Best Sounding Small Tube Combo for Cleans?

EricTheWeary

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EricTheWeary

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EricTheWeary

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EricTheWeary

Having some problems with loading piccies but if you can't get a Princeton you could always make one! 

Jeremiah

Tone King Falcon?

shaunm

Peavey Bandit it's nearly always the answer to which is the best tube amp for cleans......

really though, small, clean amp? You can get a H&K Puretone for reasonable money 

crunchman

richardhomer said:

I've compared the 65 DRRI to the 65 PRRI on several occasions. I've no idea what the technical reasons are - but to my ears the Princeton simply sounds much better. I want one - badly....

Some of it is the circuit, but I think that the 10" speaker is part of it too.

noisepolluter

strtdv said:

TimmyO said:

I thought (not that I am that up on this) that the DRRI was a go-to for this - what sets the PR apart ? 

The Princeton just sounds sweeter.
Part of the issue is that DRRIs (and 68 Custom Deluxe Reverbs) use a digital circuit board for the tremolo as you're not allowed to use Optocouplers under ROHS (they contain cadmium I think), which produces a distinct unpleasant ticking sound.

I'd rate the Princeton far above the Deluxe, it really is a fantastic amp.

I have a 'pre-ROHS' DRRI with the opto coupler - you still get a tremolo tick, though there's a mod that reduces it significantly to the point where you can only hear it if playing very quietly.
The stock 65 DRRI is a bit tricky at low volumes I find. Take away the effect of the bright cap and actually with the stock speaker it's quite a dark sounding amp at low volumes. My limited experience with a Princeton was that it had plenty of clarity at low volumes but without sounding harsh. The DRRI bright cap just gives a big spike in a narrow range of treble, hence a lot of folks finding it difficult with pedals. The stock speaker itself is also quite dark sounding until it's moving a bit. Out of curiosity I tried it through a brighter sounding speaker in a different amp (celestion G12H as it goes) and it definitely sounded clearer. 
I could be tempted to swap the speaker at some point - either a G12H or alternatively Weber. 
I also had a mod done recently which runs the DRRI normal channel through the reverb/trem circuit and puts both channels in phase so you can jumper and blend/balance them for precise control over the amount of brightness. Makes the amp far more pedal friendly and easier to dial in generally both at home and in band situations. At home a 50/50 balance seems just about right for pedals and the louder you go the less 'bright' channel you need to blend in.

All this is pretty much by the by, but thought it might satisfy the curiosity of any 65DRRI owners...

TommyVercetti

Victory v40c (the combo version of the v40).

Wazmeister

p90fool said:

Wazmeister said:

Carr Rambler

These are very nice, but not three and a half times the price of a Princeton nice. 

No mate, imho, actually the Rambler IS exactly that... and double the price, not three and a half times