some pictures of my homebrew 5e3

[riscado]

here you go when I can I'll post clips, sounds great...

will still had ability to switch first preamp tube bias values and cathode/fixed bias too...

http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/riscado/amp

[Dutch]

here you go when I can I'll post clips, sounds great...

will still had ability to switch first preamp tube bias values and cathode/fixed bias too...

http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/riscado/amp

Riscado--
Looks great! I like the woodworking on your cabinets. I wish I could do woodworking like that! What do all the extra toggle switches do?

I recently built a dissimilar stereo amp, of which one amp channel is a 5E3 and the other is a tweeked AC15 'lite' with just the EF86 channel and using 7591s instead of EL84s. It's not as pretty as yours, but it sounds good, and was built with recycled OTs from a couple really old amps.

Pix: http://www.dvz-slug.org/images/amp.html

I haven't got pix up of the most recent changes yet, but all I did was to change the power switch to a push-button, change the 5E3 channel's knobs to cream-colored '62 Fender style knobs and the AC15-ish channel's knobs to cream-colored 'chicken head' knobs. They're now much easier to see!
I also added a couple toggles to the top of the chassis--one to switch the 5E3 channel's power supply from the 5Y3 Copper-Cap to a pair of 1N4007 diodes (for a bit more headroom--388VDC vs. 338VDC for the plate supply), and the other to swap preamps, so that I could try the 5E3 front-end through the AC15-ish PI/power-amp and vice-versa.

C ya,
Dutch

[riscado]

your amp looks amazing dutch... and being able to use diferente front ends is a very cool feature...

my 5e3 still has a major low freq hum problem, that I though I had gotten rid of, but it's back, and I can't seem to figure out where it comes from...

the switch are for diferente resistor values for the first gain stage cathode, also another for diferente cap values or no cap at all, just the resistor. And then I've got a switch for switching between cathode and fixed bias (which is adjustable via a pot on the bottom of the chassis).

[TD_Madden]

Which method of bias do you find yourself preferring? I built one with switchable cathode and fixed bias and generally prefer the cathode-bias....

[riscado]

I used the weber bias circuit using the 50 v tap, but also though about using a brownface deluxe type like Bruce sugested... anyway, my opinion is pretty much similar to yours, I'm happy with the added flexibility, mainly for eventual live use... but I find myself using the amp with the cathode bias on most of the time... It sounds warmer. Amazing, amazing tone from this amp, my all time favourite, from all the amps I've played, no doubt...

I'm glad I found the old 5E3 forum with so many knowledgable people...

[Dutch]

your amp looks amazing dutch... and being able to use diferente front ends is a very cool feature...

Riscado--
Thanks! It is basically two complete amps in one chassis, sharing only the power supply. The preamp swap switch provides some interesting sounds.

my 5e3 still has a major low freq hum problem, that I though I had gotten rid of, but it's back, and I can't seem to figure out where it comes from...

Does it hum with the preamp and PI tubes pulled? Start with just your outputs, then plug in the PI, then the preamp, and note when the hum starts. It'll give you a good idea of where to look for its cause.

the switch are for diferente resistor values for the first gain stage cathode, also another for diferente cap values or no cap at all, just the resistor. And then I've got a switch for switching between cathode and fixed bias (which is adjustable via a pot on the bottom of the chassis).

Sounds like a pretty versatile amp!

C ya,
Dutch