Fender Princeton '65 vs '68 Amplifier Review - Better Music

[@djt6546]

I own the 68. The 68 had a more spongy and quacky feel/tone to my ears when I tried them. That’s why I bought it over the more classic open/glassy 65. I’m afraid KZbin Demo’s don’t make the 68 sound good. But if you are interested go and demo both yourself you won’t be disappointed that you made the effort. Enjoy!

[@Dan_is_a_liar]

I bought the 68. Ended up exchanging it for a 65 and never looked back.

[@keithclark486]

@@Dan_is_a_liar The 65 can be eq for a warm sound.

[@maxsalasr]

​@@Dan_is_a_liarso your final one was the 65? What made you decide for the 65 in the end?

[@chriscameronband]

My man just talk me out of a 68 Custom! The 65 reissue sounds loads better to my ears. Great demo!

[@Ragnar-Viking]

68 is better I have both

[@thefoundersroom1717]

I changed the speaker in my 65 to the Celestion. Big change. Either way, the 68 is a muddy mess in comparison.

[@Ragnar-Viking]

@@thefoundersroom1717 smart move brother

[@josephliptak]

So, if the 68 is warmer, then the 65 is cooler?

[@jacktowers7533]

I think that a lot of those X vs Y videos are less 'which is better?' and more 'How are they different?' and this was a very good example of that, nice work Matt

[@2beJT]

That's because that's usually a matter of opinion and preference.

[@mattier3030]

I agree but these two are supposedly a bit different as the 68’ has the baseman circuit...

[@bruzrkgro-malog2953]

65 gives that more classic Fender clean to my ears... that's the one for me!!!

[@corbinswagerty]

thanks for demoing with the tube screamer! The 65 was very SRV while the 68 felt more like Chess Records blues. Really cool to hear the difference

[@Dibdibber]

Thanks for the effort! However it was pretty hard to judge. To much playing with different tones, before switching amps. So much easier would be: Clean sound neck pickup 65 - quick switch to 68 same neck position and same riff, same setting ect... :)

[@AndyBakos82]

finally, someone who does o good real life demo starting on volume 3, not immediately on 7-10 :) Thank you!

[@markshields5021]

Jordan, I a 65 reissue put a Celeston green back in it. It sound awesome and bass is tight. Nothing rattles. I love it.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I've had both. 65 Blackface - all day . . . everyday. I also did this comparison, before making a purchase. That Fender chime & pristine cleans on the 65 is Tone-heaven. Nice comparison. Both great amp's. oNe LovE from NYC

[@gggomez9764]

Thanks great demo. I have always been winding bass and treble down on my 65 (perhaps a hangover from my Deluxe being too loud). Tried the bass and treble on 7 per your demo, rolled back my ES175s volume to 8 and tone to about 6 and WOW! Fantastic, it is alive it has bite, clarity presence and so much variability in attitude from your attack on the strings. Sincere thank you.

[@gair1944]

Because the preamp circuit is different in the '68 Custom Princeton, I don't think it's apples-to-apples to compare with identical tone stack settings. the '68 sounds MUCH better with the bass EQ on 3. Otherwise, warmer yes, but it sounded muddy in this demo ...and the '68 Fender Custom Princeton is not a muddy amp. You have to use your ears to dial these into your liking. (My personal experience and opinion)

[@bettermusic]

Gary Roberts Good point, however we just don't have time to go through all the different EQ settings for these amps in a single video. It is true that you really need to check out these amps for yourself, a video review is never going to do the same thing as actually playing around with them in person. What we've tried to do is show the differences between these two amps when they are setup with similar settings so that you, the viewer, can try and understand the difference in the base tones of these amps. Hope you enjoyed the video and thanks for your comment! - Will

[@gair1944]

***** Loved the Video! Very well done. My comment was really to be supportive that the '68 Custom Princeton may offer more tonal flexibility than others may have thought! Thank you for your superb demo!!

[@timothysegal3589]

Gary Roberts I have just bought a 68 and couldnt agree more. Its a totally different eq and the same settings dont show what the amp can do!

[@daemonelectricity]

I can attest to this as well. The 68 can be dialed in pretty close to the 65 by backing the bass off and turning up the volume. This amp is being faulted in review after review for being capable of pushing some air. It's quite easy to get a sparkly fender tone by backing off the bass and pushing the volume up. As the reviewer said, the 68 is louder. If you back off the bass and push the amp harder, the Fender shimmer comes out as much as you care to reveal. There is probably more flexibility in this amp at the expense of some clean headroom, which is made up for with a more flexible mid and bottom end. I still think I like the mids on the 65 a little better even after being, but the 68 is far from muddy once it's dialed in.

[@LA-zc9rg]

@@daemonelectricity problem is the 68 can’t do the glassy old school Fender shimmer but the 65 can do the mellow fatter 68 when dialed in. I do like the vibrato on the 68 better but overall the 65 is the more versatile amp

[@CNCTEMATIC]

I wouldn't go by this review. The Blackface has a Jensen speaker, which is pretty stiff new, so it will get warmer with age. In my experience the volume of the two is pretty similar. The Silver definitely breaks up earlier, the Blackface has more headroom (greater wattage), but when you can crank it, it gets that SRV type piercing glassy overdrive. Also, big difference, the 65s are made in California, the 68s in Mexico,so perhaps quality difference.

[@cdfgdfgdfg]

68 has a huge amount of bass, you gotta turn it down. Then it becomes one of the most responsive and fenderish amp you'll ever have played. Setting the knobs in the same position is wrong. Beside a Deluxe Reverb, the 68 sounded muuuuch warmer and round and full.

[@peterhedrich7653]

Yes and if youve got Both it´s perfect you really need no other Amplification

[@mattmanley7118]

god I am going to save up to get one of these someday. Love the 65! Better start working overtime

[@yumadapaka]

the 68 sounds warmer but its also a bit muddy. i think i prefer the classic 65

[@marcusmcclary4276]

Yeah maybe a 65 with a Celestion, but I'm going with the 68 as an all around amp choice. Thanks for this video!

[@Ragnar-Viking]

U made the right choice

[@paulorr7471]

Plug into one of those Tonekings behind ... now those are fantastic amps.

[@SHEMAMAN]

He had a reason for not turning the amp up; the microphone placement had been set but I suspect any thorough review should state that it gets distorted above '3' in the '68 and at about '5' on the '65. At such low wattage, it can really reduce the appeal of such an amp.

[@issaromero2700]

I've got them both, love them both.

[@albertsmit1544]

Issa Romero what would you recommend of the two

[@nicholaspetergagg7769]

hey I bought the 65 and revalved it and changed the speaker for a British made unit hey presto it is aewsome - a more responsive speaker brings it to life and increases efficiency of the amp substantially. i do believe the 65 is better.

[@bettermusic]

nicholas peter gagg Aftermarket upgrades can definitely help take an amp to the next level, or at the very least, make it a little more to your personal preference. Nice job!

[@Rustymcdangles]

Very good comparison! Thank you

[@telecasterbear]

I have a 1970 non reverb Princeton that sounds very nice. These new ones sound great as well.

[@razzman1958]

the 65 + TS sounds better to me

[@jfar3340]

of course; 65 is scooped, and TS boosts mids; TS is made for those very scooped amps. TS + 68 (more mids, darker) = muddy; not very nice; However 68 + fuzz would sound a lot better

[@cameronpablo]

Got a 65, put a Celestion greenback in it. Huge difference. Tighter low end, punchier, and no rattling.

[@byrdz2313]

Agreed. The Celestion G10 Greenback is an amazing, smooth sounding speaker. Perfect for a PRRI.

[@Terryomalleyonline]

My brother has the one you are talking about. He never uses it I will go and drag it out....good call!

[@MegaBrebis]

You say the 68 crunches earlier but since it is louder is the clean headroom roughly the same between the two at the same volume?

[@MegaBrebis]

***** Thank you. That was not exactly my question though.

[@actionoriented]

wow - this is a great comparison. My taste is with the '65....sounds like the classic 'fender reverb' vibe that I love. The '68 is nice, but sounds muddier, and like there's a blanket in the cab. Both are nice, but my preference is the '65. Excellent comparison, thanks.

[@WorshipFog777]

Simply the best comparison video of these on youtube, fantastic

[@keithclark486]

If you think it's the best comparison then why hasn't anybody give you a 👍 after 2 Yr's Can you tell me that ?

[@WorshipFog777]

@@keithclark486 they must have watched the demo cause it's great, duh'

[@keithclark486]

@@WorshipFog777 But your comment didn't get a 👍 is what I'm saying So your comment don't count is what I'm saying Duh! Don't you get it Duh ?

[@WorshipFog777]

@@keithclark486 are you five years old?

[@keithclark486]

@@WorshipFog777 Yes I'm 5 and 1/2 and have enough Sense to tell you your comment is old old and nobody didn't give you a 👍 on your comment Now do you understand ?

[@ShaneStoneOfficial]

I prefer the 65 reissues but I like the 68 faceplate so much more 😂 can you interchange them?

[@atarirob]

I've owned both and I kept the '65 purely because you can make the '65 sound like the '68, but I couldn't get the '68 to sound like '65, waaaay to bassy. That being said, the '68 responded so much better to low-gain pedals than the '65 (my Bluesbreaker overdrive wouldn't even slightly break up the input). Best option for low gain on a Princeton is a Crowther HotCake. P.S. the word is that the '68 is a 15w Bassman in a Princeton cabinet...I guess that's why Bassman guys set the bass on zero because I couldn't put the bass on the '68 past 2 without it turning to mud.

[@burchypoo70]

I had the 65 first, wasn't super into it, thought I might do a speaker swap on it and decided to sell it instead. Then I bought the 68 less than a year later and I have to say I like it much more. And I like clean tones, I play Tele's, Gretsch's with Dynas and filtertrons, country music, surf, garage. I would love to have a 65 as well but its too close to need both but the 68 is so good, especially fills out the tone of a Jaguar, Jazzmaster or a Tele!

[@80daytripper]

Hi. How much can you dial the eq (treble and bass) of 65 PRRI to achieve those warmer and darker tones of 68 Custom? I’m planning to purchase one of these two amps to partner a Vox ac15c1, which one would you recommend? Vox is very bright, so would a 65 PRRI be too similiar to that?

[@burchypoo70]

I think the 65 has a naturally sccoped voice with the stock speaker. I heard from a few people that you can get a warmer overdrive with less flubbyness with a different speaker than the stock Jensen. Then again, maybe also with an eq pedal?@@80daytripper

[@bluesrocker91]

Is the '68 a limited edition? I fancy trying both versions out, but its likely to be a while before I can buy either.

[@journeyquest1]

65 has more sparkle. I have the 65 along w a Super Champ Xd and Champion 600 w an 8 inch speaker installed.

[@MrDT543]

The 68 will definitely be better for recording too, especially considering it breaks up earlier.

[@mattier3030]

I’m surprised the ‘68 is louder as it’s 12 watts compared to the ‘65 @ 15 watts

[@grokness]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@myname1469]

You might go to the trouble of saying what amp "this one" is and what the other "this one" is. But hey, why worry about mere clarity of communication.

[@jeremydahm2124]

I can't say I see the 68 reacting better to the pedal. I disagree with not using pedals in a demo. Keep it simple and using the 808 or the TS9 is perfect because most of us are never cranking these to breakup naturally. That said your pedal choice is close to what the majority of us looking at these classics would chose for dirt. Princeton 65 all the way in me opinion mate...... But can u go wrong?! Nah....Humbuckers will be maybe too warm out of the 68 ........

[@marinsmarcos]

Great video. Witch one would you choose for a Clean Jazz Archtop tone? Based on the video I realy like te 68. More warm tone...tks

[@CurranLong]

if you've got an archtop, you may not need the 'warmer' tone of the 68. Your neck (or middle) pickup will be plenty warm through either amp. I personally prefer the 68 overall, but both are great amp.

[@Ragnar-Viking]

I'll take.the toneking Imperial in Red..sold my 2 years ago

[@newtonlkh]

i love the 65 but the 68 breakup like farting in some demos wish you could have tested the breakup too

[@peterhedrich7653]

what ya also can do is use the Amps´, with a cabinett i personel own an 68 and an old 2 X12 marshall cabinett with two old Loudspeakers also celestion´s which ones i don´t know so if i use that thing and my 68 the 10 celestion is not silent he works togehter with the 2x 12 1x 10 the sound is that kinda cool i don´t need nothing more it´s perfect ican have a twangy sound and a really heavy Sound and really my 68 likes pedals - I`m not - i like the warm sound - does not matter if i use a tele , strat ,les paul standard or a les paul studio tribute or some low budget Bentons the 68 princeton is my Favorite -no chance for custom made Amps it´s pretty perfect

[@CustomTele52RI]

Love the tone of that '65 but I can't afford an original or hand-wired. Guess I need to either buy a kit and build my own, or hold my nose, buy a used mass-produced '65 reissue and replace all the bogus crap inside it (cheap filter caps, etc.). I'll still be stuck with a PC board, which I can live with. Sigh.

[@stratomanster]

Great review dude! No nonsense! Well done mate!

[@Terryomalleyonline]

I have been using low watt amps for years.......I missed the cleans when playing loud. So I said "enough already" and bought a 65 Reissue Twin.......paradise........throw in a couple of pedals to dirty it up and you have the best of both worlds. At 30kgs, it is not without fault, but hey what are you gonna do?

[@MrDT543]

Ever heard one of the silverface twins with a master volume? I believe they're from 78/80 (might not be 100% correct on that) but man they're the best kept secret in amplifiers. They sound fantastic and allow for natural breakup at lower volumes

[@marcuscorneliusaurelius6534]

68 wins. What shootout shall we do next?

[@pg123ab]

Why volume at 3? The Princeton sweet spot is at around 4.5 - 5 when the amp starts breaking out with beautiful tones. That's the reason why this amp has been used on many recordings, you can get a natural distortion without having massive volume. This review is comparable to test drive a Ferrari keeping it below 45 mph.

[@markshields5021]

There great if you play them on three. They both rattle the freakin tubes out if you play them on 4 and up! It sux because the sound is great, but I don't understand why Fender can't make a cabinet that won't rattle and give tube ring. I played two brand new 68s from sweetwater and sent them back. Found a 2008 65 princeton reissue in a trade it does the same thing. I'm going to have a cabinet built for it. I wish stores would refuse to sell them until they actually fix the problems or start building a piggyback version.

[@jordanlinfitt3583]

I hear you. I ordered mine on a whim when i received a bunch of online coupons. It is a beautiful sounding amp, but once past 3 or 4 on volume and not much fun, especially if you want i bit more vol and not wanting to run it through a PA.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Mark Shields I Agree with you. I've heard Numerous Complaints about the Cabinets Rattling. You can't put the Bass Control past 3 ? ( that is garbage ). Fender should Correct this Problem ( especially for the amount of Money, they are charging for these Amp's ). I Love the Pristine Fender Clean Sound, but I am Waiting for them to Rectify this, " Design Flaw " or I'll have to Buy a Princeton Clone or a Mesa Rectoverb 25. - Michael Caz - NYC -

[@jakobstumpf391]

get yourself a dampening ring for the speakers...only happens, if the speakers are able to rattle the case...doesn't happen if you have good dope.

[@maxrb67]

Tune that guitar man

[@jlgis77]

is,nt the 68 a 12 watt and the 65 a 15 watt......

[@mattier3030]

Which one do you prefer? Come on you must like one a little more right?

[@andrewmoxom7782]

He has the bass on 7 on the 68... Way too high. No more than 3 on this amp is all you need. Also, swap the celestion to a Jensen mod 10/70 and you get more volume, and it handles the early break up way better, and makes it way more versatile.

[@chrisbarnes8867]

Buy both and be done

[@fandangodrive4310]

Sounds more muffled than warmer

[@bza069]

nothing worse than an amp demo when they use pedals.

[@nathanc6611]

bza069 unless you wanna hear how the amp goes with pedals...

[@rodrigoespinosa3299]

At 11......o’clock

[@charltonmanor3418]

So much bass in the 68 the recoring is farting out

[@pranky4]

It sounds waaaarrrrrrrmmmmmmaaaa

[@tobytubeman]

1:10 hhaha he thought he could grab some guitar tremolo !