Tweedle-E3

Imagine a Fender 'Deluxe' 5E3 that had one too many energy drinks. Imagine a 5E3 with none of the flatulent low-end 5E3s are famous for. Imagine a modest combo that can still cut through the mix in a four-piece. This is the Tweedle-E3, modelled after the love child of Alexander Dumble and a Fender 5C3, reimagined over a dual channel 5E3 topology.

You should be prepared for an amp that is window-rattling loud. Simple, even elegant in demeanour, it boasts only a pair of volume knobs for the low and high gain channels and one tone knob to rule them all. It’s true that you could run four instruments simultaneously through this little beast. There’s nothing to stop you running a ceramic harp mic through the low gain channel and your favourite six-string workhorse through the high gain channel. It loves the double humbuckers. And with hi and lo impedance inputs for the high and low gain channels there are a lot of tonal palettes to choose from in-between.

Breakup on this little gem is organic and controlled with greater headroom than its illustrious counterpart, but the secret to reining it in is in the guitar volume knob. Dial up the amp a little past breakup and then dial back your guitar’s volume knob to find the edge. Hi and lo impedance inputs are another way to get there without touching your guitar volume.

A great, versatile little amp for everything from meaty rhythm to soaring lead tones. Devilishly fun to play, the Tweedle-E3 comes loaded with a 12 inch, Celestion, ‘Vintage 30’ - articulate and as Celestion say: "Warm low-end, rich vocal mid-range, detailed top-end with complex overtones." Altogether, a the perfect amp for small to medium sized gigs.

Aside from the "stock" package that is offered here there are several alternative speakers that work well with this circuit and which will take you to the tone you are looking for.

Good things truly do come in small packages.

From € 1 999

SPECIFICATIONS

This list outlines the typical specifications for this model and may be adapted to suit your particular needs. To find out more and discuss the possibilities I can realise for you, please contact me directly.

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 POWER

 Mains power:230V / 50Hz
 Output power:18 Watts
 Tube compliment:x2 – ECC83 (preamp)
  x2 – 6V6 (power amp)
  x1 – GZ34 (rectifier)
 Two channels:Normal
  Bright

 TOP PANEL

 STANDBY switch
 Mains fuse:1 Amp / slow blow
 OFF / ON switch
 TONE control
 VOLUME control (Bright channel)
 VOLUME control (Normal channel)
 Input jacks, female (6.3mm):BRIGHT 1 (Hi)
  BRIGHT 2 (Lo)
  NORMAL 1 (Hi)
  NORMAL 2 (Lo)

 BOTTOM PANEL

 MAIN and AUX speaker jacks, female (6.3mm)

 SPEAKER

 Celestion 'Vintage 30':8 Ohm / 60 Watts

 ACCESSORIES

 Jumper cable - male/male, 6.3mm. Length: 15cm

 MEASUREMENTS

 Height:420mm
 Width:508mm
 Depth:240mm
 Weight:15 kilos

Frequency response, gain and the waveform envelope

The deceptively simple Tone and Volume controls create some very interesting interactive tonal possibilities. The circuit modifications in the Tweedle-E3, preserve the best qualities of interactive tone and gain found in the original Tweed Deluxe and many of the same or similar settings can be used to dial in this amp.

Tone and Gain sweep is maximised in the Tweedle-E3, whereas a Deluxe would top out at 9 becoming progressively darker with no increase in gain, the Tweedle-E3 goes all the way up to 12 without sag.

Frequency response in the Tone control and gain in the Volume controls interact to produce a waveform envelope. The empty channel’s volume control can be used to inject low end into the dominant, guitar channel, then dialling up the volume of the guitar channel all the way, you can control the tone from clean to overdrive with only your guitar’s tone and volume controls. Note bloom with complex overtones, sustain, compression and saturation are all there at your fingertips. From naturally compressed, touch sensitive and sustaining cleans all the way up to a visceral, crunchy, British Rock style overdrive.

Adding a jumper accomplishes much the same thing, only with the added benefit of running your signal in parallel through the first stage of the amp providing you with a meatier tone and having both volume controls offer an excellent balance between the Normal and Bright channels.

A tone to die for.