5E3: Lazy J v Louis Electric v Cornell v Rift v Redneck v Swart v ?

Lebarque

I'm gassing for a 5E3. No bass flub please. Talk to me...

Wazmeister

Big BIG question this !!!

RiftAmps

A 5E3 without bass flub? Noooooo, that's the best thing about them

nickb_boy

If it's a 5E3 you're after then it looks like @Gassage 's old 58 may be up for grabs:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142203027168

If it's a tweaked variation of a 5E3  then I guess it'll come down to what modern appointments and bells n whistles you want/can afford.  

crunchman

Lazy J isn't quite a 5E3.  You can run it with a 5Y3 rectifier and 6V6s, but it's far better with a GZ34 and 6L6s.  With the 6L6s and the Celestion it's definitely tighter in the bottom end than a straight 5E3 clone.  I think the transformers are probably a bit beefed up from the classic 5E3 recipe as well.

To be honest, some of the flub on a classic 5E3 is probably the speaker if it's the traditional Jensen P12R type of thing.  Putting something like a Celestion Blue in it would probably help there.  Jesse isn't stupid when he puts a Blue in the Lazy J.   It's a great speaker.

hotpickups

Such a hard question to answer really, All the 5E3 amp clones out there are really great in their own right. As you know I own a J20 but I do realise it isn't the most versatile amp going but I do think it's amazing sounding. It's certainly not a vintage spec build which I probably wouldn't have been interested in.

The Louis electric Buster is good for other reasons that one would only know by trying one out which I can understand is hard to do as they're not on your average music shop. It is awesome though.

Ask @wellsyboy what he thinks about his newiy acquired Buster  

ive always wanted to try out a @RiftAmps 5e3 build too and hoping to st the next guitar show in February:)

Lebarque

RiftAmps said:

A 5E3 without bass flub? Noooooo, that's the best thing about them

Haha, I know what you're saying, Chris. But it bothers me!

Lebarque

nickb_boy said:

If it's a 5E3 you're after then it looks like @Gassage 's old 58 may be up for grabs:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142203027168

If it's a tweaked variation of a 5E3  then I guess it'll come down to what modern appointments and bells n whistles you want/can afford.  

Thanks, mate, but I think I'm after a tweaked, modern version

peteri

I had a Cornell and didn't like it very much, but I spent a long time in Coda with a Swart recently.

For me, the Swart on it's own - I didn't like, but add the night light (their attenuator), changed the amp beyond recognition! Being able to run it gunned and then effectively with a master volume, so you take out some of the boxiness you get at high volume was priceless.

And then I tried a Carr....

There's a Swart with nightlight for sale on here, nothing to do with me but a great price

Lebarque

@peteri Which Carr and how did it stack up?

peteri

Hi @Lebarque

Apologies if this is thread jumping, but it's kind of relevant

Coda recommended I try the Carr Sportsman, initially I liked it more than the Swart - it was more controllable with the tone stack, and headroom control. But somehow the Swart kept drawing me back, I think the Sportsman was almost too smooth if that makes sense.

Then I tried the Carr Mini-Mercury, which was wonderful - just a great flattering sound, with simple controls but lots of variation therein. When I broke for lunch that was ahead.

After lunch I added the nightlight to the Swart, and that changed everything - before I found the Swart boxy, because I was cranking it and then sitting quite close to a loud small box. The nighlight let me tame the volume but not the drive, and one of the things I was after was compression.

When I added a Tubescreamer, the Mercury was great, and maybe still ahead - but again the Swart just kept pulling me back. The only thing I really didn't like was the nighlight is not continually variable, it's 'notched' and I wanted something between two settings.

So I was at the point when I was going to go with the Swart + nightlight, purely because whilst the sound of the Mercury was wonderful and arguable 'better' (whatever that means), the Swart made me smile.

And then Doug (someday all guitar shops etc.) stepped in and said try this - the Carr Skylark, a bit more money, but much more versatile - the mid control alone gives you so much variance, with an amazing attenuator built in.

And they did an amazing deal on the shop demo one, which stopped quite so much budget busting.

I've had the amp 2.5 weeks at home, and absolutely love it - it's changed my playing more than I would have realised, I've spent hours just with my strat and the amp no effects but the guitar volume and tone control. And with only a few pedals I've got everything covered.

The Carr goes from really good natural overdrive, ok not soaring leads - but a great blues sound, down to a warm, lovely - but still cutting if you want it, clean. And has a lovely reverb.

The Swart is a great amp, if you want that sound - I found the reverb a little much to be honest (too much in your face?) but the trem was lovely.

Hope this helps

crunchman

peteri said:

I had a Cornell and didn't like it very much

Would agree with this.  I had a Cornell.  As soon as I tried a Lazy J I got rid of the Cornell.

Ossyrocks

I've had 5 in total, the one I kept and still love is the Gartone.

Rob

Lebarque

@peteri  Many thanks for the lengthy response - all comments on similar amps welcome. I've got a Night Light too - great attenuator, but I know what you mean about the notches. Funnily enough, I've got a Skylark, which I was thinking about selling to get a 5E3-style. Great amp, but I seem to be using my Impala more recently. Another great Carr.

peteri

Ah - well if you have a Skylark, and another Carr - I would definitely say bang for the buck Swart is well worth a look.

As previously, Cornell didn't do it at all for me and didn't last long - I found they are beautifully made and look lovely, but have pretty much one sound - and don't play the way I like with pedals.

I had the Plexi 7 and a Romany plus,

I've become a complete Carr fanboy.

Mercury/Mini Mercury might be worth a look - I found them a little more polite than the Swart, which is just nasty (in a good way)

hotpickups

This Swart Night Time attenuator would it safely attenuate an amp like the Buster which I think with 6L6s in it will take it up to 28 watts? Anyone used it on a NON Swart amp?

ThePrettyDamned

5e3s are bass flub - are you sure you want one? 

mattacjones

@hotpickups I have a nightlite and use it with my redplate, works really well (max 22w as i recall, so my redplate is on the 15w setting). Take yourpoint re notching, but you don't have to have amp at max vol. Anyway - it works really well, and better than the others i've had. Nice and compact too. Used, its a bargain. 

MattFGBI

Try a 57 Custom Deluxe. 

hotpickups

mattacjones said:

@hotpickups I have a nightlite and use it with my redplate, works really well (max 22w as i recall, so my redplate is on the 15w setting). Take yourpoint re notching, but you don't have to have amp at max vol. Anyway - it works really well, and better than the others i've had. Nice and compact too. Used, its a bargain. 

Ah so it will work with a 30 watt amp but won't attenuate when amp is at full volume etc @mattacjones only when it outputs 22 watts? Or have I misunderstood something? Isn't it the whole point of attenuators that you use it when it is at full volume like these 5E3s sound their best at? Maybe the Ironman II mini might be better?

57Deluxe

part of the 'flub' is the inefficiency of the cabinet and too a poor mix of speaker and guitar input signal. You don't just get instant Tweed hardon from these amp designs you have to work at them. Getting a particular tone is trial and error, mix 'n' match.