Fender Princeton Reverb II 1982

[deeder]

I have the opportunity to buy a 1982 Princeton Reverb II, dead stock with the manual. It’s an export model, so it comes with 230 VAC option.

All parts are originals, including the pre tubes. Only the 6V6’s are new. The condition seems to be top clean.

The seller wants 950.00 EUR (1 059 USD) for it.
So I need your expertise about this amp.

Thanks in advance!^)

[Stevem]

These era amps ( early 80s) where part of the blackface residue series along with the Champ and Vibro Champ and Deluxe reverb II which was done when Rivera was at Fender.
These amps ARE NOT circiut board types but are still oil board PTP and are made well and use good transformers!
I would say the price you are looking at is a good one, heck over hear in the USA now even silverface deluxe Reverbs are going for near 1500!

[deeder]

Thanks Stevem, That is the answer I waited for!
I going to buy it on next Monday evening.

Since I'm pretty much a Marshall guy, it's a good time to learn about Fender amps. So be prepared for some topics about it

All the best.

[rp]

For me the Rivera Super Champ was the last great vintage American amp. Fender's try to get on the Mesa bandwagon - taxi friendly, gigable and hard rocking. My SC is one of the things I most regret selling, mint, tags and cover I never played a P-II so can't say but in theory it's a cool amp. Google image it bet there are picts of the innards. As stevem said they should look like SF era Fenders but cleaner and w/o the lead dress kluges. Does the P-II have the cool (triple triode?) Compactron tube?

Hard to believe these things are now up to $1K.

[martin manning]

Does the P-II have the cool (triple triode?) Compactron tube?

No, 3x 7025 and 1x 12AT7. That's a good thing, because the 6C10 used in the SC is getting scarce.

[rp]

Does the P-II have the cool (triple triode?) Compactron tube?

No, 3x 7025 and 1x 12AT7. That's a good thing, because the 6C10 used in the SC is getting scarce.

I should go through my stash and see if I have one. Back in younger days when I lived under the illusion that the coolest of thel vintage shit I gathered would be with me forever, I used to set extra tubes aside. If I have one I should build a JTM-50 with just 3 tubes!

I must be half serious as now I'm wondering if you can you use one triode of a 6C10 as a cathode follower?

[deeder]

Hard to believe these things are now up to $1K.

Totally agree with you rp, it’s only vintage gear speculation.
I saw a JMP Tremolo 50 sold for around 10K EUR here in France

Anyway, how much is the price to build the same one, with correct transformers, parts, cabs?

[martin manning]

I must be half serious as now I'm wondering if you can you use one triode of a 6C10 as a cathode follower? :lol:

Then I'll be egging you on... 6C10 is three 12AX7 triodes in one envelope.

[rp]

I saw a JMP Tremolo 50 sold for around 10K EUR here in France

Yes, incredible, I'd be ashamed to own it rather than proud. But still the JTM's an apartment on 5th Ave. The P-II is like an apt in Astoria... But then friend w/ apt in little two family shit box row house in Astoria was told by landlord that the building in now worth $1.7mil. IMO It's not that things cost that much, it's that money's not worth much these days (unless you actually have to earn it).

Anyway, how much is the price to build the same one, with correct transformers, parts, cabs?

It's not unreasonable at all considering a DRRI is $1K. Brings to mind my 94 year old grandmother when back in 1986 told me (seriously and pissed off) to bring back the 150,000 Lira (~$75) Rossetti dress shoes I bought as I had been taken as a young American sucker. She really thought good shoes were still like 5000 Lira. Now it's happening to me.

[rp]

I must be half serious as now I'm wondering if you can you use one triode of a 6C10 as a cathode follower?

Then I'll be egging you on... 6C10 is three 12AX7 triodes in one envelope.

Ah, if I only had a transformer tree in the yard instead of all these dang lemon trees.

[rp]

Then I'll be egging you on... 6C10 is three 12AX7 triodes in one envelope.

Oops, not thinking straight. One channel ss rectified 5E3 then? That would be loud and tiny

[martin manning]

Anyway, how much is the price to build the same one, with correct transformers, parts, cabs?

There is a BF PR kit sold by TAD at 1,019 Euro (including cab and speaker), so there's a data point. Lots of info on the PR II here: http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/a ... I_hub.html

[deeder]

Thx Martin!^)
I save some bucks we would say…

OMG, how I was able to miss this Rivera era bible…
Periscopic dumping, load tubes 3 and 4…

[img:501:412]http://bordabord.org/images/periscope2.jpg[/img]

[jaysg]

I feel like that's a bit high. There are other amps you could buy for that kind of money. The original speaker is crap Eminence. At least it's a 12", so you would have a ton of options. You'll want to build a switch. The original (I've never owned one) has shielding issues and alters the tone via the Reverb circuit. I can be done with an SPDT and DPDT...don't have to both be DPDT. I built my own and there's no tone loss with it. At that kind of money, what does a (now old) 55W Rivera Jake combo or Rake head cost in Europe? It's a vastly superior piece.

[rp]

Kit will have zero resale value, maybe half what you put in to a friend or acquaintance. P-2 should get you back what you put in, though I'm pretty out of it with these days to know how fast you can turn around a P-II (in France!).

Depends where your fun factor lies, owning cool old things or DIY thrills. For me I stopped with the vintage stuff after the thrill of my first successful DIY superseded the trill of the vintage hunt and the ownership fetish at the time of the change in the market from community to boring hordes of doctors and lawyers with fat wallets and Gruhn books.