UralTone 5E3 tweed deluxe tube amp kit v2.0

The 5E3 Tweed Deluxe is probably the most legendary guitar amp ever. And it gets even more popular year by year. And there really is a reason why: it just sounds so natural but still unique, delivers every players nuances through the speaker and just sounds stunning. About 10W is just enought for gigging but not too loud for studio or rehearsal rooms. The Amp goes from clean to square wave distortion (via overdrive) very lineary. You can really control this amp with your fingers and guitars volume knob.

Version 2.0 - why update something that is so perfect?

It all started from the will to not use a Chinese made chassis. Practically all chrome tweed chassis come from China. So we ordered a high quality metal chassis from a Finnish factory, but since they cannot do chrome (it's poisonous) we ordered an UralTone style front plate. It does not look like an original, but hey, it is not original. It looks great!

The turret board, that we used in version 1 is reliable and good, but at the same time it is not that easy to solder. So we changed it to an eyelet style board that is custom made for us. It is much easier to solder so even beginners can make professional solder joints with it.

Impedance selector - this is lacking in the original tweed, but many players want to use an extension cabinet or maybe they have a 4 or 16 ohm speaker they would like to use with a 5E3. Now it is possible.

Headroom knob - well this is a difficult one. We like to keep the 5E3 as original as possible BUT many customers have added a variable voltage (means output power) knob to their tweeds. So we added the possibility to do it easily. The builder can also omit it and the 5E3 2.0 will be soundwise a 100% clone of the original. The Headroom potentiometer is handy when you want to tame 5E3 to make it distort a little earlier. So you get many more different sounds and only with the additional cost of a few euros.

Parts:

• Hammond output transformer
• Selectable mains transformer: either european made high quality transformer with self mounted end bell or Hammond mains transformer.
• F+T, Mallory, Atom, TAD etc quality capacitors
• Switchcraft jacks
• Japanese Carbon composition resistors
• US made cloth covered wire
• TAD or other high end tubes

What is in the box?

All the parts to make a fully working tube amp. Kit does not include cabinet, speaker or speaker cable.

For whom?

All the lovers of great traditional tube amp sounds who want to build their own amp. The kit is suitable for beginners, the most important skills that are needed are the ability to concentrate and read instructions. A cup of coffee / tea is usually needed (not included).

How long does it take to build a 5E3?

Experienced builders can build a 5E3 in one day, beginners should reserve 1-3 days.

How about instructions and support?

The included printed instructions are clear and comprehensive but if you still have any questions please feel free to ask us. Unlimited support is always included in the price. We are here to help you! We make sure that every customer can finnish their amp and will get a great sounding tube amp. So if you have any question, please ask (email is best)!

Speakers?

The 5E3 Tweed Deluxe kind of amp has too much bass and overall the low end is loose. So you have to choose speakers that do not have too much bass. We recommend these models:

WGS Blackhawk - maybe the best - super good sounding vintage style speaker.

Jensen P12Q - original one and also good. Does have quite "thin" sound that helps to make the overall balance good

WGS G12Q - maybe the cheapest option that has a good vintage sound. Quite thin and crispy, but like P12Q, it fits with the Tweed Deluxe very well.

Eminence lil texas - neo speaker that has quite an AlNiCo like sound. Great middle range precence.

If you still have too much low end or the bass is too loose you can always change the values of the 100nF coupling caps to a little lower value, like 10nf - 47nF. Most builders prefer this mod, since it makes the 5E3 more versatile to use with different kinds of guitars. The 5E3 was designed for a TELE / STRAT and if you use it with a LP, or other guitar with humbuckers you can end up with a pretty muddy tone.

So in this case we recommend our low cut cap kit (that has very nice NOS caps).

Cabinet

The 5E3 cabinet design is a big part of the sound. It is made out of resonate pine and the speaker panel is thin. So it resonated like any instrument. You cannot get the same sound with modern guitar cabs.

We offer USA made clones of the original and also versions that are made at our own workshop. All cabinets we sell are top quality and made of the best materials available: Finnish / USA wood, real USA tweed with laquer finnish, USA hardware etc.

So, what do I get if I build this amp?

You´ll get a highest quality boutique amp that lasts the next 100 years and can only be compared to the most expensive ones on the market. All the components are top quality and if it is built right you just cannot get a better Tweed 5E3 (well, maybe as good if you buy an original 50´s Fender). The UralTone 5E3 has been compared to an original Fender 50´s 5E3 and to many boutique clones and no-one has said that our amp sounds worse.

We really choose every component carefully and follow markets all the time. If we find a better alternative, we make changes. Since we are a big component supplier we can get good prices from manufacturers which means a lower price for kits.