Another 5E3
- Thread starter Saul Goodman
- Start date
crunchee
Well-known member
I had a Kendrick clone of a 5E3 Deluxe years ago, I liked it a lot except for two things: 1. I couldn't keep from maxing the volume on it as the amp sounded so good when I did that; and 2. It practically made everything I played sound way too close to Ragged Glory/Weld-era Neil Young, so I eventually sold it as I didn't want to get into a playing rut.
I built my own and tweeked a few things to get rid of the flabby low end that they have. Put an old alnico Blue in it and there was much love. One thing I found it the V1 tube really makes a difference. I found some CBS 12AY7 equivalents that where made for computers and the motion picture industry. They really made the sun shine with that amp. I'd like to find more of those!
They are super clean if you don't turn the volume past 3. Any more and they don't get much louder, but the dirt starts all the way to it's gonna blow!!
They are super clean if you don't turn the volume past 3. Any more and they don't get much louder, but the dirt starts all the way to it's gonna blow!!
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the Univox U45 is still a super bargain imo, - when considering the low wattage older amps.
My go-to recently has been the Silvertone 1331 (tweed champ ish) I bought just 2 years ago. It has such a great look, this one is a '56, I have no desire for a Fender Champ of any year since I got this. Brent at Solderhaus serviced it a short time ago, he said "it sounds awesome!"
My go-to recently has been the Silvertone 1331 (tweed champ ish) I bought just 2 years ago. It has such a great look, this one is a '56, I have no desire for a Fender Champ of any year since I got this. Brent at Solderhaus serviced it a short time ago, he said "it sounds awesome!"
That looks really cool. My first amp was something similar but I can't remember exactly what it looked like. Did your guy remove the death cap? It looks like it still has the two prong plug.
It has a 3 prong and no death cap, I did that myself with some coaching, - I'd need coaching to do it again! There was another amp in the service shop that has the same look as my Silvertone, but bigger, belongs to Rick who owns Guitar Maniacs. I'm not sure the model, but it looks like it has a 12" speaker. It may be for his collection, or it may be fs in his shop. It looks like Silvertone did a 133x series, there's a couple of 1336 models on Reverb, but priced pretty high
Coincidentally, the tech told me he's be converting collectible amps back to 2 prong for guys who want them to be more original! I think I'll hold off on any of that.
Here's a 1331 on Reverb for a somewhat reasonable price, they also made one sort of similar in the 60s that don't look nearly as cool, and of course are a bit less $$
https://reverb.com/item/84273534-1956-silvertone-1331-tube-combo-amp-tweed
Coincidentally, the tech told me he's be converting collectible amps back to 2 prong for guys who want them to be more original! I think I'll hold off on any of that.
Here's a 1331 on Reverb for a somewhat reasonable price, they also made one sort of similar in the 60s that don't look nearly as cool, and of course are a bit less $$
https://reverb.com/item/84273534-1956-silvertone-1331-tube-combo-amp-tweed