Tweed Deluxe Clones
From wboyd9815–(at)–ol.com Sat Aug 23 18:00:13 CDT 1997
From: wboyd9815–(at)–ol.com (WBoyd98153)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.tubes
Subject: Re: Homemade Deluxe
Date: 23 Aug 1997 19:58:14 GMT
X-Admin: new–(at)–ol.com
Xref: geraldo.cc.utexas.edu rec.audio.tubes:38705
Hi Lee – have built several knock off 5E3 Deluxes. Here are my
thoughts…
> I plan to make it a head and use a remove 1×12
>with Mojotone MP12R.
Sounds great – had some problems with speaker failure with hard playing –
don’t use the kapton vc model though they don’t sound nearly as good –
have ordered a Weber p12Q for mine.
>1) Single point ground v. buss ground. If single point, do I need to
>isolate the jacks, pots, switches from the chassis also? (I suppose it
>wouldn’t be true single point without this.)
I isolated all the grounds seperately by stage & star grounded it. The
input and speaker jacks are grounded at the chassis also though – tried
both ways & no difference in noise.
>2) Steel v. aluminum chassis. Al is easier to work with but doesn’t
>provide any electromagnetic shielding (is this necessary in a low gain
>amp?)
Made them with aluminum chassis – the amps are very lightweight, the
transformers are relatively light too and it works fine – maybe a tendency
to ring & rattle a little – had to damp the chassis. – no problems with
interference.
>3) Carbon comp v. carbon film or metal film resistors?
>
>
Used carbon film – sounds great!
>4) Fiberboard circuit card v. terminal strips? Dixie has a tweed
>Deluxe board for $35 but terminal strips (more drilling req’d) would be
>about $6.
>
>
We used pc boards with lug strips attached and layed out just like
original – did have to shield one lead (to volume or tone control) in one
amp to prevent oscillation) – the lug strip way definately is easy to
service and flexible to modify. the pc board is attached with
nonconductive standoffs.
>5) Should I put in a standby switch that the original didn’t have?
I didn’t – but no reason not to. The 5Y3 comes on pretty quick.
You didn’t ask – but some more tips:
1. You will definately want to use solid pine box with finger joints and
a “floating baffle of appropriate thickness if you want that true tweed
deluxe sound.
2. Use NOS 6V6s – the Sovteks sound very poor to me. I have had some
good luck with NOS Mullard EL32s in tweed deluxe but you will have to
change the bias resistor and add a grid cap. I have also used 6BQ5s
successfully but you have to again, rebias it and reduce the driver gain.
Have also used the 6EZ5/EY5 which sounds a little glassier and more
brittle – not the sweet sound of NOS 6V6s
3. The amp is sensitive to output tranformers – old hifi units seem to
work better than new replacement types.
4. We have used both several types of Sprague orange drops (715p mostly)
and Mallory 150 series. Can’t really tell much difference – much more
difference in tubes.
5. Built the way I descrbed, this is a very light weight but beautiful
sounding amp (IMHO).
Bill Boyd
