Big fan of Vox amps that crunch and with which you have to learn to play on an amp that constantly goes out of control, I initially find myself with a Fender with a clean sound that doesn't know saturation. Not even a little crunch? But this sound is absolutely huge!!! Punchy bass (the tubes) and very (very very...) deep. At first, I had to lower the guitar pickups and especially the bass to rebalance the sound. The bass was too deep!!!!
Once the pickups were adjusted, I finally discover the device and its character. A plug & play efficiency: the treble and bass knobs are both very expressive and super easy to adjust instinctively. The sound is the same regardless of the volume (which you don't push too much otherwise it quickly goes into watt overkill). Same for the super pretty reverb that adds a kind of very long sustain and a very precise and fearsomely present tremolo. No crackling or clicking of the tremolo contrary to what I read in some reviews.
Then, I turn up the volume and everything reveals itself between 4 and 5. It rises very quickly and it's a festival of grain and brilliance. This is the volume at which this amp should be played (Even if the sound is very faithful at low levels, it is made to play live and must deliver all its power and its magnificent crystalline tones). Note that I had previously tested the Deluxe model with a 12-inch and quickly gave up because to get a bit of drive out of it, you have to turn the volume up to a point that you'll end up at the speech therapist before hearing the crunch. The Princeton 10-inch, on the other hand, gives more than enough watts to make your band members complain "the guitarist plays too loud" (Weaklings).
For pedals, it's even more amazing: You plug in directly on the front, no special effects circuit and yet... Something incredible happens: The effects "color as desired" but your guitar's sound keeps its personality (really). The sound remains pure and the effect doesn't crush anything: the wood, the pickups, the grain, the guitar's sustain is perfectly preserved and recognizable. I've never heard that on any other amp? It's great. And the more effects you add, even if you stack boost, fuzz, equalizer pedals..., you feel that the amp handles everything, distorts nothing and still has enough power to ask for more. It's amazing.
A super simple, faithful, precise, versatile amp and above all a big caliber!!!
Certified
Posted on 21 May 2021
By Philippe R.
Very good amplifier, the bass is very powerful and the treble very well defined. It delivers a very warm sound. The reverb is a bit limited I find and especially gives quite a bit of hiss at the level. The vibrato is superb.
Certified
Posted on 21 Nov 2015
By Frederic A.