# Modified 5E3/6G2 Fender build



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Since you guys like seeing amp builds, here's the one I'm working on now. I bought it in the form of a board with drawings and a cap/resistor set ( Ebay.ca) Based on a 5E3 but with a few frills added. Single channel, SS rectified, gain switch, presence control, and a negative feedback on/off toggle.

Board with caps in place
View attachment 2972


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

board with caps and resistors in place
View attachment 2973


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

with the "hair on it" and soldered up ready for mounting.
View attachment 2974


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

That looks pretty cool. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Where on ebay did you get this?


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

dcole said:


> That looks pretty cool. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Where on ebay did you get this?


Under "musical instruments" then "guitar", "amplifiers" "parts & accessories" and I always check off "Canada only" You'll see this kind of stuff there. The seller I buy from is "chuck0652".


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Looking good so far. I think this is the same Ebay seller I bought my eyelet board from.

Does he only do Fender stuff?

Also, why the SS rectifier? Actually I'd be interested to know the desired impact of all the mods you're adding.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Looking good so far. I think this is the same Ebay seller I bought my eyelet board from.
> 
> Does he only do Fender stuff?
> 
> Also, why the SS rectifier? Actually I'd be interested to know the desired impact of all the mods you're adding.


I'm sure it's the same guy. He only does Fender stuff because that's what sells. He's actually a Traynor guy. 
The idea behind using diodes instead of a rectifier tube is to get more clean headroom. The other mods are all aimed at making the 5E3 a little brighter. Or at least give some tone options. Where (on the volume knob) does that new 5E3 you just built start to break up?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> I'm sure it's the same guy. He only does Fender stuff because that's what sells. He's actually a Traynor guy.
> The idea behind using diodes instead of a rectifier tube is to get more clean headroom. The other mods are all aimed at making the 5E3 a little brighter. Or at least give some tone options. Where (on the volume knob) does that new 5E3 you just built start to break up?


I figured the SS rectifier might might allow you to have more power if you wanted to add it somehow.

As for your question on when my 5E3 breaks up, I haven't really analyzed that yet. The damned thing is loud as hell so I don't turn it past 1 or 2. I use pedals for dirt right now.

It has stimulated me to play a lot lately however. I think I got lucky, but this amp is turning out to be my favourite to date.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Milkman said:


> I figured the SS rectifier might might allow you to have more power if you wanted to add it somehow.
> 
> As for your question on when my 5E3 breaks up, I haven't really analyzed that yet. The damned thing is loud as hell so I don't turn it past 1 or 2. I use pedals for dirt right now.
> 
> It has stimulated me to play a lot lately however. I think I got lucky, but this amp is turning out to be my favourite to date.


I've got a 5E3 I built years back so I know what you mean. They are loud. Love the dynamic range on them that you just don't get on a SS amp. 

Hit a snag on my build......the tube sockets I have don't fit the holes in the chassis I'm using. Rather than tear up a new chrome chassis, I've ordered tube sockets I think will fit. 
Who knew that all tube sockets were not created equal? I didn't.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

wow, it's been a busy summer! Getting back at this thing now, the 5E3 chassis I was going use just wasn't working out for me (and tweed chassis's are such a pain to work in anyway)......so I ordered up a blackface Princeton chassis from a Canadian seller on eBay.
View attachment 4106


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Iron mounted and holes punched.

View attachment 4110


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Finished finally. Fired right up and away it went. All clean, all the way up to 10. No dirt at all.
Not as neat as it could be, but what the hay....


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I see I lost all the pictures in the big crash of 2013. Bummer
View attachment 6554


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Is that labels on the wires to tell you where they go? I do that on pedal builds, just scraps of masking tape with (whatever, power, pot lug#, ground, stomp switch lug#, etc.) so I don't have to go look at the layout all the way thru wiring.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

keto said:


> Is that labels on the wires to tell you where they go? I do that on pedal builds, just scraps of masking tape with (whatever, power, pot lug#, ground, stomp switch lug#, etc.) so I don't have to go look at the layout all the way thru wiring.


Yup, the tags are just to make it easier for me to hook things up. I marked each wire and wrote a corresponding number on the layout drawing. It worked. The markers are a 3M product called "ScotchCode".


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

If anyone is wondering what's in that "pot of soup".......it's a custom made board by a tech from St. Catherns who sells on Ebay. Power transformer is from a Garnet Rebel PA, output transformer is from a 1950 Hammond M3 organ, chassis is a "Princeton" from an Ebay seller on the east coast, and I just happened to have a BF Princeston face plate so on it went. Started out with 6V6's but with a B+ of 418 volts I went to 6L6's instead.
Got 2 empty pot holes I'm not sure what to do with.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I got an answer to my question of what to do with those two extra holes in the Princeton face plate. Ebay seller "chuck0652" sent me an add on tremelo to try out. Something he's been working on, I'm the test pilot


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Cool! Let us know how it progresses. 

You are a berry busy builder these days! 

Cheers

Dave


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