Torn between 2 amps:

Open lane

Open lane

New member
I am torn between 2 amps. A fender princeton reverb reissue or a hand wired 4 watt vox. I do most of my playing in a small room in my parents' house so the small wattage is actually prefered.

Here's what i'm thinking:

The princeton would prob sound best with my strat and i'd plan on using it mainly clean. I generally dislike the way fender amps break up. The vox on the other hand, i can imagine "dirtying up" quite nicely and sound good for any of my guitars.


I just know if i buy the vox, i'll be kicking myself for not getting that fender chime.... And if i get the fender, my non-strats will feel lonely.


I really think i need both if i want to get the best of both worlds but right now, i have to pick ONE.

I would plan on getting one now and the other later in year but i don't know if i prioritize NAD's over NGD's and there are a lot of guitars i'm GASing for.

I'm truely torn at the moment but i think i'm leaning toward the fender since my style is going in more of a blues fusion direction in recent months. I don't want to regret it later down the line, though.

I'm still undecided. Anyone here have experience making a similar decision? Is there something you'd do differently?

I know i'm greedy because at the current moment it feels like i will be desiring the pros of whatever i'm missing instead of focusing on the pros of whatever i get.

My current main amp is a marshall class 5 and i don't purchase new amps too frequently.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

I got nothing against Vox, but I think Fender Princetons and Champs are the best small amps ever made. You might want to consider an older Champ or Vibro-Champ from the 70s. They can probably be had for less than a Princeton reissue and will get you where you need to be if you don't want something too loud. Also, I play Gibsons - I can't recall ever running a Fender guitar through my Fender amp. Your other guitars won't get lonely, don't worry!
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

Ok. Now i'm back to thinking fender. Idk, i think a fender amp would deliver a very specific thing i'm looking for and therefore may leave me feeling more satisfied in the end. It's funny, i feel like just picking one without too much consideration, figuring i will get the other later down the line. I know my tendencies a little too well, though. After the princeton or vox is paid for, a shiney new guitar will catch my eye and all bets will be off :)
 
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Re: Torn between 2 amps:

For the space and sound you want get the Vox. I need to get my Fender fixed but I want to add a Vox to the arsenal next after that. Lots of amps emulate Fender, but that Vox is rarely found elsewhere.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

I think the Vox is going to be too similar to the Class 5, whereas the Fender will be something completely different. You can turn down the bass and mids on the Marshall and be in Voxy territory, or buy a Vox-voiced pedal for the Fender, but you can't make either British amp sound like a Fender.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

my main gigging amp is a princeton. Has been for over ten years now. Its not a regular princeton because it has a 12 inch speaker tho. So does my buddy's old sf princeton. Such a versatile amp for both recording and live.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

There are ways to get British dirty tones from a Fender, but you can only get so clean with lower wattage Brit amps.

If you're keeping the Class 5, get an ABY box and you'll have the best of both worlds. Then get the vox later.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

gibson175 said:
my main gigging amp is a princeton. Has been for over ten years now. Its not a regular princeton because it has a 12 inch speaker tho. So does my buddy's old sf princeton. Such a versatile amp for both recording and live.
Click to expand...

Always wondered about a 12" speaker in a Princeton. I swapped the original oxford out for a Ragin Cajun recently in mine, and it made the amp way more gig worthy. A 12" speaker would probably be even more so. With an efficient speaker a Princeton can breathe fire if needed.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

yep.
The other thing you can do with princetons is use a solid state rectifier. You get extra wattage and noticeably more punch and volume.
The last thing is to use JJs in the power section for even more punch and volume.
Mine has plenty of stage volume already tho, so ive recently taken out the cannabis rex (very loud and bassy) and put in a texas heat to allow me to push the amp a little harder and get a slightly less loud but more defined tone. 2c

..now that i think about it, i have another friend with a SF PR and hes not just got a 12 inch speaker but its been modified to run a pair of 6l6s so it runs at 35-40 watts.
 
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Re: Torn between 2 amps:

I would probably like both amps, but you stated you don't like the sound of a distorted Fender. You also do most of your playing in a house. This also points to the Vox. The Vox sounds like a great at-home amp that does a lot of things well. Deal with getting something for a gig later.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

Same thing I said in the other thread...I'd get the Princeton and A/B it with the Marshall with a couple of carefully chosen ODs to boost them.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

I think i'm currently leaning against both. The more i think about it, my main guitar is currently my dean mustaine v with active pickups and i want something with full saturation to compliment it, as well as something that will make my strat sound good. I think i' gonna save for a couple months and get a mark v. I like the clips i've heard of the clean channel and i think that the distortion tones on an amp such as that will compliment my other guitars more.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

That's a big difference from to see two, but as a MkV owner I can confidently say you won't be disappointed.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

I'm thinking the Mark V 25. I really dislike the look of the smaller heads but excess volume is something i don't need. I read on a forum not to get the combo version so i'm thinking a 1x12 stack with a closed cab. I've never owned a stack before, it sounds like a bit of a hassle. Do you know if a stack version is really that far superior?

My friend has a 2x12 mesa stack he's selling (express, though). He told me that he will bring his stack over the house so i can see if the volume is too high for my living room, even when set to a low wattage.

Is a 10watt head running through a 2x12 cab extremely loud? My only basis for comparison is the 50watt carvin mts 2x12 i once owned and it was WAY too loud. The 10watt component sounds enticing but after my experience with the carvin, 2x12 scares me. (2x12 looks soooo much cooler though).
 
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Re: Torn between 2 amps:

It's a no brainer, Princeton Reverb. As was mentioned earlier the addition of a 12" speaker over a 10" speaker and modifications can make the amp a fire breathing pandora's box of an amplifier. Several years back there was an article by a guy who had modified his Princeton to put out more power, and I want to say that it was w/o changing the PT, OT, or output tubes. This guy was able to gig the amp in an environment where you would think that it couldn't keep up with the other musicians in his band (but it did). I tried to find this article which may still be on the web but, I gave up after a couple of tries.
 
Re: Torn between 2 amps:

Open lane said:
I'm thinking the Mark V 25. I really dislike the look of the smaller heads but excess volume is something i don't need. I read on a forum not to get the combo version so i'm thinking a 1x12 stack with a closed cab. I've never owned a stack before, it sounds like a bit of a hassle. Do you know if a stack version is really that far superior?

My friend has a 2x12 mesa stack he's selling (express, though). He told me that he will bring his stack over the house so i can see if the volume is too high for my living room, even when set to a low wattage.

Is a 10watt head running through a 2x12 cab extremely loud? My only basis for comparison is the 50watt carvin mts 2x12 i once owned and it was WAY too loud. The 10watt component sounds enticing but after my experience with the carvin, 2x12 scares me. (2x12 looks soooo much cooler though).
Click to expand...

Is the 10W going to be loud? Yes, even with the 1×12,. I live in an apartment and my 5w Marshall even on the 1w setting still gets louder than my location would allow. But at least when you're home alone you can open it up. Mesa amps usually still sound pretty good at lower volumes. At 10w bedroom levels you're not going to be pushing either cab too much. 1×12 is easier to carry and the Express cabs are open back which I'm not personally a fan of. So if it were me, and I was just playing at home, not gigging, I would go with the head and 1×12 cab. For closed back with a little added cool factor I recommend the Mesa 1×12 slant cab
 
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