp. If you decide to sell it eventually, you may even come out a bit ahead.

 

[soopajeanmi]

Well try one and compare it to a deluxe reverb.

Just to add a different voice in all this praise, I personnally don't really like princetons even if I really tried to love them: I don't like that loose character they have compared to the tightness of the deluxe that I much prefer.

I'd rather have a classic 30 than a princeton.

 

[kevinabb]

I'm fortunate enough to own a small stable of Blackface Princetons, Deluxes, Vibroluxes, and three newer Custom Vibroluxes. (All have reverb; I'm a reverb kinda guy). A few things I've come to believe:

- If you absolutely MUST have more volume than a Princeton can deliver ... you have no decision to make. Why even consider an amp that won't be loud enough for you to use?

- The 10" vs. 12" speaker is a significant part of why a Deluxe and Princeton sound different. When I sit a Deluxe and Princeton together and play them through each other's speaker, the amps' differences are mitigated to a notable extent. As volume increases that changes, of course, because the Deluxe delivers more power. But regardless of the volume, the speaker size makes a notable difference.

- If you like tight, crisp rhythm and compressed single-note soloing, a Princeton with a 10" speaker and a good dirt pedal will make you a mighty happy man. If you lean more toward fat rhythm tones and big, open solo tones, the Deluxe with a 12" might suit you better. The two amps are very different animals in those respects.

- My buddy and I regularly jammed with a drummer (on a fairly large kit) and electric bass player, with the two of us each playing a stock Blackface Princeton Reverb. He used a stock Ibanez TS-9 pedal for solos, I used a Keeley TS modded pedal. Neither of us had a problem with volume, and I never turned my PR's volume past 5. In fact, my rule of thumb now is that if my Princeton can't hang with a drummer, that drummer is too loud for me.

- A Deluxe is nice and portable, but a Princeton is REALLY small and lightweight. I'm lucky enough to have a number of Deluxes, but the Princeton Reverbs are definitely my go-to amps.

- Regardless of which amp(s) you go with, the brand of speaker will make a notable difference. Most vintage guys prefer the red & gold-label Jensens. They are considered to be a bit warmer and richer than the blue & silver-label Oxfords, which are generally a bit brighter and, perhaps, very slightly edgy.

Personally, I prefer an Oxford 10" in my Princetons, a Jensen 12" in my Deluxes, and a pair of Jensen 10" in my Vibroluxes. I think I like the single Oxford 10" in my Princetons because it complements that amp's tight, bright sound. In the Deluxe I want a big, open warm tone, and in my Vibroluxes I want the two speakers to interact and produce a big, rich, chimey sound. The Jensens lend themselves nicely to that.

Finally ... other things being equal (year, condition, etc.) you can get a Princeton for less than the cost of a Deluxe. If you go vintage - meaning a blackface or a sliverface before the master volume mods were added - you won't lose money on either. You'll probably make money.

Hope this helps. I'm just one guy, and I like great tube tone but I do NOT like to play loud! So my opinions might be in the minority. And obviously, YMMV. In fact, I'm sure it WILL vary!