"Deluxe" build...

[blueboxer]

Hey there, just thought I'd share my latest build... a 1950's style Deluxe clone (with a 5E3 circuit).

[basisfunction]

Cool. Where is the chassis from?

[basile865]

wow thats a real beaut!

[Froumy]

Damn. Look great. I like the early style cab choice. Nice Speaker. Is that one of those old red color coded caps in there? I have a bunch of those, but still haven't tried them. Any tone benefit there? Or is it just looking cool?

[blueboxer]

Thanks, it seems like most people go for the "narrow panel" cabinet but I chose the "TV front" instead. I did stay with the later circuit design.

It's a Weber chassis and yes that's an old "domino" mica cap (which seems to soften the treble). I tried to use NOS parts where I could. I think it sounds great with the Celestion Blue.

[jesone]

It looks terrific!

[Charlie415]

Awesome build man! Post some clips if you can I'd love to hear it.

[Froumy]

Once again, nice build. I'd be a little reluctant to do another Weber Marshall build, but I'd definitely consider a Fender.... Nice upgrade on the filter caps. I see you used mostly weber signal caps(1 sozo?)? May be some room for growth there. What are those metal bypass caps(I wouldn't guess they'd be tone affecting)?

I believe Bruce Collins from Mission amps designed Weber's Tweed series, with economics in mind. Weber deferred to him for all things tweed. That's definitely a resource to tap if you're looking for a few percentage point in improved tone. You should be able to find him on ampage if you start tweaking. There is a preferred 5e3 cap value schematic floating around from him, if you're looking to tame some bottom squish. I STILL have one of his OT's , in the box,that I haven't tried out yet. Even with the suspect components in mine, It still sounds pretty good..... But no way looks as nice as yours.

[blueboxer]

Thanks for the kudos and info Froumy.

The "metal bypass caps" are NOS Sprague electrolytics (35V rating) and the .1uf signal caps are Mallory 150M's with the exception of a Mojo Dijon .02uf coupling cap (I had laying around). I didn't like the looks of the caps that came in the kit so I went with those listed instead.

What capacitors do you suggest using?

I kept the Weber PT but went with a Mercury OT (FTDO-59). I think that was a good upgrade.

I can't get over how quiet this amp is. My friend had a Mojo kit built and his hums and buzzes quite a bit.

Got any other tips?

[Froumy]

I'm guessing that was a good upgrade on the OT.

You should use Astrons!
Plenty of opinions floating around on what caps people prefer. Use what you like. One of the bigger tweed boutique builders(starts with a C? ) has switched to Sozo, and lots of people agreed that it was an improvement. IIRC, Mojo Dijon is TAD, and those opinions are on this board as well. It's a great sounding circuit, either way.

I haven't tried any of the mods on mine, but the alternate cap value/schem was of interest. There's also the Paul C mod, Volume/tone mod, and a humbucker mod if you haven't checked them out...

[thousandshirts]

If you're happy with your caps, leave them in. If you're curious about swapping out to try other options, though, there are alternatives, seemingly without end. Sozos, the yellow Mallory 150s, Orange Drops (a few kinds of ODs), and hundreds of other options. Interestingly enough, Sozo is coming out with some molded blue caps that will be a line of replacements for the vintage Fenders (as I understand it, check the Sozo website for more information or updates). Also, the "Jupiter" line of caps is very well regarded by some builders for vintage Fender replicas and replacements, but at $6 or $7 a cap, they are not cheap, and they only have certain values available.

[Froumy]

Yeah. What he said.(but tweaking is half the fun ). BTW, Thanks for the heads up on new Sozo's, thousandshirts.

Just noticed your NOS 6v6's. Another nice addition. What are you pre's? Top notch Celestion Blue (rated higher than Weber Blue Dog in GP), AB's, nice build, OT upgrade.... I'm guessing it sounds as good as it looks. Thanks for posting!

[JimmyR]

For my second 5E3 build I used Sozo caps and they're vbery good in a Deluxe - I like them better than the Mallorys in this amp (well in most builds really!). I definitely recommend the PaulC mod too - gets rid of some of the fizzies in OD.

I also used a choke in mine instead of the 5K power resistor. It really tightens up the low end without sacrificing tone. It does feel a little less squishy but I really like it.

Good choice on the Blue - they're fantastic in a 5E3.

[wyatt]

If you're happy with your caps, leave them in. If you're curious about swapping out to try other options, though, there are alternatives, seemingly without end. Sozos, the yellow Mallory 150s, Orange Drops (a few kinds of ODs), and hundreds of other options. Interestingly enough, Sozo is coming out with some molded blue caps that will be a line of replacements for the vintage Fenders (as I understand it, check the Sozo website for more information or updates). Also, the "Jupiter" line of caps is very well regarded by some builders for vintage Fender replicas and replacements, but at $6 or $7 a cap, they are not cheap, and they only have certain values available.

The Jupiter "Vintage Tone" caps are nice for a 5E3 because they are repros of the Astrons that were used on originals, and the 5E3 doesn't need many.

Most people find that the Sozos give the same tone after breaking in, though. Their Blue molded are going to be part of the "vitnage series," so they won't be much cheaper than than the Jupiters, but I am anxiously awaiting them.

[blueboxer]

For preamp tubes, I'm running NOS JAN 5751 in V1 and a JAN 12AX7WA in V2.

What do you guys use for speaker wire?

Hmm, I'm interested in the Jupiter caps... does anyone have any direct experience with them?