5F11

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Do you think there would be any interest in a tweed 5F11 Vibrolux kit?

[tubeswell]

yep

[Gone Fission]

Yes, damnit. I want amps with trem. Why the hell does everybody need to "improve" designs by removing a good bias trem? Fender has it ass-backwards, leaving the opto-coupler trem in the Deluxe Reverb reissue but eliminating the kick-ass bias trem from the Princeton "Recording" amp.

Bear

[J Martin]

Would they be a stock version or the improved version like the chassis picture you showed in another post? I like the idea of a larger power transformer. I built a few when the Weber chassis was available and used a somewhat larger transformer to good effect.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Would they be a stock version or the improved version like the chassis picture you showed in another post? I like the idea of a larger power transformer. I built a few when the Weber chassis was available and used a somewhat larger transformer to good effect.

Not stock, I punched up all the PT holes in those last chassis to fit a Deluxe Reverb/Tweed Deluxe sized PT and I use either the 8K tweed Deluxe OT or a reissue 6K6 Deluxe Reverb OT in the amps.
All my 5F11 cabinets are made with a 12" speaker baffle instead of a 10".
So with a good ceramic or Alnico speaker, they rip when built this way.
As far as the rest of the 5F11 chassis go, I was going to strip the ink off and make them all into little 20 watt, 6V6 tweed Bassman type amps with V,T,M,B and the bigger iron. Kinda like a ... Bassboy!

[topbrent]

How about a tweed tremolux kit...

The 5f11 is a great amp, but I think the 5g9 tremolux needs some attention. Get at it Bruce!

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

The 5f11 is a great amp, but I think the 5g9 tremolux needs some attention. Get at it Bruce!

Yeah, those are great amps... the real cabinet is bigger then a 5E3 and I still have about 22 (yes 22) fully finished and lacquered 5F11 cabinets to deal with.
I'm still thinking I might take the chassis back to my silkscreener and have her wipe the ink of and re-ink it with Volume, Treble, Middle and Bass or drop the mid control and use V,T,B and a master volume, and build the things as a 1x12 low power Bassman.

[TD_Madden]

I fear a pending GAS attack.....

[ajeffcote]

Do you think there would be any interest in a tweed 5F11 Vibrolux kit?

I'm interested.

[chocorookie]

Bruce,

How does the voltages of the BFSR PT compare to the 5F11's PT?

Stock PT on the 5F11 is running 340V B+ (with load), I gues a 270-0-270V (Root-m-Square 2 = +-380V B+)

A BFSR +- 330-0-330V with a B+ over 400V's

This show's in tone a very bright amp, compressed and no "tweed groawl"
Also the pre-ampbias will affect due to higher voltages.

E.g. to the schematic the 470 ohm voltagesplitter and the 22k needs higher figures instead stock. 5K1/3watt and 27k / 3watt to drop the voltage a bit.

I'm also looking to a 5F11 chassis and thinking what transformers are best.
Stock 5F11 PT and a tweed de luxe should go, little more sag but under the 120mA range for Imax.

1-st Cap upgraded to a 20uF and the OT to the far right of the chassis(PT influences e.g. tweed de luxe problems)
The 12" speaker is a big plus into this amp.

I'm qurious to your answer.

(folks excuse for my bad englisch writing)

Regards Choc

[luis]

Bruce,count me in.....

[cminor9]

Bruce, I was looking at your site to see what all you have. I was noticing that when I click on Kits I can only get to the 5E3 kit. You have links for other kits, but nothing there. Surely you are aware of this?

What kinds of kits do you have? I am thinking about a 5G9 for my next build. I want to build a head instead of a combo. Got anything? I have been pricing the parts myself (good quality) and I keep hearing your kits are made from very good quality components. Your 5E3 kit is a great price for what you get. I'd be interested in seeing some of your other prices.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Bruce, I was looking at your site to see what all you have. I was noticing that when I click on Kits I can only get to the 5E3 kit. You have links for other kits, but nothing there. Surely you are aware of this?

What kinds of kits do you have? I am thinking about a 5G9 for my next build. I want to build a head instead of a combo. Got anything? I have been pricing the parts myself (good quality) and I keep hearing your kits are made from very good quality components. Your 5E3 kit is a great price for what you get. I'd be interested in seeing some of your other prices.

I got seriously sidelined over the last 5 months with my shoulder rebuilding surgery (getting much better now) and haven't done any kits except the 5E3.
I only have enough parts to do about 20 more of the 5F11 amps and I have a new one out in the Texas small club scene... doing some speaker and circuit mod "beta" testing over the last three or four weeks... I'll post his critique next week when it gets back here in Colorado... good or bad, positive and negative. I'm thick skinned!
Regardless, I'm still not convinced a 5F11 kit is worth doing because already, I am getting odd comments and feedback with from others who have taken one out for a weekend test drive.... with respect to it being compared to a 5E3... which it is not.
The Mission 5F11 has a 12" speaker and uses the larger 5E3 trannys, higher B+, fixed bias, but can make a very respectable 17-18 watts and although gets hard core tweed overdrive, is louder, brighter when needed and clearer sounding then the 5E3... but many players are really hung up on the 5E3 +10 watt tone ... it has been a hard sell.
So, I've just been building the 5F11 amps myself and installing an Eminence NEO Lil' Texas or the NEO Tonker Lite.
To be honest, I think they kill a 5E3 dead in the dirt when used in live, non-mic'd, low power, smaller venue or stage environments.... no contest.
As a matter of fact, I think they sound a little bit more like brown Deluxe but with more balls, also a little louder, better head room and tone with a great sounding power tube tremolo.
The other thing I've mentioned is that I am still considering taking the remaining 20 chassis' over to my silkscreener's shop and having all the ink wiped off and redoing them to read more like a single channel tweed Bassman only with 6V6s...
the Mission: Bassboy.
I have a modified eyelet board to do that and a chassis inked for it....

[TD_Madden]

Looks a lot like my tweed Gibson Explorer (except that the Explorer is cathode-biased and it's voltages are about 40v lower on the 6V6s.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Looks a lot like my tweed Gibson Explorer (except that the Explorer is cathode-biased and it's voltages are about 40v lower on the 6V6s.

And remember, I am using a different rectifier, bigger power and output trannys (then a real 5F11) in mine... so the B+ is actually around +420vdc and it is fixed bias with the power tubes idling around 9-10 watts each.
**********************
Also, do you find that the tremolo starts up instantly with the Gibson?