Ideas for New Fender Build

Fender Amp Discussion

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LedZepp007
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Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by LedZepp007 »

Hi guys,

I have a few builds under my belt now and would like to build something Fender (I’ve built a 5E3, thought it was meh to be honest... too much bass). Here are my priorities:

1) it crunches hard when cranked
2) 12” speaker(s)
3) Relatively light
4) Reverb would be great, but not required

I was immediately thinking to build a deluxe reverb, but I’m worried it won’t have the fat crunch I crave.

Any suggestions?
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pompeiisneaks
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Re: Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by pompeiisneaks »

I think to get the fat crunch requires either going for the old blackfaces, (Bassman, etc) or even tweeds, because they were built without the 'clean' in mind that later amps were. I built a Bassman from the Hoffman forums and it came out great at max volume but I used the normal 4x10's, you could easily build one as a head type and install it into a head and use an external 4x12 or 2x12 as well. Also, getting a bit more meat out of an existing circuit can be done knowing how to dial in a few things, like the preamp tube bias, and the capacitors doing tone shaping etc. Some people even use a fender output stage with a marshall input to get something else unique. Really heavy drive, though, usually requires adding extra gain stages, so just a stock fender circuit wouldn't necessarily do it. A bassman, Deluxe Reverb, or just old tweed deluxe all can be tweaked to really shine. I built a Tweedle Dee Deluxe from the schematic/layout here in the forums and love how heavy it can get when pushed. It's LOUD though, as any of the above would be pushed hard enough to get that meat.

~Phil
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xtian
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Re: Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by xtian »

You missed the boat on your 5e3. Tweak it until the bass is under control. That amp burns houses down when turned up.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
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Colossal
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Re: Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by Colossal »

xtian wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:56 am You missed the boat on your 5e3. Tweak it until the bass is under control. That amp burns houses down when turned up.
Completely agree. That amp is magic.
LedZepp007
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Re: Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by LedZepp007 »

The 5E3 is fine. Probably should tweak some cap values in the PI.

In other news, I’ve decided to build a Low Power Tweed Twin. Not the lightest, but the cleans sound amazing and it can certainly grind.
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M Fowler
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Re: Ideas for New Fender Build

Post by M Fowler »

http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... +Rod+Tweed

I've built four of these Hot Rod Tweed "Bluesmaster" amps and they have exactly what you described "crunches hard when cranked but still is loud and clean.

Not sure why more people don't build these things.

my link has the schematic and layout.

Mark
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