Princeton w/o reverb or tremolo

[johnnyreece]

Yeah, he wants a little hair sometimes. I was under the impression the schematic that Mark posted had an extra gain stage, with the omission of the trem. Is that not right?

[Firestorm]

You're right. Mark's schemo is the way to go if he wants a little edge.

[johnnyreece]

Awesome! Now I get to put my project on the side for a while.

[printer2]

I started making a 5E3 type amp and it sort of turned into something different. Other than being cathode biased it is pretty much a Princeton but without the reverb and tremolo. I used all the triodes so it is closer to the Princeton Reverb rather than the BF Princeton. Without the reverb mixing circuit it will have more gain than a PR. I have no shortage of it with this amp, even with using 6K6's rather than 6V6's. Now if I only knew what to do with it.

[johnnyreece]

So, what jumps out at me here, is that there are no screen or grid resistors on the power tubes...I know the original Princeton didn't have them, but what are your thoughts?

[xtian]

So, what jumps out at me here, is that there are no screen or grid resistors on the power tubes...I know the original Princeton didn't have them, but what are your thoughts?

Add them for safety.

[johnnyreece]

So, what jumps out at me here, is that there are no screen or grid resistors on the power tubes...I know the original Princeton didn't have them, but what are your thoughts?

Add them for safety.

Yeah, I might go ahead. I've got plenty of parts laying around...might as well use them!

[sliberty]

I realize this is kinda old, but I wanted to follow up - did you build this? I've got a guy who is asking me to build him the exact same thing: He wants a lower-powered blackface, mostly for cleans, with no trem or verb. I was hoping to get some feedback...

When you say "mostly for cleans," does that mean he may want a little dirt occasionally? A non-reverb Princeton will do only cleans. For a little hair, you'll need that mix stage (even though there's nothing to mix).

Actually the 6G2 Princeton Amp does get dirty, and very thick. It is a wonderful amp. And the trem is really cool. I hardly use it myself, but its there when I want it.

I plan to build an AA964 soon. I am hoping that one will be clean most of the way up to 10 so as not to be too similar to my 6G2.

I think you should build the trem, and just not use it if that is your preference. Leaving it out will have some minor impact on voltages and bias, and may change the character of the amp a bit. Although probably not that much. But still, all it will cost you is 2 pots and a few small parts. The triode is already there.

[Blackburn]

I think you should build the trem, and just not use it if that is your preference. Leaving it out will have some minor impact on voltages and bias, and may change the character of the amp a bit. Although probably not that much. But still, all it will cost you is 2 pots and a few small parts. The triode is already there.

That's exactly what I said. It's such a fantastic tremolo and even if you don't use it, your amp is still more interesting to someone who may like that. I just can't gush over it enough. I actually don't use it frequently, but there are times when some light trem behind the notes can be such a nice addition for many types of music. Ever listen to Skynyrd?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raVMb0xhRsI

[johnnyreece]

Okay, after months of doing nothing with this (I've been roofing my house, slowly but surely), here's what I've got, layout-wise. It's using the Weber 6A14 board. It looks a little wonky, and I've not proofed it yet, but it's something. I'll print this and the schematic shortly and compare. If I know me (and I should...), there's something I've overlooked. I'll repost when I've double-checked it.

As far as just building it with trem; if it were for me, I would. This guy spec'ed exactly what he wanted, and the customer (or more accurately, the guy who is willing to give me money to buy parts) is always right. I'm sure there will be a standard PR in my future, though. After I finish this, and the Magnatone...and whatever else life throws at me.

[tubeswell]

May I suggest copying the Havard 5F10 layout if you want a brown princeton without trem?

[johnnyreece]

I think he's pretty set on the blackface. Sorry, I should have been more clear when trampling someone else's thread. This seems like a nice circuit, too. So many amps...so little time (and money)...

[johnnyreece]

Well, I built it, and it works. Two things that I think go together well.

I did sub in a 2.2M for the 3.3M resistor. Might be a bit too hairy for my buddy, but he's on vacation this weekend, so I guess I'll have to wait and see what he says before deciding if it stays. I'll post some pics once I've cleaned it up. Might eventually put a NFB switch on it, because, wow, you get some nice filth without it! Very nice cleans, and the OD isn't bad. Boost switch is definitely worthwhile; there is a definite change when it's engaged. Got a pretty bad mismatched set of tubes (about 6mA off). So, after I'm confident it's not going to explode, I'll swap in a better set. Still need to run through voltages, as well.

[johnnyreece]

Got some crappy cell phone pics, which will (hopefully) be followed up later with slightly less crappy cell phone pics and gut shots. For now, here goes...

It's my first attempt at faceplate design, so be kind. At some point I'd like to design my own font, but I really don't do enough of this kind of stuff to warrant that. This is what you get when a guy says, "Hey, can you build an amp into my old speaker cab?"

[kkregsg]

Nice job!