Which old Fender tube amp should I build?

[bluefoxicy]

I've been looking at old Fender 5D8 and 5E5 and such amps, wondering if I should build one. Old vintage ones seem to go for $2000+...

Perhaps I should build something entirely different though. I've never played on an old Fender, I just like the circuit.

Fender® ‘65 Deluxe Reverb® Combo Amp, Black

This for example seems to go for about $1000.

Fender® ’57 Deluxe™ Combo Amp, Tweed

And $2000 for that....

I have doubts I can build these cheaper unless I do the cabinet myself, out of scrap hardwood with a $100 speaker.

[tubeswell]

That's always a bloody curse, that question.

What ones have you built already BTW?

[bluefoxicy]

That's always a bloody curse, that question.

What ones have you built already BTW?

Valve Junior in a Vox configuration, and an Octal amp in a VJ head. I need to re-solder the VJ Vox, I made a bunch of cold joints due to a crap soldering iron (the tip melted, it couldn't actually heat the joint after touching the lead for 5 minutes so the solder wouldn't melt... I took it to the solder directly, and the iron's tip melted off). It's highly unstable.

[cminor9]

5E3! 5E3! 5E3!

The deluxe reverb is a complicated, expensive build. I'd know, I've priced it and studied the layout and schemo. Yikes! Oh, I'll build one, but it won't be simple.

It'd probably be good to have some idea of what kind of tone you are going for. Do you like tweeds? Do you like blackface? Brownface? All are pretty different from one another. I built a 6G3 having never played a fender brownface. Had I an opportunity to play one, or maybe another brownface amp, I might have known what to expect (though everything I had read online seemed to indicate I'd love it.) But I hated it. Very nice trem, ok clean tone, but when pushed hard the OD was definitely not to my liking. Then again, I built a 5E3 never having have played a tweed and that is probably the greatest amp I have ever played. But it can be very difficult to find and get to play those old amps. So if you build something based on a recommendation you read here, don't expect to love it.

What is important to you in a guitar amp? Sensitivity to picking dynamics? Tear-your-face-off aggression? Nice clean tones? Breakup at low volumes? Or loads of headroom? A loose, saggy amp, or something tight and crisp? If you provide your list of desirable and undesirable attributes, that might help folks give you recommendations.

[tubeswell]

Yup the 5E3 is definitely a goody, so is the 5F6A, and the 5G9 is awesome. Even the little 5F2A is fun. The 6G15 makes an ideal instant gorgeous 'verb unit for any amp too.

I'm currently doing a BFPR and planning a 5E4A.

But I ran out of room in my amp cupboard a while back, so everything is spilling into the home orofice and the nearby foyer. Now I just say to the missus "Yeah I'll sell this one (or that one) as soon as I'm happy with the sound of it", or "I just have to get such and such sorted out first, then I'll sell it - I promise". How long can these flimsy excuses last? As long as the inspiration I guess.

[txstrat]

If I had to build only one amp I'd probably go for a circuit in between late tweed and brownface.
The tweed amps started with a rather dark sound getting brighter until they peaked in the 5F6A bassman. The brownface amps were the first with scooped mids but not as much as the blackface amps.
A 5E4A/5F4 Super (depending on the wattage you're looking for) would be my choice if I'd go tweed. The 6G11 Vibrolux would be my choice if I'd go brownface. Actually my latest build has one channel with a 6G11 circuit and one channel with a 5F6A circuit.
Plus reverb (thanks tubenit) and bias vary trem. I love it.

[cminor9]

Yup the 5E3 is definitely a goody, so is the 5F6A, and the 5G9 is awesome. Even the little 5F2A is fun. The 6G15 makes an ideal instant gorgeous 'verb unit for any amp too.

I'm currently doing a BFPR and planning a 5E4A.

But I ran out of room in my amp cupboard a while back, so everything is spilling into the home orofice and the nearby foyer. Now I just say to the missus "Yeah I'll sell this one (or that one) as soon as I'm happy with the sound of it", or "I just have to get such and such sorted out first, then I'll sell it - I promise". How long can these flimsy excuses last? As long as the inspiration I guess.

Hahaha, I hear ya!

I just sold the loathed 6G3 to a bandmate who happens to LOVE it. I tried to talk him out of it, even. So I think the 6G9 is on the radar screen. It seems like a very gigable amp (not too loud, smallish).

If I can sell this boat anchor Hot Rod DeVille (10 yrs old, very well taken care of, looks new, anyone?), I'll be able to excuse cost of the next amp I want to build. Just goes to show you, if it ain't space it's money!

[cminor9]

The 6G11 Vibrolux would be my choice if I'd go brownface. Actually my latest build has one channel with a 6G11 circuit and one channel with a 5F6A circuit.

How's that compared with your 6G3?

[txstrat]

How's that compared with your 6G3?

Totally different story. I still dig the sound of my 6G3 (thik of Blue Jean Blues by ZZ Top).
This amp has a less midrangey sound (in both channels). While the 6G11 channel has sort of the chime of a blackface amp (think of Sultans of Swing - I know it was a brown Vibrolux) the 5F6A channel has everthing a Bassman should sound like or that I've heard so far (chimey with great bottom end - think of Mary had a little lamb from the Texas Flood album - In know it was a dumble). I even think of changing the bass pot to 250K. Ah, and it lacks the mid pot (I replaced it with a 820 ohms resistor I wired up like in a two pot tone stack). The whole amp breaks up quite early (4-5 on the dial with the 5F6A, 5-6 with the 6G11) due to it's rather small 35W OT.
All this comes VEEERY close to the hunted sound in my mind. As I stated before I love it.