The 1960s Fender Princeton is sometimes overlooked next to the more common Princeton Reverb, but the non-reverb model bridges the gap between earlier tweed/brown circuits and the refined Black Panel designs. With the Princeton Amp, simple purity lends transparent tone, dynamic responsiveness, and vintage charm.
The black panel non-reverb Princeton is a simple, hand-wired circuit with a 7025 and a 12AX7 in the preamp, two 6V6GT power tubes, and a GZ34 rectifier. The circuit delivers about 12 watts through a single 10″ speaker, and there are controls for volume, treble, bass, Tremolo intensity, and Tremolo speed. Unlike the Reverb counterpart, the Princeton circuit omits the extra gain stage and spring reverb tank, yielding exceptionally clear, focused tone with slightly lower output.
This 1966 Fender Princeton is in impressive cosmetic condition. It has been properly serviced by Chelli Amplification (Durango, Colorado), so it functions 100% as it should and sounds fantastic. In addition to a safe three-prong power cable, the cap can has been updated with a modern CE Manufacturing electrolytic can capacitor, built to original Mallory spec on original Mallory equipment. Three filter caps have been replaced with Mod Electrolytic caps, along with one additional power section capacitor and one resistor. The volume pot is also a modern CTS. The original speaker dates to the 20th week of 1966, the power transformer is dated the 14th week of '66, and the output transformer dates to the 25th week of '66. The tube chart code is "PJ," which corresponds to October of 1966.
While a lot of Princeton Reverbs sound good right around 5-6 on the volume control, this 1966 Fender Princeton shines right around 8-9. At that level, the tubes are rolling, and the tone is nicely saturated with some natural tube compression. There's an immediacy to the dynamic response that stands out relative to other Fender black panel models. It captures a smoother, warmer sound, too. This 1966 Princeton would serve as a studio workhorse with articulate clean tones and smooth breakup, but would also be a classic low-wattage stage amp that takes pedals exceptionally well. It includes a custom-made leather cover.