Brownface Boutique Amp Shootout: Fender '62 Chris Stapleton Princeton, Suhr Hombre & Dr Z Z-28

This is the ORIGINAL Brown Sound!
In today’s video, we wanted to revisit one of the most overlooked guitar tones of all time. The secret studio weapon for countless guitar heroes of the 60s & 70s, the humble low-powered brownface Fender amp was key to nailing many of the great tones we’ve come to commonly misjudge to be much more powerful amplifiers. Truth is, a lot of the time, we were hearing an amp that many would have considered a ‘practise rig’!
These days, there are several options available if you want to dig in to this magical, chewy tone for yourself. Fender have recently released the ‘62 Chris Stapleton signature model Princeton - a pretty dead-on repro of the overlooked reverb-less older brother of the ‘65 gem. This amp delivers on those woody & sweet tones that slot so effortlessly in to densest of modern-day mixes. Suhr’s offering is the Hombre, a heartfelt recreation of one of John Suhr’s personal favourite amps of all time, the 6G3 Deluxe. With modern build quality and a couple of signature Suhr tweaks, this amp offers slightly more flexibility, volume and punch, still in a compact package with a timeless aesthetic. Lastly, we’ve pulled in Dr Z’s Z28 1x10 combo. Punching well above its weight, this little powerhouse offers a different spin on the classic Fender theme, leaning on the infamous EF86 preamp valve to deliver milkshake-thick tone, with a powerful EQ section to add all sorts of character.
If you’re looking for an amp that responds to your guitar like no other, these may be exactly what you’ve been searching for!
Let us know your favourite of the three in the comments below, thanks for watching!
Check them out here:
Fender '62 Princeton Chris Stapleton Edition - bit.ly/3fdKpJr
Suhr Hombre 1x12 Combo - bit.ly/2IOXCMP
Dr Z Z-28 1x10 Combo - bit.ly/2UJ11PG
www.peachguitars.com/suhr-hom...
COVID-19 UPDATE: bit.ly/3k1bYqf
Website: www.peachguitars.com
Facebook: / peachguitars
Twitter: / peachguitars
Instagram: @peachguitars
Newsletter signup: bit.ly/2ZnPl5K

[@christianlacheze3323]

After 27 years , my original ‘62 Princeton remains my favorite amp ever

[@shawnadams1693]

Thank you for not using pedals, this was great.

[@vintagesoul5146]

So true. Hopefully both bedroom and professional guitarists will follow this idea.

[@Andy_Yates]

@@vintagesoul5146 As someone that owns the Suhr Hombre, good luck turning it up to 4 or 6 without annoying everyone in your home, or your neighbors. It's an amazing amp, but quiet is something it is not. A bedroom guitarist might be able to turn it up with attenuation. They are becoming more common it seems, but still not everywhere given the typical cost for something better than an L-pad.

[@paulcowart3174]

@@Andy_Yates I just got a 61 Princeton and it is perfect I've been using low wattage amps lately Got a Tone King Gremlin head recently and it's perfect too and plenty loud enough to gig with

[@robertshamansky1912]

That Suhr sounded like something straight off of the first ZZ Top album!

[@smokyFAB]

All 3 are top notch but that Z-28 really has something special to it, sounds so open and rich!

[@daviddorrian5349]

Agreed, I think that about Dr Z just generally. They always sound so open, rich and have lots of harmonic overtones and just a very 3D sound. Always very Zingy too which has now become vital for me in an amp now.

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

It’s the EF86 preamp that makes it special, like a Vox AC Top Boost. I have an amp like this a 20w Barr NY-made boutique amp with parallel, switchable EL34/6V6 power sections with separate volume controls. A very unique, gainy amp that rocks!

[@clovergrass9439]

I could never live with the name "Dr. Z."

[@Mr.Saltwater]

I've built copies of American amps. Easy. Anything euro will have that EF86 .VOX, whatever. I bought200 NOS tubes. I gave up. This tube is over mylimit. Nothing sounds better than an EF86 tubed amp. Ill just buy that Dr. Z

[@alistoneman1]

Why they didn't call it the staple-tone, I don't know!

[@vintagepipesnightmares]

That Fender Princeton is just amazing !

[@JBurtonTenor]

Man...that Z28...WOW!

[@johnthelad]

The right way to demo an amp. No pedals, No flash shredding. Just hearing the amps tone. I already have a Chris Stapleton Princeton but I enjoyed hearing it played well. Also have a 59 fender Bassman, another great tone amp.

[@paulcowart3174]

Can't go wrong with a 4/10 59 Bassman It's my birth year amp

[@byebyebeano8616]

The best played, documented, musical and precise demos in the guitar community! Well done! Hats off! Those 3 amplifiers are a win. I would go for the Suhr myself. Incredible sound.

[@michaelshearer3559]

The Hombre really shines. I was more impressed than I thought I'd be.

[@Herr_Hess]

Loved the Dr Z the most with the Princeton coming in at a close second

[@fevzay9315]

That's the best clip I've seen/heard showcasing the Z-28.

[@edgeofeternity101]

I would have liked to hear a Z28 with a 12" speaker at the 333 setting. Thanks for the comparison, stellar quality, and playing.

[@CargoShorts7]

Now that I've owned my original '62 Brownface Princeton for a few months, I can safely say that the Stapleton reissue gets pretty damn close! I just love how the Princeton gets into almost fuzzy territory, but I'll be back on the hunt for a Deluxe one day lol. Great video guys, cheers!

[@tommywilliamsjr.697]

Man...Imma tell you what! Jack, your playin' absolutely brings the best out of these amps. So many tasteful chord progressions intertwined with articulate tone settings. Your insight into these amps is very informative. Cheers from Texas!!!

[@charliepin4501]

Ya, right? You definitely wanta get this kid playing your band ... :--)

[@jaypeterson7637]

Suhr...all day, everyday! I have played mostly Fender amps my whole life but the Suhr is really a terrific sounding amp!!

[@TheMrCull]

Great amps. Love the simplicity and sound of the Z.

[@isaacjohnson.]

Wow! All 3 sound amazing. Excellent playing Jack-great touch and tone. I'd happily take any of those 3 and paired with that guitar they sound fantastic.

[@gtarm5177]

It's such a pleasure to watch and listen to your videos. The hands plugged right into the amp for the real tone.

[@curiousjorge6426]

Your demos are top notch and made greater by your fantastic tasteful playing. Keep up the great work!

[@masterbluesrockguitar4966]

As far as I'm concerned, this guy is the best player on youtibe. Are you in a band? Where can I hear your music? Thank you very much!

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

I second this!

[@surfrby8876]

He is

[@petergraham9267]

Z28..........my fav DrZ amp, and one of my fav all time amps...........simple on the outside, but a LOT going on under the hood.........and you’d never believe that was a 1x10! 😎😊👍

[@kmickp1166]

Good choice of guitar to demo the raw tones of these 3 great amps, Suhr “wins” for me due to my own requirements, but no losers in this company! Great playing and excellent that there are no pedals involved which allows a true comparison of the amps/speakers!👍👏👏🎶

[@_RLP]

That first progression you played on the Suhr using the middle position and a clean sound was awesome. Reminded me a bit of Norah Jones, actually... Killer upload!

[@TalleyWacker1000]

Amazing amp demos, unbeatable! Suhr Hombre just sounds wonderful clean and bad ass dimed with a humbucker guitar. Love Z's as well, fantastic amps!

[@e.r.559am7]

Bloody Brilliant Vid! Love your playing. Thanks!

[@SwnkyTiger]

Definitely love my Brown Sound amp. Have had a 63' Vibroverb RI for nearly a year and I'm fairly sure its my desert island amp. The only way I'd part with it would be for a hand-wired version.

[@tonystovall5114]

Most excellent, Jack! Z-28 was where it be eht, man.

[@FtnHills38]

Agreed Amp comparisons are best dry, no pedals, straight into the amp. Thanks!

[@Kollenda1]

Great licks, great amps, thanks!

[@MrFrenchHarp]

This video made me buy a Z-28 -/10” combo. Thanks man.. can’t wait till it comes in.

[@guitarjonathan]

Great tones and great playing!!

[@RokDAWG1]

The best pure sounds! I love those chops too!

[@LeeJHodgson]

My first observation, and the characteristic which stayed with me, was the spongy sound - which is a form of "natural" compression (i.e. rectifier tube sagging). It doesn't suit every music style, but it's just right for grungy blues, classic rock or, like you say, the dirtier end of Americana. However, your cleaner demo revealed that the "sag" doesn't happen until you really dig in and whack the strings. This sag is quite different to any compressor pedal on the market, although it's reminiscent of vintage optical compressors.

[@tjnugent62]

I just bought this amp second hand for $1200. It arrives on Tuesday. I am so excited.

[@mattbluesmain1359]

great work as usual

[@whisperthiefmusic]

There's no Z-28's on your site so I'm guessing this video has served it's purpose well!! It sounds fantastic and as usual your demonstration of the capabilities of the kit is second to none. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos so informative and not the usual widdly widdle pants.

[@whisperthiefmusic]

I take it back, searching on the site brings up the Z 28 but for some reason using the filters doesn't include that model in the DR Z range? Never mind! As you were

[@PeachGuitars]

Thanks for pointing that out, will have a look into it. Glad that you found it in the end! If in doubt we try to include links for the products used in the description so keep an eye out there too!

[@eaglewindrider7700]

Z~28 my favorite Camaro but the Suhr was Awesome great demo 👍🔥🎸🦅

[@ChrisPartykaMusic]

Beautiful sounds for sure. 👍

[@law6044]

Dream guitar and dream amps right here

[@digbyranford6657]

Yeah I thought the Suhr for my tastes, sounded great 👍

[@JP-jy7sk]

Best Amps Ever! Holy hot damn! And killer playing!

[@jeffroq]

I got the Hombre from you guys a few months back (it sent me down a bit of a Suhr rabbit hole to be honest) . I highly recommend it, fantastic amp. I recommend getting a reactive load box as well at the moment given most of us aren’t getting out playing loud.

[@blam07]

What reactive box you reccomend?

[@clearcoat]

@@blam07 Suhr

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

Excellent picking here, no bluesy noodles to be heard. Thank you.

[@CharlieChoong]

Mate, awesome playing

[@Bobby_Digital37]

The Dr Z was the winner here!

[@joetoe9207]

An embarrassment of riches. So nice. Tx for this demo!

[@kamranmcadam9747]

Great playing mate 👍🏼

[@SolidSmashies]

I'm all about that Z-28!

[@chrislocke9157]

Amazing playing and great amps but that Z 28 sounder stunning

[@anthonycarrie8309]

man, what en epic demo. nice one

[@timothypashe3947]

great video! need a blackface shootout now

[@compucorder64]

Thanks. Went in thinking the Suhr Hombre would come out on top, with the bigger cab/driver. But actually, I preferred the Chris Stapleton's character by quite a lot. But then, the Z28 really sounded the biggest of the three, by far. And there's Z28 head version, so I think I'm sold on a Z28. To add a classic vintage Fender Deluxe tweed type tone to my arsenal, joining a Marshall ST20H JTM and a Vox AC30. I reckon the Z28 head with a larger 1x12, or even 2x12 Greenback or Creamback cab will sound huge.

[@waitaminute7257]

Man the Z really shines when you crank it up!

[@rodolpheponthus2948]

That Suhr sounds like all the late 60's Woodstock era stuff. Incredible But the DR Z seems to be the most versatile and spanky. That overdrive 😮

[@steveburroughs7343]

Nice one, hombré.

[@mwrable]

Suhr for the win! YMMV. 😉

[@preeteshpatel3962]

DOWN BROWNIE is the best one of them all.

[@darwinsaye]

Definitely hearing that the brownface sound falls into it's own spectrum, somewhere between tweed tone and blackface tone - but closer to the tweed side, I'd say. Honestly though, the more I listen, the more like I feel like it falls short of what I like about tweeds and blackfaces, and so, falls short of being a kind of best-of-both-worlds amp. The cleans are just a little too dark for my taste, compared to a blackface (though that could have been because of the humbuckers), and the fully cranked fuzz-like tone also falls short of the monster tone of a cranked tweed. Also seems to be missing that strange thing about tweeds where you can have a full-bore squishy fuzz, but also still hear chimey articulated notes in the treble range (also could have been due to the humbuckers though..).

[@averyadrian1534]

Suhr was the shizzle Loved the DRZ as well

[@sheercerebralpower]

I was lucky enough to have both amps(Fender and Suhr) as a weekend loan from my local brick and mortar music store. I was looking for a nice amp for my Jazzmaster. I liked em both bought finally bought the Fender which is unsurpassable when in conjunction with a Jazzmaster(i have a niiiice 62)….the tremolo was what sold the amp to me….

[@svbarr]

I own 4 original Brown Face Fenders and I'd say Dr Z has the best tone.

[@sfdoyle]

Amazing

[@user-mr1ku5iz8l]

Plugged straight in and the tones are epic. You don't need a lot of gain to get a good guitar tone. I wish the kids just starting out would realize this sooner than later.

[@fixedgear37]

Why do you wish that? So everything sounds the same? Not everyone likes the "tone" you like. Some (a lot of) People like high gain. if everyone played the same old guitar into the same old amp it would be boring.

[@user-mr1ku5iz8l]

@@fixedgear37 The point is turn down the gain to get a better guitar tone. Guitar players just starting out tend to crank the gain to 10, turn the Mids to 0, and leave it there until they go on their tone quest. They often have no sense of where each guy in the band should be sitting int he frequency range and the overall sound of the music suffers. Guitar is a Mids instrument. Listen to your favorite guitar players for the music you like. Is their tone drowing in reverb, delay, and other effects? Certain genres use a lot of gain. Cool. But you should consider experimenting a little by turning down the gain a bit at band volumes. See if you notice how the guitar sounds clearer and mroe defined.

[@jimmypaulgaard3644]

Great video content, jacks amazing, the Princeton sounds the best for “that sound” (I own one so I am tainted as a judge), the Z sounds a little Voxish to me at times, but still sounded better than the Suhr. I bet it’s pretty versatile. The Suhr was pretty good, Hope it’s not too pricey. How about the 335 though!

[@dalehamon4295]

Dr Z. Wins. And it has the Dr Z name. And it chimes 😎

[@thirtyoneaudiochannel3235]

Wow... 62 Princeton amazing

[@joeschlicht]

All three are excellent, but I give the nod to the Z for that EF86 preamp. There's just a little something special about that sound. Same for a Vox AC15.

[@frantisca]

Volume, Treble, Bass: what more does one need ? Dr Z does it again !

[@BreauxBobby]

Man, that Chris Stapleton sounded like it was about to blow up.

[@gashed8377]

Outstanding - thank you. What style are you playing, particularly when on the Hombre? I'd like to explore and learn!

[@bootlegapples]

6g2 is fixed bias but sounds squish/compressed when pushed(cathodyne PI design with modest B+ filter),a different animal from the others..The Dr Z is aggressive and wringing,nice tight clear crunch.The Hombre seems to fill the middle ground.All nice amps.

[@justabill63]

nice playing

[@mblueser3770]

IMO They all sounded amazing, however the DR Z was the meanest, and with a ten inch speaker? Put that through a Z Best 2X12 and bye bye! You’re a great player my man. Love the clips!

[@gustavorenovalez5229]

Z 28 is absolutely beautiful tone

[@andrewanderson3746]

What is that microphone you guys use on your videos? It always sounds great.

[@saddle8bag]

Not my cuppa tea. I'll take that Princeton Fawn everyday.

[@otaviosmartins1]

Definitely the Hombre for me

[@pawlowski6132]

Also, thank you for tuning your guitar with having it in tune all throughout the demo. Lol. Princeton to me sounded the best. I guess they got there first and everybody tried their version which was just a modif ied version of the original

[@sidvicioux]

who is this kid? killer chops, my man.

[@wmccartney6488]

How about the Mesa Boogie CA Tweed. Mine has tons of Brown tones and attenuation to boot. Goes from Champ to BandMaster in a second flat.

[@paulcowart3174]

That Z with a 12 inch speaker would be nice All sounded good but enjoyed the Hombre w that Celestion

[@shred5]

There was something about the Hombre's breakup that sounded like an old transistor breaking up when you turn it too loud but other than that it sounded good. The Dr Z is a little more modern sounding but I like it's breakup, and of course the Fender's cleans are still amazing.

[@axeaddiction796]

damn that Suhr sounded great

[@psneville]

Like and wish I could try all three, but I own the Stapleton Princeton, so adding a few thoughts: (a) maybe weird to say this, but it sounds great with IR cab extensions, better than all the heads I own, and isolating the handwired amp while quieting the little speaker through an Ox or Torpedo has replaced a lot of my digital modeling in quarantine times; (b) wish the "speed" of the trem had a bigger range, everything above 2-3 is really fast but between 1-2 it's rich and on all the time; (c) it does seem expensive for this simple circuit but for a handwired fender it's comparable to the boutiques in the category and maybe has a brand to carry value later? (d) It can get very loud; and (e) I appreciate Stapleton but don't play his style of music, it's just a great amp

[@BlindTom61]

$2000 for the Princeton??? Highway robbery for a very limited amp. In other news, I love Peach Guitars. You put out the best guitar-store videos on youtube. Big thanks.

[@CargoShorts7]

Fender probably based the price on what vintage Princeton's go for online, but that's just a guess. I've seen used one's go on Reverb for as little as $1500

[@charlesbolton8471]

@@CargoShorts7 Fender drove up the price of vintage ones when they released this amp. I think the reason for it being a little overpriced is the combination of it being hand wired and an artist signature model. I think if it weren’t a signature model the price would be closer the the hand wired 57 Champ instead of being the same price as the 57 Deluxe.

[@samnewton5959]

@@charlesbolton8471 I bought a new Strat in 1967. Adjusted for inflation that would be around $2800 today. I didn't whine like a little girl to anyone who would listen about the cost and go on about how the big greedy corporation was ripping me off. Get a Chinese amp and guitar and don't worry about it. It's called a free market. No one cares if you think it is too expensive, yet on every gear review, the garage sale guy shows up.

[@charlesbolton8471]

@@samnewton5959 I didn’t complain about it being expensive. I tired to explain the reason for the price. I will admit that I said it might be “a little overpriced”, but that wasn’t a complaint it was part of my pricing explanation. If we want to use your example of vintage price versus inflation I’ll point out that in 1962 a Champ was $62.50 (still the same tweed 5F1 design it had been since 1955 which didn’t transition until 1964) and the Princeton was $99.50 (it had just transitioned from tweed to brown face). In 1962 there was $37 between the price of a Champ and a Princeton. Today the hand wired 57 Champ is $999 and it essentially the same as a narrow panel tweed Champ from 1955-1964. The Chris Stapleton 62 Princeton is $1,999 and fairly close to an original brown face Princeton. That is a $1,000 difference in price. Adjusted for inflation the $37 price difference in 1962 would be around $320. I would say that supports my statement about it being closer to the price of a 57 Champ if not for it being a signature model. Personally, I think it is great amp and I am a fan of Chris Stapleton so I would definitely consider it if I were in the market for this type of amp. However I have preferred Fender Tweed style amps for years. I own a 1960 Champ and a Victoria Ivy League (which is their version of a Fender Harvard) and it is priced close to Chris Stapleton Princeton. I also own a less expensive Mojotone Tweed Deluxe and Fender 59 Bassman Reissue. I like the Ivy League the best out of the four. However, I’m strongly considering shifting to a Blackface Vibrolux.

[@BlindTom61]

@Sam Newton I already have all of the guitars and amps I need. Most were made in the '50s and '60s.

[@markburrell8447]

Hombre all day everyday

[@kick1123]

4 winners: 3 amps and 1 guitar player

[@stanislavmigra]

I learned about this era of Fender amps thru Joey Landreth, until him, I was not aware of this lovely amp. I dearly love those, but the prices are way out of my reach.

[@JohannesLabusch]

Joey Landreth is amazing! I hear ya about the prices, but I think the Suhr is actually very fairly priced at 1500$. I mean, that's a lot of dough for the average musician, but reasonable for what you get, especially if you compare it to other brands.

[@stanislavmigra]

@@JohannesLabusch for 1500 $ it will be great, but here it is like 2200€. Similar to the Stapleton Fender, which sounds much closer to what my heart desire.

[@JohannesLabusch]

@@stanislavmigra Ah, that darn exchange rate, and those greedy importers. Well, in fairness, they probably have to change the voltage to 240, which is not cheap. But maybe you can find a good used Princeton and a magician with a soldering iron ...

[@artshaw7079]

I commissioned Lildawg amps to make me a Brown Princeton in a Princeton Reverb box. It has a 12inch speaker, a switch that reduces the amount of Negative Feedback, and with the addition of a 25 watt output transformer it's actually putting out about 16-17 watts instead of the 12ish watts of the original 6g2s. I played $1159 and Absolutely LOVE this lil bugger!!

[@stanislavmigra]

@@artshaw7079 thats a dream up 👍👍👍

[@surfrby8876]

I like them all but that Z-28 seems the most versatile , it has something different going on

[@druwk]

The Z doesn’t crap out at ALL! Sorry they discontinued this model? The Suhr, is really nice, especially with the 335. If I were a rich man, I’d have a studio full off these kinds of amps...and more! Dr. Z continues to impress? Great company

[@matthewf1979]

You can build one hell of a good sounding Brown Deluxe these days. You can spend more than what the Hombre sells for or a lot less. From a full lineup of Mercury transformers, NOS tubes, NOS Allen Bradley resistors, boutique caps etc to an inexpensive kit.

[@druwk]

@@matthewf1979 hear that! Not sure I have the skill set? Playing with the insides of tube amps can be tricky? Love the idea!

[@michaelprocida]

Doc is working on an improved V2 including a MV I believe

[@zachcerasani3043]

Dang that z!

[@InGrindWeCrust2010]

I really, really enjoy your amp comparisons and playing, Jack and Peach Guitars. Next time, I'd love to hear a Matchless Laurel Canyon, Cutthroat Audio Down Brownie, and Allen Hot Fudge w/Nuts. Thanks again for the great video!

[@curtahnlund3758]

Fender was the best. Cuts thorough any stage! Twang & midrange!!

[@chadhudson2046]

I can’t tell which is more brown on the '62r. The tolex or the power section.

[@dirtysoles]

Jack have you tried a “Headstrong” Lil King” and you have what do you think? Great playing 🌞

[@windowsoflife]

The Z!

[@LeStraTele]

That Z28 is awesome

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Suhr is killer!! But,,,, I love a hotrodded princeton. 22 watts and or 36 watts.

[@stephenkennedy7347]

I preferred the Chris Stapleton sound - most authentic.

[@CG-gp2bh]

All 3 sound very good just a bit different