How To Build a Tweed 5E3 Kit

Let Rob Hull guide you through the construction of a Tweed Deluxe amplifier using TubeDepot.com's down-loadable instruction manual (Copy and paste tubedepot.com/products/tweed-... to get the PDF).
The Deluxe Tweed is the go-to amp when looking for maximum portability and raw, uncompromising tone. With 6V6 tubes and a single 12" speaker, the tone of this amp is nothing short of amazing. Used by a "who's who" of musicians, this amp's tone can be found on records, in studios, and on stages around the globe.

[@greg16266]

High class workmanship once again; great job. It's 11:15pm here in the UK right now and all I wanna do is get to it in the shed! Inspiring stuff.

[@Chandler17447]

this guy seems like the nicest human that has ever been alive

[@kirkobayne9090]

He doesn't seem real to me

[@javiceres]

Lol

[@paulcantrell1615]

What about Mr Rogers or Bob Ross?

[@MF-qo4fe]

You've never heard of keanu reeves have you

[@aperezdeal]

Turns out he’s eaten 17 people. Goes to show you never really know someone.

[@Satchmoeddie1]

After 25 years as an electrician for a day job, I would say the 120VAC is more dangerous. It grabs you and you can get "hung up" and die. The DC tends to toss you against the wall and burn your fingers. Momma got nailed with a cap I had reformed. I am positive I discharged it, but you know how they can be. Thank God it was not at the 400 v. My other tube power supplies are X-kits, and a Jap model with Jap versions of a 6L6. Luxman used the tube. It is a great unit too! reg E&I!

[@MitchRossMusician]

I've always wanted to build an amp from a kit. Going back to the 70's when people were doing that kind of thing a lot. I've been hesitant because I thought it was too complicated. This video showed me that it is a lot of detailed work, but that the kit comes with a solid set of instructions on how to get it done. Great video. Very well done.

[@DIYGuitarMods]

It's a pleasure to watch you build that. You obviously take a lot of pride in your work which I can appreciate.

[@GONZOFAM7]

I am a Navy 2M (miniture and micro soldering) technician. May I recommend to your viewers cutting, tinning and shaping all your wire ends as you did at 8:28. Also, I would prep the pots, scrape or use eraser prior to installing. Tiny shavings could flake off and cause a short in your amp. Love the flux, flux is your friend when soldering. Clean job love it. Nice work.

[@TubeDepotTV]

My previous military 2M training shows through (USN). But it is important not to over assemble a project. MIL-SPEC assembly techniques are way cool, but Leo Fender assembled amps with much less precision and I am always amazed at how well his amps survive the decades of regular use.

[@TruthOldSchoolStyle]

***** I guess ego does not allow you to accept constructive criticism

[@Deneteus]

+TruthOldSchoolStyle Sounds like a 'haters gonna hate' comment that adds nothing to Jaime's recommendation. People always learn the hard way.

[@GONZOFAM7]

+Deneteus I guess technically he is correct. Why not do the best job we can do though? It does not add time or much effort at all.  Like I said. I enjoyed the video and the training.

[@donrutter6550]

+Jaime Gonzalez The flakes will probably fry themselves and go away.

[@stevenchristopher3413]

This is by far one of the coolest videos I have ever watched.

[@lanzauno]

this is sweet, I hadn't realized how much actually goes into wiring an amp....

[@jmard]

I'm about to build my first 5F2a from scratch and have watched all of your videos. They are really well executed and very helpful. Tell Steve not to scratch his Les Paul with his car keys! ;-)

[@myles111us]

Outstanding video. The assembly manual may be the most comprehensive manual I have ever seen produced. Not a big surprise though as Rob Hull always does outstanding work. I posted this on my facebook page. Tube Depot has been on my website for years as some folks here may already know. Great work!

[@robrobinette]

Wow, great video Rob.

[@oakleysmithmusic]

I just put one of these together. It sounds great .I had no experience in electronics .Well worth the money .

[@Satchmoeddie1]

For a tube regulated supply it is stable as bedrock 100,000 miles from a fault zone. You need a 5R4 low loss base rectifier for them and 6 6W6GTs. I use a Chatham JAN 5R4 in mine. The warm up delay is a feature, which I have incorporated into some of my own amp designs. A 6C30D works great. They delays are work off of heat which is really handy. I got my knuckles into that horribly placed B+ term in my mom's Supro 1624T in 1980 and I was hooked! zzt! I suppose I'll post my newest junk find.

[@SuperGritty]

man what an inspiring video I really want to build one of these and a Marshall 18 watt .Was just starting to wonder what I would have to do to build my own amps.This stuff is fascinating to me.

[@patfurlan]

super cool ... its so easy these days with all the good kits out there !

[@TomorrowsChild77]

Learned something very valuable watching this... tin the wires good, then use a blob of solder to fasten the wires to the tube pins. Trying to get two hands into that tiny space is nearly impossible, and extremely frustrating.

[@johnmcclinton9124]

You're doing a really good job.

[@Mr5CHNELL]

@TubeDepotTV Thanks Rob. Been building amps for over 15 years. Just adding my opinion based on experience. Still, as I said, nicely put together.

[@MrDanbecker]

Really great job man

[@azraaell]

The red blue and Brown wire sure plays a mean pin ball!

[@svenzia]

Indeed useful. I am thinking of a future project - but i have a some learning to do first. Thanks again. Kind regards from Stockholm,Sweden

[@ericbusa]

Great video, great tips

[@TimScottGuitar]

Great video!!! Thanks man!!!

[@Aeronaut1975]

Great video, thank you!

[@svenzia]

Many thanks for a great video.

[@gabegilliam7170]

this is so interesting. Id love to build my own tube bass amp.

[@2PlayGuitarNow]

nice work!!

[@briangroth8761]

I built one of these a few years ago. Great amp and fun to record with too. Not too sure what "mods" are in place from an original 5e3 but it sounds killer and very sensitive to the right hand. You can go from clean to "dirt" by playing harder. Just a fun amp and it's cool to point at it and say "I built that" and have your buddies be even more impressed.

[@MaxmadmaxRockatansky]

Great. Nice video.

[@rlbowersock]

oh yeah, and great build!

[@TruthOldSchoolStyle]

Absolutely great video, however I don't understand why you need a ground switch when you have a three prong plug. Aground switch used to be for an old-fashioned plug to cut hum.

[@pinchimike]

you really enjoy to work electronics.. cool!

[@lechonsantos2072]

Very nice video in assembling guitar amps. Please show us also a video while assembling hifi amplifier. Thanks.

[@Mr5CHNELL]

I forgot to ask where you got that cool t-shirt. I love it.

[@holmes1978]

Excellent !!!

[@BananaManPL]

I love how he starts the video with "great project to put together in an evening and an awesome little amp" followed immediately by "remember, the voltages inside the amp will kill you! :)"

[@BananaManPL]

also, "PCB board" would be "printed circuit board board"

[@SilverSkyline92]

favorited and subcribed, great vids man

[@FraJa1980]

Not a fan of the PCB or the speaker but after watching this and the 18watt & Jtm45+ videos i must say your solder joints are damn beautiful. Nice sheen to them meaning you used correct heat and speed, sometimes you see people doing these kits and most every solder joint is flat in colour caused by using incorrect heat and too much time which is bad because the joint can go cold over time. When people start these kits they really should buy a board and some turrets to practice getting their heat and soldering speed just right because if you haven't got the proper soldering skills you probably shouldn't go poking around in there trying to find a cold joint or other failure caused by faulty soldering.

[@divedog59]

Nice video, cool to see the hands on makings of a tube amp. Thanks

[@fretkillrlives]

Very cool. I can get that tone and more with an Egnater Tweaker Head for under four hundy less cabinet.

[@arethemad]

I had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time and I still watched the entire thing. I'm fascinated by your electronics ability. How long have you been tinkering with electronics and how much experience would I need to pull something like this off?

[@HernandeztheHero]

@TubeDepotTV Thank you

[@GordoFlach]

Bravo! Master Jedi

[@Satchmoeddie1]

I am onto really cool old bridge that I can prototype with matching impedance ratios. I also own that Lambda in the background. I outgrew it and have 2 Gates 500 V 3A unregulated, and a 1200 V Fluke 3 A. The Lambda is on a curve tracer for matching tubes like nothing else can. You can kill yerfelf with the B+ or the 120 primary. That gives me 6 amps at 1000 volts with diodes for protection. 5E3 must be the most common kit amp. The parts are so so, but Fender bought low bid parts anyway.

[@runninonempiy]

@TubeDepotTV Man thanks..good luck with that 35w iron.I bought one from radio shack.P O SHIT.I can solder it s just not for me..i just built my start with custom shop pick ups and us pots wuth a blender today..Just not my thing..GREAT JOB on these amps by the way..NO JUst build me an ampeg SVT for 300 and I'm ALL In!!!

[@JJGuccione]

I would lockwire/safety wire those 3 pots with .020" copper safety wire. Sometimes called .020" breakaway copper safety wire. Can be had at any aviation outlet. Red and black guarded switch covers have holes for that wire. One of many applications in a flight deck: A Nuclear Stores Consent switch. The weapons officer has to break the wire to lift the guard on the switch to arm nuclear stores. Special tools are not required for twisting .020" copper wire.

[@MrDiegoelmejor]

Hi, I'm from colombia and I believe that your channel is awesome, ¡ congratulations ! I would like know where can I find this kind of kit.

[@dylanroberts5551]

Only my rectifier tune and one pre amp tube glow... one of the capacitors also starts to glow when I turn it on... what did I do wrong?

[@absinha6209]

I wish there were "shop" classes for adults where we could go for like 2 hours once a week to learn and actually build an amp like this.

[@PragmaticDany]

There are. Look up mojo tone.

[@javiermgtv]

Que bueno , es como bricomania para la guitarra!

[@MrAnders1976]

I see the link for the new power transformer that is included in the kit is the deluxe reverb transformer from classictone. Good move.. This one is rated at 330VAC/120mA compared to the previous one that had around 355VAC/120mA rating. The 330VAC is perfect for a 5y3 to get a cooler bias and more vintage correct PI/preamp voltages. Also include a 12ay7 instead of a 12ax7 in V1. I did calculate the idle dissipation of the 355VAC//250ohm combination and it was ~18.9 watt pr tube.. yeicksss

[@TwoAMBlacktop]

Taken from Wiktionary: Capitalize 1. In writing or editing, to write in capital letters, in upper case, either the entire word or text, or just the initial letter(s) thereof.

[@gianmarcostirpe3356]

Hi great job. What's the name of that kind of pen to drill the chassis? What kind of wire do you use for connections? Thanks for the reply .

[@SuperGritty]

oh man how cool

[@knechtsand3178]

Love it

[@billtownsend]

Love the video, Rob. At what temperature do you set your soldering iron ?

[@holmes1978]

All I have to say is WOW !!!

[@GudmundurRJ]

The lacquring og tweed has many variations. Some like to like to use Shellack 50/50 with alcahole. Others like to use Nitrocellousa lacquer (old scool). When you lacqure the cab (spray) What kind of lacquring do you use? - best from Iceland

[@EzyoMusic]

Hmm. My bad - I honestly thought the 5E3 was a tidbit more complex than the 5F1. But in that case, I'll have to have a go at the 5E3, it's so cool. Thanks for your insight.

[@Mr5CHNELL]

Nice work. Tidy lead dress too. Not a fan of the PCB though. I reckon the double sided boards and tracks introduce stray capacitances. I prefer thick gauge hookup wire instead.

[@dudewhosaysarrh]

@TubeDepotTV I'm afraid we're out of thermonuclear proximity fuses, but we still have hallf tin of play- doh, hot glue, a nail clipper, about six feet of bootlace and a bottle of tabasco... ;)

[@thesuccessfulbarber]

dude! nice

[@akshaykalkeri9963]

sir can i get this amplifier circuit board and all parts in mumbai

[@AnaRaio25]

hi ! why you use gromets on tubes sockets screws inside metal box ? the screws are in contact to metal box and ground on outside box , have some isolation beetwen primary ground and secundary ground? tnx you

[@chrisw5077]

i'd throw out the rubber tube sockets and use some ceramic ones. some of the old amps i've rebuilt you can cut those rubber sockets and find carbon tracing burnt through them.. cost a couple bucks more but no more smoking tubes... (well unless your bias is way out....)

[@johandrylopez9957]

thanks you....i ned informations about of proyects for venezuela!!!!!!

[@EvLoutonian]

Hi, How much is this kit, and do you ship to Australia? Thanks!

[@azraaell]

i live in the uk, do you have them on sale here?

[@TubeDepotTV]

We can ship these to UK

[@MrAnders1976]

Hi, sorry to bother you Rob,, but with the 450V +B you get with the GZ34 and the 357V AC secondary on the large power transformer , what are those pour 6v6 idling at with the 250 ohm cathode bias resistor. The old 5e3 was using the same resistor value but with a 5y3 rectifier and 360V plate voltage, and it was allready running pretty hot.

[@milodaman2]

Where can I learn to build my own amp? I want to build a vibroverb clone, and I guess I could use this build as an example and compare schematics?

[@Satchmoeddie1]

Hot rodded Champ amps were how Mesa Boogie got started. I like the SE touch responsiveness a lot. I have a Magnatone stereo amp to fix. The echo circuit is motor boating the whole amp. It is a relaxation oscillator. I am hoping if I get rid of the idiot mods it stops. Next step is freeze spray as it only starts when the internal cab temp is over 105 degrees F. I shall be boostin' some preamp gain stages on it. After fixing a Gizmotron last night? A $2K POS! I found 5 NOS NIB & they are trash.

[@Vartex]

Build a Tweed in 10 minutes lets go! ;)

[@777jordan]

What kind of solder should I use to connect the speakers? lead?

[@kiely]

the dude playin' the amp at the end has a sweet "Secret Service" shirt from the shop in Cincinnati.

[@RockinTones]

Can this kit be modded to run 6L6's ? if so how difficult would it be? thanks in advance.

[@HernandeztheHero]

@TubeDepotTV what did you study to be able to do this and were should I start?

[@jimtalltheislandbrothers6639]

What is the role of the resistor at 5:38?

[@seanypants91]

how do i go about getting on of these to build ?

[@CR0SSJ]

even for a first project? or would u recommend going on somethin else b4? cheers ;)

[@mariovicencio2952]

Dear sir : Would you be kind enough to show how to build a supro thounderbolt 50 amplifier , if possible , Thanks a lot

[@jaywarren5374]

How much and where can I find this kit?

[@JakobMooney]

I was just joking this video is super helpful but I don't understand how the color of the light effects the sound?

[@TheLambda99]

Along the line of tubes and tube amps do guys at tube depot buy old or new tubes at all?

[@alexandrmass4207]

Kit it very simple.

[@longjaw1]

Woah - how long is the thumb nail of the dude playing the Les Paul at the end!?!

[@mateusgmoron]

do you have another project that has 30W, 40w or something like that?

[@Charleypassy]

Can you build an AC30? That'd be awesome

[@johnmcclinton9124]

How much did this cost?

[@MrAnders1976]

Notice at 9.42, speaker magically changed to a jensen Neo 12-100, (98.4db vs 94.6db for the Jensen Mod 12-50) that should bump up output.. Wow nice build. That PT looks huge.. With the supplied GZ34 rectifier what voltages are you running the jj 6v6 at ?. I understand that the jj's can take huge plate voltages and run more current than any other 6v6.. ..I see in the manual that feedback is mentioned. Are you running the amp with a NFB from output back into PI ??

[@hubermsj]

On a scale of 1 - 10 how hard is this to wire?

[@trolikpuk]

wery nice video,i had see the important parts and right steps building of this amp... i want to build this model (5e3) because i like fender and his production and like to building simple amps...2 years ago i made 2 wery simple stereo amps on 2 el 84 and 1 12 ax7 ,but this amps i using for lisening music.now days i thinking about guitar amplifier,i am from Ukraine and have very smol chanses to buy original combo,and its not chip four my.I think i can make this amp)

[@mateusgmoron]

How many RMS Watts does this one have? and how much does it cost?

[@TheRycooder]

What's the cost of a kit like that? GREAT VIDEO!

[@TheRycooder]

+Egar Felowpet thank you!!!

[@Pudentame]

What are you using to solder with?

[@beeeastmaster]

is this handwired? how much is the kit?

[@nickking8317]

I want to build this kit is it hard to make it?

[@gillsy58]

When I solder wire onto a speaker, I place a piece of paper under the terminals to protect the speaker should something drop off of the terminal. Better safe than sorry. Yes, it happened to me ONCE!

[@akshaykalkeri9963]

sir what is the model no of circuit board

[@EzyoMusic]

Judging by this video, I should try a 5F1 first. Great video though. :)

[@Dresden0010]

I've always wanted to build a small amp. (I've built loudspeakers, furniture, and assembled computers.) However, I remember ordering and trying two solderers, and neither worked well enough. I then tried a third solderer and it also seemed to work poorly. Finally, I had an epiphany--I SUCK at soldering. Oh, well. XP