Fender Princeton
Encyclopedia
The Fender Princeton was a guitar amplifier
made by Fender. It was introduced in 1947 and discontinued in 1979. After Fender introduced the Champ Amp
in 1948, the Princeton occupied the next to the bottom spot in the Fender line. Fender Princetons (as well as their sister amp the Princeton Reverb
) from the early models into the 1970s models are highly valued particularly as recording amplifiers.
The original Princeton used one 6SL7 dual-triode tube to provide two stages of RC-coupled voltage amplification in the preamplifier section. The power amplifier section used a single cathode-biased 6V6
beam power tetrode configured for Class A operation. The amplifier had a single volume control and a simple low-pass tone control to control treble response. In 1961 a new Princeton of fundamentally different design was introduced. This version used a single 7025 dual triode in the preamplifier; a 12AX7
dual triode, one half of which operated a tremolo oscillator and the other half of which served as a split-load phase inverter; and two 6V6GT tubes (again cathode biased) in Class AB push-pull configuration in the power section.
It is particularly famous as the basis for Mesa Boogie
's Mark I
, which is a heavily hotrodded Princeton equipped with modified preamp and a Bassman transformer, allowing it to output high gain, 60 watts.
In 2006, Fender revived the Princeton name, under "Princeton Recording-Amp" (Pro-tube series) and "Princeton 650" (under Dyna-touch III series). The Princeton recording amplifier is basically a blackface Princeton with built-in overdrive, compressor and power attenuator. Fender also reissued the Princeton Reverb in 2008.
Guitar amplifier
A guitar amplifier is an electronic amplifier designed to make the signal of an electric or acoustic guitar louder so that it will produce sound through a loudspeaker...
made by Fender. It was introduced in 1947 and discontinued in 1979. After Fender introduced the Champ Amp
Fender Champ
The Fender Champ was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1982. An updated version was introduced in 2006 as part of the "Vintage Modified" line....
in 1948, the Princeton occupied the next to the bottom spot in the Fender line. Fender Princetons (as well as their sister amp the Princeton Reverb
Fender Princeton Reverb
-Fender Princeton Reverb:The Fender Princeton Reverb is a guitar amplifier combo, essentially a Princeton with built-in reverb and vibrato. The 12 Watt Blackface version was introduced in 1964 and available until 1967, in 1968 it was changed to silverface with a drip edge around the grill cloth...
) from the early models into the 1970s models are highly valued particularly as recording amplifiers.
The original Princeton used one 6SL7 dual-triode tube to provide two stages of RC-coupled voltage amplification in the preamplifier section. The power amplifier section used a single cathode-biased 6V6
6V6
The 6V6 is a beam-power tetrode, introduced by Radio Corporation of America RCA United States in late 1937, and still in use in niche applications.Similar to its predecessor the 6L6, the 6V6 was far more widely used...
beam power tetrode configured for Class A operation. The amplifier had a single volume control and a simple low-pass tone control to control treble response. In 1961 a new Princeton of fundamentally different design was introduced. This version used a single 7025 dual triode in the preamplifier; a 12AX7
12AX7
12AX7 is a miniature dual triode vacuum tube with high voltage gain. It was developed around 1946 by RCA engineers in Harrison, New Jersey, under developmental number A-4522. It was released for public sale under the 12AX7 identifier on September 15, 1947. The 12AX7 was originally intended as...
dual triode, one half of which operated a tremolo oscillator and the other half of which served as a split-load phase inverter; and two 6V6GT tubes (again cathode biased) in Class AB push-pull configuration in the power section.
It is particularly famous as the basis for Mesa Boogie
Mesa Boogie
Mesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....
's Mark I
Mesa Boogie Mark Series
The Mesa Boogie Mark Series is a series of guitar amplifier made by Mesa Engineering . Originally just referred to as "Boogies," the product line took on the moniker "Mark Series" as newer revisions were put into production...
, which is a heavily hotrodded Princeton equipped with modified preamp and a Bassman transformer, allowing it to output high gain, 60 watts.
In 2006, Fender revived the Princeton name, under "Princeton Recording-Amp" (Pro-tube series) and "Princeton 650" (under Dyna-touch III series). The Princeton recording amplifier is basically a blackface Princeton with built-in overdrive, compressor and power attenuator. Fender also reissued the Princeton Reverb in 2008.