Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

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Shadoweclipse13
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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:57 pm

wproffitt wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:40 am
The tweed Vibrolux is about 12 watts, I’d say. It’s cleaner sounding than my Tremolux or a 5e3 Deluxe, for sure bit can get gritty with a spin of the volume dial. Also, it has three inputs, each with a different level of volume attenuation, so that’s nice.
Interesting. I kinda wonder if I could add reverb to that circuit. Mojotone has a Vibrolux kit for a really decent price. Hearing that, I might be tied for preferring Princeton or Vibrolux...

Larsongs wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:51 pm
With the budget you mention you probably won't find an excellent condition vintage Blackface or Silverface Princeton... I suppose it's not impossible but I've been looking for over a year & I haven't seen one.. Projects, yes. Excellent to Mint, no.

I do own a recent 65 Princeton Reverb which I bought new. I have other Amps for other Sounds.. I wanted traditional small Fender Sound... They are amazing little Amps right out of the Box. Well within your budget..

I've owned it aprox 5 years.. I have no interest in a small vintage Amp as this little 65 Princeton Reverb nails the Sound...

I can't say that for my 65 DRRI or my recent Twin.. Both were purchased new in the past few years... While they do the job I still would like a really nice early vintage Silverface Deluxe Reverb... But, for Excellent to Mint they are much higher than your budget.. I'm still looking but like you the Covid has interfered immensely.....

Good luck!
I definitely understand that I won't likely ever find a mint condition amp. If I went the vintage route, I like the idea of the amp having a bit of a story, as long as it's not cosmetically destroyed (ripped tolex, etc.). Even one that needs a little work isn't a huge issue. But I do like things that are new too, so I guess I'm debating between something new or something with a potentially sweeter sound. If I found a new reissue that I liked, it wouldn't be a problem, but from all the hype I've heard around here and other places about how vintage Fender sounds a little sweeter than new stuff, I'd always wonder. I feel like I'm really leaning towards a kit in that case...
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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by wproffitt » Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:44 am

Just to muddy the waters a bit, you could also build a Mojotone BF Princeton kit. If you want THOSE cleans, the PR is where it’s at for me. If you want a little more midrange sweetness, the Vibrolux is the ticket. Of course, you could always buy or build a PR and add the mod that Sookwinder mentioned above. Also, if you’re looking for build inspiration, read his amp build threads. The Vibro-Groove thread comes to mind.
Last edited by wproffitt on Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Larsongs » Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:53 am

Buying a vintage Project Amp kinda defeats the purpose since you'll be repairing it with non original vintage Parts.

That's what I keep running in to in my search for a vintage Deluxe Reverb. Amps that claim to be Vintage but have been repaired with modern Speakers, Tubes, Transformers etc.. About the only thing that's Vintage is the wood cabinet & grill cloth.. They're anything but Vintage.. And they don't have that sweet vintage tone..

I'd be very surprised with anyone on this Forum not liking the recent new 65 Princeton Reverb Amps.. That's one thing Fender does right when it comes to Amps.. I was sure I'd have to upgrade the Speaker, Tubes & probably more.. But, didn't as it sounds great completely Stock...

Before you go down the Rabbit hole, You should try one...

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:41 am

wproffitt wrote:
Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:44 am
Just to muddy the waters a bit, you could also build a Mojotone BF Princeton kit. If you want THOSE cleans, the PR is where it’s at for me. If you want a little more midrange sweetness, the Vibrolux is the ticket. Of course, you could always buy or build a PR and add the mod that Sookwinder mentioned above. Also, if you’re looking for build inspiration, read his amp build threads. The Vibrolux-Groove thread comes to mind.
As I've never dipped my feet very deep into the Fender amp territory in person, I'm not sure if I'd prefer the midrange or classic BF scoop. Scooped mids is what you always hear about when you think classic Fender amps, but I do like mids as well. I mean, I play a Peavey most of the time ;) I haven't read Sookwinder's amp build threads that I know of! I'll definitely check that out as well!!

Larsongs wrote:
Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:53 am
Buying a vintage Project Amp kinda defeats the purpose since you'll be repairing it with non original vintage Parts.

That's what I keep running in to in my search for a vintage Deluxe Reverb. Amps that claim to be Vintage but have been repaired with modern Speakers, Tubes, Transformers etc.. About the only thing that's Vintage is the wood cabinet & grill cloth.. They're anything but Vintage.. And they don't have that sweet vintage tone..

I'd be very surprised with anyone on this Forum not liking the recent new 65 Princeton Reverb Amps.. That's one thing Fender does right when it comes to Amps.. I was sure I'd have to upgrade the Speaker, Tubes & probably more.. But, didn't as it sounds great completely Stock...

Before you go down the Rabbit hole, You should try one...
I definitely need to try one some time soon. I'm kinda just gauging opinions and thoughts ahead of time for the sake of reference and information. I definitely won't make a final decision until I've played a few things. It's good to know that the new PRRI's sound good as is. That could be a very real possibility for me.

I agree that a vintage as a project does kind of defeat the purpose. The way I'm thinking is that if it needs a new power cable and some capacitors replaced, but the transformer(s) and speaker are ok, then it would be worth it for the vintage aspect.

I was looking into some pedal clones for a friend's future board (he's only got a Line 6 modeling amp, and is always inspired by my amp and pedals when he comes over, so I'm thinking about building a pedal or two for him), and dropped by the BYOC site since I used to buy some of their kits back in the day and I know them. I forgot they made amps as well, and found their Tweed Royal Amp. It feels too good to be true, but the idea of a Tweed Champ, Princeton, Harvard, and Deluxe all in one amp is a cool idea. Harvard (5F10) is another classic Fender amp that I know nothing about. Anyone ever play one? I don't see buying that kit, so I guess this is more pure curiosity.
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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by mackerelmint » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:45 am

Kitbuilding one really seems like a good fit.
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:20 am

mackerelmint wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:45 am
Kitbuilding one really seems like a good fit.
I agree. Knowing my live for DIY, building, and fixing, it feels right. I'm still gonna bide my time, as I want to try some circuits out locally, but that might very well be the direction I go.
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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by sookwinder » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:42 am

There is a lot of knowledge and experience here at OSG with building kits and our own designs, so issues and problems can eventually be solved. or at the very least directions to be taken indicated.
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by wproffitt » Thu Sep 24, 2020 5:58 am

sookwinder wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:42 am
There is a lot of knowledge and experience here at OSG with building kits and our own designs, so issues and problems can eventually be solved. or at the very least directions to be taken indicated.
David’s right. There IS a lot of knowledge and experience here! I’ve certainly looked for help from fellow forumites in the past and had some really good guidance when the amp build got challenging. I feel lucky to have such great community of people who want to help me learn.

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Larsongs » Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 am

If I understand the OP's goal is to end up with an Amp that sounds as sweet as a mint Vintage Blackface or Silverface Princeton Reverb with a budget of a $1000.00.

I've been on a similar search for an original spec mint condition Vintage Deluxe Reverb with a budget of aprox. $1500.00. I'm finding it to be unrealistic.

To Kit build build a great Amp you need great Parts. Is a budget of $1000.00 for a Princeton type Kit build enough to buy the highest quality Wood Cabinet, HW Circuit Board, Tubes, Speaker & all the other Parts? If it is, is $1500 enough for a Deluxe Reverb type Amp?

I already have a 65 DRRI. My goal is to have an Amp with that sweet Sound that rivals a mint Vintage 65 Deluxe Reverb..

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Igorilla » Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:00 am

Larsongs wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 am
If I understand the OP's goal is to end up with an Amp that sounds as sweet as a mint Vintage Blackface or Silverface Princeton Reverb with a budget of a $1000.00.

I've been on a similar search for a Deluxe Reverb with a budget of aprox. $1500.00. I'm finding it to be unrealistic.

To Kit build build a great Amp you need great Parts. Is a budget of $1000.00 for a Princeton type Kit build enough to buy the highest quality Wood Cabinet, HW Circuit Board, Tubes, Speaker & all the other Parts? If it is, is $1500 enough for a Deluxe Reverb type Amp?

I already have a 65 DRRI. My goal is for one that has that sweet Sound that rivals a mint Vintage 65 Deluxe Reverb..
I suppose you are located in the US, right? There is a lot of high quality options for a more than reasonable price if you don't want to built the amp yourself.

For example Lil Dawg Amps:
https://www.littledawgamps.com/prices/

As far as I understand, his WonderDawg is a single channel Deluxe reverb with some tweaks, like mids control. Lil Dawg seems to be very responsive to the needs and wishes of his customers. My bandmate has a 6G15 stand alone reverb unit built by him, and the sound and quality are excellent. You could give him a call and tell him what you want...

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by wproffitt » Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:12 am

The Lil Dawg stuff does look good. The cabs are all Mather. This is the same shop that did the cab for my 5e9 build and it is TOP shelf stuff.

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Maggieo » Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:42 pm

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:41 am
Harvard (5F10) is another classic Fender amp that I know nothing about. Anyone ever play one? I don't see buying that kit, so I guess this is more pure curiosity.
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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by wproffitt » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:42 pm

That’s a nice sounding amp! As far as I understand it, the circuit is basically the same as the tweed Vibrolux (5f11) minus the tremolo.

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:49 pm

As a member of the Swart Cult™️ I am obligated to remind you that Swart amps exist.

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Re: Gassing For A Classic Fender Type Amp

Post by Larsongs » Thu Sep 24, 2020 9:04 pm

Igorilla wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:00 am
Larsongs wrote:
Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 am
If I understand the OP's goal is to end up with an Amp that sounds as sweet as a mint Vintage Blackface or Silverface Princeton Reverb with a budget of a $1000.00.

I've been on a similar search for a Deluxe Reverb with a budget of aprox. $1500.00. I'm finding it to be unrealistic.

To Kit build build a great Amp you need great Parts. Is a budget of $1000.00 for a Princeton type Kit build enough to buy the highest quality Wood Cabinet, HW Circuit Board, Tubes, Speaker & all the other Parts? If it is, is $1500 enough for a Deluxe Reverb type Amp?

I already have a 65 DRRI. My goal is for one that has that sweet Sound that rivals a mint Vintage 65 Deluxe Reverb..
I suppose you are located in the US, right? There is a lot of high quality options for a more than reasonable price if you don't want to built the amp yourself.

For example Lil Dawg Amps:
https://www.littledawgamps.com/prices/

As far as I understand, his WonderDawg is a single channel Deluxe reverb with some tweaks, like mids control. Lil Dawg seems to be very responsive to the needs and wishes of his customers. My bandmate has a 6G15 stand alone reverb unit built by him, and the sound and quality are excellent. You could give him a call and tell him what you want...
He's got an Ala Carte Menu... A Tweed Deluxe, for example, starts at over $1000.00 with no Speaker.. Then the Options begin... You can easily run it up to the Price of a Tone King Imperial.... Or a real Vintage Blackface Deluxe Reverb... Where's the deal? For an Amp I've never even heard of... I'd pass....

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