On my to-do list as well! It is a great amp and nothing is more satisfying than building it yourself :) StewMac also has a kit, not sure which one is better.
Me too, looks like a ton of fun and a great amp for a good price! They may need to include better electronics if Rhett got a bad tube *and* pot in one kit.
Womble Bobby Don't have to see it like that. In this case, it was bad components, not bad assembly. I wouldn't have the tools/time/expertise to diagnose, but the job was done properly.
Rhett Shull-- I was in the class, I was the old guy in the front row with the long white beard. I took the class in May at Sweetwater and had a great time. So, why not again. AJ (Andy Johnson) has great patience and the entire staff of Mojotone in incredible. I did better the second time around. I walked out of the class both times with a GREAT sounding amp!!! I didn't even notice you doing the video.
@@hosoiarchives4858 The class was in October 2018 it was just over $1000 (the kit was $750 included). Two long days, Friday from 8am to about 6pm. The second day (Saturday) we started at 7:30 am and I finished and out the door at 7:30pm. I took the class in May 2018 at Sweetwater and built the same amp. If you can afford it, you should do it. The Mojotone staff are great!!!
I really don't recommend to use both hands when measuring voltage in the amp. Just connect the black wire to the chassis, left hand in your pocket and use your right hand to connect the red probe to the measuring point. This way you prevent the current from crossing your body and heart in case of touching the wrong part of the amp...
Or you could wear insulated rubber gloves? I remember in the Navy when it was maintenance time, if it was electrical related you wore gloves, and even after every breaker was tagged out and turned off.
i wish i had a class like this in high school, i swear they should implement these in schools, and i dont mean just amps, but electronics and diy stuff to be able to have that knowledge and be comfortable with repairing what ever piece of tech you own
These days everything is in microcomponents soldered onto tiny circuit boards in industrial ovens, most of the tech you own you wint be able to repair, companies are making sure of that
I got into amp building about 20 years ago. There was no TH-cam, just message boards and old schematics. I built a single EL-84 amp for practice, and was amazed when it worked. No kit, just parts and a schematic to go by. It was a real education, learning Ohm's law for the first time, learning to solder, how to read parts, etc. I also built my own cabinets, did the woodworking etc. Very cool.
Old video, hard to believe this was 5 years ago. Even "way back" then you still made great, professional content. Of course you've definitely proved yourself to be one of the best guitar and guitar gear TH-camrs in the intervening half decade. Your content puts you in the top tier of all the guitar oriented channels on TH-cam. I really like that you have a relationship with Rick Beato that goes back to the time before you two were TH-cam stars. Loved the video and enjoyed the honest way you portrayed the build process and gave John the credit he deserves for helping troubleshoot the issues you had. Thanks for all the video you've made and for the invaluable information and experience you share.😊
Few things are more fun than building an amp and having it fire up when you turn it on. I built a 5E3 from scratch several years ago. I bought a 5E3 eyelet board and a generic chassis and all the parts from various suppliers. It was my 2nd DIY build and I was very careful so it worked right the first time. I foolishly sold it a few years later when I was suffering from GAS and was buying/selling like crazy. I wish I had it back!
Just finished a class in Phoenix with Mojotone, one year to the day from your classes. A couple of grounding issues taking care of and I had sound! Andy and Steve were great instructors. Thanks to them. Gave me great confidence and plan on another build soon. Great sounding amp! Be honest, when you heard the first person play through their amp and you looked at yours you thought what the hell ... time to put this in high gear!
I really went for it on my first build, ‘65 Princeton Reverb kit. I came out great. The project had to be one of the most tedious (but educational and satisfying) I have ever undertaken. They suggest a build time of 8 hours. NO FRIGGIN WAY! I took 8 hours to simply set up the chassis. Maybe the experienced Mexican women that have been doing it for 30 years can build it in 8 hours. My total time spent was about 30 hours. Killer amp in the end and only missed two tiny jumpers across one of the preamp tube sockets. Fixed it and it rocks!!!
There is absolute joy in actually crafting something. There once was a time when there were more professions like that but it's cool to see that there are still some out there. Tell Mojotone they should do an All Celebrity TH-cam class as a promotion, and you and Rick, SamGuit, Adam Neely, Jake Lizzio, Mary Spender, Pete Thorn etc could all do a short series (Saved By The Bell-tone) and have a little jam at the end and interview each other on the process etc. Superbowl of electric, stringed instrumentalists and an awesome promotion for a great shop in beautiful, backwoods N.C. Great video, thanks.
I did a tube-depot 5E3 kit and was pretty lucky on my first go - same problem with no sound when I turned it on, but i had the output jack wired in reverse. Fixed that and bingo! Sounds great and was a lot of fun! Doing it at Mojotone must have been a great experience!
Very good starting point for building. A 5F2A Princeton is also a good starter. I built my first Deluxe about 15 years ago. Since then I have built several other amps including a Super Reverb, 63 Vibroverb, Twin Reverb, two Overdrive Specials, a 5 watt push-pull AC-30, a 30 watt Deluxe. Other projects are in the works including a Brownface Twin and Brownface Bandmaster with the Magnatone M-9 vibrato circuit incorporated. A cool part about the two channel Fender Amps is you can incorporate a totally different preamp into the normal channel and use an A/B switch (i.e. A 5f6a Bassman/JTM 45 on the normal side and a stock Fender on the Vibrato side)
You had to feel good that YOU got it right the first time! I also built the 5e3 Mojotone kit at home and luckily, all my parts were good..Your amp sounded very great and vintage! Cheers for a good job, great new amp for yourself, greater knowledge, wonderful sense of accomplishment, and entertaining video!
Here's a tip for you all, when you go to do all your voltage-checks with a meter, use an alligator-clip lead to temporarily attach the black multimeter to a convenient point on the amp-chassis, doing this means that you will only need one hand to hold the red multimeter lead probe tip on the test points, keep your free hand in your back pocket so that there's less of a chance of electrical current going across your heart if you do accidentally get an electrical shock, but definitely avoid shocking yourself.
This was such an exciting video to watch. Being from Wilmington you won me over in the intro. I've been wanting to do one of these builds and now seeing it come together give me a little more confidence to do it. Also, your guy John is also my guy John. He has brought to life any project I've brought him. He currently is basically rebuilding one for me now. Super awesome dude and Sick musician. Look forward to more content. This one struck a chord being so close to home. Love your channel.
Rhett - glad it all worked out! My son sat next to you there, and I kept thinking that you looked familiar! Ha - wish I'd introduced myself (but you guys were pretty busy). Anyway, great video, & great channel. MojoTone just rocks. I picked up a Studio One kit while I was there & am beginning work on it. Hope it goes as well! Best, Andrew.
If you ever do it again, try a Hoffman turret board. Same circuit, but he moves the components around to reduce noise. My Mojo 5e3 sounds glorious at full blast, with almost no hum or buzz!
One little safety thought for around the 8:00 minute mark. When you're taking readings inside a live amp I would try to get a probe that has a clip on it for the black (ground) lead. So when the amp is off you simply clip it to the chassis and forget about it. Then you can focus on using one hand on the red probe to take your measurements. Even better would be to use clips on both and never have to reach into a live amp. You turn the amp off, place the clips, turn amp on, take reading. Takes a little longer, but is very safe. The danger is that if you would slip and have one hand contact high voltage and the other contact ground, your body is like a big resistor and current will flow from one arm to your chest to the other arm and can shock your heart. The above steps make that impossible.
@@davidbaines7330 Yep, should only ever need one hand to measure and turn the amp on before plugging in then you dont have to reach across. Even before plugging anything in, do earth continuity and earth to A/N isolation tests (with the amp power switch on but NOT PLUGGED IN TO MAINS).
Bad pot + bad tube. Maybe some quality issues there. If these kits are for users to build at home then they would need to know alot about electronics to debug. Not an issue for building on-site though - and quite a cool experience.
I have one at home that has been sitting around for two years. All assembled. All voltages good. No sound. It was completely disappointing and to see that it may have also been bad parts frustrates me.
I built an amp kit from this same company and had all good working electrical bits. My amp fired up the first time and has had no problems. Only issue I encounter was two holes in the chassis were JUST a bit too close together to fit the power transformer, so one had to be drilled out a bit. Easy to fix. I would recommend building one for sure.
I've been on the fence for about 3 years considering building this exact amp. Literally just sold my AC30. Looks like it's time to warm up my soldiering iron. Thanks for the hard work and time you put into the channel.
Good job Rhett! I am one of - I'm sure - many who plan to get one of these kits partly on the strength of your review. Won't be my first rodeo with electronics assembly, or even tube circuits, but I was impressed with the kit quality, and the spirit of Mojo-Tone as a company. I'll add a step to pretest all the pots with a DMM, easier to do before assembly than after. I used to even own a working vintage tube tester that was my dad's, but sold it last year to someone who had more use for it than I - at the time. 🤔
5E3 is a good amp to build.. lots of info on the internet about the circuit and how it works. Tons of mods. We now need a video on how to use the inputs. The two volume knobs are highly interactive and jumpering channels gets wild. Also, Neil Young cover? Please!
Oh Rhett, not to rub it in (LOL) mine fired right up and sounded Great! Did mine at home. It has become a habit now and about every two years I build a new amp that is a little more complex. I now even build my own cabinets too! A lot of fun.
Thanks for the informative vid-film-doc. I saw a very gentle and vibey look and pace. 50 years of guitar player myself. The class, the project, the outcome all very appealing to those (in my generation and) inexperience in Amp building. Plus no extra noise/ music. When you got to play...cherry on top .. beautiful man..Well worth watching
I started with a 5E3 and also built a Bassman and then several more 5E3s for others. Never had a defective part. I did have to do some troubleshooting sometimes but always figured things out without help. I totally recommend the process and loved working with mojotone. I can hugely recommend a channel called Uncle Doug if you want to learn everything about amp building.
Looks like a lot of fun! Definitely something I've wanted to do for a while. Especially awesome being there and having someone able to help troubleshoot in the event of a problem. Though I do have to say.. Two bad parts in a single kit? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence for those of us thinking about attempting this at home without a "John" nearby. Just imagine having to troubleshoot that over the phone with someone... hmmm.
These can really benefit from high-quality shielded wire on the inputs... I built a deluxe and a champ both Tweed and first built them just like Leo. Changing the input wires to shielded made a definitely quieter build especially with pedals as I like. I imagine it makes a big difference if you're running a 12Y or 12ax. Also while I am not a super neat person I would not take them out to play until I shot them with lacquer. They were far from the first amps I built, but they were the best-looking, because I used actually come to think of it mojotone cabs, and the Tweed was just Dynamite... It matched up on all the cuts n corners. Other amps I built were in salvaged chassis.
Thank you SO much for sharing this. I had no idea these kinds of classes were out there, i'm totally going to do this. Love you and Rick Beato's videos
I built one of those! I needed up replacing the filter caps with Sprague Atoms, the caps on the tone pot with a vintage mica cap and a Tobias Jensen cap, and replaced the speaker with a Tone Tubby hemp cone alnico Hubolt speaker. It made the amp smooth out a little and sound a little more broken in and “vintage” to my ears. Tone is subjective.
I bought and built one of these last winter. It was a blast. Learned a bunch in doing it. Planning to do a customized Blackface Princeton this year. Can’t wait,
I'm assembling mine this weekend. I have a lot of prior experience with fixing radios, old tube tv's etc. so I'll be fine. One thing I don't understand is why they have it setup to switch the neutral wire of the power cord/PT. I will probably go from hot on the power cord to center pin of the fuse then to switch and use a terminal strip to tie the power cord/PT neutrals together. In the days of non grounding, non polarized plugs, switching the neutral would be fine being you could plug the power plug in either direction, but nowadays I wouldn't want to wire it that way being that it has a ground.
Great video, didn't realise how big Mojotone was. I built a 5E3 kit a few years back. Problem is the price of a full blown kit is a almost as much as a new Fender tube amp from Guitar Center. That's why I went into buying old tube PA amp and convert them to guitar amps. Sometimes you can get these for under $100. Check my channel if interested in old Italian PA amp sounding like Marshalls... 7:11 at this point you should have checked for correct continuity on the eyelet board. Visual inspection is good as first step in troubleshooting an malfunctioning amp.
As a side note, even though I subscribe to your channel I came across this video as a recommendation while watching videos but Psionic Audio. Watching Lyle diagnose, repair and mod amps has been one of my recent pleasures.
Thanks for the video. I was at Mojotone about a month back and they were telling me about the amp building class. I had some reservations about trying it, but now, I'm ready to sign up
I bought one , completed in a few days.. Bought another within a week to use both when needed in stereo.. Great company to deal with.. I had a fishy jack(switch) and they sent another right out to me. No questions asked...they shipped out very quickly.. Packaging was first rate.. VERY EASY KIT TO BUILD with some basic knowledge of soldering , electricity,etc....Mojotone has many kits on their website as well as completed products........Go North Carolina!!!!
I love their new factory. I was there a couple of days before the class and they had all of the kits lined up near the wall. Not enough people know about Mojotone. I refurb old amps exteriors with parts I buy from Mojotone as I buy the amps you pawn or sell on Craigslist which usually just needs some love and attention.
I actually bought a complete built amp. Even built it’s less than half the price of anything else remotely close! The amp they sent me is astonishing in build quality and appearance and most importantly it’s tone! At the moment (April 2022) they want 1099 for a built ready to rock 5e3! I love tinkering and modding things but taking out of a box and plugging a les Paul in immediately is kinda the best thing in the world!
Nice Tweed man, I love the idea of a diy build. I want one to get that full blast fuzzy tone Don Felder got on the solo for One Of These Nights. Where did the "jumper" wire go when you first had no sound. Thanks
MojoTone guys rock, extremely helpful.. I’ve bought more stuff from them than I want to admit for fear of my wife finding out. My Bassman kit I bought and built from them kicked ass.
Oh wow. I didn't know they offer a class. I live about an hour and a half from Burgaw NC. I've been over there before and picked up parts. Even got a tour of the new facility a couple of weeks back. I may need to call them and find out about the class.
One thing that makes me wonder ... I learned the "one hand rule". Only one hand should be close by an open and live tube amp. But during testing they have the standard test probes. There's over 250V DC running there. Why not provide the testing equipment with an aligator or hook clip at the ground wire? Much safer, especially for novice builders.
yeah I also noticed at 7:45 his right wrist might be touching the chassis......good way to get yourself killed. Building a pedal might be a better project for someone with no previous electronics experience etc. Granted I am going to take a guess that the instructor probobly went over some safety stuff at the beginning of the class(I hope)
@@yurimodin7333 No one in the history of anywhere has died from a shock from a guitar amp it is an old wives tale we are talking milliamp current...I have had more of a kick from an electric fence.
Been thinking about doing something like this. Your experience doesn’t inspire me to go it alone. I am fairly confident with soldering and following directions, but when the components (sometimes more than one) are bad you need someone who can troubleshoot and that isn’t me. Be nice to have a truly fully tested kit but we both know things aren’t always what they claim. Enjoyed it Rhett!
I’m surprised they allowed you to work inside the chassis with power on. First rule (especially with high voltage tube circuits) is only one hand in the chassis at a time. It’s easy to clip the ground lead to the chassis (or component) and be safe while you work.
Great video, glad Mojotone is getting some love. I bought a Mt Pilot head and custom speaker cab from them as well as other guitar upgrade components over the years. They are super helpful if you have any questions. I'd love to build a simpler kit sometime like the 5F1 Champ and maybe rebuild it into an old Philco table top radio later on.
LoL!! When Rhett was putting in the rectifier tube, I was nervous, too. I have been wanting to build a tube amp kit for years, but the high voltages scares me. Great video!
Wonderful vid. Have seen these in the past and if not for buying reissued Fenders then it would haver been Mojo's kit for sure. Ten pounds of tone in a five pound pine delivery system.
Nice work guys. Anyone can walk in a store and buy and amp but building your own adds just another layer pride. Having a couple of issues with a kit is just part of the game. When they're built on a production line the same crap happens. QC picks it up so you don't.
Awesome video! Amp sounds incredible, i just built mine at home and thought everything was perfect and fired it up and the same thing, NO sound at all! I dont have the knowledge to troubleshoot it myself so luckily I have an awesome amp guy near me hes going to take a peek and let me know. Hopefully its a small issue! Cant wait to hear mine! And cant wait to build another!
you didn't seal the circuit board and the backing board .... that'll absorb moisture over time and start leaking between components , I've had Mojotone kits come into my workshop many times with that issue . I live in a sub tropical climate though
The 5E3 is regarded as one of the most efficient and easy construction amps ever created. And furthermore it's incredibly easy to build a clone of it, but you're right, it's difficult to work with everything once it's in there unless you're used to working with electronics often. I've been pondering either this build or the 5E8A Twin LP. If they ever do a class on that one, I'm hands down gonna go for it but this looks like a fun learning experience.
Also, you typically want to check activity for all your components before you solder, but you'd be there for far more than two days so I get why they didn't do that.
I have two, had four more in the past two decades. Love these little dogs. The key is to get two of them. I have a tan and a blue right now. My others were all black and white.
Thank you for doing this video, not only is very different/interesting/educational but it also made me sure I do not want to buy one of those Stewmac Princeton kits and run the risk of problems like you had.
I am planning on visiting Mojotone this summer when I visit family in Wilmington. I hope I can sign up for a class like this. Thanks Rhett, great video!
I built 2 of the kits. Was so much fun. Tech support was amazing. The first one was the jcm800. Man that was loud and sounded fantastic. It knocked pitchers of grandma off the wall. I sold them to a guitar builder to pay for next kit to build.
Totally loving this! I think it's time for me to practice soldering. I know there are some adaptive tricks, from listening to friends who do it without looking. I probably wouldn't try it in a tight place, like sounds what you're doing here. Got a lot of good info from this though! Makes me want to work towards making one. 😁
the soldering rule of thumb: The bigger the blob the better the job. (joke) 😄 you can get tips and tricks on the internet and of course, practice at home.
Okay one more comment/idea from an old guitar player. What would it take to build in an 1176 circuit in a guitar amplifier kit? It could be a simplified version like UA puts in the 4-710d with a slow, fast and off 3-position switch. Maybe even a blend knob. Or it could have the push buttons like a real 1176. That would probably create an amp that would light up the world. I've also wondered about sticking on LED meters (input and output), the old school type, with some kind of knob to match your guitar to the front end of the amp. The knob might have preset detents for standard ohm ratings or something like they do for different mics, but for pickups.
I’d like to try this one day but am concerned with the trouble shooting issue if building this at home. Seems the best thing is enroll in the class, but add airfare and hotel and the amp price starts climbing. Thanks for sharing. I just subscribed.
Definitely looking forward to hearing this in the studio setting with all the pedals and etc. Is this a 12" or 10" speaker? Also, is this something you could possibly gig with? It appeared to have 6L6's which makes mee think it could have enough power. Anyway, looks like a fun thing to do.
All the wires are same color!! I was going to be an electronics technician back in the 1970's and tubes were still in television sets! I tube tester and fixed them until transistors hit!
Sounds fantastic Rhett. Of course it would have been nice for everything to go as planned, but the struggle makes the reward that much better. And you get some troubleshooting experience out of it as well.
Jon Wilson Does it though? I find the most rewarding projects are the ones that have minimal problems and don’t make me grind my teeth down to nubs. But that’s just me. I question all old wisdom like that. Some hold water and some don’t. The thing we can agree on is the reward of making your own amp would be amazing.
I think you did a nice job on the wiring. The 5E3 ain't easy to work on once the board is in the chassis. I wish you had gone through the bias checking on camera.
They're cathode (self biasing) biased..just a 250ohm-300ohm +,- 5watt or larger resistor, bypassed with usually 25uF x 25volt electrolytic cap turned 'backward' positive to ground, for filtering neg. Voltage ..easy as Heck. You can even omit the capacitor, if memory serves me right!
@@LTJR. Yup. I forgot about that. But you still need to check the bias. I had to replace the new 5Y3 with a NOS 5Y3 in my kit to get the plate voltage down to normal range. The amp was hot. Like set on 2 it was breaking up. So I mistakenly tried to bias the amp but, since it's cathode biased, nothing I did workled. I forget where but the internet told me to swap the rectifier out. I did that and all was well.
My 1st amp build was a mojotone. Get some better tubes than the JJs. I have GE 6V6GTA power tubes and love them. I have RCA 12AY7 in V1 and a couple ANOS 12AX7s in V2 & V3.
Hey Rhett. I’m not good at all with soldering. Does mojo sell the electronics all put together as part of the amp kit and I can put it together. Guillermo
I just jammed with a guy who had this exact amp. It sounded amazing. Huge low end. Sparkly top. It's a coincidence that this video popped up in line since I've been watching some of Rhett's work. Something is calling me to this amp!
An amp build without at least one bad pot or tube......is that a thing? Loved this video. I might have to order one of their kits I love troubleshooting on the forums with my other amps/guitars so the next logical step it building and amp from parts. Once again great content!
I have been really wanting to build one of these kits myself ,but havent, because im not going to have Joe with me to make the amp work at the end.I dont mean this post to be sarcastic or negative either, its just that after doing all the wiring right, the amp dont work because of a bad volume pot,in a new kit....then after a pro solves that issue,theres now hum...and it took a pro 2 hours to solve
Now I want to build one!
On my to-do list as well! It is a great amp and nothing is more satisfying than building it yourself :) StewMac also has a kit, not sure which one is better.
... do I hear revenue stream? Go for it.
Me too, looks like a ton of fun and a great amp for a good price! They may need to include better electronics if Rhett got a bad tube *and* pot in one kit.
@Womble Bobby It would take me a trip to the local amp guy. With whatever extra cost that entails..!
Womble Bobby Don't have to see it like that. In this case, it was bad components, not bad assembly. I wouldn't have the tools/time/expertise to diagnose, but the job was done properly.
Rhett Shull-- I was in the class, I was the old guy in the front row with the long white beard. I took the class in May at Sweetwater and had a great time. So, why not again. AJ (Andy Johnson) has great patience and the entire staff of Mojotone in incredible. I did better the second time around. I walked out of the class both times with a GREAT sounding amp!!! I didn't even notice you doing the video.
How much did the class cost?
@@hosoiarchives4858 The class was in October 2018 it was just over $1000 (the kit was $750 included). Two long days, Friday from 8am to about 6pm. The second day (Saturday) we started at 7:30 am and I finished and out the door at 7:30pm. I took the class in May 2018 at Sweetwater and built the same amp. If you can afford it, you should do it. The Mojotone staff are great!!!
I really don't recommend to use both hands when measuring voltage in the amp. Just connect the black wire to the chassis, left hand in your pocket and use your right hand to connect the red probe to the measuring point. This way you prevent the current from crossing your body and heart in case of touching the wrong part of the amp...
YES ! This is one of the first safety lessons we learned in electronics.
Or you could wear insulated rubber gloves? I remember in the Navy when it was maintenance time, if it was electrical related you wore gloves, and even after every breaker was tagged out and turned off.
i wish i had a class like this in high school, i swear they should implement these in schools, and i dont mean just amps, but electronics and diy stuff to be able to have that knowledge and be comfortable with repairing what ever piece of tech you own
These days everything is in microcomponents soldered onto tiny circuit boards in industrial ovens, most of the tech you own you wint be able to repair, companies are making sure of that
@@ilmisxx2 my HiFi is handwired and tube powered and it's almost brand new.
You aren’t meant to learn anything useful at school.. the art of learning is lost on poor teaching environments
@@johnnorris1983 I taught at a homeschooling co-op. I spent the first two days teaching my highschoolers how to learn.
Tandy and Radio Shack…
used to be able to do similar kits
I got into amp building about 20 years ago. There was no TH-cam, just message boards and old schematics. I built a single EL-84 amp for practice, and was amazed when it worked. No kit, just parts and a schematic to go by. It was a real education, learning Ohm's law for the first time, learning to solder, how to read parts, etc. I also built my own cabinets, did the woodworking etc. Very cool.
Old video, hard to believe this was 5 years ago. Even "way back" then you still made great, professional content. Of course you've definitely proved yourself to be one of the best guitar and guitar gear TH-camrs in the intervening half decade. Your content puts you in the top tier of all the guitar oriented channels on TH-cam. I really like that you have a relationship with Rick Beato that goes back to the time before you two were TH-cam stars. Loved the video and enjoyed the honest way you portrayed the build process and gave John the credit he deserves for helping troubleshoot the issues you had. Thanks for all the video you've made and for the invaluable information and experience you share.😊
Few things are more fun than building an amp and having it fire up when you turn it on. I built a 5E3 from scratch several years ago. I bought a 5E3 eyelet board and a generic chassis and all the parts from various suppliers. It was my 2nd DIY build and I was very careful so it worked right the first time. I foolishly sold it a few years later when I was suffering from GAS and was buying/selling like crazy. I wish I had it back!
Just finished a class in Phoenix with Mojotone, one year to the day from your classes. A couple of grounding issues taking care of and I had sound! Andy and Steve were great instructors. Thanks to them. Gave me great confidence and plan on another build soon. Great sounding amp!
Be honest, when you heard the first person play through their amp and you looked at yours you thought what the hell ... time to put this in high gear!
I really went for it on my first build, ‘65 Princeton Reverb kit. I came out great. The project had to be one of the most tedious (but educational and satisfying) I have ever undertaken. They suggest a build time of 8 hours. NO FRIGGIN WAY! I took 8 hours to simply set up the chassis. Maybe the experienced Mexican women that have been doing it for 30 years can build it in 8 hours. My total time spent was about 30 hours. Killer amp in the end and only missed two tiny jumpers across one of the preamp tube sockets. Fixed it and it rocks!!!
what fun, i'm a EE, but whenever i see someone going for the build, it makes me smile nice job Rhett. ... great debugging,, (both of you!)
There is absolute joy in actually crafting something. There once was a time when there were more professions like that but it's cool to see that there are still some out there. Tell Mojotone they should do an All Celebrity TH-cam class as a promotion, and you and Rick, SamGuit, Adam Neely, Jake Lizzio, Mary Spender, Pete Thorn etc could all do a short series (Saved By The Bell-tone) and have a little jam at the end and interview each other on the process etc. Superbowl of electric, stringed instrumentalists and an awesome promotion for a great shop in beautiful, backwoods N.C. Great video, thanks.
There are plenty of professionals like this. They just live somewhere else because that's where the jobs went.
I did a tube-depot 5E3 kit and was pretty lucky on my first go - same problem with no sound when I turned it on, but i had the output jack wired in reverse. Fixed that and bingo! Sounds great and was a lot of fun! Doing it at Mojotone must have been a great experience!
Very good starting point for building. A 5F2A Princeton is also a good starter. I built my first Deluxe about 15 years ago. Since then I have built several other amps including a Super Reverb, 63 Vibroverb, Twin Reverb, two Overdrive Specials, a 5 watt push-pull AC-30, a 30 watt Deluxe. Other projects are in the works including a Brownface Twin and Brownface Bandmaster with the Magnatone M-9 vibrato circuit incorporated. A cool part about the two channel Fender Amps is you can incorporate a totally different preamp into the normal channel and use an A/B switch (i.e. A 5f6a Bassman/JTM 45 on the normal side and a stock Fender on the Vibrato side)
You had to feel good that YOU got it right the first time! I also built the 5e3 Mojotone kit at home and luckily, all my parts were good..Your amp sounded very great and vintage! Cheers for a good job, great new amp for yourself, greater knowledge, wonderful sense of accomplishment, and entertaining video!
Here's a tip for you all, when you go to do all your voltage-checks with a meter, use an alligator-clip lead to temporarily attach the black multimeter to a convenient point on the amp-chassis, doing this means that you will only need one hand to hold the red multimeter lead probe tip on the test points, keep your free hand in your back pocket so that there's less of a chance of electrical current going across your heart if you do accidentally get an electrical shock, but definitely avoid shocking yourself.
This was such an exciting video to watch. Being from Wilmington you won me over in the intro. I've been wanting to do one of these builds and now seeing it come together give me a little more confidence to do it. Also, your guy John is also my guy John. He has brought to life any project I've brought him. He currently is basically rebuilding one for me now. Super awesome dude and Sick musician. Look forward to more content. This one struck a chord being so close to home. Love your channel.
Rhett - glad it all worked out! My son sat next to you there, and I kept thinking that you looked familiar! Ha - wish I'd introduced myself (but you guys were pretty busy). Anyway, great video, & great channel. MojoTone just rocks. I picked up a Studio One kit while I was there & am beginning work on it. Hope it goes as well! Best, Andrew.
Nice! That’s so cool, it seems like his amp came out well.
If you ever do it again, try a Hoffman turret board. Same circuit, but he moves the components around to reduce noise. My Mojo 5e3 sounds glorious at full blast, with almost no hum or buzz!
One little safety thought for around the 8:00 minute mark. When you're taking readings inside a live amp I would try to get a probe that has a clip on it for the black (ground) lead. So when the amp is off you simply clip it to the chassis and forget about it. Then you can focus on using one hand on the red probe to take your measurements.
Even better would be to use clips on both and never have to reach into a live amp. You turn the amp off, place the clips, turn amp on, take reading. Takes a little longer, but is very safe.
The danger is that if you would slip and have one hand contact high voltage and the other contact ground, your body is like a big resistor and current will flow from one arm to your chest to the other arm and can shock your heart. The above steps make that impossible.
Yep, first thing I noticed as soon as he fired it up and started taking measurements. >400V and using both hands - BAD combo!
@@davidbaines7330 Yep, should only ever need one hand to measure and turn the amp on before plugging in then you dont have to reach across. Even before plugging anything in, do earth continuity and earth to A/N isolation tests (with the amp power switch on but NOT PLUGGED IN TO MAINS).
Bad pot + bad tube. Maybe some quality issues there. If these kits are for users to build at home then they would need to know alot about electronics to debug. Not an issue for building on-site though - and quite a cool experience.
I have one at home that has been sitting around for two years. All assembled. All voltages good. No sound. It was completely disappointing and to see that it may have also been bad parts frustrates me.
I built an amp kit from this same company and had all good working electrical bits. My amp fired up the first time and has had no problems.
Only issue I encounter was two holes in the chassis were JUST a bit too close together to fit the power transformer, so one had to be drilled out a bit. Easy to fix.
I would recommend building one for sure.
I've built a few tube amps. Often a fault is something simple, even obvious. You need to troubleshoot. Plenty of online help on forums and such.
Sometimes components are damaged during transport. At any rate, you should always test each component before wiring it in.
Yeah, arent we lucky he had one that needed to troubleshoot,now anybody who builds a kit and watches this video knows what to look out for.
Looks like fun! I need to learn this.
a '55 tweed tremolux is a real sleeper
So awesome man. I'm glad to hear you had so much fun. I used to build amps for Two Rock and ToneKing. I loved it.
Wow! That's a pedigree! Any reason as to why you aren't doing that anymore? Given their prices I would imagine it's also a pretty good gig??
I've been on the fence for about 3 years considering building this exact amp. Literally just sold my AC30. Looks like it's time to warm up my soldiering iron. Thanks for the hard work and time you put into the channel.
Good job Rhett!
I am one of - I'm sure - many who plan to get one of these kits partly on the strength of your review.
Won't be my first rodeo with electronics assembly, or even tube circuits, but I was impressed with the kit quality, and the spirit of Mojo-Tone as a company.
I'll add a step to pretest all the pots with a DMM, easier to do before assembly than after.
I used to even own a working vintage tube tester that was my dad's, but sold it last year to someone who had more use for it than I - at the time. 🤔
5E3 is a good amp to build.. lots of info on the internet about the circuit and how it works. Tons of mods.
We now need a video on how to use the inputs. The two volume knobs are highly interactive and jumpering channels gets wild.
Also, Neil Young cover? Please!
Bill Edwards th-cam.com/video/VN2vqCxaeC0/w-d-xo.html
Oh Rhett, not to rub it in (LOL) mine fired right up and sounded Great! Did mine at home. It has become a habit now and about every two years I build a new amp that is a little more complex. I now even build my own cabinets too! A lot of fun.
Thanks for the informative vid-film-doc. I saw a very gentle and vibey look and pace. 50 years of guitar player myself. The class, the project, the outcome all very appealing to those (in my generation and) inexperience in Amp building. Plus no extra noise/ music. When you got to play...cherry on top .. beautiful man..Well worth watching
I started with a 5E3 and also built a Bassman and then several more 5E3s for others. Never had a defective part. I did have to do some troubleshooting sometimes but always figured things out without help. I totally recommend the process and loved working with mojotone. I can hugely recommend a channel called Uncle Doug if you want to learn everything about amp building.
Looks like a lot of fun! Definitely something I've wanted to do for a while. Especially awesome being there and having someone able to help troubleshoot in the event of a problem. Though I do have to say.. Two bad parts in a single kit? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence for those of us thinking about attempting this at home without a "John" nearby. Just imagine having to troubleshoot that over the phone with someone... hmmm.
These can really benefit from high-quality shielded wire on the inputs... I built a deluxe and a champ both Tweed and first built them just like Leo. Changing the input wires to shielded made a definitely quieter build especially with pedals as I like. I imagine it makes a big difference if you're running a 12Y or 12ax. Also while I am not a super neat person I would not take them out to play until I shot them with lacquer. They were far from the first amps I built, but they were the best-looking, because I used actually come to think of it mojotone cabs, and the Tweed was just Dynamite... It matched up on all the cuts n corners. Other amps I built were in salvaged chassis.
Thank you SO much for sharing this. I had no idea these kinds of classes were out there, i'm totally going to do this. Love you and Rick Beato's videos
I built one of those! I needed up replacing the filter caps with Sprague Atoms, the caps on the tone pot with a vintage mica cap and a Tobias Jensen cap, and replaced the speaker with a Tone Tubby hemp cone alnico Hubolt speaker. It made the amp smooth out a little and sound a little more broken in and “vintage” to my ears. Tone is subjective.
Searched on youtube to hear the 5E3 Tweed Deluxe because I signed up for a workshop in Nashville in November. Feeling good about my decision.
I bought and built one of these last winter. It was a blast. Learned a bunch in doing it. Planning to do a customized Blackface Princeton this year. Can’t wait,
I'm assembling mine this weekend. I have a lot of prior experience with fixing radios, old tube tv's etc. so I'll be fine. One thing I don't understand is why they have it setup to switch the neutral wire of the power cord/PT. I will probably go from hot on the power cord to center pin of the fuse then to switch and use a terminal strip to tie the power cord/PT neutrals together. In the days of non grounding, non polarized plugs, switching the neutral would be fine being you could plug the power plug in either direction, but nowadays I wouldn't want to wire it that way being that it has a ground.
Got it assembled. Man it sounds f'ing awesome too!! I want to get a cover for it like yours next
Great video, didn't realise how big Mojotone was. I built a 5E3 kit a few years back. Problem is the price of a full blown kit is a almost as much as a new Fender tube amp from Guitar Center. That's why I went into buying old tube PA amp and convert them to guitar amps. Sometimes you can get these for under $100. Check my channel if interested in old Italian PA amp sounding like Marshalls...
7:11 at this point you should have checked for correct continuity on the eyelet board. Visual inspection is good as first step in troubleshooting an malfunctioning amp.
As a side note, even though I subscribe to your channel I came across this video as a recommendation while watching videos but Psionic Audio. Watching Lyle diagnose, repair and mod amps has been one of my recent pleasures.
Thanks for the video. I was at Mojotone about a month back and they were telling me about the amp building class. I had some reservations about trying it, but now, I'm ready to sign up
Loving the progression throughout the entire video. They keep getting better, hats off!
I bought one , completed in a few days.. Bought another within a week to use both when needed in stereo.. Great company to deal with.. I had a fishy jack(switch) and they sent another right out to me. No questions asked...they shipped out very quickly.. Packaging was first rate.. VERY EASY KIT TO BUILD with some basic knowledge of soldering , electricity,etc....Mojotone has many kits on their website as well as completed products........Go North Carolina!!!!
I love their new factory. I was there a couple of days before the class and they had all of the kits lined up near the wall. Not enough people know about Mojotone. I refurb old amps exteriors with parts I buy from Mojotone as I buy the amps you pawn or sell on Craigslist which usually just needs some love and attention.
I have a mojo tone cab and love it. I may have to get one of these amp kits. Sounded great!
I actually bought a complete built amp. Even built it’s less than half the price of anything else remotely close! The amp they sent me is astonishing in build quality and appearance and most importantly it’s tone! At the moment (April 2022) they want 1099 for a built ready to rock 5e3! I love tinkering and modding things but taking out of a box and plugging a les Paul in immediately is kinda the best thing in the world!
Nice Tweed man, I love the idea of a diy build. I want one to get that full blast fuzzy tone Don Felder got on the solo for One Of These Nights. Where did the "jumper" wire go when you first had no sound. Thanks
What a great idea. These kits look very well organised / developed.
That amp sounded great when you finally got it working. Well done!
MojoTone guys rock, extremely helpful.. I’ve bought more stuff from them than I want to admit for fear of my wife finding out. My Bassman kit I bought and built from them kicked ass.
I’m doing this right now myself, only no classes and using reclaimed materials
Can’t wait to hear mine!
Oh wow. I didn't know they offer a class. I live about an hour and a half from Burgaw NC. I've been over there before and picked up parts. Even got a tour of the new facility a couple of weeks back. I may need to call them and find out about the class.
Very cool and inspiring. You live just down the road from me - I'm in Peachtree Corners. We should jam sometime.
Ugh, I love your videos so much man. Its almost the same feeling as when That Pedal Show releases a new vid. I’ve got to watch it!
One thing that makes me wonder ...
I learned the "one hand rule". Only one hand should be close by an open and live tube amp. But during testing they have the standard test probes.
There's over 250V DC running there. Why not provide the testing equipment with an aligator or hook clip at the ground wire? Much safer, especially for novice builders.
yeah I also noticed at 7:45 his right wrist might be touching the chassis......good way to get yourself killed. Building a pedal might be a better project for someone with no previous electronics experience etc. Granted I am going to take a guess that the instructor probobly went over some safety stuff at the beginning of the class(I hope)
@@yurimodin7333 No one in the history of anywhere has died from a shock from a guitar amp it is an old wives tale we are talking milliamp current...I have had more of a kick from an electric fence.
Been thinking about doing something like this. Your experience doesn’t inspire me to go it alone. I am fairly confident with soldering and following directions, but when the components (sometimes more than one) are bad you need someone who can troubleshoot and that isn’t me. Be nice to have a truly fully tested kit but we both know things aren’t always what they claim. Enjoyed it Rhett!
I’m surprised they allowed you to work inside the chassis with power on. First rule (especially with high voltage tube circuits) is only one hand in the chassis at a time. It’s easy to clip the ground lead to the chassis (or component) and be safe while you work.
That course looks great, you know until 20 guys start playing guitar in the same room!
You mean NAMM?
Or Guitar Centre
@@tonepilot or Skynyrd
Nick Guadagnoli Sweet Home Guitar Center
@@tonepilot Guitarget Practice
Fantastic video, and it shows that any DIY project is not without peril.....love your channel, keep up the good work!
Rhett, did they explain the reasoning for direct solder to the speaker instead of the more standard slip on connectors?
Great video, glad Mojotone is getting some love. I bought a Mt Pilot head and custom speaker cab from them as well as other guitar upgrade components over the years. They are super helpful if you have any questions. I'd love to build a simpler kit sometime like the 5F1 Champ and maybe rebuild it into an old Philco table top radio later on.
I just built this very amp from Mojo tone. Love it! The tone and sound is so rich.
LoL!! When Rhett was putting in the rectifier tube, I was nervous, too. I have been wanting to build a tube amp kit for years, but the high voltages scares me. Great video!
I’m building one these soon! The stew Mac kit seems like the same thing. Very cool!!
Wonderful vid. Have seen these in the past and if not for buying reissued Fenders then it would haver been Mojo's kit for sure. Ten pounds of tone in a five pound pine delivery system.
I love those adjustable wattage irons best thing till you get into a station
And now to the mysteries of the interactive volume, tone controls!. Such a great amp.
Hey Rhett! I did a similar class but I swapped the stock Jensen for a celestion gold. I would suggest a similar move
Roger Ploch ditto on that, it’ll also give definition to those lows when you crank it and add some sparkle on the top, love alnico
congrats, Rhett. Yes, sir... the only thing better than a
vintage Fender is a homemade kit version :) Rock on!
and kudos to Mojotone.
I live in eastern North Carolina and did not know about Mojotone. Thanks for the video.
Nice work guys. Anyone can walk in a store and buy and amp but building your own adds just another layer pride. Having a couple of issues with a kit is just part of the game. When they're built on a production line the same crap happens. QC picks it up so you don't.
Awesome video! Amp sounds incredible, i just built mine at home and thought everything was perfect and fired it up and the same thing, NO sound at all! I dont have the knowledge to troubleshoot it myself so luckily I have an awesome amp guy near me hes going to take a peek and let me know. Hopefully its a small issue! Cant wait to hear mine! And cant wait to build another!
It can sit there in the corner right under the clock I made in wood shop that always says its 4:20.
Very cool Rhett. Having the techs on hand has got to be the best part of the build. That would have been difficult to trouble shoot at home.
Very cool. The class sounds like a great way to learn about Amps and have an enjoyable experience at the same time.
11:08 that guy in the background ahahah! Just like at school :)
you didn't seal the circuit board and the backing board .... that'll absorb moisture over time and start leaking between components , I've had Mojotone kits come into my workshop many times with that issue . I live in a sub tropical climate though
I’m seriously considering one of their kits to repower a Line 6 amp that took a crap. Out with the turd and in with the tube!
The 5E3 is regarded as one of the most efficient and easy construction amps ever created. And furthermore it's incredibly easy to build a clone of it, but you're right, it's difficult to work with everything once it's in there unless you're used to working with electronics often.
I've been pondering either this build or the 5E8A Twin LP. If they ever do a class on that one, I'm hands down gonna go for it but this looks like a fun learning experience.
Also, you typically want to check activity for all your components before you solder, but you'd be there for far more than two days so I get why they didn't do that.
Awesome!! I do this exact thing everyday! Its definitely cathartic and rewarding.
4:57 - Boston Terrier? Awesome little dog.
I have two, had four more in the past two decades. Love these little dogs. The key is to get two of them. I have a tan and a blue right now. My others were all black and white.
Thank you for doing this video, not only is very different/interesting/educational but it also made me sure I do not want to buy one of those Stewmac Princeton kits and run the risk of problems like you had.
I am planning on visiting Mojotone this summer when I visit family in Wilmington. I hope I can sign up for a class like this.
Thanks Rhett, great video!
I built 2 of the kits. Was so much fun. Tech support was amazing. The first one was the jcm800. Man that was loud and sounded fantastic. It knocked pitchers of grandma off the wall. I sold them to a guitar builder to pay for next kit to build.
Totally loving this! I think it's time for me to practice soldering. I know there are some adaptive tricks, from listening to friends who do it without looking. I probably wouldn't try it in a tight place, like sounds what you're doing here. Got a lot of good info from this though!
Makes me want to work towards making one. 😁
the soldering rule of thumb: The bigger the blob the better the job. (joke) 😄 you can get tips and tricks on the internet and of course, practice at home.
Okay one more comment/idea from an old guitar player. What would it take to build in an 1176 circuit in a guitar amplifier kit? It could be a simplified version like UA puts in the 4-710d with a slow, fast and off 3-position switch. Maybe even a blend knob. Or it could have the push buttons like a real 1176.
That would probably create an amp that would light up the world.
I've also wondered about sticking on LED meters (input and output), the old school type, with some kind of knob to match your guitar to the front end of the amp. The knob might have preset detents for standard ohm ratings or something like they do for different mics, but for pickups.
Were you really that unlucky with the parts or did an earlier mistake like that jumper to ground fry the pot and the tube?
I’d like to try this one day but am concerned with the trouble shooting issue if building this at home. Seems the best thing is enroll in the class, but add airfare and hotel and the amp price starts climbing. Thanks for sharing. I just subscribed.
Steven Ohata Find someone local to you who builds amps and get their help if it doesn’t go together perfectly.
Definitely looking forward to hearing this in the studio setting with all the pedals and etc. Is this a 12" or 10" speaker? Also, is this something you could possibly gig with? It appeared to have 6L6's which makes mee think it could have enough power. Anyway, looks like a fun thing to do.
All the wires are same color!!
I was going to be an electronics technician back in the 1970's and tubes were still in television sets!
I tube tester and fixed them until transistors hit!
Sounds fantastic Rhett. Of course it would have been nice for everything to go as planned, but the struggle makes the reward that much better. And you get some troubleshooting experience out of it as well.
Jon Wilson Does it though? I find the most rewarding projects are the ones that have minimal problems and don’t make me grind my teeth down to nubs. But that’s just me. I question all old wisdom like that. Some hold water and some don’t. The thing we can agree on is the reward of making your own amp would be amazing.
The Wilmington NC area is the only place in the World where the Venus Flay Trap grows natively. Not exactly about amps but kind of a cool fact.
Ya learn something every day...lol
I think you did a nice job on the wiring. The 5E3 ain't easy to work on once the board is in the chassis. I wish you had gone through the bias checking on camera.
They're cathode (self biasing) biased..just a 250ohm-300ohm +,- 5watt or larger resistor, bypassed with usually 25uF x 25volt electrolytic cap turned 'backward' positive to ground, for filtering neg. Voltage ..easy as Heck. You can even omit the capacitor, if memory serves me right!
@@LTJR. Yup. I forgot about that. But you still need to check the bias. I had to replace the new 5Y3 with a NOS 5Y3 in my kit to get the plate voltage down to normal range. The amp was hot. Like set on 2 it was breaking up. So I mistakenly tried to bias the amp but, since it's cathode biased, nothing I did workled. I forget where but the internet told me to swap the rectifier out. I did that and all was well.
The choice to give overlay Rhett from the future a solid reverb made me smile. :)
I enjoyed watching your soldering technique get better.
My 1st amp build was a mojotone. Get some better tubes than the JJs. I have GE 6V6GTA power tubes and love them. I have RCA 12AY7 in V1 and a couple ANOS 12AX7s in V2 & V3.
Hey Rhett. I’m not good at all with soldering. Does mojo sell the electronics all put together as part of the amp kit and I can put it together.
Guillermo
I just jammed with a guy who had this exact amp. It sounded amazing. Huge low end. Sparkly top. It's a coincidence that this video popped up in line since I've been watching some of Rhett's work. Something is calling me to this amp!
Using orange caps on a 5e3? Gotta use yellow mustard or blue sozo for tweeds
An amp build without at least one bad pot or tube......is that a thing? Loved this video. I might have to order one of their kits I love troubleshooting on the forums with my other amps/guitars so the next logical step it building and amp from parts. Once again great content!
Any idea if they're still offering this class?
I’m stoked dude! I wanna do dat , although I am in Michigan so I probably will look for a place just a little closer. Great 👍 episode.
I have been really wanting to build one of these kits myself ,but havent, because im not going to have Joe with me to make the amp work at the end.I dont mean this post to be sarcastic or negative either, its just that after doing all the wiring right, the amp dont work because of a bad volume pot,in a new kit....then after a pro solves that issue,theres now hum...and it took a pro 2 hours to solve