Thanks, Lyle, for another outstanding video on a Princeton! I now have a 72 Princeton Non-Reverb, which I bought after returning my Chris Stapleton Signature due to ongoing issues. This is the 2nd non-reverb I've owned, and it's absolutely incredible! TY for your response to my question a while back that helped me make the decision to return the Stapleton!!! Looking forward to Part 2.
Tube Nerd Fun fact - RCA never tooled up to produce a 5AR4. If you see a RCA labeled 5AR4/GZ34 it’s a GE, Sylvania or Mullard(and Japanese in the very late 70’s/early 80’s). Happy Independence Day!
I have a Sylvania that still works very well after 40 years of banging the plank at almost full volume. Get a good Set of valves and once you get the amp sounding the way you like and then leave it alone and just make Music.
@@PsionicAudio, if I remember correctly, in addition to the 6 character Mullard date and mfg code etched on the glass close to the bakelite base, they typically have a hole in the bottom of the plastic locating pin, and the side edges of the seam where the plates are joined may show a strip of bright copper. Plates are usually welded together, and the seam edges may be scalloped instead of straight.
A Japanese 5AR4 may have a cross pattern molded into the top of the glass bulb. I've think I've seen this on Japanese EL84's too, and perhaps on some Amperex Bugle Boy tubes. Maybe they used some of the same tooling or parts,/glass suppliers.? When the major European tube manufacturers closed shop, they may have sold some of the machinery to China, Russia ( a short trip) or Japan. Here in America we probably just scripped scrap the machines because it would have been a major hassle to ship them out of the country....
@@giulioluzzardi7632 Those old big bottle Sylvania 5AR4’s are tanks! I think they’re better than the Mullard GZ34’s, especially in their overload capacity and heat dissipation. They sure are easier on the wallet in NOS form.
The wonderful thing about Fenders, cuz Fenders are wonderful things. The Princeton doesn't really need Reverb, cuz we've got pedals that don't need a spring!
@@EmtonGuitars Absolutely! We're a quiet bunch though and tend to hide out in workshops, lumberyards, and are otherwise generally found messing about in boats.
You’re not missing out on anything. Non-reverb Princetons are pretty boring and uninspiring amps compared to the reverb models. They don’t have the extra gain stage.
Happy 4th Lyle 😎 . . . I have a '65 Princeton RRI and would like to have one of these older Princeton's w/o the reverb . . . but at today's prices, I can't afford one . . .
If you want a strong sounding 10" speaker, check out an Eminence Ragin Cajun. I generally prefer 12" speakers, but Im pretty impressed with the Ragin in my friend's Princeton Reverb @@tomk1tl39
I have a '69 Drip Edge PR. I was dialing in the bias last night. It as a 100uF 100V bias cap. I've read that a higher mfd value can fill slower and cause issues on start-up. Any truth to this? I ordered a a 50mfd, but I'll leave the F&T 100mfd if there's no issue. I did replace the original diode and resistor (3W metal oxide).
@@PsionicAudio thanks. Gonna replace. Too quick of a job to not do it. The F&T looks older than newer and I’d rather do it at the same time as the cathode bypass and filter caps.
I've noticed this in a couple of videos and I've been meaning to ask, what's the issue with ground lugs being bolted to the chassis under the trafo bolt? Why does it need a separate bolt?
Transformer metals heat and cool at different rate than chassis metals. This can cause expansion. This can cause shrinkage. And shrinkage makes the nuts loose. Add in weight/vibration and it’s extremely common for the nuts to become loose. The chassis can even deform with heavy transformers, speeding up the process. So this makes for unreliable grounds.
I really enjoyed this channel (although a lot of the technical stuff is way over my head-I'm happy if I can wire one of my pots...)*this question is for anyone who's willing to answer: I have a roughly 2014 4x10 Deville. . It's definitely loud enough so I think the power tubes are good... And it sounds good w/ distortion pedal (or when I turn it up to 11).**but, when I do not have it cranked, it has this high pitched kind of ringing sound almost like I have the treble on 12 (the EQ and presence both on the amp and my guitar does barely anything to change it)... Also I thought the reverb tank was broken but then it started working perfectly about a week after I got it (had it for about 2 months) and now it just cut out again... So I'm thinking a loose connection? Should I try changing the preamp tubes? I don't think any of the tubes have ever been changed... The power tubes get nice and hot I can feel it and it has plenty of power.. but unless I have it turned all the way up it has this annoying ringing that at first I thought was the speakers but now I'm starting to have my doubts... I have a good guitar guy that's been around since the 60s but he's not very familiar with Fender amps he's more of a marshall guy... Any suggestions I'd be happy.. I live in northeastern Ohio and I don't really know any good amp repair people... .. plus I'm broke as hell.. Mr. Psionic: if I ever make it as a singer-songwriter I promise to donate to your channel LOL (and I enjoyed your recent chat on 5 watt world)
Like I know it's so embarrassing people are probably thinking :"just get a better amp" but I really wanted that bassman soundI decided to get one and spent the rest of my money on it because I new if you play these through good speakers they sound really good... I knew they had kind of crappy speakers... But my long-term plan was to get a second Marshall cab (my current one is one of the good older ones that's 16ohm- need 8).. like I have played enough crappy amps to know this one is good it wants to sound good there's just something a little off with it.. I just don't know amps well enough to tell if it's a tube, a loose connection, a fuse,... or All the above... Like I said, it'll do cranked Sabbath... But nothing below 75% volume sounds decent on either channel.
This bias trem doesn’t work as well at higher wattages (it can be addressed a bit but there are limitations) and there can be artifacts at some settings. And it’s softer than opto - so the opto had more gee whiz appeal when it came out.
You also can run into trade offs between tremolo and power tube bias with fixed bias amps like this. You really need adjustable bias - someone added that here earlier - to find the sweet spot. I agree that this sounds better than the roach. I built a Super Reverb derivative a while back but used bias vary tremolo. It worked fine and sounded GREAT, but it took a while to find the happy spot for the power tube bias. The guy I built it for loved the tremolo, and his son owned an original 1965 Super Reverb with the roach circuit in it.
Any recommendations for an el84 tht will last longer than 6,7 months or is there something about my amp thts causing short power tube life . Thank you very much .
I’m betting that you have a Blues Jr. eh? 😝 The bias is set WAY too high from the factory. Adding a trim pot to cool the bias down is easy … in theory. Unfortunately those amps are built so cheaply, going inside to do anything risks causing other problems.
A bit of interesting trivia I learned from another video today: CBS paid more to buy Fender than they paid for another of their recent acquisitions ---- the New York Yankees! 🤣 (As to which one was mistreated more by their new corporate masters, I can't say, not being a sports fan).
I thought if it said Fender Electric on the front it is ‘64 or ‘65. If it says Fender Musical on the front it is ‘66 or ‘67. So (perhaps with a few exceptions) it ain’t a ‘65 if it says Fender Musical. Most blackface Fenders say Fender Musical. There seem to be a ton more ‘66 and ‘67 than ‘65. ‘64s are pretty rare in comparison. FWIW I own three ‘66-‘67s: Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux. I had an non-reverb ‘66 Princeton and found it to be very underwhelming.
I’m not sure when they changed to Musical. I know the change started in ‘65 but when it rolled out, did they use up all the old ones first, etc, I don’t know. At the beginning I said ‘65 or ‘66 knowing that it would be ‘65 at the earliest. And wouldn’t feel bad it if was ‘67. The insides didn’t change during this time.
pass on that rig. Too many non original parts. Also, never wanted the princeton without reverb. Why, if you can get an all original. Don’t like when techs replace all the analytics and caps. My guy will only replace what is absolutely needed. Techs want to eliminate all possibilities so they replace things that dont need replacing. Likewise with tubes, n order to eliminate any possible variables they replace all the tubes. I want it as close to what it was original as possible. No mods, no new speakers…. the original speakers are available if you search. At inimum have the originals reconed.
@@BradsGuitarGarage example…new JJs vs. 3/4 burned millard pre amp tubes…one sounds good the other is sunshine raining down on u from heaven…and caps? someone is too lazy to check each and every value…one is bad…replace all
"Flathead screws need to go away from our existence." Amen and Amen sir !!
The fact you called the guy who used a flathead and 'a$$hole' really made me chuckle
That speaker sounds great in that amp. The Tremolo is fab! Nice job.
I have a really clean 66 Princeton myself. I love it !!!
Happy 4th Lyle. Very nice amp.
Thanks, Lyle, for another outstanding video on a Princeton! I now have a 72 Princeton Non-Reverb, which I bought after returning my Chris Stapleton Signature due to ongoing issues. This is the 2nd non-reverb I've owned, and it's absolutely incredible!
TY for your response to my question a while back that helped me make the decision to return the Stapleton!!! Looking forward to Part 2.
Princetons sound soooo beautiful !
That's a nice sounding Princeton!
A nice clean amp. I would call those screws single slot. Thanks for posting.
As a good Canadian, I think all screws should be Robertson! 🙃
Sweet amp, in really great shape.
Nice to see this one, as I have a 1966 Princeton Amp myself.
That could be the ultimate bedroom amp.
It is the ultimate recording amp .
Tube Nerd Fun fact - RCA never tooled up to produce a 5AR4. If you see a RCA labeled 5AR4/GZ34 it’s a GE, Sylvania or Mullard(and Japanese in the very late 70’s/early 80’s).
Happy Independence Day!
That would explain why it looked just like the RCA labeled one in another ‘60s Fender here. ;)
Thanks Matt.
I have a Sylvania that still works very well after 40 years of banging the plank at almost full volume. Get a good Set of valves and once you get the amp sounding the way you like and then leave it alone and just make Music.
@@PsionicAudio, if I remember correctly, in addition to the 6 character Mullard date and mfg code etched on the glass close to the bakelite base, they typically have a hole in the bottom of the plastic locating pin, and the side edges of the seam where the plates are joined may show a strip of bright copper. Plates are usually welded together, and the seam edges may be scalloped instead of straight.
A Japanese 5AR4 may have a cross pattern molded into the top of the glass bulb. I've think I've seen this on Japanese EL84's too, and perhaps on some Amperex Bugle Boy tubes. Maybe they used some of the same tooling or parts,/glass suppliers.? When the major European tube manufacturers closed shop, they may have sold some of the machinery to China, Russia ( a short trip) or Japan. Here in America we probably just scripped scrap the machines because it would have been a major hassle to ship them out of the country....
@@giulioluzzardi7632 Those old big bottle Sylvania 5AR4’s are tanks! I think they’re better than the Mullard GZ34’s, especially in their overload capacity and heat dissipation. They sure are easier on the wallet in NOS form.
I briefly owned one of these. Paid $350 for it in 2000. Letting it go is one of the biggest regrets of my life :-)
Mahalo Lyle. Happy 4th of July!
The wonderful thing about Fenders, cuz Fenders are wonderful things. The Princeton doesn't really need Reverb, cuz we've got pedals that don't need a spring!
Beautiful specimen.
Happy holidays my antipodean buddies!
GET A DOG UP YA GUTZ!
There are legions of wooden boat builders that will disagree on the idea of flathead screws disappearing.
There are legions of boatbuilders?
@@EmtonGuitars Absolutely! We're a quiet bunch though and tend to hide out in workshops, lumberyards, and are otherwise generally found messing about in boats.
Happy 4th Lyle!
Mornin, Lyle. Happy 4th!
I would love to send you the ‘74 Deluxe Reverb that I just picked up.
It sounds great
Flatheads can stay on 50's Teles though. Happy 4th!
Yes please.
Happy 4th, Lyle. I want one of these amps. I'm always looking for one in this condition at a fair price they have gotten so expensive.
You’re not missing out on anything.
Non-reverb Princetons are pretty boring and uninspiring amps compared to the reverb models.
They don’t have the extra gain stage.
What a beauty
Thanks
did Lyle just call someone an asshole? 🤣
Happy 4th Lyle 😎 . . . I have a '65 Princeton RRI and would like to have one of these older Princeton's w/o the reverb . . . but at today's prices, I can't afford one . . .
The reverb version sounds subjectively better to most, including me. Your RI should be a very good sounding amp if it has the right speaker.
@@PsionicAudio I installed new F&T caps and did the reverb wiring mod to V2 . . . looking for a good spkr for the RI . . . any ideas ?
If you want a strong sounding 10" speaker, check out an Eminence Ragin Cajun. I generally prefer 12" speakers, but Im pretty impressed with the Ragin in my friend's Princeton Reverb @@tomk1tl39
th-cam.com/video/5XpSR_NMMTw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=h95ccAH3DNXjxBzs
I have a '69 Drip Edge PR. I was dialing in the bias last night. It as a 100uF 100V bias cap. I've read that a higher mfd value can fill slower and cause issues on start-up. Any truth to this? I ordered a a 50mfd, but I'll leave the F&T 100mfd if there's no issue. I did replace the original diode and resistor (3W metal oxide).
The 100uF is fine but that’s pretty much max.
@@PsionicAudio thanks. Gonna replace. Too quick of a job to not do it. The F&T looks older than newer and I’d rather do it at the same time as the cathode bypass and filter caps.
I've noticed this in a couple of videos and I've been meaning to ask, what's the issue with ground lugs being bolted to the chassis under the trafo bolt? Why does it need a separate bolt?
Transformer metals heat and cool at different rate than chassis metals. This can cause expansion. This can cause shrinkage. And shrinkage makes the nuts loose. Add in weight/vibration and it’s extremely common for the nuts to become loose. The chassis can even deform with heavy transformers, speeding up the process.
So this makes for unreliable grounds.
I really enjoyed this channel (although a lot of the technical stuff is way over my head-I'm happy if I can wire one of my pots...)*this question is for anyone who's willing to answer: I have a roughly 2014 4x10 Deville. . It's definitely loud enough so I think the power tubes are good... And it sounds good w/ distortion pedal (or when I turn it up to 11).**but, when I do not have it cranked, it has this high pitched kind of ringing sound almost like I have the treble on 12 (the EQ and presence both on the amp and my guitar does barely anything to change it)... Also I thought the reverb tank was broken but then it started working perfectly about a week after I got it (had it for about 2 months) and now it just cut out again... So I'm thinking a loose connection? Should I try changing the preamp tubes? I don't think any of the tubes have ever been changed... The power tubes get nice and hot I can feel it and it has plenty of power.. but unless I have it turned all the way up it has this annoying ringing that at first I thought was the speakers but now I'm starting to have my doubts... I have a good guitar guy that's been around since the 60s but he's not very familiar with Fender amps he's more of a marshall guy... Any suggestions I'd be happy.. I live in northeastern Ohio and I don't really know any good amp repair people...
.. plus I'm broke as hell.. Mr. Psionic: if I ever make it as a singer-songwriter I promise to donate to your channel LOL (and I enjoyed your recent chat on 5 watt world)
Like I know it's so embarrassing people are probably thinking :"just get a better amp" but I really wanted that bassman soundI decided to get one and spent the rest of my money on it because I new if you play these through good speakers they sound really good... I knew they had kind of crappy speakers... But my long-term plan was to get a second Marshall cab (my current one is one of the good older ones that's 16ohm- need 8).. like I have played enough crappy amps to know this one is good it wants to sound good there's just something a little off with it.. I just don't know amps well enough to tell if it's a tube, a loose connection, a fuse,... or All the above... Like I said, it'll do cranked Sabbath... But nothing below 75% volume sounds decent on either channel.
Happy Fourth!
I wish I had a box of those 6v6s
Me too those old RCA's were killer tubes.
Tremolo sounds very good, why did they go to the roach
This bias trem doesn’t work as well at higher wattages (it can be addressed a bit but there are limitations) and there can be artifacts at some settings. And it’s softer than opto - so the opto had more gee whiz appeal when it came out.
You also can run into trade offs between tremolo and power tube bias with fixed bias amps like this. You really need adjustable bias - someone added that here earlier - to find the sweet spot.
I agree that this sounds better than the roach. I built a Super Reverb derivative a while back but used bias vary tremolo. It worked fine and sounded GREAT, but it took a while to find the happy spot for the power tube bias. The guy I built it for loved the tremolo, and his son owned an original 1965 Super Reverb with the roach circuit in it.
Any recommendations for an el84 tht will last longer than 6,7 months or is there something about my amp thts causing short power tube life . Thank you very much .
I’m betting that you have a Blues Jr. eh? 😝 The bias is set WAY too high from the factory. Adding a trim pot to cool the bias down is easy … in theory. Unfortunately those amps are built so cheaply, going inside to do anything risks causing other problems.
Maybe a noobie question, but why not clean all of the pots since you have it on the workbench?
What did you spray in the pot to clean it?
A *very* small amount of F5 fader cleaner/lube.
Thanks, Lyle. Always appreciate your responses to my pedestrian questions. Have a safe and happy 4th.
A bit of interesting trivia I learned from another video today: CBS paid more to buy Fender than they paid for another of their recent acquisitions ---- the New York Yankees! 🤣 (As to which one was mistreated more by their new corporate masters, I can't say, not being a sports fan).
hi yaw !!!!
Probably the rwong video to post this in - but what are your thoughts on the SOUND of the '60 era Fender Concert?
Why did the owner send it in?
General checkup. Part two will show why that was a good idea.
I own two 1965 non reverb Princetons just like this, I think I need to disconnect the neg feedback on one and compare
BIG difference! I didn't understand why he said it wasn't doing much
@@jefffree6990 I agree, maybe trying to get people to not add a hole and mod their BF Princeton's?
My ears prefer removing the negative feedback. More “lively”.
I thought if it said Fender Electric on the front it is ‘64 or ‘65. If it says Fender Musical on the front it is ‘66 or ‘67.
So (perhaps with a few exceptions) it ain’t a ‘65 if it says Fender Musical.
Most blackface Fenders say Fender Musical. There seem to be a ton more ‘66 and ‘67 than ‘65. ‘64s are pretty rare in comparison.
FWIW I own three ‘66-‘67s: Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux.
I had an non-reverb ‘66 Princeton and found it to be very underwhelming.
I’m not sure when they changed to Musical. I know the change started in ‘65 but when it rolled out, did they use up all the old ones first, etc, I don’t know.
At the beginning I said ‘65 or ‘66 knowing that it would be ‘65 at the earliest. And wouldn’t feel bad it if was ‘67.
The insides didn’t change during this time.
And I do prefer the reverb version. But this doesn’t suck.
@@PsionicAudio, Does anybody make period-correct replacement face plates for silverface Fenders?
@@PsionicAudio 100% prefer the reverb
remove flathead
OH YEAH ....cheers
pass on that rig. Too many non original parts. Also, never wanted the princeton without reverb. Why, if you can get an all original. Don’t like when techs replace all the analytics and caps. My guy will only replace what is absolutely needed. Techs want to eliminate all possibilities so they replace things that dont need replacing. Likewise with tubes, n order to eliminate any possible variables they replace all the tubes. I want it as close to what it was original as possible. No mods, no new speakers…. the original speakers are available if you search. At inimum have the originals reconed.
@@BradsGuitarGarage example…new JJs vs. 3/4 burned millard pre amp tubes…one sounds good the other is sunshine raining down on u from heaven…and caps? someone is too lazy to check each and every value…one is bad…replace all
@@BradsGuitarGarage “you cant have both”….typical….i pay people well for both….and they deliver.