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Old 11-05-2018, 10:42 AM
dbar dbar is offline
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Default Fender Princeton 68 Custom vs Fender 57 Deluxe

Thinking about buying a new amp soon and these are the two I'm considering. My closest big store say they could get them both in for me to try if I put down a deposit.

Anyone got any experience with these two models, and how would they compare to one another (the deluxe is almost twice the price)?
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Old 11-05-2018, 11:42 AM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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two completely different animals. i have not tried either but i've heard great things about both. the princeton will have less wattage than the deluxe so if you are gigging that may be a factor. that will also apply if you are using it at home as the deluxe will be louder.

there are a lot of deluxe clones much cheaper than that but if you are wanting a fender only, that is a factor.

take your guitar and try them both.

note that black friday is coming so if you can try them somehow beforehand, you may find a great deal soon. get on all of the various dealers' newsletters so that you get their ads around black friday. sweetwater, gc, musician's friend, etc.

note that i do have a 66 deluxe reverb as well as a 59 princeton and two 58 deluxe clones that i've built. but, none specifically compares with the two you are looking at.

play music!
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Last edited by muscmp; 11-05-2018 at 11:45 AM. Reason: add
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Old 11-05-2018, 12:20 PM
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I happen to have both a 68 Custom Princeton Reverb and Tweed Deluxe clone and have reviewed both on my webpage. They are very different amps. Firstly, the Deluxe has no effects at all. It has a very classic sound with limited high-end balanced off with a glassy upper midrange and features a unique, interactive three knob control section. It has both cathode biasing of the power tubes and no negative feedback, who both contribute to more a gentle, smooth transition into distortion as you turn it up. Between the zero negative feedback and the tube rectifier, you get some nice compression out of the circuit as well. More in my review, HERE. By the way, you can get a custom maker to make you one of these for quite a bit less than Fender will.

The 68 Custom Princeton Reverb takes the basic '65 Princeton Reverb and adds a handful of mods that power users have been making for the fifty years since it debuted to tame some of the brightness and hardness of the little amp. First off, Fender reduced the negative feedback to more Brownface specs to get a smooth entry into distortion and more compression, somewhat like the Deluxe. Then, they changed a couple of resistors in the EQ section to make the Princeton's tone stack sound more like the slightly darker Blackface Bassman's circuit. The result is a great amp for the blues that features both reverb and a really sweet tremolo section. More HERE.

Bob
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Old 11-05-2018, 01:48 PM
J Patrick J Patrick is offline
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...two great amps that Bob explained very well...i’ll only add that from a playing/gigging perspective the Princeton is likely gonna cover more playing styles especially if you use pedals...and if you switch out the baffle and install a 12 inch speaker it becomes even more versatile...if otoh you desire that pure guitar/cable/amp rock and roll vibe a tweed deluxe gets you there like no other amp I know of....or you could do what tonemeister Mike Campbell does and run a Princeton and a tweed Deluxe....although I think he uses a non reverb blackface Princeton which is my personal favorite Princeton on account of its increased headroom and extra sweet tone....
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Old 11-05-2018, 02:03 PM
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The rhythm guitar is a Strat through a non-reverb Blackface Princeton. I always loved that song. In a conversation I guessed it was a a Princeton Reverb and Ed King said, "Nope, I used a non-reverb Princeton." Close but no cigar. But the '68 PR gets me there and the changes to the negative feedback on the '68 Custom really enhance the depth of the Trem.

Bob
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Old 11-05-2018, 09:49 PM
seannx seannx is offline
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Thanks to Bob’s review and research on the internet, I bought a 68 Custom Princeton Reverb last week to use for harmonica (with a Shure SM 57 mic). Sounds classic and amazing for harp, and is great for my guitars, too. My music major son, an amazingly proficient guitarist and I bought a used G&L ASAT USA Classic Butterscotch Blonde guitar last weekend. It sounds incredible through the amp, no pedals needed. Am planning to do a NAD and NGD post with pictures soon. It really did happen
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Old 11-05-2018, 10:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seannx View Post
Thanks to Bob’s review and research on the internet, I bought a 68 Custom Princeton Reverb last week to use for harmonica (with a Shure SM 57 mic). Sounds classic and amazing for harp, and is great for my guitars, too. My music major son, an amazingly proficient guitarist and I bought a used G&L ASAT USA Classic Butterscotch Blonde guitar last weekend. It sounds incredible through the amp, no pedals needed. Am planning to do a NAD and NGD post with pictures soon. It really did happen
i played thru a friend's 68 custom deluxe and was very impressed.

try a 58 ala junior wells/rod piazza/paul butterfield and you may not go back.

play music!
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Old 11-05-2018, 10:58 PM
Tone Gopher Tone Gopher is offline
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Originally Posted by muscmp View Post
...note that i do have a 66 deluxe reverb as well as a 59 princeton and two 58 deluxe clones that i've built. but, none specifically compares with the two you are looking at.
Now that Mission Amps is no longer doing Deluxe kits, who’d you go with?

Thanks,

George
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Old 11-05-2018, 11:27 PM
Jerry D Jerry D is offline
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Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
The rhythm guitar is a Strat through a non-reverb Blackface Princeton. I always loved that song. In a conversation I guessed it was a a Princeton Reverb and Ed King said, "Nope, I used a non-reverb Princeton." Close but no cigar. But the '68 PR gets me there and the changes to the negative feedback on the '68 Custom really enhance the depth of the Trem.

Bob
Hope you know that Ed passed away in August. RIP.
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Old 11-06-2018, 01:17 AM
jomaynor jomaynor is offline
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Originally Posted by muscmp View Post
two completely different animals. i have not tried either but i've heard great things about both. the princeton will have less wattage than the deluxe so if you are gigging that may be a factor. that will also apply if you are using it at home as the deluxe will be louder.

Actually, the two amps discussed here are both 12 watts.
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Old 11-06-2018, 06:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Jerry D View Post
Hope you know that Ed passed away in August. RIP.
Yes I do, thank you. I should have mentioned it with an RIP. I did mention it on my site. After his heart transplant in 2011 he knew he was living on borrowed time, and his life became far happier and more peaceful than it had been before. Charles Daughtry, one of the owners of the Les Paul Forum, wrote his eulogy at his request. You can find it HERE.

Bob
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Old 11-06-2018, 04:55 PM
hovishead hovishead is offline
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Thanks for all the opinions so far.

I forgot to say that I already own a 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue, but have been impressed by the Youtube vids of the 68 model.

Would it be overkill to have both Princeton's, would I be able to get the 68's tone by simply using a little bit of pedal overdrive?

Or is it worth considering it over the Deluxe?

Also, is there much difference volume wise between these two amps. I notice my local store already have an Edge Deluxe model in stock. Not sure I really want his sig model though.
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Old 11-06-2018, 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by hovishead View Post
Thanks for all the opinions so far.

I forgot to say that I already own a 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue, but have been impressed by the Youtube vids of the 68 model.

Would it be overkill to have both Princeton's, would I be able to get the 68's tone by simply using a little bit of pedal overdrive?

Or is it worth considering it over the Deluxe?

Also, is there much difference volume wise between these two amps. I notice my local store already have an Edge Deluxe model in stock. Not sure I really want his sig model though.
You can't have too many PR's. Because the 65 and 68 reissues are voiced so differently it isn't redundant having both. On the other hand why not wait until you find a good deal on a vintage silver face PR? You can still find them under a grand if you are patient. I have a 1969 and a 1978 and they are both fabulous amps. The bad thing about the later seventies amps are the heavy particle board cabs. I'm going to have a custom 15" cab built by Mather for my '78 PR. Teal tolex with aged cloth. This will drive all the traditionalist fan boys crazy.
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Old 11-06-2018, 06:50 PM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone Gopher View Post
Now that Mission Amps is no longer doing Deluxe kits, who’d you go with?

Thanks,

George
first i built the tubedepot kit, then i bought a bare board, components and chassis and cab and built that. amplified parts and mojotone cab were the two basic places that i purchased from. if i were to do it again, i might go with hoffman as long as they can beat doing it yourself. problem with doing it yourself is that you have to know exactly what parts YOU need and go from there. hoffman makes that relatively easy.

clintj will probably chime in again as his ears are all burnt up!

play music!
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Old 11-06-2018, 06:53 PM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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Originally Posted by davidd View Post
You can't have too many PR's. Because the 65 and 68 reissues are voiced so differently it isn't redundant having both. On the other hand why not wait until you find a good deal on a vintage silver face PR? You can still find them under a grand if you are patient. I have a 1969 and a 1978 and they are both fabulous amps. The bad thing about the later seventies amps are the heavy particle board cabs. I'm going to have a custom 15" cab built by Mather for my '78 PR. Teal tolex with aged cloth. This will drive all the traditionalist fan boys crazy.
i would agree with david except that everyone wants a vintage pr as they sound great and you can lift them. that has driven up prices considerably.

since we still don't know if it is bedroom or gigging, i'd say go for the deluxe to have more of a different sound.

if you do get the second pr, you may want to swap out the baffle and put in a 12" speaker. of course, that is even more $.

play music!
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