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NAD/Build - Ordered a custom Princeton by Brian Luckhurst (Toronto)

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15K views 45 replies 15 participants last post by  High/Deaf  
#1 · (Edited)
Hey there CGF!

I just put down a deposit on a Princeton point-to-point 1x12 combo made by a guy in Toronto named Brian Luckhurst. I heard about this builder on the Gretsch-Talk forum. I reached out and he got back to me right away. He had one just completed and I went over yesterday to try it out.

WOW! One strum and just WOW!

Cabinet is being made by Derrick Bell, and he has already got it framed up. Going to be wine red taurus and black and tan grill cloth. Sort of along the lines of a Traynor YCV20WR. Note about Derrick Bell. He also got back to me quickly and answered all sorts of annoying questions I had.

Brian's work is clean and his workspace mirrors that too. He uses the original AA1164 schematic. He makes the Princeton's all with 12" Vintage 30s, and in a few power ratings. 12, 22, and 40. I opted for the 22 Watter. He is using Electrohome transformers. He claims they are the best sounding he has heard, and from what I heard myself, he may be right.

His price is awesome. Cheaper than a current Fender made with a flimsy circuit board. Point to point and serviceable. I plan on keeping this beast forever.

If this goes well, I am eyeballing a Moratto Bluesbreaker to cover the Marshall side.

Image
 
#7 ·
That was my feeling going in too, but the V30 sounded so good in his built unit that I didn't want to roll the dice with a different one. The guy that turned me on to Brian suggested an Eminence 1258. Says it is very Jensen like. They are only $80 so I may grab one of them and compare.
 
#9 ·
Definitely subscribing to this thread. I'm super curious to hear your impressions about the amp when it's all done. As for speakers, I can tell you that the Eminence 1258 is a great speaker, along with its 10" counterpart 1058. However, my ears are tuned to British styled speakers like Celestions, and Weber (British series), and I have them in all of my Fender style amps. To my ears, the Princeton sounds best with a Greenback in it, 10" or 12" for that matter.
 
#11 ·
Another thought on speakers for an open-back NVM amp: the Eminence FDM speakers.

I use a Maverick with my DRRI. At 22 watts, it is a little loud for some smaller jams and I find the up to 9 dB of attenuation the speaker allows is the perfect solution for dialing the amp in. Sounds good in that amp, too.
 
#38 ·
Late to the speaker party, but FWIW I’m a big fan of Blues in tweeds. IME they break up better than Jensens & add a little chime to the clean tones.

BF amps may not need any more chime & sparkle, but FWIW I briefly had a Ltd. Edition DRRI with a Cream AlNiCo (90W version of a Blue) that sounded quite nice.
 
#41 ·
Very little info out there about them. Maybe I’ll do a recording and volume balance for the attenuation so all one hears is the shift in eq frequencies. From the charts, it looks like the bass gets attenuated less than the rest, so it may sound darker, but I doubt it is anything the eq can’t really make up for.
 
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