Gear Reviews

Princeton 112 Plus

Guitar Amplifier

Fender

Any hobbyist or pro- musician that plays geetar is always looking for an amp that doesn’t weigh a gazillion pounds yet sounds great. And what great all-American company could possibly provide us with this convenience? Enter the Fender Princeton 112 Plus. The 112 Plus combo is an all-in-one 65-watt two channel guitar amplifier. Channel one is the clean side of the amp. It features a volume control and bass and treble tone knobs. Channel two is the dirty channel with a gain knob (this increases the amount of the distortion), contour, treble, and bass tone knobs, and a volume knob. There is also a reverb knob. The 112 also has a headphone jack that will provide a signal to both sides of your headphones with sound (older models had a single “mono” jack that would only allow you to hear on one side of the headphones). There is a preamp out that acts as a send for an effects loop and a power amp in to return signal, thus completing the loop. The foot switch jack (foot switch optional) switches back and forth between the two channels and also defeats the reverb.

And now, for the punch line. This amp rocks. For 64 watts into a 12” speaker, this is one of the smoothest sounds amps heard in a while. The clean channel is like a brook in a mountain. There are very little artifacts. There must be a maid living in this channel. The dirty channel, however, faithfully reproduces that classic American sound with a very natural, warm-sounding distortion. At low volumes or high volumes, the amp consistently produced a nice sound. Fender has included a contour knob which shapes the mid-range. The lower numbers emphasize the mids, while higher settings notch out (remove or decrease) the mids, producing a more crunchy sound. Weighing in at only 28 lbs., the Fender Princeton 112 Plus is the Champion of all combos. Retailing for only $370.00 (seen for as little as $270.00) the 112 is a true workhorse with a distinct but true sound. http://www.fender.com


Recently on Ink 19...

Swans

Swans

Event Reviews

40 years on, Michael Gira and Swans continue to bring a ritualistic experience that needs to be heard in order to be believed. Featured photo by Reese Cann.

Eclipse 2024

Eclipse 2024

Features

The biggest astronomical event of the decade coincides with a long overdue trip to Austin, Texas.

Sun Ra

Sun Ra

Music Reviews

At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976/1977 (Jazz Detective). Review by Bob Pomeroy.