Fender Tube Amps - I have questions

[knuckle]

Hopefully you got answers. I posted this over on the tele forum and I'm somewhat more confused now. So I thought I'd post this over here as well.

First off, my knowledge of tube amps is well, very lacking.

Here's what I do currently.

I play acoustic guitars and resonator guitars through a PA system. K18's and K12's.

Later in the year, I'm getting a gas can guitar and a cigar box guitar to start incorporating some more electric style stuff into the band.

So, I thought a tube amp would be a great idea for this.
Pretty simply, I want something that is Loud, something that will play cleans well and overdrive as well. Not insane distortion, but blues type overdrive, a little crunch if you will.

I've been contemplating handmade as I do not want any of the modern Fender stuff. If I have a hand wired tube amp, I can fix it / replace stuff myself. Not so with a modern amp with chips and whatnot.

I'm going back and forth between a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe and a Blackface deluxe reverb.

Now as I understand it the Blackface Deluxe reverb wont really do overdrive and will require a pedal like a tube screamer.

What do you think?

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by knuckle

Hopefully you got answers. I posted this over on the tele forum and I'm somewhat more confused now. So I thought I'd post this over here as well.

First off, my knowledge of tube amps is well, very lacking.

Here's what I do currently.

I play acoustic guitars and resonator guitars through a PA system. K18's and K12's.

Later in the year, I'm getting a gas can guitar and a cigar box guitar to start incorporating some more electric style stuff into the band.

So, I thought a tube amp would be a great idea for this.
Pretty simply, I want something that is Loud, something that will play cleans well and overdrive as well. Not insane distortion, but blues type overdrive, a little crunch if you will.

I've been contemplating handmade as I do not want any of the modern Fender stuff. If I have a hand wired tube amp, I can fix it / replace stuff myself. Not so with a modern amp with chips and whatnot.

I'm going back and forth between a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe and a Blackface deluxe reverb.

Now as I understand it the Blackface Deluxe reverb wont really do overdrive and will require a pedal like a tube screamer.

What do you think?

Do you have the skill and knowledge to be messing around inside a tube amp that will FRY you if you touch the wrong thing? Don't go messing around insicde one of these without alot of knowledge..

A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe is gonna breakup alot sooner then the Blackface and breakup differently. For what you describe a Blackface or Silverface Deluxe Reverb would be a great amp.

The Blackface will most certainly do overdrive without a pedal. ANY tube amp will. But, maybe not at the volume you want to use.

It sounds to me like you need to do more research and play a BUNCH of amps. My take is that your knowledge base is a bit lacking right now.

There are alot of fabulous hand-made Fender clones or Fender-like clones out there that are well worth looking into. Check out Juke Amps website. I am a Blackface LOVER, and my Juke Coda is the best Fenderish amp I have ever played, and that includes some vintage Blackfaces.

[kscobie8]

Try one of the Hot Rod series amps. They can clean up fairly well, and they have a nice bluesy edge to them.


Bel isi,
-kyle

[knuckle]

Those are all PCB models Kyle, I'm looking for something hand wired, so I can replace stuff if needed. These new amps are really throw away models. They work for a few years then break. I know enough not to touch a capacitor and own a high end volt meter

I'll have about $1200 or so to spend.

[heavyg]

blackface Deluxe reverb, great all round amp.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by knuckle

Those are all PCB models Kyle, I'm looking for something hand wired, so I can replace stuff if needed. These new amps are really throw away models. They work for a few years then break. I know enough not to touch a capacitor and own a high end volt meter

I'll have about $1200 or so to spend.

I have to laugh when people call ALL PCB amps "throw away models". Excuse me, but that is just ludicrous!

[knuckle]

Well maybe I'm incorrect, but things nowadays, don't seem to last me very long at all.

However my Dell computers I've had good luck with. They seem to last me forever. I still have my first one from 9 years ago.

[Gypsyblue]

Originally Posted by knuckle

Hopefully you got answers. I posted this over on the tele forum and I'm somewhat more confused now. So I thought I'd post this over here as well.

First off, my knowledge of tube amps is well, very lacking.

Here's what I do currently.

I play acoustic guitars and resonator guitars through a PA system. K18's and K12's.

Later in the year, I'm getting a gas can guitar and a cigar box guitar to start incorporating some more electric style stuff into the band.

So, I thought a tube amp would be a great idea for this.
Pretty simply, I want something that is Loud, something that will play cleans well and overdrive as well. Not insane distortion, but blues type overdrive, a little crunch if you will.

I've been contemplating handmade as I do not want any of the modern Fender stuff. If I have a hand wired tube amp, I can fix it / replace stuff myself. Not so with a modern amp with chips and whatnot.

I'm going back and forth between a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe and a Blackface deluxe reverb.

Now as I understand it the Blackface Deluxe reverb wont really do overdrive and will require a pedal like a tube screamer.

What do you think?

Delyxe Reverb is more versatile but the 5E3 is a gas too. If I could only have one I'd go for the DR with a great speaker like the Celestion G12H30 Anniversary. If you want a handmade amp, contact Bruce Collins at Missionamps.com. He can build you one or provide you with a kit to build your own. Bruce gets rave reviews.

[Gypsyblue]

Originally Posted by terrapin

I have to laugh when people call ALL PCB amps "throw away models". Excuse me, but that is just ludicrous!

That's true. There's some good ones. There's also some bad ones.

I've been jonesing for a Blues Junior but my tech assures me that it's not an amp that'll last like my 50's and 60's Fenders have lasted. He says the circuit board is cheap and thin and that over time it'll warp and cause problems. I would assume he's implying that the solder traces will come undone over time...hopefully a long time because I'd still like to have one.

It's been a real PIA anytime I've tied to work on or upgrade or repair a PCB amp. I'm so spoiled from the ease of working on my 50's and 60's handwired Fenders.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Gypsyblue

That's true. There's some good ones. There's also some bad ones.

I've been jonesing for a Blues Junior but my tech assures me that it's not an amp that'll last like my 50's and 60's Fenders have lasted. He says the circuit board is cheap and thin and that over time it'll warp and cause problems. I would assume he's implying that the solder traces will come undone over time...hopefully a long time because I'd still like to have one.

It's been a real PIA anytime I've tied to work on or upgrade or repair a PCB amp. I'm so spoiled from the ease of working on my 50's and 60's handwired Fenders.

yes, Fender really screwed up with the Blues Jr. IMO by using a cheap PCB and thin traces. There are folks who mod these into PTP amps.

But, Take a look at the PCB and traces on the Princeton Reverb Reissue or the Deluxe Reverb Reissue. VERY well done, and I hear of little to NO problems with the boards on these amps.

But, to simple rule out PCB as a legitimate way to build amps is BS!

[knuckle]

Well I'm not ruling out that PCB boards are not a correct way to build an amp. I've had many amps with PCB's

But I've never really owned a tube amp. I've read a lot of stuff online about some of the Fenders having a problem. Probably the one you mentioned.

But to have a tube amp, hand wired that can be serviced either by myself
or someone that knows what they are doing is intriguing.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by knuckle

Well I'm not ruling out that PCB boards are not a correct way to build an amp. I've had many amps with PCB's

But I've never really owned a tube amp. I've read a lot of stuff online about some of the Fenders having a problem. Probably the one you mentioned.

But to have a tube amp, hand wired that can be serviced either by myself
or someone that knows what they are doing is intriguing.

PCB amps can be serviced/modded as well. I had some filter cap mods done on my Princeton Reverb Reissue. A good PCB amp can be serviced almost as easily as a PTP wired amp.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by knuckle

Those are all PCB models Kyle, I'm looking for something hand wired, so I can replace stuff if needed. These new amps are really throw away models. They work for a few years then break. ...

Shucks. No one told me I was supposed to throw away my Fender Blues Deluxe which is why it is now 18 years old. The only time it needed repair was when a nearby lightning strike blew out the op-amp IC for the reverb circuit. The chip, made by Texas Instruments, only cost something like four or five dollars and soldering it in place of the old one was a fairly simple procedure. If I'd only known it was a throw-away amp I could have saved myself five frog skins.

[bnjp]

Originally Posted by kscobie8

Try one of the Hot Rod series amps. They can clean up fairly well, and they have a nice bluesy edge to them.

I know a guy who plays classical through a Hot Rod Deluxe. It sounds great! Nice clean warm tone because of the tubes. Also has spring reverb, which is nice.

[knuckle]

Well that quote was from an article I read regarding all modern electronic devices. Fender seems like a pretty good company. I've checked all the reviews on everything and there's only a handful of dissatisfied people that got lemons.