Definitely agree about everything. Because of the muddiness (which doesn't really describe the Princeton entirely. It's not lacking in clarity on any of my guitars, but does benefit from a treble boost on my MicroAmp+) it pairs really really well with an AC15 because the AC15 adds some of that Vox Chime without being as chimey as an AC30. Something about those two amps together is the best stereo guitar sound I've heard in person, and you can have both amps for under $2000, run them in a house without getting the cops called (if you don't max them out) and get one of the biggest tones you can get in a small space. Also, the Princeton Custom 68 and AC15 are both a little easier to break up at lower volumes comp ared to their higher headroom siblings. The Princeton also helps tame some of the edginess from the Vox when running fuzz tones. I really like the Muffuletta in this setup. Also, I think the Princeton does benefit from a speaker upgrade, in that the stock speaker flabs out at out at a lower volume than I'd like. I dropped in a Ragin' Cajun which is a more efficient speaker and it handles the bass much better. I'd like to get ahold of a Weber one of these days.
Im very lucky. 25 years ago a buddy of mine found a real 1965 princeton in the trash and gave it to me. He had no clue what it was just knew i played so he grabbed it. $120 to recap n tube it. Then about 10 years ago the speaker went. Replaced with a princeton reissue 10". The condition is a 8 or 9 outta 10. Got the original foot sw too.
Just paid $680 (plus $40 for shipping) for a pretty clean used 68 Princeton, I could have waiting around but have noticed with the covid things go fast and prices are climbing.
Apropos of nothing, the Princeton 68 Custom is a really good electric piano amp! I just recorded a bunch of tracks with various pieces of gear, and though my Supro Black Magick was the amp to handle the guitars, the Princeton was delicious on Rhodes piano! You can dial up the reverb for roomy sustain, put a little trem on for kind of a Leslie-ish warble, and the darker character not only handles the bass frequencies great -- it tames some of the plinkier tone of a Rhodes' upper register. I like mine alot as a guitar amp, too... But as the secret weapon on a piano track, it's different gravy.
YES... I might have misspoke in the video.. we have a 65 and a 68 in the store. The 64 we could carry, but honestly the 68 sounds so good for 1/3 of the money...
The thing about the princeton's is in the circuit. The 68' has the aa964 circuit and the 64' has the aa 1164. The numbers denote month and year!!!!!! The black face princeton had the 964 circuit for three months!! Leo though it was too hot!! So he decided to tame it by using a different rectifier tube to make it a cleaner ,less gainy amp! Leo HATED DISTORTION! Other than that just a few other component changes. That's why guys love the 68',,,,it's hotter and and you can get it to sizzle!!! ! But for a few months, you had the same circuit in 64'.
This particular one uses modern manufacturing procedures, so the circuit is a bit different than any of the traditional circuits. But it is a real tube amp inside, no cheating with op amps and such. The vintage ones do have a sound but this could be beside them and still make a good showing.
@@erpringle well, with the 6V6 tubes it's not quite a Bassman thing, but if you mean to say the simple preamp/splitter/push pull triad layout, then yes.
Hey I'm thinking about getting a 68 and went looking for this exact info. Me mate has one and I don't want us both having the same exact rig. Is there anything that's like a 68 Princeton but a little different? Theres 65 clones out the wazoo, but is there anything closer to this? I'm the dirtier player between us, and I like their design, so I was thinking a Supro. I've only tried one Supro and theres like 15 kinds. Is there another option that's crazy clean and voiced like a 68 circuit? I pick the chicken if it matters. No effects. Compression maybe.
The 64 clones are the one that's that are expensive, handwired mean the USA, the 65 is essentially the same thing as the 68 I think they're going to be phasing out the 65, so blackface means expensive silverface means affordable.
I wouldn't say "not at all" same tube layout, same speaker, same transformer impedance, and the sound is comparable to the originals. As for if "reissue" should be used to describe it, Fender also calls the 64 handwired a "Princeton Custom Reverb" (not using the term reissue) so everything issued by Fender to look and sound like an amplifier previously issued, is a reissue.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA Not true. The 68 princeton CUSTOM has a celestion speaker (not remotely close to the original), different gain structure and tonestack, and the sound is NOT comparable to the originals. It is gainier and MUCH darker. As far as I am aware, there is no 68 Princeton REISSUE commercially available from fender. I apologise if there is, but in that case it is a different amplifier altogether and we are talking at cross purposes. But I am not aware of it. See for yourself, the fender website does not list a 68 reissue under its reissues page shop.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/vintage-reissue/ Their site does list a CUSTOM 68 princeton shop.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/%E2%80%9968-custom-princeton-reverb/2272006000.html On the latter link you will see Fender themselves listing the modifications I mentioned which make this not a reissue.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA He is right, these dont sound anything like a 68 princeton which is no different from a BF because the circuit was not changed and even the caps were the same
@@GarysGuitarsUSA thanks for the reply...i guess i shouldve ask...does it have a reverb tank...i want to nudge it to get that cool sound like in the song wipeout
That thing sparkles I just got one and I love it, I had to switch the speaker out though I’m not shur why fender put a $35 amazon Celestine speaker In it
The stock speaker has great touch sensitivity, especially at lower volume. It does get a bit loose at high volume. Upgrade if your are gigging, or need different tonality. But the stock isn't garbage, Imo and ime.
Modern "reissue" amps such as this one, using different tube types and different circuits, should really be differentiated from the classic originals by an updated model name such as "Princeton Revisited" or "Princeton ---- Slight Return". (Apologies to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix)
Offender depends largely on their legacy for their current marketing and products. So if amp had a different name and was just as good, I'm afraid a lot of people wouldn't know about it or want to play it. So give me the vintage name is a smart move on their part, right or wrong.
Even the vintage ones varied pretty wildly in different years. So it's vintage correct for the circuit to change a bit lol The Princeton reverb is really the only exception
Hated my re-issue....horrible. Overly bass heavy....had to have bass EQ on zero to make it even playable. Broke up way too early. Crappy speaker. Sounded even worse with humbuckers. So disappointed. Sold it half price.
Nothing wrong with the amp, it was the lose nut behind the wheel. The amp sounds fine if you know how to set it up. Treble 7, bass 3. You can't turn the bass above or below 3, that's just how it works. 3 is the sweet spot.
@@erpringle IF YOUR A PRO WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE YOU CAN GET ANY AMP TO SOUND GREAT ,DON'T EXPECT TO BUY A AMP OFF THE SHELF AND IT WILL BE THE HOLY GRAIL NOT GONNA HAPPEN AMIGO.
@@denieledwards6893 the only thing that is wrong with the amp is the speaker that they put in it. It's not a good match and I have no idea what they were thinking. I put a eminence Alessandro 12" speaker in mine and it made all the difference in the world. The amp does have a touchy eq though. I personally love the amp but that doesn't mean you will, but it's not because it's a bad amp.
@@denieledwards6893 Exactly. Plus one night it will sound fucking amazing and the the next night it will sound like shit in a different room with the same settings. Always have to be dialing.
You talk with a mixture of opinion and science that just makes me calm.
I would absolutely buy an amp or guitar from this guy. Great video.
Definitely agree about everything. Because of the muddiness (which doesn't really describe the Princeton entirely. It's not lacking in clarity on any of my guitars, but does benefit from a treble boost on my MicroAmp+) it pairs really really well with an AC15 because the AC15 adds some of that Vox Chime without being as chimey as an AC30. Something about those two amps together is the best stereo guitar sound I've heard in person, and you can have both amps for under $2000, run them in a house without getting the cops called (if you don't max them out) and get one of the biggest tones you can get in a small space. Also, the Princeton Custom 68 and AC15 are both a little easier to break up at lower volumes comp ared to their higher headroom siblings. The Princeton also helps tame some of the edginess from the Vox when running fuzz tones. I really like the Muffuletta in this setup.
Also, I think the Princeton does benefit from a speaker upgrade, in that the stock speaker flabs out at out at a lower volume than I'd like. I dropped in a Ragin' Cajun which is a more efficient speaker and it handles the bass much better. I'd like to get ahold of a Weber one of these days.
I put a Weber in mine, really helps with the handling of the flubby bass!
@@belectronix I put a 12" eminence Alessandro in mine and it's babababad to the bone. Sounds like it's big brother, the deluxe, but more betterer.
Im very lucky. 25 years ago a buddy of mine found a real 1965 princeton in the trash and gave it to me. He had no clue what it was just knew i played so he grabbed it. $120 to recap n tube it. Then about 10 years ago the speaker went. Replaced with a princeton reissue 10". The condition is a 8 or 9 outta 10. Got the original foot sw too.
Thanks for taking me to Fender school!
thx for this very imnteresting info
Just paid $680 (plus $40 for shipping) for a pretty clean used 68 Princeton, I could have waiting around but have noticed with the covid things go fast and prices are climbing.
Pretty good score!
that’s a good deal these days
Wow- they are over a thousand now- Sam Ash it was 1200.
Apropos of nothing, the Princeton 68 Custom is a really good electric piano amp! I just recorded a bunch of tracks with various pieces of gear, and though my Supro Black Magick was the amp to handle the guitars, the Princeton was delicious on Rhodes piano! You can dial up the reverb for roomy sustain, put a little trem on for kind of a Leslie-ish warble, and the darker character not only handles the bass frequencies great -- it tames some of the plinkier tone of a Rhodes' upper register. I like mine alot as a guitar amp, too... But as the secret weapon on a piano track, it's different gravy.
The word your looking for is "dirt". It's can be a dirty little booger when you want it to. I got mine and I love it, they'll bury it with me.
There are actually 3.. The 64 custom handwired, the 68ri, and also a pcb 65 blackface reissue..
YES... I might have misspoke in the video.. we have a 65 and a 68 in the store. The 64 we could carry, but honestly the 68 sounds so good for 1/3 of the money...
The thing about the princeton's is in the circuit. The 68' has the aa964 circuit and the 64' has the aa 1164. The numbers denote month and year!!!!!! The black face princeton had the 964 circuit for three months!! Leo though it was too hot!! So he decided to tame it by using a different rectifier tube to make it a cleaner ,less gainy amp! Leo HATED DISTORTION! Other than that just a few other component changes. That's why guys love the 68',,,,it's hotter and and you can get it to sizzle!!! ! But for a few months, you had the same circuit in 64'.
This particular one uses modern manufacturing procedures, so the circuit is a bit different than any of the traditional circuits. But it is a real tube amp inside, no cheating with op amps and such. The vintage ones do have a sound but this could be beside them and still make a good showing.
It's got a bassman circuit.
@@erpringle well, with the 6V6 tubes it's not quite a Bassman thing, but if you mean to say the simple preamp/splitter/push pull triad layout, then yes.
Hey I'm thinking about getting a 68 and went looking for this exact info. Me mate has one and I don't want us both having the same exact rig. Is there anything that's like a 68 Princeton but a little different? Theres 65 clones out the wazoo, but is there anything closer to this? I'm the dirtier player between us, and I like their design, so I was thinking a Supro. I've only tried one Supro and theres like 15 kinds. Is there another option that's crazy clean and voiced like a 68 circuit? I pick the chicken if it matters. No effects. Compression maybe.
The 64 clones are the one that's that are expensive, handwired mean the USA, the 65 is essentially the same thing as the 68 I think they're going to be phasing out the 65, so blackface means expensive silverface means affordable.
Thanks Gary.
The 68 is a CUSTOM, not a reissue. It's not similar to the original at all.
I wouldn't say "not at all" same tube layout, same speaker, same transformer impedance, and the sound is comparable to the originals. As for if "reissue" should be used to describe it, Fender also calls the 64 handwired a "Princeton Custom Reverb" (not using the term reissue) so everything issued by Fender to look and sound like an amplifier previously issued, is a reissue.
@@GarysGuitarsUSA Not true. The 68 princeton CUSTOM has a celestion speaker (not remotely close to the original), different gain structure and tonestack, and the sound is NOT comparable to the originals. It is gainier and MUCH darker. As far as I am aware, there is no 68 Princeton REISSUE commercially available from fender.
I apologise if there is, but in that case it is a different amplifier altogether and we are talking at cross purposes. But I am not aware of it.
See for yourself, the fender website does not list a 68 reissue under its reissues page shop.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/vintage-reissue/
Their site does list a CUSTOM 68 princeton shop.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/%E2%80%9968-custom-princeton-reverb/2272006000.html
On the latter link you will see Fender themselves listing the modifications I mentioned which make this not a reissue.
J C If you want to be literal, The "65 is not really a reissue either since it has a printed circuit board.
@@jc5512 Doesn't this amp have more of a Tweed Bassman tone stack going on inside?
@@GarysGuitarsUSA He is right, these dont sound anything like a 68 princeton which is no different from a BF because the circuit was not changed and even the caps were the same
what about the reverb...its a princetone custom reverb right
reverb is SPOT ON!
@@GarysGuitarsUSA thanks for the reply...i guess i shouldve ask...does it have a reverb tank...i want to nudge it to get that cool sound like in the song wipeout
I think you mean the '65 reissue - not '64
no he was correct, the '64 reissue is blackface, hand wired and very expensive. the '65 is only about a hundred bucks more and not hand wired.
That thing sparkles I just got one and I love it, I had to switch the speaker out though I’m not shur why fender put a $35 amazon Celestine speaker In it
What speaker did you put in Derek? I’m thinking of doing the same, not sure what speaker to go for though.
Geoff Monk I put in a Jenson C10q a lot better the speaker in is complete garbage
The stock speaker has great touch sensitivity, especially at lower volume. It does get a bit loose at high volume.
Upgrade if your are gigging, or need different tonality. But the stock isn't garbage, Imo and ime.
derek hand G10 Gold. Much louder
The Celestion G10 Gold is the loudest 10 inch. 98dB
i love mine!
Have one and love it!
This might be the most homey, least descriptive review of this amp. Thanks for trying though.
Modern "reissue" amps such as this one, using different tube types and different circuits, should really be differentiated from the classic originals by an updated model name such as "Princeton Revisited" or "Princeton ---- Slight Return". (Apologies to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix)
I think it's technically called the "custom '68" Princeton, but that's still a bit vague tbf
Offender depends largely on their legacy for their current marketing and products. So if amp had a different name and was just as good, I'm afraid a lot of people wouldn't know about it or want to play it. So give me the vintage name is a smart move on their part, right or wrong.
Gary's Guitars, did you say this amp Does have natural compression? If it does I would want to buy it.
Even the vintage ones varied pretty wildly in different years. So it's vintage correct for the circuit to change a bit lol
The Princeton reverb is really the only exception
Word I use instead of mud is mayonnaise, lol
that with a touch of mustard
I have a 65 reissue that's not hand wired.
64 is hand wired. 65 is note like this one.
I always find it funny when people refer to things as "Voodoo". It's not magic. This tech is almost 100 years old.
LESS TALKING AND JUST PLAY THROUGH IT.
sorry, there are lots of videos of people showing off through these amps, this one is strictly informational.
to be fair the video is clearly labeled "A Talk"
NOPE - the Fender '68 Princeton Reverb is NOT a reissue. Delete and start over! 🙄
Your know it all attitude is a disgrace to the telecaster.
Hated my re-issue....horrible. Overly bass heavy....had to have bass EQ on zero to make it even playable. Broke up way too early. Crappy speaker. Sounded even worse with humbuckers. So disappointed. Sold it half price.
WOW HARD TO BELIEVE.
Nothing wrong with the amp, it was the lose nut behind the wheel. The amp sounds fine if you know how to set it up. Treble 7, bass 3. You can't turn the bass above or below 3, that's just how it works. 3 is the sweet spot.
@@erpringle IF YOUR A PRO WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE YOU CAN GET ANY AMP TO SOUND GREAT ,DON'T EXPECT TO BUY A AMP OFF THE SHELF AND IT WILL BE THE HOLY GRAIL NOT GONNA HAPPEN AMIGO.
@@denieledwards6893 the only thing that is wrong with the amp is the speaker that they put in it. It's not a good match and I have no idea what they were thinking. I put a eminence Alessandro 12" speaker in mine and it made all the difference in the world. The amp does have a touchy eq though. I personally love the amp but that doesn't mean you will, but it's not because it's a bad amp.
@@denieledwards6893 Exactly. Plus one night it will sound fucking amazing and the the next night it will sound like shit in a different room with the same settings. Always have to be dialing.