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Post subject: Princeton Chorus
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:21 am
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I have a 1988 Princeton Chorus (solid state). It is a great home practice amp for me - I like the tone and the headphone jack allows some late night sessions. I have upgraded the speakers and the reverb tank and cleaned the pots, replaced some of them. Some soldering has been repaired.

Everything I read about these amps is that they are loud and for bedroom playing the volume can't go much beyond 1 or 2. My amp, however, has to be turned up to 4 or 5 to even get to bedroom levels.

Any thought on what this might be? Given the amp's age (29 years old), do the capacitors need replacement? Would that fix a volume problem? The volume pot is audio, not linear. Is that a problem?

Sorry for my ignorance. Any thoughts will be appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: Princeton Chorus
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:47 pm
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
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Location: Province de Québec, Canada
1- Volume pots on Fender amps are always Audio.
2- If you don't hear "loud " hum and amp sound good, filter caps must be good, 29 years is not old.
3- I own a 1999 Princeton Stereo Chorus amp, vol pot at 2 is loud, it is a 50 watts amp.
Princeton Chorus is a 50 watts too ; your amp must have a issue

4- You may put less effective speaker ? Wrong impedance ? Or amp has low power before mod ?

5- Can you read power supply voltage ?
IMO it is the first thing to do.

6 No : Amp need to see a tech


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Post subject: Re: Princeton Chorus
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:29 pm
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Hi there mbottom5! I have a Princeton Chorus also. I think mine is from the 90s.

I think mine gets louder earlier in the dial than yours but it's not a big deal. Probably just how the potentiometer has settled in over the years. There are moving parts in there that are vulnerable to oxidation over the years and the resistance can change meaning your 4 might be the same ohms as my 2.

What I would do is turn the amp off, then turn the knob from 1 to 10 and back a bunch of times. Then turn it back on and see if anything has changed. If that doesn't work, either just decide to live with it or you can get a can of deoxit and youtube how to open it up and spray it in the pot. (turn off and unplug amp of course)

What replacement speakers did you use? Do you know the impedance and sensitivity specs on them?

edit - I see you cleaned the pots already. Maybe the difference is you have a properly functioning pot and mine and the rest of the internet are dealing with oxidization issues.


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Post subject: Re: Princeton Chorus
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:52 am
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
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Location: Province de Québec, Canada
+1 Wayne2

Most of time if pots are dirty or have oxydation, they make noise when we turn them and sound may cut.

mbottom5 don't say a word about that.

No answer yet about the speaker or if the amp have this issue before the speaker mod


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