Princeton tweed 12’ reissue vs 65 10’ blackface reissue.

They’re the same amp, one just has a bigger speaker and a different covering. The twelve will have a little more bass and maybe sound a little smoother on the top end, but I’m not sure it makes a huge difference given that the cab size has not changed. Try them and see which one you like better. IME Princetons are fairly bassy and full sounding for a single 10” combo. There are also baffle retrofits for the Princeton if I’m not mistaken.

 

I found the 12" to be too dark. Too much bass, IMHO. When I mentioned that to the sales person he said that's what he hears from most customers.

I've read many comments by people who buy the 65 and end up putting a 12" in it. The manufacturer of the speaker would have a definite effect.

There was a discussion here the other day about this. Someone mentioned that the original PR was designed to have a 10" speaker, not a 12". A fair point. I have the 64' Hand Wired. When I was getting ready to buy, the 65' to my ears, was much closer in tone to the 64' than the 12". The 64' uses a Jensen P10R.

 

Whatever scratches your itch. I’ve got a ’65 PRRI and it sounds good. Terribly good.

 

The SW "tweed" (I have this amp) is not a tweed circuit, it's the same circuit as the traditional Princeton. It is 15 watts as opposed to 12. That particular amp ships with a 12" Cannabis Rex which clips the high frequency spikes a blackface is know for. For some that is a good thing. It also is a loud, efficient speaker, taking that amp into the "gigging with a drummer" realm. I wanted the classic scooped blackface Fender sound, complete with sparkle so I swapped it out for an alnico speaker. A 12" speaker in that small cabinet needs to be one with a tight bass (which the C-Rex has)

The 10" classic Princeton is a great amp. There are lot's of good replacement speakers out there, and they tend to be quite a bit less pricey than 12s (at least with Celestions).

The 12" 15 watt PRRI SE with the right speaker can be quite a monster, definitely capable of hearing damage. My Deluxe Reverb Reissue sits at home these days.

Either one of the amps is actually usable for playing out. Most gigs these days are smaller venues, many with volume limits. In a bigger room you're likely to mic the amp anyway. After a BJ, you're really going to love either one. Sorry if this isn't too helpful.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum! You've landed in a great place and you will get lots of help here with spending $$$ on gear.

 

I like 10’s in Princeton Reverbs. I think Leo had it right. It needs to be the right 10 though. I have an emi 1028K in my PR. I love it.

The perceived benefits of a 12 over a 10 are kinda lost in that little cab IMO, but a lot of people prefer a 12. Try both if you can.

Internally the tweed covered 65 PRRI is still modeled after the blackface circuit. It’s not a tweed circuit.

 

If you want, at some point you can buy a mojotone (or other brand) princeton head cab and slide the chassis right in so you can use it with any cab you like.

I didn’t realize that the tweed one was 15W and not 12 (i’m guessing they just beefed up the iron?), but 3 watts is not going to make much of a noticeable difference - my tweed deluxe in fixed bias mode is probably pushing around that, and it can only stay clean enough with a lighter drummer. And the C Rex changes things too, it’s a dark speaker. An eminence 1258 or a Jensen would be a better fit for a BF tone.

 

I’m surprised to see Fender makes amps using 10ft and 12ft speakers....

 

I'm not sure why Fender list the wattage as being different than the other PR models. They all use the same power transformer delivering the same B+ voltage, the same output transformer and they both use the exact same 6v6 push/pull circuit delivering the same output wattage. I'm guessing that the Fender advertising department might have thought that advertising the amp at 15 watts instead of 12 watts might help it to sell better.

 

I like them both. Do you want a 10 or a 12? For home and studio use, sometimes a 10 is preferred. Jamming? Or can you turn up a bit at home? Most will prefer the 12.

Is it the cannabis rex 12? I tried that one and loved it.

Neither is better.

 

I like having a few amps with 10" Alnico speakers in them.

I chose a FSR Fudge Brownie '65 Reissue with a P10Q.

If it want more, I add an extension cab with a 12" speaker.

 

I have a ‘65 Princeton reissue with the “10 speaker. If you’re looking for classic blackface sound, that’s the ticket.

And, welcome! Glad you’re here!

 

I agree on the “10 alnico. I recently put a Celestion “10 gold in mine.
Amazing tone!

 

They're the identical same amp with a different covering and different speaker. There is nothing functionally different in their circuit or power output.

I've got the tweed PRRI but the speaker was changed by a previous owner to a Weber 12F150. It's an absolutely awesome amp!