Fender Amps?

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Comments

  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,969
    I love that color.  Sweetwater had a wine red version I believe at one time that looked great too.  Something different than the usual.  
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303

    It's gonna sound pretty and clean. I have an early 70s Princeton Reverb that I absolutely love. All clean then you just get it dirty with all kinds of pedals.
    so it sounds like it might be a good pedal platform. i am not sure if i am a big fan of how amps with one speaker break up, but i guess i will find out.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    I love that color.  Sweetwater had a wine red version I believe at one time that looked great too.  Something different than the usual.  
    yeah i think they might have been the same limited edition. i think this red one was a guitar center exclusive, but i think some outlets get the same product lines sometimes.

    this one is not the handwired edition. i have seen a few videos comparing the handwired version to the pcb edition and the handwired kills the pcb.

    i guess there is only one way to find out.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    well i went and played the princeton. ended up buying a brand new one since it was only $100 more and came with a manual, amp cover, and footswitch. we played my blues junior and the princeton right next to each other and the princeton killed the blues jr. i did not get as much trade in for the blues jr as i had hoped for, but it got the price down under $1000 so I will take it. the pictures do not do it justice.


    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,969
    It looks great and I'm sure sounds even better.  Did you try out any other amps while you were there?  
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    It looks great and I'm sure sounds even better.  Did you try out any other amps while you were there?  
    thanks man.

    yeah we tried out a few different fenders, one of the marshall studio 20 watt jmps, one of the smaller jerry cantrell friedman amps, and one of the mark tremonti prs amps, and one of the white evh 5150s. we kept going back to the princeton.

    i have never had an amp with no mids control before, so with my tele and strat i am going to use a klon style pedal as an always on pedal to get some mids in there. this thing takes pedals about as good as my matchless and everything sounds good with it. the on-board reverb and tremolo are just awesome sounding, so i am super happy with the princeton so far. it just sounds more warm and present than the blues junior.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    forgot to add that we took it over to my buddy's place after leaving the store. he has a headstrong, which is a handwired amp based on an old '64 princeton  i believe. we a/b his amp and mine and they are very similar. he runs a klon ktr, a morning glory, and a vertex steel string pedal in front of his amp and that pedal combo made the amps both sound amazing. so i guess i will be getting a morning glory and a steel string at some point too.... it never, ever ends, lol...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    Congrats on the Princeton ... the red does look real nice.  I've been looking for a tube amp and this is one I've had my eye on, but I'm still trying to figure out volume as it relates to tone and also not going deaf.   I've seen in the past you have run a hot plate setup to reduce volume to the speakers but you were not sure about attenuators (or didn't have experience with them).   Just curious what your current mantra is.

    I was looking at a vibro champ 5 watt, but then i read someone say just get the amp that fits your tone and the use an attenuator.  That wine red amp is tempting. 


  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,969
    forgot to add that we took it over to my buddy's place after leaving the store. he has a headstrong, which is a handwired amp based on an old '64 princeton  i believe. we a/b his amp and mine and they are very similar. he runs a klon ktr, a morning glory, and a vertex steel string pedal in front of his amp and that pedal combo made the amps both sound amazing. so i guess i will be getting a morning glory and a steel string at some point too.... it never, ever ends, lol...
    It is no surprise that we make a big purchase and then immediately look towards the next one!
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    Jason P said:
    Congrats on the Princeton ... the red does look real nice.  I've been looking for a tube amp and this is one I've had my eye on, but I'm still trying to figure out volume as it relates to tone and also not going deaf.   I've seen in the past you have run a hot plate setup to reduce volume to the speakers but you were not sure about attenuators (or didn't have experience with them).   Just curious what your current mantra is.

    I was looking at a vibro champ 5 watt, but then i read someone say just get the amp that fits your tone and the use an attenuator.  That wine red amp is tempting. 


    thanks man! the more i look at it the more i like it.

    i have a hot plate for my 1974 marshall jmp, which was made before they had master volumes on amps. the hot plate is a way to be able to crank the amp and get the power tubes cooking so it sounds good at a more reasonable volume. the hotplate can knock down some of your treble so there is a treble switch on it to compensate for that. you would not need a hot plate for a princeton because it is only 15 watts. I have my volume on 6 and it is decently loud but not enough to hear outside the house. there are better attenuators on the market than the hot plate but those things cost an arm and a leg. the hot plate suits my needs. if i were gigging at the moment i would consider upgrading to a newer attenuator but i am not really gigging at the moment.

    vibro champs are nice amps but i do not think they are loud enough. i once had a 1 watt tube amp that wasn't loud enough for me, but the 5 watters are cool because you can crank them and not kill your ears.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    forgot to add that we took it over to my buddy's place after leaving the store. he has a headstrong, which is a handwired amp based on an old '64 princeton  i believe. we a/b his amp and mine and they are very similar. he runs a klon ktr, a morning glory, and a vertex steel string pedal in front of his amp and that pedal combo made the amps both sound amazing. so i guess i will be getting a morning glory and a steel string at some point too.... it never, ever ends, lol...
    It is no surprise that we make a big purchase and then immediately look towards the next one!
    oh yeah. for sure. 

    i always told myself i was not a tone chaser. but if i wasn't i would not have just purchased a princeton and then immediately started looking at pedals.

    i need a compressor, and will be getting a vertex steel string, and i want a blusebreaker type circuit, which is where the morning glory comes in.

    i forgot that i also purchased the 1991 pedal, which is supposed to be the pearl jam 10 tone in a box.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    brianlux said:
    Picked up a  Fender '57 Champ Reissue 5 watt amp.  I'm loving it thus far.  Perfect for just playing quietly at home (especially in an apartment).  It breaks at a volume level that won't hurt your ears but I've also used a Tube Screamer and sounds good.  The tone is great. 

    Now, why did I have to go and look at this thread, lol!  I was finally getting ready to go for the Supro Delta King 10 (or maybe 12) and then saw this about the '57 Champ reissue and remembered that was another contender.

    Decisions, decisions.  :lol:
    Do yourself a favor and look into Tungsten Amps and Lil Dawg amps.  Handwired small shop amps that are copies of the classic tweed and brown era fenders.   I have a Tungsten Mosaic which is basically a copy of a 5f2 tweed princeton.  I love it!
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    DewieCox said:
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
    oh do tell!! what did he do? i have been avoiding fulltone for that very reason.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    DewieCox said:
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
    oh do tell!! what did he do? i have been avoiding fulltone for that very reason.

    I didn't go full rabbit hole, but apparently the Vertex made a "Axis Wah" that was actually a cheap Chinese wah that they changed the appearance and sold as made-in-USA boutique.   Some chinese brand called BBE Ben Wah (i'm not making that up :# )  Mason Marangella, owner, also made himself to be and electrical engineer from Berkeley.  He is not.  He posted an apology in 2014 on Gear Page.

    Don't know what has changed in 8 years.  I would avoid the used market!
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,969
    Jason P said:
    DewieCox said:
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
    oh do tell!! what did he do? i have been avoiding fulltone for that very reason.

    I didn't go full rabbit hole, but apparently the Vertex made a "Axis Wah" that was actually a cheap Chinese wah that they changed the appearance and sold as made-in-USA boutique.   Some chinese brand called BBE Ben Wah (i'm not making that up :# )  Mason Marangella, owner, also made himself to be and electrical engineer from Berkeley.  He is not.  He posted an apology in 2014 on Gear Page.

    Don't know what has changed in 8 years.  I would avoid the used market!
    Well, information that would have been great to have yesterday!  Oh well, hopefully the pedals will sound good.  
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    Jason P said:
    DewieCox said:
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
    oh do tell!! what did he do? i have been avoiding fulltone for that very reason.

    I didn't go full rabbit hole, but apparently the Vertex made a "Axis Wah" that was actually a cheap Chinese wah that they changed the appearance and sold as made-in-USA boutique.   Some chinese brand called BBE Ben Wah (i'm not making that up :# )  Mason Marangella, owner, also made himself to be and electrical engineer from Berkeley.  He is not.  He posted an apology in 2014 on Gear Page.

    Don't know what has changed in 8 years.  I would avoid the used market!
    Well, information that would have been great to have yesterday!  Oh well, hopefully the pedals will sound good.  

    As I mentioned, I don't know what has changed in 8 years. 

    Hopefully redemption has been found.
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,969
    I am sure it will be fine.  I looked on Sweetwater and they had a video filmed at Sweetwater so hopefully all on the up and up now.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    I am sure it will be fine.  I looked on Sweetwater and they had a video filmed at Sweetwater so hopefully all on the up and up now.
    i saw that one too. good demo of the steel string for sure.

    i know mojo hand makes a dumbleesque pedal. i wonder if that would be a suitable replacement for the steel string.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    Jason P said:
    DewieCox said:
    Stay away from Vertex. Plenty of other options for the Dumble thing not from a company ran by a total piece of shit. 
    oh do tell!! what did he do? i have been avoiding fulltone for that very reason.

    I didn't go full rabbit hole, but apparently the Vertex made a "Axis Wah" that was actually a cheap Chinese wah that they changed the appearance and sold as made-in-USA boutique.   Some chinese brand called BBE Ben Wah (i'm not making that up :# )  Mason Marangella, owner, also made himself to be and electrical engineer from Berkeley.  He is not.  He posted an apology in 2014 on Gear Page.

    Don't know what has changed in 8 years.  I would avoid the used market!
    oh that is the guy that wasn't really an engineer. i had heard something about that a few years ago. before i had even thought of trying a vertex pedal.

    passing off a cheepo wah as a boutique american made one is beyond sketchy though.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    He has a long list of being shady and inept, getting caught, and explaining it away to the unsuspecting public. The tour grade zip tie pack is snakenoily enough for me to avoid him.

    https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/vertex-information-thread.2260521/
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    DewieCox said:
    He has a long list of being shady and inept, getting caught, and explaining it away to the unsuspecting public. The tour grade zip tie pack is snakenoily enough for me to avoid him.

    https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/vertex-information-thread.2260521/
    unfortunately i can't view it because i do not have an account. sounds like a real asshole though.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    I don't like piling on when I don't know the full situation, but Dewey seems right about this guy / company being shady.   And this seems like PSA info that we should consider.  This is from Gear Page...

    " just to remind everyone again:

    Vertex Mason’s Greatest Hits

    1a.) BBE/Axis wah scam
    *1b.) Cease and desist letters to TGP members who exposed the scam
    Supposedly refunds were given but seriously who buys cheap Wahs at a premium, relabels/brands, goops to cover logos and the fact that there were no mods and jacks up the price, while selling as NOS.
    **somehow he now plays victim here.

    2.) Belden/Vertex cable scam
    *3.) Dynamic Distortion SD9 scam https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...tex-visits-andertons-uk.1992038/post-27483798

    4.) using RACKDOCTOR’s (LA Sound Design) work and advertising it as his own
    LA Sound design board on Vertex site. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105044932/http://vertexeffectsystems.com/
    *4b.) not a scam but notice the name? David Phillips known as RACKDOCTOR (not rigdoctor) has been a state side rig guru since the 90s. infact Mason didn’t know how to solder when RACKDOCTOR built the board.

    5.) Passing off a Paul Trombetta fuzz as the Vertex 109 Fuzz
    6.) Vertex Boost expression jack design lie: “out of the audio path” straight up lies to sell product.
    7.) Boss FV-500 volume pedal mod scam - similar to BBE but a bit more transparent (hard to not be because it’s Boss)
    8.) “Claimed to have EE from Berkeley“
    9.) “Berkeley d/c’d their EE program”
    10.) Bonamassa affair - Joe writes an open letter about Mason https://forum.jbonamassa.com/viewtopic.php?id=27168
    11.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (fake Dumble in video) ODS
    12.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (actually a Jack Orman circuit design) Steel String
    13.) Name-dropping/claiming artist endorsement where there is none
    14.) Demoing dangerous/stupid/useless amp mods on Youtube, showboating as the RIGDOCTOR (see 4b)

    just a jist.+  "



  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    Jason P said:
    I don't like piling on when I don't know the full situation, but Dewey seems right about this guy / company being shady.   And this seems like PSA info that we should consider.  This is from Gear Page...

    " just to remind everyone again:

    Vertex Mason’s Greatest Hits

    1a.) BBE/Axis wah scam
    *1b.) Cease and desist letters to TGP members who exposed the scam
    Supposedly refunds were given but seriously who buys cheap Wahs at a premium, relabels/brands, goops to cover logos and the fact that there were no mods and jacks up the price, while selling as NOS.
    **somehow he now plays victim here.

    2.) Belden/Vertex cable scam
    *3.) Dynamic Distortion SD9 scam https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...tex-visits-andertons-uk.1992038/post-27483798

    4.) using RACKDOCTOR’s (LA Sound Design) work and advertising it as his own
    LA Sound design board on Vertex site. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105044932/http://vertexeffectsystems.com/
    *4b.) not a scam but notice the name? David Phillips known as RACKDOCTOR (not rigdoctor) has been a state side rig guru since the 90s. infact Mason didn’t know how to solder when RACKDOCTOR built the board.

    5.) Passing off a Paul Trombetta fuzz as the Vertex 109 Fuzz
    6.) Vertex Boost expression jack design lie: “out of the audio path” straight up lies to sell product.
    7.) Boss FV-500 volume pedal mod scam - similar to BBE but a bit more transparent (hard to not be because it’s Boss)
    8.) “Claimed to have EE from Berkeley“
    9.) “Berkeley d/c’d their EE program”
    10.) Bonamassa affair - Joe writes an open letter about Mason https://forum.jbonamassa.com/viewtopic.php?id=27168
    11.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (fake Dumble in video) ODS
    12.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (actually a Jack Orman circuit design) Steel String
    13.) Name-dropping/claiming artist endorsement where there is none
    14.) Demoing dangerous/stupid/useless amp mods on Youtube, showboating as the RIGDOCTOR (see 4b)

    just a jist.+  "



    oh wow. dude seems like a real jabroni,

    thanks guys for pointing that out.

    will have to look elsewhere for a steel string like pedal.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    ok, back to happy things ... amps! :)

    I've been doing homework on amps ... some background, I gave up on electric guitars after a fire some years back when most my stuff went up in flames.  I never liked my amps (2 Crates that sounded generic and a low watt VOX that I don't think I understood at the time), thus I always reverted to acoustic due to frustrations.  But I've figured out I'm attracted to 60's era sound and thus Fender tube amps are at the top of my list.  But I've been looking at Supro recently.  Anyone have experience with Supro?

    The Supro Keeley Custom amps (1968 RK) are in price range with similar Fender amps.  Three things that interest me 1) Effects loops (rare in tube amps outside a few)  2) Master volume 3) Simple controls

    It has a creamback Celestion and 6V6 tubes.  100% analog

    I've got a Big Sky, so not having built in reverb isn't a deal killer.  I've been really hung up on volume and I'm not sure if I'm analyzing it correctly ... This will be played in my home mostly and I don't want to go deaf.  The master volume is advertised as keeping tone at home levels.


  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    Jason P said:
    I don't like piling on when I don't know the full situation, but Dewey seems right about this guy / company being shady.   And this seems like PSA info that we should consider.  This is from Gear Page...

    " just to remind everyone again:

    Vertex Mason’s Greatest Hits

    1a.) BBE/Axis wah scam
    *1b.) Cease and desist letters to TGP members who exposed the scam
    Supposedly refunds were given but seriously who buys cheap Wahs at a premium, relabels/brands, goops to cover logos and the fact that there were no mods and jacks up the price, while selling as NOS.
    **somehow he now plays victim here.

    2.) Belden/Vertex cable scam
    *3.) Dynamic Distortion SD9 scam https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...tex-visits-andertons-uk.1992038/post-27483798

    4.) using RACKDOCTOR’s (LA Sound Design) work and advertising it as his own
    LA Sound design board on Vertex site. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105044932/http://vertexeffectsystems.com/
    *4b.) not a scam but notice the name? David Phillips known as RACKDOCTOR (not rigdoctor) has been a state side rig guru since the 90s. infact Mason didn’t know how to solder when RACKDOCTOR built the board.

    5.) Passing off a Paul Trombetta fuzz as the Vertex 109 Fuzz
    6.) Vertex Boost expression jack design lie: “out of the audio path” straight up lies to sell product.
    7.) Boss FV-500 volume pedal mod scam - similar to BBE but a bit more transparent (hard to not be because it’s Boss)
    8.) “Claimed to have EE from Berkeley“
    9.) “Berkeley d/c’d their EE program”
    10.) Bonamassa affair - Joe writes an open letter about Mason https://forum.jbonamassa.com/viewtopic.php?id=27168
    11.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (fake Dumble in video) ODS
    12.) “I modeled this pedal after a Dumble” (actually a Jack Orman circuit design) Steel String
    13.) Name-dropping/claiming artist endorsement where there is none
    14.) Demoing dangerous/stupid/useless amp mods on Youtube, showboating as the RIGDOCTOR (see 4b)

    just a jist.+  "



    oh wow. dude seems like a real jabroni,

    thanks guys for pointing that out.

    will have to look elsewhere for a steel string like pedal.
    Gladio Cornerstone or SC is the route Id go. 

    Zendrive is a great option and for awhile you could find some slightly tweaked versions from Lovepedal for reasonable.

    I believe Mike used to or still might use a Shin Music Dumbloid. 


  • BALLBOYBALLBOY Australia Posts: 1,030
    Finally got my first Tube amp a Blues Jr iv after 2 solid states & the sound quality is incredible compared too the solid states. Only issue I have is I can't turn the master up too loud as I have serious buzzing when going through the pedal board, straight into the amp is fine. My neighbour who plays in band says there maybe an earthing issue or the cables connecting the pedals. Has anyone had this problem & can give me some advice?
    Eastern Creek 95,Syd 1 98,Bris 2 98, Syd 1&2 03, Reading Fest 06, Bris 1 06, London 09, Hyde Park 10, Gold Coast BDO 14 Budapest 22 Krakow 22 Amsterdam 22 St Paul 1&2 23 Chicago 1&2 23 Chicago 1&2 24 New York 1 24 Philly 1&2 24 Boston 1&2 24 Gold Coast 24 Melbourne 1 24 Sydney 1&2 24
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    What do you think of a company advertising a 100W speaker and then after several years of production switching the speaker to a 40W version without putting out any media release that they made the change or reasoning why?

    I was looking at a Mesa Boogie California Tweed and it originally shipped with a Jensen Blackbird 100W.  I almost bought one last week but was watching a recent video that only had a few views and the guy mentioned that Mesa started shipping the Cali Tweeds with a Jensen 40W blackbird late last year.

    I sent an email to my Sweetwater tech to verify the speaker make and model, but I've seen others in music forums verify that recent amps have the 40W.

    Now if Mesa has a good reason for the change, I would be more than happy the hear the reason why.  It just seems weird because in Mesa's promo video for the Cali Tweed, they specifically go over how important the speaker choice is to the amp and how they specifically chose the Jensen BB100W to design the amp around.  It is one of the key talking points in a promo video so if they are changing something so apparent, then what else has changed within the amp?

    Am I overthinking this? 
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,429
    I’m sure there’s a disclaimerabout specs changing somewhere on their website. 

    Getting the speaker rating closer to the power output of the amp will let more of the speaker  personality to come through. I this case, I’d personally be happy with the change but could see being annoyed if I ordered the amp expecting a 100w speaker. Likely never be a issue for 99% of players. Pumping a 40w amp loud and long enough to damage a likely conservatively rated 40w speaker will have your head spinning long before your speakers blows. 
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    personally i like lower wattage speakers like the celestion greenback. it is only 25 watts. it breaks up earlier and does not need to be pushed hard to break up. greenbacks are my favorite speaker. only took me 20 years of playing in bands to figure that out....
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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