1954 Fender Princeton Amp
One owner, very good condition
$3,500
I acquired this cool tweed Princeton out of southern California, from the daughter of the deceased original owner, a noted artist and player from Sunset, California.
The amp is 100% functional in very good electronic condition. Pro tech shop Field Services of Phoenix went through the amp completely in May, 2023, confirming that it has its original circuit, transformers, hardware, speaker, cabinet, etc. They replaced one power tube, two capacitors, and the original two-prong power cord (see photo) with a much safer three-prong power cord. I have their notes and receipts.
The amp is in good cosmetic condition, with the control panel showing bright chrome, and no rust. The original carry handle was damaged and mostly missing, so I replaced it with a new leather handle correct for a '54 Princeton. I also replaced the original grille cloth, which had faded, with new after market grille cloth from a Fender amp restoration supplier. I saved the original cloth which comes with the amp.
General & Power Specifications
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Type: All-tube guitar combo amplifier (Wide-Panel Tweed era)
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Output Power: ~4 to 5 Watts (cathode-biased)
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Channels / Inputs: 1 channel with 2 instrument inputs (high/low sensitivity)
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Controls: Volume, Tone (often doubles as an on/off switch on 5D2 models)
Tube Complement
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Power Tube: 6V6
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Rectifier Tube: 5Y3
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Preamp / Phase Inverter Tubes:
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Early 1954 (5B2): Typically uses a 6SC7
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Transitional / Later 1954 (5C2 / 5D2): Often uses a 12AX7 (or 6SC7/12AX7 adapter setups)
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Speaker & Transformers
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Speaker: 8-inch Alnico speaker (Jensen PM series)
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Transformers: Original Triad power and output transformers
Hardware & Physical Dimensions
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Cabinet Material: Finger-jointed solid pine with lacquered tweed covering and oxblood/brown stripe grill cloth
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Dimensions: Approx. 13.5" x 12" x 7.5"
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Weight: Approx. 14 to 20 lbs
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Power Cord: Originally ungrounded 2-prong (updated with a modern 3-prong grounded cord)
This Princeton is very quiet with no electronic issues. Plug in a Strat or Tele and you get a bright clean tone with the amp volume about half way up and tone all the way up. Perfect for funk rhythm and clean country recording. At full volume with a humbucker Les Paul plugged in, the amp breaks up real nice with warm mid-range crunch in the style of early ZZ Top.
Here's an example of the amp used on an instrumental track written for one of my film/TV publishing clients:
