Should I mod my 5E3?
Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Should I mod my 5E3?
]After playing Matt’s Plexi at gearfest ive been counting my penny’s and as usual I’m miles off being able to afford one.
However I came across a mod to the 5e3 circuit which makes it fairly close apparently.
I’d leave the bright channel as it is because it’s awesome and shouldn’t be touched. However I never play the normal channel and rarely blend it in with the bright.
So for not a lot of money I could convert my normal channel to Plexi style circuit.
Should I?
I’ve already had Baja Electronics install a MV on the amp and a 3 way NFB switch so it’s not unmolested anyway.
Will modding it further devalue it more?
However I came across a mod to the 5e3 circuit which makes it fairly close apparently.
I’d leave the bright channel as it is because it’s awesome and shouldn’t be touched. However I never play the normal channel and rarely blend it in with the bright.
So for not a lot of money I could convert my normal channel to Plexi style circuit.
Should I?
I’ve already had Baja Electronics install a MV on the amp and a 3 way NFB switch so it’s not unmolested anyway.
Will modding it further devalue it more?
- kdawg2a
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3390
- Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:28 pm
- Location: U S and A
- Has liked: 240 times
- Been liked: 1053 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
MOD IT!!!!!!!!!! Any amp that can do tweed and brown is a valuable amp in my books.
1935 Martin D-45, 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo,1950 Fender Broadcaster, 1954 Fender Strat, 1958 Gibson Moderne prototype, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
For not a lot of $$ it would sure make it more useful to me, hopefully others would see it’s value as well.kdawg2a wrote:MOD IT!!!!!!!!!! Any amp that can do tweed and brown is a valuable amp in my books.
- jeremyb
- Chorus of Organs
- Posts: 41864
- Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
- Has liked: 7926 times
- Been liked: 4268 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
Another vote for modding it, looks like an easy change!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.
- calling card
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 4307
- Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 10:56 am
- Location: Hoodoo dump, BOP
- Has liked: 867 times
- Been liked: 276 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
I'd imagine a 6V6 based plexi would be something you could push without so much destruction of your hearing system. I have no idea how invasive it would be on the stock layout. Not something I'd do to my 5E3.
2024; I have explored the extent of the perimeter dome, there is no escape. I am become Morpheus
- kdawg2a
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3390
- Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:28 pm
- Location: U S and A
- Has liked: 240 times
- Been liked: 1053 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
That mod does sound pretty good but don't forget part of the reason the plexi sounded so good was it's big and loud and moves some air. I think a smaller watt amp will always struggle a little to capture that.
1935 Martin D-45, 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo,1950 Fender Broadcaster, 1954 Fender Strat, 1958 Gibson Moderne prototype, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.
- RectifiedAmps
- Fender
- Posts: 520
- Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:05 am
- Location: Wellington
- Has liked: 215 times
- Been liked: 254 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
The demo makes the mod sound good, but I'm against calling it a 'Plexi' mod. The mod is jigging with just the first gain stage which makes a difference to the simplicity of the 5E3 preamp, but is still very unlike a Plexi circuit. The Deluxe has little preamp gain but sounds huge because of how you can overdrive the power amp section - the Plexi sounds huge because of preamp distortion/voicing from twice the number of gain stages of a 5E3. The mod might get the sound close at a particular setting and (most importantly) that might sound great, but I wouldn't expect the amp to 'behave' like a plexi. But if it's a simple mod and you don't like the normal channel, it's worth a try!
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
Interesting info, I like the pushed Plexi sound as apposed to preamp gain on full Plexi sound. So it might end up just pushing the 6v6s into fizzy preamp gain territory?RectifiedAmps wrote:The demo makes the mod sound good, but I'm against calling it a 'Plexi' mod. The mod is jigging with just the first gain stage which makes a difference to the simplicity of the 5E3 preamp, but is still very unlike a Plexi circuit. The Deluxe has little preamp gain but sounds huge because of how you can overdrive the power amp section - the Plexi sounds huge because of preamp distortion/voicing from twice the number of gain stages of a 5E3. The mod might get the sound close at a particular setting and (most importantly) that might sound great, but I wouldn't expect the amp to 'behave' like a plexi. But if it's a simple mod and you don't like the normal channel, it's worth a try!
Although as the normal channel is essentially unused modding it to something more useful still might be worth it.
He posts his schematic here, which includes other mods he did as well. As I don’t really know how read the schematic can you tell me if it all looks legit?
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7474/293 ... 0b8f_b.jpg
- AiRdAd
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 7789
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:33 pm
- Has liked: 57 times
- Been liked: 702 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
what speaker are you using with your 5e3 Reg?
what speakers were in the cab with the plexi?
You didn't get a chance to put your 5e3 through that cab did you?
what speakers were in the cab with the plexi?
You didn't get a chance to put your 5e3 through that cab did you?
Slowy wrote: To Danny, everyone is either a supplier, customer or a courier.
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
Good point, I didn’t try my amp through his cab (which is an open back 2x12 with a Greenback and a Blue)AiRdAd wrote:what speaker are you using with your 5e3 Reg?
what speakers were in the cab with the plexi?
You didn't get a chance to put your 5e3 through that cab did you?
In my cab on that day I had my Celestion V type but I usually have a Celestion Gold in my 1x12 cab.
- AiRdAd
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 7789
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:33 pm
- Has liked: 57 times
- Been liked: 702 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
How close does the 5e3 through the Gold get when you jumper the channels and turn it up LOUD?
Slowy wrote: To Danny, everyone is either a supplier, customer or a courier.
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
I have tried this but I don’t remember exactly how it compared.AiRdAd wrote:How close does the 5e3 through the Gold get when you jumper the channels and turn it up LOUD?
I would say the 5e3 has a looser tweedy vibe as apposed to the plexis stiffer strident punch in the face type feel.
Tone wise I couldn’t confidently say how much difference there really is as it’s been a while since I tried this.
I am in the middle of building a detuned closed back 1x12 cab which might help to get closer to the feel and punch.
- godgrinder
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 1713
- Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:49 pm
- Location: 09
- Has liked: 30 times
- Been liked: 595 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
A lot of that comes down to tube VS SS rectifiers, assuming the plexi you tried was a JMP.Reg18 wrote:I would say the 5e3 has a looser tweedy vibe as apposed to the plexis stiffer strident punch in the face type feel.
Amps:
Soldano SLO100 x2 | Wizard MC1 & MC2 | Diezel Herbert
Fryette Pittbull CL | Marshall 2203KK | Krank Rev 50 | Mesa Mark 2A
Rack stuff:
VHT/Fryette GP3, GP/DI & 2/90/2 | Peters FSM/Chimera
Verellen Meatsmoke | Synergy SYN1 | Mesa Studio
Soldano SLO100 x2 | Wizard MC1 & MC2 | Diezel Herbert
Fryette Pittbull CL | Marshall 2203KK | Krank Rev 50 | Mesa Mark 2A
Rack stuff:
VHT/Fryette GP3, GP/DI & 2/90/2 | Peters FSM/Chimera
Verellen Meatsmoke | Synergy SYN1 | Mesa Studio
- Reg18
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:57 pm
- Has liked: 322 times
- Been liked: 964 times
Re: Should I mod my 5E3?
Not sure which model it was, it’s this one.godgrinder wrote:A lot of that comes down to tube VS SS rectifiers, assuming the plexi you tried was a JMP.Reg18 wrote:I would say the 5e3 has a looser tweedy vibe as apposed to the plexis stiffer strident punch in the face type feel.
https://i.imgur.com/5E6dDBQ.jpg