Amp Advice

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Dinghis
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Amp Advice

Post by Dinghis » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:57 pm

Hello all, I have been contemplating purchasing one of the Sweetwater FSR Princeton 1x12s. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ered-tweed

My question is that I already have a Twin Reverb Reissue that is awesome but I can’t turn it up much at all before it is way too loud to use at home. Will the Princeton be enough different than I can turn it up a little and get a little tube grit?

I would be selling off an American Pro Jag to fund it that I haven’t really bonded with. Will that amp likely give me what I am looking for and be different enough from the twin?

Thanks for the help!

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by Singlebladepickup » Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:12 pm

The answer depends on how loud is tolerable for your home. this isn’t the sale section, but I happen to have a delay pedal that has a significant volume drop and slight boost. I’ve used it to crank the tubes and play at reasonable volumes with great success. You can turn the delay time down to unnoticeable and it’s like a cheap attenuator. Pm if interested...

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by oid » Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:28 pm

Singlebladepickup wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:12 pm
but I happen to have a delay pedal that has a significant volume drop and slight boost
A pedal either has attenuation, unity gain, or boost, not two or more. If the the pedal allows you turn up the amp's volume for the same percieved volume, it has attenuation and turning down your guitars volume control will accomplish the same thing, or use any pedal with a volume control if you want to avoid the loss of highs the guitar's volume can inflict.
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Re: Amp Advice

Post by Singlebladepickup » Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:24 pm

Ah my bad. It has attenuation then. I thought it boosted because it sounds a little more broken up with the pedal on at the same approximate volume as if the pedal wasn’t on, i.e. same loudness more gnarly

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by jamietay » Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:39 pm

fender amps have massive headroom. if you are looking for tube grit at low volumes, fender is a bad choice. maybe check out a vox AC4?
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Re: Amp Advice

Post by oid » Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:57 pm

A Princeton is still a loud amp, plenty gig with them, it can rattle windows. For a little grit it may just be fine assuming you do not live with anyone who expects volume levels to remain below a quiet din.

A 1x10 version would like be more suitable, but if you just want it for home, I would just get something champ like and a couple pedals if you need reverb and trem.
Singlebladepickup wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:24 pm
Ah my bad. It has attenuation then. I thought it boosted because it sounds a little more broken up with the pedal on at the same approximate volume as if the pedal wasn’t on, i.e. same loudness more gnarly
That combined with the low output suggests that you either are using a delay not designed for guitar levels or you have something wrong in the output stage.
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Re: Amp Advice

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Nov 29, 2018 9:37 pm

The best low watt amp I’ve tried in a while is a Swart Space Tone. Can be found used for a little less than a PCB reissue Princeton.

Princeton-wise for live use with a band I’d want the 12” but for home use I wouldn’t care.

The Princeton-sized Supro with reverb and trem (I forget the model) is really nice sounding at low volume, but sadly like every new Supro I’ve tried it rattles like mad when turned up.
Last edited by marqueemoon on Fri Nov 30, 2018 6:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by Dinghis » Fri Nov 30, 2018 6:45 am

Thanks everyone, it sounds like I may not accomplish what I want with the Princeton. Maybe an attenuator is my better option.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by wooderson » Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:50 pm

Get a Fryette Power Station, it's technically not an attenuator but a re-amper with an ultra-linear tube output section. Even below 85db it's about as transparent as you can hope for. The feel of volume can't be replaced - low volume is low volume whether it's a 10W amp or 85W - but you get all the dynamics of your big amp that you already know.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by Telemnemonics » Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:12 pm

I just don't think of BF/SF Fender amps for low volume dirt at home.
Orange OR15 on the 7w setting gets nice dirty sounds at lower volume than I can get with dirt pedals into other amps.
Even a 5w Champ is not low volume once turned up to distorted levels.
The OR15 surprised me with how satisfying the low vol dirty sounds are.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by andy_tchp » Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:31 pm

Telemnemonics wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:12 pm
I just don't think of BF/SF Fender amps for low volume dirt at home.
[...]
Even a 5w Champ is not low volume once turned up to distorted levels.
Yep, all of this.

And tranny toasters (attenuators) often sound like shit. Buy a smaller amp.
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Re: Amp Advice

Post by Dinghis » Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:57 pm

Thanks everyone, I’ll look into the Fryette, actually ever heard of that one. I really like the sound of my twin and the big thick sound of it, I just thought a 1x12 Princeton might get me there.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by wooderson » Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:24 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:31 pm
Yep, all of this.

And tranny toasters (attenuators) often sound like shit. Buy a smaller amp.
You have to budget for a good one ($300 for a Tone King Ironman II for under 30W or $600 for a Fryette) but I think an attenuator is generally a better choice than a smaller amp. You're spending just as much for a smaller tube amp that's still going to be too loud for when you have volume concerns.

The only better options for low volume are finding a modeling or solid state amp that you like.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by tele_pathic » Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:22 pm

I had the amp, a Fender PRRI in tweed, 12” Cannabis Rex speaker. I could never bond with it. The reverb and tremolo were...meh. The cleans were incredible and it took pedals very well for breakup at lower volumes. The trem wasn’t as deep as I would have liked, and the reverb was washy after 2.5, 3. Within a few weeks, I sold it and bought a Tungsten Crema Wheat. HOLY COW!!! So for about the same price, I would recommend a 5e3 clone of some kind. I love the 12” speaker, but I just unsatisfied with the PRRI.

If you want a simplified circuit with pure tone, look for a quality 5e3 tweed deluxe that costs about the same. YMMV, of course.

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Re: Amp Advice

Post by marqueemoon » Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:50 pm

tele_pathic wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:22 pm
I had the amp, a Fender PRRI in tweed, 12” Cannabis Rex speaker. I could never bond with it. The reverb and tremolo were...meh. The cleans were incredible and it took pedals very well for breakup at lower volumes. The trem wasn’t as deep as I would have liked, and the reverb was washy after 2.5, 3. Within a few weeks, I sold it and bought a Tungsten Crema Wheat. HOLY COW!!! So for about the same price, I would recommend a 5e3 clone of some kind. I love the 12” speaker, but I just unsatisfied with the PRRI.

If you want a simplified circuit with pure tone, look for a quality 5e3 tweed deluxe that costs about the same. YMMV, of course.
If you have $1K to spend on a amp that can provide good toanz at home volumes the world is yer oyster.

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