Fender Princeton Reverb II

My amp is from 1984. There are 3 push-pull nobs on this amp. One for lead, one for mid boost, and one for treble boost. It gives a lot of options, but I give this a 7 because don't really care for any of them and think the amp sounds best as is. There is a jack for the "mythical" foot-pedal that I wouldn't use any ways. It has a reverb that sounds best at 3. Any higher than 3 and it starts to sound real tingy and fake.

This is really a great sounding amp. Warm as can be and perfect for the blues tone I like to get. The amp also sounds great with a chorus effect. I play a Gibson Les Paul and a PRS and the humbuckers just sound amazing through the amp. The warm tones the amp gets also helps a LOT when I coil tap my humbuckers to single coil.

The amp could be a bit louder, but I'm not complaining because it's definitely loud enough to hear as a monitor during a gig when it's miked. The amp rattles a little when you crank up the low, but what amp doesn't?

My only complaint in the sound is the lead channel. I got rid of my Crate Vintage Club 30 for this amp. The VC30 was a lot louder and had a killer distortion channel. The lead on the Princeton just sucks if you are looking for a good amp distortion. I'm cool with that and just use my Boss DS-1 Distortion and SD-1 Super Overdrive. That works just great with the amp's regular warm tone. I ended up swaping the speaker out of my VC30 into this amp and it has made a slight improvement.

This amp is 17 years old and the speaker just went a week ago. It only went because it was stored in a terrible climate that is humid as can be.

If the amp were stolen, I imagine that I would look around for another one. It's pretty good and the price is probably the best part. People are paying 450 to 500 for a Hot Rod Deluxe and you can pick up a used Princeton for between 250 and 300 and it sounds just as good minus the loudness and distortion.

1983 Fender Princeton Reverb II with following features:
* 2x6V6 power tubes, 1x12AT7 reverb tube, 3x12AX7/7025 preamp tubes, SS rectifier
* tube-driven reverb
* clean and lead channels via a push/pull volume knob
* individual volume controls per channel, shared EQ, master volume
* push/pull treble boost, push/pull midrange boost, bass, presence
* 12" speaker
* line out, reverb in/out, jacks for pedals to control channels
* only 32lbs soaking wet
* single input jack on front panel
* 20 WRMS

The amp has no effects loop or headphone jack.

With the push/pull this 'n that and the clean/lead channels, this amp has more thna enough controls to get any tone you want from clean jazz to overdriven Boogie and anything in-between.

I have never seen a single amp as versatile as this one and that sounds as good at any setting.

I use a '79 Peavey T-60 (humbucks w/coil tap and out of phase switch) and humbucker-equipped jazz archtops. I (try to) play mostly jazz, but like to dabble in blues/rock.

Prior to a speaker change out, I was a little disappointed. The amp sounded flabby, lacking definition of colored jazz chords on clean settings. I slapped in my spare, recent Jensen C12K and everything changed. The stock Eminence speaker does not do this amp justice.

The amp is virtually noise-free until you hit the lead channel and invoke the mid-boost, then it gets just a little noise - certainly not enough to complain about.

This amp can do clean jazz, Molly Hatchet overdrive, crunchy blues or anything else you want. You've just got to play with the push/pull boost knobs, EQ, and volume settings and it only takes seconds to dial in the right tone.

For 15-20 watts, this amp is very loud - much louder than other 18 watter tube amps I've had (Hohner CA-200, Gibson GA-5T, etc).

The clean stays clean up to tolerable volume levels with crisp highs and good bottom end. when you kick in the lead channel stuff and boosts, man oh man, you get any kind of overdrive you want from clean blues to crunchy texas tones to over the top distortion (not death metal, though).

I'd say this amp excels in good solid jazz tones, clean blues, Texas SRV-type of tones, and rock 'n roll.

One downside is that the reverb is WAY too deep beyond 3 on the clean channel. Of course, that may be a good feature for other folks. With the lead channel engaged, the reverb lessens considerably as Fender used part of the reverb tube for an extra gain stage. So, I just crank the reverb to 10 at that time anbd it sounds perfect - just enough tube 'verb to dimensionalize the sound a little.

I really mean that this sounds awesome, so she gets a 10.

Amp is 18 years old. Appears to be as solid as a rock. Well-built. Mine is in NM condition inside and out. All tubes are still tight in their sockets. No mechanical noise; no weird buzzes - everything as it sohuld be. Had to swap out original 12AT7 reverb tube as it had gone microphonic, but so far that's it. I am not the original owner, but thankfully he took excellent care of the amp. Still, unitl I have the amp for 5 years, I won't rate it for reliability.

Amp has long been out of warranty. Fender has always been responsive sending me schematics and user manuals when I send money. I've hadlots of Fender amps and they have never let me down. Even so, when it comes to this amp, I have not had a reason to contact Fender, so i'll leave the answer as "No opinion".

I've been playing for almost 10 years and own other Fender amps including a SF Super Reverb, Princeton Chorus (the PR II bloes it away), and SF Fender Champ.

I can only say that if you need an amp to cover BB king blues, Texas tones, jazz, and rock n' roll, his is the amp you need. 32lbs of pure solid toneful joy! And it looks cool, too with blackface cosmetics, point-to-point handwiring, black tolex.

I can't really say this amp is a "Fantastic Value" as these amps run form $500-$650 depending on condition. And these amps are simply going up, up, up as Rivera-era Fender gear does. Ergo, I'll give it a "9".

Year of manufacture unknown, but I purchased it used (without footswitch of course) in 1986. I have found it to be a very versatile amp. I am strictly unskilled labour as a guitarist, but the PRII has pretty much done whatever I have asked of it. It would be nice to have an effects loop or a tremolo (or a footswitch) but who am I to complain? As I use the amp for basement noodling, casual jam sessions, and amateurish recording, the power has never been an issue. It was pressed into service for club gigs on three occasions, and performed admirably. With an appropriate resistor in place of the speaker, the line out jack comes in handy for late-night silent recording!

My current guitar inventory consists of a Takamine EF-360, a Danelectro Convertible, and a Harmony Flying V copy w/Gibson Humbuckers and creative wiring. I play whatever style takes my fancy, but tend towards blues/y'allternative. The PRII can be a little hummy in some situations (e.g. single coil setups), but it's nothing I can't get around. It excels at crunchy rhythm sounds and warm blues leads, but it certainly can handle most other sounds you wanna make (within reason). I don't like to crank the clean channel too far, but then I rarely need to. If i were to get another amp, it would be for my electric/acoustic, but i'm not really inclined to. The distortion is great; one sound with a wide range of variation, but what a great sound! When I need more or different distortion I use my Danelectro Fab Tone stomp box. It sounds very nice through the PRII

I have been told how much better this thing will sound when I replace the speaker or tubes, and I will, but not until the original ones break. Not a single problem since I got it, though it is a heavy-duty piece of equipment leading a light-duty life. (one exception to that: I live with cats, and they have barely been able to make their mark on the vinyl or speaker cloth; after what they have done to upholstery and woodwork, that's impressive!)

No problems, but many bad stories about dealing with Fender. If I did have a problem, I would take it to one of my electronics/audio geek friends. I don't trust Factory Service when 20 years have gone by. I also long since obtained the schematics.

I have been playing for 25 years, 15 with the PRII. The only other guitar amp I have owned was a solid state Traynor 2x15 combo which did not suit me at all. I tried out various new and used tube amps based on my limited budget (without much knowledge of what I was looking for) before finding the PRII, and it was unquestionably THE ONE. I don't even want to think about it getting lost or stolen, because I don't want to replace it. Several people have played this amp then started looking for a Rivera-era Fender for themselves.

I picked it up used in '99 in Absolute Mint Condition without a footswitch. Man, what do these people do, keep something in perfect- mint condition for 20 years and then loose the damn footswitch? I have got used to using the clean channel master volume at 10 and the preamp set to whatever the room needs anyway. I've heard the footswitch is a must but I've been happy without it!

It would be nice to have an effects loop. I have always wondered if you can use the reverb in out as an efects loop but never tried. Don't want to risk screwing up a good thing.

I play a Strat and a G&L Asat Jr. through it and it's an absolute killer with both. I play Classic Rock & Rock Blues. I find it's perfectly suited for use as home practice to just about any small club, Pub or Lounge and possibly just a tad small for a large club, "Possibly". This thing rings, groans, barks, sings and just a about anything else you might want it to do. Put any standard pedal setup in front of it and your doin it!And I mean doin it! I put in a Celestion Vintage 30 on advice from a Harmony Central Member and "Holy Shit", Was that Dude ever right! "Mesa Boogie Move over".

As far as reliability goes. This little guy is a tank! One bad tube kept the reverb overdrive and lead gain down once. "Once", "Only One time ever". Just about as bullet proof as they get! Revera cut his teath on these Reverb II series units at Fender. Lucky for Fender he got it right the first time!

Never needed it. A footswitch would be nice but I've been told not to bother trying, It just aint gonna happen!

Started plating in the early seventies with a Telecaster through an old dual showman head on a beat to shit Marshall 1960A. Had all kinds of tube units, never anything solid state though! I had not even tried a small combo before. This was just a "by chance" thing. Saw it in a store, tried it out for the hell of it and it blew me away! Took it home for a practice amp and ended up using it full time!

Would not hesitate for a millisecond about buying another!

For starters, I do have the coveted footpedal, but I rarely use it anymore. I just use various other pedals and occasionally reach back and use the push/pull pots for mid or high boost when needed. To be honest, I think this amp has too many features for what it is: a great small club/practice room amp. It's deceptively powerful (20W that sounds like 30). I play wacky funk and blues and found that the lead channel takes too much tweeking to be bothered with. But that's just me. If you play straight forward rock, blues, jazz or country i can see how the lead channel and boost controls could be very handy.

I bought my PRII in 1984 with a G&L Skyhawk. The two have been happily married ever since. The classic single coil out-of-phase sound drips from this amp. I guess the operative word here is CLEAN. Whether warm or twangy, this amp stays clean at high volumes even after it's warmed up. That's what I love. But I once let a friend borrow it for a gig, and he punk rocked the bejeezus outta the thing with a Les Paul. Sonded great. However, I do find that it can get a bit noisy when you try to overdrive the thing, but I guess that's to be expected. The reverb shimmers, and the tone cuts through the mix. I love the way it makes my collection of cheap stomp boxes sound better. Versatility? I try to use this amp for every occasion and gig - even if I have to mic the little bastard. Damn good amp.

I don't baby my equipment, and I haven't had a problem. Changed my tubes recently, but it's been what? 16 years or so?

Never had to deal with the Fender folks, but I hear they're not very helpful.

I've been playing about 20 years, and most of those years I've used the PRII. I guess that says something. It doesn't do more than it promises and it's reliable. I also use a Sovtek head with a 2x12 Carvin cab and I gotta say, it delivers. But my Princton is the only amp that sits in the livingroom unpacked and ready for action.

the lead channel takes a little "tweaking" and getting used to,
especially for thos of us who grew up during the 1980's heavy metal
scare. spend time with it and you'll have no complaints. The "boost"
and "bright" push-pulls can be disconcerting to the novice who is used
to solid state o.d. channels

I've been playing this amp for literally more than half my life (i'm
28 and this came into the family in 1986) and it has kept up with
EVERY mood, attitude or style change from hardcore punk to jazz. I would suggest that if you like digital/industrial thrash tones this might be too "warm" for you even when running a dist. pedal. the lead channel won't interest you at all...however this thing has the best 70's punk tones i've ever heard. think "holidays in the sun". I've put strats, tele's, LP's ect through this thing and never had a reason to be unhappy w/ any combination. one hint...on really snappy sounding single coil p.u. guitars (tele's and strats in particular)
you may get more twang than you want so turn that ol' treb down

its been dropped, kicked, and hauled across the u.s.a. for more than
a decade and all I have done is clean it occassionally.it has yet to think about not working perfectly every time i plug in. My only kvetch is the reverb unit which tends towards overkill...it has two settings...off and mineshaft.

i've never had to call fender about this amp but they have always
been very professional when i've dealt with them on other matters.

I've gone through marshall, crate, roland, vintage univox and I have
no idea what else. I have bought and sold guitars for several years and was recently told to start buying gear and writing it off by my
accountant and went nuts on guitars and don't even WANT another amp!

i'm a bedroom player, been playing for 35 years.this amp has alway surprised me with it's versatility. 20 watts,12" speaker (i put in a mesa boogie vintage in it about 11 years ago. i also switched all the tubes to mesa boogie. it now blows the doors off a studio 22. i bought this amp new in 1983 at eu wurlitzer's in boston.

better sound after i replaced the above

my stepson blow the original speaker in 1988.

been out of warranty for 16 years, never needed help from fender. they did send me schematics for my same era concert amp i asked for.

i own the original footswitch so it would have to be a grand offer for me to sell it.

Used this amp live for years and years. Clean channel sounds great, classic Fender. If you only use the push/pull boost, you just get boost, like the late seventies Fenders. Sounds like crap. You can't really access the fabled "Rivera Circuit", which kills the reverb and uses the reverb tube as an extra gain stage, without the footswitch. Partssmart has these in stock, BTW. Then you hear the real OD that this baby can put out. Problem is, you need to adjust your tone, mid boost etc., between the clean channel and the OD - you can't just leave the knobs where they were. OK for recording, but not very practical for live. I use the clean channel live with a Fulltone Fulldrive for OD. No loop, but it does have a Line Recording output which sounds awful - real tinny. And the Clean channel starts to break up at higher volumes, sounds as crappy as the push/pull tone, so you have to mic the amp - it's only 12 watts without the Rivera Circuit. Then it gets to 20W. Bottom line - with very little effort you can make this amp sound just like a Twin or a Boogie, but you DO have to make the effort!

Play covers for money, country for art. Use this amp clean live and record with the Rivera on , just enough to give me the "clean-on-the-edge" tone that I love from Deluxes. Amp is very versatile, and just the right size.

Typical tube amp - keep fuses, tubes, etc. handy just like for my other Fenders

Fender won't help you at all unless you're somebody.

This is a great series of amps. I know where a Deluxe II is, and I've been trying to get it since 1990. Twin II's are fairly common, but Way too loud! And heavy! Would like the "true" channel switching of the Deluxe II or the Concert II - they have separate sets of knobs for each channel. The little Champ II's and the Super Champs have priced themselves out of the market, unfortunately. But for versatility, great tone, and (up to now) great prices the Fender Series II's can't be beat!

I think this amp was made in 1985. That is what I have concluded from all the info I have been able to gather so far. I play mostly country and mostly Telecasters. As with everyone else, I CAN'T FIND THE DARNED FOOT PEDAL! The line out feature is unusual on a tube amp and can be very useful. It may be only 20 watts, but it is great for most places. If I need more power I simply mic it!

I play 2 tele's and a strat through it. My main Tele is a Merle Haggard Tribute. This guitar sounds awesome through most any amp! I also play a modified Tele Plus whhich I ripped out all the Lace Sensor pickups and put in Custom Shop Texas Tele's with a 4 way switch. This guitar sounds great now! Both the Teles and the Strat benifit from the pure Fender tone.

Very dependable! Only problem has been tubes (of course!)When I got it used, it had the original set and I have replaced them once. The power tubes I got were lousy (Raytheon)and I need to replace them again after 1 year.

I have e-mailed Fender a couple of times with questions but they have never even responded. It took me 16 months to get my Custom Shop Tuff Dog Tele built. I was originally told 90 days. Then excuse after excuse after excuse followed. I was lucky enough to get Merle Haggard to sign the guitar on the pickguard. I contacted the Custom shop again and asked if I could purchase a replacement so I would not destroy the signature. They said they would be glad to send me one but it would take a couple of weeks. I have called them twice since then still no pickguard. That was almost a year ago! In other words, I think Fender customer service sucks! They don't have any! I love my Fender equipment and have used Fender for 45 years, but it is a good thing it is so reliable!

I have played for over 45 years. Besides the previously mentioned guitars, I have a Vibrasonic Custom amp. Over all this amp is perfect for practice and small club jobs. The tone is outstanding!

Reviera era Fender amp made between 1982 to 1985. One input with 2 footswitchable channels. Output is 20 watts with 2 6V6 output tubes and solid state rectifier. Full eq section with nice range of control over tone. The definitive Fender clean sound on ch.1. The overdrive channel lacks tonal character. Best suited for all styles where clean to medium overdrive is appropriate. Used for aggresive blues. Output is there in a full band situation unless you want to fry pigeons at 20 paces.

As a player for 30 years, I'm fortunate to have a variety of guitars to use and amps to compare to. Before we go any further, expect to change the stock speaker - it stinks. I had great success with a Jenson C12N. It's reasonably priced and perfect for preserving that Fender clean and on the brink tone. Humbuckers retain their character in this amp ( I'm a Gibson guy). Good Strat pickups esp. neck position sound terrific ( I use Fralins in my Strat.) Clean ch. only. The harmonic quality of this amp works very well with overdrive pedals. I use a Barber Tone Pump 2, older Real tube pedal w/ 12at7 (lower gain tube),Tubescreamer (cheap sound tank model) and an occasional compresser. Each has it's own voice and all work well with this amp depending on the guitar and voice you're after. Unfortunately, this is effectively a one channel amp. The overdrive channel lacks the benchmark tone of the clean channel and sounds generic. With a pedal in the clean channel though, this amp delivers.

After a year and change playing many jobs, no problems. A dependable amp.

Never had to contact Fender. Dosen't matter. Amp is out of production.

Highly reccomended. Almost a must if you really want that special Fender tone. Don't worry about the overdrive channel. A good pedal and guitar in the clean channel is worth the price of admission. From Dire Straits to SRV on steroids, this amp is great.