Pictures of a model 5e3 build to work from?

quite a few builds in this section. you may want to peruse it as there are excellent pictures enclosed.

play music!

 

I'm totally with you on this: I can work much better from pictures than from anything else. I am not saying that my 5e3 build was a model build. However, I have built one. You can look at my build thread, if you wish. And please feel free to ask any questions or request more pics. Again, I'm not some sort of expert, but I have built a great-sounding 5e3.

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/new-adventures-in-5e3.796187/

 

This is a Mission kit I rebuilt for someone about a year and a half ago. It's not as tidy as one I'd build from the ground up, but it's what I could do without completely stripping and rebuilding from scratch.

 

I guess that rules my builds out with the word "Neat" LOL! With my shaking hands I have to settle for what I can accomplish.

 

You're right about both items: Build pics are great, and *neat* 5e3 build pics are not all that common. Yeah, this is partly cuz so many are first builds, and then, let's admit it, the wire-to-space ratio is pretty high on Tweeds.

I really like that example from @clintj -- definitely a good builder.

Another sano build I remember from when I was collecting 5e3 build pics was this one from @D'tar , with nice pics like this one:



Here's a pic I collected back then of a Mike Clark build:




Here's a LilDawg D'lux in a 'lunchbox' format -- the extra space in this Hammond chassis actually helps you see what's going on, though you're gonna have to cram yours in a smaller space so not all of Jim's tricks will work for you. OTOH, some (like flying caps well above their resistors) are even better when space is scarce.



And for pure authenticity, none of us build much better than Lupe did in Fullerton. Our friend @keithb7 (too-modest curator of the North American Fender Museum) contributed some awesome pics that show how it was really done.



Warning: each of these amps may have mods and wiring tricks you won't be doing or can't see -- for instance, the Lil Dawg heater-elevating resistors are very tidily hidden, and Jim uses 3 separate shielded cables on early low-amplitude runs. D'tar has a wonderful switch manifold and related wiring. And Lupe? She didn't need no stinking two-strand heaters...

 

That's a good point on mods. My pics have a mute switch discreetly wired in, using the ground/standby switch.

 

Heh, here's what's really hard to copy: Astrons -- and those 'domino' bright caps...

OTOH you can still get Brown Devils.

 

Type in Richter 5e3 in Google, then open the images. Sarah's builds were some of the neatest and finest out there.

 

I think if you start the build and ask for certain pics you will get plenty to chose from

 

Good idea on Richter. If I'm right about Dave's kits, you'll like neat builds with plastic-coated wire, which is a little harder to train than cloth.

IIRC @SacDAve has some very tidy builds himself...

 

Dang, now y'all have me looking at 5e3 pics again. Couple more things pop up:

Read Merlin on the myth of the standby switch -- I don't know if Boothill calls for one, but omitting it can simplify a crowded, noisy corner of the 5e3...

And even if this is your third build, I always say build stock before you mod. It's fine to pre-drill an extra eyelet, or a mini-switch hole, for later. And it's excellent to make sure you're using best modern practice AC wiring / AC grounding / circuit grounding across the board -- many folks here like Rob's layout for the 5e3.

 

My 5e3 build is not "model" by any stretch, but I know the 5e3 chassis can be pretty tight when ya start throwin' the soldering iron around on the tube sockets, and I'm a believer in doing much of the work on a true-to-scale template, then transporting to the chassis.

Untitled

 

Here are my two build threads. I was happy with both.

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/first-...nd-help-me-thru-this-5e3-tweed-deluxe.729234/

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/my-second-5e3-build-follow-along.772410/

 

And some of the sweetest looking cabinets I’ve ever seen, the cab alone is a work of art.
SacDave has some serious skills in several fields.

 

I have a Cox Ultimate 5e3, like these: Cox Ultimate 5e3 Images. I think my old images were on Photobucket...

When I popped the back cover on mine, I was gobsmacked with how neat and tidy it is. His wiring was literally 3d.

During the process on the two amps I've built, a 5f8-a (restoration) and a 5f6-a (re-wire of my Reissue), I looked at many vintage pics because I was trying to copy that as much as possible. They knew what they were doing back in the day as both of my amps sound awesome and are very quiet.

 

Good call on the Cox builds for sure. And on copying the vintage layouts (where appropriate) both for looks and function -- that's really my main reason for looking at build pics.

But you do come across eye-popping neatness and cool innovations. I love some of the tidy tricks Ceriatone do in Malaysia, like in this 5e3 build -- again with plastic-coated wire FWIW...

 

What an excellent thread, some nice examples here. I am thankful for this thread! Much thanks to all!
Steve