6g3 vol mod to 5e3

[BluesDude]

Newbie here. Hello everybody!

I ordered 5e3 kit. I will be receiving it soon and will embark on my first build. Half the fun will be learning. But my real motivation is to get a low cost blues amp.

I intend to build it as is (no mods) first... then begin modding to find the right configuration for me. Since I do not have experience playing a 5e3 tweed yet... my understanding of its characteristics is based on comments from others about possible improvements to the circuit.

One area of interest is taming volume.

I have been reading about the volume control circuit and various approaches to smoothing the vol increase so it doesn't go from 0 to max in 2 steps. I also understand it will provide a little extra headroom for cleanish sound at higher volumes.

It appears that some have taken the 6g3 approach of changing the vol pots to a voltage divider configuration and added a resistor between the wiper to the grid of the 2nd preamp stage.


I took a stab (untested approach) at reconfiguring the vol pots but retaining the single tone pot. See the attached drawing. forgive the use of text to make the schematic... I do not have software to draw schematics.

Please provide some feedback. Will this approach help to smooth the volume/distortion ramp up? Will it otherwise retain most of the character of the original circuit? Assuming this circuit will work... I like the bluesy distortion of the amp, but I want to keep the volume down a bit at home. Will this type of mod in effect have me increasing volume to get that great sound? Or do I need to go back to the drawing board?

Thanks

[MWJB]

This will work fine, in fact it is exactly how some very old Fenders were wired.

The ramp up will be more gradual.

Bear in mind the output power of the amp is what makes it loud...if your amp makes 15W (clean) it will still make 15W with either method of pot wiring...if you need a quieter amp build something smaller or use an attenuator. If you want "bluesy distortion", this will happen when you drive the amp..it's pretty irrelevant to which no. the volume pot is turned when this happens.

Also, part of the 5E3's tone comes from the way the pots are wired, if you convert to regular voltage dividers (as you are suggesting) there may be a subtle change in tone.

[Howlin' Mad Mac]

I'm guessing using 2 volume pots wired like this the 1st pot would be your gain & the 2nd act like a master volume?

[d95err]

Originally Posted by Howlin' Mad Mac

I'm guessing using 2 volume pots wired like this the 1st pot would be your gain & the 2nd act like a master volume?

No, it's one volume control for each channel.