Finished my 5E3 Deluxe build

[Colossal]

Beautiful work Rob. I enjoyed the photos. That's very cool using old wood for the cabinet! That would be NOS wood

[Rob Livesey]

Thanks for all the comments chaps. It's great to feel the encouragement !

I haven't got to grips with the interactive controls yet to find the sweetest spot in the amp. I'd be interested to know where you think the sweetest tone is. I have gigged with it now a few times, mic'ed up and un-mic'ed. I always run it alongside my Deluxe Reverb using a Lehle Little Dual. When I need really clean, I just use the DR, but for added edge, the 5E3 is just perfect.

Re 6L6's. Is there anything I should consider before trying them? How much more added strain will I be placing on the power transformer or output transformer?

I have run 6L6's in my DR, sometimes for years, and it seems to cope ok.

Cheers,
Rob.

[surfsup]

Now you just need to update your website link for "Gear" to add the amp you just built!

Nice work. Looks great.

[vibratoking]

...I'd be interested to know where you think the sweetest tone is....

The 5E3 has so many sweet spots! That is why Neil Young commissioned the Whizzer. There really aren't any bad tones in that amp, but there are a wide variety depending on what input you use and how you set the volume controls mainly. I could write a novel here or you could just Google "5E3 interactive controls". You will find ALOT of information and learn quite a bit. I have three basic settings that I use for clean, bluesy OD, and heavy cream. I have narrowed it down because I don't have a Whizzer. I make quick tweaks on the fly. Also a great amp to exploit the guitar's volume control.