Fender Princeton Reverb Amps

[jzjazz]

I bet someone bought 6L6s but never re-biased, so the 6L6s are biased stone-cold in the 20-30% range.

Not sure about that - I put my 6v6 tubes from the deluxe reverb in and they were very quiet and instantly distorted and sounding like crap. So I guess it was done by someone who new something about it

So I shoudn't worry about that too much and just continue with what I have or should I instantly think about going to 6V6 for sound reasons?

[Franz 1997]

The PR II power transformer is the Deluxe Reverb unit. It's built for six preamp tubes, 2x 6V6 and a 5AR4 rectifier. On the PR II there are only four preamp tubes and solid-state rectification. That should leave enough spare power to handle swapping in 6L6s.

This is correct ( not sure the the DR II has a tube rectifier though??). You need more heater current to run 6L6's, but you can get away with it in the PR II ( obviously, not in the DR II) because there are fewer tubes. But the voltage is only 400v, which is quite low for 6L6's, and as Sam S says, it's only a DR output transformer. I have tried this swap, and I got the same output from the amp with 6L6s, and a rather scooped tone with less mids. In the end I went back to 6V6's , which sound fatter to me with more middle, but it's a matter of personal taste. As mentioned, the amp would have to be re-biased for 6V6s, but it might be worth it; these PR II amps are only going to go up in value as people realise just how good they are. If you do take it to a tech., get him to put in an adjustable bias pot, that will only take him an extra 5 minutes..

Don't forget that good NOS 6V6, which last for a few years, are still available, but try finding NOS 6L6's..

[Gitfiddler]

Congratulations! Welcome to the Princeton Reverb II club. And that's a very nice video you've attached. Based on your beautiful, melodic playing style I think you'll really enjoy your PRII. I kept waiting for you to hit the overdrive channel. (Just kidding!).

Not sure if I already sent you the link to the "Unofficial Princeton Reverb II" site, but here it is for your reading enjoyment. The site owner likes PRII nerds to send him your amp serial number. He's been tracking them for many years.

Unofficial Fender Princeton Reverb II page

Also, here is a page that briefly discusses using 6L6 power tubes. (It's more than halfway down the page)
If your amp sounds great with 6L6's, and terrible with 6V6's, then someone has obviously done some mods to it. It might be worth your while to have it checked out to avoid any risky stuff done to your amp. It may be fine as is, but should be looked at by a qualified amp tech. I do that with all vintage amps that I buy. It has saved me from a more expensive issue down the road.

what the valves do in a Princeton Reverb II

[jzjazz]

I have tried this swap, and I got the same output from the amp with 6L6s, and a rather scooped tone with less mids. In the end I went back to 6V6's , which sound fatter to me with more middle, but it's a matter of personal taste.

Hi Franz, thanks for your valuable input! The amp sounds already much fuller than the DR, the DR has a lot of bass which the Princeton doesn’t, the Princeton has a lot of mids, so I’d be afraid to have even more but I guess this is all a combination of more than one element - preamp tube, power tubes, speaker, etc.

I’m using a NOS preamp tube in my deluxe which makes it have much less bass (still much more than the Princeton), so I know how much a single element can change I’ve also done a speaker swap in a Princeton RI in the past and the results (with a lil bud) were stunning. Apart from the +2kg ;-)

There is so much one can do... ;-) btw. my wife didn’t notice any difference between the amps ;-)

[asedas]

Congrats! Love the sound from VB indeed there is not so much low but mids and treble are sweeet! Keep diggin' into tube/speaker tweaks but it already sounds very, very good!

btw. my wife didn’t notice any difference between the amps ;-)

probably except temporary missing some $ in house budget

Now...you made me willing to practice again

[Jimmy Mack]

What Gitfiddler said! But how about this: get some speaker wire for hooking up, and play the PRII thru the Deluxe speaker. Then play the Deluxe thru the PRII's speaker.
You may uncover a lot, good or bad, and then you could trade the speakers with the cabs. Only a bit of work, but so worth it. You may be hearing differences based only on the speakers.
If you have the time, try it.

And enjoy the journey

[Jimmy Mack]

And DO find a tech who can work on these amps. Have them check out any possible mods and goofs. Also, when parts break down (they do), you may have to hunt for replacements, as I did. Good to know who knows the territory. AND.....DO use the Unofficial Fender PRII website. Andrew is worth his weight in vintage transformers. Very helpful knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

If and when you need a cap job (the amp is 35 years old) new caps may really perk up the tone and response so much so that you could be selling the DR! I had new caps in my Concert II and what a diff. !!!!! Great amps, now I have the Concert and the PRII. The Concert is big and bold but behaves beautifully as a bedroom amp too.

Enjoy

[jzjazz]

Here's another one from yesterday and I believe it's cooler musically ;-)

[TH]

The first year I had mine, I was happy with the stock speaker but in search for a warmer sound (I don't even remember the process of what I went through in research but it was pretty extensive), I wound up putting an Eminence Cannabis Rex in there; I remember the change was just right. It's been in there ever since an though I can't speak for the A/B anymore, I love my Princeton II.
David

[gitman]

I had one like this and loved the clean sound I got with my ES-345 but the tone I got with my archtops was never really "there" ....
Especially when I used the amp at a gig with drums and bass - not enough headroom, no punch. Nowadays I take my Juke CODA amp for gigs where I want/need a tube amp, it has (up to) 35 watts, a slightly larger 1x12" cab, beautiful reverb and heavenly vibrato . These amps are hand-built one by one by an old geezer who used to work for Ampeg- he KNOWS how tube amps are supposed to work ! This Gem is dead quiet, very flexible with it's active 3 band tone-controls, master volume, high/low inputs, 3 knob reverb and 3 knob vibrato circuits. They do come up on Reverb from time to time and never last long....

[Woodsman]

I have owned a PR II for about 25 years, I'm the 2nd owner. I also own a SF 70's Twin. I pretty much exclusively use the PRII, except for large venues or outdoors, then I use the Twin. The PRII is an excellent amp, big enough for most club venues I've played, sometimes requiring mic'ing. It still has the original tubes from the factory, I've replaced the speaker with a Cannabis Rex, otherwise, the amp has never required work... yet. I run it very hot, pre at 10 and master as required and it stays pretty clean, until the master gets above 4 or so, then it starts giving some bite, but sounds good. I never use the drive/lead circuit, don't like it. But the amp, as I use it, is a great pedal platform, nice wide freq response, I run the mids low to zero, and treb and bass cranked, I play a 60's Strat and a newer Gretsch ProJet. This has been a very versatile and dynamic amp, durable/reliable, and has served me from rock bands to R&B to country and western and more. Love this amp, would never part with it. If you can buy one, in good working condition for a reasonable price (under $1200CDN), you'll have a wonderful and versatile 22 watt amp. I should add, I've also owned many other tube amps over the years, some great amps, but this PRII has stood up tough and reliable for me, so has been my daily player.