Just got a 79 Princeton Reverb any tips?

[spoony]

Hi everyone,

First thread/post to the forum. As the to[pic states I just got a 79 Princeton Reverb. Just wanted to see if I could get some Princeton owners to share their thoughts on these amps. What are their strengths/weaknesses, tips on use, first things to look at for service, settings and the like? One question I have is regarding the boost. Is there anything other than not using it that can be done there?

Thanks for any help offered,

spoony

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Hi everyone,

First thread/post to the forum. As the to[pic states I just got a 79 Princeton Reverb. Just wanted to see if I could get some Princeton owners to share their thoughts on these amps. What are their strengths/weaknesses, tips on use, first things to look at for service, settings and the like? One question I have is regarding the boost. Is there anything other than not using it that can be done there?

Thanks for any help offered,

spoony

Are you capable of doing some electronic mods to the amp?
There are lots of mods... adjustable bias, screen node B+ changes, phase inverter bias, reverb mix mods, speaker mods...
Assuming there is nothing wrong with it now, for the money, the first things I would do is make the bias supply adjustable and get a good 10" ceramic speaker.
The boost circuit is a little lame for me.... don't use it.
I can't remember if those pots have a dual lug switch or a quad... if it is a quad you can get rid of the boost circuit and use the switch to do other stuff like lift the resistor on the bass pot further from ground for a big tonal boost... etc.

[spoony]

Hi Bruce,

"Are you capable of doing some electronic mods to the amp?"
I sure am. I haven't pulled the chassis yet but the first thing I plan on when I get around too it is rebuilding the multi-sectional.

"There are lots of mods... adjustable bias, screen node B+ changes, phase inverter bias, reverb mix mods, speaker mods..."
I new there were a few mods and was hoping to get some folks experience with any they had tried and had success with. I thought I might try something reversible but to tell you the truth other then a little ripple the amp sounds pretty darn good.

"Assuming there is nothing wrong with it now, for the money, the first things I would do is make the bias supply adjustable and get a good 10" ceramic speaker."
Yeah the stock speaker is not up to the job. I see that quite a few people have addressed this by installing 12" speakers. So do you think I'd be happy with a good 10"? That would be nice because I would not need, I don't mind but it would just be simpler, too address the baffle.

"The boost circuit is a little lame for me.... don't use it.
I can't remember if those pots have a dual lug switch or a quad... if it is a quad you can get rid of the boost circuit and use the switch to do other stuff like lift the resistor on the bass pot further from ground for a big tonal boost... etc."
I figured on just not using it but thought if there was a simple way to take advantage of the pull pot, being its there doing nothing, I'd look into it.

How long have you been working with amps Bruce? Nice, Mission Amps, site and thanks for helping! Was half way expecting quite, as this seems to be a very popular amp, a few replies.

spoony

[mbratch]

I keep my silverface Princeton Reverb stock but with a decent speaker in it (like an Eminence Ragin Cajun, or Weber 10F150T). It's one of my favorite amps as-is and gets the most play-out time of all the amps I have. Mine's an early 70's without the boost. My understanding from reading various post (albeit perhaps a dubious understanding, therefore), is that the '79 would be equivalent if you leave the boost off.

[Gibsonman63]

Just play it... for a while

If you amp is in good working order, just plug it in and play it for a while and form your own opinions. Figure out what you like and don't like so you have a goal in mind, then research speakers replacements and mods to achieve the desired results. If you have means of recording, that can be a lot more telling when you hear the playback and even more so if you are laying guitars into a full mix. Playing in a room by yourself, you will probably adjust for a fuller sound with more bottom. In a band mix, a lot of that bottom gets covered up so if the midrange isn't very present, your guitar will sound very thin.

...ok kind of nebulous advise, but sometimes it is better to do nothing at all for a while.

As for my Princeton tricks...

The tone controls are subtractive, so start with the tone controls all the way up and then dial back to get the balance you are looking for. It will give you more signal from the pre-amp section.

For my ears, a TS-9 (808 or equalivant) dialed back on the gain and used for semi-clean boost works well.

For solos, I use a DS-1 with the tone control rolled back to about 9 o' clock to try to match the amp tone or slightly brighter.