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Fender Princeton Chorus Guitar Amplifier        by Mike Cox       June 20, 2000     

It’s been over 50 years since Fender began its operations. Since then, they’ve managed to build a reputation as an industry leader and have achieved legendary status is the world of music. Although probably best known for their guitars, most notably the Telecaster and Stratocaster, Fender also offers an excellent line of quality guitar and bass amplifiers. Today, for Music Gear Review, I’m focusing on one of my very favorite, midsize guitar amps, the Fender Princeton Stereo Chorus.

First let’s get to the performance aspects of this amp. I have to say, this 50 watt Fender can hold it’s own. I’ve played it at all levels and although I think it sounds best at a mid range volume (or slightly higher), it is actually capable of getting rather loud without breaking up, crackling, or hissing. However, if you’re a "gigging" musician, and often find yourself playing venues where you really have to crank it out, (and especially if you have a heavy-handed drummer), you may find this amp just doesn’t have the "pop" you need. It gets loud, but in a big room, with some seriously hard-hitting drums, and everyone else turned up, I’ve found that it just doesn’t have the power to compete. It seems better suited for if you’re just doing smaller venue shows, that "garage band thing," or if you’re just looking for a great practice amp. Maybe this scenario rings a bell… You have a large cabinet system as your primary gear for playing out, to avoid lugging it around you want to start leaving it at the bands practice site. Only problem is you want to be able to play at home too, but still be able to get a great sound. Well, that sounds like a job for the Fender Princeton Chorus.

Now you’re probably asking "Okay, so how does this thing sound?" Well, to put it simply, I love almost every aspect of how this amp sounds, but what really stands out to me is the clean channel. With it’s individual Treble, Mid, and Bass controls, it’s easy to make adjustments to find that perfect overall tone you’re looking for. Once you have that, it’s time to add some of the built-in effects that this amp features. The Reverb and Chorus effects really offer you the opportunity to tweak your sound. By working with varying levels of Rate and Depth (the 2 Chorus controls) and adding in different levels of reverb, there’s a great chance you’ll be able to come up with that nice, full, clean sound you’re looking for. Since getting the Princeton Chorus, I’ve jammed with a lot of different people, and every one of them has been in agreement that this little amp can create some beautiful, clean sounds.

The Princeton Chorus also comes with a second channel to provide distortion. Now I’ve read and heard several varying opinions from people as to how they feel about this feature, and my thoughts are this. It basically depends on what you’re looking for as to how you’ll feel about this amps distortion capabilities. If you’re looking for that balls to the wall, level a city block with one chord, "I am the Metal God!" type of distortion, then you probably won’t be quite satisfied with what you get standard from this amp. The built in distortion is more along the lines of a "fuzz" than a "heavy crunch." They key is to experiment with the options available. If you do, chances are you’ll find something you like. I’ve messed around with a lot of different Gain/Limiter/Presence settings on this amp and have even included a touch of Chorus and Reverb, and I’ve actually come up with a thick, distorted sound I really like. Of course that’s not a guarantee you will be able to do the same, but if not, all is not lost either. Don’t pass up the great clean sounds this amp can produce strictly because the distortion may lack the specific punch you’re looking for. Remember you’ve got a great clean channel to work with! So try running the right stomp box or an effects processor like the Zoom505 or POD 2.0 from Line6   through that clean channel and I’m sure you’ll be able to generate the distortion style to suit your taste.

This amp sports a classic Fender look with its hard, black, shell and its thick, silver/gray, mesh, front speaker cover. The knobs are hard, black, plastic but very sturdy, and it comes standard with a footswitch for the convenient switching of channels on the amp.

Here are the specs:

2 x 25W RMS, two 10" speakers. Features: Channel 1; Volume, Channel 2; Gain, Mid boost, Limiter, Presence, Treble, Mid, Bass, Stereo Chorus, Reverb, Mono/Stereo Effects Loops, two-button footswitch. Weight: 48 lbs. Size: 17.5"high x 22.5" wide x 10.5"deep.

 

Bottom Line:

The Fender Princeton Chorus is a well-made, versatile, durable, amp. Although I don’t feel it has enough power to be used in a venue of much size, it’s more than adequate for a small stage gig, garage band jams, or as a reliable practice amp. In fact it’s one of the mainstays in my arsenal of equipment for those types of playing situations. Over time I’ve found that with some tweaking and control adjustments, the distortion channel is more than satisfactory, and that this amp has the ability to produce some truly incredible clean sounds. I really feel it has one of the best clean channels I’ve ever had the chance to play through. The Princeton Stereo Chorus has a Manufacturers List Price of $599.99, but as you may assume, if you do some shopping, you’ll be able to find it for reasonably less. Once again Fender has seen fit to make yet another valuable contribution to the guitar playing population of the world. To Fender I say, "Thanks… Again!"

Learn more about it here!

Fender Princeton Chorus

 

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