Hot-Rodding The Brown Princeton - Ask Zac 101

[@JC-11111]

Thanks for hitting on the fact that Groove Tubes is just a reseller. Lots of people likely don't realize this.

[@AskZac]

Exactly!

[@johngiraldez6891]

Zac, I just purchased the Princeton CS based on your review. Sounds great and easy to carry. Thanks for the excellent review.

[@AskZac]

Right on!

[@fivewattworld]

Man, I would SO enjoy changing out vintage tubes and speakers. One of my favorite things to do.

[@AskZac]

You and me both, Keith!

[@TheBoomtown4]

This is the exact content I like to hear from someone in the know like Z.

[@joeldowdy404]

Changing out speakers in an amp is like trying out different Overdrive pedals, its a rabbit hole that you may never get to the end of :)

[@paulcowart3174]

Yes sir I have 4/12's....4/10's....2/12's and 1/12 cabinet's IMO the 4/12 sounds the best but 2/12 is a close second and very portable along with the 4/10 too I actually haven't tried the single 12 yet But these shine with 12's Mine is a 61 Boost and delay your set

[@otaviosmartins1]

@@paulcowart3174 try oversized 2x12. Best of both worlds

[@cactus-mcjacktus]

i try to stick to a handful of speakers (mainly WGS since i can find them easily here in Australia), generally one speaker/cabinet per amp. for my Marshall and a custom bassman/deluxe hybrid combo I have, G12H30 speakers sound amazing in a 1x12, and for my brown panel stuff i have a 4x10 and a 2x12, loaded with the G10/12Q speakers. the Marshall and the Bassman stay at home, and the brown panel stack is my gigging rig.

[@johngiraldez6891]

Good advice.

[@bobbiemiles-foremaniii8747]

Changing a speaker makes a huge difference in an amp I have NEVER heard much difference changing tubes. Even between nos and new production tubes. Not that big a deal what tubes in my experience

[@ranchoricardo]

So many tiny details seem to contribute to the specific sounds we're able to wrangle out of our instruments, amplifiers, and other pieces of equipment. Sometimes I feel like my equipment sounds different everyday. Or perhaps it's the relationship between me, my playing and my equipment that changes -- not the actual equipment itself. Whatever the case may be, the constant quest for different sounds never seems to end. I like to think of it more like a "condition" than a sickness. Who am I kidding... it's a sickness... Oh, BTW, my picks came in the mail! Thanks so much!

[@AskZac]

You are so welcome, Richard!

[@TheBenb1999]

T-shirt was very well chosen on this one.

[@clearcoat]

Love this amp, and yes it's a sickness... I am on my third speaker swap, landed on a Jensen P10R-F with a baffle adapter installed as well. I think this one will stick. Great tone and I like 10" better. Less low end rumble for playing at home. It's also has very low efficiency, 92.5db vs the 101db stock speaker. That's like going from 100w to 12w. Again, great for low volume playing. I also had to put a diode across two lugs on the tremolo intensity pot as it was quite noisy. Works the same but the (throbbing) noise is gone.

[@cgavin1]

I always find that low/no negative feedback amps love Greenbacks. You get that lovely woody honk on the bass notes and the cone cry when pushed is to die for.

[@bobbiemiles-foremaniii8747]

Just put a well worn greenback from my garage in my stapleton. Jesus what an improvement.

[@tonymattsson1905]

I bought mine 1964 Tuxedo 6g2 with non-original speaker and swapped it for a Celestion alnico gold 12" in it and it sounds magic :)

[@alexs.2221]

Man, we are talking same language in the same business. Love your chanel.

[@AskZac]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@LPCustom3]

On my `62 Brown Princeton I used a Mullard GZ-34 and a pair of GE 6L6's. As for a speaker I love the old Celestion G-12 Alnico, But I ended up with a Cerwin-Vega ER-123(made in 1972) This amp kicks some major but and is pretty even all the way.

[@drno2141]

green backs man...i've bought two old england 71 made..lovely cabinet now...point is too that u play tele..humbuckers are around twoo

[@johngiraldez6891]

I now tried the GA-SC64 , great speaker, but I kept the CS speaker. I found them very similar, but the CS was a bit louder and just as nice.

[@J.C...]

Sounds like what I'll be doing with my Hot Rod Deluxe. The A-type Celestion has to go. And it'll get 12ay7 in V1 and 12at7 in V3 to tame it a bunch.

[@christopherkahn6522]

That Princeton has always been one of my favorite amps ever since I played one in a pawnshop in the 1990's. This one sounds just like the original.

[@nathanpickett202]

I've recently purchased a Scumback H75. Very pleased with it!

[@joncaradies3155]

Fun !!! My last little project was building an attenuator for my amp . I just wanted to be able to turn the amp up passed 1 to get the power tubes working ...... It was cheap and my neighbor loves it ..... Ha !

[@SteeringSteel]

My favorite intro yet, great playing Zac!

[@FabianSalomonsson]

I can't recall what song it is he's playing, help me out please haha

[@codywitten1714]

Zac It's great to hear your thoughts on this amp. I picked one up on Craigslist 6 months ago and have been in love with it every since!

[@AZCobraman]

I put a Cannabis Rex in my '62 Deluxe. The Oxford sounded great but got farty past 5 and the Rex is a bit more efficient so you get a bit more clean.

[@mikecamps7226]

I usually change out the wimpy Princeton output transformer and swap in a Deluxe Reverb output transformer......BUT what would be interesting on this amp would be the attenuation they did on the Eric Clapton Tremolux tweed they did........being this is a one volume control and it needs cranked into the zone.......not factoring in the aspect of LOUDNESS.......but that circuitry would be very applicable to this amp if it needs tamed down

[@mikecamps7226]

Zac, this is basically a single channel tweed deluxe with a fixed bias output section and the volume pot wired correctly. I would consider changing it from the fixed bias to the old style cathode biased power tube section. The gain is all up in the first section of the first pre-amp tube. >>>>>>.I modify the AA964 straight Princeton's by using the chassis hole for the foot switch which turns off & on the trem......and just leaving the trem controls on the front panel to turn the trem on.....which then free's up the chassis hole for a toggle switch without altering the chassis of a vintage amp. I use the toggle switch to switch the tone stack of the AA964 in and out of the circuit as its a high loss style tone stack typical of the blackface era amps. SO with the added toggle switch the amp can be stock and factory with the tone stack in, and then switched to a much higher gain you'd have if it was the "G" series amp or a tweed......all be it without a tone pot for the sound/tone adjustment. You get the pure tone of the circuitry and tubes and speaker....as this is a very simple circuit for an amplifier....bare bones for a AB push/pull amp. What I do with Princeton Reverb amps is to rewire the tube sockets of the pre-amp tubes because they wired the trem circuit by splitting the phase inverter tube instead of having the tube socket dedicated only to the phase inverter. SO it makes the pre-amp tube swapping not as effective unless that you rewire the phase inverter socket to be dedicated fully to the phase inverter. Which means I put the 1/2 of the socket circuitry on to the socket I just moved circuitry from......shifting the trem circuitry to a different tube. This is very effective in a "G" series or a straight Princeton AA964 as it puts the V1 all pre-amp and the V2 all phase inverter.......which lets you dial in more accurately and conventionally....meaning you can focus on the gain on the V1. The signal flow on paper has the full function of the phase inverter NOT split between 2 tubes even though its using 2 tube sections......so like a conventional amp it should be a dedicated phase inverter tube. Generally, other than a 12ax7, you'd step down in gain to a 5751 to a 12at7 to a 12ay7....to find your preliminary gain structure based on your guitar signal strength driving the amp.....be it humbuckers or single coils.

[@chb8037]

well... why did render split it to two tubes? there must be something missing if you change it... having one tube you can adjust for gain makes sense tho.

[@mikecamps7226]

@@chb8037 The Tweed Princeton is Class "A" and that operates on 1 power tube generally. This is Class "AB" so it needs 2 power tubes to operate in class AB (Push/Pull).....which requires a Phase Inverter functioning tube. So if it is a Tweed series Cathodyne PI....the whole 2 sections of the tube are NOT utilized for the Inversion...Cathodyne uses just 1/2 of the tube and the other 1/2 is basically a gain stage coupled direct.

[@2cycle778]

I have a blackface 65 - add a push/pull volume and wire the in position stock. Wire the “pulled out” position so it shuts off the negative feedback and boosts mids by changing the value of the resistor at the bottom of the tone stack. Yeehaa!

[@mikecamps7226]

Yes changing the rectifier tube and its resultant plate voltages is a quick scenario. BUT it depends on what power tubes you have in the amp. BUT if you converted to a cathode biased power tube section.....you'd be toying with the saggy aspects of the rectifier and how it applies to the power tubes. The REAL effect of dropping the power rail voltage is not so much on the power tubes but on the first pre-amp tube. I'd settle on a set of power tubes first and cathode biased and determine the sag........then go and adjust the power rail power resistor feeding the V1 node and drop the plate voltages appropriately........lower voltage is more tone but less gain.......higher voltages get more gain and more brightness and somewhere it goes brittle bright. SO its dialing in the pre-amp voltages. I've been happy with JJ 6V6's as heavy duty tubes.......real NOS 6V6's have a cream to them......and the newer re-issue 6V6's are ok but I have had issues in the past with them with good batches and bad batches......they need burned in well

[@insulartomb]

Sounds great. As always your tasteful playing and that beautiful Esquire certainly didn’t hurt either!

[@joshuakoyukuk6381]

I love the gb128. Perfect pair with my Lil King S

[@MrBallynally2]

The JJ 6v6s can handle higher plate voltages hence the combi w the type of rectifier. To make this a gigging amp they put in a high spl speaker pos an Eminence. Maybe over the top. There is a lower powered version of that. Both WGS speakers do not hit the spot imo. I suggest an Eminence GAsc64.

[@stratjed]

Fender small combos are Size specific . For a reason . You use the amp that fits the job. Change is NOT always a good thing often its just a mistake.

[@paulcowart3174]

Indeed but most learn the hard way unfortunately Best to leave stuff alone

[@matthewf1979]

The Weber 12F125 or 12F125S are my favorite 12 for Brownface amps(Besides an original Oxford/Jensen). I have a good selection of speakers and tubes I swap around in my amps too. It’s fun!

[@paulcowart3174]

My 61 pairs up well with a 2/12 73 Vox cabinet It has the gold alnico Oxford's that Vox was using after the shipped empty cabs to America Their way of saving shipping costs I actually pulled them out of the very heavy Vox enclosure and loaded into a Mojo Tone brown Fender style cab

[@musicmann1967]

It's a really nice sounding amp. It really suits that Tele!

[@jaytee1459]

Fun video! I recommend the WGS Blackhawk Alnico 50W speaker. I put in my amp and it took it from okay.. to amazing! I don't hear very many people talking about them.

[@AskZac]

Thanks for the tip!

[@12footchain]

Hey neighbor! very cool. That's a great sounding amp and you sound great through it.

[@AskZac]

Thank you, Doug!

[@oscardelatorre]

love gb128s-have them in Bassmans,pro,5e3.

[@cilantrokoolhaas7710]

That intro! Great guitar playing and wonderful sound on that tele and amp, I really liked that.

[@AskZac]

Thank you kindly!

[@imannonymous7707]

Ya so did i , those double stops and tele twang are to die for

[@daringbarons]

I love the sound of a Telecaster through a brown Princeton. I have a Roadhouse 12 (Princeton clone with 12” speaker). It also has a switch to turn off the negative feedback, which really punches it up at volumes 3 or below. Makes it perfect for recording too. Thanks for your videos!

[@GuyNarnarian]

I don't have the Stapleton Browm but my Princeton has a Jensen PQ12 on it. Very warm but still has great Fender cleans and character. I think it would work well paired with a Tele.

[@jensschettler1732]

I just put a jensen p10r, p12r in every amp. It is just my sound. Even my plexi sounds great with it.

[@richclayton5785]

Made me smile ear to ear

[@guitarman430]

Chrism the original speaker and tubes sound better. My CS Princeton has a 3 position negative feedback switch for Tweed, Brown and Blackface tones. I believe mine is the best mod for this amp! thanks for the video!

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

I think it sounds more to my liking with your tweeks and mods but I think you should try more speakers and make another video for us. HaHa! I think a Weber 12F125 would be perfect for that amp. Just don't get the S version for smooth cone....too tweedy or something. A lot of guys also like the Allisandro speaker Eminence makes but I think that Weber F125 might be the ticket they make an alnico version of it too but not sure about that one seems like you are going for more of the ceramic thing but not sure. I had an alnico Weber 12A125 in a tweed deluxe and loved it for that amp. Jupiter speakers are nice too maybe they have a ceramic 1.25" voice coil speaker like the 12F125? Magnet would also be bigger than the one on the WGS G12Q you tried. Thanks again! Keep em coming.

[@Modwiz125]

I love Weber speakers. Articulation is what I love about them. Also offering different ohms for the same speaker is a big plus.

[@billedwards2657]

WGS ET65 is my favorite for 6V6 and EL84 amps

[@uweschlagenhaft7141]

I have just changed the preamp tubes which lead to a significant drop of this bold midrange. I have never experienced such a dramatic change in sound by changing the tubes. I use some nos Valvo tubes. Sounds great now with much more „air“. So funny that we both achieved quite a similar sound with totally different tweaks. :)

[@AskZac]

Interesting!

[@BaritoneOneFive]

I agree, it's a sickness! You didn't need to do anything to that Chris Stapleton amp!

[@iannicholls7476]

The mods certainly give you a great tone from the neck pickup.

[@jasonlee8497]

Played a 65 Princeton once. I thought man this thing sings! Turns out he pulled one of the tubes out. I thought no wonder they’re used for recording.

[@skrewflanders]

Interesting info on the Groove Tubes! Never had good luck with the Groove tubes myself, they don't seem to last as long as others.

[@cowtowncustoms2110]

Zac, me and I am sure a lot of others have a Blues Jr amp. It is a version III and my 1st tube amp that I still have and love it. Can you do a show on your way of setting up/modding one of these amps to the way you would use it??

[@AskZac]

I will see if I can find one to borrow.

[@cowtowncustoms2110]

@@AskZac, Thanks, The Blues Jr is a great inexpensive Black Face tube amp with a 12" speaker already. My big complaint with it is no standby switch! I would love to be able to get close to your Princeton tone??

[@electricj5]

@@cowtowncustoms2110 I don’t think you will get close to a Princeton with a Blues Jr. Two very different amps that sound nothing alike. I’m the first to admit Blues Jr’s are one of my least liked Fender amps every, but you might want to search for mods kits that can be done. (Different output transformers, changing the tone stack, etc). But if you love what you have, why change it? Playing around with different speakers might be all you need. (And you can get the sense of that by just playing any Blues Jr variants in stores). One thing I’ve learnt about tube amps is everything matters, the tone stack, the circuit, the tubes, the speakers, the cabinet wood, transformers, etc. Hence why a Tweed Deluxe sounds different from a Silverface Twin. Don’t worry about no standby switch, bit of a myth that it does anything useful unless you using massive tubes for radio towers. The Brownface Princeton doesn’t have it, neither the tweed Harvards, Champs, or Princetons. Very unnecessary in a low wattage amp. Just so you know, the Blues Jr. isn’t a Blackface, or a Tweed or Brownface no matter how Fender markets it. It’s is it’s own thing - very different than any of the vintage amps Zac mentions and plays, thus the difference in tone.

[@cowtowncustoms2110]

@@electricj5 , I love what it does as a 15 watt tube amp and I have a friend that has one he has modified several times to now he wishes he never touched it and wants me to buy it real cheap! I have other higher power good tube amps that I use but I want to tinker on one that can be fun or just buy a Stew-Mac kit?

[@electricj5]

@@cowtowncustoms2110 what other amps do you have?

[@michaelbutler2312]

may want to try a 12ay7 in v1. i've done that with my 66 deluxe reverb and i can turn it up more before it breaks up. seems to give it more headroom . glad you can take advantage of an expensive amp. great video. thanks,

[@kevinbolick2349]

Nice video! I’m really digging this amp! I’m a big fan of Greenbacks in Tweeds. I’ve got one in my Franklyn Amps 5E3 Deluxe, along with vintage RCA tubes. I’m thinking of doing some tweaking on my Franklyn 5F1 Champ with a new speaker. I had Derryck build the Champ with a cabinet big enough to handle an upgrade to a 10”, which the larger cab alone has an impact on the sound of the amp. He made and provided me with an extra baffle for a 10”. Now the Oxford 8EV that’s in it sounds nice, but I am curious what another speaker would do. I’m thinking of trying a Webber 4 ohm 10” alnico and seeing what that sounds like. You’re right, it is a sickness! Check out Kenny Vaughan playing some Tweed Franklyn Amps on KZbin.

[@iuchilton]

Love my Franklyn 5e3. I stuck with the original Weber 12A125a that he put in it to begin with. Did some tube swaps, but a really great amp and the 3 way switch he puts on it is wonderful if you want to run it cleaner with a pedalboard

[@kevinbolick2349]

@@iuchilton awesome! Yeah, Derryck put that switch on mine too! It adds negative feedback to the circuit, like the Blackface amps, which cleans the amp up a bit. I know he’s always looking and listening to different speaker options.

[@paulcowart3174]

A Weber classic alnico ten is in mine but thinking about putting a Celestion Gold alnico in there instead Most of my extension cabinets are alnico Might have to give the greenback a listen as well Thanks

[@kevinbolick2349]

@@paulcowart3174 I really like Celestine, but I’ve not been able to find a 4 ohm 10 for a champ.

[@paulcowart3174]

@@kevinbolick2349 Yeah I need to check the ohm's on my Princeton before I do anything Someone in this comment section replied about one but will have to look again He stated the ohm rating

[@sevennotes8940]

I read Western Electric was going or had the intention of starting up the tube business for EL34 and maybe some other tubes. They might be more expensive but will they last longer. ?.

[@vayabroder729]

Gotta love those licks and tone!

[@glenkepic3208]

Nice. I miss my DS Blues Jr.

[@koolkat808hawaii]

I sent a 65 Princeton that was truly butchered by someone to George Alessandero and he did an amazing job. I asked him to set the break up point at 8 and he did. Great amp.. If you have time to answer sometime, what power tubes and preamp tubes are in your Deluxe? Great episode. Jim.

[@richardweinberger2756]

It sounds very old school:) When it comes to tubes, there was lots of rebranding even among US companies. I'm not a working pro so it's pretty easy for me to have lots of classic tubes to try out. Really you only need 12ax7 and 6v6, and those can be found in lots of old record players, tv sets, hifi gear. I see old stuff at the curb, I jump out and check, sometimes there are good ones that I recognize.

[@AskZac]

Interesting!

[@richardweinberger2756]

@@AskZac Anyone interesting in going beyond the common beliefs about tubes should check out a recent video by Shango 066 titled "Talking vacuum tubes with Al". You will learn much that is not mentioned anywhere, or at least not in the many tube amp books I own. Shango066 is a very smart guy who fixes old TV's and transistor radios - he is not a musician.

[@MrKaufmana1]

I have that amp, I have had it since it came out. It does sound stout and amazing - I do want to mod it however, as I am tired of it weighing 275 lbs. Thanks for this video!

[@AskZac]

I currently have the Celestion Alnico Blue in it. You can hear mine with that in next week's episode. Though that is not what the episode is about.

[@insulartomb]

@@AskZac Hey Zac, just found myself wondering if you still have the Blue in this Princeton? Seems like a great way to split the difference between the Harvard and the Vox! (And saves taking a vintage amp out, to boot)

[@ivan_emege]

Me too. I’ve put the Jensen Blackbird 40 Alnico. Weight 4.4 lbs only and sounds like a bold P12Q

[@Mark254-TX]

Zac,.... try a Jensen P12R .... it's what I use in my Brown and Black Princeton builds.... I doubt you'd change it out lol... Blessings, Mark

[@naterogers8703]

It's interesting that your amp came with a 5AR4 and 6v6s power tubes. Mine came with a 5y3 and 6v6gt's.

[@AskZac]

No "s" on you 6v6?

[@naterogers8703]

@@AskZac my bad just saw the s.

[@iamgcase]

You are having too much fun! Interesting,curious how things go…

[@AskZac]

It has a Celestion Blue in it right now

[@troymoss4515]

Sounds GREAT!!

[@WMSFLL]

If this was my amp I'd want to go for 12AX7 tube with more gain like a Sovtek long plate. Also I had a 5E3 clone that I did the speaker roulette on, and I settled on a lower wattage Jensen P12R alnico speaker. I could run the volume wide open (which you want to do with a 5E3 amp) without blowing myself out of the room. If this was the original 10" design I wouldn't hesitate to put in a Warehouse Veteran 10.

[@jonnybeck6723]

I believe the 'G' suffix on an octal tube is for 'glass' (not Germany) 🤔

[@jonnybeck6723]

Folks say the JJ 6V6 is the tube to use if you want to lower the output of a 6L6 amp

[@audiotechlabs4650]

You know Zak….I’m like you, I mod! Part of the guitar insanity. You really gave a great inside view of this amp. Is this speaker available to the public, or is there one similar? I want to build a Brown Princeton, but have the boldness of the CS version, oh did I mention, WITH reverb! You have shed light on how Fender got every bit of volume out of this amp. I built a 5E3 with Deluxe transformers and GZ34 rectifier tube and oh my God, what a monster! Do think switching to a long tail pair phase inverter would change or destroy the Brown Face tone? This version may be louder than a stock Brown, but I find I need more than 12 watts on stage. OK why not use a Deluxe Reverb? Not the same animal, you know what I mean. I don’t have the $ to buy a CS Princeton, but I already have the parts for a lot less $. I love building one of kind amps focused on what the amp will do for the guitar player, kind of match the amp to the player instead of the player having to change their way of playing to put up with amp. I’m funny like that. A Brown Princeton with 20 watts and reverb would be great addition to one’s amp arsenal! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

[@artshaw7079]

@Audio Tech Labs, check out Lil Dawg Amps, I had him make me a brown princeton in a PR box for the price of $1159.00. It has a 25 watt OT which bumps it up to approximately 16-17 watta. I put in the WGS G12CS Zac talks about in this video. I also have a switch to disconnect the Negative feedback in the circuit. Makes it more raw and tweedish. Like I said, for $1159 I plug in the Amp just about everyday and always gives me a smile. If you needed more headroom still, it's possible to pop in 6l6s and a solid state rectifier, that should bump up the headroom a bit more. Look into it. Art

[@maxwrangler5788]

I think a cool video would be on Waylon. He’s a great guitar player that’s over looked and even Jerry Reed as a tele player. Everyone’s heard him on Smokey and the bandit soundtrack but didn’t know it was him and the album he did called Smokey and the bandit is great! There’s also a video of him playing with Glen Campbell using a tele and the sound he gets is killer. They are doing the song guitar man. I also think you should consider looking at the Paul Franklin Eminence I’m considering trying it in my AC15. It’s odd but i think it might be cool

[@williamhurrelbrink3324]

Another great vid. Very informative. Any chance we can see all these tests?

[@AskZac]

I should have filmed them....

[@JC-11111]

5 tubes and a single 12? Same as my Laney Cub clone from Monoprice. I doubt it's running EL84s and 12AX7's, though lol

[@johnokeeffe5399]

It's truly a sickness, the amp is great as is when you buy it, but I'm going to change everything about it that effects the sound of the amp, but I'd love to play through it just as it came from the factory! LOL Only a true guitar nerd would say that Zac, A+ man.

[@gerberbernstein7360]

You have some of the best tone on You Tube !!

[@AskZac]

THANK YOU!!!

[@billducas]

Wonder what it would sound like with a Vintage 30 speaker? I have found that speaker seems to improve almost any amp out there. Not all amps though.

[@stevesuv]

Ever try a Weber Feromax. It made my BF Princeton sing.

[@AskZac]

Not yet

[@kevinsteiner6872]

Hello Zac. Thank you for all your work. I have my own channel but more around fishing. I have played guitar and worked my way though college. So, I'm not unfamiliar, so much and I think I'm not very snobbish? You seem to not be either, and I appreciate the honesty you purvey here on your channel. I have many guitars and was wondering if you had access to Sweetwater's delux reverb and what you thought? Not many will ever be a big artist, so what about 99 percent of us that live for the tone? Tele/Strat/LP? Still a Delux? Thank you for your response. Kevin

[@AskZac]

I love the Deluxe the most. But this Princeton is fantastic, and what I have been playing through the most recently.

[@Jam-m7m]

Zac. If I remember correctly. You ended up putting the Celestion Blue back in the Cris Stapleton Princeton and did you ever get it back from your friend

[@AskZac]

It ended up with Keith Williams.

[@KristopherCraig]

The speaker you ended up with sounds very mid forward, but still has nice highs. I think it’s an improvement. It would be a great giggin amp now.

[@antoninhuerre2520]

Hello, does it need to re-bias when swapping to 5Y3? Thx

[@AskZac]

Yes

[@markhammer643]

I take it that the G12Q is effectively the same as the mid-1960s Jensen C12Q I have, just a different manufacturer. Many speakers will change sonic characteristics, depending on volume levels, as you found with the G12Q. The first "good" amp I ever owned was an early 1970s 2x12 Peavey Classic. Hated the speakers. You'd set the tone controls one way for band practice, and then when you hit the stage and turned the volume up a bit, they would sound entirely different. Frustrating, but also a reality. All speakers will have a "linear range" where their measured frequency response and resonances come into play, diverging from that when the power fed to them is either below, or exceeds, some value. A *great* speaker will be more consistent from a much lower wattage input to something closer to its maximum power handling. Lesser speakers may need more power going to them to make them sound the way they are supposed to sound. Another thing which you didn't touch on, and would have necessitated too much is the actual cab properties. A speaker will "love" an amp to the extent that it complements the qualities of the amp AND the cabinet design. Fender amps, with a few exceptions, are generally open back cabs.

[@AskZac]

I am learning now about the profound affect cabinets make.

[@cortmiller]

I actually really like a greenback in a lot of fender amps. Usually a G12H. Didn’t you have a G12H30 in your deluxe reverb for a while? I have a 55hz heritage G12H30 in my 67 deluxe reverb and an eminence SC64 in my 66 deluxe reverb. The sc64 sounds great in a lot of fender amps as well

[@AskZac]

I had a GB type speaker in the Princeton for a bit and liked it. I want to try the SC64

[@SMAWA9]

I was thinking of putting a Celestion blue in mine, could you share more thoughts on what you liked and didn't like? thanks!

[@AskZac]

I put the Celestion blue back in. It is a great match. Before, I just plugged the amp into my Vox cab. This time I put it in the Princeton sometimes I forget how much cabinets play in the amps tone.

[@SMAWA9]

@@AskZac that's awesome! really thinking about giving it a go.

[@tomburkhardt811]

Wow Zac! You are right, it is a sickness and you have definitely tested positive for it! Love the lead in tune you were picking. What was that for certain?

[@AskZac]

Just something I came up with. Need a name for it

[@riders.oregon4474]

I’ve been a miner for a tone of gold

[@CargoShorts7]

Do you prefer a 12" or 10" in the brown Princetons? I have an original '62 that the seller gave me an extra baffle fit for a 12" speaker, but I haven't taken out the original 10" speaker and baffle yet just cause they sound so good in there already. Although I will probably look to retire the original speaker soon.

[@AskZac]

I prefer a 12 in it

[@mattbiermann3896]

Hey Zac you're badass! Hoping you might have some advice... For brighter tone, what speaker would you recommend putting in a Champ build converted to push a 12" speaker? I'm not really a purist going for the original Champ tone. I currently have a Celestion G12-35XC in it and it's muddy as hell. Thanks man!

[@AskZac]

WGS G12Q it will open it up!

[@mattbiermann3896]

Awesome man I’ll give that a try! Thanks!

[@mattbiermann3896]

I finally got the WGS G12Q and it transformed my Champ. It did exactly what I was hoping for and sounds amazing! Thanks again for the suggestion Zac!

[@jonnybeck6723]

Zac, if it's fun and inspiring (?) you have nailed it ...but did you ever thimk of trying a 12AY7 in v1? Thanx and cheers

[@AskZac]

Not yet!

[@gwcjr2102]

Another great video! Thanks!

[@AskZac]

My pleasure!

[@markhammer643]

You CAN plug a pair of 6L6 power tubes in place of the 6V6 tubes. *CAUTION* This will *NOT* work the "other" way. The 6L6 type can safely handle the plate voltage usually applied to 6V6 types; even when using a slightly higher voltage from a 5AR4 rectifier. But attempting to sub a pair of 6V6 in a normally 6L6-powered amp will result in instant death for the 6V6 tubes, since the typical plate voltage used by a 6L6-based amp is going to be much too high (unless it is *explicitly* designed to accept both tube types). That caveat aside, I have frequently plugged a 6L6 into my tweed Princeton, in place of the stock 6V6. The result is a little more power, and a slightly brighter tone. I imagine sticking a push-pull 6L6 pair into the brown Princeton would yield a more noticeable increase in power than the single-ended Princeton. Of course, with the plate voltage being modest, you certainly won't be getting the 40W+ one normally expects from a pair of 6L6s. But I think the difference should be audible. What I can't, and won't, predict is the impact of a power-tube change on the bias tremolo. Power tubes always need to have their bias adjusted for optimal performance. Whether what the tremolo circuit applies to the grids of 6L6s makes them behave the same as 6V6 types is well above my pay grade.

[@ryanmrichter]

Hey Zac/everybody. I just picked one of these up and I’m loving it, but wondering if to maximize usability if it’d be a good move to try an eq pedal instead of going down the speaker rabbit hole. I’m just looking to have a little more control so it can better work with some of my different guitars. If anyone’s got eq pedal recs, I’m all ears. Great amp for sure !

[@AskZac]

Get a Boss GE7. You can get them from XTS that are modded to be more guitar friendly

[@kevindean1327]

Hey Zack love your channel. Have you ever done anything along the lines of a history of the Tele in England?. Mick Green was highly influential and played a major roll in Pete Townshend and Wilco Johnson's development as players!!!. I guess Big Jim Sullivan handled most of the studio Tele work as well. Two unheralded Tele masters!!

[@AskZac]

This is a fantastic idea!!!!

[@kevindean1327]

@@AskZac I came across this video. Dr Feelgood- live at Southend Kursaal (15 minutes of magic in 4 songs). The only thing I'd known about "Dr Feelgood-" was that Motley Crew had done a song with that title. Anyway, I was blown away by how good this band, Dr Feelgood- was. Through going down the Wilco Johnson and Lee Briloux (I think his name is spelled differently) rabbit hole I found out who Johnny Kid and the Pirates were and that Mick Green their guitar player was a big influence on Wilco Johnson and a one Peter Townsend. Wilco is an amazing guy with an amazing story, a truely remarkable story from his education, to his beating freaking pancreatic cancer. A few years ago he did an album with Roger Daltry.

[@johngiraldez6891]

Did you try the amp with the Eminence GA-SC64?

[@AskZac]

Yes, after this video. A good choice!

[@johngiraldez6891]

What speaker did you end keeping in the Princeton CS?

[@deancochran6029]

Do you need to do any re-biasing when changing out the rectifier or power tubes?

[@AskZac]

yes

[@StandbyCymbalist]

i haven’t seen a p12r swap in this amp yet. would it blow it?

[@AskZac]

It should not blow

[@rambleraudio2966]

Thanks for another great episode Zac. What did you set the bias at for the Tung-Sols?

[@AskZac]

19mA 410 volts

[@jaymichaels5187]

It sounds very good, Zac...a bit more organic sounding than factory stock, did you re-bias the replacement 6V6 power tubes?

[@AskZac]

I did

[@PurposefulPorpoise]

May i ask : How do u take the speaker out? Mine has backward screws (nut/washer on my end) no visible way of taking the speaker screws off :(

[@AskZac]

Take the nuts off. The speaker pulls right out. Watch for the screws as they can puncture the speaker if you are not careful

[@PurposefulPorpoise]

@@AskZac OHHHHHHHHH lol. Thanks u ROCK. U shoulda seen me, was standin there lookin at the thing like 2001

[@antoonhermans8953]

i know it's asickness : ) , i have it in spades myself , always tweaking gear i buy : )

[@KorbenDenver]

I remember a time when the word "robust" was reserved exclusively for spaghetti sauce...oh the good o'l days, where have you gone...

[@ronno2536]

How do the Brown Princeton and Tweed Harvard differ in sound?

[@AskZac]

The Harvard has less headroom, and is a bit more in your face.

[@WillyPDX94]

Great fun. 👍🏻

[@nilsgrafo5999]

Seems like a great amp - I’d love to see a spring reverb on it but that’s the way it is. Thanx for another enjoyable video.

[@mattelder9147]

The harmonic tremolo is divine and used subtly gets rid of the need for verb. Then again, I have a VanAmps Sole Mate Jr that I run with a mid-size 3 spring tank when I want it, which is also lovely.

[@7171jay]

Seems like a standalone brown Fender reverb unit would be a nice match for this amp. Not as convenient as having reverb built into the amp if you need to carry it around but the dwell control gives a lot more optios to the reverb sound than the single knob Fender reverb built into the amps.

[@ivan_emege]

Boss FRV-1 ‘63 Fender Reverb is the answer

[@gregmican]

Zac, by changing the power tubes, did you have to bias the amp? Than you Sir!

[@AskZac]

yes

[@smoochie3331]

Would you rather buy that or the original?

[@AskZac]

This one.....