Fender

Fender Princeton Reverb (1964)

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This power-packed pre-CBS 1964 Princeton Reverb just rolled into the shop and has quickly earned the top spot as the best sounding black panel PR to find its way to us. Sounds like a bit of the old fashioned salesman hype, but with a few staffers who own 60s Princeton Reverbs making the claim, this one's about as bonafide as it gets.


So what makes THIS particular Princeton Reverb so special? Part of it might have to do with the fact that it seems to schematically align with the earliest PR circuit - AA764. Minor tweaks, surely, but there's something about the voice of this particular amp that is very impressive. It does have all of its original transformers, too, and that's a big part of the equation. It's also got an old 5V4 rectifier tube in place of the stock 5AR4/GZ34, which softens the amp just touch as well. Otherwise, it may just be the sum of the parts in this combo that are making it sing. Whatever it may be, we're pretty blown away by this Princeton!

Paired up with a well broken-in Weber Signature 10 Alnico speaker, there's a surprising amount of low end and dynamic range. It almost feels like a baby Deluxe Reverb in that regard, without compromising the sweeter, warmer overall tonality of a PR. The Reverb is especially impressive; it's got the classic 60s Fender bounce but there's an overall smoothness to the decay that makes it sound more lush and dimensional than we're used to hearing in these shorter pans.

And the breakup?!?! Watch out! While BFPRs aren't known much for having a particularly satisfying crunch tone (especially when compared to earlier Fenders), this one's got more low-mid character that feels much more balanced without being too raspy in the top end. Paired up with a tele and pushed to 6-8 on the volume, you've got some instant Americana and Roots Rock tones available.

The amp was recently serviced by our favorite local amp doctor, Stan Day, which included a recap and replacement of the 12AT7.

A truly great vintage Princeton Reverb is one of the most complete and versatile combos in existence, and this amp couldn't be more proof of that.

Specs

Power
12 Watts
Controls
Volume-Treble-Bass-Reverb-Speed-Depth
Switches
Standby On/Off | Power On/Off
Inputs
1/2

Construction

General
Finger-Jointed Pine cabinet
Covering
Original Tolex - Original grill cloth
Modifications
Replaced speaker and speaker cable

Components

Tubes
(2) 6V6 | (3) 12AX7 | (1) 12AT7 | (1) 5V4
Speaker
(1) 10" Weber Sig10 Alnico
Transformers
PT 606-439 / OT 606-435 / Reverb 606-430
Service History
Recent Recap / 3-prong cable

Size

Dimensions
16" x 20" x 9½”
Weight
Approx. 32lbs
Serial Number
A 01485