5f2a amp, 5e3 cab: 10" or 12" speaker?

[cminor9]

I do love that clean sound...

So, I know you can't get *that* clean on the 5f2a. So let me ask this: how close can you get to the champ breakup in the video on the 5e3?

I guess what I'm asking is whether there's a bigger difference between the two amps in the clean tones or in the dirt.

I promise I am not trying to sway you; build what you want. But you did ask, so here goes: I think the 5E3 does both better. I A/B'ed them the other night. I built the princeton with the intent of giving it as a gift to a friend. I figured if I really love it, I could build my own later. So before I give it away, I took the time to break it in and play through it for a few weeks. That'll also break in the speaker and work out any bugs.

A recording is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, I don't have one. So you get 1000 words.

The princeton is completely stock. I made great efforts to stay faithful to the schematic Even the speaker choice is pretty close to an original, an 8" weber alnico sig. Cabinet dimensions and construction is same as the original except I used tolex instead of tweed.

The deluxe is slightly modded and sits in an oversized cab. I changed some cap values, permanently jumpered channels (only one set of inputs) and tuned one channel to be bassy, the other to be more trebly. But with a flick of a knob, it is pretty much stock but I can also dial down the bass and get a really cutting tone from it. Voltages are stock. Probably most importantly, it's running through a weber blue dog which is a very loud and distinctive speaker. Also, some guys put a 12ax7 in v1 on these. I prefer it a bit cleaner, so I use a 12at7 in v1.

The 5E3 has a great clean. The 5F2 is alright. With a bigger, louder speaker it'd certainly have more chutzpah. The 5E3 has mad compression. If you use a lot of compression, this is the amp for you. I think it's nice. 5E3 wins.

As you turn up the volume or start laying into them, both get that nice edge of breakup sound. The 5E3 gets more and more compressed and sustains more and is kind of punchy. The 5F2a gets this nice chimey tone to it but not a lot of bass. This, IMO, is the best thing about the 5F2a. But it's definitely not as fat sounding as the 5E3. Here it's a toss up for me. Both tones have their uses. Tie.

When you really wind em up and run them full tilt, the 5E3 just roars more and doesn't get really very ratty or farty. I have heard original deluxes that do, so maybe I built something just a little different than the original. The 5F2 gets weird here. It's actually not as loud or smooth as it was at halfway up the dial. It does that nice amp-is-about-to-explode thing really well. The 5E3 doesn't get ratty like that. It's a cool sound for the right type of music. But I think the 5E3 wins this category. The OD is better than any stompbox I have ever heard. The 5E3 is a monster.

Both amps are very dynamic. It's a tie there.

Playing dirty at low volumes, well, the 5F2a wins here. But wait! What's this? I wired up a dummy load to run in parallel with my speaker on the 5E3, so it takes the 10-12 or so of the 15 watts of the 5E3 and dissipates it. So *my* 5E3 is just as quiet as the 5F2. My band appreciates that very much.

When I give away the princeton, I think I might miss it just a little. But not enough to build another one.

[tubeswell]

A greenback G10 ought to give you that roadhouse sound with a 5F2A and the right output tube IMHO. But I don't think you will get that 'clean' 5E3 tone with a 5F2A no matter what speaker you use.

[Shannoona]

I built my own 5f2a head hand wired and the speaker i end up using was a 2nd hand 12" 30w Lorantz speaker ( supposed to be a green back clone) . I am rapped with the sound i get with my single coils on my strat with this combination

Both clean and dirty this just sounds great. Does not fizz in the treble or shrill like a Jensen or harsh and bitey in any way in upper mids . The bass does not flab out either but it is a well rounded speaker that has good bottom and articulate ( crisp ) highs. I get really good creamy overdrive and distortion
No Boxiness, no icepick and no honk

Hope this helps