MOST BRUTAL Vintage FENDER? Rivera Era Fender Princeton Reverb II
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- čas přidán 17. 09. 2020
- I'm playing a killer 1983 Fender Princeton Reverb II with a Telecaster. Don't be fooled by the polite Princeton name, this amp does metal as well as Rolling Stones. The combo features 2x6V6 Tubes and a 12" Eminence speaker.
- Hudba
I really love that you remind us that there are more great amps out there than either vintage unicorns or modern boutique stuff. Killer sounds yet again, sir! Salute.
Thanks, glad to hear that!
Great demo. I really appreciate hearing the amp with no outboard effects added. Too many demos use pedals and digital effects and I can't hear what the amp can do. Chill out pedal heads. There's a time and a place to show off your toys. Thanks, Johan. You the man.
Thanks man!
It sounds like Fender wasn't afraid at the time to innovate beyond "the classic Fender tone." Interesting. I like it. Thanks, Johan.
Actually Fender was still a CBS company until 1985, so Rivera was mostly shut down by them because of the high part counts needed to get all the extra features on his designs. So he wanted to build great amps but was limited by the bean counters. He left just before Bill Schultz rescued Fender from CBS in 1985.
Holy shit....I am floored. That amp can do everything. Its beyond versatile.....a true studio weapon/tool. Who needs a modeling amp when you have one of these. Thank you for the enlightenment. Cheers Johan and thank you.
Thanks Nicholas, Cheers!
I've owned one of these since 1989 and gigged with it through the 90s. Great amp for stage and recording. The initials in red inside the chassis belong to Mark Wentling, the guy who worked at Fender and QC'd both your amp and mine. Thanks for posting this!
hi! Mine has the same initials... do I have your amp' serial number yet? !!
email me via
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
I own a "Concert" 60 Watt amp from that era. Great, handwired amp and very very versatile. I like the "mid boost" pull pots on this amp series very much. And they come for a very good price for handwired vintage fender amps. Bought mine for 600€.
Yeah they’re still great bangs for the buck
They were pro intended amps. I think of the L.A. session guys needing lots of sounds, and these have lots of amazing sounds in a mean little combo for rehearsal and small gigs convenience AND that is easily hooked up to more cabs with all the muscle to push a 4x12 at the big gig. They sound best with a Celestion Classic Lead. These little ones (Princeton) are even better for nowadays smaller venues.
Fantastic and thanks, Johan, for sharing this real Jekyll and Hyde amp
Thanks Graham!
I was waiting for a Fender Rivera demo & now it has happened.
Proud owner of 3 Fender Rivera amps.
Two Concert II amps: An '82 head that I run with a Mesa/Boogie Traditional/Stiletto 4x12 straight bottom. The other is an '83 1x12 with the Eminence Swamp Thang (that was a PAIN putting that in for I had to remove the chassis first due to the speaker magnet size).
I own the Princeton Reverb II (it's either an '83 or '84). And yes, I'll be hanging on to these amps.
And yes, these Fender Rivera amps are sleepers.
What’s really great about these Rivera era amps, is that they were actually hand wired on tag boards well into the 80s. Really good way to pick up a hand wired amp for short money!
Very true..
Yeah, and made in Fullerton !
Never expected it to sound so good and be so versatile!!
Thanks, glad to hear that!
I've had a Rivera era Deluxe Reverb II since 1984, cork sniffers don't like the preamp gain, but it does the Fender clean & break up thing great on the normal channel and the lead channel can be tamed by turning the knobs down or with a 5771 tube if you can't twist your wrist to the left, amp techs are intimidated by the channel switching technology , the amp really turns into a monster with a EVM 12L, it is the last of the hand wired Fender production amps , at around the price of a used late model circuit board Deluxe Reverb Reissue and half the price of a Silverface the amp is a true bargain and quite the under rated sleeper ! The Champ II, Super Champ, Princeton II and Deluxe Reverb II all come in at 18 to 20 watts have solid state rectifiers and will push 6L6 tubes with a re-bias for more low end grunt and around thirty + watts , think Vibrolux Boogie, or the Concert II at 60 watts go for 5 or 600 bucks stateside ! Great amps! Ps the Super champ uses a 6C10 Compactron that isn't made anymore , so stock up if you buy one.
yeah, i don’t get why the deluxe ii gets slagged, just spent an evening with mine. love it. i’ve owned all of ‘em except the concert. the deluxe is my fave. the champ ii is a monster as well. plug it into a 4-12 and be amazed.
I'm a sucker for tele and vintage fender amps! Well done Brother!
Thanks for sharing Johan and have a great weekend! Be Well All!
Thanks man!
Somehow I really enjoy the camera vibrating with the stamping of your heel. Cool amp. Love some 6V6 action. FWIW, the Soviet-era Reflektor 6V6s are excellent.
Another fantastic video, thank you for all of them. A Tele and Fender amp for early Motley Crue tones... who knew.
Thanks! :-) yeah I didn’t expect it either. Cheers
So glad you demonstrated this amp, I have one! Mine has a Fender 12F speaker from the factory, which is an EV, it's like a small tank, I also have the 2 button footswitch with LED indicators. Used it on many gigs, started to blow fuses, so had it tweaked recently and it sounds even better! Great job as always, Johan, love the videos
Thanks Mark! I bet it sounds even better with the EVM12F. Cheers!
@@JohanSegeborn yep, it's a mini beast, mine doesn't have the legs though.
Hi Mark, if I don't already have your PRII's serial number, I'd love to hear from you via my website
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
@@stratopastor_uk I'll take a photo of the back when I get a chance, just had it serviced.
@@marksguitars5617 great, thanks in advance!
From mild to wild and everything in between, very cool amp. I remember these amps and completely forgot about them.
That tone at 2:30 - no one would guess 'Princeton Reverb', or even a Fender amp if you asked them what the amp was just on audio. Great tone.
Thanks, glad to hear it!
I traded an 80'sYamaha 1/3 octave 2 channel equalizer for one of these Paul Rivera Princeton Reverb ii amps in 1991. Until then I always wanted a Mesa Boogie..I had played through Marshall stacks, A Carvin half stack, a Gallien Kreuger ss amp and probably others. I knew nothing about this amp when I traded for it, but I soon realized it was a giant! I have never wanted or needed another amp since. It does everything (and likely more) that I want and it is truly a sleeper...people are discovering this amazing amp that has been around, unnoticed, for over 40 years. Great Amp! NIce video!
Sounds really good! What a cool amp!
Thanks Johnny!
Nice hand wired amp! Wow! Great tone!!
As a previous owner of a Fender The Twin Red Knobs Rivera design I can confirm your thoughts Johan, I used that Twin for playing Pantera!☺️🤟🏼
Cool! If it’s tight enough for Pantera it’s tight enough for anything. Cheers Vincenzo!
@@JohanSegeborn yes Indeed!☺️☺️☺️
? Seriously ? There's been a red knob Twin on my local Craigslist for months, but I didn't realize it could Dimebag !!!!!
@@byronlaird5116 yes, they used to call It " The Evil Twin"😂
and there isnt even a gain control, lmao
Hi, Johan!
Thats right: those amps are very agresive sometimes, but that's why I like them most!👍😄
Have a great weekend! C.U.
Zigfrid
Have a great weekend Zigfrid! Cheers
Holy freakin moly. That sounds AMAZING!!!!!!!
Thanks Ryan!
Nice tones as always Johan!
Thanks, glad to hear it!
I have one that I bought in 1992 together with a very modded 1967 Fender Mustang for the huge, huge sum of $400 (!) I can get a really thick, smooth clean sound with it. It's also really, really, loud. I've had it up to 10 maybe twice ever, but it was glorious. I don't use the gain much, but in the studio you can tinker and find some cool sounds in addition to the big clean sound, or the overdriven clean sound you get when it's cranked. I will never part with this amp.
hi Jay - if I don't already have your amp's serial number I'd love to hear from you via my website - in return I can probably 'date' your amp for you
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
Thanks for this video !!!!
Owned one in 1983 or 1984 from a school mate in exchange for my Marshall 800 and a Lead 1960B. He told me the speaker had been changed for a Music Man one because the original one had been burned. At that time I didn't knew much about valve amps. I now wanted to service mine because of high oscillation when turned on full volume with guitar plugged in and turned off guitar volume. Could see the choke had been replaced too with a Drake one and an additionally fuse in that circuit... Valves, electrolyte caps and bias resistor already replaced, reduced a lot of noise and hum issues but oscillation remains. Hopefully Your views of the cable layout helps me to get rid of that oscillation. Could solve a similiar issue with my Marshall 1987-X a few month ago by moving the presence cable path...
My Rivera Concert was my mainstay for years. Even my Harvard Reverb ii by Rivera is great for a SS amp. Still use it to practice.
Thanks Johan,for this video.Tomorrow i gonna pick-up and buy a Fender Princeton Reverb 2 in Rotterdam, first owner and amp/combo is in a clean and original condition.
I'm thinking about changing the original speaker,to Tone Tubby Alnico Red or an Altec 417 and changing the powertubes to RCA 5881.
I gigged with one of these for a few years. The stock speaker in mine was a square magnet Oxford I think. I changed it to a boogie MS-12 and it transformed the amp.
I bought one 5 years ago with a broken speaker for 300€. A little service and tweaking on the clean channel made it sound killer. A celestion heritage G 12 30H 55 hz helps a lot. I retired the lead channel and all the pull knobs. It Is more like a brown-blackface now. Still a nice Fender clean but when you turn it up to the sweet spot about 4-5 and push it with a pedal....it gets marshally...The Reverend would like it...It is loud and tight enough to gig with even with a loud drummer. If I can't use my old Marshalls thats the one to go. Highly recommended. There is good used stuff outside don't buy new crap.
Hi - if I don't have your amp's serial number I'd love to hear from you via my website - in return I will give you an approximate date for it...
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
That has some gain for a Fender Princeton! I wish you would have used a Les Paul or the S.G. for the demo for a fatter sound though...
Yeah, when I brought the Tele I didn’t expect it to be this hot
+1 I’d love to hear a demo with an LP
Indeed I would not associate these tones with a Fender Princeton, but sounds awesome! Not much bottom end thumb, but nice aggressive mids and the treble did not get harsh. Very cool and versatile amp!
That sounds nice. Way gainier than I would normally associate with a Fender. Still sounds like classic Johan. God bless and rock on 😎👍🎸
Thanks J, have a great weekend!
I remember having these in my shop, they can really rip! The Super Champ is an awesome amp too.
Yeah the Rivera Super Champ is a killer amp too. I played it in this video
czcams.com/video/vDKSf8-47bE/video.html
I found a Super Champ in a pawnshop for $100 about seven years ago.
@@joehahn8817 Super Lucky!
I have a Champ ll,love it!
the semi clean tone around 2:00 is one of my favourite tones!
Glad to hear it!
Awesome Johan!!!
Thanks!
And... Rivera era Fender's Prices just went up ;) Killer sounds!
I own a Rivera Quiana, truly a super versatile amp!
Thanks Amit!
Wow, very versatile and probably more agressive than Steve Jones ` s Twin Reverb. Great amp ! Thanx for sharing.
Thanks!
Great Amp. All Riveras are. People dislike them for not being the real deal. I love them. Used to own a Concert II, got my 2nd Super Champ and a PRII. All amps you need :)
Hi - if I don't have your amps' serial numbers I'd love to hear from you via my website - in return I will give you an approximate date for your amps
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
Andrew Waugh Hej Andrew, nice to see you here:) you’re missing my 2nd SC... I sold my refurbished one to get an all-Original. Will send serials later. Cheers👋
@@JoJo-sj6so hey... thanks
Rivera Era amps are the most underrated Fender amps. It's the right moment to grab them now, until they get their recognition, just like silverface Fenders in the 90's - you could get them everywhere for half of nothing.
Yeah, they’re still way under priced
Back several years ago my gig setup was 2 super champs split into stereo by a Cool Cat Chorus. Was like half a super reverb cut in half on steroids 😎
Great amp with nice reverb!
Thanks Henri!
Cool. I just learned that, not only was my 1983 Fender Stratocaster '62 Vintage Reissue designed by Dan Armstrong in the original Fullerton, California plant (which I already knew), but that my 1983 Harvard Reverb II amp was designed by Paul Rivera. I still have them both.
My first ever amp was a late 50s Fender Tweed Princeton (purchase price: CDN$40). Years later I owned, for quite some time, a Rivera R55-112. Great, great amp. I likely never quite did it justice. Would love to have them both back! (In fact ... would like to have ALL the amps back I used to own over the decades ... so throw in a MusicMan RD50-112, and - heaviest of the heavy weights - an Ampeg VT22 2x12.) (Sigh!)
Johan, I used to have a rivera fender super champ. I didn't know at the time that it became a collector's item.
I used to loan it out for my friends bingo games at the church.
Great sounding amp series.
I wonder if the rivera amps nowadays have this type of sound.
Love your take on Gary Moore.
Cheers
Those riffs 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks Jim! :-)
I want to see you playing tru vox pathfinder 15r!
great video as always!
Thanks!
Good sounding amp with nice warm distortion.
Thanks!
nice amp.and top player.
Thanks my friend!
fantastic
Johan - I'd love to hear this amp into one of those Marshall 4X12s of yours. I bet that would sound epic.
Rivera amps are killer. My main thang is an early 80s Fender 75. I know you’ve done a vid on those & what a monster. Mine has the Altec 417-8H Series II Speaker. 👍🏻
That’s a great speaker! Cheers
I love both my Fender Champ 2 amps
Hi - if I don't have your amp's serial number I'd love to hear from you via my website - in return I will give you an approximate date for it...
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
These speakers sound very good!!!
Yeah Eminence from this era are great and a great bang for the buck
Underrated amps. I remember seeing these in music stores collecting dust. People just didn't like them as they were too much of a Jekyll and Hyde amplifier.
Yeah players are often afraid of amps that can be tweaked outside their preferred range
I just bought one of these. My bandmate goes, "Well, shit man, how many different voices does it *have*?" I own three of these "ii", Rivera-era amps now and I truly think they're the hidden gem of the Fender catalogue. If these go for a fortune in 20 years, especially the Deluxe Reverb ii, the Twin Reverb ii, it wouldn't surprise me at all. It feels truly special to have one. A whole grade above the largely agreed upon industry standard.
I have a couple Bassman 20s. Great amps from that period - last of the handmade (not counting Custom Shop).
Yeah Fender kept going with PTP a decade longer than Marshall
drop me a line via my website with the serial numbers and I'll tell you when they were made...
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
Done it a while back.
@@kaarefestvog6540 thank you! best wishes...
You also have to try the Concert Amp from that Rivera era...it's a beast!
First chance!
Uh. Its a Rivera Dumble kind of thing, I like it. Thanks Johan.
I recently jammed with a Fender FM212 but the speaker's I put in it were Peavey Scorpions, 212's.
Cool! Were they bright enough for that amp?
Very good mid and thick bottom end, not a bad tone but I am looking for vintage 30 Celestions.
Riveras are likely one of the most underrated amps. After purchasing / playing through a Rivera knucklehead 55 . I will likely never own another Fender amp. Although I did play through a 1961 blonde Tremolux that was tough to pass on.🤔😆
I’ve got the 2009 pubster 25.
It’s a killer amp from Rivera ,lotta punch for 10” and 25watt
That reverb tank was made not far from me. Never knew about Accutronics. Leave it to technology to learn amp history from thousands of miles away when it is in my backyard. Thanks Johan! 🤘🏻🎸 - Kurt
Cool, I have one of those in my Marshall Artist! Sounds great!
Great! You should also check out the 18w Super Champ from that same Rivera era...👍
Thanks, there is a video on the Super Champ here on the channel actually
I had the Deluxe Reverb 2 from the same era, I never could get the sound I wanted out of it.
Great little sleeper amp! I have a solid state Studio Lead from the Rivera era and it's not a bad amp either.. Killer cleans, great for pedals. However, the OD channel isn't that hot. 👍😅✌️ Tubes are where it's at!
Cool, I used a Studio Lead myself in the 80s.
My.next amp❤❤❤
I have a twin reverb love it
I don't know if they qualify as vintage, but the 1996-2002 Zinky designed Prosonics are total fire breathers. I like the clean tones from that Princeton Reverb II, the overdrive, not as much.
This! I was playing my Prosonic combo today. Johan needs to take one for a spin.
I love the way your talkin" Johan.
;-) That’s Volvo English. Cheers
@@JohanSegeborn Volvo English he says! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Man never stop, you rock!
With gain it sound like a Mxr Disto plus ...🤘🏼
I've owned 3 Super Champs, and my brother owns a rare Princeton Reverb II Super Pro with the hardwood cab, brown faceplate and knobs, and an Electrovoice speaker. I personally liked the Super Champs better.
I'm building a history of these amps and only have serial numbers for 5 or 6 woodies, so if we haven't 'met' already I'd love to hear from you via my website
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
Got one....took it to Ben Fargen of Fargen Amps...you ought to hear it now
LOL what a coincidence. michael nielsen from big hairy guitars also talking about Rivera amp.. and this come up. I didn't know Paul Rivera use to work with fender, until now.
intersting amp... It has a long tail PI like a deluxe reverb instead of the cathodyne PI. It has omitted the tremolo freeing up at least on half of a 12ax7.for more drive.. and it has a mid boost filling out those blackface mid scooped tone for a completely differnet tone. Still hand to hand wired.. a steel if oyu find it for a good price.. yes slightly larger cab and a 12 inch speaker.
You need to check out some Rivera brand amps!
Yeah definitely, I’ve loved all Rivera Fenders I’ve played
Great tone! I was wondering if you are using any pedals or post effects? Also, you are micing just the 12" Fender speaker, close mic and room mic? Love this demo of the amp. Sounds amazing.
ooooooooo this one is delicious. if you can get your hands on a 70s pro reverb, that would be an excellent comparison between dirty fenders
Cool, I’ll keep it in mind!
I remember that you promised to use both Gibson and Fender for any further video ;)
Hahaha! You got me there! ;-) I will try to live up to my lofty promises ;-)
@@JohanSegeborn Actually I will highly appreciate if you could do "Part 2" with Les Paul in Zeppelin style. Very nice sounding amp. Thumbs up.
i have that exact pr II 83 too but mine doesn't have the tilt legs ? killer amp indeed !
Hi Steve - if I don't have your amp's serial number I'd love to hear from you via my website - in return I will give you an approximate date for your amp
www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/PRII_hub.html
YessS some trills!!
Cheers!
I had an '83 Rivera Twin II for a few years. Great amp! Eventually sold it. It was just way too clean and unnecessarily loud for my taste. Someone is enjoying it right now I'm sure.
Awesome Johan! Do you think the current princeton 68 reissue could be modded to get those tones? The dirt on that thing is unbelievable!
Thanks Juan! I don’t know, I think someone discussed the circuit further down in the comments
Parisienne Walkways!! Nice!!
Thanks, I love Gary Moore
Johan Segeborn i hope you can test a Gibson Les Paul Standard + Marshall Guv’nor + Soldano SLO 100 + EVM12L in the future.
Yeah, It’s indeed about time play a Soldano on the channel
Johan Segeborn thank you for all your videos and all your work. 🎸🎸
He made the London Reverb all so
Test the Pre-Rivera ultralinear Fenders. I’ve got a Pro Reverb
I did the Super Twin
I got one that Ben Fargen of Fargen Amps work on....killer
I'd have recommended playing your R9 for this demo. I just don't get along with the sound of a dirty telecaster. The amp is decent but I'd buy something else.
I l7kes it considering it was meant to be a "Beefed-up" princeton with s 12 to compete with the other aggresive combos of the day they did a good job,it will cut through a mix no problem , it's just not the Fender tone we know and are used to. Very well built and it could easily be a good gigging amp. If they knew that 40 years later the basic Princeton would become a classic maybe they would have kept to the original 60s reverb blackface type, they did'nt realise that japanese fx pedals would have a massive effect on the music scene. Most of us want a 60s Princeton bone stock and if necessary build a sound using pedals but I like them as they are...maybe a wah-wha pedal and a fuzz? There is another cool amp which has'nt got stupidly expensive a Champ 12 which is built like a tank and has a 12" speaker and spring reverb not the typical Fender sound but with a graphic pedal it can sound amazing and super clean. Most if these 80s/90s Fenders just need decent valves and a well matched speaker to give them another 40 years of use. All Fender valve amps sound different but all can be made to sound unique. Thanks for shining a light on these hidden gems, and remember to make them sound as awful as poss to keep the prices low. Happy new year.
Brutal = crunch/fuzz tones in this case. Sounds cool though!
Johan, the amp sounds killer! Nice selection of different tones. What's the name of the tune you play at 4:00? Is it something you made up?
Great playing as always! Cheers from Argentina!
Thanks Facundo! That’s Parisienne Walkways by Gary Moore. Cheers from Gothenburg Sweden!
@@JohanSegeborn Thank you!
Not a fan of 6V6’s... they have a splatty sound to them. I’ve always put 6L6’s in them. In my brown Princeton I run Mullard EL37’s. Sounds wonderful! I use a “Premier 90” reverb unit!
I agree 6V6 are usually not this tight
There is a brand new 6v6 tube that can handle the same plate voltage as a 6l6 tube, might have the tone you’re looking for
INFINITYIST! \M/
Hello Johan, big fan. I have two questions: What microphone are you using? And how do you feel about this as compared to Silverface and later Deluxes? Thank you!
Great to hear that! I’m using a Unidyne IV 548 close mic and a Beyerdynamic M160 room mic. The Rivera fenders I’ve played have been more aggressive and versatile than Silverfaces, whereas the Silverfaces have a more typical fender tone. Cheers
@@JohanSegeborn Thanks for your reply! This Rivera amp has to me the classic 80's rock tone. I'm convinced it was used in the studio by some big bands. Excellent as always!
Hi Johan! I have the chance of buying a Deluxe Reverb II with factory Electro Voice speakers, have you ever connected this amp to EV's? Practically the same price as a regular Deluxe which is why I'm so tempted, even though its supposed to weigh almost as much as a twin
Hope for you,you bought it.
One of the neater ones I have seen inside
Yeah nice craftsmanship
🤘
That was brutal, even with a Tele, wonder what an SG or Les paul would have sound like??
Thanks man, yeah the SG would’ve loved it
Can someone provide me with a list of these sleeper amps? I'm just now learning of the Riviera era amps. Had no idea they were still doing hand wired that late in the game!!!!
Hey Johan. You ever try a fender machete?