# NAD: 1969 Fender Princeton Reverb



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

I got this beauty in a trade yesterday. 1969 Fender Princeton Reverb. All original except for the addition of a 12" Celestion. Thanks to StevieMac for the long distance amp guidance yesterday. 

The first order of business is to remove the white stenciled T. Jamieson from the rear lower panel. The other option, I guess, is to sell it to someone named T. Jamieson or head to the court house first thing this morning and legally change my name. As you can see, I'm not without options.


----------



## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Jamieson is a great scotch! 
Are you going to try to find an original speaker? Is this an at home or gigging amp?
Very tidy BTW. Enjoy.


Sent from my Other Brain


----------



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Nice, congrats!

I'd like to get a birthyear Princeton for myself some time.
I think that might be a Blackface though.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

bzrkrage said:


> Jamieson is a great scotch!
> Are you going to try to find an original speaker? Is this an at home or gigging amp?
> Very tidy BTW. Enjoy.
> 
> ...


Thanks. No, strictly a home amp. As far as the speaker goes, I'm going to play it for a few days before I decide what to do with the speaker. It appears to have the original baffle in it though. I'll pop the speaker out this weekend and see if they cut they enlarged the baffle hole or just mounted a 12" on the old one. I'm guessing they would have had to enlarge it.


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

You can probably find a replacement for that back panel on Ebay. Someone has to have a junk cabinet laying around.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

That is very cool, very nice.


----------



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Nice one buddy. Congrats and enjoy.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Looking at it on a bigger screen now and I'm impressed with how clean it is for the age. Was this a local find?


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Nice purchase! It's in beautiful shape.
I love my PR. They are great amps for home. Be pretty easy to make up another back panel, or re-tolex that one. Try some contact cleaner or other solvent with your wife's toothbrush, I bet that white paint will come right off there.


----------



## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

I vote for leaving the name there and adopting it as your "stage name" and developing your rock star alter ego. 

Looks like a pretty sweet find, congrats!


----------



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Nice amp. I'm not meaning to pick it apart, but confused. I thought early 1968 SF amps were the only ones to have the thin vertical black lines on the face plate as seen on your amp.
By second half of 68 the black lines were gone. I have not seen a vertical line SF amp without drip edge around the grill cloth.

Nice looking amp though. It's been cared for and got some attention I see.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

johnnyshaka said:


> I vote for leaving the name there and adopting it as your "stage name" and developing your rock star alter ego.
> 
> Looks like a pretty sweet find, congrats!


Man, that is so up my alley. If I could like it twice I would. Nice amp, G, they're perfect for lots of things including cranking at home. Curious to hear your feedback on the speaker.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

vadsy said:


> Looking at it on a bigger screen now and I'm impressed with how clean it is for the age. Was this a local find?


Hey Vadsy, You bet. I don't really know the complete history but it popped up here in Edmonton.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

johnnyshaka said:


> I vote for leaving the name there and adopting it as your "stage name" and developing your rock star alter ego.
> 
> Looks like a pretty sweet find, congrats!


You're right. No need to go to the Court House--I can just be a part-time T. Jamieson. That makes more sense. Haha.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

keithb7 said:


> Nice amp. I'm not meaning to pick it apart, but confused. I thought early 1968 SF amps were the only ones to have the thin vertical black lines on the face plate as seen on your amp.
> By second half of 68 the black lines were gone. I have not seen a vertical line SF amp without drip edge around the grill cloth.
> 
> Nice looking amp though. It's been cared for and got some attention I see.


My eyes aren't quite what they used to be, but I don't see the vertical lines in the picture. I'm going to have to have a closer look when I get home today. Yes, it really has been cared for. The only wear is on the Tolex on the bottom back corners. It almost appears that it was tilted back on those corners for the past 40+ years.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

JethroTech said:


> My eyes aren't quite what they used to be, but I don't see the vertical lines in the picture. I'm going to have to have a closer look when I get home today. Yes, it really has been cared for. The only wear is on the Tolex on the bottom back corners. It almost appears that it was tilted back on those corners for the past 40+ years.


First picture, the face plate - vertical thin black lines right of the inputs, and either side of the amp name. Keith's observation is the same as mine - likely all it means is that possibly the grill cloth was replaced and someone got rid of the edging, or the edging got worn and someone tore it off.

The serial numbers on the bottom of the transformers would help date it accurately.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

keto said:


> First picture, the face plate - vertical thin black lines right of the inputs, and either side of the amp name. Keith's observation is the same as mine - likely all it means is that possibly the grill cloth was replaced and someone got rid of the edging, or the edging got worn and someone tore it off.
> 
> The serial numbers on the bottom of the transformers would help date it accurately.


Awww. Now I see the black lines. According the transformer codes, all signs point to 1969. 

Transformer Codes: 606 9-40, 606 9-33 and 606 9-33


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Yeah, with Fender in the 60's, nothing is carved in stone with respect to serial numbers and or features. They were grabbing parts from big bins and using them until they were gone.


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

keto said:


> First picture, the face plate - vertical thin black lines right of the inputs, and either side of the amp name. Keith's observation is the same as mine - likely all it means is that possibly the grill cloth was replaced and someone got rid of the edging, or the edging got worn and someone tore it off.
> 
> The serial numbers on the bottom of the transformers would help date it accurately.


I would guess it's an early 69, and the drip edge was damaged or left off when the baffle was removed to put the new speaker in.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

^ that makes 100% perfect sense to me


----------



## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

sulphur said:


> Nice, congrats!
> 
> I'd like to get a birthyear Princeton for myself some time.
> I think that might be a Blackface though.


Mine would be a tweed


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Scottone said:


> Mine would be a tweed


Mine would be solid state


----------



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

40th week of 1969 on one transformer. Late Sept/early Oct 1969.
Seems odd, but yes I agree with an earlier comment. The only thing consistent at Fender was inconsistency.
Maybe someone found an earlier SF black line chassis stuffed in behind some other stuff. They would have
used it I bet, in late 1969. Seems possible. I agree that the grill cloth and footswitch is new. By late 1969
drip edge trip was pretty well gone from production lines too at Fender. But, hey anything is possible.
Lots of things could have happened between 1969 and today too, after it left Fender.

Nice amp. I bet it sounds great.


----------



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

UPDATE: I found (locally) a vintage 1963 Jensen C12R speaker and just dropped it in. I had no problem with the sound of the Celestion but I wanted a more "period correct" speaker for the amp. Yowza. I've never soldered in my life, but thanks to some really awesome videos on YouTube, I didn't burn down the house and this amp now REALLY sings.


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Sweet enough to eat.......just sayin


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

JethroTech said:


> UPDATE: I found (locally) a vintage 1963 Jensen C12R speaker and just dropped it in. I had no problem with the sound of the Celestion but I wanted a more "period correct" speaker for the amp. Yowza. I've never soldered in my life, but thanks to some really awesome videos on YouTube, I didn't burn down the house and this amp now REALLY sings.
> View attachment 21403



Mmm. I'm running a 60s Jensen too!


----------

