A Silverface Classic, Hot-Rodded for Today
There's something almost mythological about the Princeton Reverb. Small enough to carry with one hand, modest enough to dial in at rehearsal volumes — and yet it's been on more recordings and stages than most amps three times its size. The original '68 silverface version added a silver-and-turquoise front panel and aluminum grille trim that made it as good-looking as it sounded. Fender's '68 Custom Princeton Reverb picks up right where that amp left off, and then quietly does a few things better.
The key word in the name is "Custom." This isn't a straight reissue — Fender modified the tone circuitry for greater flexibility with pedals and reduced the negative feedback so the amp responds more immediately to your playing and breaks up a little sooner. The result is a Princeton that still does everything the original did, but feels more alive under your fingers and plays more nicely with a pedalboard.
At 12 watts through a single 10" Celestion TEN 30 speaker, it's a genuinely useful amp for practice, recording, and smaller gigs alike. If you've ever wanted a vintage-voiced tube amp that doesn't require a roadie or a dedicated recording engineer to sound great, this is a strong contender.
All-Tube Construction, Built the Right Way
The '68 Custom Princeton Reverb runs an all-tube signal path from input to output. The preamp section uses three 12AX7s and one 12AT7, the output section runs a pair of 6V6 power tubes, and a 5AR4 tube rectifier rounds out the lineup. That tube rectifier in particular contributes a characteristic "sag" — a slight compression and bloom when you dig in — that solid-state rectifiers simply don't replicate.
The tube sockets are hand-wired, and the transformers are custom-made Schumacher units built to vintage spec. These aren't cosmetic details — the transformers are a significant part of why vintage Fender amps sound the way they do, and using period-correct Schumacher iron is a meaningful design choice. The cabinet itself is 7-ply 3/4" birch/maple plywood in black textured vinyl with the classic silver-turquoise grille cloth and aluminum drip-edge trim.
Reverb, Tremolo, and the Controls You Actually Need
Fender's tube-driven spring reverb is one of the most imitated effects in guitar history — and here you get the real thing, driven by actual tubes the way it was in 1968. The controls are straightforward: Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Speed, and Intensity (for the tremolo/vibrato). Two inputs are on board, with Input 2 operating at -6dB for hotter pickups.
The tremolo on a Princeton is bias-operated, meaning it modulates the output tubes' bias rather than interrupting the signal at the preamp stage. Players often find this type of tremolo has a more organic, breathing quality compared to optocoupler designs. Dial it up on a clean chord and it's easy to hear why this circuit has been copied so many times.
A footswitch jack is included for toggling the reverb and tremolo on and off. There is no effects loop and no direct recording output on this model.
Product Features:
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Output Power: 12 watts
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Speaker: 1x10" Celestion TEN 30 (8 ohms, 30W rated)
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Amp Type: All-tube combo
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Preamp Tubes: 3x 12AX7, 1x 12AT7
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Power Tubes: 2x 6V6
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Rectifier: Tube — 1x 5AR4
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Channels: One, with two inputs (Input 2 at -6dB)
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Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Speed, Intensity
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Onboard Effects: Tube-driven spring reverb and tube-driven tremolo (vibrato)
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Transformers: Custom-made Schumacher vintage-spec units
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Cabinet: 7-ply 3/4" birch/maple plywood, black textured vinyl, silver-turquoise grille cloth with aluminum trim
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Weight: 34 lbs.
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Footswitch: Compatible (2-button, Reverb On/Off and Vibrato On/Off)
Brand: Fender
Model: '68 Custom Princeton Reverb
SKU: 2272000000
Condition: New
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