Fender Princeton Reverb 68 RI vs Deluxe Reverb 68 RI

[JazzmasterJonny]

Hey all,
Last year I had to sell my PRRI due to a financial issue. I've been looking for a used one for a couple of months but had no luck.

My local shop have got a 3 week old '68 DRRI in stock, the guy who had it didn't like it so the shop took it back and are selling it at a great price, cheaper than a new PRRI and not much more than a used one.

So, I know it's louder and has 2 channels but should I go for it or just hold out for a used PRRI.

Has anyone else played both and what did you reckon?

I'm hopefully gonna try it this week but any advice would be great.
Ta

[ifallalot]

I'm in the same conundrum right now.

I'm thinking about splitting the difference and finding one of those FSR 65 PRRIs with the 12

[brucer]

Depends how you want to use it, no? Both are great amps. The PRRI breaks up sooner and sounds a little warmer than the DRRI. It's my favorite all-round amp, but I upgraded the output transformer to tighten up the low end in mine. You might need to reinforce the baffle to get rid of fartiness too if it's an older model. I find I can use the PRRI at home, but still needs an attenuator in the evening when the family is about. Needs to be mic'd when playing out too. The DRRI is LOUD by comparison to the PRRI and WAY LOUD at natural overdrive levels. Sweet when you're there though.

[Arthon]

I find I can use the PRRI at home, but still needs an attenuator in the evening when the family is about. Needs to be mic'd when playing out too.

Not necessary in both case. It depend of what you play, how you play and what kind of speaker you have in the PRRI. You can easily play at home with the stock Celestion speaker (or the Jensen in the 65), except if you want the amp to overdrive. Remember, there is a low input in the amp (Input 2). You can also play in a band with it if you can handle the overdrive and you are not playing very loud music.

My PRRI (FSR with Celestion greenbacl 10") is my go-to amp. I use it all the time at home, and it's the amp I bring when I go jamming with others. Of course, I have bigger amps in my reahersal room that have more juice then my PRRI, but I prefer lugging around my PRRI. Some years ago, I used a PRRI with a Ragin Cajun in a band context with great result. It was LOUD.

For the PRRI vs DRRI debate, neither is better then the other. It depend if you prefer 10" speaker vs 12" speaker and a cleaner amp vs a dirtier amp. I prefer the 10" speaker, the portability and the warmnest of the Princeton, but they are no right or wrong answer.

[marqueemoon]

I'm in the same conundrum right now.

I'm thinking about splitting the difference and finding one of those FSR 65 PRRIs with the 12

Came here to post this. May be hard to find used though.

[JazzmasterJonny]

Thanks for all the info. Seems lots of us lean towards to Princeton...

...anyway I went to the shop today and someone had literally just bought the Deluxe!

So I tried a Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues combo and I absolutely loved it! Apparently they're based on a Princeton circuit but given a bit more gain etc. So to cut a long story short I got the amp. The volume is more manageable than the Deluxe and it has an FX loop with a blend knob which is cool. No tremolo but a nice spring reverb. And it sounds great with my Tele Custom! Love it.