Engineer0127
Silver Supporting Member
- Messages
- 26
I have no experience with the Magic 5E3, but I spent a crazy amount of time researching when I was on my Tweed Deluxe quest. I learned that there were great options from MANY reputable builders including Clark, Lil Dawg, Victoria, Tungsten (actually bought his Champ... great amp!), Germino, etc. All fantastic choices. It was such a hard decision. In the end I really liked the approach that Rondo from the Speed Shop was taking. I really appreciated the amount of time and effort he put into developing his own spec transformers as well as his A12Q speakers... all with the intent of replicating the vintage Tweed Deluxe sound that I was most interested in. The man has an amazing passion for what he does and that passion is evident in the product he puts out. As I'm sure you know... his amps are expensive, but if you are looking for a "lifetime" amp and are prepared for the cost, I would highly recommend giving him a call to discuss. What I like most about my P2P... infinitely tweakable - I found the useable range of the knobs has a wider span than other amps I had tried; DEAD silent - even when cranked, amazing string to string clarity with volume rolled back - roars like a lion with the volume rolled up, bass is relatively firm (for a 5E3 of course!), sounds great right out of the box with the A12Q speaker and I love it with a Celestion Blue as well (I swap back and forth depending on the application), I had him install a half power toggle switch which is awesome for quieter playing at home (no tone loss). Ultimately, the best recommendation is to play as many as you can... you may find an option that suits your needs at a lower cost. If you get to try a few and they don't scratch that itch - give Rondo a call.
