Who is 5E3's Big Brother.....?

[Marshall Thinline]

I built a 5E3 a couple of months ago and it has become my favorite amp. I really love the amp and don't want to change a thing. The 5E3 that I built is in a 3x10" cabinet and has the OT of a 5E7.

Now......for my next build, I would like to build an amp in the 30 watt range that still has the charm of my 5E3. I would like it for occasions where I need a bit more power. I have seen that Weber has a 5E3x2 amp, but I have not read much feedback on it. I also am considering a 5E7, 5FA, and a low power Tweed Twin (5E8a).

If I were to stray from the 5E3 sound, it would sound like Brian Setzer on steroids with a little bit of Keith Richards thrown in. But, When you back off the guitar volume it will clean up enough to play Sleepwalk. My main guitars are my Gretsch 5120 and a couple of 69 Thinlines. I hate pedals, so please don't suggest an amp that I will need to use pedals to get the tone I am after. I prefer to use the guitar volume to get the grit I need.

Thanks in advance.

[Flashback]

low power tweed twin and wire it so you call pull the volume to cascade the channels for extra 5E3-esque grind.

[Marshall Thinline]

Originally Posted by Flashback

low power tweed twin and wire it so you call pull the volume to cascade the channels for extra 5E3-esque grind.

That is a cool idea!!!

Has anyone built a 5e3x2 kit?

[doug deeper]

5e3 with more efficient speakers!

[fezz parka]

Who is the 5e3's big brother? The 5e5.

[Marshall Thinline]

Tell me about the 5E5 (Pro).

[Marshall Thinline]

I just listened to the sound clip of the 5E5 on the Weber site. It sounds cleaner and more bluesy than the 5E3. I'll have to check out some clips on YouTube.

[sjhusting]

When they say 5e5, they mean 5e5, and not 5e5a. Big differences between those two circuits. The 5e5a is fixed bias with bass and treble controls. The 5e5 is cathode bias with a tone control. It is really a 5e3 with 6l6s.

steven

[fezz parka]

Bingo! The 5e5 is a bad ass amp.

[muchxs]

A lot of guys build a 5E3/5E5 mutant they call a ProLux. It's a Deluxe with 6L6 tubes. 25 watts cathode biased rather than 12. build a Deluxe with a stouter power supply. Plug 6L6s straight in... that's a ProLux.

My take on it would be to use a 5E3 chassis and something like Dave Allen's oversized PT. It will run anything and stay cool. It's a simple matter of drilling an extra hole in the circuit board and adding an extra eyelet to make it fixed bias. I'd go fixed bias with the higher power amp, it tightens up the attack. Other than that there's no reason to deviate substantially from the 5E3 circuit. Lots of guys go with the Paul C mod and chase their tails trying to tighten the amp up. I suspect the same guys mod it before listening to the stock setup.

[fezz parka]

I built a 5e3/5e5 hybrid that runs 4 50's era Jensen P10R's wired series/parallel for an 8 ohm load. Real Tung-Sol 5881's, MM Pro OT, 5v4 rectifier, 5751 in v1. It's a big Deluxe with a little more bottom and projection from the 10's. It's in the background of this photo.

[sjhusting]

Yeah, I did my 5e3 that way, used MM iron - fat stack PT, dual-secondary OT. Got a switch to flip between 5K and 8K. Funny, I've kept 6v6s in it the last two years.

If you don't bump the B+ along with everything else, you don't get more power. Running the 6L6s at 6V6 voltages changes the tone some, but doesn't make it louder. For louder you have to pump up the B+.

I've built ten amps now, the 5e3 was my third, and it's still my favorite. Though the new one (Matchless Clubman-based) may give it a run for its money.

steven

[fezz parka]

The B+ is bumped up. And I changed the value of the 4.7k resistor in the B+ ladder. A little less squish, but with all the 5e3 front end flavor. And the 4 x10's make it noticeably louder.

[Marshall Thinline]

Originally Posted by muchxs

A lot of guys build a 5E3/5E5 mutant they call a ProLux. It's a Deluxe with 6L6 tubes. 25 watts cathode biased rather than 12. build a Deluxe with a stouter power supply. Plug 6L6s straight in... that's a ProLux.

My take on it would be to use a 5E3 chassis and something like Dave Allen's oversized PT. It will run anything and stay cool. It's a simple matter of drilling an extra hole in the circuit board and adding an extra eyelet to make it fixed bias. I'd go fixed bias with the higher power amp, it tightens up the attack. Other than that there's no reason to deviate substantially from the 5E3 circuit. Lots of guys go with the Paul C mod and chase their tails trying to tighten the amp up. I suspect the same guys mod it before listening to the stock setup.

What I have now is a bastardized version of a 5E3. It has a 5E7 OT and is running in a 3x10 5E7 cabinet. So it's a bit louder than a stock 5E3. I imagine that I am close to 5E5 pro camp now. I am not sure that the Prolux will give me an increase in volume over what I have. No sense building something twice.

I think I am leaning towards the low power Twin. I like the idea Flashback has...pull the volume to cascade the channels for extra 5E3-esque grind. The volume increase should be noticeable. I bet is would sound good in a 4X10 cab.

[doug deeper]

you could also add a fixed bias switch to your 5e3, that will give you a bit more.

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by Marshall Thinline

I think I am leaning towards the low power Twin. I like the idea Flashback has...pull the volume to cascade the channels for extra 5E3-esque grind. The volume increase should be noticeable. I bet is would sound good in a 4X10 cab.

Been there, done that but it's not that simple. You certainly have enough extra tubes in a tweed Twin. A low power tweed Twin is roughly a tweed Super/Pro/Bandmaster with an extra preamp tube.

If you're going to do cascaded gain stages do The Evolution of Marshall in one trip. Start with the 5F6A, end up with a JCM800. Marshall did!

[JohnnyCrash]

5E5. Not a 5E5-A.

Maybe try a choke on it instead of that 2.5k resistor.

--Actually--

I'd forget about a stock 5E5 - it wastes a full 12AY7 with individual jacks going to their very own grids. Use input summing resistors instead and its basically a 5E3 with a bigger PT, bigger rectifier, and 6L6's.

So, all you have to do is build another 5E3 with a bigger PT and swap the rectifier and power tubes :)

[Jammin'John1]

I have a 5e5a clone that is cathode bias.
Sweet blues amp.
I have a Victoria 5e3x2 Double Deluxe.
It's louder/smoother.
Sweet Blues amp.
I have a Victoria Low Power Twin.
More clean headroom. Can't jumper the channels.(don't care)
Sweet everything amp.

JJ

[boozer]

i built a 5e3x2. it has all the charm your looking for. mine is set up in a 2x12 combo cab,

[Marshall Thinline]

Originally Posted by boozer

i built a 5e3x2. it has all the charm your looking for. mine is set up in a 2x12 combo cab,

Is the volume difference noticeable?

[boozer]

the volume difference is huge.
but the break up characteristics remain the same but at a louder level.

[MeanGreenBlues]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

I built a 5e3/5e5 hybrid that runs 4 50's era Jensen P10R's wired series/parallel for an 8 ohm load. Real Tung-Sol 5881's, MM Pro OT, 5v4 rectifier, 5751 in v1. It's a big Deluxe with a little more bottom and projection from the 10's.

I always love it when you talk about this amp!

You know...from "elsewhere."



Man, on paper it sounds killer, you have any clips of it handy?

[fezz parka]

Hey TJ! It's on Red Letter Blues here.

[MeanGreenBlues]

Oh yeah! I remember this one. Great stuff.

[Marshall Thinline]

Originally Posted by boozer

the volume difference is huge.
but the break up characteristics remain the same but at a louder level.

I am leaning towards the 5E3x2. I just love the 5E3 sound and how it responds. I plan on waiting until fall to build, so for now I am just trying to set up the correct amp to build. Knowing how I am, it can change at the drop of a hat.


Fezz Parka......Nice playing and tone!!! How was that recorded?

[fezz parka]

The amp was cranked, the guitar was an Esquire. It was miked with two LDC's: one in front of the amp about three feet away, the other in back of the amp with the phase flipped.