68 Custom Princeton Reverb Owners Thread

[Lowspeid]

How does the 75 sound compared to the the 68 CPR and 65 PRRI? I have a 72 MusicMaster Bass amp, but that circuit is kinda weird so I dont know what late 70's Silver faced amps are supposed to sound like

They are both apples, but one is a cosmic crisp, the other is a granny smith. My ‘75 PR is more scooped, but not a ton more than the CPR. It has tighter and more usable bass than the CPR, and “chimmier” highs without being piercing. The thing that I couldn’t get over when I played them all back-to-back was the “clarity, “lushness”, and “sponginess” of the ‘75 campered to the reissues. When I plugged into the ‘75 it sounded like someone took a thick blanket off the amp, and removed a pedal from the chain that “sucks tone” (I was playing straight in, that’s just how I would describe the difference). After I bought it I was able to play it next to a great example of a vintage ‘65 PR that my amp tech owns, and with the same speaker we couldn’t hear a difference other than mine has a slightly “drippier” reverb (which I prefer). The silverface princetons are VERY similar to the blackface versions. I will say that I prefer the tremolo on the ‘68 to any other I’ve played.

My ‘74 MMBA sounds a lot like a tweed deluxe (they are known as a poor man’s Deluxe), so it has a lot if mid-range and can get ragged (in a glorious way) past 4 on the volume dial. The original Oxford died last year so I bought a WGS G12Q (low sensitivity, 20 watt speaker designed for Tweed amps) and it sounds even better! If you haven’t played your MMB and CPR in stereo (I just use my Boss DD-20 as a stereo out), let me know what you think when you do! You might never play mono again!

 

[HolmfirthNJ]

I’ve got the Custom’64 Princeton Reverb which I love - but I love bright - so treble at 7+, bass at 2 - that, I think, is why I don’t think the ‘68 would have suited me, that and the confusion - is it a Princeton, is it a Bassman.

 

[InstantCoffeeBlue]

I’ve got the Custom’64 Princeton Reverb which I love - but I love bright - so treble at 7+, bass at 2 - that, I think, is why I don’t think the ‘68 would have suited me, that and the confusion - is it a Princeton, is it a Bassman.

It's a Princeton Reverb circuit with a couple minor tweaks that can be changed in under an hour by any tech. Personally, I feel the effect of the "Bassman" tone stack is overstated. I've experienced more variation among vintage Princeton Reverbs due to component drift, individual tube characteristics, bias settings etc than one might find between the '65PRRI and the '68CPR played through the same speaker. The speaker is by far the most dramatic part of the equation, and folks have been putting Celestion speakers in Fender amps to do the exact same thing the '68 Custom does for decades.

 

[giogolf]

It's a Princeton Reverb circuit with a couple minor tweaks that can be changed in under an hour by any tech. Personally, I feel the effect of the "Bassman" tone stack is overstated. I've experienced more variation among vintage Princeton Reverbs due to component drift, individual tube characteristics, bias settings etc than one might find between the '65PRRI and the '68CPR played through the same speaker. The speaker is by far the most dramatic part of the equation, and folks have been putting Celestion speakers in Fender amps to do the exact same thing the '68 Custom does for decades.

I couldnt agree more. I think the CPR is just a different flavor or a Princeton, not better or worse.. If anything, I think its actually better for lower volume playing as you get more bass than a PRRI.

 

[giogolf]

They are both apples, but one is a cosmic crisp, the other is a granny smith. My ‘75 PR is more scooped, but not a ton more than the CPR. It has tighter and more usable bass than the CPR, and “chimmier” highs without being piercing. The thing that I couldn’t get over when I played them all back-to-back was the “clarity, “lushness”, and “sponginess” of the ‘75 campered to the reissues. When I plugged into the ‘75 it sounded like someone took a thick blanket off the amp, and removed a pedal from the chain that “sucks tone” (I was playing straight in, that’s just how I would describe the difference). After I bought it I was able to play it next to a great example of a vintage ‘65 PR that my amp tech owns, and with the same speaker we couldn’t hear a difference other than mine has a slightly “drippier” reverb (which I prefer). The silverface princetons are VERY similar to the blackface versions. I will say that I prefer the tremolo on the ‘68 to any other I’ve played.

My ‘74 MMBA sounds a lot like a tweed deluxe (they are known as a poor man’s Deluxe), so it has a lot if mid-range and can get ragged (in a glorious way) past 4 on the volume dial. The original Oxford died last year so I bought a WGS G12Q (low sensitivity, 20 watt speaker designed for Tweed amps) and it sounds even better! If you haven’t played your MMB and CPR in stereo (I just use my Boss DD-20 as a stereo out), let me know what you think when you do! You might never play mono again!

Nice assesment.. I agree on the MMBA, its a wierd one, its part delux part champ.. Middy and super bright.. I have the original Oxford that I never used and a Redcoat as well as a WGS GT95. The Redcoat cuts more and has the punch, but taming the brightness of this amp is always what everyone is trying to do.. Rather than mod it, I just run an EQ pedal in front and tune from there.. I have to much gear, and that usually leads me to analysis by paralysis.. Ultimetly all I need is a Princeton a Tele and few Pedals and I can fake the funk from there

 

[Lowspeid]

Nice assesment.. I agree on the MMBA, its a wierd one, its part delux part champ.. Middy and super bright.. I have the original Oxford that I never used and a Redcoat as well as a WGS GT95. The Redcoat cuts more and has the punch, but taming the brightness of this amp is always what everyone is trying to do.. Rather than mod it, I just run an EQ pedal in front and tune from there.. I have to much gear, and that usually leads me to analysis by paralysis.. Ultimetly all I need is a Princeton a Tele and few Pedals and I can fake the funk from there

I usually don’t run my MMBA by itself, but I LOVE what it does when run in stereo with any of my other amps. It’s the best “tone enhancer” I’ve ever used.

 

[CosmicRay]

eavy and the stock speaker is mediocre at best. A speaker upgrade greatly improves it. Other people want the Princeton reverb to give them the classic black face sound like the 65. The other problem is the cabinet rattle. I had one once and tried EVERYTHING before finally giving up. Plus it costs a thousand $$$.

I bought a used '68 and really didn't like the flubby bass and lack of effectiveness of the bass control.

A speaker swap helped but the bass issue is part of the circuit. I don't know what mods were referred to above. I did the simple, reversible mod where you jump across the resistor that appears to be an added afterthought. That made a world of difference. The bass control is much more effective. As the volume is increased the bass can be turned down to get the tone I want.

View attachment 994571

That said, I think the 68 has the best sounding low volume br

Omg will try this. Recently put my hand-wired fuzz in front and my 68 CPR farted. Hoping this does the trick. Let me know if this works for me.