Good tweed valve amplifier...

[Adamski]

I would like some general advice.

I have a lovely Hahn telecaster ad currently just have a Yamaha modelling amp for practice but I would like to buy a nice tweed covered vintage feel valve amp.

I understand that Lazy J are the ones to go for but I can't imagine I will use it often enough to justify £2500 on one of those so what other options do you think would be good?

I guess the Fender Blues Junior would be an option, I also quite like the look of the Cornell Romany but Im sure there are load of others that would be worth some investigation... help please!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Adamski

I would like some general advice.

I have a lovely Hahn telecaster ad currently just have a Yamaha modelling amp for practice but I would like to buy a nice tweed covered vintage feel valve amp.

I understand that Lazy J are the ones to go for but I can't imagine I will use it often enough to justify £2500 on one of those so what other options do you think would be good?

I guess the Fender Blues Junior would be an option, I also quite like the look of the Cornell Romany but Im sure there are load of others that would be worth some investigation... help please!

Clark Beaufort or the Victoria 20112, both are two of the finest examples of modern Tweed 5E3 circuits. I have played a Hahn Campilongo Tele through my Beaufort and it was a perfect match!

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Adamski

I would like some general advice.

I have a lovely Hahn telecaster ad currently just have a Yamaha modelling amp for practice but I would like to buy a nice tweed covered vintage feel valve amp.

I understand that Lazy J are the ones to go for but I can't imagine I will use it often enough to justify £2500 on one of those so what other options do you think would be good?

I guess the Fender Blues Junior would be an option, I also quite like the look of the Cornell Romany but Im sure there are load of others that would be worth some investigation... help please!

It depends on what you want to have for a Tweed amp's features and the price you want to pay. I bought one of these a year ago: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp and it sounds great but its 5-watt output may not be what you want? I also bought one of these a year ago:: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ube-combo-ampe and it sounds wonderful, too. I also bought one of these: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp and it spit the bit 15 minutes into its initial run--back it went!

I think a Blues Junior Tweed would be a nice cost-effective choice but there are so many other brands that may offer similar and more features for comparable prices. As Rockabilly mentioned, Victoria is likely Tops in Tweed!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

I think a Blues Junior Tweed would be a nice cost-effective choice but there are so many other brands that may offer similar and more features for comparable prices. As Rockabilly mentioned, Victoria is likely Tops in Tweed!

Actually I think the Clark Beaufort is the tops, with the Victoria 20112 close second I've owned both. My Clark stopped the search.

But here's something interesting, I recently bought a Mesa Fillmore 50 which Mesa based on the tonality of early 50's tweed amps, and I am in LOVE with this amp. The cleans are incredible, the reverb is as lush as any reverb circuit I've heard, and the crunch tones (where my style lives and breathes), are just PERFECT!

And funny thing, these are selling for reasonable prices on the used market and Mesa has transferable warranties.

I posted this last week, but if you missed it, all if the electric parts were done with the Fillmore 50, and the slide part was a Tele (esquire)...

[Adamski]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Actually I think the Clark Beaufort is the tops, with the Victoria 20112 close second I've owned both. My Clark stopped the search.

But here's something interesting, I recently bought a Mesa Fillmore 50 which Mesa based on the tonality of early 50's tweed amps, and I am in LOVE with this amp. The cleans are incredible, the reverb is as lush as any reverb circuit I've heard, and the crunch tones (where my style lives and breathes), are just PERFECT!

And funny thing, these are selling for reasonable prices on the used market and Mesa has transferable warranties.

I posted this last week, but if you missed it, all if the electric parts were done with the Fillmore 50, and the slide part was a Tele (esquire)...

That is magnificent playing & singing. Lovely job!

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Actually I think the Clark Beaufort is the tops, with the Victoria 20112 close second I've owned both. My Clark stopped the search.

But here's something interesting, I recently bought a Mesa Fillmore 50 which Mesa based on the tonality of early 50's tweed amps, and I am in LOVE with this amp. The cleans are incredible, the reverb is as lush as any reverb circuit I've heard, and the crunch tones (where my style lives and breathes), are just PERFECT!

And funny thing, these are selling for reasonable prices on the used market and Mesa has transferable warranties.

I posted this last week, but if you missed it, all if the electric parts were done with the Fillmore 50, and the slide part was a Tele (esquire)...

As a point of information, Mesa discontinued their long-standing transferrable warranty policy a couple of years back. They're now warranted only to the original owner. The warranty is still good for 5 years (for the major components of the amp) from date of sale or, if lacking sales evidence, from date of manufacture. Warranty only applies to products sold and used in the US and Canada (those in other countries get warranties from their dealers.)

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Adamski

I would like some general advice.

I have a lovely Hahn telecaster ad currently just have a Yamaha modelling amp for practice but I would like to buy a nice tweed covered vintage feel valve amp.

I understand that Lazy J are the ones to go for but I can't imagine I will use it often enough to justify £2500 on one of those so what other options do you think would be good?

I guess the Fender Blues Junior would be an option, I also quite like the look of the Cornell Romany but Im sure there are load of others that would be worth some investigation... help please!

You can pick out a lower priced amp that checks all the other boxes for you and recover it in tweed. You can purchase the authentic fabric by the yard and then lacquer it or leave it un-lacquered after the cabinet is covered.

I did a couple of small 5 watt valve amps this way and they turned out great.

[Rogerblair]

I’ve been looking at the Supro 12 as a mid priced tube amp. Like the looks and sounds I’ve heard on YouTube. Need to find one in a store.
Rb

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

As a point of information, Mesa discontinued their long-standing transferrable warranty policy a couple of years back. They're now warranted only to the original owner. The warranty is still good for 5 years (for the major components of the amp) from date of sale or, if lacking sales evidence, from date of manufacture. Warranty only applies to products sold and used in the US and Canada (those in other countries get warranties from their dealers.)

oh bummer!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Adamski

That is magnificent playing & singing. Lovely job!

Thank you I really love this amp!

[Glennwillow]

Daniel's recording shows how great the old Tweed 5E3 circuit can sound. At the same time these amps are kind of expensive. The Fender Tweed Deluxe is that same circuit and sounds pretty great to my ears. I would love to have one these great amps.

However, if you are looking for something that sounds good and costs considerably less, the Blackstar Studio 10 class A amps, I think, sound really good. This is the 6L6 version and this is the EL34 version.

I would be happy with either, but I have been thinking lately I would choose the EL34 version as a little less "fizzy" sounding in overdrive.

There are a lot of great YouTube demos of these amps, for example...





- Glenn

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Daniel's recording shows how great the old Tweed 5E3 circuit can sound. At the same time these amps are kind of expensive. The Fender Tweed Deluxe is that same circuit and sounds pretty great to my ears. I would love to have one these great amps.

However, if you are looking for something that sounds good and costs considerably less, the Blackstar Studio 10 class A amps, I think, sound really good. This is the 6L6 version and this is the EL34 version.

I would be happy with either, but I have been thinking lately I would choose the EL34 version as a little less "fizzy" sounding in overdrive.

There are a lot of great YouTube demos of these amps, for example...





- Glenn

Thanks for posting this, Glenn. Blackstar gets badmouthed alot it seems because to the purists it is perceived as the budget line of tube amps for the masses.

Me, I like them. I like the fact they are affordable. They offer solid build quality along with multi channel platforms at a good price point.

You mentioned, Glenn, you prefer the EL34 rig for not being overly fizzy, whereas I was leaning towards the 6L6 for that very reason. To each their own, as they say! And although Tim Pierce didn't come out and actually say it, when he does say he wanted to leave with two of them after the session I guarantee he wanted one EL34 and one 6L6 for his own studio! I’ll ask him later and see if i can get an answer.

[Bob Womack]

Honestly, with all the great kits available there seems to be a garage-based 5E3 Tweed Deluxe clone builder on every corner these days. If you do a little research and find a good builder there's no reason to spend nearly three grand to get one. I had mine built for little more than a third of that eight years ago with a tone of component upgrades. I would recommend my builder (he's built multiple amps for Joe Walsh and Steuart Smith of the Eagles) but he had motorcycle accident and was grievously injured in 2020 and has spent the interim in physical therapy. But, "pics or don't bother to post:"






The specs for my build were:

• Mercury Magnetics power and output transformers
• Hand-made oil and wax red Jupiter tone capacitors
• Spraque Atom filter capacitors
• Carbon comp resistors
• JJ tubes
• Carling switches
• CTS pots
• Switchcraft jacks
• Weber Vintage 12A125 12” AlNico speaker, 20 watts, lightly doped
• JD Newell pine cab with lacquered tweed covering
• Standby switch in place of the ground switch eliminated by a three-wire cord
• All cloth-covered wiring

And the sound. Listen through to see what you can do with a Tweed Deluxe, all by manipulating the guitar's pickup selector and volume controls:



Bob

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

• Mercury Magnetics power and output transformers
• Hand-made oil and wax red Jupiter tone capacitors
• Spraque Atom filter capacitors
• Carbon comp resistors
• JJ tubes
• Carling switches
• CTS pots
• Switchcraft jacks
• Weber Vintage 12A125 12” AlNico speaker, 20 watts, lightly doped
• JD Newell pine cab with lacquered tweed covering
• Standby switch in place of the ground switch eliminated by a three-wire cord
• All cloth-covered wiring

And the sound. Listen through to see what you can do with a Tweed Deluxe, all by manipulating the guitar's pickup selector and volume controls:



Bob

Sounds right to me, and I am around real 50's deluxes all the time. And all the parts on that list are great.

[welshruss]

I went through a similar amp journey last year after buying a Fender Isbell Tele.

I got a used Blues Junior but after a while I sold it. It’s was okay. Then I demoed and nearly bought one of the Blackstar amps mentioned above but then I tried a Toneking Gremlin.
End of search, it has two channels one like a tweed ( which I live in) and one like a blackface. It cost more than I wanted to spend but 8 months in I love it and have zero regrets.
The power attenuator is great too and playing on lower wattage keeps my wife and neighbours happy.