Can we talk about 5e3? Fender Tweed Deluxe

[LeonC]

They do. 3 secret ingredients - wear, tear and time. It makes some sound better...and others sound worse.

 

[Athos]

I wonder how the originals sounded, when they were brand new... probably a lot like my clone, except with a different speaker.

Can you imagine relating this conversation to a guitar player back in the 50s? Would they think people are out of their minds for jonesing after the oldest version of an amp they can find?

 

[renderit]

That is an interesting comparison.

I have 2 versions of Bassman amps that were modeled after the 59 and 60 versions.

I was fortunate enough to start guitar lessons around the time the originals were 10 years old and my teacher played all of our lessons through a 1960 model.

My Clark version sounds almost exactly like my teachers amp.

Very clean and sparkly below 5 on the Clark with a huge richness to the tone.

The Victoria has all the richness (maybe even a bit more) but not as clear and defined as the Clark.

My Victoria sounds more like all of them I played through 10 years later.

Both sound absolutely fantastic in their own right, just different.

Throw in speakers which have been smashed in concerts or not, cones which have dried out or soaked up humidity, components which have drifted and I will tell you:

The sound in your head is the sound you are after.

The originals are all different after time.

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

The sound in your head is the sound you are after.

That one sentence alone describes the whole game perfectly.

Well stated Ren.

 

[corpse]

The problem is the voices in my head drown out the sound in my head.

 

[Bob Womack]

There seems to be a camp who believes that the vintage models have a secret sauce that can’t be replicated.

The folks who own one and hope to sell it?

Bob

 

[Mr. Papa]

The folks who own one and hope to sell it?

Bob

You got it!

 

[corpse]

There is no denying they sound awesome-
But so do a ton of other amps.

 

[jb_abides]

5Watt Keith weighs in on the 5e3

 

[Xpensive Wino]

There is no denying they sound awesome-
But so do a ton of other amps.

Variety is the spice of life.

 

[charliechitlins]

They do. 3 secret ingredients - wear, tear and time. It makes some sound better...and others sound worse.

Word.
Amps are musical instruments (duh).
If 70-year-old, tight grained, slow growing wood didn't impart secret sauce, we would have much less to talk about around here.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[gibson-r8]

I had a 54 (I think, it was recovered and gnarly) on loan for a while. It took a while to get its voice. It would snap crackle and pop, snort a couple of times. Maybe a harumph or two, then it would sail out in glorious voice.

My clone doesn’t do all the histrionics, but it sounds good too. Nothing like a 5e3…

 

[Wilko]

I've got a mid 50s Rickenbacker M-11(very similar to tweed Deluxe) that does that same snap crackle and poop til it's warmed up. I know exactly what you're on about.

 

[Wilko]

There seems to be a camp who believes that the vintage models have a secret sauce that can’t be replicated.

IMNSHO, the secret sauce is the dried up old pine box and flimsy baffle.

 

[Subliminal lanimilbuS]

Has anyone heard the deluxe dumble built for Slash? I can't seem to find any video clips of it. It is called Tweedle Dee.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[charliechitlins]

Has anyone heard the deluxe dumble built for Slash? I can't seem to find any video clips of it. It is called Tweedle Dee.

Tweedle Dee was, I believe, as close as Dumble got to a regular old hot rodded amp.
No magic dust, no goop; just a Deluxe with tweaks.
I'm pretty sure his mods are available.
I knew a tech who had been inside one and could build you one.

 

[Xpensive Wino]