What amps are like a 5e3, but with more power?

[carltonh]

Just curious about the old 5e3 Tweed Deluxe tone, and amps that can sound like it but get more power. I haven't played one in a long time, but was thinking about how they are a favorite among DIY amp kits. Victoria Double Deluxe, obviously. Maybe a /13 FTR 37? Could a Guytron get that tone? What else? I don't care if an amp has more controls and such, just curious about convincingly similar tones.

[riffmeister]

some of the DIY and boutique 5E3 amps use bigger trannies and 2x6L6s

TopHat Super Deluxe gets in the ballpark, too.

[Red Planet]

I have one. www.sdgvintageamps.com

[riffmeister]

this one, too:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=133830

.

[jsped]

Check out Frenzel's. I recently bought one from them on Ebay. It's arriving today. Jim Frenzel is a really nice guy. He has answered all of my questions in detail on the same day.

http://upsidedownandbackwards.com/Fr...nics/FM-25.htm

[Jerrod]

I don't think a Guytron ever sounds like a Tweed Deluxe.

[Unburst]

Victoria Double Deluxe, exactly that concept, like a Deluxe with double the power.

[bluesbreaker59]

Again, the Victoria Double Deluxe, two tweed Deluxes in one box.

[John Phillips]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

some of the DIY and boutique 5E3 amps use bigger trannies and 2x6L6s

That's basically a 5E5 Pro - it's almost exactly like a 5E3 except for using 6L6s (still cathode-biased, and a completely different circuit from the very confusingly-named 5E5-A) and has about twice the power. For some reason the 5E5 used an extra 12AY7 for the input stage, but it's in parallel and doesn't make any real difference to the gain structure... seems like a waste of a tube really (it just works as four individual inputs, rather than two pairs, if that makes sense).

[Red Planet]

Thanx John. I believe mine is a little different. Dosnt the Tweed Pro have a Choke?

Mine has no choke and it lives at the Edge of the cliff where Explodo Tones reside.

[bbarnard]

Blankenship Fatboy - runs 6V6s or 6L6s without a rebias (cathode biased).

www.blankenshipamps.com

[John Phillips]

Originally Posted by Red Planet

Thanx John. I believe mine is a little different. Dosnt the Tweed Pro have a Choke?

Mine has no choke and it lives at the Edge of the cliff where Explodo Tones reside.

The 5E5-A has a choke, but the 5E5 doesn't, it has a resistor (2.5K whereas the 5E3 uses 5K). The 5E5 is almost exactly like a more powerful 5E3; the 5E5-A is completely different - fixed bias, and with the second 12AY7 used as a direct-coupled cathode follower driving the (common to both channels) tone stack with treble and bass controls, and also has negative feedback both on this stage and 'conventionally' via the OT and PI involving a presence control. There have been smaller circuit changes between entire amp companies than the differences between these two . The A matters .

I've never played an 'A', and only ever played a 5E5 once, so I can't say what the tonal differences would be... other than I expect them to be pretty big. The 5E5-A should be closer to a 5F6 Bassman than a 5E3... I don't know why it wasn't just called a 5F5.

[Red Planet]

Cool. Mine will take 6L6's with a GZ34 or 5Y3 and 6V6's with the 5Y3. Mine has no choke and has the resistor but is fixed Bias with a Bias Pot. So what in the Hell would that be? The Beaz Special. How we ended up with that is just going back and forth and then agreeing on this outcome. The Builder Steven from SDG Vintage did all the magic I just got to be the recipient.

I call it my SDG Vintage Tweed Proluxe.

[ES350]

with a bigger PT/OT to handle the 6L6's, fixed bias, some cap changes, you can get a '5E3' into the 30+ watt range...Weber has a kit that does just this. Nice gigging amp for small venues...I modded a Mission 5E3 kit to do this...

[sideman]

The 5E5 is cathode biased and a mids monster. Into heavy overdrive and compression above about 4 on the dial. Doesn't have that Deluxe cut - may be the 15. (Good amp though - had one for a couple years before trading for a 5E5-A.)
A couple other answers to the question are: two 5E5s, or as a friend here has, two Gibson GA-6s, or one Gibson GA-30 or 40. .p