The Fender Princeton 1964

Manufactured exactly 12 months after my 1963 Princeton, this little beast is the the classic AA964 model Blackface Princeton.  The tube chart code is "NL" indicating a December 1964 manufacture date.  Sporting two 7025 preamp tubes, two 6V6 power tubes and a GZ34 tube rectifier, this amp generates 12 watts.  This circuit yields more slice than the earlier 6G2, yielding the well-known '60s Fender combo sound that makes these amps so desirable.  I purchased this in 1996 from the Guitar Emporium, who was selling off a particularly nice collection of 1960 era Fenders that had been kept in immaculate condition.  My particular amp had a unknown 10" Alnico speaker, which may be original equipment but was painted over black so no speaker codes are visible.   In 2006, I had the speaker replaced with an Eminence Copperhead, which really improved the sound in all respects.  It gives the amp a bit of a blackface Super sound, increasing the bass response quite a bit.  Highly recommended.  I also run EL-84 power tubes using THD Yellowjackets from time to time.  They rebias the amp to class A, and you get a bit of the Vox/Marshall chime.  Usually I switch back to the 6V6s, but it is fun to play around.  The interesting thing about this amp is that it has an oversized, almost Deluxe-sized cabinet, which could easily accomodate a 12" speaker.  My bass player friend has a later Princeton Reverb, and you can really see the difference in size.  I am tempted to get a new speaker baffle and try a 12" in it, but for now the Copperhead does the job.