Tube amp kit

[sgmezei]

I built a Weber tweed deluxe 5E3 and love it. Best price I found, and the parts are decent. I would recommend replacing the jacks but apparently they are changing over to all switchcraft or neutrik, I'm not sure. The Weber forum/AmpsNmore is good for knowledge and they helped me out.

There are lots of kits out there, but make sure you factor in shipping. I have been drooling over the Ceriatone site for a long time but cant get over paying so much for shipment.

Anyways, my Weber is awesome and the cabinet is well made/finished. The fender tweed stuff is on the simple side of things so that is where I started.

And it sounds good

[jtn191]

I've been going back and forth between a 5e3 Weber kit or a Frenzel already-made w/ line out

[rlopes]

I know what you mean. Just when I decide I want to do the TriWatt, I start thinking about the TC-15...

I think I'll build a lightning clone if I wanna go Matchless/Vox flavour though. I've always wanted a great hiwatt amp because of Gilmour. Plus, there's a video I posted that has tone for days, and it's Keith Urban playing a Tele through a HiWatt half stack. I'll never be able to afford a true Hiwatt 50 watt, but I could build one... For about the same price as I could maybe sell my amp for...

Anyone want a Rivera era Fender Concert? It's about 30 years old and in awesome shape...

Jacob

If you are interested in building a HIWATT inspired amp you should check out the Vintage Hiwatt Restorations (VHR) kits at http://www.vintagehiwattrestorations.com/shop/. From what i've read in a Gilmour forum they are pretty accurate, with suberb quality. According to their web site those kits can "recreate the classic Dave Reeves Hylight Hiwatt DR103 or DR504 amplifier".
A VHR Custom 50 Amp kit - WITH case costs $1,089.00 (tubes/valves not included). They also offer the HI-TONE Amplification Hylight era style 4x12 and 2x12 cabs fitted with their HI-TONE DR-F™ 12" Speaker which according to them replicates the old HIWATT Fane loudspeaker.
I don't know if they come with good building instructions but everybody in that Gilmour forum seems to prefer them over the actual HIWATT models. Their overall preference is HIWATT amps (vintage ones from the Dave Reeves era) -> REEVES amps -> VHR amps -> HIWATT amps (actual models) -> CERIATONE.
You can also check their youtube chanel at http://www.youtube.com/user/HITONE2011

I also like to thank to all of you who share your knowledge about building pedals in this forum. I still didn't dare to build a pedal because I'm trying to acquire knowledge of how to do it and i'm trying to improve my ability to solder. But I hope to build my first pedal soon and then i will share the process with you all.

[sgmezei]

I've been going back and forth between a 5e3 Weber kit or a Frenzel already-made w/ line out

I just took a look at those frenzel's and they look great. I have to say that I really enjoyed building mine and that for the price I did get a really nice tweed cab and Weber speaker. So it's up to you which one you want to do. Also I just took a quick look and I didn't see a deluxe model with 6v6's. The weber is vintage accurate if that is at all important to you. Its also only 12 watts!! which breaks up real nice.

[jprizz]

Well I owe a big 'Thank You' to maysink 'cause if it weren't for him - and the rest of you who passed this up... I wouldn't be the new owner of a TC-15 kit I picked up from the BYOC forum! Now I gotta sell some stuff to buy the trans set and a good speaker! Vicious cycle.
-Josh

[jkokura]

If I may...

Get some Warehouse speakers. I've been looking into them, and I think they're my first choice for a new speaker if I were to get some right now. I also think going with the trannies that Trinity supply would be good too.

Jacob

[sgmezei]

Here are some pics of my firefly kit. I am posting to show you how "pedal-like" an amp build can be. This probably would have been easier for me to do first but I did it after my Weber 5e3.

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[JakeFuzz]

I built a Weber tweed deluxe 5E3 and love it. Best price I found, and the parts are decent. I would recommend replacing the jacks but apparently they are changing over to all switchcraft or neutrik, I'm not sure. The Weber forum/AmpsNmore is good for knowledge and they helped me out.

There are lots of kits out there, but make sure you factor in shipping. I have been drooling over the Ceriatone site for a long time but cant get over paying so much for shipment.

Anyways, my Weber is awesome and the cabinet is well made/finished. The fender tweed stuff is on the simple side of things so that is where I started.

And it sounds good

Man I want to build A Weber 5E3 so badly. Its kind of a deal breaker now though that they aren't offering the cabinets anymore. How was the stock speaker? Did you do any parts upgrades?

[sgmezei]

I built mine totally stock and it sounds great. I might replace the jacks because they seem a bit flimsy and I could see them possibly giving me trouble down the line. I got the standard weber blue speaker in the cab and it sounds great. I am SUPER bummed they are not offering cabs anymore. They were so inexpensive with a kit.

[JeffdaMaori]

I'm just starting to put together a 5E3 circuit with two 6L6in output section and a Trainwreck Express, both not from kit but sourcing parts where it seems best for me.
Got some from tubesandmore (which worked great for me, good speedy service; got turrets and boards, resistors, some caps there).
Here's a pic of 5E3 board so far.

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[JeffdaMaori]

Here's the head style cabinet in the making: wood is Macrocarpa (love it!), biscuit jointed, glued with tuff as nails epoxy...

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[JakeFuzz]

Here's the head style cabinet in the making: wood is Macrocarpa (love it!), biscuit jointed, glued with tuff as nails epoxy...

Damn that biscuit joined edge looks so much better than the standard box joint. I have a biscuit joiner too that I never use, time to start making some cabinets.

That amp is going to be epic by the way.

[JeffdaMaori]

... and the boards (Ceriatone layout) made with turrets for the Trainwreck Express.
If you haven't heard of Trainwreck amps and Ken Fischer (who designed those and passed away way too early.....) check out this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_12Ler9B8
The trannies for this I got from Marstran, that guy makes fab trannies for Marshall style amps, great to deal with as well!
Boards are by now populated. Chassis will be alu from a local sheet metal place.
Cabinet similar as to pic above.
I'm itching to get it together and at the same time I'm really taking my time here... no use in whacking things together in a hurry.

Cheers


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[slimtriggers]

Here are some pics of my firefly kit. I am posting to show you how "pedal-like" an amp build can be. This probably would have been easier for me to do first but I did it after my Weber 5e3.

Where did you get that board?  The Firefly PCB site says they're no longer selling them

[sgmezei]

... and the boards (Ceriatone layout) made with turrets for the Trainwreck Express.
If you haven't heard of Trainwreck amps and Ken Fischer (who designed those and passed away way too early.....) check out this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_12Ler9B8
The trannies for this I got from Marstran, that guy makes fab trannies for Marshall style amps, great to deal with as well!
Boards are by now populated. Chassis will be alu from a local sheet metal place.
Cabinet similar as to pic above.
I'm itching to get it together and at the same time I'm really taking my time here... no use in whacking things together in a hurry.

Cheers

Hey man those builds look great. I would love to hear them when your done. Amp building is terrible because its addictive as pedal making but costs 10x as much haha. instead of $40 its $400.


I got the firefly PCB from EHman on the DIYstomp page. It says he is out right now but might be doing another batch. I would PM him as there have been a few folks asking him about getting them.