Princeton 65 type amp for occasional home use?

Yorkie

Fiddlesticks_ said:

allen said:

I agree with a lot of the previous posts, but would particular support the Vox AC10. Not the same as the princeton, but really great - and they seem to go for about £350 second hand which is a real bargain for how they sound.

Sorry to add even more options, but if I were to go down the Vox route I’d consider an AC15 too. I’ve had both an AC10 and 15 and I found that the 15 sounded much fuller than the 10 at home volumes, so that’s the one I kept in the end.

I tried a vintage AC30, an AC15C1 and an AC10C1, all in the same room. They were all lovely in their own way, but the AC30 was too big (not to mention that I was hilariously priced out) and the AC15C1 was, at least to me, head and shoulders above the AC10C1. I can understand why people rave about the 10 because it's small, powerful and convenient but if regardless of AC30-related expectations and stereotypes you managed to connect with the AC15C1's sound, I think there is no way in hell you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15. It's hugely tactile, with lovely cleans, _amazing_ spring reverb and tremolo, and can get loud.

I have the date I got mine highlighted on the calendar. My wife was against having big amplifiers in the living room, but "that one's OK".

Jon

ICBM

Yorkie said:

I tried a vintage AC30, an AC15C1 and an AC10C1, all in the same room. They were all lovely in their own way, but the AC30 was too big (not to mention that I was hilariously priced out) and the AC15C1 was, at least to me, head and shoulders above the AC10C1. I can understand why people rave about the 10 because it's small, powerful and convenient but if regardless of AC30-related expectations and stereotypes you managed to connect with the AC15C1's sound, I think there is no way in hell you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15. It's hugely tactile, with lovely cleans, _amazing_ spring reverb and tremolo, and can get loud.

I'm the opposite, I thought the AC10 sounded better than the AC15 when I A/B'd them - it sounded much more like a small AC30 somehow. I've always found AC15s disappointing - I've owned a Korg one, but wouldn't bother again, it's an AC30 or nothing for me...

Yorkie

ICBM said:

Yorkie said:

I tried a vintage AC30, an AC15C1 and an AC10C1, all in the same room. They were all lovely in their own way, but the AC30 was too big (not to mention that I was hilariously priced out) and the AC15C1 was, at least to me, head and shoulders above the AC10C1. I can understand why people rave about the 10 because it's small, powerful and convenient but if regardless of AC30-related expectations and stereotypes you managed to connect with the AC15C1's sound, I think there is no way in hell you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15. It's hugely tactile, with lovely cleans, _amazing_ spring reverb and tremolo, and can get loud.

I'm the opposite, I thought the AC10 sounded better than the AC15 when I A/B'd them - it sounded much more like a small AC30 somehow. I've always found AC15s disappointing - I've owned a Korg one, but wouldn't bother again, it's an AC30 or nothing for me...

That’s the thing, I wasn’t chasing “the AC30 sound”, I was just looking for an expressive box at an affordable price. I tried the AC30 knowing full well that I will never have something that big in my house. Same issue with a Twin. 

menamestom

allen said:

Personally I can't stand the Blues Junior. 

I had a Princeton 65 reissue for ages. Great amp.

I had a 65 reissue and a Blues Junior at the same time.  The Blues Junior wasn’t mine but was for modding.

The BJ doesn’t come close in any way.
They are very differently priced amps but if the price difference was just based on tone it would be a bigger difference than it is.   

I miss my Princeton actually, might look at another one day.  Probably Emprize or similar.

ICBM

Yorkie said:

That’s the thing, I wasn’t chasing “the AC30 sound”, I was just looking for an expressive box at an affordable price. I tried the AC30 knowing full well that I will never have something that big in my house. Same issue with a Twin. 

Nor me really - I just want a sound I like. The AC30 is the closest to that, the AC10 was second, the AC15 (it was a C1 I A/B'd with it) third - I just disagree that 'there's no way you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15' - I would, I find the AC15 just a bit nondescript really. Sorry! It's just all personal at the end of the day though.

Yorkie

ICBM said:

Yorkie said:

That’s the thing, I wasn’t chasing “the AC30 sound”, I was just looking for an expressive box at an affordable price. I tried the AC30 knowing full well that I will never have something that big in my house. Same issue with a Twin. 

Nor me really - I just want a sound I like. The AC30 is the closest to that, the AC10 was second, the AC15 (it was a C1 I A/B'd with it) third - I just disagree that 'there's no way you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15' - I would, I find the AC15 just a bit nondescript really. Sorry! It's just all personal at the end of the day though.

Well, I did begin by saying that you had to prefer the sound of the AC15. If you liked that sound, you would never settle for an AC10 (or an AC30 for that matter, at least in my case!). 

Then again, if you heard my AC15 you wouldn’t immediately say it’s a Vox :-)

Jon

allen

ICBM said:. 

Nor me really - I just want a sound I like. The AC30 is the closest to that, the AC10 was second, the AC15 (it was a C1 I A/B'd with it) third - I just disagree that 'there's no way you would pick an AC10C1 over the 15' - I would, I find the AC15 just a bit nondescript really. Sorry! It's just all personal at the end of the day though.

I have tried AC10s a few times in shops. The last time I also A/Bd it with an AC15 as on paper the AC15 has more features and I would have thought it would be a smaller AC30 (and therefore better). I came to the same conclusions as ICBM that the10 sounded better. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, plus it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things, etc. 

Having said that, on that amp buying odyssey I ended up with a Bad Cat - which was a mistake with hindsight. 

Yorkie

allen said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, plus it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things, etc. 

Unless you're doing a paid review – then you have to like everything! 

If you like this post, please give it five stars.

kelpbeds

Blues Junior might be a good idea