AMP SHOOTOUT - Fender '65 Princeton Reverb VS. Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb

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[@chriswheeldon2261]

Like a lot of these comparisons, the reviewer dials in the tone on the 65, then just dials in the 68 in the same way, immediate disadvantage for the 68. Why not dial them both in separately to your taste and then compare, at least for part of the video.

[@edreed5571]

U a h8er boi make ya own video then pshhh

[@ChadWork1]

It would be nice if you adjusted the eq to bring out the best of the 68. You can turn down the bass and up the treble and it really chimes.

[@Jonathandavidk]

I have a 68 custom Princeton reverb and I realized the secret of how to set it. The issue with the amp is a resistor on the tone stack that makes this amp more like a bassman amp. Hear me out. The issue is not that the amp has more bass, it’s that there is a preset amount of low mids. Because of this, even if you turn the bass off, there’s always a very present low end. However, set the volume to 5, the treble to 8 and the bass to 5 and turn the volume on your guitar down to 3-4 and you will have the beautiful fender clean sound, very much like a standard Princeton. By raising the treble and bass, you effectively scoop the low mids that make this amp sound weird in a lot of demos. Even better, turn up the volume knob on your guitar and you have the best breakup in a small fender amp that I have heard. This took a while to get to. You cannot just leave your guitar volume on 10 and set the amp the same as you would another Princeton. This amp is it’s own thing. Explore it and you’ll be rewarded.

[@lomoholga]

Jonathandavidk Keep spreading the word It is surprising how many players are not aware of how to ‘play’ the guitar volume knob to get tone, overdrive etc I have a 68 custom and it is a supreme amp. I typically set the amp volume to 6, bass to 2, treble to 4, then my guitar volume can dictate overall volume, clean vs overdrive etc None of that flabby bass you hear in many of these KZbin videos

[@edwinpringle7342]

@@lomoholga you can't beat the 68, you just have to know what makes it tick. Glad to hear everyone is figuring it out. There's a volume knob on your guitar for a reason. Run the 68 through a good eq and watch it come alive.

[@pigsyj5008]

That's very informative, thank you. Would you say it's an ideal amp for a clean warm jazz tone and a slightly dirty blues sound? I have a Telecaster set up more for jazz but which is also good for blues and an arch top for which I like a dark percussive jazz tone. All my research is heading in this direction of the Princeton Custom, but because of quarantine I might have to buy sight unseen. Thanks for any advice you might have.

[@Jonathandavidk]

Pigsyj I’m glad the comment was helpful. The cleans are great but by design the amp breaks up right around 5. The interesting and warm character of the amp would be great for jazz, but you’ll start to lose the cleans a little earlier than on a normal Princeton. I’d say it would be best for classic rock, Americana and blues, but the tone would be perfect for jazz while you have the cleans. I hope this helps!

[@pigsyj5008]

@@Jonathandavidk Very helpful thank you. I'm looking at a reconditioned Trace Elliot Velocette now!

[@kylestewart4444]

I used to play guitar in a couple of metal bands back in high school. Back in those days, it was all about EMG’s, 5150’s and other high gain amps. Toward the end of high school (about 10 years ago) I just sort of fell out of guitar playing and I ended up selling off most of my gear slowly over the following years. A couple of weeks ago, I randomly decided to walk into a guitar center that had recently been opened very close to my house. It used to be about a 30 minute drive to get to the other location, now there’s one 5 minutes away so I just decided to check it out. I hadn’t played a lick in 10 years. Completely on a whim, I grabbed a really nice looking 3 tone burst American strat, which never appealed to me before, and I sat down in front of a little wall of various fender combos. I plugged into a Blues JR IV, a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb, a Hot Rod Deluxe and a ‘65 Princeton Reverb. All of them totally blew my mind. Of course I was 10 years removed from guitar playing and I wasn’t exactly a virtuoso back then but just hitting simple chords and stumbling through a couple of scales told me pretty much everything I needed to know and I stayed there playing with them for almost 3 hours. I always sort of looked at these amps as though all they were good for was country but god, was I wrong. Anyway, long story long, I decided then and there to take a couple of weeks comparing and deciding between the amps that I had tried, figuring out which would suit my needs best and setting aside some cash to pick one up. I thought I was set on the Blues Jr IV but I keep going back to the Princeton Reverb. There’s something very special about that amp, at least to my ears. However, I’m sure I’d be happy with any one of the four that I tried. The deluxe reverb was excellent as well. Needless to say, while I do still love listening to metal, I’ve become a huge fan of blues and classic rock over the last several years and I’m finally excited about playing the guitar again. Once I seal the deal on an amp (which will probably be the Princeton) I’m gonna snag that 3 tone burst strat and get rolling. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do but I’ll finally have some gear that actually makes me excited to play every day.

[@originaali]

Im on the same situation! I have been playing guitar 20years . got my first guitar at age 8. I was really keen on playing metal back then.. Metallica to pantera to meshuggah and so on. Last 5years i played them rarely . like once in a 2 month. Half a year ago i sold my esps with emgs, custom 8 string , 6505+, pedal board... but i spend one of my acoustic . I started to dig in to the world of analog synths and modulars. But two weeks ago i started to miss electric guitar. But not those high end metal guitars 🙊. The guitar i think was ugly back then. Fender telecaster. Now im started to dig bluegrass , blues rock and progressive rock. I allso think that tele is the best looking of old guitar models 😂. Which is kind of ironic. Im not so old but i regognize that i have been calm down a little and started to enjoy more subtle things. (Ok i alllso wait that i can play guitar trough my modular synth) . Two days ago i started to check amps with different manufacturers and so on. But i allways returned to princeton. And after that vid i noticed that 65' is going to be the chosen one. Thank you for sharing your story! It was nice to see similarities in my own story as well 🙊. Ps. I havent forget brutal tones either 🙅.

[@originaali]

Sorry for the messy message 🙊. Its so much harder to tell a story in english than finnish because the style of making a sentence differs so much 🙈

[@cliffc7749]

COOL STORY BRAH

[@JR-gw5sw]

Henkka_huu I enjoyed reading your reply. Both because of you journey, AND because now I am interested in why and how Finnish sentence structure is different. I only know Finland through a few Finnish films... now I will do more research! Good luck and have fun playing - Princeton’s are amazing!

[@originaali]

@@JR-gw5sw Sometimes you just have to flip words in different places and some words include more than a one word. " hakisitko minullekin yhden " (would you get one for me too) those cases are pain in the ass to decrypt :--D.

[@charlie-obrien]

I've watched a few reviews and I'm always hoping that the Silverface wins, because I love the look. But in most vids I've watched, the '65 wins out for the sound and tone I've been craving.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Just purchased the 65 and it is Fantastic. Better then expected. Love it. Super Happy.

[@teodelnorte]

Fantastic video, thank you. 65 for the win. Those cleans are outstanding

[@FrostyMonty]

I did a lot of A/B testing the other day between these two amps. In the end I went with the 68. It sounds so rich and full and just needed some treble on the dial and bass backed off. This test in the video didn’t show the strengths of the 68 unfortunately. The 65 sounded very bright and trebly in comparison. It wasn’t my cup of tea. 68 also takes pedals like a champ. Very happy customer! Fantastic amps!

[@bloodyfrets]

I couldn't agree more

[@mattius6]

Geez I hear the blackface one and I'm like "that's the one!" Then hear the silverface and think "no that's the tone!" And on and on to infinity. Guess it's just testament to this guy really working these amps perfectly. Wow. Wish I could play like that. Nice work!

[@RiccardoPareschi]

Great test ! I prefer the '68 because to me sound a little darker and round. Thanks !

[@rickschiller]

I wish all tests were like this: short licks and direct comparisons. Fender used a .022 Cap in the 1968 Reissue and retained the original .047 midrange cap in the 1965 Reissue. This can partially but not completely explain the tonal differences with the amps set exactly the same. I played a 68 PRRI recently and found that the Treble had to be turned up about 2 notches more to replicate a classic mid-60s PR tone. I suspect the 68 PRRI can be set to much closer sound like the 65 PRRI. In this test I prefer the 65. And of course the difference speakers, I believe a Jensen c10r in the 65 and a Celestion G10-30 in the 68, makes a funmadental difference.

[@Chris-rj5kn]

I just finished sitting with the 68 at GC for over an hr. I ended up turning the amp up to 7 or 8, and putting PRS SE at about 2-3. It was so awesome. The tremelo and reverb was jaw dropping. I am buying either this or the 65 but they did not have the 65 in stock.

[@TheHommedefer]

This is a good demonstration of both amps. The '65 seems a little more "excited" than the '68; maybe more "open". I was liking the '68 until this video but now...

[@xmotivex6852]

Both great sounding amps, but that 68, at least to my ear sounds significantly darker. I depending on the situation that you are using them for, they are both fine choices. Tasty playing as always Gavin!

[@kirkgardner8772]

I’m hear the same thing. Both are great though, and great playing.

[@Stuckinthepasta]

1968 for me. Sounds warmer, but both of these amps sound great!

[@wipperwils2111]

Nice demo. Spent some time with both and went with the 68 silverface because it was warmer and smoother. However the comments are right, gotta tweak the treble up and bass down to get the voice clear. Try 7 and 4 respectively...

[@nicholaspetergagg7769]

I have owned a 65 princeton for 11 years and is a really great amp for live playing and recording at home , it is really loud if needs be, and the clean sound is the best in the business , great for jazz ambient and punk/ post punk rock alike. It has a wide frequency range and is warmer than most boutique amps the bass end is exceptionally strong but the treble is beautiful and bell -like. It also sounds really amazing through a larger speaker cab.

[@NStuffMusic]

Princetons are great no doubt

[@FuzzBass66]

I just picked up a limited edition version of the ‘68 in Electric Blue tolex. Aside from the colour, it also has a Celestion G10 Greenback instead of the Ten 30 that the stock ones have. That, to my ears, makes a huge difference. It’s still a lot darker and warmer than the ‘65, but it’s not muddy. Definitely my new favourite amp.

[@djt6546]

Following my previous post, I tried and fell in love with a special edition 65 reissue Princeton Bordeaux (comes with wine red tolex and 12” Jenson Alnico) and I think this could be my favourite small amp ever! Sweeter than the standard 65 reissue but much clearer than 68 Custom. Full rich, but clear sound and you can crank it full while retaining that rich gritty tone without getting too messy. It’s still very loud in a smaller room but it sounds great cranked because it doesn’t feel like it’s blowing your ear drums as it’s got such a rich tone to it. I think it’s the first amp I have come across where I would not want to tweak the stock speaker. It’s like a winning combination of standard 65 reissue and 68 custom Princeton’s reimagined in one new version with the 12” Jenson. GuitarCenter still has some August 2019.

[@munkeatphotography]

I have the 68' , indeed it has a lot more bottom end as compared to the 65'. Once on drop the bass and boost the treble on the amp EQ you will have an amazing sounding amp.

[@rasher009]

A great comparison, and although there is general opinion that the 68 is darker sounding, to my ears it sounds more like compression, as if the 68 is in the next room. I prefer the openness of the 65. I've seen comparisons before, but never heard the differences as clearly as I heard them here.

[@wms7004]

Whoa!! I've never heard such a perfect comparison, GREAT JOB!!!! Im a deluxe reverb guy, but I'm thinking a strat on the 65 and a tele on the 68. Tele will bring the bass down a bit.

[@djt6546]

This is a great example of how a demo should get you no more than interested to go and try them yourself. I own a 68 & love it for it’s more spongy quacky character compared to the 65. But if I was going off this review & committed to a blind purchase, I would have bought the 65 as it sounds much clearer to me on my headphones. On a blind test I would not guess the more muffled sound was the amp I own. Have fun trying them out peeps 🙂

[@955rocket]

That's typical of any silver face CBS amo. The black face rules.

[@wlewisiii]

65 on the edge of breakup, power chords, pop chord progressions, 2 P90's & a hollow body guitar. Just as tasty a bright & shining sound as has ever been made

[@rubentrevino6288]

awe dude theyre both magnificent, buy them both . . . cant choose between them

[@SteveClarkeSongs]

I tried out a '68 Princeton today and got a lovely sparkly clean sound by rolling the bass right off and winding up the treble. Trying these amps out with everything flat doesn't always work

[@NStuffMusic]

Not always, but sounds pretty good if you ask me!

[@SteveClarkeSongs]

I have since had the opportunity to compare directly with the '65 and the two amps are very different. The '65 is pristine clean while the '68 is much warmer. I'd say if clean is your thing, get the '65. If like me you like a bit of 'tube' in the sound then the '68 is the right choice. In any case it's best to try them both if the store can do this for you.

[@jcameronferguson]

I own a '68 Custom Princeton, and it's a real gem. The Bassman tone stack that Fender substituted for the stock vintage one gives it a sweetness that your playing on the hollow body highlights really well, and it has a delicious sag to its drive tones -- the best sound I've gotten out of it so far was a fuzz/wah combo with a Classic Player Jazzmaster's bridge pickup, a classic Dunlop Crybaby, and an Earthquaker Devices Terminal fuzz. It's not quite as "bitey" as the '65 with some extra gain. It just sings and sings.

[@grahamyoung5179]

I have a 68 Princeton and I mostly use it as a bass practice amp... sounds great with the bass control on 1

[@Spoon26]

I likes this video before it even started just because there are so few quality comparisons on youtube. THANK YOU!!!

[@glennmelrose607]

Great comparison that shows the differences in sonic character of the two. Like many, but not all, I find the '68 to be overly dark and lacking detail for most applications. Sometimes it sounded like I was hearing it from the "next room over"; but I'll quickly agree with some comments who point out you really have to work with an amp (and your guitar) to get the tone(s) you need. While I favor the '65 for it's "plug-n-play" clarity and presence I can see where the 68 sound would be better suited for some guitarists and genres. Nice review.

[@SouthMeckStunna]

The 65 sounds more Voxy to me, but it sounded amazing with that overdrive! I keep wanting to do a shoot out between these two amps myself, but no guitar stores I go to have both in stock

[@michaelolz]

I really had no idea how I would be leaning but I really like the '68 a LOT. It's the sound I've always wanted to hear myself playing.

[@t.sewell1513]

Nice playing man. Dig the demo.

[@mizzmaddieUTube]

I agree with the previous poster, the 68 is darker, with almost a slight muffled sound. I own a 68. If I had watched this first I might've gone with the 65. In any event, this was a great comparison!

[@edwinpringle7342]

Definitely going with the 68. The 65 is too trebly for my taste. I like the bassman circuit in the 68.

[@RPSartre01]

The 65 sounded great with the strat. But for jazz, 68 all the way.

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

The settings he has favor the 65 imo. I have the 68 and most agree the bass goes down to around 2 or 3. I also run an eq pedal. It's easy to cut, harder to add. The 65 will always sound scooped. That's important to know if you plan to run dirt pedals.

[@justinbutler3465]

Sheesh, they both sound great!

[@dalehobbs8782]

I have a few amps, including a 'vintage Vibrolux Reverb, Vox AC 15C, as well as a '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb which is my go to amp. I had a Blues Jr for awhile and it felt like I was always tweaking it rather than playing through it. Anyway, picked up '68 Princeton, and it sounds like my Deluxe at a lower volume. I a/b'd both the 65 an 68 a number of times before pulling the trigger and I like the '68. As noted, roll the bass down a bit and the treble up and its beautiful. Reverb and Vibroto as expected, all Fender.

[@mikecebalo8311]

Along with many other reviewers, I really liked the way the review was handled - with short clips played on both guitars. I don’t much like reviews where the reviewer simply cranks the amp and has what seems like a little private jam session. Personally, I’d like to hear a little more from the guitarist on the differences he is hearing/experiencing as he plays - such as sensitivity, responsiveness, etc. I’d also like a short summary at the end. I realise that finally it’s all up to the listener but I always like to hear what the reviewer prefers and the reasons for his preference. Overall an excellent review - the differences between the two amps were pretty obvious. The one question I’d still have is how easy is it to get each guitar to sound like the other. I’m inclined to think it’s easier to dirty up clean than the other way around. If I had to choose now, it’d probably be the 65.

[@cmkilcullen8176]

To me they are both great. If you want more dispersed bass and darker, you get the 68. To focus it more- you back off the bass and increase the treble. If you like a crisper clean, you go for the 65. If you want more bass, you back off the treble and increase the bass on the 65. Having said that, it's not that the 65 lacks bass, it has bass but- it is more focused and less dispensed or (forgive me) muddy (imho). It all depends with what your preference is and how warmth you want your sound to start off with. I always liked the 65 more, but I've tortured myself over wanting a 68 ALSO. So far I have not pulled the trigger on that however because I had enough of a hard time allowing myself to get the 65; not because I don't love it, but because I really can't allow it the volume (apartment. I always dreamed of owning one. One day I just said "to hell with it" and bought one. I love it's presence in my living room and I love to use it even at low volumes with a little overdrive pedal (nobles mini) and so it goes... Peace to all.

[@ricardosalcedo2824]

I sold one my favourite surfboards to get the 68 when it arrived used at my local shop. To be honest I don't have much experience with other amps but I love this thing. I have an SG with 490 R & T humbuckers as well as a vintage 66 Epiphone hollow body with a single P90 and they both sound beautiful through the amp. I jam with a loud drummer and the amp keeps up though not much headroom if I want to play clean with loud drums. In any case I think for a hobby player like myself this amp is absolutely a great choice and can be found used for a good price.

[@mattmanley7118]

That's it I'm working my ass off to own the 65 Princeton WOW.

[@SimplifyISO]

Great video - thanks. It helped me make up my mind ('65 it is!)

[@DrRussPhd]

Nice demo . .thanks for posting. I do have to agree with another comment on here about turning the amps up to hear them go into a natural overdrive as opposed to just hearing a pedal. I appreciate you using both single coils and humbuggies.

[@MrJONNYMAN01]

Just watched this video again, I'd not remembered watching it before until part way through. I noticed I commented on it 12 months ago, the 65 is still the amp I prefer especially the overdriven tone with the Strat, that's the sound in my head when setting my own amps up. I have heard the 68 sound so much better than this video demonstrates, but if it's a nobs at noon let's go demo just for a like for like comparison you can clearly hear the huge difference.

[@brookhoover1384]

Jimi Hendrix deserves more respect than a cheap degrading comment about his drug consumption. The guy literally starved through his childhood, went into the army, was a Screaming Eagle, played hard core full time and revolutionized music just to name a few facts. Maybe do a little reading and listening.

[@videobeez]

in fact Jimi was starving until Axis came out

[@haloskater24]

Put some RESPEK on Jimi’s name

[@taterlysaladman9377]

Was this edited out? I didn't hear it.

[@fugamantew]

Yeah... ^^ What happened here?

[@mikecantreed]

Lol pretty interesting troll.

[@cdfgdfgdfg]

Much more bass in the 68, shouldn't keep the same knob levels

[@Cam_B]

Sam Poirier of course he should

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

Agreed. Best to run both at optimal settings.

[@eddiegodoy5120]

@@BadMofoMusicCritic no, it shows how different they are. Thats why were here. or at least me.

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

@@eddiegodoy5120 that's just you I think. Most want to hear both at their potential, and judge accordingly.

[@eddiegodoy5120]

@@BadMofoMusicCritic oh ok. well i guess.

[@cahootspastor7855]

Thats's exactly how we do it: Use a pedal instead of amp gain, so that we shall never know the difference in the crunch sound ;)

[@lomoholga]

Lol I know eh. Turn both amps up to 8 and let’s hear!

[@JamesRussoMillas]

I prefer the 68, the lower bright cap would be better for most pedals, and you can just add treble to brighten it up a bit anyway.

[@MusicHyde]

I'd say the 65 for blues/rock with pedals, 68 for jazzy tones.

[@BlackDotPatrick]

I'm guessing the mic position was not good on the Silver. Sounded like it had a blanket over it. I'm pretty sure the amp sounds better than that.

[@billtice5057]

The 68 sounds like it needs to “blow-it’s-nose!”

[@MrAMF50]

Thanks, I was considering the 68 but not after hearing your video.

[@saintjohnny1]

The '65 for sure!

[@clarencevickrot3531]

Wow! An amp demo with an archtop! Wow!

[@ArtDonna84]

I have read a lot of comments below about the "blanket" or "dark" sound of the 68 model. This is absolutely true and I personally didn't take that much notice before I bought my 68 Princeton. Surprised yes, but I took ownership as I wasn't paying attention to the dials on the amp when watching the video's. This all said, I had a friend with ToneMan.com (Don Butler) do some mods to brighten the 68 model up. To be honest, I didn't want a clone of the 65 Princeton and the Princeton Tweed that I also own. I run stereo so this gives me some great tone qualities and each takes to my pedal board fantastically. Love all 3 versions of the Princeton that I own.

[@clarencevickrot3531]

I plugged the inexpensive Gretsch Streamliner into the '68. Awesome. Not ready for a solid-state jazz amp just yet.

[@ronlight7013]

The '65 sounds tight and scooped, while the '68 is "looser" and more mid-rangey. But I agree with #Dave Monty, without comparing identical speakers it's not a true test of amp characteristics.

[@shankvfx7054]

They are reissues, therefore it's a proper comparison IMO, it's how they were released back in the day, they weren't heads and therefore generally used with the stock speaker. I'm guessing they used a similar era correct speaker in these reissues.

[@MyButtsBeenWiped]

WOW ! They BOTH sound Great ! Well, they ARE Fender, soooooo ... Point of Interest : You do a Great Job of Comparison Testing. Unlike others that do Comparisons, you ensured that the Settings on each Amp were the Same, throughout the Comparisons. For some reason, most others do not seem to get this, therefore, their Comparisons are skewed, because they used different settings, culminating in a completely inacurate Comparison ! Anyway, The '65 sounds like the True, Quintessential Fender. The '68 has that muffled, humbucker sound. As a result, the '65 is the Winner ! With the proper sound, Right off of the bat, one can always add a bit more low end, or, a muffler pedal effect to sound like the '68, whereas, the '68 does not have that "Clean" Sound, which cannot be recaptured accurately by way of setting and/or pedal ! The Greater the Clarity of the Sound, the Better the Amp. Everything else can be Shaped through the Signal Chain. So, if one has an Amp that has a "muffled" sound before any of the Signal Shaping, then everything that passes before it must be made to accomodate that "muffle", in an attempt to overcome it, so as to produce the correct, or "desired" sound. In other words, the Signal Chain (and by extension, the guitarist), must do more unnecessary work in the Initial Setup, and the Signal itself must undergo more stress in order to achieve what should have already been there in the First Place ! Bottom Line : More Work. Anyway that one looks at it. More Work. So, the Ultimate Conclusion, is, obviously, the '65 ! Woo - Hoo ! We Have A Winner !

[@Sparky6string]

When I play these in person the 65 is unbearably bright and the 68 sounds great.

[@weschilton]

I find them to be the opposite, the 65 sounds amazing and the 68 sounds muddy and the low end farts out at higher volumes. Its only 15 watts into a 10" speaker after all.

[@Sparky6string]

@@weschilton I'm going to give them another shot. I don't doubt your representation of their sounds as it seems to fall in line with what most hear. I've got to be able to dial out that brightness though. For Voxs I prefer the original AC10 sound over the brighter tones of the others. Can a 12" fit in there? With the wattage I suppose the power tubes are are cathode biased as opposed to the bf/sf deluxe's fixed (guessing), that and the 12" are big deviations.

[@bradenwatson]

65' blows it away if you ask me

[@CA10Z]

An Excellent AB demo...thanks

[@cherrypickerguitars]

The 65ri kicks ass!

[@neddarden7737]

I like them evenly for clean stuff, the 68 is darker, while the 65 is more clear, I think the 65 sounds good with overdrive and distortion, but I have a suspicion that the 68 will take sound better with fuzz. Because one of the main issues I have with fuzz is eliminating harsh treble with that crazy amounts of gain.

[@demiansims728]

There's also a Princeton 65 version that has a 12" speaker. Anyone have any insight as to how this might affect the tone?

[@bloodyfrets]

As somebody who is watching gear reviews constantly I have to admit that this is an example of why you shouldn't count on online videos to guide you when it comes to guitars and amps.

[@Lowtech14]

Bottom line: 65 v 68, upper mid v lower mid, thinner and spikier v thicker and rounder.

[@peterdadswell7998]

i just sold a 65 last week and purchased a 68 this week. the 68 was much better in my opinion and i do set the 68 with more treble and less bass. you have them set the same while they are not the same amp

[@willm.7976]

The 68 sounds like there s a blanket on it!

[@demiansims728]

Now THIS is an amp review/comparison!

[@Darrin67]

For my ears its not even close. The 65 wins hands down. Im shocked as I was just about ready to purchase a 65 unplayed (due to Covid-19). Now I think I'll have to reconsider.

[@daemonelectricity]

I just got the 68. After a lot of thinking, trying, watching videos, and more thinking, I really like the 68. If you are going for pedals, get the 68. The only reason to even mess with tube amps with pedals is for the interplay as the tubes are pushed or relaxed depending on what you're driving them with. With the 65, I fear the sound would be too hollow and while you could roll back the treble, I think you lose some of the mid and low mid support that the 68 has. Bottom line is that you should have an EQ or something like the Micro Amp + in your chain if you're using a pedal board, and even if you're going minimal, you should be using at least a boost or an OD pedal with this amp and even if you want to go raw, just cut the bass and turn it up. The first channel also seems to be more glassy and approaches that 65 sound but this one breaks up so much better and takes heavier OD and fuzz extremely well.

[@NStuffMusic]

It is amazing how distinct the '68 and '65 sound from each other. Definitely more of a punch and mid-range response from the '68 but more of the classic Blackface Fender scoop on the '65.

[@spada60]

the 65 sounded way better with pedals to me. 68 sounded muffled and blankety

[@bluesylicks]

just tried out both of these amps. The 68 clean sounds much more round and full, better for jazz especially with humbuckers. The 65 sounds better dirty, much more articulate and snappy than the 68

[@shred5]

To be fair, runniing a 65 Princeton with bass and treble at 5 is about right with most guitrs. The 68 would probably be like 3-4 on bass and 7-8 on treble in comparison. I like the '65 better generally plugged striaght in, but the 68 is still solid and offers one major advantage which is it can handle more distortion from pedals due to the speaker.

[@jeremydahm2124]

Hey boss. Do you think the 65 can be enjoyed at apartment volume? I presume to use my Tube Screamer to get some dirt. Obviously no break up happening at apartment volume. Thoughts? Cheers

[@torontolarrivee7965]

I owned one - fine for apt volume.

[@hermar3656]

Man....I want to like the 68 so bad but........ there seems to be something covering the sound . The sound isn't focused enough . Would like to see how it does with an EQ pedal to boost the treble and mids

[@johanneshienert652]

Schön gemacht! Super Video!

[@NStuffMusic]

Thanks Johannes! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@davidgood6744]

Hast du schon einen gekauft?

[@Hirnilein0815]

The '68 sounds darker, but the micro seems to be a bit more off-center than on the '65. So Maybe the difference isn't as big as in this demo? I own the '65 and boy, I'm happy with it.

[@MintStiles]

65 is classic fender BF, but honestly can use a better speaker (I know because I own one). That said, I like the 68 SF better as it has a very zingy Ampeg sort of sound. But I think it would still benefit from larger OT and perhaps a better speaker. Maybe time for another one on the shelf? LOL.

[@gustafson907]

Seems like a lot of these videos just put a close mic into front of the speaker, it would be nice if a little room ambiance was added with another mic, to at least show how the cabinets respond.

[@Greggyboyz60]

Awesome comparison. Thanks.

[@davidpehrson3707]

The silver face sounded a lot warmer with more midrange. Both sounded nice, but for me I think the Silver took the win! 🙂👍🏾

[@user-lg6ye1jx7v]

For overdrive and funky stuff 65 . But for jazz 68 is so much better.

[@user-or5zn9ho5e]

both amps are great. and give me both please))). But as for me in this video elite strat sounds rather better through the 68 one (maybe it depends on the n4 noiseless pickups character) while semihollow and and suhr have better sound though the 65 one.

[@brianhoffman3091]

The microphone placement was signufucantly different between the two amps, with the 65's mic placed closer to the center and higher up. Is the speaker in th '65 positioned higher up and more leftward in the cabinet than the 68's speaker? If not, your tonal comparisons are not a reliable indication.

[@neddarden7737]

I would probly use my bridge pickup more with the 68 than normal because it sounds darker and I ever use anything but the neck pickup

[@darrelldunn4618]

I wish he had cranked the amp a bit to see what it sounds like. We all pretty much know what a clean fender amp sound is like.

[@Gman44044]

'65 has a bit of Roland Jazz Chorus quality to it..

[@AndySertin]

The 65 is great for general use and some drive pedals. Where the 68 shines is past 7 and no pedals.

[@jerrymckenzie6205]

The '68 sounds like it has a blanket thrown over it.

[@anotherheadlessdemo]

I have a 68 and it is darker. I'm noticing in the demo, his tone controls are the same on both amps. I usually crank up the treble and lower the bass on mine.

[@Ragnar-Viking]

Jerry ,good ears brother

[@budglo58]

I run my treble at 6.5 and bass at 3 for strats on my 68. You cant run eqs the same on both amps. Different circuits. If you did that a 59 bassman would sound like it had a blanket over it. @@Ragnar-Viking

[@okavipra]

my friend replaced stock celestion speaker and put jensen p10r-f , it demolished 65 ri ... than again , stock celestion sounds pretty $hitty

[@cigaromn]

Swap out V1 and V4 with better tubes. V4 needs to be a balanced 12AX7 for the amp to run properly. JJs from www.eurotubes.com are cheap and very good. Save the Groove Tube 12AX7s for V2 replacements.

[@3cardmonty602]

I like the clarity of the '65. But this isn't a true test unless they have the same speaker in them because speakers can immensely change the sound of an amp.

[@aleks2194]

3 Card Monty well they sell with different speakers, that's one of the major differences in them, that's how they sound different, should you mod one of them with the same speaker and do the test? Then it wouldn't be the same amp anymore

[@LA-zc9rg]

68 sounds like it has a blanket over it, especially when the amps get dirty. Clean, the 65 has that Fender top end sparkle and chime. The 68 does sound a bit fatter & I like the tremolo. Overall the 65 is more versatile. I’ve played both on multiple occasions & have played vintage Princetons as well…. the 68 isn’t really “true” to the vintage Princeton tone. It looks like a 68 I just don’t know why they didn’t call this model / line something else.

[@MrJONNYMAN01]

The ‘65 for me, the mids punch through

[@forester057]

Guess thats why the 68 is $200 less. The wet blanket amp.

[@cliffb2454]

I have the 68. Stock, you just can't cut enough bass, hence it get flubby at volume. Fender added an extra cap (R34) in the tone stack, may be to make it more like a Baseman? Anyway, there is a simple mod many have done, you just bypass this resistor. Just modded mine and now it's my perfect amp. It still has more mids than the 65 but the bass control now works! Fender please drop R34 from this circuit.

[@sherijohnson1877]

Very nice review. Great playing. Both amps sound great, but I prefer the 65--cleaner to my ears. Great review--thanks.

[@janofdelft]

I'd like to hear both of them at about 6 on the volume pot, them both of them dimed to hear what kind of drive is possible with just the amp.

[@tristandeniet]

Obviously, the 68 has a darker sound. I think for me, I have to think about how my guitar is going to sound in the mix of a full band. It seems to me that the 68 would sit in better. The 65 I think would be closer to the frequency range of my vocal and possibly fight more.

[@danabiondo9243]

Does The 68 Princeton Still Have Rattle Issues? Thank You ! 😀