Fender Princeton Recording Amp - wow, never heard such a sweet sound from my archtop

[tomassplatch]

I used to have a DV Mark Jazz 12 and I was very happy with it for home use and small concerts (guitar duo + singer), it has a nice level of compression and makes an archtop sound sweet and round. However, I recently started gigging with a big band and was confronted to the limits of the amp on high volumes, namely lack of definition, lack of highs (and too much bass) and a general muddiness when comping on higher volumes . A friend let me use his Fender Blues Junior for 2 weeks and I loved the sound of the tube/valve amp, the liveliness of the tubes, the slight breakup. I tested and 15 watts was powerful enough to play with the big band. However, I quite couldn't dial the sound I liked 100% from it, seemed a little aggressive and dull at the same time (sorry for a very amateurish description, I am clearly a beginner in this). Anyway, I came to the conclusion that I should start looking for a 15 watt tube amp by Fender. I went to 2 local music shops in my middle-sized town in France and was able to test the following amps:

• Fender Blues Junior Custom with a Cannabis Rex speaker - from my short impression sounded better, less aggressive than the standard Blues Junior with a Jensen speaker
• Deluxe Reverb - during my short test, I was unable to dial out the unpleasant shrill and bright sound in the higher positions
• Hot Rod Deluxe - the bass sounded very muddy to me
• Tweed Deluxe clone (5e3) - sounded great, but didn't have the right understanding about the specific interactive controls at the time of the test it properly. and the amp was over my budget anyway...
• Princeton Reverb ToneMaster - sounded the best to me, better defined basses, sweet heights, for me indistinguishable from a tube amp (but I am a beginner) - I was blown away.

I was checking second hand sites and found a Fender Princeton Recording for almost half the price of a new Tone Master (and almost 1/3 of the price of a Princeton Reverb '65 Reissue) so I went for it. The shipping went fine and I am a new happy owner of the Princeton. And I could not be happier ! This thing sounds amazing and colours the sound of my hollow bodies in such a lovely way...



Pros:

• beautiful clean sweet sound (bass around 3, treble at 4), with volume on a guitar at 5-6. It starts breaking at around volume 6. Lowering the volume on the guitar is crucial, because with humbuckers at full volume, it starts breaking much earlier and the sound is very bassy. Compared to the Blues Junior, this amp seems more alive, more trebbly (but in an agreeable way) switching to Blues Junior afterwards sounds like the amp is covered by a blanket... And playing on the edge of break-out is sooo sweet...
• Price: at almost 1/2 price of a Princeton ToneMaster and almost 1/3 of a Princeton Reissue, this is a hidden gem of amps price-wise (understandable given its reputation in terms of reliability)
• decent line out with speaker simulation (very useful in a big band when you are sitting next to a miced double bass!)
• attenuator : works great, if you want to have the sound just on the edge of a breakout at low volumes (when practicing in the evening I put the attenuator at around 3 o'clock). However, at volume 4-5 (and guitar volume knob at 5-6) is is not too loud for apartment practice without the attenuator.
• effect loop (although I don't use it)

Cons:

• Weight - at 45 lbs. (21 kg) this is almost 25% heavier than a normal Princeton Reissue
• I guess 2 digital effects (distortion and compressor) could be considered a pro, but I don't use them, so for me it is just more weight
• lack of vibrato compared to standard PRRI (although I don't use it)
• slight hiss (not sure it is normal, I will go and check with a technician)
• reliability - I know it is hit and miss, but the amp is cca 15 years old has been gigged with, so I guess this one is a question of luck
• repairability - given the complexity of the circuit, a lot can go wrong and it is difficult to repair

Anyway, just wanted to share. Don't hesitate to share your experience, I know there are some users of this amp on this forum...

[jim777]

Congrats! Nothing like finding a gem you weren't aware of

[st.bede]

I am reading that the comp and od are analog (solid state). I do not believe there are any digital conversation taking place.

Fender Princeton

Good attenuators weigh a bit. Plus a good spring tank adds weight. FX loop is always handy.

I think for what you have, there are less cons. For example if you are going to use attenuation, that is another lump of gear to carry. You do not have to have a second bag and try to figure how to carry all necessary things. There are many times I forego my attenuator and live with a thiner sound, so I do not have to carry more stuff.

[tomassplatch]

Thanks, for reference here are some sound samples, played on an 1980 Gibson Super 400:

Miced with Shure SM 57 and Focusrite: Nextcloud
Line out: Nextcloud