FOOTSWITCH
INFO(the slogan in the photo contained an element of hyperbole)
Survey - please help?
(Oct 07 - still collecting data! Sometimes
people email me asking if I'm still doing this, so I thought I'd add
this note just to say, yes, gimme what you got. Thanks....)
Additions, comments and
corrections welcome! If you can see
anything wrong here, if you’d like to add something, if you’d like to
suggest a link, or if you’ve produced
a relevant page and would like me to link it, then please
email me at
SPAMDEFEATaawaugh@btinternet.com
The
centrepieces of this
site are my write-ups of....
how to
make a footswitch (really
not difficult; an entry-level, kitchen-table type of electronics
project),and where to buy one ready-made
and
how to adjust
the bias on the output valves
(tubes). You must do this (or pay someone to do it) or at least
make some checks, when you
replace the power valves. Everywhere you look, people will tell you
this is a must, and they're not kidding; I would have fried some
expensive new valves if I hadn't rebiased them. No-one seemed to have
any rebiasing info specifically on this amp, so eventually I did my
own. I hope it proves useful. It's had some helpful critique, and
changes have been made (including a write-up of some of my own
practical mistakes),
but I'm always grateful for more feedback. No,
not that kind; when I want that, I just stomp on the
compressor on my pedalboard...
Pages in this site;
Frequently
Asked Questions including
sources for an amp cover that fits.
Schematic/Circuit
diagram for this amp
as a .gif file (not very clear, see the next link for better image)
NEW Apr 04 nice clear
.pdf images (requires
Acrobat Reader) of the schematics
of most of the Rivera-era Fender range - big thanks to Mark
Carson. They're about 1 or 2 Mb, and if you ask for more than
two in
rapid succession you may get Geocities' warning that there's been too
much traffic on this site in the past hour and please come back later!
If that happens, get the same thing from
http://www.tonezoneonline.com/schematics.htm
because Mike at Tonezone has kindly offered to co-host these schematics
- his hosting has much better traffic capabiilities (in addition to
offering Fender parts for sale and being an authorised Fender Tech
Service).
Thanks Mike.
Rebiasing the output valves/tubes
Description of each valve's (tube's) role
Modifications
you could do. One of
these mods deals with the single most common failure mode. Credit for
that belongs to Edinburgh(UK) - based amp tech, who used to use the
alias "Unquiet" on the Fender
Discussion Page. On the subject of mods, if you've found something
you'd like to share, email me.
Dating and numbers; a work in progress on how many were made, and when. For trainspotters only.
Extracts from 1983 catalogue (1.2Mb)
Article
on Rivera-Era Amps from Guitar
Shop Magazine, Jan 1998, looking back at this range of amps. Thank you,
Bob F, for sending me this. Includes a tribute to designer Ed
Jahns and a photo of his
signature on the factory prototype PRII on 2/2/82. You lucky people. New Feb 08, also on this page;
Review of the PRII in UK magazine Guitarist from Sepember 1984;
big thanks to Gordon Trunkfield for sending this in.
Fender magazine
advert from the year
this amp was launched
Owner's Manual (about 2Mb) ... this amp is so simple and intuitive to use, the manual's almost a waste of paper. I doubt it's going to tell you anything new. But hey, I was curious to see it, and former PRII-owner Curtis was kind enough to get it scanned in, so here you are.
Speaker Options Some folks rave about the results when they fit an alternative speaker. Can you add to this page for me?
Picture
Gallery .... a work in progress. SEE
a new-in-box PRII for sale in April 05! SEE a wood-finish PRII,
one of a limited edition from the factory!
Links I've found helpful;
The Fender Field Guide has (Sep 08) been taken over by www.mojotone.com. It was clearly a labour of love by its originator, Mark of Ampwares. I don't know why it needed to be handed on, but hats off to Mojo for stopping a good thing dying. The navigation around the site is under review but you will probably find a way of going backwards, one amp at a time, right to the genesis of the Princeton range in the 50s (4 watts!). All the earlier Princetons were developments of each other, whereas the PRII was a complete redesign. I get the impression that Princetons, with or without reverb, are regarded as classics, but the PRII itself isn't. Indeed, it may never achieve that status because of its solid-state rectifier. (All previous Princetons have valve/tube rectifiers, with the resultant 'sag' which many guitarists seek) The Guide doesn't show any Princetons more recent than the PRII (eg they don't list the Princeton 65 or 112); those are all solid state. I had one, and it's OK of its kind, but I think we can safely say it will never be a classic. July 06 - I was playing in a friend's church and they lent me a 2x10 Princeton Chorus 'red knob'. I believe this was the amp which took on the Princeton name immediately after the PRII. Again, no continuity at all, either with the the PRII or with any previous Princeton.http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data/Fender/Princeton_Reverb_II-01.html
is a discussion board with reviews by owners.
Some useful tips.
http://www.svvintageamps.com
is
South Valley Vintage Amps in Gilroy, California, USA. He does parts
(speakers etc) as well as amp servicing. Scott Kinkel,
proprietor, is an incredibly helpful guy and and I am a very satisfied
customer.
-------------------------------------------------
I only know of three other
'single amp' webites and they are.....
http://superchamp.dk
is a 'single
amp' site, nicely designed, full
of useful info about the Fender Super Champ - the little brother to the
PRII.
http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/
is another 'single amp' website, with even cooler design, dedicated to
the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, but full of info of general interest. Every
modern
amp should have a site devoted to it like this one. Under
"technical links --> amplifier stuff --> huge list of amp links"
there's, well, a huge list of amp links. I mean, huge. This is
not a small list of amp links. We're talking about the upper end of
bigness here. Nice one, Justin. I suspect this page won't last forever
if Justin is a past student of the University that hosts his site, so
if you're a HRD owner you might want to grab what you want before it's
taken down.
The Fender
Blues Junior is championed by Bill Machrone. Also check out his
homemade guitar, the Formicaster. Wonderful.
---------------------------------------------
For another extraordinary list of
guitar and amp links see
http://home.pi.be/~pin00958/amp_links.htm
which is maintained by JeanMarie Herman in Belgium.
http://www.fenderforum.com/forum.html
is a range of discussion boards; the BEST in
my opinion; frequented by helpful and encouraging people, and
carefully moderated, so disagreements don't get out of hand.
http://pub58.ezboard.com/bampworkshop is another amp discussion board. Its moderator provided some helpful comments on my site, so there's another reason to provide this link.
http://www.watfordvalves.com/ is a brilliant site built by a UK valve (tube) supplier. Articles, tech tips, and reviews for sound quality of valves from different manufacturers. There's a lot of hearsay and third-hand rumour about valves on the web. This site is written by the man who works the testgear, AND he's a guitarist. One of the amps he uses as a testbed is... a PRII.
http://home.rochester.rr.com/piazza/AudioTubes/6v6gta.html
shows the specification and pin-out of the output (power) valves used
in the Princeton Reverb II.
http://www.duncanamps.com/technical/lvbias.html
Lord Valve explains valve (tube) biasing in general. Clear as crystal.
All hail Lord Valve.
http://www.guitar.com/columns/viewcolumn.asp?columnID=11
More general stuff about valve replacement.
http://www.geofex.com/ for general stuff about valve (tube) tube amps; faq; a useful valve amp debugging page.
Some folks play around with the
component values associated with the
tone controls (the tone stack) - any revelations you'd like to share? I
haven't done this yet, but there's this cool free software download
called the Duncan
Tone Stack Calculator which graphs the frequency response as you
play with component values. If you change c1 ( c1 on the
diagram within the software, not on the PRII schematic) to 27n (27
nanofarads, 0.027microfarads) you can simulate what
happens when you pull the PRII mid boost switch. You lucky people.
http://www.geocities.com/trevormidgley/FenderCollectors.html
http://www.geocities.com/trevormidgley/LeosLegacy.html
...a couple of useful pages for all things Fender by UK fan Trevor
Midgley.
http://www.wycliffe-church.org.uk
My local church's
website; I became a Christian when I was 19 (i.e. a long time ago) and
God has been consistently faithful and good to me. OK, it isn't directly
about the PRII... but 100 years from now, the fact that Jesus found me
will matter more than which amplifier I used!
http://www.analogman.com/singblues.htm again, isn't about the PRII but it was recommended to me by PRII owner Jason S. in Milwaukee, USA, and it is funny.
Affiliation
(or lack of it)
It hardly needs saying, but I am in no way
associated with Fender or any of the other esteemed companies mentioned
in this website.
Trademarks
All trademarks and copyrights are acknowledged –
Fender, their amp model names, their schematics, their advertising copy
and photos, Paul Rivera, Celestion, Jensen, Eminence, EV, Velcro, Head
and Shoulders, and any others I've missed.
Safety /
Damage Disclaimer
Valve (tube) amps develop LETHAL VOLTAGES while
running, and store them in charged components EVEN WHILE SWITCHED OFF
AND DISCONNECTED FROM OUTLET / MAINS SUPPLY. These voltages are MUCH
HIGHER than
mains, and higher than anything you’ll find
inside a transistorized amp. If this scares you, good. Inside a
chassis, don’t use your fingers to touch anything which isn’t insulated
or earthed (grounded). Don’t stick more than one hand in at a time, and
keep the other hand well away. NEVER
ever work inside a live amp while holding a connected guitar. Use
insulated fine-nose pliers to manipulate components. If you’re
not sure what you’re doing, get local help.
The details in this whole site are believed accurate but you act on them at your own risk. I have to disclaim any responsibility for injury, damage, loss of value or loss of gig due to inoperative equipment. Opinions are those of the contributors. A lot of amp-speak is highly subjective and your opinion of reported 'improvements' may differ.
SPAMDEFEATaawaugh@btinternet.com
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