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Fender Princeton Combo Amp (original issue Blackface & Silverface cosmetics 1963-1981)

Fender Princeton Combo Amp (original issue Blackface & Silverface cosmetics 1963-1981) main image

Fender Princeton Combo Amp (original issue Blackface & Silverface cosmetics 1963-1981)

4.5 (8)

3 Reviews

Find out who is using Fender Princeton (1963-1981)

1 community setup

3 wishlisted

17 saved

Page last updated Mar 28, 2026

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Description

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During its long and storied run the princeton line of amps with 2 band tone controls underwent few significant revisions. Fender played fast and loose with the use of 5AR4 or 5U4 rectifier tubes as evidenced by exampels with originals tubes intact with tube charts that do not match the factory installed rectifier tube! The effect on the response of a 12 watt amp is very subtle at anything less than full volume and the tubes can be interchanged freely if you have both types and a bias adjustment will probably not even be needed. The other significant change came during the silverface CBS period when the volume pot was converted to a push-pull gain boost. Most people ignore this feature as its very poorly inplemented and its barely worth mentioning. Every other change had to do with the layout of the circuit. CBS made changes to all of the amps to streamline production. These changes defintiely icnreased the noise floor but its debatable whether they influence the sound of the amp. Fender also varied OEM speakers a lot during the 60s and 70s. While many will claim jensen was the original OEM for a princeton it seems to vary from year to year with OEM ceramic 10" speakers being supplied by Oxford, Utah and later CTS and Eminence.

Videos

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solidbodyguitar

1964 Fender Princeton Black Face Guitar Amplifier

solidbodyguitar

Blackface Fender Princeton: Repair of buzzing and distortion.

The Guitar Amp Tech

Reviews

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PROS

Pure Fender tone, especially without reverb
Silverface models offer cleaner sound
Versatile across music styles (excluding metal)
Ideal for small to medium gigs and recording
Historical models (1963-1981) highly regarded
Can be paired with other amps for richer sound
Favored by notable musicians

CONS

Not suitable for metal music
May require speaker upgrade for optimal performance

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4.5 out of 5

Based on 3 Reviews and 8 Ratings

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1 star

jimmarchi1

41029

almost 8 years ago

yeah baby

if you don't need reverb, just pure fender tone? the plain Princeton sounds better to my ear than the PR. The silverface ones tend to be cleaner even if you put the same type of speaker in both and you swap the stock 5U4 for the 5AR4 that you would find in blackfaces (even though the blackface tube charts specify a 5U4, they all came with 5AR4s, usually RCA branded Mullards)… but all in all I have never played a bad sounding Princeton. ABY box one of these with a wide panel deluxe or something similar and you can pretend to be a Heartbreaker. This and the PR used to be my sound in the 90s.

Roles:

Guitarist Bassist Keyboardist

Genres:

Electronic Orchestra Alternative rock

dbia

166

over 10 years ago

The BEST Fender tone

The Princeton started as a practice amp, but with today's technology stage volumes don't have to be so deafening in order to make sure audiences hear you. This works great for small to medium gigs, but is a PERFECT recording amp for the sorts of stuff I do. I have a 1979 Silverface, all original but for the Weber 10F150T speaker that replaced the original Oxfart. Mike Campbell loves them. Jim Campilongo loves them. Ryan Adams loves them. The Princeton works great for about any style of music (except metal).

joe_wright4920

204

over 10 years ago

got it off a mate

also adds tot eh kitty sound made from my rig

jimmarchi1

41029

10 years ago over 10 years ago

can't go wrong with the non-reverb Princeton. its good enough for Mike Campbell!

Artist usage

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Dan Auerbach

Guitarist, Keyboardist

The Black Keys

Verified via Vintage Guitar® magazine

Auerbach used late 1960s blackface Fender Princeton while recording his 2017 album, "Waiting on a Song".

Tom Petty

Guitarist, Singer

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Verified via Photo

Tom Petty is in front of a Fender Princeton Amp in this photo.

Ace Frehley

Singer, Guitarist

Kiss

Verified via Photo

A blackface Princeton is visible in this June 1978 photo of Frehley in his home studio (as annotated in the May 1996 issue of Guitar), in addition to this companion photo.

Mike Campbell

Guitarist

Fleetwood Mac

Verified via YouTube

"The Princeton is probably a '63 or '64. The bottom line is about tone. Nothing matters other than tone. Guitars, amps, it's all about tone. A lot of bands are like that," says Mike Campbell's guitar tech about the Fender Princeton Blackface Amp.

Bill Frisell

Guitarist

The Bill Frisell Band

Verified via Premierguitar

In an interview with Premier Guitar, Bill Frisell discusses using the Fender Princeton Combo Amp, specifically the original Blackface and Silverface models from 1963 to 1981.

Philip Sayce

Singer, Guitarist

The Jeff Healey Band

Verified via Photo

Featured in this July 22, 2021 Instagram post.

Studio tones 🎶⚡️

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Emily Kokal

Guitarist

Warpaint

Verified via YouTube

At 12:43 she says:"I have a small Fender Princeton.. those are really nice"

Mick Taylor

Guitarist

The Rolling Stones

Verified via Photo

In a photograph, Mick Taylor is seen playing in his hotel room while connected to a Fender Princeton Combo Amp with Silverface cosmetics, confirming his use of this specific amplifier model.

Jordan Cook

Singer, Guitarist

Reignwolf

Verified via Photo

Jordan Cook is seen using a Fender Princeton Combo Amp (original issue Blackface & Silverface cosmetics 1963-1981) during live performances, as shown in a photo from his record release event on Instagram.

Andy White

Singer, Guitarist

Mac DeMarco

Verified via YouTube

at 5:16, a Fender Princeton can be seen behind Andy.

Cat Power

Guitarist

Verified via Premierguitar

"...a 1964 Fender Princeton, a blackface. That was my first amp, and I’ve had it all these years. It doesn’t have reverb on it, so I bought another one that did."

Theo Katzman

Singer, Guitarist

Vulfpeck

Verified via YouTube

In the Vertex Effects video "Theo Katzman // Singer-Songwriter Pedalboard Build," Theo Katzman is shown using a silverface Fender Princeton Combo Amp for both live performances and studio sessions.