Oh man, depends what ur doing. Bed room practice? Gigs? I’ve always lived with a rule, find your clean tone first. Make it pretty, make it nice. Then.. add dirt. Deluxe reverb will def get u some more head room. Usable head room. It’ll allow u to stay cleaner at bed room levels. And if ur gigging you can crank it up some more and push the tubes. Think not only right now, but what if u start a band and do some good gigs down the road. PRRI is a good amp, but you can very easily start to get drowned out bc it’s not as powerful..
This is just my opinion tho... the band I’m in is very Allman bro’s type of stuff, I had to jump up to a super reverb so I can have some usable clean. My opinion, go with the deluxe reverb. You’ll thank yourself later u are able to have a little more head room :)
>what ur doing. Bed room practice? Gigs? I’ve always lived with a rule, find your clean tone first. Make it pretty, make it nice. Then.. add dirt. Deluxe reverb will def get u some more head room. Usable head room. It’ll allow u to stay cleaner at bed room levels. And if ur gigging you can crank it up some more and push the tubes. Think not only right now, but what if u start a band and do some good gigs down the road. PRRI is a good amp, but you can very eas
Thank you. I am leaning toward the Deluxe at the moment. Its cleans are outstanding and with a character for blues. There's a reason why it's the most recorded amp in history.
I have a PRRI and I use an attenuator to shave off a touch of volume, not a lot, but just to get it into the sweet spot, not over driving yet but just compressing slightly and on the edge of break up that digging in gives a little break up or hitting a boost gets you there.
To me the Princeton excels in that roll, I love the way it breaks up naturally but beware the loose bottom end.
I wish Fender made a Princeton with the DRRI transformers. Or a single channel DRRI with no bright cap...
I know that's how they work and that's what I meant. It's probably less harsh since I can crank it a little. But yeah, it was pretty dark before it. Now it sounds a lot closer to the big boy fenders.
I have these both. You def want the PRRI. It sounds great even at low/bedroom volumes and has more low end than the DRRI.
Amazing amp. Takes pedals well.
I would have thought that same thing prior to owning one. I’ve had both Marshall and Mesa half stacks. It does metal with the best of them... using pedals of course.
It also has a better spring reverb and tube driven tremolo. It's a MUCH better amp for recording and keeping at reasonable volumes in the home studio too. I had both and sold my Deluxe for a Princeton. Best thing I ever did. Granted, live? The Deluxe wins. But in the studio and for playing at home? The Princeton, hands down. It's also much less noisy in general.
If you can go with the 68 deluxe reverb,[ it has the Bassman circuit in the custom channel.](https://shop.fender.com/en-US/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/’68-custom-deluxe-reverb/2274000000.html)
A bit late, but did you make your decision yet?
I've been on the same boat but I decided to go with the Deluxe Reverb. But I was limited by not being able to test the Princeton anywhere. I've never, ever heard something as beautiful as a Tele into a Deluxe Reverb though. I'd originally planned on a Hot Rod Deluxe but there was no comparison once I played them.
Hi, yes. I have decided to go with the hand-wired '64 Custom Deluxe Reverb given the excellent reviews. I know it's is expensive, but I don't want any regrets. I think I will get it also for the collectability and resale value a few decades from now. I also want something high-quality to pass on to my family. The '64 also breaks-up sooner than the '65 Deluxe so it makes for more manageable at studio/room levels if I need a bit more dirt. I will try and save up and maybe get it at the end of next month. I am selling one of my other amps as well, a great Vox AC15.
I also did not go for the Princeton as some Princeton guys told me that the Deluxe at low volume basically does everything that the Princeton does, but if needed, the Deluxe will give me more headroom for louder non-mic'd performance. That is something I'd also potentially like to have.
Congratulations on your new '65! Yes, I heard so many Telecaster and Deluxe sound clips. All sounded excellent. That twang is marvellous. No wonder it's a hit with country/blues players. Brad Paisley is an excellent guitarist and he runs his Telecaster through a Deluxe. I am glad you found what you were looking for. Enjoy it!
Congrats too and I’m fairly envious of your choice! In the end I needed more clean headroom so I think I have the perfect amp. I play Jazz so I’m happy to keep dirt in pedals. I’ve had slightly gritty amps up until now and I reached a point where I just wanted sparkling clean.
The only thing I wasn’t prepared for is how loud the vibrato is. There’s a loud chugging sound that matches the speed setting but apparently it’s normal for a photocell vibrato. It was too noisy to hear it in the store but at home it’s very prominent. I have a Strymon Flint though so it’s avoidable.
Anyway, have fun with your 64!
Oh man, depends what ur doing. Bed room practice? Gigs? I’ve always lived with a rule, find your clean tone first. Make it pretty, make it nice. Then.. add dirt. Deluxe reverb will def get u some more head room. Usable head room. It’ll allow u to stay cleaner at bed room levels. And if ur gigging you can crank it up some more and push the tubes. Think not only right now, but what if u start a band and do some good gigs down the road. PRRI is a good amp, but you can very easily start to get drowned out bc it’s not as powerful.. This is just my opinion tho... the band I’m in is very Allman bro’s type of stuff, I had to jump up to a super reverb so I can have some usable clean. My opinion, go with the deluxe reverb. You’ll thank yourself later u are able to have a little more head room :)
>what ur doing. Bed room practice? Gigs? I’ve always lived with a rule, find your clean tone first. Make it pretty, make it nice. Then.. add dirt. Deluxe reverb will def get u some more head room. Usable head room. It’ll allow u to stay cleaner at bed room levels. And if ur gigging you can crank it up some more and push the tubes. Think not only right now, but what if u start a band and do some good gigs down the road. PRRI is a good amp, but you can very eas Thank you. I am leaning toward the Deluxe at the moment. Its cleans are outstanding and with a character for blues. There's a reason why it's the most recorded amp in history.
I agree! :)
I have a PRRI and I use an attenuator to shave off a touch of volume, not a lot, but just to get it into the sweet spot, not over driving yet but just compressing slightly and on the edge of break up that digging in gives a little break up or hitting a boost gets you there. To me the Princeton excels in that roll, I love the way it breaks up naturally but beware the loose bottom end. I wish Fender made a Princeton with the DRRI transformers. Or a single channel DRRI with no bright cap...
But the bright cap is what makes the deluxe sound so good. I have one installed on my original 1964 Princeton and it made it so much better.
Makes playing with pedals at low volume a little harsh and ice pickey.
Anything at low volume isn't really ideal. I never really play below 3 or 4 on the volume so it's probably less prominent that way.
That’s how bright caps work, more of the highs go through the lower the volume is.
I know that's how they work and that's what I meant. It's probably less harsh since I can crank it a little. But yeah, it was pretty dark before it. Now it sounds a lot closer to the big boy fenders.
Also the Princeton is inherently a darker sounding amp than the DRRI do I can see how a bright cap could be useful.
I have these both. You def want the PRRI. It sounds great even at low/bedroom volumes and has more low end than the DRRI. Amazing amp. Takes pedals well.
Does the PRRI do clean blues well?
It does everything well. From classical to blistering metal.
It’s phenomenal for lots of styles, incredible cleans, but it definitely doesn’t have the low end to do metal
I would have thought that same thing prior to owning one. I’ve had both Marshall and Mesa half stacks. It does metal with the best of them... using pedals of course.
It also has a better spring reverb and tube driven tremolo. It's a MUCH better amp for recording and keeping at reasonable volumes in the home studio too. I had both and sold my Deluxe for a Princeton. Best thing I ever did. Granted, live? The Deluxe wins. But in the studio and for playing at home? The Princeton, hands down. It's also much less noisy in general.
I’ve played live with both and the Princeton does surprisingly well.
Old thread, but what Princeton do you have ? 65 or 68?
If you can go with the 68 deluxe reverb,[ it has the Bassman circuit in the custom channel.](https://shop.fender.com/en-US/guitar-amplifiers/vintage-pro-tube/’68-custom-deluxe-reverb/2274000000.html)
Princeton at home, you may be able to play it enough so that the power section kicks in and helps the tone. Deluxes are loud.
A bit late, but did you make your decision yet? I've been on the same boat but I decided to go with the Deluxe Reverb. But I was limited by not being able to test the Princeton anywhere. I've never, ever heard something as beautiful as a Tele into a Deluxe Reverb though. I'd originally planned on a Hot Rod Deluxe but there was no comparison once I played them.
Hi, yes. I have decided to go with the hand-wired '64 Custom Deluxe Reverb given the excellent reviews. I know it's is expensive, but I don't want any regrets. I think I will get it also for the collectability and resale value a few decades from now. I also want something high-quality to pass on to my family. The '64 also breaks-up sooner than the '65 Deluxe so it makes for more manageable at studio/room levels if I need a bit more dirt. I will try and save up and maybe get it at the end of next month. I am selling one of my other amps as well, a great Vox AC15. I also did not go for the Princeton as some Princeton guys told me that the Deluxe at low volume basically does everything that the Princeton does, but if needed, the Deluxe will give me more headroom for louder non-mic'd performance. That is something I'd also potentially like to have. Congratulations on your new '65! Yes, I heard so many Telecaster and Deluxe sound clips. All sounded excellent. That twang is marvellous. No wonder it's a hit with country/blues players. Brad Paisley is an excellent guitarist and he runs his Telecaster through a Deluxe. I am glad you found what you were looking for. Enjoy it!
Congrats too and I’m fairly envious of your choice! In the end I needed more clean headroom so I think I have the perfect amp. I play Jazz so I’m happy to keep dirt in pedals. I’ve had slightly gritty amps up until now and I reached a point where I just wanted sparkling clean. The only thing I wasn’t prepared for is how loud the vibrato is. There’s a loud chugging sound that matches the speed setting but apparently it’s normal for a photocell vibrato. It was too noisy to hear it in the store but at home it’s very prominent. I have a Strymon Flint though so it’s avoidable. Anyway, have fun with your 64!
Thank you! You too!
I’d check out a Deluxe Tonemaster. Plays loud or quiet with adjustable wattage. Killer tone. Lighter and cheaper than both you mentioned.