Are Hand Wired Amps Really Better?
I’ve always wondered about the differences between hand wired and non hand wired amps in how they sound and feel, so when Righteous Guitars got their hands on two Fender Princeton Reverbs, one hand wired and the other not I jumped at the chance to shoot them out against each other.
Fender 65 Princeton Reverb Non Hand Wired (affiliate link)
https://imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794166/11319?prodsku=PrinceRev65&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FPrinceRev65–fender-65-princeton-reverb-1×10-inch-15-watt-tube-combo-amp&intsrc=PUI1_5713
Fender 64 Princeton Reverb Hand Wired (affiliate link)
https://imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794166/11319?prodsku=PrinceRev64&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sweetwater.com%2Fstore%2Fdetail%2FPrinceRev64–fender-64-princeton-reverb-1×10-inch-12-watt-tube-combo-amp&intsrc=PUI1_5713
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#Hand #Wired #Amps
Originally posted by UCCJ56k8nBeqWLoxNa6DToAQ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHrwITnvFfY
Are you a hand wired amp player?
Thank you!
Are you playing
“All your love”
By magic sam!?!?!?!?!?
You can hear the handwired is letting more frequencies through the printed 9:19 one sounds great but the hand wired definetly has more juice.
That 60hz hum ruins it for me.
I CAN'T STAND how they call a brand new amp a "1964 amp" when it's not. This is gonna cause SO MUCH confusion later down the line when someone has a REAL 1964 fender deluxe. If anything the handwired amp should be the one called the "1964 reissue" and the other one a "1964 replica" like fender did when they orginally started their reissue trend back in the 90's. Calling it this indicates it is a modern amp that is made to 1964 specifications, and the other is made to replicate the appearance of the orginal,but wired in modern specs
Both sound great. Non-hand wired is cleaner, hand-wired is darker but also seems like it has more ass. Repairability and durability are the big advantage to hand-wired.
“I am horrified by the idea of a world where the Poor can afford to make art and music.” -P.T. Barnum
The circuits and speakers are vastly different, that alone accounts for much of the sound difference. Hand wiring costs more to do, its sturdier and easier to fix…meh.. maybe, I would rather troubleshoot the PCB, look at the huge solder points on the other, unsolder 10 leads to remove one. However you probably would not need to repair it, its so well built. Take the exact same circuits, hand wired vs PCB, with the exact same components, you won't hear a difference. PCBs have traces running close to each other, that could introduce some unwanted capacitance.
Hand wired, gorgeous midrange, better in all aspects, robust, reliable, better components! Does the price difference justify the difference in sound? The better question, what is your sound worth?
As soon as you move a microphone, all bets are off. I'm sure there was no intention to deceive or anything, but if you move a mic even 1/8", you're getting a totally different sound. I'm sure the hand wired sounds lovely, but I have no doubt the printed board amp can sound just as good, paired with a nice speaker and mic'd up properly.
The "hand wiring" is not where the "better comes from" sound wise. The differences in circuits, components, and speakers make the sound differences.
I just don't get these kinds of tests I really can't tell the difference if there is one tell me
don't confuse "hand wired" with "point to point." they are not the same. hand wired is done from a turret board. fender, specifically, "hand wired" amps are not up to the standard of the old PTP wiring. very little workmanship. it's just a bunch of connections to a turret board. true artistry is PTP with ultra-quality components. fender uses, at best, mid-range components in the HW amps. lots of issues with these. i had a HW FDR black face, and sold it a month after purchasing. it just didn't make the grade for the price.
What we mainly hear is the difference between an Alnico Jensen and a Ceramic Jensen. That takes the majority of the sound
This video, at least, shows a distinct difference between the handwired and non handwired imo. It's like the difference between an American Strat and the cheap range Squire…both sound great through a good amp and speaker, but the American Strat sounds more nuanced and 'premium' (we have both plus a Squire Mini…all fine but don't stand up to the American Strat).The alnico speaker swapout would certainly result in a good, affordable pub gigger as you say. Would definitely save the extra pennies though, personally.
The biggest thing you're paying for on the $3k handwired Princeton is the labor cost for handwiring the amp.
The hand wired amps are brighter, maybe a little more organic in my opinion. But with that said, I would be pleased with either.
The speaker is the difference to my ears. When you linked up the PCB amp to that Alnico speaker it came to life. 95% of the tone is the speaker to me.
Hand wired is just easier to repair or modify. And in some cases, more reliable, depending on the design.
Would a handwired guitar sound better paired with a handwired amp?
They both sound great to me. However, I would buy the 12” Princeton with the alnico speaker instead.
Honestly the HW PR isn’t worth the money. They cut a bunch of corners for such an expensive amp.
Hand wired with high end components will blow the stock Fender offerings away. Not even worth discussing.
Is Rhett holding up a stage couch?
Why was this test done? They are different in several ways.
Spend more time and energy on becoming a badass guitarist, and then a Peavey Bandit will do. These boutique amp companies don't deserve to control you.
The amp matters a little bit.
A good repairman can swap a pcb as fast as fix a point to point soooo
They need to take down these stupid face dipper videos, as soon as I see a face dipper I click do not recommend channel
Hands Down, Go Hand Wired!
I don't think it's as much about tone, as it is having a more reliable and serviceable amplifier that will last the test of time like all of the vintage amps we do so covet.
Without a doubt I'm clear in my mind that the hand wired Princeton was an altogether more satisfying proposition. You can build a kitchen out of chipboard or you can use birch ply. Once they have their finish applied they will look pretty much the same. How both perform over time however will be very different. Also kitchen cupboards primary function isn't to make sound! The investment is divergent. Trust, long term means something. I was distracted by other duties when playing Rhetts video so came to the comparisons without knowing which was which. No confirmation bias, I just used my ears. I wont get into the semantics of the components, there are others more educated than me I know. Perhaps the fierce pursuit amongst amp builders to replicate the old school analogue over the past twenty years plus is an indication about how the old tech works, why it works in terms of physics and how good it sounds and all of this was driven by players emotional connection with their sound as well as motivation amongst the builders of amps to reach to capture something special. In short, the hand wired 64' sounded more coherent to me across the frequency range with much less bite in the upper band. The low end resolved better and single notes sounded 'less jumpy' in transition. The 64' to me sounded and felt like a more comfortable chair to sit in if that makes sense. Thanks to Rhett for making the best comparison on the web. In the end I am still headed in the direction of a Swart AST but will, on the basis of this comparison try a Princeton 64'. We will all doubtless follow our own intuition when choosing an amp but the questioning has to end when we feel like we've come home, thats a love thing- just buy the amp and be done with it .
Where would the Fender Rivera fit in this line-up? Is it better than the hand wired?
Safety brief
..guys dont take microwaves apart either
Great video! I prefer the non hardwired one, more clarity and airy sound!