The 4 Fender Princeton Reissues Comparison - 62 vs 64 vs 65 vs 68
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มิ.ย. 2020
- Shootout between Fender's 4 Princeton Reissues:
1962 Fender Princeton Chris Stapleton Edition Reissue
1964 Fender Princeton Reverb Custom Reissue
1965 Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue
1968 Fender Princeton Reverb 'Reissue' or inspired by.
We're playing the amps using a 1969 Fender Stratocaster, a 2011 Gibson SG Standard, a 2020 Fender Telecaster and a 1973 Fender Stratocaster. The amps are mic:ed by a BeyerDynamic M160 Ribbon mic. - เพลง
Now, Johan has earned a 4 year Princeton degree.
Hahaha! ;-)
I’d love to know how he gets his hands on all this killer and rare gear.
Michael Gracon
So would I, but at least with this group of amps they are all current models in Fender’s lineup. Your local Fender would be thrilled to sell you all four for about $6,000 total.
🤣🤣🤣
Imagine having all four of these and waking up deciding which one you want to play.
This is a phenomenal comparison showing every amp's strengths!
Lol if it’s me, I’m not choosing. Run all these in a big ass 15 watt 4x10 setup 😂
Thanks for the great demo. I appreciate you guys playing chords and letting them ring and simple straightforward runs that allow us the hear the amp’s tone.
Thanks for taking the time to compare these 4 models. After a year of trying to decide, I just picked up a used '68 Custom Princeton- I love it. Btw, Johan , I love the uptempo shuffle at 16:30.
This Has to be some of the best content on all of TH-cam! 👍🏻
That '64 is so killer
Whew, I've had the 68 since it first came out and so I was relieved to see/hear it was my choice of these four. Thanks for the great demo!
ME TOO MAN
Walked away thinking any off them would be just fine! Nice comparison video guys - the format and all. Will never make the mistake of discounting small amps again.
Well done Johan and Simon!
Thanks for a Great comparison and demonstration! Very enjoyable!
Be Well All!
Thanks Steven!
Best Princeton comparison on TH-cam. Well done! All great amps. In other TH-cam videos, in the comments sections people cane the ‘68 against the ‘65. This comparison shows that the ‘68 has a sweet sound. I have a ‘68 on back order which arrives in the next week or two. Can hardly wait.
I liked the 65 best, 68 2nd. I'd go with the 62 if it had reverb.
62 for me without a doubt especially with the SG!
Thanks Tyler!
That combo was tonal bliss.
These are great sounding amps! Presentation was perfect!
Terrific! Thank you for taking the trouble to make a comprehensive review.
I'll take the 68,thank you very much!!! Another BRILLIANT post, Johan. Thank you !!!
I’m with you 68 for the win!
Thanks Graham, great to hear that!
Great video too!! So good to hear these all lined up like that.
Johan, thank you for your videos you make videos for every question in the amp world I have!!!!
I love my Princeton 65 reissue, sounds fabulous with/without pedals. absolutely best money ever spent...
Agree 100% = those gorgeous "Cleans"
Agreed
I'm looking forward to buying one some day soon
One of the best comparison videos you've done
Simple
The 64 does it for me
Thanks johan
62 is the absolute best one here! Great tones, amazing amp.
great video - you've done an excellent comparison with the sound tests 🙂
I think the 64 came out best overall. Great video - thanks guys.
You do the best comparison videos on TH-cam.
Thanks my friend!
Damn. '64 for me! EPIC comparison. Thank you for the attention to detail and fair mic placement.
Thanks! Great to hear that
I have a 65 reissue with a 12" Creamback. Man I love this little amp 🥰
Great comparison video Johan 👍
So nice!! If I had to choose the 62 then the 68 custom for me. They seemed to have the most presence and the overdriven tones were very much to my liking
The 62 is the most different sounding of the 4 which makes it the coolest and especially when you add in the Tremolo. The 64 and 65 are basically the same thing and a speaker change can make either one right for anyone’s taste. The 68 comes in last in my opinion but id take any of them! They’re all fantastic amps!!
Preferred the 62 as well but with no reverb… :-(
It would have been interesting to hear them all from the same speaker/cab. I have a weber 10a150 in my 65RI and it made it sound much better. Thanks, I love your videos
Thanks David! Im glad to hear that!
The 65 sounds the worst to me and I wondered how much that had to do with the speaker
Great video. Thanks for this. I have a 65RI, but I’ve put a 12” Celestion Greenback in it. Sounds massively great. Hated the stock 10” Jensen. Far too scooped, harsh highs and the bottom is flubbery. It’s a great amp, but the stock speaker really lets it down.
The ‘62 brown face sounds incredible in this video.
Thanks Jon, yeah I bet it sounds great with a Greenback.
If you ever get the chance, a JBL D120f in a PR is the best true fender tone. I have a modded PR I built. Tried several different 12s Celestion Eminence Jensen and stopped at the D120, loud, warm, bright, but not harsh. Think Toy Caldwell, Marshall tucker band.
Idiots the blueback fender speaker is what makes those blackface amps legendary!
Jon, so to put a 12" speaker in place of the 10" did you cut the cabinet hole to a larger diameter? Except for the price, I would go with the '64, but I'm considering the '65 reissue.
@@StealthParrot yeah that’s what I did. You need to have a bigger hole in the board to accommodate the bigger speaker. It changes the amp for the better in my opinion. Although there are some fantastic 10” speaker options out there too that are superior to the stock Jensen (again, in my opinion). I think Celestion even do a 10” Greenback now?
Did an experiment...didn't watch, just listened while reading something on another tab...I flipped back to the video whenever something caught my ear...every time it was either the '64 or the '62 - mostly the latter...I love the dry, earthy tone of that amp...but, I have to say, not $2000 worth of love
Great job!!
Thanks!
Honestly, they should cost even more. They are that good.
The 64’ WINS...... with the 68’ coming in 2nd!
Great sounding amps! I'm glad I went with the 68, it's incredibly sweet but it can get pretty gnarly.
That was an excellent comparison! I really like the way you laid it out on the screen. I kept wondering how they would compare using the same speaker. I know that isn’t a true comparison of how they are sold, but almost everyone I know changes the speaker for an Eminence or a Celestion.
I have the 62 and my mate has the 64. We set them up in a wet - wet rig the other day. The two amps together is amazing with or without pedals. I am going to update my pedal board so we can try it as a wet - dry rig and see how that sounds. I assume it will sound HUGE. Johan, I think you should consider doing a video with the 62 and 64 as wet - dry rig. that would be fun.
Digging the 64 and 65. Full tilt reverb on the 65 sounds awesome. Thank Johan!
Thanks! Yeah the reverb on full on the 65 is still very usable
Un verdadero lujo escuchar estos tesoros. GRACIAS!!
Well, now I understand what the Vox AC was there for at Austin City Limits: Reverb! His guitar sounded HUGE on the recording I saw of "I Was Wrong", and it had all the reverb in the world on it, lol. First time I saw that video, I almost came out of my chair- "THAT'S IT!!!! THAT'S THE FREAKING SOUND!!!" (in my head) ALL of these sounded pretty good, but it really showed the difference between the 10" speakers in the 64,65, and 68, and the 12" Eminence in the 62. Played side by side, it stuck out like a sore thumb- VERY different midrange response- and it sounded more open, too.
Now, to get one of those spring reverb units to go with it...
Right after you said " let's go " -
that first riff... Tone and all-
I sang out-
" No Matter What You Are...."
Badfinger all the way*
Those all sounded as I expected-
Really good!- 😉👍🏻
Thanks Jamie ;-)
with the nob settings the 65 serves the best form light to heavy playing and only a 69 baseman or 55 baseman blows it away !!!no wonder we love these sounds as the settings and break up are so precise most will never understand if they are not in studio and the live audience can never appreciate that!!!! let alone non HD youtube. great job Johan as usual love what you do
Thanks Magnus, glad to hear it!
Love the playing that starts around 13:25 with the 65 displaying its sweetness. My favorite is the 64 followed by the 65. I expected that I would like the 68 the most when driven but was not the case. I have a 65 which I play at home and every time I think about swapping out the speaker I hesitate because the Jensen sounds nice clean on low volume. Not sure what speaker would get in the sweet spot at such a low volume as the stock speaker. I think it's a great amp for home use.
I like each of them, except the 65 reissue. Each has its own unique qualities. The 62 and 68 would record well overdriven together dual and quad tracking. The 64 I think overall is best if only using one.
I really like the stapleton model 62 pushed the most I think
Almost my thoughts exactly!
Best review i ever seen😳. Presentation was excellent.
They all have there place. I own the 68 definitely got bass. Looking for a pedal to kick it in creamy distortions. For 90s rock/grunge. Gonna try the Big muff/ Ts9 combo🤷🏽♂️
Yes Princetontation is excellent lol Man they sound very close to my 61 I picked up recently
Great speaker comparison. Looks like the Alnico speaker was the favorite. The amps were cool too!
Dude, thank you for this!!
The order of best to worst changes depending on the guitar and what is being played. I will say that the 68 has a really excellent clarity that is present throughout the entire video.
Hi, Johan!
I was late today - I was checking out the Squier Tele like yours, and I was very impressed!:-)
A liked 64 and 68, but with SG 62 is very interesting. I think, I was taking the 68. To much vintage amps is not so easy to play, and 64 - maybe it was my spoiler, it was the first one. I remember, Cahaneman & Tversky said, it's making a kind of bias... You know,,:-) So, 68!!!
See you!
Z.
Cheers Zigfrid!
Not sure about others, but I was sad when the video ended. This was a nice musical/sound journey and I was ready for more :D Thanks for doing all this work.
My only OCD comment was that I wished the amps were in chrono order ... don't know why, we'd have to ask my subconscious about that. On second thought, let's not.
62 Stapleton by far for me. Planned on getting it already, but confirmed it more. good comparison
seems to me the the difference in the amps is mostly about the speakers. It would be great to hear them all through the same cab.
💯👍
Yep, this.
Came here hoping to find this comparison.
The 64 and the 62 are hand wired. I don’t pay any attention to arguments about sound differences, but hand wiring definitely makes future maintenance easier and means those amps will be able to be kept going for decades, just like the originals.
My ( actual) 64 has a 12" speaker. Makes such a difference. Big enough for most indoor venues.
The 64 hw is killer. The 62 is nice too, more mid focused. Great reverb in the 64.
Own a 65 Reissue which I've had for 15 years-ish (which I do run with a bunch of pedals), but 68 raw sounds best to my ears in this. Great shootout guys.
So if you wanted a hauling-around Princeton, plug in, crank and go anyplace, it would be the '68?
I liked this video before it even started... trying to decide between these four for a while, but no shop around me sells any of them.
Thanks Oliver! Glad the video is put to some good use!
64 / 68 sounding the most alive to me. Lovely tone from both amps.
Great video!
I have a 65 I have used for past 3 years, I like it but the 64 has much nicer drive, what a difference!
64 was clear favourite for me, then 65, then 68 which sounded thin, and the worst was the 62 which sounded really dead and dull to me, no treble or chime.
Thanks David!
They all sound beautiful in their own way !!!
Thanks! Would be also great to know the settings of each amp.
I own a 68 with the celestial greenback 30W 10” speaker. It’s some kind of FSR a Limited Edition in surf green. That amp is amazing, especially when paired with Jazzmaster. Such rich tone! They all sound really good, but the 64 wins on this stage. The Stapleton has headroom, but lack of Reverb on that model kind of blows.
I have a Silverface. Always wondered what a Greenback would sound like in it. Can you give me a brief description compared to the stock setup? Many thanks for your time.
I like the Chris Stapleton model. The 12 inch speaker helps with fullness.
An amazing video!
Awesome video!!! If I had to pick one, 64 sounds most versatile. However if $$ wasnt an issue, I would buy 62 and 65 and that would cover so many tones!
Each unique, but pure Fender tone from all. 64 is the standout, I think.
My God! Simons strat sounds amazing.
Yeah it’s a killer guitar
Thanx man!
Yeah the 65 does sound thinner in comparison, but paired with the strat, while playing mellow n sweet on the cleaner examples, to me it also seemed to have more clarity, like that true fender sparkle, that ive always sought after. As for more bottom end and warmth, i assume from what ive read here that this can easily be adjusted later on (if needed) with other speaker options, or maybe even a 12"?
What do youse think?
...my main interest is to acheive the glassy, fender sparkle from the pairing of a Strat playing clean with reverb and maybe a little vibrato. I usually use the neck or out of phase bridge/mid p'ups for clean n mellow or sweet.
Also could an EQ pedal in front of it bring the bottom end and warmth the others have without losing that beautiful sparkle?
In that respect alone, i feel some of the others sounded like they had a blanket thrown over them, blocking the sparkle (somewhat), compared with the 65.
My intentions are mostly home use, and maybe some small open mic jams at most.
And if i want to Rock it, instead of using just its natural breakup, i would more likely boost it with a Boss SD1 drive in front of it, or a JCM800 style gain pedal, as i Rock Hard!
...but also love mellow n crisp sweet.
From best to worst (in my opinion) 64, 62, 65, 68. Thanks for the video Johan!
Thanks Ivan
They're all great but my ear prefers the 64 for clean and the 62 driven. thx
I just ordered a used ‘68 FSR which comes with a better speaker (G10 vs the ten 30). Can’t wait to try it!
They all sound so different! I wonder how much of that is because they each have a different speaker. The only one I wasn't sold on was the '68. It seemed a little sharp/harsh, and its overdrive sounded a bit untidy. I suspect that a change of speaker might change everything, though. Really interesting test! You must be great friends with your local music stores, because you seem to always manage to assemble amazing collections of gear for these comparisons!
Thanks man, this is Simons store actually.
I could be wrong on this, but I do believe the circuits of the ‘64, ‘65, and ‘68 are all identical. Only difference between them is the speaker choice, and the HW circuit on the ‘64.
I think if you could only have one amp for all guitars, the 64 sounds like the most versatile across the board. It sounds pretty dang good with any of the combinations.
Man they all sound so good and so different. I have a modded 68. Thinking i can justify getting another?! That 62 sure sounds tasty! That 64 is sweet too, and maybe the better investment than the 65?. Love princetons!
Thank you for this Johan! Live, I play the 65 and 62 in tandem, and they complement each unbelievably well, with lows and highs coming from the 65 and all the singing midrange from the 62. Super combination, and sound guys love it too! As many have done, I put a 12inch 20W Greenback in the 65. I also switched the stock speaker in the 62 to a 15W Celestion Blue. The one it came with overemphasises the midrangy character of the amp in my humble opinion. My absolute favourite recording amp!
I preferred the tone of the 64 but I am surprised at how close the 68 came to it in comparison to the 65. Serious bang for your buck. I’d buy one if i needed another Princeton.
How many people do you think buy the '65 because it's the one you're "supposed" to get? Obviously it's subjective and personal taste goes a long, long way. In a blind sample how many do you think would still choose the '65 without YT telling them it's the one? I'm biased, I just bought the '68, but I bought after trying the '65 and '68. As far as those go, money wasn't an issue choosing, pure dynamics and character. The '65 just sounded so boring by comparison. I personally don't use pedals that often, I have some, some great ones too but with kids, I don't get a lot of time to play so an amp with its own flavor stands higher for me. Anyways, I prefer the '68 and was set to buy the '65 because it's what YT says is the superior PRRI. In person I didn't feel like it lived up to that hype.
62, 68, 64 then the 65, to my ears. Thanks for the demo
Played a 64 Custom Reissue a few months ago. Normally, I'm a British amp guy, but the 64 Princeton might be the best sounding amp I've ever played.
Another fantastic video. I like the 64...sounds great. Just curious on your thoughts about speakers. .I use to record using 4x12 cabinets...but I'm finding better results with open back single speaker combo amps...do you prefer 10" or 12" speakers for recording?
Thanks again for the great video.
Mark Anthony K
Projekt Gemineye
Thanks Mark! I often combine a 4x12 often a vintage 1960A with an open 1x12 often a 1933 cab with a vintage G12H30 55Hz. The 4x12 is often hard to fit in the mix due to all the low mid. You can also a 4x12 with only one speaker to make it fit better. Check this one out
th-cam.com/video/Aba8WaCz_Dg/w-d-xo.html
Cheers
@@JohanSegeborn Hi Johan. ..thank you so much for your comment...I will check out this video suggestion right away.
Thanks again
Mark Anthony K
Projekt Gemineye
64 for me very well rounded ...65 Reverb was stunning ...62 got a very different low end ...great tones gentlemen ....cool
Thanks Gerry!
@@JohanSegeborn what rectifier tube does the 62 have?
Outstanding comparison!!! '64 wins in most sound clips. 62 has best tremolo though.... Thanks!!!!
62 then 68 (I own this actually) then 64 and 65. Lovely video, thanks.
Thanks Angel!
I had an original ‘62 for many years and disliked it because it was kind of cold and dark and didn’t have the top end chime of the BF/SF. I can really hear it here. I now have a ‘65 RI and like it much better but new they are riduculously bright until they get some hours on them. Great vid!
Thanks Roland!
I'm more of a Tweed or Silverface guy, but that 64 has got a little bit of everything. Impressive!
I really like it too
Hell yeah! GR8 VIDEO!
Thought I would rank 62 - 64 - 65 - 68 but after this great comparison would go 64 - 68 - 62 - 65 (with some waffling '62 vs '65) I very much like Chris Stapleton's sound but was disappointed in the '62. '64 definitely takes it for me. Thanks Johan & Simon
The 65 and 68 reissues are not just the same amp with different cosmetics, there are actual real differences and you can hear it clearly when you play them!
he was saying the 68 reissue is mostly similar to a 1968 Princeton in cosmetics not that it was the same as the 65. like he said tho, still a great amp
@@DJG016That ain't what he said.
Man that's so great you've shot this video! Can you compare the fender handwired 64 princeton to deluxe? Would really-really appreciate it a lot!
Thanks Bobby! Yeah we’ll do that too in a couple of months. Cheers
Johan Segeborn , thank you, sir!
wow the 'verb in the '64 PRRI... surf's up boyz
Love your experiments Johan. Would love to see you do more fender amplifiers particularly the twin reverbs. It’s such a crazy loud amp but there’s so many simple mods you can do to them. I hate traveling with it. They’re back breakers lol. The high head room and tailoring my over drive tones through effects always appealed to me.
Thanks John, yeah Twins are great amps
Is the '68 the one w/ the special XFMR's? (On mine they tout the 'Schumachers)
cheers
I haven’t heard of it I’m afraid. Cheers!
They all sounded stellar. Must have one of each. God bless and rock on 😎🎸👍
Thanks J!
Great review ... but now I am more confused than ever!!! LOL
Thanks for the comparison Johan! I just bought a used 65 model, didn’t like the speaker at all, and the next day bought the speaker that’s in the 64, gonna put it in soon, maybe tomorrow. From what I gather that makes the biggest tonal difference and should bring it pretty close to the 64’s tone, ...I hope lol
How are you liking your 65 with the upgraded speaker... thinking about doing the same thing.
@@notthisnotthat I’ve only done one rehearsal with it, then went through a bunch of drive pedals to see which ones work best and found several that sounded great. I like it much better than the stock speaker which I didn’t like. Still need to use it more extensively though
64 and 65 work best for the classic fender cleans, the 62 had a british vibe when really overdriven, also the 68 wasn't bad. I'd probably go withe the 64.
Is the ovrrdrive all-amp?
Yeah it’s all amp. No pedals
Nice comparison! I really enjoyed watching it. I have a PRRI 65 myself. Just out of curiosity, I decided to swap the speaker for a Jupiter 10 LC, which was a huge difference. Not better, but different. Way more clean headroom (quite logically) and fuller. The stock Jensen C-10R may sound a bit stiff in comparison, but in a busy mix it just cuts, as it favours the transients in a very nice way. It sounds "wiry" (as in "wire") and clangy in a way. These are such flexible little amps. If you have any of them... try different speakers. I'm getting a Blue Alnico and a Creamback next :)
10" Celestion Gold is the best speaker in the 65 reissue IMO. Def makes it a better amp.
Is it possible to put 4 x 12in greenbacks into your
wall and make your house a cabinet?
Hahaha! A great idea! ;-)
Yeah, leave the patio doors open and it's an open back.
Could you do a comparison of one of these to a mesa/boogie subway blues? I'm curious as to how they would compete
The two black faces were my favourites... I feel like the 68 would be a great amp with a different speaker, maybe a ceramic jensen to brighten it a little
I have one and agree. Slightly brighter woudl be a bit better.
Was it the 62 that was the platform for Mesa? I wonder If the tonal differences are mainly generated thru the speakers?
Oh yes they are. Mechanical factors beat electronic ones by twenty to one.
This is a tough comparison…. As has been stated elsewhere, SPEAKER choice is a BIG VARIABLE.
This demo was excellently done….. qualifying mic placement, knob settings and even guitars…. But … although this mig(t be a “ stock from the retailer ( or from fender) “ comparison…. For Amplifier SPECIFIC comparison, the identical speaker would have made the demo / experiment more pure…. Because we ALL still have the same question…. “ how much of what we heard was amp…. And how much was speaker”
GREAT INITIAL ATTEMPT…. BUT WE WOULD ALL …REALLY APPRECIATE… THE IDENTICAL DEMO/ comparison…. Using only one speaker…. Or ….?
Thanks a ton for a great demo
I see the 68 as more of a Vintage Modified. I have the Deluxe version. All of them sound great buddy!
Thanks Tyler, that’s a good characterization
That’s exactly how Fender markets the 68 amps. They don’t consider them reissues.
Sort of think I would go for the 68 silverface in all the situations.
The difference between 64 and 65 is quite amazing. I can't say I dig the 65. If I could choose 2 out of them, I'd go for 64 and 62. Thank you Mr. Segeborn.
Thanks Gökhan!
Same
It would be interesting to know what the speakers, tubes, capacitors, etc. are in each of these. The 64 to my ear sounds better in every case and is much more expensive.. speakers and other component upgrades made to the 65 and 68 can make a huge difference. I doubt it's just hand wiring that's responsible for the difference. And having said all that if you played any of these amps by themselves they'd all sound good after you've set the EQ to your liking.
64 for me. Wow, how big is your collection of gear. Very cool.