1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Make it loud here.
Post Reply
User avatar
dltinter
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:34 am

1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by dltinter » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:41 pm

I just  picked up a 1967 Princeton Reverb and just had to post about the tone of this little amp.
It is light as a feather and sounds great. Anyone else have a opinion of them?

User avatar
pullover
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1477
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 6:31 am
Location: Denton Tx

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by pullover » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:14 am

I had a silverface 76 princeton reverb with tremolo and I loved it. For some reason I thought I wanted a half stack (young and stupid) and I traded it for a Marshall cabinet. If I could go back in time I would slap myself for trading that amp away, they are great. I wish I could afford one now, the price has really gone through the roof.
Why should we buy postage stamps? We can make our own.

User avatar
holy-reverb!!
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:06 pm
Location: Toronto/Oshawa, Canada.

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by holy-reverb!! » Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:58 am

I got a 76 for 80 bucks ten months ago.....

User avatar
pullover
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1477
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 6:31 am
Location: Denton Tx

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by pullover » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:02 am

HOW!!  :o
Why should we buy postage stamps? We can make our own.

User avatar
jetset
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1528
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:45 pm
Location: Baltimore
Contact:

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by jetset » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:47 am

Great amps, but unfortunately, pretty pricy these days.  I looked for years before finding a good deal.  I have a '70 with a 12" baffle. 
I can't hear the forest for all the falling trees.

User avatar
holy-reverb!!
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:06 pm
Location: Toronto/Oshawa, Canada.

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by holy-reverb!! » Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:29 am

A friends older brother had it laying in the basement. He wanted to buy a more powerful amp, so he went for a Line 6. I offered $80. He agreed but said it did not work. I looked at it and found the 5U4 to be shot. I took it and replaced the rectifier. It came with original RCA greyplates and westinghouse 6V6. The 5U4 was an amperex. too bad it was shot. I got it just before my 16 b-day and then a week later I got my bandmaster. What a month.

User avatar
dltinter
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:34 am

Re: 1967 PRINCETON REVERB

Post by dltinter » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:11 pm

I have one also and love it. Thinking about this mod I found on the net:

Blackface Princeton Reverb—A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
My choice for the third amp recommended for small clubs may surprise you—the Blackface Princeton Reverb (1964 through 1967, but once more, a converted Silverface will yield the same results). Yes, you heard me right, a Princeton Reverb! Hey, that’s a practice amp you say, and you’re right, PRs are not widely recognized as gigging amps. However, under the right conditions, this amp will work extremely well in a small room. Like the Deluxe Reverb, Princetons were equipped with an inefficient 10" speaker. Same thing goes with this as with the Deluxe Reverb’s original speaker. Remove it and install a bigger, more efficient 10", or even better by far, get a 12" Jensen reissue or other efficient speaker with a ceramic magnet. Installing a 12" will involve cutting a new baffle board from three-quarter inch plywood, transferring the original grill cloth and saving the original baffleboard just in case you ever want to sell the amp. But believe me when I tell you the extra work and expense are definitely worth it. An efficient 12" speaker in a properly biased and maintained Princeton will change your tone—lovin’ life forever.
Still another option for the Princeton is to use a second cabinet with a larger speaker. My 15" SRO sounds incredibly fine with this amp.

Princeton Voodoo
Now if you really want the best tone from a Princeton, the following modifications will lead you to guaranteed Tone Nirvana.
Princeton Reverbs differ from the other two amps we’ve covered in several respects. There is only one channel, the tremelo functions differently, the phase inverter is unique, and there happens to be a slight inherent mismatch in the phase inverter. Match that up, and while you are at it, blueprint the entire power section by matching all of the components perfectly, using the highest quality parts. Also add two 470 ohm resistors to the screen grids of the 6V6 power tubes, which was a customary practice in all of the bigger Fender amps. Having made these modifications, you will come unglued with the overall sound of your new and improved Princeton Reverb. This slightly modified amp will be virtually twice as loud, way fuller, with significantly fatter tones overall. Couple it with a better speaker and you’ll have an amp that screams unlike any Princeton or Deluxe you’ve ever heard. I recently sat-in with a band using one of my blackface Princeton Reverbs that has a 12" speaker installed and the recommended "blueprinting". I easily held my own on stage with a Hammond B-3 with a Leslie 145, a bass player, and drummer, with the Princeton’s volume set at about "8". Prior to the show, I heard a few snickers that my "little" Princeton would be swallowed up by the rest of the band. At least 10 people approached me afterwards and asked where my big amp was, since I sure couldn’t be getting that great tone out of a Princeton. Imagine their surprise when I showed them the cord between my old Strat and the Princeton (with no stomp boxes). They couldn’t believe it.

Post Reply