New (F3nd3r) Amp Kit Day!

ezietsman · 2012-12-07T06:54:37+00:00

So, my new amp's kit arrived here at the hotel in Sunnyvale, California. Business trip was less interesting I can tell you. Its a Trinity Tweed 5E3 kit, even comes with instructions so this one should be a good bit easier to put together than my 18 watt (it's also a lot simpler). Naturally I'm installing VVR in this one too. I think I'll get the Weber 12A125A speaker, unless something else suitable pops up before then. I'm on holiday too so things are looking up a lot ?

ezietsman

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Brilliant! Once again, funny how the more you practice doing something, the luckier you become. ?

Yeah funny that ?

Thank baby Jimi I installed the VVR. This thing is really loud at its full x watts (where x is somewhere between 14 and 20, Sovtek rectifier gives +-400V B+ instead of +-360V a NOS will give). I mean really loud. I hope the Weber isn't anywhere near 100dB efficiency. This VVR scales the plate voltage to all the valves, so the treble diminishes towards the low end of the power scale, something my 18 watt cures by scaling only the phase inverter and power tubes. Take note, amp builders, install VVR and VVR only the phase inverter and power section, Top Tip from EZ who likes his hearing ?

Gearhead

ez wrote I mean really loud

Yep, that's what it is. Start worrying about when you would go for a Blue (103dB/W/m), twice louder than your Weber of 100...

bottledtone

You using a sovtek 5Y3?
Those aren't really 5Y3's at all. They are labeling a diferent rectifier because it has similar spec to a 5Y3, but it aint one.
Have a closer look into the glass. Sovtek's are indirectly heated cathode rectifiers, like a GZ34
Proper 5Y3's are directly heated, where the filament and cathode are one in the same.

ezietsman

Yeah that's what the kit contained, I'll get a real 5Y3 soonish.

Norman86

That cab is looking good! So how long till completion? seeing as its all wired up and working now? ?

ezietsman

Norman86 wrote That cab is looking good! So how long till completion? seeing as its all wired up and working now? ?

Not sure, another week or two, lapdawg is making multiple cabs and mine is prob not first in the queue. I'll obviously post pics and clips when its all done.

Norman86

awesome stuff ?

and this is going to be tweed covered right?

Sean

ez wrote I'll obviously post pics and clips when its all done.

Very nice! Looking forward to seeing and hearing the end product 8)

ezietsman

Norman86 wrote awesome stuff ?

and this is going to be tweed covered right?

Nope. Wait and see ?

Chocklit_Thunda

ez wrote
Norman86 wrote awesome stuff ?

and this is going to be tweed covered right?
Nope. Wait and see ?

Orange and black tiger print glittery spandex! ?

singemonkey

Chocklit_Thunda wrote
Orange and black tiger print glittery spandex! ?

That'd be a perfect match for EZ's stage outfit.

TomCat

singemonkey wrote
Chocklit_Thunda wrote
Orange and black tiger print glittery spandex! ?
That'd be a perfect match for EZ's stage outfit.

And don't forget the shoulder pads...... ? ?

ezietsman

tiervel leotard lol!!

I installed a 470k gridstopper on the phase inverter today. I definitely got lots of pi drive which is now gone and tue amp is sounding real sweet now. Smooth tweed overdrive, and lots of it! (not quite the fender sound I think most people will expect haha).

I still need to move the 1M input resistors to after the vvr blocking caps, apparently I got this wrong. Will do that tonight.

ezietsman

For those wanting to know some details about the phase inverter overdriving and the mod I did:

http://www.freewebs.com/valvewizard/cathodyne.html

ezietsman

I ordered a set of Tung-Sol 6V6GTs and a NOS Jan 5Y3 rectifier, I'll stick those in the amp when they arrive (maybe tomorrow, they've cleared customs already) and keep the Sovtek/JJs as backup.

Also, the cab is basically done, just a tweak or two before I can have it, excitement all round ?

Of course pics will be posted.

rikus

ez wrote I ordered a set of Tung-Sol 6V6GTs...

Nice choice. Love those tubes!! I was also very impressed by the TAD 6v6GT-STRs that I tried recently.(though these are more modern tubes that can handle higher voltages)...

ezietsman

Rikus wrote
ez wrote I ordered a set of Tung-Sol 6V6GTs...
Nice choice. Love those tubes!! I was also very impressed by the TAD 6v6GT-STRs that I tried recently.(though these are more modern tubes that can handle higher voltages)...

Yeah I read online a bit and it seems most people like the TS 6V6 best out of all the modern production tubes (for Fender Tweeds anyway). The NOS 6V6 valves are still regarded as being better and lasting longer. The JJs are apparently very robust but they are prone to rattling, which one of mine does, so I figured I'll get another set of a different brand. In my 18 watt there's a very audible difference between the drive sound from JJs and Mullard Reissues, I'm guessing the 5E3 will have a similar kind of difference due to the overdrive being generated mostly from the power sections of these amps. I'll see, the JJs don't sound bad to me but I'm not used to the nuances of the 5E3 yet. Audience members will likely not be able to tell whether I have valves or bananas in those sockets.

AlanRatcliffe

ez wrote Audience members will likely not be able to tell whether I have valves or bananas in those sockets.

LOL! True! Wheras we gearheads would want to know if they were green, new production bananas or ripe, NOS bananas.

ezietsman

One thing I can comment on, at this point, is how the 5E3 differs/don't differ from the 18 watt. Someone asked in the beginning of this thread.

1. It has less clean headroom than the 18 watt and the 18 watt has basically zero clean headroom with humbuckers. This is not the kind of amp to get if you want those "Big bold fender cleans".
2. The bass is bouncy, esp on the low e string. The 18 watt is a lot tighter (and even the 18 watt is nowhere near as tight as most modern amps)
3. Cranked to 10 (12 on the 5E3), the 18 watt has a much bigger volume boost when going from cleans (2 on guitar volume) to allout (guitar on 10) than the 5E3.
4. Through the same cabinet the 5E3 is brighter.

That's all I can say for now, I haven't played the 5E3 enough to say more and I haven't played it through its Weber speaker in the open backed pine cab yet. Not sure how loud it will be and I have little idea about how bright / smooth / ragged / bassy etc its going to be. Its not the kind of amp you get to play pristine clean stuff with chorus and reverb and delays and dripping water sounds on. Its a rough-cut chewing tobacco spitting into a bucket before ripping into a solo kind of amp from what I can tell, and that's just fine by me ?

rikus

ez wrote Its a rough-cut chewing tobacco spitting into a bucket before ripping into a solo kind of amp from what I can tell, and that's just fine by me ?

Preach it! Sounds great. Looking forward to clips!

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