All user reviews for the Fender Princeton 65

i generally bought my gear for personal use.

Started with a strat knock off and a Peavy amp .Both nasty but get what you pay for .

upgrading

I like many types of musics rock ,pop etc
I ended up walking into the RockIn Guitars Mt Lawley Perth West Australia

picked up something a little different from a marshal ,ended up with the Princeton 65 .Amp was pretty steep around $1000 AUS.After testing it it sounded so good i didnt bother looking at the Marshals .
Anyhow this thing is a great amp.there is no way i have ever gone beyond volume 3 it is so loud and clean though .This thing packs a hell of a punch .I play at home usually on level 1.5 or 2-2.5 if there's a thunderstorm or something loud enough to mask the noise or the neighbours will have me for it which is way loud enough .It's incredibly loud and controlled and capable of anything you throw at it pity it didnt go to 11 though (spinal tap joke)
The treble,mid and bass are nice and clean enough for me .Reverb is really nice For something that is 19 years old now and never complained once i think i got a good quality amp .
The control knobs are capable of being broken which i have done on one of them.But the controllers have never broken .
The one thing i wish it had was a headphone jack ,so you can practice in peace .
Distortion is great ,but not absolutely perfect ,cant complain though it still sounds great .My jack plugs need a clean which i have to get to one day ,it gets dusty down my way and they can be a bit noisy with a slight move of the new chord .
When people say these amps are loud ,they actually mean they will permanently screw your hearing up if you over use the volume too often ,its that kind of loud they are talking about.but its a clean loud low distortion which allows you to become reckless at times.I have never had it over 5 by the way and that was just to see what it was like ,it was just over the top ,my dog shit himself i didnt see him for the next half hour .I wouldnt do that again .I am very happy with it though .if i got another amp it would be great to just have something with a different character ,different tones for a bit of fun if i felt like spending the money.I have a gibson epiphone and it sounds great through this,also the ibanez RG470 oddly sounds good as well as i would have expected it to be more suited to a marshal my take only..I dont need to upgrade anymore for what i do though.Its a great amp..

I play in a power pop covers band in the UK (The Fadeouts) I got this amp as a backup to my incredibly heavy Mesa Boogie Single Rectoverb 60, we play 10CC/Pilot/Be Bop Deluxe and much more besides (Lovin' Spoonful/Blur/Squeeze/Gigilo Aunts/Kinks)

I have used this amp live and I can honestly say it has exceeded my expectations, the guitars I use with it, untreated other than echo are a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Fender USA Strat, the clean channel is everything you would expect from a Fender, clear and warm, the revelation to me was this is the only Fender Amp I have played that has a great overdrive channel, it really took me by surprise, while my Mesa has a beautiful sound, the Princeton has a lot of middle that makes it cut through the mix, it's bass is very good too.

I also play a Rickenbacker 660/12 with a compressor and 7 band graphic through the clean channel, it took the guitar to another dimension that the Mesa could only dream of.

I have seen a lot of people complaining about a Telecaster suffering from too much treble after volume 5 with this amp, I am not sure what the state of these peoples hearing is but I have never needed to play over volume 3 on this amp, maybe they were playing the Hollywood Bowl !!!! any fool knows a Tele is treble heavy so turn down the treble on the amp.

There are issues with the tone/volume pots being directly connected to the PCB, if the amp has been mistreated they will be loose, no need to worry about this too much, they can either be reconnected or an expert can hard wire a pot for you, but make sure you get it at a reduced price to compensate for this work.

The pros are it is a brilliant amp that is light in weight and easy to set up tonally,plus once you have set up both channels you do not have to make many changes when playing live.

The cons are while it is a durable amp and works even if you don't fix the pot problems mentioned, you do have to treat it with respect and take care of it.

I can only say with the guitars I have used with it I didn't believe I was playing through a solid state amp, it is not like the more modern day budget Fender amps which are generally all power and no finesse, this one really does have a classy, distinctive and powerful sound, I love it and my Mesa has become my backup.........this little amp is that good.

The transistor Princeton 65 is 65 watts with 2-Clean Inputs; Vol, Treble and Bass the Drive Input (#2 with drive button engaged) makes it dirty with Drive, Vol, Treble, Mid, Bass, REVB and there also are PRE-OUT, PWR-IN and Foot switch for add-on options.

UTILIZATION

This is a guitar amp so it is bright (very forward). The really nice thing is the 12- inch spk (vital to the tone), the bottom end is solid at these settings and the signal to noise was acceptable for the pre-amp circuit. On the amp output side; little line-noise that is typical of this amp but diminishes with volume of course (total pwr is 65 watts)

SOUNDS

The 12-inch is a best speaker all around and can really expand its useful range when paired with better cabinet designs.

OVERALL OPINION

Got the Princeton 65 (PR403) as I was put-off by all the hype-crap of over-priced designer boom-boxes (like Beats) and needed a quick amp for my keyboard. Now before you guitarist begin to whine, allow me to validate why you should read the review. As a longtime studio/live, sound engineer, the objective was to test (using Neutrik analyzers) how clean, how loud and how sweet I could get this to be a top-performer in its price class.

Great Music Amplification in any venue rest on thee main points;
- Amp’s ability for clean reproduction (signal must be clean first, in order to accuracy control tone color (clean before adding the dirt).
- Tone processing should be clean, serving its duty without adding junk, give control when you want the dirt and be open to optional outboard gear (EQ, REV, EFX, etc).
- Speaker tone, type and size must meet its intended use and do it accuracy (it is the last link where signal turns into sound for the human ear.

With that - I was surprised how clean it delivered. Sparing all the techie details I’ll simplify it this way: with Clean Input; Vol. 5, Treble 1 (yes one), Bass 2.7 (or 3) is a good start point (varies slightly with each unit). Not really a guitar player so tested by playing of Eric Johnson’s ‘Missing Key’ (Seven Worlds) or Michael Landau, ‘Roodis Tones’ from Tales From the Bulge (to give credit to two lesser known mainstream artists) with iPod connected using lossless HD MP4’s, and your barbeque or house party will rock like the bands playing in the yard. There is a little line-noise that is typical of this amp but diminishes with volume of course (on that mater, I’d go with Hartke but of more cost).

The PR403 also Drive Inputs (making it dirty) with Drive, Vol, Treble, Mid, Bass, REVB and a PRE-OUT, PWR-IN and Foot switch for add-on options. This is a guitar amp so it is bright (very forward) and why only a 1-percent Treble in my case. The really nice thing is the 12 inch spk (vital to the tone), the bottom end is solid at these settings and the signal to noise was acceptable (total pwr is 65 watts)

So hope this is helpful on all counts, whether looking for a reasonable guitar amp or a really rockin’ portable amplified player.

Solid State - 65 Watt

UTILIZATION

Took about 30 minutes to get the tone I wanted.

SOUNDS

Awesome Fender clean channel, Overdrive decent, but I'm probably gonna run a Big Muff through it.

OVERALL OPINION

I couldn't be happier for the price I paid ($100 USD). Got it used from some guy on craigslist. The clean channel on this amp has some of the best tone I've heard come out of a solid state amp. The overdrive leaves a little to be desired, but can be fixed with a pedal of your choosing. The spring reverb has that classic Fender sound. Don't be fooled by the size' this little thing is LOUD. I live in an apartment and had the volume between 1 & 2 and thought I was gonna get a noise complaint. It took me about 30 minutes to set it up for the tones I wanted. Great amp for the money!

Getting to the point on the 65, for the bonehead whose reverb went out, it's just a quick solder job and it will never happen again. The boys south of the border kinda cut corners in the manufacturing, but then again they all do. The wires inside the reverb assembly aren't soldered at the factory, just spliced in half and touching the contacts. Understandeably by the nature of any reverb assy you get vibration, causing the poor contact.

It sounds better than the peavey 112 I had, those things sound like YAKKKK!!!

Maybe a little more balls and punch but it's pretty decent.

See above

As good as any for the price, real good with a strat or tele.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got the amp at Bills Music (who is the greatest and wonderful to work with). It was used but in mint condition. I only paid $250 for it and go the pedal for 10 more.

The Unit is loud. Like crazy loud but that not bad. The clean is the best around and the distortion is pretty good to.

There is no mid control on the clean and there is a lot of static noise but both and be easily adjusted with pedals.

Built like a rock and suprisely not more than 30 pounds. I sure I could drop it out a window and still be able to play it.

Great amp if your looking to upgrade from crap to something half way decent. Cheap, loud, looks and sounds good.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased one of these from Musicians Friend (never will buy from them again) and the reverb went out. So while I was waiting for the local Repair tech (who didn't want to repair it because I bought it elsewhwere) I purchased another and it blew up. Pure crap as is most Fender products now days.

It was easy to sell on Ebay after it crapped out only after a few weeks of play.

It's a NEW Fender. Fender quality is crap now. Nothing but a has been name.

Made in Mexico Crap!

I'll never buy Fender again.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I was looking for a half way decent amp that I could use to play local gigs with at a restraunt in town. I previously owned a Fender Amp Can, which was certainly a great amp, but there's no way this thing was going to compete with everyone else's amps, so I saved up and bought a Princeton 65. I did a lot of research myself buying this amp, making sure that it was the right one. I purchased it for 279.99 instead of the full price which was 400.00.

I did a lot of research myself buying this amp, making sure that it was the right one. I have heard a lot of complaints that the volume knobs on this thing are way to delicate, and if you're not careful they will break. Guess what? That's a bunch of hocus pocus...I spent a lot of time playing on a few of the same exact model, and I found one of them that had delicate volume knobs. Every other model of this amp that I played through didn't have this problem. Another complaint is that a few people didn't like the overdrive-they said that it wasn't heavy enough of a sound when attempting to play hard rock, metal, or punk. I play in a band. All the band members ever want to play is punk and metal. This little thing wales!! I prefer to play classic rock, surf music, whatever. This amp can handle it all! It puts my fellow band member's 100 watt Fender Amp to shame!


The reverb buzzes a little, but I've never found and amp that doesn't! As far as hum goes (fairly standard), it's pretty quiet. The only problem I could say about this amp is if you're going to practice (trying to keep it quiet), don't get your hopes up! The volume knobs are really sensitive-you try to put it on #2 (out of 10) and it'll blast you away. It takes a lot of messing around with the knob to get it at a quiet level.

It is built wonderfully! It even sound's great in the studio! No bad comments here!!

I would recommend this amp to all players who don't just want to practice!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this for 279.99 at Guitar Center.

The amp is realativly light-weight, easy to transport, and seems to be durable as hell. Not only that, but it puts out an awesome sound for its size.

My only problems are with the drive and reverb. Neither one work as well as I'd like, but both are easily solved w/ pedals. This amp holds up really well with the extra effects...I just wish it came with something a little better. Also, the lack of a headphoe jack was a bit of a letdown.

This little guy is packed into solid casing, has the classic Fender silver front screen...seems to be reaslly durable, I've been packing it around for a few months, and have yet to nick it...which works, 'cause I'm pretty damned clumsy. It weighs about 40 pounds, which is good, because it's light enough to carry easily, but heavy enough to remind you that you're carrying around some juice.

Basically it's a great mid-size amp. Like I said, a little extra drive and a headphone jack and I'd have no complaints at all.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Musiciansfriend.com
$279.99

The volume of this 65 watt amp is great for a gig or band rehersal. It has two channels, one for clean and one for overdrive. Either channel sounds good through the 12" Fender speaker. A multi-effects processor works well when used in the clean channel even if you are using distortion. This amp is a good choice if you need a loud amp at an affordable price.

It would be nice if the amp had a line-out for an external speaker and a CD player input. The reverb isn't the greatest, as it tends to buzz and the more you turn up the reverb the lower the guitar volume becomes. A foot-switch has to be purchased seperately.

The Princeton 65 is built very solid. The construction of this model makes me believe it will last for many years to come.

This amp is good for someone looking for a bigger, louder amp. It's worth looking into when a smaller practice amp doesn't always fit your needs.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com