Description
Genuine 1962 Fender Princeton in excellent and near original condition. This Princeton has THAT tone! Open, dynamic and warm, with crystalline clean tones giving way to rich, saturated overdrive when turning up the volume knob.
This genuine 1962 Brownface Princeton is the favorite studio amps of legends like Niel Young, Larry Carlton, Mike Bloomfield, Ry Cooder, Mike Capmbel and many, may more. Also, the engineers at studios like Sunset Sound, Capitol, and Abbey Road valued Princetons because of their smooth overdrive without fizz or harsh top end, their natural compression at recording levels and the focused midrange of the 10-inch speaker that sits perfectly in a mix. The Princeton became, and remains, a studio’s secret weapon. Not because of volume or flash, but because of how consistently it delivers a musical, balanced, record-ready tone. And this pristine example is no exception!
This 1962 Princeton features the original 6G2 circuit, loaded with a matched pair of original Sylvania 6V6GT, an RCA 5Y3GT rectifier, and two modern pre-amp tubes (JJ & Ruby). The circuit is as pure and straightforward as they come. The single Tone knob has a surprisingly wide range. The bias based tremolo circuit has a strong, dimensional pulse and particularly broad range of speeds too. The original footswitch is also included. As are the original pair of Schumacher transformers which date to the 36th (power) and 37th (output) week of ’62. The preamp retains the original blue molded Ajax tone caps, which have a particularly sweet, musical tonal character. The original 3MEG CTS Stackpole pots date code back to the 36th week of 1962. The power supply retains the original Astron EYT Oil paper can cap. The speaker is the original gold frame Oxford 10J4, with a date code on the edge of the frame from ’62. The original tube chart is in excellent condition with sharp corners and unfaded paper, retaining an “LJ” date stamp which translates to October of 1962. A 110/220 powertransformer is also included in the package to handle EU-Voltages. This amp features the original rough brown tolex, wheat grillcloth, and an repro leather handle. There’s very minimal wear on the tolex. The Princeton’s faceplate layout is simple, with two inputs, tone, volume, and trem speed and depth controls. The faceplate is very clean, retaining the original brown barrel knobs.
These Brownface tube amps were not in production for too long and are much rarer than their Blackface descendants. This remains as cool a small amp as was ever made; simple, and to many players in this less-loud age, the perfect combination of tone and portability. This is a superbly near original amp overall, with some typical upgrades done by tube doctor Rick Hogue at Garret Park Guitars. As the ground switch was kinda dangerous Rick replaced the original two-prong power cord with a grounded 3-prong power cord eliminating the need for the ground switch and ‘death cap’. This neccesary upgrade provides a reliable, safe ground. Internally it is otherwise unaltered. The Tolex has some light staining to the top and minor wear; the grillcloth is in near perfect condition. Overall this is a lovely example, really about as nice as they turn up nearly 60 years later still ready to gig. Listen to Johan Segebron putting a sistermodel to through the paces HERE.
Price includes:
- Consignment sale, no trades.
- VAT does not apply.
- We ship worldwide, fully insured. Check your rate HERE.
- All guitars come with a fresh set of strings and a setup to your liking.
