ARTIST SIGNATURE SPECS: ’62 PRINCETON AMP CHRIS STAPLETON EDITION

For more than two decades, the Kentucky-born country and bluegrass artist Chris Stapleton has been thrilling audiences with his tales of wild love, whiskey-soaked nights and the hardships of the highway. Taking inspiration from legends ranging from Otis Redding to Waylon Jennings, Stapleton first cut his teeth as a songwriter for Nashville stalwarts like Kenny Chesney and George Strait, before launching his solo career with the 2015 LP Traveler. The massive commercial and critical success of that record led to it being named Country Music Association’s Album of the Year, with Stapleton also taking home awards for best male vocalist and best new artist. Known for his smoky tenor and soulful guitar playing, Stapleton has gone on to win eleven Grammys® and collaborate with artists ranging from Justin Timberlake to Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers to Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, amongst many others. Like Dwight Yoakam and David Allan Coe before him, Stapleton is a crucial link in the hallowed chain of the country music tradition: a contemporary hitmaker with a genuine throwback sensibility. Some say they don’t make ‘em like they used to. Well, they haven’t heard Chris Stapleton.

One of the most exciting aspects of Chris Stapleton’s songcraft is his unique guitar voice and tone, which he discovered while playing through a classic Fender brown Princeton amp. So when we partnered with him to construct his signature model, we worked diligently to recreate an early 60s hand-wired tube amp, from the cabinetry to the circuitry. In addition, we included a few special touches at Chris’ request to help make this ’62 Princeton as singular as the artist himself. It’s the perfect pairing to his preferred Jazzmaster, but it sounds great with any guitar and can handle every style of music, be it country, rock, blues or jazz. Let’s dive into the specs of this versatile model, inspired by one of the best players in the game.

HAND-WIRED CIRCUITRY:

Just like the iconic Fender amps of the 50s and 60s, this model features a classic 6G2 circuit and eyelet board construction that is hand-wired by our builders in Corona, CA.

BROWN PRINCETON AMP:

This faithful recreation of our famous brown ‘62 Princeton provides the sparkling cleans, rich overdrive and organic tremolo that is beloved by players who know and appreciate unique tones.

12” SPECIAL DESIGN SPEAKER:

While original 60s Princeton amps came with lightly-powered 10” speakers, we partnered with Eminence® to provide a 12” Special Design CS speaker for this signature model. This upgrade allows for a fuller sound and helps deliver versatile tone and performance that runs the gamut from clean to mean.

TUBE-BIASED TREMOLO:

This signature model includes a vintage-style tube-biased tremolo circuit, a feature coveted by many guitarists for the rich, pulsating vibration it adds when they’re playing. The intensity knob allows you to dial in tremolo effects that range from subtle to stupendous and are easily added by just hitting the 1-button footswitch, which comes included with the amp.

SOLID PINE CABINET:

The amp’s solid pine cabinet – a hallmark of Fender amp construction in the 50s and 60s – provides old school authenticity and deeper sonic resonance.

OTHER FEATURES:

This meticulously-designed 12W combo also includes Fender Vintage “Blue” tone caps, Schumacher™ transformers, a rough brown textured vinyl covering, wheat grille cloth, a thick dark brown leather handle and a dark brown control panel with dark brown “radio” knobs to match. The rear panel also has an engraved brass plate with Chris Stapleton’s signature and a non-functional polarity switch that was specially requested by the artist in order to make this modern amp look exactly like the one it was modeled after. It also comes with a retro-styled Filson™ Rugged Twill fabric cover to help protect it from the rigors of the road.

Learn more about Chris Stapleton’s signature ’62 Princeton amp, find out how to dial in his sound and pick one up for yourself here.