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Post subject: 65 Princeton Vs Blues Jr - advise please?!
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:17 am
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Hey all,

I'm currently on my latest obsession - a new amp that will let me play blues & rock without bringing the ceiling down...

I currently own a hot rod deluxe, which at 40 mighty watts (may as well be 4000) is just way too loud to play in the house/in a built up area. So I am forced to use my sh*tty Marshall Valvestate 20 with headphones in while the HRDLX is sat asleep with it's cover on in the spare room.

I called my local guitar shop, DV247, where I bought my road worn tele for advise on the Princeton 65RI, but he advised me against saying there were serious issues with the poor fusing - anyone know about this? I had my heart set on one...alternatives are either a blues jr or a Vox AC15 practice amp which has an altogether different vibe.

All I want is killer tone, at a quiet volume - I'd love a Fender, but basically want quality - at around £3-600 if possible. I'm not asking too much, am I? :wink:

Anyone recommend, or heard of these issues?

When I decide to buy I do it pretty quick, so any advice would go down a treat!

Thanks in advance...

B


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:03 am
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You might want to look for a pre-owned Fender Deluxe Reverb or try out a Fender Pro Junior.

The PJ is 15 watts, but when turned to "12" can scream. Yep, twelve! :wink:

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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:12 am
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Haha, aaah my very own living room Spinal Tap moment! Love it...

Do either of these have headphone jacks? (I have a girlfriend, after all..!)

I'd love a Deluxe reverb, but am dubious of second hand, unless it's vintage - and vintage can cost big. I had the preconception that these were quite load beasts - what is the wattage? 15, 20?


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:38 am
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No, neither the DRRI nor the PJ have headphone jacks. Come to think of it, I don't believe Fender makes a tube amp with a headphone jack.

And while the PJ is unequivocally my favourite small amp, it can get very loud. If you're looking for a valve amp to play at "bedroom volume," you will certainly have to go below 10 watts. There are a few manufacturers out there making good quality valve combos with wattages in the vicinity of 5. I think Blackheart even makes a 1-watt combo.

And the DRRI is a 22-watt amp. I haven't played one, but I can assure you that it will be very loud. On the other hand, both the DRRI and the PJ will be fine so long as you're not determined to have valve saturation; my PJ, for instance, starts to saturate at around "5" on the dial. It doesn't really get much louder after that either, it just distorts more. I reckon the DRRI is similar.


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:41 am
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I just bought sold my HRDlx for an Egnater Rebel 20. It's well built and you can dial it from 1 to 20 watts. It's around the same price as a Princeton and you can gig with it. You can get it to way low bedromm levels and not kill your tone. IMO It's the most versatile amp around. It uses 6V6 AND EL84 tubes and you can blend them to any degree you want.

Out of the amps you mentioned, the Princeton has the best quality and lowest failure rate.


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:57 am
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I knew you'd mention the Egnater 20, seems like a good choice.

If you want to stick with Fender at bedroom levels, every tried the Champ 600?


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:58 am
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Miami Mike wrote:
You might want to look for a pre-owned Fender Deluxe Reverb or try out a Fender Pro Junior.

The PJ is 15 watts, but when turned to "12" can scream. Yep, twelve! :wink:
DITTO!!! The pro jr amps are amazing. I have two of them and play them in stereo. They a creamy sweet spot at around 7. I like them better than blues jr.

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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:48 am
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atolleter wrote:
I knew you'd mention the Egnater 20, seems like a good choice.

If you want to stick with Fender at bedroom levels, every tried the Champ 600?


Sorry about the Egnater preaching. I haven't been this excited about an amp since my Twin.
The Champ 600's only limitation is the 6" speaker. When you crank it it get real nasty and raspy sounding. It sounds a little boxy to me too. But, when you plug it into a 12 or 10" cabinet, it's a seriously sweet amp. Especially considering it's price.

I'd avoid anything in the Hot Rod series period. Even the Pro Jr. Even though they seem to be the most reliable of the HRD series.


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:35 am
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If you want to stick with Fender, there's nothing wrong with the Princeton Reverb RI at all. Your store guy is handing you some malarkey for some reason.

But I have to second the Rebel as the keenest little amp in a very long time. It can sound like a tweed Princeton, like a DR, a little like a Vox, a lot like a Marshall... it works great with effects in front of the preamp or in the ultra-quiet loop, it can address 4, 8 and 16 ohm cabs, the tone stack is very nice... I love mine to bits.


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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:38 am
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As you can see, there so many different opinions on this. So it is best to try the amps and hear for yourself. There are many different styles of playing that will suite that style, and it is up to you which amp will suite your playing style.

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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:01 am
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SlapChop wrote:
If you want to stick with Fender, there's nothing wrong with the Princeton Reverb RI at all. Your store guy is handing you some malarkey for some reason.

But I have to second the Rebel as the keenest little amp in a very long time. It can sound like a tweed Princeton, like a DR, a little like a Vox, a lot like a Marshall... it works great with effects in front of the preamp or in the ultra-quiet loop, it can address 4, 8 and 16 ohm cabs, the tone stack is very nice... I love mine to bits.


+1 The Princeton is nice, but the Rebel tears it up in sheer versatility. Oh, it does a decent Tweed Deluxe too. :D
Given the amount of money the Princeton is, I'd go with versatility over a one trick pony any day.


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