Damn it! ive just got a new amp too!

firks91

ICBM said:

firks91 said:

Hmm, ive been looking at the 68 princetons. it may be a better choice really, given that im only playing at home these days. that said though, it also means i cant play live if i wanted to then...just not enough headroom.

The 'Stokes mod' (which is simple on the originals, although I'm not certain about the reissues) and a maximum efficiency speaker - even a 10", rather than a 12" - can make quite a difference to a Princeton. It will never be quite as loud or full-sounding as a Deluxe but it might be closer than you would expect.

firks91 said:

Anyone know how similar the 68 princeton tone is to the custom channel on the deluxe reverb? that is the channel that had me sold.

Not sure, although it should be in the same ballpark since the '65s are fairly similar. The Princeton does have a different overdrive character though, it gets a bit flappy and uncontrolled, whereas the Deluxe is thicker and more together even though it's quite flubby… if that makes sense.

There will be someone who has tried both the new ones though.

just been reading about the mods aye. the majority of owners tend to say a speaker upgrade is a game changer in itself. the celestion is a bit shite apparently. 

yeah, all together i think the deluxe is the better choice for me, but im just thinking about some nice breakup stuff at home too which is where its going to pale in comparison obviously. 

firks91

late night noodle has just reminded me that "oh shit, i really do like this v40!'

p90fool

firks91;977928" said:

p90fool said:



firks91 said:





interesting! makes me think i might get a 65 if one came along really cheap or something





I switched my Princeton back and forth between 68 Custom and 65 Reissue spec a couple of times until I settled on what I wanted.



In fact the 68 Princeton is based on the 2008 65 Reissue PCB. They've changed a capacitor, cut a track on the board the pots are mounted on and added a resistor in its place. It's kind of factory modded, but the mod looks almost home made, very like the PCB mods I used to make on data loggers when I worked in the meteorological industry.



FWIW I stuck with the 68 Custom spec in the end.










thats an interesting one. princeton would be nice really but the small speaker doesnt do anything for me, and i cant be arsed to get an external cab to solve that. 

You don't need an external cab with a Princeton, they sound bigger and deeper than a lot of 1x12" combos. If you blind tested one against a Blues Junior for example you'd get it the wrong way round every time if you were just guessing speaker size.

You may well prefer the headroom of the Deluxe and they do break up more smoothly than the Princeton, but at low volumes the two sound incredibly similar in their 68 Custom guise, though I've been gigging the Princeton as a clean pedal platform for a year or so. The tremolo on the Princeton is fabulous though, and it doesn't tick like the Deluxe.

If you fell in love with the Deluxe though, just buy one

downbytheriver

Gigged the 68 Custom Vibrolux for the first time last night - I think it is better than the DR! More interestingly, my band mate, whose Two Rock Crystal and Super Reverb are both at the doctors, borrowed the DR and at the end of the gig was full of praise for it. These really are terrific amps.

thomasross20

Do people hate on the Victory amps here? 

RocknRollDave

thomasross20 said:

Do people hate on the Victory amps here? 

The Chappers association probably accounts for some of the negativity.

thomasross20

Just surprised because from what I've seen/heard the Victory amps sound fantastic.

Adamski

I've been looking for a clean-ish Fender style amp as a pedal platform yet have it have some nice squishy blues lead tones when pushed and I've been looking at the '65 and '68 deluxes.

Anyone know if it can be use like this at gig levels or if I'm better of with something like a Vibrolux or Two Rock?

stratman3142

thomasross20 said:

Do people hate on the Victory amps here? 

I used my Victory V40 for the first time at a gig last night. It was a tiny pub gig and there was only room for one of my 1x12 1912 Marshall cabs because we had to put the amps on an immovable bench seat. Normally I like to have two stacked cabs, with one cab in full contact with the ground because I prefer the sound that way. I used Victory V40 on a fully clean setting, getting the drives from my pedals.

The sound worked well in the context of the band. I think it's going to work out. The band liked the sound I was getting, and the bass player thought it was amazing. But I'm always fussing over sound. I had a love hate relationship with my HRD3. I'm not sure that the sounds in my head can be created by a single real world amp:)

firks91

thomasross20 said:

Do people hate on the Victory amps here? 

i dont, i think theyre great 

ICBM

p90fool said:

The tremolo on the Princeton is fabulous though, and it doesn't tick like the Deluxe. 

That's worth mentioning - the Princeton uses bias-modulation tremolo which both doesn't tick and sounds (in my opinion) better than the new Deluxe tremolo, which is no longer opto-coupled due to EU regulations but is now a digital circuit. Why they didn't simply redesign the Deluxe to use bias trem, I don't know.

I have no opinion on the Victory, I've never played one.

firks91

downbytheriver said:

Gigged the 68 Custom Vibrolux for the first time last night - I think it is better than the DR! More interestingly, my band mate, whose Two Rock Crystal and Super Reverb are both at the doctors, borrowed the DR and at the end of the gig was full of praise for it. These really are terrific amps.

how would you compare the tones and the headroom? 

Evildurka

thomasross20;978704" said:

Do people hate on the Victory amps here? 

Some people had reliability issues with the early models particularly the v100. Other struggles to get a balance they liked out of v30's clean and dirty channels.

Everybody hates chappers

I have 2 victory amps and I love em but not everything is everyone's cup of tea and I respect that.

downbytheriver

firks91;979244" said:

downbytheriver said:

Gigged the 68 Custom Vibrolux for the first time last night - I think it is better than the DR! More interestingly, my band mate, whose Two Rock Crystal and Super Reverb are both at the doctors, borrowed the DR and at the end of the gig was full of praise for it. These really are terrific amps.





how would you compare the tones and the headroom? 

The Vibrolux has more headroom and a darker tone but the bright switch brings it back close to the sound of the Deluxe.

Definitely not the same as the Deluxe but just as sweet and even cleaner.

More tweaking required I think but it's a great amp.

duotone

Is this the model http://www.dawsons.co.uk/fender-1968-custom-deluxe-reverb-combo-guitar-amplifier

If so, it's a lovely looking amp.  I love the dials.

firks91

yep thats the one!

firks91

You don't need an external cab with a Princeton, they sound bigger and deeper than a lot of 1x12" combos. If you blind tested one against a Blues Junior for example you'd get it the wrong way round every time if you were just guessing speaker size.

You may well prefer the headroom of the Deluxe and they do break up more smoothly than the Princeton, but at low volumes the two sound incredibly similar in their 68 Custom guise, though I've been gigging the Princeton as a clean pedal platform for a year or so. The tremolo on the Princeton is fabulous though, and it doesn't tick like the Deluxe.

If you fell in love with the Deluxe though, just buy one

@p90fool ;

definitely would make sense to just get what had me wanting to change in the first place, youre right! Ive just been thinking about the nice little bit of cash id save on getting a princeton instead. Especially since it seems like the 68 deluxe is rarely for sale 2nd hand.

the main thing thats been on my mind is; best for home playing vs  will i play live again soon? 

Obviously the Princeton will suit home playing and getting that break up sweetness at a reasonable vol, but i really doubt it would have the headroom for most bands. 

Dunno about you guys but i never succeeded in getting other members in the band to turn down, and normally have to turn up! 

Maybe i should give the princeton a go and return if its not for me. i ont think i will dislike it but...

i do have a small inkling that the deluxe will be the preferred amp though just based on the 2 channel versatility. 

ICBM

Unless you have a very tolerant family and/or no neighbours, you're not going to get a Princeton to break up at home volume. They're not 'loud', but they're not that much quieter than a Deluxe either.

If you're concerned about headroom for playing with a band, unless you'll always be able to mic up then the Deluxe is a safer bet.

p90fool

The other option is to try a Princeton anyway and see if you prefer it, if you do you can always overcome volume issues.

I could have bought the Princeton or the Deluxe, but I preferred the sound of the Princeton. I gigged it as a clean pedal platform and in my (fairly quiet) band it was plenty loud enough.

I did have a cheap Superlux mic and a Mackie powered wedge on standby if I needed it for other gigs, though the whole lot still cost less than a Deluxe.

One thing that's often overlooked though is that unless you're playing in a purely instrumental band there is always a PA.

firks91

ICBM said:

Unless you have a very tolerant family and/or no neighbours, you're not going to get a Princeton to break up at home volume. They're not 'loud', but they're not that much quieter than a Deluxe either.

If you're concerned about headroom for playing with a band, unless you'll always be able to mic up then the Deluxe is a safer bet.

depends on how you define tolerable haha. 

i guess i was fooling myself by thinking it may be quiet. i hoped that maybe the output trans would be on the weak side etc...

p90fool said:

The other option is to try a Princeton anyway and see if you prefer it, if you do you can always overcome volume issues.

I could have bought the Princeton or the Deluxe, but I preferred the sound of the Princeton. I gigged it as a clean pedal platform and in my (fairly quiet) band it was plenty loud enough.

I did have a cheap Superlux mic and a Mackie powered wedge on standby if I needed it for other gigs, though the whole lot still cost less than a Deluxe.

One thing that's often overlooked though is that unless you're playing in a purely instrumental band there is always a PA.

I hate how much the price difference is factoring into it to be honest. times are tough for me these days so i never have that extra £ to put towards something a bit more expensive and still be enjoying my premium lifestyle that includes baked beans for tea... 

one question about the princeton actually; being that its a warm sounding amp, can it ever get bright? 

im thinking about the fact that the custom and vintage channel on the deluxe can offer that difference to a degree.