Stewart MacDonald - Fender Tweed Amp kits - '57 & '59

    Stewart MacDonald - Fender Tweed Amp Kit's - '57 or '59 - Which would you build? 2

    1. 1957 5F1 cirtcuit - 5W - 4 ohm 8" (1) 50%
    2. 1959 5E3 circuit - 15W - 8 ohm 12" (1) 50%

    I just found these two Fender tweed kits at StewMac, they are both backordered for a week. The kits look excellent, I'm really looking forward to building one of these.


    But, having a hard time choosing which one. I have about a week to make a decision, so I thought I'd ask you guys which one you'd pick.


    https://www.stewmac.com/Pickup…ini_Tweed_5W_Amp_Kit.html

    Instructions for '57 5W:

    https://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-10730/10730.doc.0718.pdf


    https://www.stewmac.com/Pickup…59_Tweed_15W_Amp_Kit.html

    Instructions for '59 15W:

    https://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-10730/10730.doc.0718.pdf


    What factors would you base your decision on?


    Bonus points: which mic would you use to profile your choice?

    Kemper Powerhead w/remote & Kabinet
    Focusrite 18i8 (2nd Gen) - Windows 10 - Ableton Live - Yamaha HS-8's - DT770 80 ohms

    Have you built an amp before?! I really like the look of the company you’ve linked to, the aim seems to be as authentic a reproduction as possible, and I love the instruction book! Sadly I’m in the UK so probably not practical to ship here. Anyway, I have just finished my own amp build, it’s not based on any particular model but is single ended (1 power amp tube) 5W using either a 6V6 or EL84, also has some clever voltage control circuitry and a tone stack. It was my first major electronics project and I found it pretty challenging because I wanted an end result that was as “tidy” as possible; stressful at first but easier as I got used to how to get things done properly. It’s just a head chassis and I’ve ordered a cab to put it in plus a separate speaker cab.

    I would say, if you’ve not done this before, go for a cheaper kit that you won’t mind so much if the result isn’t perfect. Use that to hone your skills/technique in soldering & layout. Then look at this StewMac kit afterwards.

    Otherwise, if you’ve built amps before, I would go for the 5E3 circuit, probably a bit more interesting to build & learn about and maybe more versatile when finished?

    I’m very envious of the choice you have in the USA for this kind of stuff, I see very few suppliers here or in Europe for quality kits like this!

    Thanks for the replies and the great suggestions! I've taken notes on the mic recommendations.


    I have built a couple of radio kits years ago, and many different electronics projects in the past, so I should be alright for these kits.


    As it turns out, the hurricane that happened recently down south, affected the supply lines of many of the amp kit makers. I called StewMac yesterday to ask about the timeline, and was told it's been moved to the middle of November, for stock of the '57 and '59. Their site still says 1-3 days though.


    This led me to explore other options, such as mojotone.com. Mojotone is also out of stock of everything until mid November, but mojotone is less expensive, and very close in quality to the StewMac kit - it looks like pushback wire is not used in the Mojotone kits, for which I've heard people say they regret using pushback wire (ratty at the ends), so no real loss. I've heard excellent things about Mojotone, so I ordered the 5W Champ.


    If this all goes well, I would love to build a tweed Vibrolux, and then a tweed Bassman at some point.


    https://www.mojotone.com/kits

    Kemper Powerhead w/remote & Kabinet
    Focusrite 18i8 (2nd Gen) - Windows 10 - Ableton Live - Yamaha HS-8's - DT770 80 ohms

    Like 1

    Well, it’s a shame you’ll have to wait a while but it will be a good project for doing over Christmas! It looks like Mojotone only give you a schematic and layout diagram, no step by step instructions, but the 5F1 is pretty much as easy as they get, and there is loads of information online about it, so it should be ok. I’m very grateful I had full instructions for my first build, but I’m not sure I could do it again with just 2 diagrams... my supplier (Ampmaker in the UK) has just gone on a sabbatical for a year, so I will see what he comes up with next year!