STUDENT NEWSLETTER 27 March 2008 
Hi Everybody! Hope you are all doing well.
Well...it has happened again. Some crook is trying to sell one of my guitars on Ebay.
Ebay listing # 120237572002 This is the third time!
An exciting opportunity came together here when three of my students built their own amplifiers. They did not know each other and worked independently. They all three did their research on the Internet and came up with remarkably similar results.
For many years I would advise students to get a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. God's amp. The best of the best and found in every recording studio in the world. Then they got too expensive when they hit $1,500. Then I would recommend the smaller brother Princeton Reverb. It is the amp shown in a photo of Chet Atkins playing guitar at home. Has all the features of the Deluxe Reverb but only one channel and a smaller speaker with less power. Then they got too expensive ($950). Still not a bad deal for a 35 year old amp unless it needs tubes, capacitors, or a speaker.
So now the amp I recommend is a handmade "Tweed Deluxe 5E3" amp. It is about 17w with one 12" speaker. No reverb or tremolo so you will need an effect pedal for that. These are true point to point all tube tone machines. Plenty loud enough for most gigs and great for playing around the house. Small and easy to carry.
All three students came to the same conclusion. They ordered their parts online and assembled them at home. They took their time from between one and five years. All three decided that the difference was in the speaker and all three decided on a $300 after trying many others. That makes since since this is a pure un-colored tone factory.
All three students used the best parts and all three ended up spending $1,100 and did all the work themselves. My amp tech can build one with a $300 speaker for $1,200 and it comes with a lifetime warranty. Hard to beat that.
I would still keep my eyes open for a Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb made before 1975. A buddy in Kentucky found one this week for $450. Even if it needed tubes, caps, and a speaker THAT is a steal of a deal.
Many thanks to Max, Tres, and Scott for their efforts and research that saved us all a lot of time and money!
When we all got together and tried all the amps and unanimously decided they were all different and all were great. Tres' amp (far left) had a Celestion Blue Bell speaker and had the best low end response. It had more low end than my 4X12 Marshall! Very clean and would be my first choice for clean because of the very full range of tone. We also liked the home made lacquer finish Tres applied. Very authentic looking. Max's amp (second from left) was ordered online thru Clark amps. Max ended up trying different speakers before settling on the Tone Tubby. Max also had an 8ohm attenuator so we could crank his amp all the way up without blowing out your ear drums. We liked that amp best all around and best for country. Scott spent over five years on his amp trying to get the primitive blues sound. He found a NOS Jensen speaker from 1964 and we all agreed it had the best blues and rock tones. The amp on the far right was also one of Scott's creations. It REALLY sounded primitive. All four amps took an overdrive pedal very well. We could not decide which amp was the best. But we learned a lot!
UPDATE: As a result of TweedFest '08 two other students have ordered their own kits to make their own Tweed 53Es! Be careful! You can get zapped pretty good with a capacitor if you are not careful.
The search for the perfect tone never ends. But after years of consideration, trial and error this is my rig more or less. It is not easy to find the original vintage stuff anymore, so this is the new equivalent.
Every bit of my new gear comes from MusiciansFriend.com or Guitar Center for the past eight years. Best prices, selection, and return policy there is. AND they bring it to your door! If you click thru to MUSICIANS FRIEND .com or Guitar Center.com from this web site to buy something, I get an advertising credit and it does not cost you a penny extra! Musicians Friend and Guitar Center is where I get all my new gear. Click on the link below to go there. If the link does not appear on your browser go here and click on the MusiciansFriend or Guitar Center link at bottom of that page.
New feature on this web site:
Always Stay Tuned. A lot is going on around here!
Rock On,
Joe "TheGuitarman" Pacciano, C.G.P.
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