Potential 5e3 kit build. Questions for those who know

Fellow tdpri'ers,
I think I'm over my Vox stage in life. To replace it, I want to use the proceeds to buy a 5e3 kit to assemble. It's basically the only way I can afford something hand wired with quality components, and I want to try out the tweed sound.

I'm thinking of going with the Weber kit. How does it compare with other 5e3 kits out there? Seems really nice with the speaker and cab.

A few questions on building though. What tools do I need beyond a voltmeter, solder gun (100w), dykes, and wire stripper? Would poly-coated wire be easier to work with? Cloth wire was a pain when I modded my tele. What advice would you give to a first time builder with a kit?

I know it has probably been discussed ad-nauseum about these kits, but I'm hoping that recent and experience builders will chime in with some recent experiences. Thanks!

I can't offer much on the Weber kit as I have never built one. I went with the Trinity kit. If you go with the Weber kit, I recommend getting everything you need from them. Getting a cab and speaker from other places means you spend more on freight.

For advice: Take your time. Ask lots of questions on here and be sure to start a thread with photos as you progress. We love to see them, plus plenty of good folks on here will offer good help. If you want to learn about the goings-on in an amp, I recommend some reading first. Building a kit can be likened to putting together a puzzle. You can do it and still have a very limited understanding of how it all works. Depends what you want to get out the experience.

Thanks Keith. I'll be sure to update as things go when I start. What tools did you use for your clone? Anything more than what I listed in the OP?

PS I'm ready this web-book. Not the most tech heavy read but seems to provide a good glimpse at what I'm trying to accomplish with the build. That is, a quality amp and an understanding of how to create music with electric guitars.

http://www.guitarstudio.tv/documents/Designing-V-T-Amplifiers.pdf

I can't remember all the tools I used. From what I can recall:
Philips screw driver. Multi-bit is great.
Adjustable wrench
Slot and needle nose pliers
Soldering gun & solder
Wire Strippers. I had an auto adjusting set. Not required but nice, as seen here:
http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/450_41BH83YD0TL.jpg
Digital MM that measured capacitance, AC, DC, Ohms & continuity
I also used a set of extra mechanical hands. They were nice for a few tricky connections. Seen here:
http://www.mbelectronics.com/images/items/900-037.jpg

Heat shrink will require a heat gun for best results.

These little cutters are a must have in my opinion and work excellent.
http://media.digikey.com/photos/Cooper%20Industries%20Photos/175DCI.jpg

The Weber kits come with fairly cheap components according to a lot of people who have built them, then felt they should upgrade to better caps, etc. OTOH, my first 5E3 kit from Torres was okay, not top of the line but good & I'm sure the Weber stuff is comparable. Weber kit prices are hard to beat.

But what you are really buying is a learning experience. So much of what goes on inside an amp will be de-mystified as you go along & troubleshoot little mistakes which are inevitable. I'll 2nd keithb7; take your time and ask if you have ANY questions about how to do something. No kit comes with all the info you really need, that's why these forums are here.

The Trinity is all around top notch. The Weber does its skimping on things like pots and switches. They will be find for at least a year, likely more, but they do not seem to be life or the amp parts. The caps are fine, unless you know exactly what you want.

Boothill Amps, run by fellow poster hackworth, has a 5E3 kit that is at least as cost effective as Webers, but with up graded mechanical parts.

My first amp was a Weber build and it was a 5E7M. The components as mentioned in another post is not as high in quality (ie: caps and trannys) but that was okay as it was my first build. The wire was easy to strip as well that came with the kit. It was cloth molded to that plastic type insulation. If you go that route get the cheap tubes just so that you can dial the amp in once done. When all is working, replace the tubes with the good stuff and use those tubes for a future project or as a backup. My tubes for the 5E7M are from the Tube Store. I may change the coupling caps in the future as I have extras I bought for the 5E3.

My second build was 5E3. This time I went a completely different route. I went with a small parts kit, chassis and cabinet from Mojotone. Jensen speaker through Amazon, Transformers from ClassicTone and tubes were selected from Tube Depot and The Tube Store.

I have been searching this very topic for a few weeks now learning about cost vs components vs self sourcing vs support etc etc. Came to the conclusion that a boothill ampskit was the way for me. Pulled the trigger on one today. Got nice deal when I told him I was a member here.

Just bought a Boothills 5e3 @ the TDPRI sale price. The invoice said it was the last of the Ten specially priced... Maybe that means act now!! ;) He's a very likable fellow!
My Father-in-law just bought the Trinity siii 18 watt kit and says it is sozo caps, quality resistors, good pots, switches etc. I've heard loads of general praise about them.

So I think we currently stand @
+2 for Boothills
+2 for Trinity
-1 + 1= neutral for Weber
+1 for Mojotone.

Alright who else has a dog in the fight, lol.

Just bought a Boothills 5e3 @ the TDPRI sale price. The invoice said it was the last of the Ten specially priced... Maybe that means act now!! ;) He's a very likable fellow!
My Father-in-law just bought the Trinity siii 18 watt kit and says it is sozo caps, quality resistors, good pots, switches etc. I've heard loads of general praise about them.

So I think we currently stand @
+2 for Boothills.
+2 for Trinity
-1 + 1= neutral for Weber
+1 for Mojotone.

Alright who else has a dog in the fight, lol.

+2 for Boothills.

You're buyin' from a TDPRI member. I haven't discussed this with Dave yet but I'm thinkin' of doin' one up for the next TDPRI Giveaway. I'll donate a cabinet if Dave donates a kit.

+2 for Trinity.

Must be Canadians. Shipping from Canada can be expensive.

-1 + 1= neutral for Weber.

I usually start with a Weber chassis and transformers. I'm constantly scrounging up NOS parts and chasing an ever changing surplus market. For instance I generally use NOS sockets. I used a bunch of NOS Amphenols just like real '50s Fenders. Turns out they're over $10.00 each right now...

+1 for Mojotone.

Mojo + : They sell a quality chrome plated chassis.

Mojo - : It's punched for 30mm import sockets!

I'll use a Mojo chassis if Weber is on backorder.

+1.999 for Mission Amps (http://www.missionamps.com/), i haven't seen them mentioned.

I deduct one thousandth of a point for no TDPRI special, Bruce puts together a great 5E3 kit. ;)

You're buyin' from a TDPRI member. I haven't discussed this with Dave yet but I'm thinkin' of doin' one up for the next TDPRI Giveaway. I'll donate a cabinet if Dave donates a kit.

Sounds like a winner. I can go for that.

+1.999 for Mission Amps (http://www.missionamps.com/), i haven't seen them mentioned.

I deduct one thousandth of a point for no TDPRI special, Bruce puts together a great 5E3 kit. ;)

Lol!! Cool :)

Wow lots of opinions. The Boot Hill kit looks great and great price but no transformers or cab. The Weber setup is nice for the whole package but lacks decent transformers. Trinity and Mission are probably the total packages but there's a cost to that much help. Thanks guys! great source of info here!

Weber lacks decent transformers?
Didn't Muchxs just say he started with Weber trannies and chassis?

This is usually where facts and opinion becomes one in the same.
I would like to see facts that support the belief that Weber trannies are inferior, or that Neutrik and Carling switches and jacks are skimping.
I'm not a Weber salesman or affiliated with them in anyway, just trying to keep it real.

here is one of the boothill buck fiddy nine kits I picked up in the TDPRI blowout sales. I thought the kit went together fairly easy.
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/1218/medium/2012_Challenge_073.jpg

Nice looking build.

The Stained Glass Telecaster looks good, too.

Weber kits are pretty unbeatable from a price point of view. Their speakers are top knotch, esp their vintage series - for a 5E3 I wouldn't go past their 12A125A. Their cabs are quite adequate and their chassis hardware is sound. Their trannys are so-so, but you can always upgrade to heyboer transformers from their ordering page. The tubes, caps and pots (and sometimes their lampholders) are fairly ordinary, but for a couple of dollars you can BYO caps etc and there are options where you can buy without tubes and get you own preferred set.

Bruce Collins from Mission Amps is a 5E3 guru and his 5E3s are pretty much the bees knees from a 5E3 purist point of view (but I'd still opt for a Weber 12A125A as the current production period-correct speaker).

yeah weber stuff is pretty good like tubeswell says. I would however say that their trannies are GREAT for the price, and good no matter what price. Never had a problem with them, and neither has my buddy who's used them in at least a dozen or more builds. I'd for sure upgrade the tubes, and lampholder (although the last lampholder they gave me was a fender style that was great) you could upgrade caps if you believe that they make a big difference. But for a first build I wouldn't worry about switching anything other than tubes for sound and lampholder for safety of your equipment... the cheapy plastic one that they sometimes send can just plain fall apart.

Built a 5e3 and 5f2a from weber -- no complaints on anything. Service great and parts came quickly. Parts quality seemed perfectly good. Chassis and transformers are tough to beat especially for price. Cabs are ordinary, but again no complaints.

Will use them again.

I built a Weber 18 watt kit. The only thing that was really cheesey in the kit was the pilot light..the rest of the stuff was pretty good. I built it for my nephew who has been playing it hard for 2 years now with no issues. If you can source or build your own cab, the Triode kit would get my vote on both price and quality. The Mission kits are a little more pricey but very nice.

If it is your very first build I would err on the side of caution and get a kit that includes very detailed instruction, then follow those instructions exactly.

That rules out a Weber.

This is the best way to increase your chance of having a well functioning final product. There is a tremendous amount of little details that go into an amp, and debugging a bad build is not the most fun way to learn them.

Weber's are excellent choices for a second or third build.

If it is your very first build I would err on the side of caution and get a kit that includes very detailed instruction, then follow those instructions exactly.

That rules out a Weber.

This is the best way to increase your chance of having a well functioning final product. There is a tremendous amount of little details that go into an amp, and debugging a bad build is not the most fun way to learn them.

Weber's are excellent choices for a second or third build.

my first amp was a weber -- no problems. you just need to be able to follow the layout and understand the grounding. i found it to be pretty "paint by numbers." my only issue was i found solid wire to be too brittle so wasted some time before changing to stranded! ymmv.

my first amp was a weber -- no problems. you just need to be able to follow the layout and understand the grounding. i found it to be pretty "paint by numbers." my only issue was i found solid wire to be too brittle so wasted some time before changing to stranded! ymmv.

Well I do have an engineering background and some electronics experience. Guess I'm not completely new in the fact that I know how to solder. Guess everything has a trade off. I'll just have to go with one of the kits that I can afford. Thanks everybody for the info! This is why I love this site.