I thought that I would try my hand at building an amplifier from a kit. After a bit of research, I decided on a Fender Deluxe (model 5E3). This tweed amplifier was made between 1955-1960 and is one of the most commonly reproduced amplifiers since it has a classic sound and a simple circuit. There are a number of companies making kits of this model with some pretty significant differences in quality and design.

I chose to build a Trinity Amps tweed kit since they have a great reputation for quality and being a good company to deal with. I was not disappointed. They provide top quality components, good instructions, and are true to the original design with well thought out modernizations/improvements. To say nothing of being nice to deal with and fellow Canadians!

After a bit of debate, I also decided to buy their cabinet. I was originally going to make one out of curly dark walnut, but thought that the orignal tweed look is cool. And I wasn't going to try and match all those cloth seams myself. It's very nice. I did decide to stick with the logo that I use on my guitars though, even though an ebony name plate isn't as practicle as metal.

One upgrade that I am happy to have made was a Voltage Regulation Module (VRM). Even though this amplifier only produces 15 watts, it is quite loud so if you want to be able to really make it growl you'll need one of these. It acts like a master volume by stepping down the voltage to the output tubes. Although this can't quiet it down as much as some other approaches, it is more effective in maintaining the original tone all the way down - which is what I'd prefer. Nice design.

Speaking of tone, this amp is sweet! It's also surprisingly versatile for having so few controls. The more you play it, the more you love it.

And it was a lot of fun to build...