Brand new 5E3 gets its first power up...(long)

[mbratch]

I picked up a pack of 10 zeners, 11V @ 5A ea, for a little over $5 on eBay. I use two of them and my specs are now just right.

[PremiumPlus]

So how's the sound now, mbratch? Did you adjust your cathode resistor to bring you to around 12 watts/tube? I found that with the RCA 6V6's I have in there that the 275 ohm cathode resistor made mine average 12.05 watts/tube. That's close enough for rock&roll as they say!
I'm curious to see if you lost any chime or brilliance. I didn't in my case. Hope yours sounds great too! I called Mojo yesterday and my cab is due to ship today or tomorrow, so I'm closing in on hearing it in its cab with the Blue.

[mbratch]

So how's the sound now, mbratch? Did you adjust your cathode resistor to bring you to around 12 watts/tube? I found that with the RCA 6V6's I have in there that the 275 ohm cathode resistor made mine average 12.05 watts/tube. That's close enough for rock&roll as they say!
I'm curious to see if you lost any chime or brilliance. I didn't in my case. Hope yours sounds great too! I called Mojo yesterday and my cab is due to ship today or tomorrow, so I'm closing in on hearing it in its cab with the Blue.

Actually, the sound is very good. I know that 5E3's are known for their crunchy sound, but I really like the cleans on the 5E3. They're very sweet. And I'm a Kenny Burrell fan, so that helps.

I did raise the cathode resistor a bit, 300 ohms, to get in the right ball park balancing plate voltage and dissipation. I have a vintage Sylvania 5Y3 which runs just a smidge hotter than the couple of other vintage 5Y3's I have. I also have a new Sovtek 5Y3 which is just out of the ball park on voltages, more than a 5R4 or a 5V4, and close (not quite) like a 5AR4. So I'm sticking with my vintage 5Y3's. And I am running JJ 6V6S in there right now.

I think when I had tries this before, I didn't make a suitable adjustment to the cathode resistor and my plate voltage was too far off, which negatively impacted the sound.

I think my Celestion Blue is showing up today via UPS. More tonal tests ahead...