Princeton for home use.

Twangy

Thanks to everyone who commented on my idea of getting a Blues Junior for clean glassy fender tones.I have heard one in the shop and agree with most of you that it’s not what I’m looking for.
I liked the sound of the Princeton 65 reissue but wondered if anyone has any experience or views on this amp’s suitability for home/bedroom use i.e. at lower volumes.It’s difficult to tell in the shop environment.

roberty

For me the Princeton was way too loud at home, and not loud enough on stage. I'm sure others here have had better experiences than me

I have had the most success at home volumes with the little DSP desktop amps, but again I'm sure there are plenty here who feel the opposite way

This is not very helpful, is it! Sorry

dindude

Vibro champ reverb is the way to go for home / bedroom IMO. Perfect volume. 

thecolourbox

I had the 68 one, which I know is different and has a different tone, but mine was far too bassy at the quiet volume I was playing it at. Having to add an eq pedal to cut the bass pre amp seemed more faff than it was worth. Sounded good while playing solo with it though.

MrTee

Picked up a brand new 68 vibro champ reverb before Xmas. Very happy with clean fendery tones at a comfortable 5/6 on volume. Takes pedals like a, ahem, champ, and can get pretty crunchy from 7 onwards. Still pretty loud for home volume if there are others home, but won't worry the neighborhood too much

rlw

My Princeton 65RI was too loud at home.  Volume on 3 was the limit before it became antisocial in a small space.

For that money, I'd be looking at a TM Deluxe Reverb.

noisepolluter

I’ve been using a Princeton 65 Reissue at home for a while now, with the stock Jensen C10R speaker.  The clean, reverb and tremolo are fabulous, there is virtually zero circuit noise and it takes drive and distortion pedals really well. 

As others have said, it’s far too loud for home if you crank it, so for crunch sounds at low volumes you need pedals or/and an attenuator.

Whether it’s loud enough for jamming or small gigs depends on your band and location. 

 

RickLucas

The modelling vibro champ and super champ xd or x2 are great. 

Jalapeno

Princeton is way too loud for home, and as said ^^^ not loud enough for anything other than a really gentle drummer.

DSP for home is best IMHO, a THR is perfect.

CaseOfAce

MrTee said:

Picked up a brand new 68 vibro champ reverb before Xmas. Very happy with clean fendery tones at a comfortable 5/6 on volume. Takes pedals like a, ahem, champ, and can get pretty crunchy from 7 onwards. Still pretty loud for home volume if there are others home, but won't worry the neighborhood too much

This. It's gorgeous (but pricey - I got mine for £750) .
But my oh my - lovely Fender CLEAN tone at a usable home volume. The reverb is ....LUSH....
An amp I don't think I'll ever part with - I can't imagine Fender ever improving upon it.

Others have said they can get it to crunch but in common with other NMV 5 watt valve amps I've personally found to do so you'll be damaging your hearing and rattling your windows...so I use something quite different at home for rock etc...
(I'm not into pedals or attenuators at home).

I'd find a Princeton too overpowering for home use - and of no use for me with a band unless I was playing clean jazz.

roberty

Jalapeno said:

Princeton is way too loud for home, and as said ^^^ not loud enough for anything other than a really gentle drummer.

DSP for home is best IMHO, a THR is perfect.

Ah cool so it's not just me talking shite

menamestom

I don’t get the Princeton being too loud for home use.  It has a very linear volume control and takes pedals well so you can get any sound at any volume.

Also, not being loud enough, the stock Jensen speaker is a limitation, with a decent upgrade (Ragin cajun for example) it’s actually quite loud for the wattage.  

ICBM

menamestom said:

I don’t get the Princeton being too loud for home use.  It has a very linear volume control and takes pedals well so you can get any sound at any volume.

This, although the 68 is less suitable than the 65, since Fender modded the circuit slightly to make it break up more. (Doh! Why do they do this?)

menamestom said:

Also, not being loud enough, the stock Jensen speaker is a limitation, with a decent upgrade (Ragin cajun for example) it’s actually quite loud for the wattage.  

There's also the 'Stokes mod' for the circuit which improves the clean headroom, although I've never tried that on a reissue so I don't know how easy it is on the PCB.

munckee

Agree 68 is very bassy for home but changing speaker to a Jensen alnico improved that a lot. 65 Princeton is a lovely sounding home amp but you won’t get it to break up without being too loud. 

Tone king gremlin is the answer, if the question. Is what sounds as good as a Princeton and a tweed deluxe and can break up quietly but has no tremolo or reverb. 

Keefy

My Princeton Reverb started out as ‘68 Custom (purchased from @thecolourbox) but I gutted it and rebuilt it close to ‘65 black panel spec. I also changed the speaker for an Eminence Legend. I use it most days in my tiny music room at home (both before and since the conversion) and the handy front-panel volume control makes it a breeze to set that elusive ‘not too loud for home’ level.

TimmyO

Twangy said:

Thanks to everyone who commented on my idea of getting a Blues Junior for clean glassy fender tones.I have heard one in the shop and agree with most of you that it’s not what I’m looking for.
I liked the sound of the Princeton 65 reissue but wondered if anyone has any experience or views on this amp’s suitability for home/bedroom use i.e. at lower volumes.It’s difficult to tell in the shop environment.

If your intent is to play clean then ignore all the “too loud for home” comments - that’s nonsense when the Princeton is running clean (at say 2-3 on the volume) 

Princeton running like that with a bit of reverb and that beautiful bias trem  is one of my favourite sounds anywhere ever. And by anywhere I mean at home. 

guitarblaster

Perfect home amp if you want clean. Hit it with drive pedals for dirt. Sounds fantastic. 

PCG

Agree with the two comments above. Princeton is amazing at home when run clean, and with pedals for dirt.

Possibly too loud to crank into full breakup at home (depending on your home) but I actually think a cranked Princeton sounds pretty bad anyway, it’s not a pleasant breakup to my ears at all…. 

My Princeton (Headstrong) plus pedals is my favourite home setup out of many previous and current options.

Nb, when I say Princeton, I mean 64/65 circuit.  The recent fender “68” is just a different amp to my mind, not for the better.

brojangles

I've use a Princeton 65 RI as a home amp and it's great. Magical trem and reverb. I gig it too (I put it a Weber speaker in it, so it's a bit louder than with the original) and it's easily loud enough quite low on the volume dial to get over the drums. It would only be a problem for home use if you really really wanted amp overdrive, but that's not really what you'd get a Princeton for in the first place.

stickyfiddle

As above, it's fine when set purely clean, but if you want any breakup it's too loud for most homes. 

TMDR FTW! 

menamestom

PCG said:

Agree with the two comments above. Princeton is amazing at home when run clean, and with pedals for dirt.

Possibly too loud to crank into full breakup at home (depending on your home) but I actually think a cranked Princeton sounds pretty bad anyway, it’s not a pleasant breakup to my ears at all…. 

Yeah, you wouldn't really run a Princeton above 5 or 6 as you just get more mush, there is a small sweet spot I think about 4 (which may change amp to amp) where there's some grit, but they are also great amps in the cleans are very sweet from a whisper to this point.  Some amps can sound a little flat at the volumes a Princeton excels at.