Scored this ‘71 Princeton on FB Marketplace for $80

[Rambozo96]

Got this 1971 Silverface Princeton non reverb off Facebook marketplace for $80. A guy found it in his attic and wanted it gone and had no idea if it worked. Has the original tag and what I believe to be an aftermarket JBL K110 speaker which leads me to believe maybe a pedal steel player had it maybe as a practice amp since the non reverb model is light on gain and referred to as a baby twin to some. It’s a lovely amp though an overdrive is needed to get a harder edged OD/distortion out of it but my Yamaha OD10MII pairs beautifully with the amp (underrated OD if you want a nice OD that’s outside the TS9 topology)

 

[gilded]

Rambo, nice catch. A friend of mine non-reverb Princeton who would agree on most of the things that you are presenting for everyone's mutual edification. He's also a buyer, but that is up to you gents, ;ladies, etc.

As always, have fun, gilded!

 

[shihan]

That’s a great score. I love the non REV models; it’s a different circuit than the PR’s.
I’m confident you will enjoy that bad boy!
You probably know that an amp that old, especially if it’s been sittong for a while, should be serviced to sound its best.

 

[jp]

Holy cow! What a great amp find. Not sure about the JBL-K10s, but I had a couple of K12s that were punchy, clean, and powerful, and broke up at a high volume.

 

[GGJaguar]

Great attic find! I've seen quite a few Princetons with 10" JBLs. Not my cup of tea, but there are worse speakers. It probably needs a good going-over. Have fun!

 

[gilded]

Holy cow! What a great amp find. Not sure about the JBL-K10s, but I had a couple of K12s that were punchy, clean, and powerful, and broke up at a high volume.

Now that I think about it, I have 2 other PRs. One has an orange 12" JBL and the other has a re-coned Jensen 12", but no 10" speaks.
I think the Jensen has a sound that I was getting used to, no, liking, for gigs, and the 12" BL would shake the world if I asked it, so now you know what I know.....

 

[Guildedagain]

Some prices right now are like going back in time. I paid $75 for the same amp back in the 90's used it as a practice bass amp. I don't even remember getting rid of it, a long long time ago.

Been thinking about adding a Fender amp to my arsenal, but either too expensive, or too heavy.

I looked at two, a Pro with 2x12's couldn't actually even budge it off the floor, and a Vibrolux Reverb, 2x10's, almost equally heavy and the tone wasn't worth $2500 to me.

Off to browse FB Mktplace now ;[]

 

[HeyMikey]

These days smaller is better. One 10 or 12 is plenty for my weary bones.

 

[shihan]

A PR with a 12” speaker is pretty much the perfect gig amp. Since I put a 12” speaker in mine, my BF DR stays home.

 

[jp]

Great attic find! I've seen quite a few Princetons with 10" JBLs. Not my cup of tea, but there are worse speakers.

I kind of agree. Depending on the type of music and playing you're into, there are lots of choices.

I've found that a great all-rounder is the old Reverend All-tone speaker. Reverend doesn't make them anymore, but you can find them used. Also, new reissues are available made by WGS that are supposedly made exactly the same way. They're a hybrid speaker that I think is an American-style frame with a British-style cone. I have a 12 in my blackfaced SF Deluxe Reverb. They'll produce that bright Fender spank but transition into smooth overdrive when pushed. They come in different wattage values for 10- and 12-inch to allow for different clean headroom before breakup.

 

[Jeff Haddad]

Great score, congrats!

 

[gilded]

The folks in my part of the world think of a Princeton Only, non Reverb small Fender, as something that can be a vital part of a small Fender Amp that can used for a variety of pedals, too.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Like wow!