Another Amp Project - the Dino Deluxe 5E3!

Back in February I finished my first Amp project, a 5F2-A Tweed Princeton. It is an amazing amp and has taken over upstairs / family room duties as it sounds great and the volume isn't loud enough to scare everyone else out of the house. Eventually I'd like to build some higher end amps, like a Hiwatt DR-103 as used by David Gilmour, but those are notoriously difficult builds. I wanted to get a few intermediate builds under my belt before moving on, and I went in search of another project. I ultimately decided on another Tweed style amp - the 5E3 which has been used by many amazing guitarists including Neil Young and Billy Gibbons.

Quick 5F2-A Update!

Late last month I posted my first amplifier build - a Mojotone 5F2-A Tweed Princeton. I've got to say, a month in and I'm absolutely loving that amp. I decided to put it in our upstairs family room and sell the Fender Champion 20 amp I had up there (and to be honest had rarely played because I honestly didn't like the amp that much). With the Tweed upstairs, I've actually been splitting my practice time a lot more between my downstairs office (where most of the guitars and amps live) and the family room (where I only have the one amp, no pedals - gasp! - and one guitar). That being said, there was one detail missing from the amp...

Upping the Amp-erage - Building the Mojotone 5F2-A Tweed Amp Kit

I've been building pedals for several years now, but like any gateway dru... errr... hobby, I soon discovered that there were people who built their own amplifiers as well. Much like with guitar pedals, being able to build your own amp opens up options that may not normally be available because the amplifiers are rare, expensive, or likely both. Even if it is a more common amp style, building one yourself can often be cheaper. It also allows customization and choice of components to create a unique sound. I'd started my first amp project about 1.5 years ago, but sort of got bogged down and intimidated by the scope. I decided it would be advisable to maybe try a slightly more entry-level build to understand the ups and downs of the process a bit better. Mojotone offers a variety of kits with good documentation, wiring diagrams, and schematics. They aren't incredibly cheap, but all of their designs are well-proven. Their easiest kit is the 5F1 Tweed based on the 1950's vintage 5 Watt amplifier. This was a little more basic than I wanted to go as it only has a volume with no tone knob, so I went with the 5F2-A Tweed Princeton, which was first introduced in 1957 (and should pair up really well with my '57 American Vintage 2 Stratocaster).