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Description
This pack contains captures of a rebuilt ‘68 Custom Prince of Tones Reverb amp. One of the great amps for small gigs and studio use with it’s rich, three-dimensional tone.
Superb for a cranked-amp sound in a small space.
They sound bigger than they are which is what makes them work well for recording and performing in smaller spaces.
This amp was rebuilt using boutique quality capacitors, making it 5-10% better than the already-great stock version.
The downloadable profiles have been painstakingly created to fully embody the essence of this iconic amplifier. Choose from ToneX, QuadCortex and Kemper.
Simply download and install on your chosen profile type for the classic sound.
Tim Bower (verified owner) –
I tried the Princeton Quad Cortex captures a few days after the Astoria. If the Marshall felt like a comfortable pair of worn-in jeans, the Princeton felt like a freshly ironed shirt with the buttons done up. There is a precision, immediacy and ‘spank’ in the Princeton that contrasts with the texture of the Marshall.
When playing through the Princeton on the lower gain captures I found myself gravitating to the ‘in-between’ tones (positions 2 and 4 on a strat, and middle on a tele or 335). The tight, percussive chirp brings out the best of those slightly hollow, more sparkly positions – to the point that this will probably be the amp I turn to when I want those classic ‘strat quack’ tones.
The single pickup positions sound good, but aren’t as exceptional to my ears.
Without a pick, the bright, sparkly spank and percussive attack played really nicely with Mark Knopfler style licks. With my fingers, the single pickup positions did feel more special as they brought the clarity I often miss with my nail-bitten fingers. I also found that pickup positions I rarely use, like all three pickups on a strat (with a mod) became something I am likely to turn to a little more often as the brightness brings a sweetness to what could otherwise be muddy.
With the higher gain captures, my guitar preferences were different. The strat, with bright 50s style pickups, started to sound a little too harsh – usable, but not ideal. My tele, on the other hand, had a huge throaty drive tone with unexpected authority when I rolled the tone rolled back. The 335 was well into overdriven mayhem – lots of fun on the bridge with the tone rolled back. The neck pickup of the 335 was too flubby for most things in the lowest octave, but howling for single note lead lines further up the neck.
Something I have noticed with the Aphek captures is that I have been enjoying playing them with a very simple signal chain – just the capture with subtle reverb and a hint of delay at the end of the chain. I don’t know if the reduced processing is playing a role in me enjoying them so much, or whether the quality of the captures is enabling me to use less processing. It is quite possibly both. I’m thinking it may be a little like a steak: when I find myself reaching for the sauce that can be a sign that I don’t have the best cut of meat. When I find myself content with a little salt and pepper, I know I am onto something good.
I’m interested to hear what other reviewers have to say to see if others are hearing the same things.
Mike Smith (verified owner) –
Wow, what an amp. Talk about killer tone. I get why studio players love these so much. Like high class Tweed. I’ve tried Princetons in other guys sample packs and never saw the fuss until now. I am fan boying about all these packs. They really are in a class of their own. Thank you so much. I had been thinking of selling my Kemper, but you taken the tones to a whole new level.