Fender Princeton Reverb '65 reissue vs Blues Deluxe reissue

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

...I had a Pro Reverb (45W, 2x12, basically a twin but with only 2 6L6s and smaller power supply) back in the day and that thing is part of the reason my ears are ringing right now. I don't know what you'd do with much more than 15w these days...

FYI "high power" in an amp doesn't always mean ear-splitting volume and/or massive gain/distortion; many jazz and country players use 50-100W amps for their broader dynamic range, "bigger" tone, increased headroom, and reserve power for medium-/large-size halls - as they were originally intended when they were first developed in the mid/late-1950's. FWIW the lowest-powered rig I routinely use at home (at reasonable levels) is a Bugera V22 (same one I use on 80% of my gigs - I've played 600-700 seat halls with no problem) - and there's a '65 Super Reverb RI (45W), Randall RB-120 1x15" combo (120W), and Fender Frontman "Blackface-Twin clone" 212R (100W) in my stable that aren't gathering any dust...

[Coop47]

I've owned a Blues Deluxe and currently own a 79 Princeton Reverb. The BD is a fine amp, nothing wrong with it for what it is, but I didn't like lugging it around for rehearsals and never needed to crank it. The PR is a great portable amp with a classic Fender sound, and loud enough to keep up with a reasonable drummer, though I always mic it for gigs.

A Deluxe Reverb is an excellent meeting point between the two (and my go to amp), but if you plan on moving it a lot, the PR would be my pick.

[FrankHudson]

I have an original pre-CBS Fender Princeton (non-reverb model) and one of the Fender Blues Deluxe 4x10 models.

I played the heck of that Princeton over the years, and I still consider it my "hometown" soundwise. It has clean sound that I love and it takes pedals well. While I play mostly single coil pickup guitars, it takes to a humbucker just fine. I'm not sure about all the various Princeton reissues compared to mine, but the Princeton has gained a considered reputation as a good amp for recording, clubs, and modern stages where volumes are kept under control.

I play the Blues Deluxe less often. It stays in my studio space and it may never move out of there. I like it a bit cranked in the clean channel with some overdrive from a stomp box with it. I've never cottoned that much to it's clean tone (unlike the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which I also have, which can sound great clean loud, or just a bit loud and has a bit more "blackface sparkle" to it). Both of the Hot Rod Deluxe and the Blues Deluxe that I have have the infamous weird taper on the volume knob: 0 on the volume knob is off and 2 is "the cops have been called by the neighbor." If you're real careful you get a sound around 1 on the volume knob that's not too loud for typical home use, or you can turn down the volume on the guitar (if that doesn't mess with other needs--for example on some guitars that also give one a high cut that you may or may not like). Some folks put a small box in the effects loop of these amps with a volume pot to allow easier adjustment, and I've heard that this may not be so odd on newer versions (both of mine are from the turn of the century).

The Princeton on the other hand is loud enough to play with a non-heavy handed drummer with out being mic'ed. No it's not the amp for down-tuned power chord metal, but twanging out on the low strings of a concert pitch Tele is fine. It's also a one-hand amp to carry around even for this feeble old geezer.

[100LL]

thanks guys!

You all have made strong arguments on both sides ... so convincing in fact that I felt the need to buy them both.

[M Hayden]

A PRRI is a lot of amp for the money. Even with the PC board, it’s still a classic circuit, and there are lots of minor simple mods to widen the already wide range of tones.

[100LL]

Originally Posted by M Hayden

A PRRI is a lot of amp for the money. Even with the PC board, it’s still a classic circuit, and there are lots of minor simple mods to widen the already wide range of tones.

A '64 PRRI hand wired...oh that would be sweet.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by 100LL

thanks guys!

You all have made strong arguments on both sides ... so convincing in fact that I felt the need to buy them both.

I've owned both and used them for recording and live play. I think if you are more of an overdrive/distortion person you would prefer the Blues Deluxe, if you are more of a clean or light overdrive person I think you would be more inclined to go with the Princeton Reverb. If the Princeton has one weakness it's the the overdrive is thin/weak. And it's not just the reissue, I own a hand-built clone of one made by Winnie Thomas (Winfield Amps), it was built with original vintage transformers so it is pretty dead on to an original, and I also have access to two 1965 Princeton Reverbs, which have been perfectly maintained. And although Princetons can be tweaked for a smoother overdrive, I feel they don't do it as well as the Blues Deluxe. I recorded an entire CD with a Blues Deluxe and it has some seriously cool overdrive on it.

All of the guitar parts on this song were recorded through the Blues Deluxe...




Here's the last recording I did with my Princeton Reverb clone...

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by 100LL

thanks guys!

You all have made strong arguments on both sides ... so convincing in fact that I felt the need to buy them both.

You've been AGF'd! .

[rwmct]

Another guy happy with his PRRI. But I don't gig.

[RoyBoy]

100L- I can only echo what the others are saying here: The Blues Deluxe can be a monster of an amp at 40 watts. A lot depends on your situation. Do you live where you can crank an amp to aircraft engine volumes without the police coming to your house? Is your hearing already compromised? I don't have a BDRI but I do have a Deluxe Reverb (22watts) and even out in my stand-alone shop, it rarely gets above 3.

The Princeton Reverb Reissue (PRRI) has quite a track record. The cleans are absolutely to die for if you like that classic Blackface Fender tone. In the last several years, Fender has released several special editions (see Musician's Friend and Sweetwater) that come stock with a 12" speaker and 15 watt output. This format has narrowed the gap between the Princeton and the Deluxe. I have one of these and put a Celestion Cream alnico speaker in it. The sound is really big, rivaling the Deluxe, and the breakup is glorious. A speaker can make a lot of difference. Both my tele and my strat love the PRRI.

As someone who's just getting into electrics, you're going to learn a lot and your tastes may change. I made the mistake of starting cheap and rebuying: Fender solid state $200> old BJunior $350> then bit the bullet and bought a Deluxe Reverb $1100 (YES!), and finally the Princeton. So in hindsight, I guess my advice would be to buy the better ($$$) amp and avoid rebuying.

If you check some of the forums dedicated to electrics (there are different ones for all 3 of the guitars you're considering) you'll find plenty of threads comparing amps. Enjoy the adventure!

[100LL]

Well I got the PRRI home yesterday and fired it up this morning.

Had a hum initially but I got that figured out. Just needed to clean a few contacts. I pulled the first tube, used a little contact cleaner, reinserted and it's running great. Now to play!