1966 Fender Princeton (black face)

[quarlo]

Does anyone know if there is any advantage/disadvantage/harm to driving both input channels of one of these old tube amps simultaneously from a stereo source (Vox ToneLabSE)? Sorry if it's a stupid question - consider the source, I guess.

Thanks!

Q

[paully]

Originally Posted by quarlo

... if there is any advantage/disadvantage/harm to driving both input channels of one of these old tube amps simultaneously from a stereo source (Vox ToneLabSE)?...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nope, but there's a couple of disadvantages. You're adding a (relatively) hot output to another preamp input(s), which are trully NON-HIFI, probably making the final sound worse. Also, it goes without saying that you'll end up with a mono mix, which may cause frequency cancellations that further degrade the sound. Get a cheap, or not so cheap set of powered monitors instead.

Best, Paul

[quarlo]

I really appreciate the informative reply - it helps a lot. I love the Princeton and my collection of vintage stomp boxes, but the Vox unit was just too slick to resist. I guess the old dog will have to learn some new tricks (and shell out some more dough!). Thanks again!

[evilgrill]

no harm but if it sounds good it is good.

[softwareguy]

I haven't played through one of these in a while, although I remember it sounding completely amazing. Just checked up on it in the Fender Amp Field Guide to remind myself. Although the inputs are labeled 1 & 2, I'm pretty sure they're high impedance and low impedance like everything else Fender did during that time period. You're not going to get as good a sound out of the low impedance input and, in any case, both inputs are sharing the same input tube, so it's not like you have an extra gain circuit to drive the power tubes harder.

If your box has a mono out, this will probably work the best. However, Evilgrill has made the single truest statement that can be found on this topic. Try it both ways. If it sounds good, it is good.

Let us know what happens!

[quarlo]

I thought I sent a reply a few days ago, but I guess it never made it. I'm not getting older, I'm getting slower and fatter and more forgetful ...

My original reason for asking the question was due to the muddy and indistinct sound quality that I got when I plugged my new toy (Vox ToneLabSE) into my (usually) wonderful little Princeton. The amp was modded by an electronics wizard back in the day and puts out more sweet tube-driven sound than any 18W amp has a right to. Plugged in the slick new Vox unit and it was instant mud. No amount of EQ/level/parameter adjustment on either end of the chain would improve it.

Not wanting to plug things in blindly and risk harming my poor baby, I posted here. After trying the various combinations (as suggested by the kind replies) I came to the conclusion that Paul had it nailed - the ToneLabSE's output was just too hot for the Princeton. My despair turned to overwhelming joy when I routed the Vox to the stereo Line Ins on my Roland KC550 KB amp. Voila! Between the Modern Eagle, the Vox and the KC550, I have a seemingly infinite variety of sweet, grungy, clean, dirty, sparse, soaring tones that will keep me off the streets for ... ever. The Roland may not be the ultimate answer, but it's keeping me *very* happy for now!

Thank you again for all of your kind assistance!!

Q

[max cooper]

The other issue is that amp modelers are usually modeling an amp (and preamp) plus speaker cab, and sometimes a microphone too, as if you mic'd an amp.

So if you plug that into a guitar amp, it's like running your guitar into a preamp/amp, then to the speaker, then micing that and running that into a guitar amp and out thru it's speaker.