Punkavenger Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I'm looking for an original fender princeton reverb ... not one of the reissues. It doesn't have to be in perfect cosmetic shape as long as it sounds really really good. I like those early "brownface" models or blackface of course or the first silverface models. I'm not a collector and I don't have the money to pay insane prices. But I have been working a lot and do have a little disposable income. Whaddya got? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
it's me HHB Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Those are the hottest thing going in vintage amps these days. Ill be watching this thread for vicarius fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velorush Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Ran a little Reverb search trying to cull out as many things as I could to eliminate false positives. Click here to run it for yourself. I suppose success depends on your definition of "insane" pricing. As an alternative (not that I'm any expert, at all), consider the Mesa Subway Blues. The one I bought from Carfish and sold to RobB was the best "Princeton" I've ever played (that said, I've not played many at all, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about). It is built like you'd expect from Mesa with an incredible sounding reverb, but also with features never found on a Princeton like an effects loop and silent recording out. Maybe others with more experience will chime in with opinions on the suitability of a Subway Blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stedge Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Chiming in as the owner of a 63 brown princeton (nfs) - to me the sensible play is a 70s PR. Cheaper than 60s and fender didnt screw up the little amps till the late 70s. The made changes onnthe big amps Earlier than the little ones also dont pass on nonreverb old princetons. They are cheaper and great amps (some like the nonverb more than the amps w verb -i had a 64 deluxe nonverb that was lovely wish i kept it) and the brown and tweed princetons obviously no verb There are so many modern variations, too, that are probably great amps. Lots of options. Good luck with your search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
currypowder Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 1 hour ago, stedge said: Chiming in as the owner of a 63 brown princeton (nfs) - to me the sensible play is a 70s PR. Cheaper than 60s and fender didnt screw up the little amps till the late 70s. The made changes onnthe big amps Earlier than the little ones also dont pass on nonreverb old princetons. They are cheaper and great amps (some like the nonverb more than the amps w verb -i had a 64 deluxe nonverb that was lovely wish i kept it) and the brown and tweed princetons obviously no verb There are so many modern variations, too, that are probably great amps. Lots of options. Good luck with your search! I'll second this. If I were looking for a vintage princeton, I would probably target early non-boost silverfaces. That being said, I ended up, after a bunch of back & forth with a Vintage Sounds clone. It's actually a recent PRRI that has been gutted and handwired by them with an upgraded speaker. It's my favorite amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamersandstrats Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Even the boost silver faces sound good. I've heard from several techs that when the boost is not engaged, the circuit is the same as the earlier SF models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenmindbeginner Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I have a '66 blackface one, meh... just a little 6V6 amp. All I ever think when I play it is... I wish I had a Deluxe. It has a weird sort of "hard edge" to it... a very stiff amp for a 6V6. I grew up with a '65 non reverb Princeton and that thing sags, squishes and gushes tone all over the place... very smooth and dark... you can CRANK the treble and it sounds magnificent. Princeton Reverbs have like triple the presence than the non-reverbs... gotta be careful of that treble knob and use the tone knob on the guitar too. The perceives loudness of the PR is maybe twice that of the non-Reverb princeton. I can go toe to toe with a loud drummer with the amp on 5... the non Reverb Princeton would need to be on 10 and still be a tick too quiet. Fucking reverb is insanely good... vibrato is killer as well. Sounds like a mini version of my Super Reverb but doesn't have the volume of it's little brother... is more like a smaller but similarly powerful cousin. You think it's a fucking Marshall but are brought back down to earth when you realize the sonic limitations of the 10 inch speaker. Ughhhh... not a fun speaker to swap and find the right one. I just went with a greenback and said, "fuck it"... lost a ton of high end and some of the deepest octave but gained all of that midrange presence and I'd rather have the midrange presence so there you go. I would not under any circumstance pay more than $1500 for a blackface PR... you'll have to wait for the right deal because they are just not worth $2000 IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubs_42 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 3 hours ago, velorush said: Ran a little Reverb search trying to cull out as many things as I could to eliminate false positives. Click here to run it for yourself. I suppose success depends on your definition of "insane" pricing. As an alternative (not that I'm any expert, at all), consider the Mesa Subway Blues. The one I bought from Carfish and sold to RobB was the best "Princeton" I've ever played (that said, I've not played many at all, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about). It is built like you'd expect from Mesa with an incredible sounding reverb, but also with features never found on a Princeton like an effects loop and silent recording out. Maybe others with more experience will chime in with opinions on the suitability of a Subway Blues. Dragan has a killer original 64 Princeton and it sounds amazing, the guitar player in my band has a Subway Blues and it also sounds amazing, but dirtier, a little more angrier. He converted it to a head and its putting it through an Orange 1x12 with V30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamersandstrats Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Seriously though, on a budget, I would go for a blackface Vibro Champ and one of the original Holy Grail reverbs. I had that combo for a while and liked the tone better than my PR and my Vibrolux Reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerteddybear Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 FWIW there's a '74 Silverface on San Diego craigslist. US$$650. Tremolo, no reverb, http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/msg/5949455308.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchee Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 IIRC, one of Gerald Weber's (he of Kendrick Amps fame) books said that there's a relatively easy mod for giving a Fender Princeton non-reverb model as much if not even more gain than the Princeton Reverb...the only downside is that the Tremolo feature has to go, as the 12AX7 tube for the Tremolo gets used for the mod. I had an original non-modded Blackface '66 Princeton non-reverb amp once, my stepdad loved it for playing country rhythm, but I found that it had no gain whatsoever...it was just too clean sounding for my taste, even when cranked...and I LIKE clean. I just couldn't get/find the typical Blackface Fendery sweetness in it that I could from other models. I didn't keep it and mod it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punkavenger Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Thanks for all the great ideas, Guys .... I really do appreciate it. However, the main thing that occurs to me is that i really need to listen to each amp in person. Especially the older Fender amps. I would probably be ok with the MB Subway Blues or a newer rewired version but even at that ... What is the Hamer of Fender Princeton amps? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stedge Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 a 70s silver princeton or a 70s silver champ. they are great for practice amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Scepter Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 32 minutes ago, Punkavenger said: However, the main thing that occurs to me is that i really need to listen to each amp in person. Especially the older Fender amps. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerteddybear Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Take a drive and ferry up to Vancouver Island and look at this 1969 Princeton non-reverb-https://victoria.craigslist.ca/msg/5948952039.html Or this one in Albany, Oregon...https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/msg/5926291117.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomteriffic Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 A 70's silver Princeton Reverb is pretty much the Hamer. Basically unchanged since the blackfaces other than cosmetics. Biggest differences from one example to the next can be found in V1 and the condition of the rectifier tube. A new, strong one will give you that brighter, stiffer feel (and less farty low end), a tired one, the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shankyboy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a super clean silver face Princeton Reverb for quite a while and I can tell you that they have gotten ridiculously over priced. I have a '72 Deluve Reverb and I recently got my hands on a '77 Vibrolux that was in mint condition with the original tubes. I got that one for less than those Princetons are going for lately. WTF? I am thinking about just getting a Headstrong Little King instead. Pretty much a killer version of a Princeton for about the same money and sometime less if you can find a used one. I have also been hearing the the new '68 Custom Princetons sound very nice. Those can be had, used, for a decent price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punkavenger Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 Well, amp problem solved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugartune Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 That'll do! Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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