Fender Princeton Reverb Hand Wired (Custom Shop) VS Regular

See if you can tell the difference between the Hand Wired and the Regular Princeton Reverb Amp. James give you the scoop on one of his favorite Fender Amps of all time the 64 and 65 Princeton Reverb!

[@danyjr]

4:21 "just by listening you'll be able to tell a huge difference" 4:44 "the big difference is not how it sounds but how it feels"

[@m...6119]

It sounds like he’s trying to sell expensive snake oil. 😉

[@CNCTEMATIC]

The biggest difference between these amps is not 64 circuit vs 65 circuit, or hand-wired vs PCB, its the SPEAKER. You're comparing speakers, and they're very different - Alnico vs ceramic. So we learn nothing here about hand-wiring here. Also, the different speaker strengths/behaviour would be the most likely culprit for the differences in where you set the volume pot for similar breakup .

[@walterrizotto8668]

You're quite right. Both amps should be connected to the same cabinet (with an A-B switch for instant comparison) and the output tensions should be absolutely identical for whichever output level is used in the demo. The human brain perceives 1/10th of a dB as a a difference in tone, not a difference in level (Fletcher-Munson curves, goddammit!). As is, this demo is useless.

[@alafenetre81]

So how about buy a 65 and change the speaker to an Alnico one?

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I recently purchased a 65 Princeton Reverb reissue and I can honestly say: I was Impressed. I wanted that: Hendrix = "Wind Cries Mary" and the S.R.V. "Riviera Paradise" tone - and it delivers. I play spanky-clean, (with occasional drive pedals) so I love that Pristine, Chimey Fender tone. Nice info. Stay Safe everyone.

[@johnschoppmusic]

DUUUDE!! I had the same experience!! Thank you for the comparison! ~cheers

[@micksidaway]

My conjecture: Different speakers, different cabinet materials and different caps will create a larger difference than the fact of ‘hand wiring’.

[@scottm121]

Yeh i just played both at long and mcquaid today and huge difference when pushing it with my r9 lp. Hand wound was so much brighter.. but they both had that nice fendery twang i love so much

[@themanwhowasntthere6311]

Different speakers.

[@DannyVDub]

That alnico speaker in the Handwired is gonna give you the mellower highs and juicier mids.

[@bjorntannberg1581]

Much to my surprise I find the cheaper one better sounding. However, it would be interesting to here them tested together with a Gibson type guitar.

[@chrisbalding3128]

I’m listening through great over-the-ear headphones and the difference I hear is essentially the difference between the ceramic C10R in the 65RI and the alnico P10R in the 64. Those Jensens need a lot of playing time to settle-in and even then, there will always be a difference between the C10R and the P10R. Don’t get me wrong, I gig hand-wired amps (including a Princeton NR). But I like them for durability; not necessarily because they always sound better.

[@sugarlife485]

I have to play these in person its just not translating here on you tube despite my fancy earphones and speakers...no difference

[@RB-bp5ud]

I have the p10R in my Princeton reissue and it doesn’t sound near as bright as his Princeton reissue.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Yes, the Alnico does mellow the sharpness ans when you give them power they start to sound really goon. I put 10" and 12" in an 80s champ an a reissue tweed deluxe and that stopped me selling them. It does take a while to run them in so I plug a phone or CD player in to make the speaker stretch.

[@thieaoumus8372]

We should not reduce the difference to speaker. It would be totally wrong, i got 3 princeton, a mesa … before the handwired; The quality of the circuit has just nothing to do. This amp is amazing it is simply another word; i am playing on it with a master build, 2 excellent custom shop, a Les Paul historic collection, I still do not understand how the sound can be so beautifull, including the dynamic with translates into a smooth , deep and very very precise way any detail of your interpretation; bass is tremendous : powerfull and precise, rythm is full of life, and it works well with good pedals ( vemuram, mojohand fx.). Conclusion : i discovered this amp too late and spent too much money on guitars trying to GET THE SOUND. Frankly speaking, it is cheap as regard to its quality, while fender guitars can cost a fortune. If you can buy one, it is impossible to make a mistake unless something is wrong with your guitar or your cables (it deserves a very good cable like the Klotz Lagrange supreme); Sorry for my poor english :-)

[@30smsuperstrat]

It's nice to see Benicio del Toro's son playing music

[@ryangunwitch-black]

We should lobby for Tim Burton's son to put him in a movie

[@danielcavazos5009]

I’ve had a 72 princeton reverb that my parents got for me when I was 15, I love my old friend, even thou I’ve had to replace the speaker and tubes. It’s been my favorite for forty yrs. Just purchased the hand wired princeton and I have a new friend. It does sound better than the 72 but not sure just yet if it’s ten times better. I still have the receipt for the 72. It cost$ 270.00 back then, the hand wired came in at around $2700.00. I’m blessed to have them both.

[@rdstreets]

So basically move the price one decimal place over. Sounds about right for 40 years right?

[@LA-zc9rg]

The predominant difference you’re hearing is between the alnico p10r in the 64 and the ceramic C10r in the 65. I’ve played both with a p10r and tonal difference is minuscule. The price difference isn’t ✌️!

[@alafenetre81]

Would you recommend buying the 65 and change its speaker with a P10R?

[@dylandonnelly1739]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate that guitar? That shell pink Strat is amazing. Amps sound great too. I can't really tell the difference between them 🤷‍♂️

[@sugarlife485]

NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL

[@powerclean9720]

I got the Jensen P10Q speaker in Princeton RI which I believe is an Alnico? It sounds great anyway and I am always chasing "the tone"

[@kdrake777]

I liked the first one better. Do they have the same speaker?

[@hhattingh]

Ever thought I would like the shell pink, however that is one lovely strat. GAS galore!

[@mitcholson2607]

The hand wired has more girth in its sound. Rhett Shull posted a video comparing the two. He also made jumper cable to run the 65 board off the 64 speaker and vice versa.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

wattage is rated at top clean volume usually , not fully dimed, so they measure the amp up until it starts distorting - usually , hence why ac30 is so loud when dimed

[@maconins123]

different speakers 🔊

[@VintageRadius]

Yes and I’m willing to bet that accounts for 90% or more of the differences. He says the hardwire breaks up sooner. Well it has an alnico speaker with lower sensitivity. He says the treble in the handwired is there but more rolled off. Well the P10R in the hardwired is supposed to have smooth highs. The highs in the stock ceramic speaker are rather bright and can get harsh. It’s the speaker.

[@jorols]

I think that the difference between those 2 Amps are the speakers. AlNiCo P10R in 64 Amp and C10R in 65 Amp.

[@peterellman9672]

Nice playing James

[@CasinoGuitars]

Thanks Peter!

[@nicksonthevet]

There is a difference for sure but doesn't qualify the gap in Price. Handwired is for the rich. Handwired, what difference does it make? If it is just connection to electricity??

[@MT-ni1id]

@@nicksonthevet It's not just connections to electricity. Wire lengths, diameter, insulation thickness, distance from and angle to other wires, and numerous other factors make a big difference. Mainly due to capacitance and inductance variations which directly affect frequency response, ie, the feel and sound of an amp. I have built many amps and other electronic devices and a career as an Electronic technician.

[@nicksonthevet]

@@MT-ni1id You build amps? What a noble proffession in Music! Thanks for sharing, greetings from Tanzania East Africa

[@iagobroxado]

Let's us hear them with swapped speakers.

[@joshua0226]

Rhett shull has a video Comparing the reissue, to the hand wired, to the original, using all speakers. The handwired sounded the nicest to my ears!

[@maconins123]

i own the 65 ri and i tried the 64. i really liked the 64 a lot - however not the price tag.

[@CasinoGuitars]

Right on and some of us actually liked the 65 better. Theres something about the "glassy" nature of the 65 that we love, but oh that 64 is juicy... Thanks for sharing and for your thoughts!

[@Chango_Malo]

I'd like to see this repeated with the mics in relatively the same spot. The mics being that far off alone will sound very different even if on the same exact amp.

[@kenaiello4851]

HW! I could tell right away:)

[@g.j.haycock1064]

I have been play acoustics for 10 years. Looking to buy my first amp and Telecaster. I had no clue what he was talking about, nor could I tell the difference between the sound. I guess I need more experience to understand this video? Can someone just tell me what is better? If Budget is not an issue, is the hardwired better because it costs more?

[@yestoES355]

G.J. H to be honest with you, the only difference is the wiring. The more expensive one is hand wired while the other one is a printed board. They are both tube amps though. I honestly don’t recommend the hand wired one when you can put that cash into an custom shop fender or high end USA model because they are worth it. The 65 Princeton reverb is an absolutely great amp and sounds great. PCB and hand wired is such a niche thing in modern times such as now. Especially for your first amp, the normal one is way more than enough to fill your needs.

[@VintageRadius]

G.J. H I would buy the 65 Princeton. With the $1300 difference you could buy that telecaster. Also, once you get to really know the 65 you may decide you want to swap speakers. The speaker makes such a huge difference and for relatively cheap you can really transform the tone and feel of the amp. And if you bought the Jensen P10R speaker that is in the 64 you would get the 65 to sound almost identical. Perhaps indistinguishable.

[@johnstaf]

The speakers are different, and some of the components such as capacitors are different; although the smoothing capacitors are the same. The pots are different, and the cab is different. The pine cab of the hand-wired amp will be more resonant than the 65 cab, which has chipboard sides (like the old Silverface Princeton). It's not necessarily good to have a resonant box with a speaker in it, but it's a matter of taste. The transformers are the same, as are the valves.

[@donstewart368]

I like clean.

[@saywhat7349]

This guy has no idea what he's talking about.

[@joenice529]

sounds simalar at first but when you play chords with both i hear the 64 sound much much better you hear the chord... on the 65 it sounds like its falling apart ... after hearing that i ordered a 64 princeton coming hopfully tomorow , i have nos preamp tubes to put in it im sure that will make sound better than the way it comes .i already have the 64 custom deluxe reverb changed the speaker to weber and changed all the tubes to nos made a big difference its just to loud for home use now ill have the princeton as my home amp to replace my blues jr ..thanks for the demo

[@MarchPancake]

Tried both new and liked the 65 better. The 64 custom had less "juice" and was way too bassy.

[@CasinoGuitars]

Glad you found the right one for you! Fender for the win!

[@always12am52]

They sound the same when mic’d by SM57’s right off the cone and going into whatever preamp and software used for this demo. But in real life and going through a Royer or even a 57’ further away, they sound and feel a lot different. The ‘64 handwired is superior to the ‘65 reissue and any of the many original AA1196 models I’ve played through. Very cool for a recording amp or a living room amp. That being said, every tube powered Princeton and any boutique amp inspired by them are the best amps in the world to me lol. I’m pretty erect for the ‘64 and the ‘62 Stapleton hand wired models. I look forward to owning both and then arguing with people online about how superior they are.

[@seanhershey3390]

I have a Fromel modded 65 Prineton...I love it.....you can get a " real one " for less .or a Magnatone..;)

[@AngelDeVille]

How many speakers can you buy for $1500?

[@bobbybaghdad522]

4:41 "..and I can't trust this enough"

[@antondoornekamp9635]

For high output guitars the reissue is better because it has less bass/low mids overload. I bought the reissue because of this reason.

[@kevinmurtagh4996]

Both are reissues- which one are you referring to?

[@mattp6763]

There’s a huge difference.$$$$$$$$

[@dhdoctors]

In 50 years from now, which one would you rather own and love?

[@karlwilson2021]

Preach brother

[@barrybartos7687]

@@karlwilson2021 It will only take 10 - 15 years. Pick the hand wired for a keeper.

[@barrybartos7687]

Never heard of a vintage Fender PCB

[@edwardmclaughlin7935]

Hand wired is my regular.

[@harveycan5820]

Nice demo. Too much talking. Where is Casino Guitar - - Vegas? Not a fair comparison given difference in speaker, but a very good demonstration. Maybe next compare one model stock to same model with a 12 inch speaker.

[@sugarlife485]

I WANT TO SMOKE WHAT ROBERT DOWNEY JR HERE PLAYIN THE PINK STRAT IS SMOKIN...I HEARD ABSOLUTELY ZERO DIFFERENCE

[@sunsetjunior9313]

no offense friend, but while they sounded very similar, i could hear and guessed correctly which was which. i would describe the HW version's tone to be a tad sweeter and deeper. i could hear it clearly and my ears aren't super trained or special either. all said, is it worth and extra $1000-1500 more? only if you're well off, which i am not, personally.

[@amckaymusic8957]

On my speakers the bigger difference to me was when pushing a little, the break up sounded smoother to me. Also the top end on the clean tone seems different. The difference is never gonna be huge cos the original reissues are ace but I'd likely save up more and get the Hand wired. I think the smoothness on the breakup is the reason why they 'feel' more intuitive and the biggest difference is the feel. I'm lucky enough to own 3 low wattage Hand wired amps and they feel a world away from old amps I used to have in the past.

[@RB-bp5ud]

I definitely hear the difference. But I still want to smoke something too. LOL

[@geraldponce8336]

Speakers are different

[@Johnnybananass-_]

if its a turret board- the turret board is the intermediary, only true "point to Point" has components legs being soldered to the next components legs no turret board no intermediary,. people get confused say around - hand wired, turretd board and point to point. Some say a PCB board board can be hand populated and hand wired. which means soldered by a person one large component at a time vs- micro components on surface mounted PCB like computer style boards where every component is shrunk capacitors and all

[@Johnnybananass-_]

also a well designed PCB board laid out well can have zero tone difference to a turret board , but alot of boards are designed to use the least amount of realestate so come components are too close to each other, some so bad the amount is un useable .

[@_larkin_321]

I think you miss the main reason for them to sound different: The custom shop one has higher quality components, especially the transformers. Because you can afford it at that price increase (and it seems justified sonically) and the handwiring makes it a bit more exclusive (otherwise customers would ask themselves why they don't use better components as a standard for a modest 100-200$ more). PCB or manual wiring are identical electrically, so making a difference out of that is like HiFi cable vodoo. It doesn't make sense. Oh, and maintenance is way easier on hand wired amps, but who really cares about that other than nerds like me (I built my own handwired 64 Princeton clone for the price of a regular of-the-shelf one plus 20 hours of work and it sounds absolutely awesome)

[@richardreyes584]

The speakers are different the 64 has a 10inch jensen alnico blue. The 65 has a celestian

[@MarchPancake]

The 65 is also Jensen. Difference is alnico(64) and ceramic(65)

[@g.j.haycock1064]

So which is better? Which would you buy?

[@MarchPancake]

@@g.j.haycock1064 The 65. Regardless speaker.. It has more "juice"! The 64 is too bassy and "dry" sounding.

[@redheart6995]

I put a Célestion gold alnico in my 65. Its expensive but makes the amp sound so much better! Feels great!

[@dostacos1]

Is this what Adam from Man vs Food did before he did eating challenges?

[@kenbash2951]

At these low volume levels it is hard to tell anything about the amps. Too quiet.

[@MariJu1ce]

Not fair, different speakers different cabinet construction

[@RB-bp5ud]

That’s true. Speaker and tubes make up all the difference. I have the Princeton 65 reissue custom color and it sounds great. I don’t have a hand wired Princeton but I do have a bunch of old black face fenders. I have a deluxe reverb a 1967. Which would be the closest thing that I have to the Princeton. But they both sound equally is good. The reason I have the Princeton I got a real good deal on it and need it I am in that 15 watt range

[@slash91991]

People these days like to use amps with best dynamics and turn up their compressor all the way.

[@NathanGutFiddle]

The lack of playing & redundant "explanation" of sound, when you have them both right there to demo is frustrating. Play them thoroughly through different settings matched, then talk about it a little at the end.

[@jfar3340]

different speakers

[@seamusbrowne4909]

Squish.😊😋🤗

[@donstewart368]

Most of that comes from the player. LOL

[@Ragnar-Viking]

Reissue is more trebly

[@Iamadroid]

Why do all of these youtuber strat players always play the same style of music that is no genre at all? They just put all these different random licks together that are jazz, rock, pop, surf repeat. Every Strat player does it. What band sounds like this? None

[@tal_175]

They have different speakers dude. And Princeton is not fun when clean!!! Really?

[@CasinoGuitars]

Yes...we saw that after the video came out and have since tormented James thoroughly for his mistake. Thanks for pulling that to our attention and thank you for watching!

[@aaronwibr]

Lost me at guessing which is which. Lol smh bruh. We want to journey into what you were actually talking about... actually hearing the amps as they are and evaluating the differences, if any, between the 64 and 65, assuming of course, that the 65 is an accurate reissue. "can you hear the difference between between red and blue???" Dont waste time with the funny questions... lol good presentation... nice playing I'm sure if I watched the rest it would have been cool. Cheers

[@jamesvillone9911]

Hey bud, I'm glad you enjoyed my playing! If you watch a little further I get into the differences in components and how the amp feels as a player. I'll admit, just listening on speakers it is hard to tell the difference. The big difference for me is the touch sensitivity and the way the amp interacts with my playing. The feel factor makes a major difference! Thanks for watching!

[@aaronwibr]

@@jamesvillone9911 1+ subscriber. Thanks for this response.

[@aaronwibr]

@@jamesvillone9911 awesome!!! I was right. It got better and even more detailed. Loved the way the amps where captured!!!!!!!

[@Axman66]

++ignoring the fact of 2 different speakers makes the whole explaining kind of obsolete+++ well he is saying the truth of all the part stuff, but he gives the wrong weight to it...

[@marksulkanon]

This comparison of the two amps is a lot more informative and thoughtful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXnVqHyKo9t5nLs

[@johnmcarthur86]

This is complete bogus. The difference between the two amplifiers is so minimal it is irrelevant. Very nice playing though and that pink strat is lovely.

[@jormagasperi4619]

To be honest it doesn't sound very well...

[@Chilinoploopy]

Honestly to me, this guy made both amps sound shit.

[@nikkowalew3170]

Yada yada yada… Printed circuit board suck