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Been thinking of one of these for a while now and they are 50% off at Musicians Friend at the moment. I currently have a 65 reissue Princeton Reverb. Anyone out there who has tried both?
I'd be using it for both jazz with a 335 and funk/blues with a telecaster. It seems like it should have plenty of clean headroom and I love the fact that it's only 30lbs.
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11-21-2018 11:36 AM
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I've tried both. I have a 78 PR, have played through a bunch of PRRI's, and played through the Supro in a rehearsal space. The Supro is louder than the PR. The specs on Supro's site say it's 37 LBS (not 30), which is about the same as a PR. Nice sounding amp, and would definitely work for jazz, funk, and blues, but a somewhat different tone from a PR because of differences in the design of the two amps. I prefer the Fender sound, but that's a matter of taste.
Originally Posted by lmb4gr
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The Supro is Class A, where the PR is Class AB. The Class A, like the Champ is a tone monster....
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Interesting, I just read a bit about the difference between class A and Class AB amps. Sounds like there are some advantages to class A, though the article I read said they have less headroom. I suppose with the slightly higher wattage it still may have more than the Princeton. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on this.
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I, for one, think it's a great deal.....US made too, and returnable at GC if not?
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Thanks for pointing out my mistake (or rather the vendor website mistake) on the weight John A! As nice as 30lbs would have been, I can live with 37lbs.
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I wouldn't get too concerned with Class A, etc. I have a brown Princeton, with is class AB, and the thing is killer.
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Yes, part of my rationale is that even if I keep it for a while and change my mind, at that price I should be able to recoup most of my money. Originally Posted by boatheelmusic
I didn't realize MF stuff could be returned to GC, though that would make sense since GC owns them.
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I'm curious, do you ever have problems with headroom in a live situation with it? When playing jazz I haven't had any problems with my 65 Princeton but when playing funk with a louder band I wasn't able to keep it as clean as I would have liked. Originally Posted by beeswax
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I can't really get it past 4 before it breaks up, but it's a very pleasing breakup. You can always mic it live, no?
The Princetons were meant to be practice amps, so they aren't great for a full band. From what I have read about the Supro, it doesn't have great volume either, though. I'm tempted to buy one at that price! They sound awesome...similar to a Princeton but a little grittier.
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Agreed, I love the breakup sound on the Princeton, I just wished it happened at a slightly higher volume. Originally Posted by beeswax
Regarding the practice amp aspect, I will say that at bedroom volumes it's the best sounding amp I've ever had.
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Yes, Princeton's are incredible. That Supro has a 6973 tube, so that's a bit different.
Let me know what you find about volume and headroom on them. I'm tempted....
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Will do, though it may be a few weeks till I can compare in person. They're not currently in stock but I reserved one for $650. Figured I should lock in that price and worry about canceling later if I change my mind. I think they're expecting them in mid-December so that gives me some time to think about it. Originally Posted by beeswax
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Great sounding amp and a very loud 25 watts - break-up does come in quite early so clean headroom may be an issue in a large hall or with a loud drummer - unless you mike it up
The price you've got is excellent!
I seriously considered one about a year ago, but in the end decided "no" - I would have preferred a single 12" speaker with reverb and tremolo but Supro don't offer this configuration today (except for 1722 Euros !!! with the Black Magick Reverb) - the 1624T Dual tone 1x12" has no reverb and the 1685RT Neptune is 2x12" (too heavy at 54lbs). For the time being I'm staying with my Princeton
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I wound up buying one, too, @lmb4gr.
We can compare when they arrive. I agree I'd rather have a 12", but the Supros (Black Magic) with that configuration actually got much worse reviews, and people seemed to feel this one had more mojo. We shall see!
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Supro just shipped...should be here on Monday. Oddly enough, I've used my Princeton for two gigs in the past week and was extremely happy with it. I considered cancelling my order on the Supro but it was such a good price I couldn't resist giving it a try. Interested in seeing what I think of it. Originally Posted by beeswax
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Nice, my status says "processing", and estimated delivery the 21st, so I'm not sure what's up. Originally Posted by lmb4gr
I've heard these have a mid-focused sound instead of a scooped Fender sound. Not sure which is better for jazz...this one has good headroom from what I read.
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I have read that a class A amp will by nature have a higher "noise floor" background hiss than an AB amp; is this true?
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yes
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Supro was delivered over the weekend. First impressions are very good, though I haven't spent too much time with it. Originally Posted by beeswax
It appears to be very well built with quality parts.
I mostly played through it with a telecaster and it sounds fantastic. I found myself actually dialing the bass down quite a bit as opposed to my Princeton where I tend to have the bass dialed way up. That is definitely not to say that it is in any way muddy, but most amps I've had have been too bright for my tastes and I end up turning the bass up. Not the case with this one.
There is plenty of volume and ample head room. I don't know how frequently I'll be using it at a loud enough level to take advantage of the natural overdrive (which did sound great when I cranked it). I suspect it will stay clean in pretty much any situation I'll use it for.
The reverb and trem are fantastic.
I only plugged a hollowbody w/ humbuckers and flatwounds into it for about five minutes so it's probably too early to come to any conclusions, but my initial thought was that I preferred the Princeton for that scenario.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the amp - and love the sound of single coils through it. My initial plan was to see which I liked better, the Princeton or the Supro, and sell the other. At the moment I'm trying to justify keeping both.
Another point I'll make is that, similar to the Princeton, it feels like no matter what I do with the settings it sounds really good. It does not take much, if any, effort to 'dial in' a good tone.
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Just got the amp this weekend. There is a little bit of background hum to it when I'm not playing but it is nowhere near bad enough to bother me. Originally Posted by whiskey02
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I think Class-A amps eat the tubes faster than Class-AB amps because they are working 100% power at idle. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also, some amps advertised as Class-A are not true Class-A.
I've been watching a great informative youtube channel called "Uncle Doug" and already forgot almost everything I learned from his channel.
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I can't say one way or the other. This is the first Class-A amp I've owned. Honestly, I never even knew the distinction before I bought this amp. I haven't done any research of the implications to owning a Class-A vs Class-AB, I just know I really like the sound of this amp. Originally Posted by takauya
I think Class-A amps eat the tubes faster than Class-AB amps because they are working 100% power at idle. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also, some amps advertised as Class-A are not true Class-A.
I've been watching a great informative youtube channel called "Uncle Doug" and already forgot almost everything I learned from his channel.
Thanks for the tip about Uncle Doug...I'll start checking out his channel.
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Thanks for the review. Mine is still on backorder -- I can still cancel it if need be. Are you saying to go ahead and get the amp? I'd be using it small clubs for rock (with some jazzy color chords in it). Would the noise be an issue in that setting?
At $650 I wouldn't mind gigging with it and beating it up. Just a bit worried about the 60Hz hum you're describing and how that might be amplified in a club with shoddy wiring. Is there any chance you can film a short video of it on your phone?
PS. Does the amp have a lot of midrange? I heard that's the main difference between Supro (present mids) and Fender (scooped mids).
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I wouldn't be concerned about the hum. It's minimal and my house is 100 years old with questionable wiring. When I turn the amp on in a quiet, empty room I can hear it. As soon as I start playing it's gone. In a room with any kind of background noise you won't even notice it. Originally Posted by beeswax
Yes, it definitely has more mids and bass than the Princeton but can still get bright if you turn the treble up. I think it will be a fantastic amp for rock gigs in a small club. I can't say it's any better or worse than a Princeton. They're both great, just a little different sounding.
I would go ahead and get it if I were you. You have a 45 day return option and worst case scenario I don't think it will be difficult to get your money back if you decide to sell it after the return window closes. I suspect you'll be quite happy with it.
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