• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue or Princeton Reverb Reissue?

tinekastil2

Banned
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Messages
1
It is the age-old question. But I am thinking of one or the other for home/studio use. I want excellent clean blues tone at low volume. I realise I won't be able to overdrive them without a pedal, but that's not an issue. Which one do you recommend for beautiful clear tones with a Strat? Does the Deluxe sound great clean at room level?
 
Last edited:

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,164
It is the age-old question. But I am thinking of one or the other for home/studio use. I want excellent clean blues tone at low volume. I realise I won't be able to overdrive them without a pedal, but that's not an issue. Which one do you recommend for beautiful clear tones with a Strat? Does the Deluxe sound great clean at room level?

Both are amazing amps. For home/studio use the Princeton has enough guts to do the job, but if you want to push more air the Deluxe Reverb can also work. Both are great clean amps IMHO.

Vintage%20Blackface%20Fender%20Amps.jpg
 
Last edited:

fakejake

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
From your description, it sounds like the Princeton would be by far the better fit. I had both for a while and kept the Princeton, as it sounds a lot better at low volumes.
They still can be loud enough for bar gigs with moderate drummers. Jim Campilongo has been gigging with a Princeton for the past 20 or so years... if it is good enough for him, it's good enough for me :peace2.

BTW, if you're after clean sounds, check out the non-reverb Princetons as well. Original black- and silverface ones can be found for just a little more than the reissues. They are an amazing platform for pedals and have even more clean headroom the the reverb version. Great for small gigs!
 

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,164
From your description, it sounds like the Princeton would be by far the better fit. I had both for a while and kept the Princeton, as it sounds a lot better at low volumes.
They still can be loud enough for bar gigs with moderate drummers. Jim Campilongo has been gigging with a Princeton for the past 20 or so years... if it is good enough for him, it's good enough for me :peace2.

BTW, if you're after clean sounds, check out the non-reverb Princetons as well. Original black- and silverface ones can be found for just a little more than the reissues. They are an amazing platform for pedals and have even more clean headroom the the reverb version. Great for small gigs!

Agree with your comments. I often use two Princetons (blackface Princeton Reverb and a brown Princeton) or another small amp along with the Princeton Reverb for gigs. And with many gigs we mic the amps through the PA, so small amps work out just fine. :hank
 

akstrat61

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
1,845
Why not the best of both worlds. I have an original '68 Princeton Reverb that I replaced the baffle to accomodate a 12 inch speaker! Opened up the amp considerably. Won't hold up in a jam unless mic'd. But it gives up the goods for sure! MHO :salude
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,870
If you are going to have "One" with that type of music in mind get something with trem and reverb. Even the big 35/40 watt models sound great at low volume- they sound good at 2-3 and open up at 5-6- but I am very self-conscious about annoying my wife (with guitar playing anyway). But I am talking about old amps- not reissues (as is Mike it appears). Spend the few extra you won't be disappointed- seriously.
One exception is those little brown deluxe fuckers- they have two settings- off and loud- there is a nanometer on the dial in between and whappo it goes to loud.
 

goldtop0

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,919
I've got both reissues(not '65s but Limited run and FSR ones), the Princeton 1x12 was a must for me and I put celestion alnicos in both of them for a bigger sound. These are excellent combos.
If I had to choose just one it'd be the Deluxe for more headroom.
 

Minibucker

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2003
Messages
6,372
I would say that at 'bedroom' levels, like 3-4 on volume, the Deluxe can be a bit brighter and harder on the attack. It has that bright cap and it really only starts to push and compress past 5 on volume...ands by then it's pretty loud unless you turn you guitar way down (which is a great clean sound too). Princetons start to push at a lower overall output volume than the more powerful Deluxe, and IMO is less inherently bright than the Deluxe. Deluxe will obviously have more clean headroom for gigs.

Hard to go wrong with either...and the silver face '68 Custom reissue versions have some options too. The Deluxe in particular has a darker voicing on the 'custom' channel that may suit single-coils well, and still has trem and reverb, with the other channel being the traditional 'vibrato' channel...so maybe check those out too.
 

Steve Craw

Formerly Lefty Elmo
Joined
Sep 9, 2004
Messages
5,292
I've played through reissue Princetons and never liked them as well as a reissue Deluxe Reverb. I've owned the '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue and currently own the newer silverface version. I prefer the silverface version over the '65. I wasn't crazy about the Italian Jensen speaker in the '65, but the Celestion in the silverface version is great! I like reverb and tremolo on both channels. Mostly these days I play my ES-345. It's still stereo-wired, and I use a "Y" cord that goes into the separate channel of the amp. This gives EQ'ing for each pickup separately. Anyway, these are great amps.
 

Mr. Papa

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 14, 2002
Messages
1,418
I would say that at 'bedroom' levels, like 3-4 on volume, the Deluxe can be a bit brighter and harder on the attack. It has that bright cap and it really only starts to push and compress past 5 on volume...ands by then it's pretty loud unless you turn you guitar way down (which is a great clean sound too). Princetons start to push at a lower overall output volume than the more powerful Deluxe, and IMO is less inherently bright than the Deluxe. Deluxe will obviously have more clean headroom for gigs.
Hard to go wrong with either...and the silver face '68 Custom reissue versions have some options too. The Deluxe in particular has a darker voicing on the 'custom' channel that may suit single-coils well, and still has trem and reverb, with the other channel being the traditional 'vibrato' channel...so maybe check those out too.

I agree with this and will just say to me it's not about the difference in volume, but the feel of the amp. The Princeton feels different, probably bc of the phase inverter as much as anything, and you either like that or you like the tighter LTP sound of the deluxe. If it was me I'd have a hard time choosing, because they are both cool, but I would choose the PR. But honestly I would probably choose the '68 custom version, and if I'm really honest I'd choose a 5E3, but that's me...
 

goldtop0

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,919
I find the PR to have a much harder sounding overdrive compared to the DR...........it's more 'acid' on the attack rather than smooth.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,531
I've used my 66 PR since 77. I like DR and used several, but always sold them. The bias trem of the PR is much better and overall I just love them. My main at home and small room recording amp.
 

thin sissy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
2,690
Like already mentioned here, also consider a PR with a 12" (not that the stock setup isn't great as well!).

I built a PR many years ago and put in a 12" alnico Silver Bell, and did a mod called "Stokes mod". This setup is very nice, the breakup is a little less "crazy" like that.

My feeling is that DR is way more popular than PR, but a DR doesn't do what a PR does at around 5 or so. It's a smoothish, sweet, slightly compressed clean sound with an edge. The DR's I've tried seemed a little stiffer (still cool though). And Big Al mentioned the tremolo on the PR, which is to die for :dude:
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
I've never cared for the Blackface Fender amps. I have a 1960 brown Deluxe and a late 1962 brown Princeton. The Princeton was cut out for a 12" speaker when I got it so I put an old poly grey(some say Silver but Celestion referrs to them as Poly Grey) alnico Celestion. Both amps came stock with the same output and power trannys, so since that was the case I put a GZ34 recto and a pair of Mullard EL37's(6L6) in the Princeton. Vastly improved the sound of the amp and I put KT-66's in my Deluxe as well. Both amps sound so much better than any blackface amp. You may want to think about getting one of those Chris Stapleton Princeton's. My first good amp was a brown Princeton that I bought in 1966 for $50.00. I used GE 6L6's in it and a GZ34 for about it's whole life that I had it. Sold it to a former bandmate in 1977 and regretted it not long afterwards..
 

Triburst

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
4,353
Good advice above, especially about the Princetons and the 12" speakers.

That said, look for a good used silverface. They're out there, and they're still a bargain.
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,870
Good advice above, especially about the Princetons and the 12" speakers.

That said, look for a good used silverface. They're out there, and they're still a bargain.

A ‘69-73 DR is a great amp.
 
Top