Rec Pro Audio Tweed Deluxe Speed Shop Amp Head - Used  From Other

Philosophy:

Just about anyone can build a Tweed Deluxe circuit; but few do it very well, and fewer still can assemble an amp that performs as expected when overdriven - as the best original Deluxes do - especially without losing any of the amp's normal operational characteristics.

When operating below overdrive levels it's easy for just about any 5E3 circuit to sound nice, but when the volume is increased the tone can often be awful - flabby bass, fizzy highs, splotchy distortion and phase issues can plague even the cleanest builds; and sorting out these problems can take a long time. For me, it took a few years, many rebuilds and many dollars before I was finally happy with what I was hearing.

I only do one thing: 5E3 Deluxes; and I think it's safe to say that I've done more research over the last several years regarding the Tweed Deluxe circuit and it's application in studio recording than just about anyone else. What I was after was that classic tone of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Larry Carlton (Steely Dan) and Don Felder (Eagles); what I learned was that simply building a "stock" circuit will not get you there. Why? Because of differences in voltages, passive componentry, transformers, tolerances, lead dress, and more - plus all of the aforementioned factors combined.

Tweed Deluxes should sing and rock, and they do just that when sorted out and built right; though you'd never know that by checking out demos on YouTube as nearly everyone plays the same old chicken pickin', clean blues and rockabilly riffs. Nothing wrong with that stuff, but (as popular music history has illustrated) this amp is capable of so much more, yet (alarmingly) nobody today seems to acknowledge it - including most builders. 

So, I suppose what I'm saying here is: if you want an amp that's built and tested to deliver vintage Tweed Deluxe rock and roll tone (while retaining all the other attributes of Fender's late tweed era) you'd do well to consider my work.

There are tons of mp3s and videos located at RecProAudio recorded by me with my Deluxe clones. Please check them out at your convenience.

(Reproductions of classic recording studio outboard gear - Universal Audio Teletronix La2a and Pulse Techniques EQP-1a - were utilized in studio recordings.)

Detail and Investment:

Paying very close attention to detail, I build each chassis personally (as if I were building it for myself) while utilizing only the finest components available anywhere; including those by Kendrick (Gerald Weber), Mercury Magnetics, Sozo, Allen-Bradley (NOS), Amphenol (NOS), CTS, additional NOS and more. Moreover, hand assembly in the USA by an accomplished studio musician and electronics enthusiast renown for quality engineering and workmanship helps ensure outstanding secondary market value and return on investment.

Operating voltages are inline with vintage mains, and output transformers are 1960 specifications. No variac is required, as B+ is optimized to provide maximum performance and valve longevity. 

Interestingly, considering that many original Deluxes have had cap jobs and replacement output transformers installed, the vintage-series Deluxes, carefully assembled with NOS, OEM and otherwise high-quality parts are really only differentiated from such an original's electronic DNA by virtue of the power transformer and pots (both of which being stood-in-for by very similar modern equivalents) and a standby (very sensibly) replacing the outmoded ground switch.

To assure premier mechanical and tonal performance, all builds are tested, optimized and burned-in by me personally (in my home studio). 

Photos, build notes and demo videos may be published (on this site) for each individual chassis.

Each chassis is signed and numbered by me.

Vintage vs. Studio Series Versions:

Although both series versions perform and record exceptionally well, I prefer and use the Studio-Series version as it just does it all: ZZ Top, the Dan, Eagles, as well as shades of SRV and Hendrix; and of course, that wonderful, glassy, clean tone is always there. 

Vintage-Series amplifiers are intended for those that wish to have an incredibly accurate reproduction of the stock 5E3 amplifier; a model perhaps better suited to players that are most interested in less aggressive operational settings. Not that they don't overdrive well - as I most certainly make sure that they do - they just aren't quite as good at it as the modified Studio-Series models are.