5E3 schwitchable "less bass mod"?

[richon]

besides:

changing coupling caps from 0.1 to 0.022
changing bypass caps on the cathode to a smaler value of V1=12AY7
Paul C mod

is there any mod that really helps inproove the sound of the 5E3?

[tele-tubby]

d95err, thanks for the explanation. I would have never gotten that knowledge from staring at the schematic for ten years.

I replaced the .1 coupling caps on both channels with .022 caps. Much better to my ears than the Cathode bypass method, which just as you said, was more subtle. I really(!) dig the clean on my DeVille and didn't like this amp as much because it just didn't sound right with my favorite guitar (a dot), but now...my goodness, this amp is awesome. I'll never build another 5E3 with .1 coupling caps on the first stage. It made all the difference in the world.

If you need to shed some bass, I'd recommend doing it at the coupling cap.

di you think this worked for you because you use a dot? i use a tele mostly and was wondering of .022 maybe too much less bass to work with...

[AndreasA]

An update: I have just had the builder install a switch that selects 0.022uF or 0.1uF as the bright chanal coupling capacitor after the 12AY7. The sound with the 0.022uF is just what I was after... Now the amp don't have to use all its power on boomy bass frequencies. It cuts better and in some way seem louder. And still plenty of bass. I can't understand why anybody but very few would prefere the amp with the stock 0.1uF. Of course THAT is the signature 5E3 sound however, I find it a niche sound.

I am going for the 0.022uF as standard configuration in my deluxe as I have no use for the unbalanced stock sound.

1) would a 0.022uF on the normal chanal change the sound noticable on the bright chanal (due to interaction between chanals)? In other words, would the tone the bright chanal has now be altered by a 0.022uF on the normal chanal?

I would like to be able to switch for a bass cut (beyond this configuration). I never use the low inputs so there is space for two switches...

2) bypass cap switch: I'm thinking about a SPTT switch to select between 0.68uF/10uF/25uF bypass caps on 12AY7. Any thoughts on that?

3) coupling cap switch: If I want to cut bass with coupling cap changes, should I then go even lower than 0.022uF after the 12AY7 or should I decrease the ones before the 6V6's? What would the sound difference be?

Best regards

Andreas

[tele-tubby]

did you ever go lower than .022 on the coupling caps?

3) coupling cap switch: If I want to cut bass with coupling cap changes, should I then go even lower than 0.022uF after the 12AY7 or should I decrease the ones before the 6V6's? What would the sound difference be?

Best regards

Andreas

[AndreasA]

hi tele-tubby,

No, I never got changed anything but the first coupling cap to 0.022.

I liked the 0.022 and used this setting about 99% of the time. I think that the 0.022 makes the amp more overall balanced and well behaved. It takes just the right amount of bass of the deep strings. Unfortenuately it also changes the sound on the thin strings a bit. You loose some of the FAT tone on the thin strings. They sound more deluxe reverb'ish. Not a bad sound at all.

I would imagine going lower than 0.022 on a single cap would interfere even more with the high notes (as the cut-off freq. is higher for lower cap).

What I would like is something that cuts the deep bottom and leaving the high notes FAT.

My Deluxe is for sale since I have realized that it is not the right amp for what I do right now. I have tried to make it sound more and more like a small bassman/vibro-king, however it is obviously something else. For old school sounds to be recorded in the studio I prefere my old gibson amp. It sounds amazing and is really loose and sludging out... The thing about the old gibson is that it is almost more fat than the 5E3 clone, yet it has very controllable (little) bass. This makes it honk and fart and sludge out in a controllable manner. Unlike the 5E3 clone thats just burries itself in bass and mids. I don't know how much is due to the electronics in the gibson and how much is due to its org. jensen p12r speaker?

I have just bought a Vibro-king (with a hot plate). That's what suits me best for live applications. It is the totally opposite of the deluxe in regards of dynamics. Pick harder and the deluxe (over)compresses and almost get quieter. I miss the big amps where the notes will jump out with authority. The vibro-king is very FAT, yet holds together in the bottom, with a lovely "compression without sag" character. Some day I would like to make a mini-vibro-king (6V6 output tubes, small trannys) and see how much of the sound, voicing and feel is conserved.

[tele-tubby]

I went down to all .022 caps. Suits my needs. I can now just crank the amp and get a pretty nice, overdriven tone that isn't reduced to mush. When I roll back the volume knob on the guitar, it cleans up pretty nicely. I use a tele mostly.

I also switched to an old Celestion Greenback (I initially used a Weber 1230-55) and it helped with taming the overwhelming bass, and the tone breaks up smoother (this may or may not be desirable depending on your taste). So if you ask me, I really think the alnico speakers are the best fit for this amp as those have way less bass than ceramics. I suggest you try that 1st before letting go of your deluxe.

One final note, I think what sets the deluxe apart is its lo-fi appeal. The bigger amps may have more balanced frequencies, but the deluxe has that raw, primal tone when cranked that really gets the rock and roll fans up on their feet

[Direwolf]

besides:

changing coupling caps from 0.1 to 0.022
changing bypass caps on the cathode to a smaler value of V1=12AY7
Paul C mod

is there any mod that really helps inproove the sound of the 5E3?

In my eyes (and ears) you can't improve the sound of the 5E3. It is what it is. Sure, you can voice it for sc's or humbuckers using the bias and coupling caps but why not just build an amp you like the sound of if you don't like what the 5E3 sounds like? If you mod the 5E3 until it no longer sounds like a 5E3, it ain't a 5E3!

[Five_E35]

I haven't done it yet and may not, but with an .02 in the bright channel and the .1 in the other, you could jumper the channels and the other channel's volume should act as a pseudo bass control to bring back the original sound.

I haven't changed mine because I suspect the extra low end is partly responsible for the mini-stack-in-a-box type distortion it gets really cranked up with an LP. I've also been running mine with a 5AR4 and a couple of NOS 5881's lately and they significantly tighten up the bottom end. I finally have a decent 12AY7 and that made a big improvement as well, next it's back to a 5Y3 and a magic pair of GE 6V6GT's that have some nice almost Vox-like chime.