Taking the plunge - another newbie starts his first 5E3 project.

Nice! I just started ordering parts for my first amp build, too. Will be following with interest. Nice looking ground bus!

 

Nice job -- you've got to let us kick the tires on your transformers though! What did you go with?

 

I have a good feeling about this build...

 

Just finished my first amp, a 5e3 also.
After some initial hiccups it went well and it sounds great!
Lots of great advice here, Good Luck!

 

It always makes me happy to see people rolling their own!

This will be a fun project to watch.

 

Thanks! What's the spec of the wire you're using for your ground bus? Looks perfect...think I'll want some.

 

I am mid 5F2a build, and in the UK.

I got my chassis from Ampmart. I emailed to check shipping and it came in cheaper, $18. Chassis is great. For $28 it's phenomenal. I suspect these are the same that Modulus supply. Mable audio is a sister company of Ampmart. Customer service is erratic but they're great for the price and take about five days to deliver!

I bought a Hammond 290CAX from Mouser - it has 275-0-275 which a few here recommend, for various reasons. It fits my 5F1 chassis perfectly. However, Mouser add (illegally I suspect) VAT after you've checked out. I think Tube-town, who don't, and who have shipping for around €10, would be cheaper. Tube-town are great for loads of other stuff too, I bought most of my complicated Deluxe Micro bits (yes, before I completed the 5F2) from them.

 

That Hammond 1750e is a great OT for the 6v6 Fenders. I thought I loved it for early saturation until I built a Princeton Reverb with it. Amazing glassy cleans with it until halfway up the dial, so I think it really just lets the circuit do it's own thing. I little warmer & softer sounding the the bigger 6.6k Deluxe Reverb OT, and that's why it's perfect for the Tweed stuff and a 5e3. If Hammond stuff is readily available/decently priced, I used their 290BX power transformer for my 5e3. It fit my Mojotone chassis perfectly, has a high current rating, and I've used 3 of them and an export model for different projects through the years, and they all end up with the same readings every time - even the export model on 220v. Nice clean finish & wires are plenty long. I just don't have a bad thing to say about Hammonds. In my 5e3, the B+ lands right around 370v with it and all new JJ tubes and a 5y3. Also has a bias tap in case you want to mod it for fixed/cathode bias later.

So, it's not the only thing out there, but if they are available in UK and others are not as easy to get, I wouldn't shop around too much.

 

That ground bus looks great.

 

This ain't no first build!! Can't be!!