Comparison 65Princeton PRRI and 65Deluxe DRRI

[thunder100]

dear Fender specialists

 

I am looking to buy either the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue or the '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue((DRRI(12"/22W) or the PRRI(10"/15W))

 

I use it to practice and it is in an apartment and cant be too loud.It is hard in Central Europe to find a shop where you can test both.It is not my giging amp although it may be used in small (not so loud) gigs with a very decent drummer

 

Could somebody be so kind answer following questions to me if tested both?

 

A.)What is sound difference in stock condition(high's low's).I play from Sweet Home Alabama till Parisien Walkways(or Smoke on the water/OCDV4)Pls explain a bit

 

B.)What is minimum level when sound gets good(some say on the PRRI not below 5)

 

C.)Any differences in the Reverb?

 

 

Thanks a lot for giving me better facts ahead of final decission(play them)

 

Roland

 

PS:Pls Either PRRI or DRRI not e.g Mesa Boogie Mark IV(which I also have)is better

[boozle]

I can only comment on the DR. I have an original 1964 Blackface DR. I know it is a different amp than the RI, but the circuitry is very similar, so I think they should sound and behave similarly.

 

Here is my opinion of the greatest amp on the planet!

 

It has relatively little clean headroom and breaks up really early with a little dirt at low volumes. But, even when the amp is clean, it does not "chime" like a Twin does. It is just a dirty amp. It does not do jazz well.

 

To me, the greatest strength of the DR is the dynamic response of the amp to picking technique and volume controls. Phenomenally responsive. If you get the amp volume right and the saturation/breakup right, you can modulate the amount of "dirty grind" in your sound simply with your playing technique - or of course with the volume knob. Especially with single coil pickups.

 

To get this kind of action going, you gotta turn it up to about 3.5 to 4. It sort of comes alive at that volume level with a compressed, sweet singing sustain that grows as you turn it up. At that point it is bleeding loud. At 4 the amp is about as loud as it is going to get. Beyond 4 really just increases sustain and saturation. At full volume the signal is so thick that it almost sounds like it has a compressor on it.

 

I play a Hamer with P90's. My pickups are pretty tame, and I use the neck pickup predominantly. With Humbuckers, the amp grinds Angus Young hard, but with a more "creamy" sort of Carlos Santana like sustain. To me, the amp it is definitely most responsive with single coils and can get muddy with Buckers.

 

I use a THD Hotplate to keep the amp quiet. It works, but it is just not the same. With the Hotplate at low volume, it sounds OK, but does not have the responsiveness of playing it high volume. Something is lost with the Hotplate. But with it on 6 or 8, it is orgasmic. With the Hotplate, it just does not have the "mojo".

 

The amp sounds OK quiet - until you hear it loud. It is kind of like motorcycles. Your Ninja 500 was cool, as long as you remained ignorant of the Aprilia Mille. Once you experienced the Mille, then the Ninja sucked - forever and ever. And whenever you ride the Ninja now, you do not experience it's own unique attributes. You focus instead on what you are not experiencing at the moment.

 

So owning a DR is kind of a love/hate thing. You know it can make wonderful noise, but you only get to do it occasionally... Unless you are blessed to play live often.

 

Don't get me wrong, the DR does not suck at any volume level. But the loud tone just so overwhelms you that by comparison, it just does not measure up when it is played quietly. To me, the DR played quietly through a Hotplate does not sound as good as my little Master Volume hot rodded Fender Champ at low volume.

 

The DR's reverb is OK, but not stunning. No biggie for me, because I do not turn it up much at all. Definitely not as strong as say a Twin Reverb. I think that this is not a limitation of the Reverb design, but instead a function of the fact that the DR just is not a "chimey" amp.

 

The Princeton has lots more clean headroom.

 

From what I read in your post, I would go with the Princeton because it has greater clean headroom and then use pedals to keep it sounding good at low volume. Or just go with a more versatile amp with a Master Volume. To buy a DR and not crank it up is sort of sacrilege to me... Making the DR sound good involves a good bit of volume.

 

Just to be clear... I worship the DR. But it is important to recognize it for what it is. It is not a Boogie, it is not a Marshall (well it is sort of an 18 watt Bluesbreaker) , and it is not a Twin. It is a filthy, dirty little blues whore that does not clean up very well at all.

 

If you need low volume versatility, I would pick the Princeton plus pedals.

[thunder100]

Hello

 

Thanks for extensive reply

 

I understand a bit and before finding an oportunity to test both side by side I am leaning torwards the Princeton as with my very bright Strat (Maple fretboard) I think the the more headroom is what I would prefer

 

I am a bit afraid to fall in love with loud Deluxe(as quoted I have a Mark VI) but can then rarely really enjoy as too loud(Our stadium is mostly occupied)

 

Thanks anyway

 

Roland

[guitarcapo]

Given the rather small price difference between the PR and DR I'd recommend the Deluxe. More headroom, better driven tone, larger speaker, two channels.

Way more amp for not much more money.